Reading Right Now! (341)

 I am so tired. So tired. I wish I could have the weekend to relax, but it is my nephew's birthday Saturday, and I must go. This week has been this weird mix of feeling long, while at the same time going by pretty quickly.

I figured, since I've been awful about doing Reading Right Now! posts, as well as any other posts that aren't Blog Tours, I need to fix that. Try to get back to what I used to do. We'll see how it goes.

So, what I'm Reading Right Now! is...

Cackle by Rachel Harrison - I really liked Rachel Harrison's first book, The Return, and was very excited to get my hands on her witchy book. I checked out a copy from my library. I don't know if I got an early electronic copy to review or not, and I'm too lazy to check.

This isn't the witchy book that I was expecting, but I do like it. I do think there is a ton of red flags that Annie is ignoring when it comes to Sophie. They become fast friends in a suspicious amount of time. I would wonder why all the townspeople are frightened of her. Annie is so lonely though, she jumps at the chance to be Sophie's friend.

I'm over halfway through. I'm interested to see how it is going to end.

That's what I'm Reading Right Now! What are you reading?

BLOG TOUR: The Book Haters' Book Club by Gretchen Anthony

 I'm excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for The Book Haters' Book Club by Gretchen Anthony! I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Park Row and Gretchen Anthony for letting me be a part of the tour!

Title: The Book Haters' Book Club

Author: Gretchen Anthony

Published by: Park Row

Released: September 13, 2022

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Goodreads       Amazon

 

Synopsis: All it takes is the right book to turn a Book Hater into a Book Lover…That was Elliott’s belief and the reason why he started The Book Haters’ Book Club—a newsletter of reading recommendations for the self-proclaimed “nonreader.” As the beloved co-owner of Over the Rainbow Bookstore, Elliott’s passion and gift was recommending books to customers. Now, after his sudden death, his grief-ridden business partner, Irma, has agreed to sell Over the Rainbow to a developer who will turn the cozy bookstore into high-rise condos.

But others won’t give up the bookstore without a fight. When Irma breaks the news to her daughters, Bree and Laney, and Elliott’s romantic partner, Thom, they are aghast. Over the Rainbow has been Bree and Laney’s sanctuary since childhood, and Thom would do anything to preserve Elliott’s legacy. Together, Thom, Bree and Laney conspire to save the bookstore, even if it takes some snooping, gossip and minor sabotage.

Filled with humor, family hijinks and actual reading recommendations, The Book Haters' Book Club is the ideal feel-good read. It’s a celebration of found family and a love letter to the everyday heroes who run bookstores. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: This was such a great feel good book. I love books about books, and ones that contain bookstores. It's all about saving a place that means so much to each of them.

The pending sale takes up a lot of the first half of the book, and I was excited to get past that point, and get to the real meat of the story.

I enjoyed the message of this story. It was sweet.

This book has a great family element to it, being with the family you choose. I think a lot of people will really enjoy this one.

GRETCHEN ANTHONY is the award-winning author of The Kids Are Gonna Ask, recipient of the 2021 Alex Award from the American Library Association. Her debut novel, Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners, was a Midwestern Connections Pick and a best books pick by Amazon, BookBub, PopSugar, and the New York Post. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, Medium, and The Write Life, among others. She lives in Minneapolis with her family.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for The Book Haters' Book Club by Gretchen Anthony! Thank you to Park Row and Gretchen Anthony for letting me be a part of the tour. A great book about books!

BLOG TOUR: Lucy on the Wild Side by Kerry Rea

 I'm excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Lucy on the Wild Side by Kerry Rea! I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Berkley Books and Kerry Rea for letting me be a part of this fun tour!

Title: Lucy on the Wild Side

Author: Kerry Rea

Published by: Berkley Books

Released: September 13, 2022

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Goodreads       Amazon

 

Synopsis: A charming and wildly funny new romantic comedy by Kerry Rea, author of The Wedding Ringer.

