A sweet contemporary romance between a matchmaker and the app creator of a dating service, both centered around Chinese zodiac traits. The beginning oA sweet contemporary romance between a matchmaker and the app creator of a dating service, both centered around Chinese zodiac traits. The beginning of this book started off rocky for me as I didn't love the deceit taking place, but the plot quickly changed for the better and I enjoyed the book a lot more after about 40%. I thought this covered a lot of great topics such as family, loyalty, Chinese zodiac, mixed race heritage, and what makes people compatible. I would definitely try another book by this author in the future....more
So, I am actually really mad at whomever decided to market this book as Romancing the Stone/Indiana Jones because it was neither of those things. ThosSo, I am actually really mad at whomever decided to market this book as Romancing the Stone/Indiana Jones because it was neither of those things. Those are adventure stories with lots of action: this was a boring archeological dig where not much action (other than sexual) happens.
I think this book had a lot of potential, and Jo Segura is a decent writer, but this story itself and the execution of the plot was lackluster. We had two such great characters that had decent chemistry (aside from some ick sex scenes, at least ick to me) and yet the actual story was not good! How do you take the really cool story of what these characters were looking for and then make it boring, I don't know. But after not much happening throughout 80% of the book and then a super-dramatic over the top turn in the last 20% is what brought the book down from 3 to 2 stars for me.
An ALC was provided via the Librarian ALC program at Libro.fm ...more
Christa is a scientist working on a remote island studying sea snails when she gets the call: her father who famously disappeared in a plan 3.5 stars
Christa is a scientist working on a remote island studying sea snails when she gets the call: her father who famously disappeared in a plane crash over 20 years ago has been found... and he's alive. Rushed back to Los Angeles, she is reunited with her mom and two sisters and childhood friend Nate. Her father's story of survival seems farfetched, but the family wants to forgive him. Until some things don't add up and Christa needs to re-evaluate her life and relationships.
This was such a fun and interesting premise, like if Steve Irwin was presumed dead and then came back to life. Christa was a really interesting character and there were lost of interesting family dynamics and growth moment. This is my third book by Abbi Waxman, and while I really do enjoy her books for the most part, plotwise they always seem to lack that big punch. There were lots of missed opportunities between the characters to really dig deeper and Christa almost always ran away from it all. So this book is solidly 3.5 stars because it's better than a 3 but not quite there for a 4 star rating.
Review copy provided by Berkley, thank you. I also listened to audiobook via public library ...more
After visiting Starling House one night, Opal finds herself drawn back to the sprawling spooky mansion. She ends up convincing the owner, A 3.5 stars
After visiting Starling House one night, Opal finds herself drawn back to the sprawling spooky mansion. She ends up convincing the owner, Arthur, into reluctantly giving her a cleaning job. But there's more to Starling House than meets the eye, and the house wants Opal...
I thought this was a great, atmospheric, spooky little book. It came to my attention when I saw the author Alix Harrow speak at the LA Festival of books and I put it on my tbr after her panel. This is one of those books where I really did like it, but it had a stronger start than finish. I thought Opal and her brother Jasper were such fun characters with a great relationship. Arthur was very intriguing. I just think some of the pacing and plot lacked a bit, hence 3.5 stars and not a higher rating....more
The action packed story of the family outcast who finds himself tangled in a web of lies. My first book by Scottoline, I wasn't sure what 3.5 stars!
The action packed story of the family outcast who finds himself tangled in a web of lies. My first book by Scottoline, I wasn't sure what to expect and ended up enjoying the ride of this plot. TJ was an interesting character and narrator as the black sheep of the family and how that all caused things to unfold. This is one of those books where I had a lot of fun listening along to what was happening, but I can tell in a couple of months I probably won't remember the details. Mango the cat was my favorite part of the book, she's a star!!...more
The story of a con-artist fake medium Gretchen who is paid to go and complete an exorcism for a farmer named Charlie on his land. Once there, 4 stars
The story of a con-artist fake medium Gretchen who is paid to go and complete an exorcism for a farmer named Charlie on his land. Once there, Charlie rejects Gretchen as a fraud, but a funny thing happens: Gretchen sees her first ghost. Everett is Charlie's distant relative and warns Gretchen that if Charlie sells and leaves the farm he will die and be stuck in the afterlife. So now, Gretchen has to save the farmer who hates her and think's she's full of it.
