Ho! Ho! Ho! Readathon Update

 

 

So today is the last day of the readathon and I don't believe I'll get anything else finished.  Since I managed to read 5 holiday themed books, I'm doubling up a bit on the reviews so I can get them all logged. I had a nice time doing some relaxing reading while off and will probably continue with some Christmas-themed stories throughout December.

TITLE: Faking Christmas

AUTHOR: Kerry Winfrey

PUBLISHER: Berkley

PUBLISHING DATE: September 26, 2023

PAGES: 286   

SOURCE: Digital ARC

FROM GOODREADS: Laurel Grant works as the social media manager for Buckeye State of Mind, an Ohio tourism magazine and website. She is most definitely not an owner of a farm...but one tiny misunderstanding leads her boss, Gilbert, to think she owns her twin sister Holly's farm just outside of Columbus. Laurel only handles the social media for the farm, but she's happy to keep her little white lie going if it means not getting fired. 

And keep it going she must when Gilbert, recently dumped by his wife, invites himself over for the farm's big holiday dinner (as advertised on Meadow Rise Farm's Instagram, thanks to Laurel herself). Laurel immediately goes into panic mode to figure out how she can trick Gilbert into thinking she's basically the Martha Stewart of rural Ohio and keep her job in the process. 

Laurel and Holly come up with a plan--all Laurel has to do is pretend to own the farm for one dinner. But when Laurel shows up at the farm, an unwelcome guest is there: Max Beckett, her nemesis since Holly's wedding. The annoyingly attractive man she hates will be posing as Laurel's husband just for the evening, but when a snowstorm traps them all for the entire weekend, Laurel is going to have to figure out how to survive with her job and dignity intact. Whatever the case, this promises to be the most eventful Christmas in ages...

MY THOUGHTS: This was a quick and cute holiday read. It has some of my favorite tropes such as fake dating and twins swapping places.  Holly lied to her boss when she was hired and convinced him she actually owned a farm which made her a perfect fit for an Ohio lifestyle magazine.  However, after the boss, Gilbert, has a bitter breakup, he invites himself to her place for Christmas Eve Eve dinner (yep, apparently that's a thing) so everyone joins in to help Holly maintain her ruse - including her arch-nemesis Max who she has despised since her sister married Max's best friend. Things get more complicated when a snowstorm hits and everyone is stranded at the farm.  Along the way, Holly and Max try to work through their differences and may learn they don't really hate each other after all.  

This book was a lot of fun and the fact that it was set in my neighboring state of Ohio was an added extra for me.  I liked all of the characters and enjoyed the snarky banter and sexual tension between Holly and Max.  There were also some cute goats.  Definitely one to consider if you like Christmas reads.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - The Blond Dies First

 

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. 

July 30, 2024

FROM GOODREADS: A group of friends fight to choose their own fates in this trope-savvy, self-referential young adult thriller from the acclaimed author of Their Vicious Games, about a demonic force that acts according to horror movie rules in the spirit of the Scream movies.

Devon is always being left behind by her genius twin sister, Drew. At this point, it’s a fact of life. But Devon has one last plan before Drew leaves for college a whole year early—The Best Summer Ever. After committing to the bit a little too much, the twins and their chaotic circle of friends learn why you don’t ever mess with a Ouija board if you want to actually survive the Best Summer Ever, and soon find themselves being hunted down by…a demon?

But while there’s no mistaking the creeping, venomous figure is not from around here, their method doesn’t feel very demonic at all. In fact, it’s downright human—going after them in typical slasher movie kill order. And that means Devon, the blonde, is up first and her decade-long crush, Yaya, is the Final Girl who must kill or be killed to end the cycle.

Devon has never liked playing by anyone else’s rules though, not even a demon’s, and the longer this goes on, the more she feels Drew and Yaya slipping away from her even as she tries to help them all survive. Can they use their horror movie knowledge to flip the script and become the hunters instead of the hunted? Or will their best summer ever be their last?

WHY I CAN'T WAIT: I love a good slasher story and seeing as how I'm a blond, this is one I won't be able to resist.

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK????

Farm News 11-19-23

 So, I didn't get an update last week.  It kind of turned into a crazy weekend but nothing bad.  Having a puppy is keeping us on our toes.  Also, Mr. Barb decided he wanted us (read me) to try to make the old-fashioned school cafeteria rolls - if you know you know.  I have never made bread from scratch in my whole life, so it was an experience.  The first batch he rated 4/10 which I think was generous and the second was 8/10 which I am taking as a win.  Let's see if I can replicate that success for Thanksgiving.  