Lucy Rourke has two great loves in her life: the gorilla troop she cares for as a primatologist and the laundry list of reality TV shows she watches to escape the fact that her actual love life doesn’t exist. And like a reality contestant gunning for the final rose, Lucy’s laser-focused on one thing: getting promoted to head keeper. So when a wildlife docuseries hosted by hotshot TV personality Kai Bridges chooses her zoo as its summer filming location, she sees an opportunity to showcase her beloved gorillas to the world and land a starring role in her department.
When Kai and his film crew arrive, however, it's obvious to Lucy that Kai cares more about sky-high ratings than the gorillas, and he considers her a camera-averse know-it-all whose wardrobe consists entirely of khaki. But she’s surprised to discover there’s more to him than his rugged good looks and cheesy catchphrases...and that maybe a promotion isn’t the only thing she wants. But when secrets from their pasts threaten to complicate everything, Lucy discovers that happiness and success aren’t the same thing—and that finding joy just might mean getting a little wild. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: This was cute, fun, and I really enjoyed it. I loved the setting and Lucy's job. It was fun reading about a zookeeper. I don't know that I have before. I also loved the reality TV angle. These characters live in two vastly different worlds, which makes them coming together so fun. I'm also always happy to have another rom com to read. There's nothing better than romance and funny situations.

This was a good time. It did take a bit to warm up to Lucy. She could be a little immature, but it was nice seeing her grow.

I'd say give this one a read. It's good.

Kerry Rea is a 2017 and 2019 #PitchWars mentee. Her work has appeared in Seventeen magazine. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and four dogs. The Wedding Ringer is her debut novel.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for Lucy on the Wild Side by Kerry Rea! Thank you to Berkley Books and Kerry Rea for letting me be a part of the tour. This is cute, and you should definitely read it.

BLOG TOUR: Barbarian Mine (Ice Planet Barbarians #4) by Ruby Dixon

 I'm really excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Barbarian Mine by Ruby Dixon! This is a series that I can't seem to stop myself from reading. I received a free electronic copy from the publisher for honest review. Thanks so much to Berkley Books and Ruby Dixon for letting me be a part of the tour! 

Title: Barbarian Mine (Ice Planet Barbarians #4)

Author: Ruby Dixon

Published by: Berkley Books

Released: September 13, 2022

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Goodreads       Amazon       Goodreads Special Editon

Synopsis: The ice planet has given me a second lease on life, so I'm thrilled to be here. Sure, there's no cheeseburgers, but I'm healthy and ready to be a productive member of the small tribe.

What I didn't anticipate? That there'd be a savage stranger waiting nearby, watching me. And when he takes me captive, the unthinkable happens... I resonate to him.
Resonance means mating, and children... but I don't know if this guy's ever been around anyone before. He's truly a barbarian in all ways, right down to clubbing me over the head and claiming me as his own.
So why is it that I crave his touch and hunger for more? (Synopsis from Goodreads)

The fourth novel in the international publishing phenomenon the Ice Planet Barbarians series, now in a special print edition with bonus materials and an exclusive epilogue!
Harlow receives the shock of her life when she wakes up to see Rukh, a stranger who has clearly been on his own his whole life, but she soon learns that there is much more to this gruff, barbaric alien than the savage he appears to be.
The ice planet has given me a second lease on life, so I'm thrilled to be here. Sure, there are no cheeseburgers, but I'm healthy and ready to be a productive member of the small tribe. What I didn't anticipate? That there'd be a savage stranger waiting nearby, watching me. And when he takes me captive, the unthinkable happens...I resonate to him.
Resonance means mating, and children...but I don't know if this guy's ever been around anyone before. Rukh is utterly wild. He's completely uncivilized, can't speak more than a few words and doesn't know what clothes are. A human--a human woman--is mystifying to him. He's truly a barbarian in all ways, and like Tarzan in the stories, he's kidnapped me and claimed me for his own.
Being with him means I'm going to have to teach him to speak, how to kiss, and how to be human. Or even alien. It should be a terrifying prospect...so why is it that I crave his touch and hunger for more? (Synopsis from Goodreads)

My Thoughts: This series is so addictive and entertaining, I just can't get enough. I'm loving continuing on with this series. I also love that Berkley keeps releasing these Special Editions. It's a great way to draw in more readers to the series, and I find these so pleasing to look at.

