It is extremely hot, and it’s going to keep getting hotter.
So I’m cutting back on my outdoor plans (I still need to finish my deck repair work, but I'll probably do it at midnight one night to be discreet).
I have a flower bed I want to level out, but again, not anytime soon.
So I’ve been catching up on some reading!
I've gotten my couch back from being reupholstered, and I’m obsessed with it. I also recovered a chair I got for free on Facebook Marketplace.
And I’ll prob do some little things around the house, but it is time to lounge in AC.
I read rave reviews of the latest in this trilogy, so I went back to the beginning to start.
Claire lost her job and her boyfriend and found out about a family member and inheritance she never knew about, so she has a new purpose and hops on a plane. There she’s seated with Declan, who is quiet and brooding, but when they think the plane is gonna crash, kisses her senseless.
The hijinks ensue when they’re forced together time and time again while trying to resist each other and solve a murder!
Y’all. This is such a cute book.
I loved Claire. She’s an optimistic baker trying to find the positive when she keeps getting hit with life change after life change. Declan’s moodiness betrays his true feelings as readers get a glimpse into his isolating self-protection.
Together, they bring out new sides of each other, which is sweet (and spicy) to read. I’m picking up the next two!
A Brush with Love - (full trilogy)
I read an ARC of Mazey Eddings' upcoming novel and fell in love, so I decided to read her earlier works.
I started with this one, the first of a trilogy about best friends in Philadelphia.
Harper is a dental student focused on excelling and controlling her almost crippling anxiety. Dan hates dental school and instantly falls for Harper. They try to stay in the friend zone but fall hard, and then life throws them around.
I love Harper and Dan. I’m not always a huge fan of insta-love, but in this case Eddings is quick to have the flaws be apparent and known rather than ignored or glossed over, which helps me find it a more palatable trope.
Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake- Lizzie is Harper’s best friend, so we know her. She’s got a raging case of ADHD and a lot of self-hate over the distractions and mistakes it leads her to make until she meets Aussie Rake. There are sparks, spice, and banter galore.
I think I love Lizzie more. She’s so sunny and hopeful with a solid dash of darkness from her ADHD. She’s also frank, funny, and an open book about her issues. It’s refreshing in all three of these books to see how open Eddings is as she writes about mental health and issues that often get shied away from in open conversation.
Also, Rake is adorable AF.
This one popped up on a recommendation list so I hit up my lovely Libby for it.
Corporate emailing has never been this hot... Life’s always been messy for Bridget Quinn, but she’s never let it diminish her spirit. Besides, things are finally looking up after she lands her dream job at an amazing fashion company. And when a small mistake with big consequences ends in an unlikely pen pal instead, Bridget feels on top of the world.
This is very much a romance a la You’ve Got Mail with a dash of Devil Wears Prada. I liked it!
Bridget also reminded me a lot of the main character in Shopaholic. She’s positive and peppy in the face of anything that gets thrown her way— almost to her detriment.
Her pen pal is the grumpy one to her perpetual sunshine.
Together, they build banter and spice that really endear the reader to their relationship.
Definitely a fun read.
Freebie from Jennifer Sucevik!
Campus Flirt is a delightful novella in the Campus Series and is FREE for a limited time only!
(I posted about this series—HERE)
Snag this deal while you can: https://a.co/d/i4StMCt
Add Campus Flirt to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60139974-campus-flirt?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=DJIXn1mzts&rank=1
New release from Catherine Cowles!
PLUS A SNEAK PEEK:
ELLIE
Grabbing a veggie lover’s from the top of the stack, I read the instructions. Seemed simple enough. I turned the knob to bake and set it to four hundred and twenty-five degrees.
I snagged a fresh change of clothes from my room and headed for the shower.
Quickly toweling off and getting the excess water out of my hair, an angry beeping blared so loud it resembled a tornado warning.
Do they get tornados in Oregon?
That's when I smelled it.
Smoke.
“Shit, shit, shit!” Smoke billowed out of the oven in angry waves, and I tried to remember if this was the sort of fire I could put out with water.
I was frantically opening cabinets one second, and the next, a dark god of fury was striding into my kitchen.
As he straightened, I took in the details I couldn’t grasp before. Dark hair still damp from a shower. Green eyes like the hues found deep in the forest. Scruff dotting a jaw so sharp it could cut glass. And a worn Mercer County Sheriff T-shirt, the kind that was perfect for sleeping in.
“Trace?”
TRACE
I didn’t know where the hell to look. Everywhere my eyes darted was skin. Too much damn beauty.
And she had ridiculous, sparkly rainbows on her panties.
“What the hell are you doing?” I growled.
Her mouth dropped open. “Trying to make a pizza?”
“You could’ve burned this house down. What are you doing in Mrs. Henderson’s house anyway?” I wanted to ask what she was doing here half-naked, but my dick didn’t need to be thinking about that any more than it already was.
“I, uh, live here.”
Oh, hell no.
“For the love of God, put this on.” I tugged off my tee and handed it to her.
Ellie flushed, the color deepening the apples of her cheeks and only making her look more beautiful. “Sorry, I, uh, just got out of the shower.”
“You’re making it worse,” I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose.
She tugged the shirt over her head. “Better?”
“Not really,” I grumbled.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a grouch?”
“You’re the one who almost set the neighborhood on fire.”
“You’re the one who broke into my house.”
O𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻 ➝ https://geni.us/ChsngShltrAmzn
𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗳 ➝ https://geni.us/ChsngShltrGoodreads
O𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝘂𝘅𝗲 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ➝ https://geni.us/ChsngShltrPaperback
New one from Julia Connors!
I devour the Boston Rebels books as soon as she releases them (and I’ve read the series more than once I love them so much).
Now we’re getting closer to the next one!
GOAL LINE by Julia Connors is releasing on August 15th!!!
hockey player x figure skater
childhood best friends to lovers
marriage of convenience
accidental pregnancy (not his baby)
#bostonrebels #hockeyromance #hockeyromancebooks #friendstolovers #accidentalpregnancy #marriageofconvenience #steamyromance #juliaconnors @juliaconnorsauthor