Zeke and Apollo are doing fine.  Zeke is due for his next set of boosters on Tuesday and I'm anxious to see how much he is weighing now.  I swear, we've only had him a month today and he looks nothing like the puppy we brought home.  Apollo loves him so much and is so patient with him.  He really was meant to be a big brother and I'm so glad we've made it happen for him. 

I've been reading some but feel like I've really slowed down since October.  I am in the middle of my Ho! Ho! Ho! readathon right now and just started The Twelve Dogs of Christmas.  I'm also about 25% into the John Stamos memoir and just started Ghostly Bones.

It's also been a while since I've shared any ARCs I've acquired so there are from the past few months.  I will just list them below the pics and link the titles to the Goodreads pages in case you want to check them out further.

The Eyes Are the Best Part: Monica Kim

Death at the Dog Show: Peter Boland

A Feather So Black: Lyra Selene

Pocket Dog: Jim Garland

Strange Folk: Alli Dyer

The Charmed: Kylie Fennell

A Dark and Drowning Tide: Allison Saft

Immortal Pleasures: V. Castro

As you can see, lots of good reading ahead so thanks to Netgalley and the publishers.  

So I am currently on a 9-day Stay-cation and hope to get lots of reading in.  I hope that everyone out there who celebrates Thanksgiving has lots of good times and good memories with their families - natural or found. 

Until next week!

Ho Ho Ho Readathon!

 

 

So today starts a new readathon and I'm super excited about.  This one is being hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer and all the details can be found HERE.  I love my spooky reads, but I will admit I'm ready for some lighter ones.  I have quite a few holiday themed books on my TBR so I'm hoping to knock out quite a few.  I start a 9-day stay-cation after work on the 17th so I'm hoping that will give me lots of extra reading time.  Here are some books that might get picked up.  Click on the title if you want the description on Goodreads.

The Twelve Months of Christmas - Sheila Roberts

It's a Wonderful Dog - Keri Salas

Wrapped With a Beau - Lillie Vale

Faking Christmas - Kerry Winfrey

Pup and Dragon: How to Catch an Elf - Alice Walstead
Apple Cider Slaying - Julie Ann Lindsey
A Christmas Candy Killing - Christina Romerill
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas - Susan Wiggs

So make sure you hop over to Caffeinated Reviews if you are interested in signing up and joining the fun!

Feed Your TBR - Some Like It Cold

 

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. 

FROM GOODREADS: A big-hearted small-town romance from bestselling, award-winning author Elle McNicoll, Some Like it Cold is perfect for fans of Alice Oseman, Talia Hibbert and Gilmore Girls.

Jasper Montgomery is heading home for the holidays and keeping secrets. Determined to return to her small-town home one last time before leaving for good, Jasper doesn’t bank on accidentally ruining her sister's engagement - or bumping into her teen adversary, budding filmmaker Arthur Lancaster. Jasper came back to Lake Pristine for one to say goodbye. But during the holidays, old relationships come to light, small-town tensions rise, and a certain brooding film buff starts to look like a very big reason to stay. Can Jasper decide what she wants from Arthur, and from Lake Pristine, before she leaves them both forever?

WHY I CAN'T WAIT: I stumbled across this when I was looking for some books to add to the TBR for an upcoming reading challenge which starts tomorrow.  The Gilmore Girls reference immediately caught my attention.  Wish I had paid closer attention to the "4" in 2024.  Oh well, now I can share it with you guys too!

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???

2 Bloggers 1 Series - Whispers at Dark

 

Stormi and I are enjoying the Krewe Hunters series so much we couldn't wait to start the spin-off series.  There's only three in this offshoot - well, so far, and they can definitely be read without starting off with the original quite lengthy series.  So read on to see my thoughts on this one and then hop over to Stormi's at Storm Reads to see hers! 

TITLE: Whispers at Dark (Blackbird Trilogy #1)

AUTHOR: Heather Graham

PUBLISHER: MIRA

PUBLISHING DATE: June 27, 2023

PAGES: 345   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: When darkness falls, there’s nowhere to hide. 

Four bodies have been discovered along Europe’s riverbanks, placed with care—and completely drained of blood. Pinpricks on their throats indicate a slender murder weapon, but DNA found in the wounds suggests something far more sinister. Tasked with investigating, the FBI recruits Agents Della Hamilton and Mason Carter to Blackbird, an international offshoot of the Krewe of Hunters. If you want to catch a vampire killer, you need agents who can speak with the dead. 