Anyone going into this series should know, it's very adult. It's smutty alien romance. These books are written in a way that is so entertaining. 

I liked getting Harlow's story. I really liked how this one was a little bit of a twist from the previous books. Rukh is the one that has to be taught everything instead of Harlowe. He's been on his own for so long that there's a lot of things he needs to figure out.

I really liked the romance in this. This was just another fun time in Ice Planet Barbarian world.

Ruby Dixon loves to write sexy, dirty things. Right now she's obsessed with dirty aliens. She's also dabbled in dirty bikers, dirty bears, and well, just dirty things in general.

The latest ICEHOME has arrived with FLOR'S FIASCO and so many crazy things are happening I cannot possibly mention them all! Just to say that I think you'll like it...and you'll really enjoy Flor and her unlikely mate. Also mid-September, the beautiful special edition of BARBARIAN MINE comes out in paperback!!

As always, my e-books are free in Kindle Unlimited.

Want updates on when the new book releases? Sign up for my newsletter at: http://rubydixon.com or follow me on Facebook! I love to chat with fans there!

Thank you for checking out my Blog Tour stop for Barbarian Mine by Ruby Dixon. Thanks so much to Berkley Books and Ruby Dixon for letting me be a part of this tour! If you like monster/alien romance books, definitely give these ones a read!

BLOG TOUR: The Girl from Guernica by Karen Robards

I'm excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for The Girl from Guernica by Karen Robards! I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to MIRA and Karen Robards for letting me be a part of the tour!

 

 

 

Title: The Girl from Guernica

Author: Karen Robards

Published by: MIRA

Released: September 6, 2022

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Goodreads        Amazon

 

Synopsis: Inspired by Picasso’s great masterpiece, Guernica, New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards returns with a riveting story of intrigue, deception and bravery in the face of war…

On an April day in 1937, the sky opens and fire rains down upon the small Spanish town of Guernica. Seventeen-year-old Sibi and her family are caught up in the horror. Griff, an American military attaché, pulls Sibi from the wreckage, and it’s only the first time he saves her life in a span of hours. When Germany claims no involvement in the attack, insisting the Spanish Republic was responsible, Griff guides Sibi to lie to Nazi officials. If she or her sisters reveal that they saw planes bearing swastikas, the gestapo will silence them—by any means necessary. 

As war begins to rage across Europe, Sibi joins the underground resistance, secretly exchanging information with Griff. But as the scope of Germany’s ambitions becomes clear, maintaining the facade of a Nazi-sympathizer becomes ever more difficult. And as Sibi is drawn deeper into a web of secrets, she must find a way to outwit an enemy that threatens to decimate her family once and for all. 

Masterfully rendered and vividly capturing one of the most notorious episodes in history, The Girl from Guernica is an unforgettable testament to the bonds of family and the courage of women in wartime. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: This was a really compelling story full of danger and intrigue. I always like diving in to historical fiction from time to time. World War 2 was such a crazy time in our world, and it's interesting to read stories about.

Karen Robards did a little something different with a WWII book, and covered something that I hadn't heard much about. I'd never even heard of Guernica before this book. I like how she incorporated something different and taught me something I didn't know. I imagine if I had been more into the art world, I would have recongnized Guernica really fast. Time is funny, you don't think necessarily of Picasso living in the time of WWII. I really enjoyed discovering something different.

The story was really good too. There was a lot of danger, heartbreak, and doing what you must to survive a grim situation. I liked our characters of Sibi and Griff. The story definitely kept me on the edge, worrying about what was going to happen to them.

Karen Robards is the New York Times, USA TODAY and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of fifty novels and one novella. She is the winner of six Silver Pen awards and numerous other awards.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Post for The Girl from Guernica by Karen Robards. Thank you to MIRA and Karen Robards for letting me be a part of the tour! This is perfect for fans of historical fiction and WWII.

BLOG TOUR: The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson

 I'm excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson, with a Spotlight Post! I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Berkley and Freya Sampson for letting me be a part of the tour!