I picked up this book as it fits the bingo square for Diners, Drive Ins and Dives for the 2024 Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo challenge, and I am very glad I did. I never would have picked up this book otherwise and it was so good!! I loved the whole story with Everett the ghost and Gretchen's romance with Charlie which was slightly angsty and the perfect amount of sweet. As strong as the romance was with Charlie, I thought the friendship between Gretchen and Everett was the best part of the book. There was a really good amount of character development for all of the characters which I really appreciated as often that seems to be left out of romance. Also Mara Wilson was a great narrator, she really made the book and characters come to life....more
I will start this out by saying I am not the target audience for this book. I read it for a book club and I am actually very proud of mysel 2.5 stars
I will start this out by saying I am not the target audience for this book. I read it for a book club and I am actually very proud of myself for finishing this 19 hour audiobook. Not much to say other than I think I would have liked it more if there had been either a time jump or maybe 200+ pages had been shaved off of this one. It was overly long with subplots that lead nowhere sometimes. At times it reminded me a lot of Robert Jordan's work in that while at its heart I recognize its worth and that there are good parts, but we didn't really need all of that....more
My first book by Meryl Wilsner (who I've been meaning to read ever since I saw them at LA Festival of Books in 2023). This book follows two soccer plaMy first book by Meryl Wilsner (who I've been meaning to read ever since I saw them at LA Festival of Books in 2023). This book follows two soccer players, one a stoic team captain, the other an outspoken newbie. Attraction sparks right when they meet, but playing on the same team means some conflict and tension.
I enjoyed this book but it was solidly in the "it's just okay" category for me. I had it on my list for a while and it counts for a reading bingo square for "Olympics" so I pushed this to the front of the tbr. There was just a lot of internal monologuing for me, it was endless to the point that it was either that or sex scenes. Which is fine! But I wanted more the character development earlier in the book (with some more plot) rather than the dump we got later. Otherwise it's a fun sports romance and it was nice to see women's soccer in the mix.
An ALC was provided by libro.fm via the librarian ALC program ...more
It wasn't my favorite book, contemporary adult fiction is not a genre I typically choose to read. I did like t 2.5 stars
Read for One Book One County.
It wasn't my favorite book, contemporary adult fiction is not a genre I typically choose to read. I did like that this book was a look at a family and wasn't stereotypical or negative depictions of a Hispanic family like we tend to see in fiction. It was fun to follow along where they went in Los Angeles and surrounding areas.
Overall, I just didn't like any of the characters or really cared what happened to most of them. Most of them were incredibly selfish and wouldn't even talk to their father when they could tell he was really dealing with something awful. ...more
Really not much to say about this one. I think I prefer Ann Cleeve's stories on screen more than reading her books. This book felt all over the place Really not much to say about this one. I think I prefer Ann Cleeve's stories on screen more than reading her books. This book felt all over the place with the reveal at the end coming out of nowhere. It's probably just me though, many other readers really loved this book....more
Book 2 in the Dark Rise series, you need to have read book 1 before reading this one. If you haven't, maybe avoid reading my review as it 3.75 stars
Book 2 in the Dark Rise series, you need to have read book 1 before reading this one. If you haven't, maybe avoid reading my review as it may contain spoilers for book 1. Also I won't do any summary, just thoughts on the book.
Dark Heir started out very slow for me, to the point that I almost quit at about 35%. There were a lot of new things thrown at us and lots of names to keep track of, but it got a lot better by the end of the book. I was sad we didn't get more of Violet in this book as she's my favorite character, but it made sense as other plot points needed to be pushed forward.
I am very excited for book 3 but nervous as there's no release date. I really want to know what happens mostly because (view spoiler)[ I was so frustrated with how quickly all of Will's friends turned on him once they found out he was the dark king. (hide spoiler)].
So if you get frustrated reading this push through because the end was great....more
An atmospheric thriller from Riley Sager about Ethan Marsh, a man in his 40 haunted by a tragic event that happened to him when he was a child. ThirtyAn atmospheric thriller from Riley Sager about Ethan Marsh, a man in his 40 haunted by a tragic event that happened to him when he was a child. Thirty years earlier, Ethan was having a sleepover in a tent in his backyard with his friend Billy. That night someone sliced the tent and took Billy, never to be seen again. Years later Ethan is back and convinced Billy's got something to tell him...
Riley Sager is an author whose books I will always read but don't always love. He can be hit or miss. This one fell in the middle for me a bit. I think this story had great bones but got a bit lost in the minutia of the everyday details. Sager paints a picture of what life on the lane was like in the 90's versus present day, and there were a lot of twists and turns. I did enjoy this book, but at no point was I scared, thrilled, or even super invested in what would happen by the end. And that's not my usual reaction to a Sager novel. I think many people will love this book, and I will always been reading this author's books, no matter what he writes.
An advanced listening copy by provided by libro.fm via the librarian alc program ...more
A romance between wedding planner Lear and divorce attorney RJ. I liked this book, but it also didn't wow me. I really loved Denise Williams' first boA romance between wedding planner Lear and divorce attorney RJ. I liked this book, but it also didn't wow me. I really loved Denise Williams' first book How to Fail at Flirting, but I've read 3 other books by her and none of them have blown me away. Hopefully her next book knocks it out of the park!...more
It's really hard to describe the plot of this book in a way that would make sense, so I won't even try. CS Pacat is an author I've read before and didIt's really hard to describe the plot of this book in a way that would make sense, so I won't even try. CS Pacat is an author I've read before and didn't super love, but a book friend asked me to trust them that this was good so I did, and I really liked this book a lot. I listened to the audiobook which was excellently done.