The pair travel to Norway, where the shadowy forests of Lillehammer reveal a gruesome scene. The killer is thirsty for more victims, and the bloodless trail soon leads Della and Mason to a group that believes drinking blood is the key to immortality. To catch the culprit of such an intimate crime, the agents will have to get close. Mason’s already lost one partner; he’s not ready to risk Della as bait. But sometimes justice requires a sacrifice…

MY THOUGHTS: This trilogy is basically a spin-off of the author's Krewe Hunters series which takes off with an expansion of the Krewe overseas. I also suspect this trilogy completely focuses on one main team hunting a faction of killers obsessed with vampires whereas the main series features a new "mystery" each book.

The two main characters in this one are Della and Mason. Mason has recently lost a partner and is a new recruit for the Krewe and Della has been with them for under a year.  Both have the ability to see and communicate with passed spirits and this book is worth the read just to meet their ghost "partner" Gideon.  A serial killer focused on killing lovely young women and draining them of their blood is running around overseas leaving a trail of bodies behind. This book jumps from New Orleans, Norway, Romania and a few other places as the newly assembled team works to track down the main killer as he keeps recruiting followers to do his dirty deeds, promising them eternal life.

I really enjoyed the vampire elements of this one and even though the killer isn't a REAL vampire, he definitely has the charisma and charm needed to convince some he can promise eternal life.  Della and Mason are both interesting characters with just enough baggage to make the reader want to know more about what makes them tick.  There is also some sexual tension between the two early on and it was nice to see how the author played on that to make the plot even more intense. 

I think this would be a great trilogy to start if you want to a sample of this author's works and want a taste of the Krewe Hunter mysteries without starting and possibly committing to a 25+ book series.  I will definitely be continuing on!

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Just What I Needed - Another Series

 

TITLE: Enchanted to Meet You (Witches of West Harbor #1)

AUTHOR: Meg Cabot

PUBLISHER: Avon

PUBLISHING DATE: September 5, 2023

PAGES: 368   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: In her teenage years, lovelorn Jessica Gold cast a spell that went disastrously wrong, and brought her all the wrong kind of attention—as well as a lifetime ban from the World Council of Witches. 

So no one is more surprised than Jess when, fifteen years later, tall, handsome WCW member Derrick Winters shows up in her quaint little village of West Harbor and claims that Jess is the Chosen One. 

She’s the Chosen One - not chosen by West Harbor’s snobby elite to style them for the town’s tricentennial ball—though Jess owns the chicest clothing boutique in town. And not chosen finally to be on the WCW, either—not that Jess would have said yes, anyway, since she’s done with any organization that tries to dictate what makes a “true” witch. No, Jess has been chosen to help save West Harbor itself... 

As Summer Ends, Her Power Grows But just when Jess is beginning to think that she and Derrick might have a certain magic of their own—and not of the supernatural variety—Jess learns he may not be who she thought he was. And suddenly Jess finds herself having to trust Derrick and work with him to combat the sinister force battling to bring down West Harbor, or use her gift as she always to keep herself, and her heart, safe. Can she work her magic in time?

MY THOUGHTS: This is a book I had really hoped to read before Halloween season ended but I just couldn't squeeze it in.  However, I made time to read it last weekend and I'm glad I did.  

Jess and her tight-knit group of friends, have all landed back at West Harbor after college and figuring out what they want to do with their lives.  Jess and her bestie have been practicing witches since they were in school, and Jess cast a love spell on the high school football star.  The spell backfired, or so they thought it did, and ended up creating a life-long enemy on the girl who wanted to guy all to herself. Jess is now running her own clothing boutique and her friend is an attorney.  One day a hot, biker guy enters her store and tells her she is the Chosen One and without her help, the town of West Harbor will cease to exist.  All she has to do is find the Bringer of Light, who just happens to be an Emo high schooler, and together battle the evil forces.

I really liked so much about this book. The friend group/found family is awesome, and Jess and Derrick have enough angst and tension between them to make them an interesting couple and even though there was a definite attraction from the start, it wasn't necessarily an insta-love situation.  I also liked the young girl Jess has to train.  The witchy elements were fun and there were a few unforeseen twists I didn't see coming.

The main thing that didn't work for me and why the rating fell a bit was the ending was kind of anti-climactic.  It's built up to be this big battle at the end of good vs. evil and it just didn't deliver.  But hey, at least there were magical wolves. 

So, if you are looking for a rom-com with some paranormal elements and a book you don't have to concentrate on too hard to enjoy, this might be one you want to consider.  I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment.

MT RATING: 4 PAWS