Oh what a week it's been! My kids and I survived their last week of distance learning, and now they are headed back to their school. My mental health will definitely improve, and I know my children's will as well. Am I nervous about them returning to the classroom? Absolutely, because this virus is no joke. Yet I also know that for two of my kids, distance learning wasn't working. Learning disabilities + distance learning = difficulties.
Reading wise my week was respectable. I read a bit slower than usual, but that's perfectly okay.
I managed to read 4 books this week, and the books I chose were fantastic. One was even a five star!
The first book I read was
Always Only You by Chloe Liese. Full disclosure, I went with this book because there was a hockey player on the cover. 🤣 🤷🏼♀️ I also thought this was a library book. It wasn't, I purchased the e-book after seeing
Always Only You recommended on Booktube.
While I chose the book for the cover, the story hooked me. As I was reading, my gut told me that there was a good chance that Frankie was someone on the autism spectrum. A few pages later, she revealed that fact herself. I was so proud of Frankie for how successful she is, and how she advocates for herself. Then there's Ren. He is just a sweetheart who loves with all he is.
Always Only You is an opposites-attract, forbidden love sports romance about a nerdy, late-blooming hockey star, and his tough cookie coworker who keeps both her soft side and her autism diagnosis* to herself. Complete with a meddling secretary, tantric yoga torture, and a scorching slow burn, this standalone is the second in a series of novels about a Swedish-American family of five brothers, two sisters, and their wild adventures as they each find happily ever after.
*This is an #OwnVoices story for its portrayal of autism by an autistic author.
is technically book two in the
Bergman Brothers series. So I goofed and read that first. Yes I know these are technically standalone books, so I don't need to read them in order, but it's what I do! I was in disbelief when I realized what I had done. Rather than moving forward to
Ever After Always, I went back to read
Only When It's Us.
Only When It's Us introduces us to Willa and Ryder. Ryder is the middle child in the Bergman family, and he was a promising soccer player until an illness took away his hearing. Not only did Ryder lose his hearing
(and place on the soccer team), but he also refused to speak any longer. Willa has a soccer scholarship and is dealing with sports, college, and her mom's health issues.
I absolutely LOVED this book. It earned the 5 stars I gave it. I laughed. I cried. I wanted to join the Bergman family.
From Goodreads:
Only When It’s Us is a frenemies-to-lovers, college sports romance about a women’s soccer star and her surly lumberjack lookalike classmate, complete with a matchmaking professor, juvenile pranks, and a smoking slow burn. This standalone is the first in a series of new novels about a Swedish-American family of five brothers, two sisters, and their wild adventures as they each find happily ever after.
Ever After Always is the third book in the series, and it just released on January 12th. As we learned at the end of
Always Only You, Freya and Aiden are having marital problems. Ever After Always goes on to tell us everything that happened, and how hard these two work to save their relationship. The Hawaii trip was spectacular, and it solidified how much I adore this family!
I highlighted many lines from the book.
One of my favorite quotes was:
"It’s a choice, a belief. I choose you, my ever after, believing our love will sustain us, always. Ever after always."
From Goodreads:
Ever After Always is a marriage-in-crisis, opposites-attract romance about a sensitive, fierce-loving woman and her resilient husband who has anxiety disorder. Complete with island vacation antics, a sibling prank gone wrong, and a steamy slow burn, this standalone is the third in a series of novels about a Swedish-American family of five brothers, two sisters, and their wild adventures as they each find happily ever after.
My last book for the week was
Dark Ruler by Xavier Neal. This is a steamy
dark mafia romance, and it isn't my typical read, but I'm so glad I picked it up. Chantal is a strong woman, who has no problems speaking her mind. Benicio is the boss of his companies, and is used to people doing what he says when he says it. What he says goes. It's why he's in charge!
This quote stuck out to me:
“I understand the reason you hold the fear you hold, Beni. I would be lying if I said I didn’t worry when you walked out the door, the same way I used to worry when Uncle Lucius and Dad did, but he taught me that the more you feed fear, the more powerful it becomes. To weaken it, you must embrace the time you have and the time you’re given because fear will always find something to latch onto, a way to live again, but the time you lost can never be regained.”
I was raised to be a ruler of two worlds.
One with a pen.
One with a knife.
Be the king of the concrete jungle at all costs.
I should've simply taken a queen, not courted one.
I should've forced her submission, not earned it.
I should've let respect be enough, not fall in love.
Someone has made a grave mistake in coming for my company.
For my throne.
For my Mia Bella.
And for that, they will not only meet the man I was raised to become but the one I am now, for the only woman I will ever bow to.
Be prepared, this book ends in a cliffhanger! The good news is that Dark Reign is coming out yet this month. So if you start the duet in January, you won't have to wait long for the second half of the story. Also, as Benicio and Miko are Italian, the use of the language is often incorporated into the story. So you will see Beni and/or Miko translate their own lines so that Chantal understands what is being spoken. I did find myself using the translate feature on my Kindle from time to time, so it was helpful to have.
So there you have it. Those are the four books I read this week. I had 3 four stars, and 1 five star. All in all it was a great week. Now to see what next week brings.
What did you read last week? Anything you'd recommend? What's on your plan for next week?
Happy Reading,
