Recent Reads: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date:   August 9, 2016

 

Format: Paperback
Source: Bought/Own

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

Nemesis (n.)

1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome;

2) A person’s undoing;

3) Joshua Templeman. 

Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.

Review: 

Another grab from the TBR Shelf.

This is rivals to lovers perfection. The banter was swoonworthy and it was a page-turner at its finest. 

Lucy Hutton and Josh Templeton are two complete opposties. Lucy is bright and energetic to Josh's boring and blah. Lucy has to work with Josh but she does not enjoy it. Everyday since the acquisition that put them in the same office, they have been at war.  It all started on that first day, Lucy smiled at him and he coudln't be bothered to return the favor and since then he has been a smug a$$. 

Told from Lucy's POV. The beginning of the book recount their meeting, how it has been going and how they interact... or don't. The realy climax of the book is when Lucy starts to gain the interest of a guy at work and Josh starts to lose his cool around her. Additionally, there is now a promotion available and one of them will get it... the war continues. 

I liked Lucy's go-get-em attitude and was glad that she had support of her boss in this whole situation. I loved the banter and miscommunication aspects of the relationship between Lucy and Josh. Lucy was so oblivious and I love that it was written this way.  Their interaction was cute and dreamy and Josh is so much more caring than he lets on. 

Overall, Adorable.

Recent Reads: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Series: Thursday Murder Club #1
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date:  September 3, 2020

 

Format: Paperback
Source: Bought/Own

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.

But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?

Review: 

Another on from the shelf of TBRs.

The Thursday Murder Club is a group of retirees spening time solving cold cases that belong to another member (but who is no longer able to solve crimes with them, she is now in the hospice type area). 

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibraham, and Ron all live at Fairhaven, a cure retirement ciommunity and they 'solve' crimes. Now an actual murder occurs - the owner of  the facility was found dead in his home. Together they are going to solve it. 

Elizabeth is pushy and determined. Joyce is the newest member and a former nurse. She is quiet but we also get her POV from journal entries - the only one we get first person from. Ibraham is also quiet, a former therapist. Ron is loud-mouthed and a former union lead. Together they are a force to be reckoned with.

They work well together but also play off each other knowing the respective strengths each provide to a situation. It was a cozy, sweet, unlikely quad of friends. The mystery part of the stroy was good but I really liked the characters more. Their attempts to sleuth it all out were humorous and creative. 

It took longer to read beacuse I was trying to piece it all together before the end. I thought I had it, but then it all kinda fell apart. Overall, I loved that the book focuse on a group of older main characters - they used their life experiences to play their own little game but also showed that it is never too late to be helpful. 

At some point, I will pick up the next one.

Building the Book Pile #440

Welcome to Building the Book Pile!

Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! 

Another week into 2024. I am not behind yet on my GR challenge but it feels like it... my attention gotten taken for a bit there with Little To The Left, a Switch game, very satisfying... to organize things. My husband laughs but it was a comforting game with a few good brain-teasers. I have the DLC now... so I will try to listen to a book while playing.

Coming up on the Blog

Recent Reads: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (Adult) 

Recent Reads: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne (Adult)

Early Reader Review: Country Bird by Angela Harrison Vinet (Non-Fiction)

Books Received Recently...  

  

 

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli - BOTM

Have you missed anything lately?

Recent Reads: Hark! A Homicide: A Cozy Mystery Christmas Novella by Tricia L. Sanders (Adult) -3 stars

Recent Reads: Bound by Knighthood by Nicki Chapelway (Adult) -3 stars

Early Reader Review: Freshman Year by Sarah Mai (YA, GN)-3 stars

Recent Reads: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (Adult) -4 stars

Donating Caffeine is greatly appreciated ... Donate on Ko-fi

What have you been reading?  Leave a comment for me.

Happy Reading!

Recent Reads: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Series: Unhoneymooners #1
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date:  May 14, 2019 

 

Format: Paperback
Source: Bought/Own

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in…well, everything. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man.

Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs.

Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of... lucky.

Review: 

Olive and Ethan are sent on a honeymoon, but they are not married and they actually really don't like each other either. But Olive's very lucky sister wins everything and won a Hawaiian honeymoon. Sadly the entire wedding gets severe food poisoning and the last two standing are Olive and Ethan due to food preference issues that spared them the seafood buffet. This certianly unlocked a new nightmare for me (ew).  While on the trip, they have to pretend to be married to accept it, and realize that there are others at the same resort that result them in playing pretend more than they anticipated. 