Title: The Lost Ticket

Author: Freya Sampson

Published by: Berkley

Released: August 30, 2022

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Goodreads       Amazon

 

Synopsis:  Strangers aboard a London bus unite to help an elderly man find his missed love connection in the heartwarming new novel from the author of The Last Chance Library. 

When Libby Nicholls arrives in London, brokenhearted and with her life in tatters, the first person she meets on the bus is elderly Frank. He tells her about the time in 1962 that he met a girl on the number 88 bus with beautiful red hair just like hers. They made plans for a date at the National Gallery art museum, but Frank lost the bus ticket with her number on it. For the past sixty years, he’s ridden the same bus trying to find her, but with no luck. 

Libby is inspired to action and, with the help of an unlikely companion, she papers the bus route with posters advertising their search. Libby begins to open her guarded heart to new friendships and a budding romance, as her tightly controlled world expands. But with Frank’s dementia progressing quickly, their chance of finding the girl on the 88 bus is slipping away. 

More than anything, Libby wants Frank to see his lost love one more time. But their quest also shows Libby just how important it is to embrace her own chances for happiness—before it’s too late—in a beautifully uplifting novel about how a shared common experience among strangers can transform lives in the most marvelous ways. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

Freya Sampson works in television as a creator and executive producer. Her credits include two documentary series for the BBC about the British royal family as well as a number of factual and entertainment series. She studied history at Cambridge University and in 2018 was short-listed for the Exeter Novel Prize. She lives in London with her husband, two young children, and an antisocial cat. 

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour post for The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson. Thank you to Berkley and Freya Sampson for letting me be a part of the tour. This one is super sweet and should definitely be added to your reading list.

BLOG TOUR: Honor by Thrity Umrigar

I'm really excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for the paperback release of Honor by Thrity Umrigar! I received a free electronic review copy from the publisher. Thanks so much to Algonquin Books and Thrity Umrigar for letting me be a part of the tour!

 

 

Title: Honor

Author: Thrity Umrigar

Published by: Algonquin Books

Released: Hardback - January 4, 2022, Paperback - September 27, 2022

Source: Review Copy Provided by the Publisher

Goodreads      Amazon

 

Synopsis: In this riveting and immersive novel, bestselling author Thrity Umrigar tells the story of two couples and the sometimes dangerous and heartbreaking challenges of love across a cultural divide.

Indian American journalist Smita has returned to India to cover a story, but reluctantly: long ago she and her family left the country with no intention of ever coming back. As she follows the case of Meena—a Hindu woman attacked by members of her own village and her own family for marrying a Muslim man—Smita comes face to face with a society where tradition carries more weight than one’s own heart, and a story that threatens to unearth the painful secrets of Smita’s own past. While Meena’s fate hangs in the balance, Smita tries in every way she can to right the scales. She also finds herself increasingly drawn to Mohan, an Indian man she meets while on assignment. But the dual love stories of Honor are as different as the cultures of Meena and Smita themselves: Smita realizes she has the freedom to enter into a casual affair, knowing she can decide later how much it means to her.

In this tender and evocative novel about love, hope, familial devotion, betrayal, and sacrifice, Thrity Umrigar shows us two courageous women trying to navigate how to be true to their homelands and themselves at the same time. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: This was a really interesting story that I enjoyed reading. I really liked how it explored different cultures, different ways of living. It did a great job of presenting a story of the cultural divide when it comes to relationships. I felt like I learned and experienced something while reading this. I think it deserves all the praise, and more people should pick it up.

 

Thrity Umrigar is the bestselling author of eight novels, including The Space Between Us, which was a finalist for the PEN/Beyond Margins Award, as well as a memoir and three picture books. Her books have been translated into several languages and published in more than fifteen countries. She is the winner of a Lambda Literary Award and a Seth Rosenberg Award and is Distinguished Professor of English at Case Western Reserve University. A recipient of the Nieman Fellowship to Harvard, she has contributed to the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, the New York Times and Huffington Post.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for Honor by Thrity Umrigar! Thank you to Algonquin Books and Thrity Umrigar for letting me be a part of the tour. This is a good one.