There were lots of fantasy bits that I didn't quite compute, but am told book 2 helps make a lot of sense of book one so I'll read it soon. I really liked the worldbuilding and characters in this book a lot and would love to see more of both in the series. You can also tell when reading this book that the author put their heart and soul into writing it....more
I've really become a fan of Lisa Gardner this year and have really enjoyed this Frankie Elkin series. The third book in the series, it can 3.75 stars
I've really become a fan of Lisa Gardner this year and have really enjoyed this Frankie Elkin series. The third book in the series, it can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading the other two books first. Frankie is contacted by the lawyer of a female serial killer on death row. The woman wants Frankie to find her missing sister, and after some convincing Frankie agrees and is flown to a remote island off the coast of Hawaii to search for her undercover at a resort.
I saw a lot of reviews not enjoying this latest installment in the series and I can see why. A lot of the plot near the end was a bit over the top, but I felt the same way about the second book in the series too. You kind of just need to go with the flow on these books and remember it's fiction and of course none of this would happen in real life. I like Frankie a lot as a main character, her snark and her need to find missing people. I also think Lisa Gardner is excellent at pacing, which not many authors are and I really appreciate that there aren't many lulls in her books. I'm excited for whenever the next book comes out, if there is one....more
The third book in a series, Disturbing the Dead is not a standalone and you must read the first two books in the series to understand what happens in The third book in a series, Disturbing the Dead is not a standalone and you must read the first two books in the series to understand what happens in this book. Mallory, a woman who time travelled from the modern day into Victorian Scotland into the body of a young and pretty maid helps her employer to solve crimes as police consultants. When asked to attend a party of a mummy unwrapping, Mallory and Dr. Gray find a more recent body instead.
Kelley Armstrong is one of my all time favorite authors and this book proved yet again why I love her. I was riveted by this book and was finding excuses to keep listening to it as much as possible. In some regards in this third book we got some closure as the reader on certain topics. But what I really love is Mallory the main character and all of the relationships she has built with all of the side characters. That's what Kelley does best, bringing a cast of characters to life as if they're people you would know, even in Victorian Scotland.
This has quickly become one of my favorite series, and I hope there's a plan for MANY installments in the future because I cannot get enough of them.
I was gifted an advanced listening copy of this book via libro.fm as a part of their librarian ALC program ...more
This book was a really great look at what happens when a big moment occurs in the timeline and how it affects a singular family. It was a bit hard to This book was a really great look at what happens when a big moment occurs in the timeline and how it affects a singular family. It was a bit hard to get into at first, but as the story progressed and we got closer and closer to the truth I found myself really wanting to know what happened. This is my second book by Angie Kim and both have been three star reads. I think she's a very talented writer, but I haven't loved either one of her books, I've mostly just liked them....more
You know you're a millennial when your brain adds "gossip girl" every time XOXO is said in this book.
I thought this book was super cute, in a lot of wYou know you're a millennial when your brain adds "gossip girl" every time XOXO is said in this book.
I thought this book was super cute, in a lot of ways it reminded me of the Netflix series XOXO Kitty (I believe this book came out first, not sure). But also as a millennial woman in my 30's I am not the target demographic and it wasn't for me, nor was it meant for me! I mostly read it to complete my A-Z title reading challenge for a title with the letter "X".
A sweet romance between a music student and a K-Pop star. I had fun reading along as the main character moved from the USA to Korea and all of the stories of her making new friends and getting to know her grandmother better. The cast of characters is what made this book strong for me. But reading this book helped me realize (even more than I already have) that I think my reading tastes are evolving away from YA....more
In the 1960's Frances has her fortune told and it predicts her future murder. Now, present day, she has been murdered after a lifetime of t 3.5 stars
In the 1960's Frances has her fortune told and it predicts her future murder. Now, present day, she has been murdered after a lifetime of trying to find out who. Her great-niece Annie Adams who was in town to meet with Frances, begins to try and solve the murder. Using documents her great-aunt left behind, Annie begins to unwind the web surrounding Frances' death. But she isn't the only one trying to solve the murder, and whomever does first, inherits everything.
I thought the first half of this book was a little boring and stilted. I actually almost quit but decided to keep listening and I am glad I did because the second half was way better than the first half. Lots of the dialogue felt very stiff and disjointed but got better. And the overall mystery of everything picked up and the story got going a lot better. I had trouble keeping track of a lot of the characters, but I did really like Annie as a main character and would be willing to try more books if she is in them....more
A beautifully written fantasy, this book was one of my more happy surprise reads this year!
Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of the Governor, and her A beautifully written fantasy, this book was one of my more happy surprise reads this year!
Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of the Governor, and her mother is Amrithi, outcasts in society. But being half-Amrithi means Mehr has inherited magic and those in power seek to use it for their own gain.
As I said before this book was written so beautifully and I loved listening along to the story. It's not necessarily groundbreaking, but also it doesn't have to be! (I say this because of reviews I saw complaining about that). I loved Mehr and Amun and the wonderful love story they had in this book. Amun is one of the great book boyfriends!
I do wish this book had been slightly shorter, but otherwise I loved it....more
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