I enjoyed the book. It was well paced and Olive and Ethan were funny, I really enjoyed their banter. It was well done.  The chatacters were wonderful really, especially together. Alone they were both a bit self-decricating, but together they played off each other well. The snark was strong and the humor was well placed. I enjoyed the progression, realizations, and relationship growth between them. 

This book has been out for a while, and it has been sitting on my shelf for probably just as long. I didn't realize at the time that this was eventually going to be a series, although I am not sure book 2 is out yet.

Overall, this was a fun romance. It was full of wit and snark and wonderful banter.

Early Reader Review: Freshman Year by Sarah Mai

Source: From Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review. 

Freshman Year by Sarah Mai  Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Publication Date:  February 13, 2024

 

Format: Ebook


Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

A stylish graphic novel about the unique angst, humor, and self-doubt universal to the experience of going away to college—from a promising debut talent—for fans of Heartstopper.Everyone gets a fresh start. Who do you want to be?  Sarah is leaving suburban Wisconsin for her freshman year in Minnesota. She has high hopes for the  impress her professors, meet interesting new people, stay close to her best friends and boyfriend back home, flourish as an artist, and shed her lingering high school anxieties. What seems manageable at first quickly unravels into a Sarah’s high-achieving roommate puts her to shame, her summer love dissolves, and she is quickly overwhelmed by the freedom, the isolation, and all the possibilities that await in this new environment.   Based on the author’s personal college journal and comics, Freshman Year navigates the inner workings of an 18-year-old girl in witty, honest, and heartfelt detail. Whether you’re anxiously looking forward or nostalgically looking back, this is the perfect read for anyone who loves realistic graphic novels about the laughable growing pains of almost-adulthood, like Check, Please! and Bloom.   

Review: 

This is a graphic novel about being a freshman in college, undecided, a new adult, and lots of self-doubt, angst, and a new-me attitude. In the case of the main character that means being vegetarian and artsy. That part hit close to home and I have to laugh out loud a bit. 

The main character is Sarah and the novel follows her interactions with her friends from high school and in college - sadly for me, the art made them all look really similar and that made it hard to differentiate.  I didn't love Sarah, she was kind of meh, but her issues and troubles were realistic and not too over the top, so they fit the time of her life and struggles that I also remember having in college. She deals with friends, lonliness, fitting in, regular long-distance boyfirend issues etc. 

The pacing overall was ok, it was a bit slot really. There was also no color in my Advanced copy - I am not sure if there will be in the final but it made it hard to tell some people apart. I found it a bit strange that the characters were pretty expressionless - sad and happy often just looked blank and while I understand new-adult angst, this made it hard to feel what the characters were feeling and made the text read as monotone. 

Overall it was an ok read. It wasn't the greated graphic novel, but it was very to the point and really felt realistic in its capture of the Freshman year experience.

Recent Reads: Bound by Knighthood by Nicki Chapelway

Bound by Knighthood by Nicki Chapelway  

Series: Starry Kingdoms of the Fae Collection
Publisher: Dragonflight Press
Publication Date: July 21, 2023 

 

Format: Ebook
Source: Kindle Unlimited

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

An academy in the sky,

Two rival knights-to-be,

And the cursed princess who could destroy them all.

Willow is a fae born with a weak and muddled magic. In a world where magic can be bought…for the right price, she attends the Academy of the Gilded Knights. Her to swear her service to a high fae in return for powerful magic.

There is only one person standing in the way of her success, Byron Coalbiter, her childhood rival.

A blacksmith’s son born with a magic far more powerful than her own, Byron has always lived a seemingly charmed life. But apparently that isn’t enough, because now he’s looking to steal Willow’s knighthood.

However, there is something sinister taking place at the academy, and the princess they both rescued might be far more than a damsel in distress. She could very well be their undoing.

If Willow and Byron want to save their precious academy then they are going to have to put aside their rivalry, move past the strange attraction that they feel toward each other, and learn to work together before they both lose their dreams.

Because a dark magic threatens the academy and Willow and Byron might be the only ones capable of keeping the school from crumbling…right out of the sky.

