I had the privilege of reading advance copies for a couple of this week's new releases, but they didn't have spots on the blog schedule. I hope you enjoy them too! I am also part of a group read, but I am terrible at pacing myself, so you get to see my thoughts on that too!
ARC REVIEWS
Why Not Tonight by Susan MalleryMy rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend
Review Copy Provided by Author
This was a fun wrap up to the Mitchell Brothers books that have spanned the Fools Gold and Happily, Inc series. We get to know Ronan and Natalie (both secondary characters from previous books) better in this installment.
I enjoyed getting to spend time with them and seeing how being together made both of them better people. Ronan has a bigger emotional journey, one that has been building, but Natalie had her own issues to deal with.
This is an interconnected Stand-alone. It could be read by itself, but I do think the reader would benefit from reading the other Happily, Inc book first. The very active secondary cast have their stories continued here, so there are potential spoilers for people reading out of order.
This is well written (as expected) and fun, in especially liked Natalie’s character and her outlook on life is refreshing. Now that we have met all of the Mitchell brothers, I am curious to see what is next for the population of Happily, Inc.
Amazon
Swagger by Liz LincolnMy rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend
Review Copy Provided by Publisher via Net Galley
Where to start with the love for this book?
Smart, empowered female lead - check
Swoony, smart, sweet male lead - check
Diverse cast (on multiple levels) - check
Entertaining secondary cast - check
This is the second book in Ms Lincoln's Dragon series and my second read by her. I enjoyed the first book, but think this one might have been even better. Bree, the female lead for this story, is a physics grad student on the cusp of getting her PhD. I loved the premise of how she connected with Marcus (who just happens to be her favorite player on the Dragons). From their meet cute, to the interactions that lead to friendship to more, this was a couple that I enjoyed spending time with.
One of my favorite things about this book is that Ms Lincoln avoided the stereotypes for both athletes and physicist, maybe not completely, but for the most part. We saw Marcus striving to complete his degree and Bree having a social life and enjoying other pursuits besides just school. We also got to see that for both characters there are challenges that maybe wouldn't be expected.
What helped seal this has a 4 star read for me was the fact that Ms Lincoln also avoided what could have been considered an obvious conflict (or two) and instead focused on making sure that her lead characters could see just how much they valued each other as people/friends/lovers.
I was encouraged after reading the first Dragon's book, but after reading this book, this is a series I am very excited to see move forward.
Amazon
TBR/Group Read
Some Sort of Happy by Melanie HarlowMy rating: 4 of 5 stars - Would Recommend to a Friend
From my TBR
I love this series and the fact that the hero’s are not “perfect” and have atypical baggage.
I enjoyed Sky and Sebastian’s journey from reconnecting (10 years post high school) to developing a real relationship. The time they spent together seemed to be good for both of them and I appreciated the growth in their characters.
One of the things I enjoyed most was that Ms Harlow took the time to try and understand the issues Sebastian was dealing with and how they impacted his life. It truly felt that we were in his shoes at times and made me root for him and Sky that much more.
This is a book that has been on my TBR for a long time - I am so glad a group read came a long to nudge it to the top of the list. I had been missing out on a really great story.
Amazon
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