Bound by Knighthood is the 8th book in the Starry Kingdoms of the Fae Collection. These books are all standalones written by your favorite fantasy authors and are the perfect read for your summer vacation. Prepare to be swept away into magical worlds with tropes you obsess over and swoon-worthy romance.

Review: 

Set in the same world as Bound by Honey, this installment follows another group and an overall different plotline, but the high-fae still play an important role.

In this story we learn about low-fae that have limited magic and how some take action to gain more power. Willow, our main character is on her way to the knight academy. There she will earn a spot, hopefully, to be a knight for a high-fae that will share thie power. The only wrench in her plan is her rival Byron going too.

Willow was so stubborn and oblivious, that it was very cute. 

Byron swooned throughout the story and I felt for him, he was trying so hard to get Willow's attention.  I liked them together, it became a cozy romance with fantasy elements, which I was digging. I alsoliked that you can read these books in any order, I think this one is actually #8 or something like that but since they all read as stand-alones readers are good to go. The only piece that was overlapped was that in Bound in Honey we were just getting to know about the dragons and in this story they seem more established. There might also be some politics that I missed along the way too but the author did a good job keeping things prettty simple. 

Overall, this was cute. I liked the cahracters but didn't fully fall for them like I did with Bound in Honey. They were still great to follow though and I will certainly continue to pick these short reads up.

Recent Reads: Hark! A Homicide: A Cozy Mystery Christmas Novella by Tricia L. Sanders

Hark! A Homicide: A Cozy Mystery Christmas Novella by Tricia L. Sanders 

Publisher: Kindle
Publication Date:  December 17, 2020

 

Format: Ebook
Source:  Kindle Unlimited

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

When a dead elf threatens to spoil Pine Grove’s Christmas, being on Santa’s naughty list is the least of Mattie’s worries. Mattie Modesky and her best friend are planning the 25th annual Christmas toy drive and charity dinner. Days away from the celebration, Mattie discovers a dead body—an elf—in the toy donation box. The elf is really a small-time hoodlum, and the killer is Santa Claus. Not the real Santa, obviously. Mattie’s husband, Mo, the chief of police, sustains a shoulder injury in a scuffle with the fake Santa. Now he’s out of commission, and the toys have been confiscated as evidence. Mo suspects Mattie’s stepfather, Lazy Lou, and it’s up to her to prove Lou’s innocence, figure out why the town councilwoman is railroading Mo into retirement, and solve the caper so she can get the celebration back on track.

Review:

This was a holiday themed novella from Kindle Unlimited. I picked it up to continue with my Goodreads reading goal that I was SO CLOSE to hitting. I was looking for something light and cozy. 

Mo and Mattie are older. Mo is the police chief but should be retiring soon. Mattie doesn't want to push him, but there is a new woman in town that thinks he is incapable and should give up the role. Before Christmas a murder occurs and in the process Mo gets hurt. Mo is stubborn, but now bed-ridden for a bit while the others on the force try to solve the crime. To try to alleviate some of Mo's complaining Mattie tries to help and insert herself to find out more for him. 

This was a good, short, cozy, mystery - I liked the small town. It brings everyone together and presents some interesting dynamics for the townspeople. The overall story was simple and a bit easy to deduce but overall it was a great read. I would like to read more from this author.

Building the Book Pile #439

Welcome to Building the Book Pile!

Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! 

Sunday Funday! At least I am trying to make it a fun day... because tomorrow I am headed to Jury Duty... womp womp.  Wish me luck. 

I got a few more books in this week, which felt real good. I am now ahead of my goal by a few. 

Coming up on the Blog

Recent Reads: Hark! A Homicide: A Cozy Mystery Christmas Novella by Tricia L. Sanders (Adult)

Recent Reads: Bound by Knighthood by Nicki Chapelway (Adult)

Early Reader Review: Freshman Year by Sarah Mai (YA, GN)

Recent Reads: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (Adult)

Books Received Recently...  

  

 

The Someday Daughter by Ellen O'Clover - from Publisher for review

The Waltham Murders: One Woman’s Pursuit to Expose the Truth Behind a Murder and a National Tragedy by Susan Clare Zalkind - Amazon First Reads program

Have you missed anything lately?

2023 Wrap Up

Recent Reads: The Last Line by Stephen Ronson (Adult) - 4 stars

Recent Reads: The Christmas Letters by Jenny Proctor (Adult) -4 stars

Monthly Re-Cap and TBR Pile

Recent Reads: Spookily Yours by Jennifer Chipman (Adult) - 5 stars

Donating Caffeine is greatly appreciated ... Donate on Ko-fi

What have you been reading?  Leave a comment for me.

Happy Reading!

Recent Reads: Spookily Yours by Jennifer Chipman

Spookily Yours by Jennifer Chipman 

Series: Witches of Pleasant Grove #1
Publisher: Kindle
Publication Date:  October 13, 2023

 

Format: Ebook
Source: Kindle Unlimited

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

My cat is a demon.

No, that's not a joke. An actual, real life demon. And he needs my help to break a curse.

But what happens when that turns into more?

It can never be forever, and yet... I'm falling in love with him anyway.

Spookily Yours is a spicy, open-door Halloween themed novel, featuring a witch and the demon who falls in love with her. This book is a complete standalone with a HEA guaranteed.

Review: 

Willow is a mid-twenties witch living  in a small town. Her parents died and she and her sister Luna have been together ever since - living together until very recently, and running a cafe/bakery in town. 

But Willow is lost, her sister keeps telling her to DO seomthing. So she gets a cat from teh shelter to replace her lost familiar. However the cat is actually a demon stuck in cat form. She agrees to help him break teh curse and then falls for him. 

The book is told in alternating POV - Willow and Damien (the cat) and overall the story was pretty short but sweet. The spice level was good and not too over teh top.  I felt like there were some loose ends though - like who cursed him and why? And how did Damien's brother know about Luna but he didn't know about Willow? I also didn't like that Luna could just disappear from town and no one notices? that seems suspect. I am excited for book 2 though, because I believe it is the Luna/ Zain story so that might tie some things up.

All that said, I liked this book a lot. Willow and Damien were great and since it is a novella length I knew there would be some plot holes so they didn't bother me horribly. I love a witchy vibe and anything fall/Halloween themed makes me happy. 

I also ADORE this cover art!

Recent Reads: The Christmas Letters by Jenny Proctor

The Christmas Letters by Jenny Proctor

Publisher:  JPC Publishing
Publication Date:  November 28, 2023 

 

Format: Ebook
Source: Kindle Unlimited

Rating:

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Can an old letter spark a new flame?

When Tess Ravenel gets herself stuck inside a bathroom stall in one of Charleston’s most historic buildings, she isn’t exactly thinking about her dating life. But then the paramedic who comes to her rescue has a voice that sounds like butter and enough charm to make her forget she’s seconds from having a panic attack.

If only he were interested.

Andrew McKay has a mysterious Christmas pen pal, a woman who replied to a newly found letter he sent to Santa back when he was a kid. After weeks of correspondence, it’s clear she’s funny, smart, interesting...and an awful lot like Tess Ravanel—the woman he’s already blown off twice for good reason.

Tess and Andrew couldn’t be more different, but when their worlds collide, fate (and a little Christmas magic) set them on a crash course for love.

The Christmas Letters is a closed door sweet holiday romance with lots of chemistry but no spice. This book was first published in 2019 but has been heavily revised and updated.

Review: 

Tess is not having a good day - she agreed to volunteer with a Woman's Social Society so that her wealthy parents will support her while she goes back to school. Now back in Charleston to make this happen, she has to deal with her ex-fiance and his family... and to make matters worse, she find herself locked in a bathroom of a coffee shop. 

Andrew McKay is a medic called to help Tess out of the bathroom, there is a spark but after he learns she is a society girl, he falls back. 

As part of her volunteer work she is tasked with replying to christmas letters and finds a really old one in the box from a boy asking for his parents back - while the letter is really old Tess replies to it. Christmas magic then brings Andrew and Tess together. 

I liked this contemporary romance, it was clean and holiday themed with a HEA. It was pretty short - less than 200 pages. I liked Tess and Drew and LOVED Drew's grandmother, she was hilarious and perfect. The whole book was so swoonworthy and cutesy. It was You've got Mail - esq and even made that reference.

I will look for more by this author, it was super cute and very enjoyable.