Man, He Was a Jerk, But I Loved Him!

TITLE: Mile High (Windy City #1)

AUTHOR: Liz Tomforde

PUBLISHER: Hodder

PUBLISHING DATE: June 7, 2022

PAGES: 603   

SOURCE: KU

FROM GOODREADS: ZANDERS Chicago hockey isn't complete without me - everyone's favourite player to hate. I know my role, and I play it well. In fact, I thoroughly enjoy spending the majority of my game time in the penalty box before leaving the arena with a new girl on my arm each night. 

What I don't like is the new flight attendant on our team's private plane. She works for me, not the other way around. But I'll be sure to remind her of that, and I can guarantee, by the end of the season, she'll be begging to quit her job. 

But every road trip blurs the lines, and I can't quite figure out if I keep pushing that flight attendant call button in order to push her buttons, or if it's more than that. 

STEVIE I've been a flight attendant for years. I thought I'd seen it all, but when my new job lands me onboard working for the most egotistical and self-righteous diva in the NHL, I start to second guess everything. Including the promise I made to myself of never hooking up with an athlete again . . . no matter how annoyingly tempting he may be. 

Evan Zanders is unfiltered, unapologetic, and too attractive for his own good. He loves his image, but I hate everything about it. 

Everything but him.

MY THOUGHTS: This was not a book I planned to read in May, but I ended up participating in a book club over on Instagram ran by Iulia @ Adopt that Monster where she focuses on book each month that features the bond between humans and their dogs.  I believe she is a dog trainer, and I have linked her account in case you want to check her out. Anyway, doesn't that sound like the perfect club for me so I grabbed this book on KU. 

Stevie is a flight attendant who has been hired to work on all the away trips for the Chicago Raptors.  She is currently living with her brother, a star basketball player, and loves the time in between trips because it allows her to do her favorite thing - work at a dog shelter which focuses on getting more senior dogs adopted.  Zander is the bad boy of the team who has fueled his team, and his reputation, by being a womanizing all-fun, no-commitment guy.  It's a reputation that is partly fake, but which he is playing into because he thinks that is what the fans expect of him and his contract is up for renewal at the end of the season.  

When Stevie and Zander meet on their first trip together, Zander is a complete ass.  Yet, Stevie is more than capable of holding her own and dishes his attitude right back which only intrigues me more.  You don't have to be a genius to see where this book was headed and while I initially thought 603 pages was WAY too long for a romance book, apparently, I was wrong because I loved it and finished it in under 24 hours.

Zander and Stevie have an insta-hate connection which drove me to turn each page quicker than the previous.  They both carry their own baggage and insecurities and as the book progresses, the reader learns more about their past.  In fact, even though Zander was a jerk in the beginning (aka - ass), I was able to see why and understand that he was more than meets the eye.  The author also did a wonderful job at character develop and at the end of the book, Zander went down as one of my favorite leading men ever in a romance book.  Stevie was sweet and endearing and this really showed in her volunteer work with the dogs at the shelter and her commitment to fining every last one a forever home.  And the dog shelter plays a huge role in this book which of course I loved. 

I believe there are five books in this series and the next one focuses on Stevie's basketball-playing brother.  I do enjoy sports, especially college and pro football, and can finally see some of the lure in sports romances.  Don't know that they will dethrone my cowboy-romance era anytime soon, but I will definitely pick up the next book when I need a romantic palette cleanser.

MY RATING: 5 PAWS

You Won't Find THIS Barb in Bethesda!

TITLE: Bethesda

AUTHOR: Lisa Morris

PUBLISHER: Quill and Crow Publishing House

PUBLISHING DATE: June 23, 2026

PAGES: 157   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: Tryss just wants to get home to say goodbye to her dad before he passes away, but when she pulls off the freeway to find a gas station, she ends up stuck in Bethesda, a backwoods town with no cell service and a car that won’t start. Worse still, the town’s citizens aren’t exactly…alive. Unless you count the Barbs. They’re Bethesda’s sisterhood of cloned caretakers, and they may look friendly, but like the town, surface impressions can be deceiving. In her attempt to leave, Tryss meets Aiden, who’s been stuck in Bethesda for six months and has all but given up hope of escaping. They team up to figure out the town’s deadly—and just plain weird—secrets, but will the town actually let them leave?

MY THOUGHTS: You know those books where after the first page, you just get sucked in and you know you are going to love it?  Well, this was one of those books for me.  

Tryss is traveling back to her hometown in a race against time to see her father who just entered hospice.  Toward the end of her journey, she runs low on gas and finds a small town with an open gas station.  However, after filling up, her car won't start.  Thus begins Tryss's mission to find someone to help her. 

She cannot get cell reception and since it is the middle of the night, no one is on the streets.  Tryss knocks on several houses and eventually breaks into one where she finds a preserved woman sitting at the kitchen table.  Tryss sends Tryss exploring the whole town and she finds quite a few people, but none can help her because they are all dead. The next morning Tryss notices several open businesses, but all say the town has no working phones and all seem to look like that same person and have the same name - Barb. 

I really don't want to say much but if you love horror, then this is one you can't miss. I couldn't wait to see what unfolded and if Tryss would make it home to see her dad and even though the ending left quite a few things open for interpretation, it was still satisfying.  In fact, a day later, I find myself still trying to wrap my head around the mysteries of Bethesda. While this novel is only a novella, I find myself wanting more and I will definitely be checking out more from this author in the future. So stop reading my review and go preorder a copy!

MY RATING: 5 PAWS

Buried by Books (Summer of Horror 2026 Edition)

 

Wow, I haven't done one of these in a while.  I used to do them to showcase some odd, fun and unusual books I had placed on hold on added to my Kindle Unlimited Wish List or with my local library.  To celebrate Summer of Horror, I am showcasing three books which are currently available on KU which I just added to my long wish list. At least I am using my KU subscription more this year, which was on of my goals, so that's a plus!

FROM GOODREADS: Autumn 1983. Michael Jackson’s Thriller dominates the charts. Tom Cruise slides across the floor in his underpants. Mr. T pities the fool. And on the campus of Boston’s Holbrook University, Nathan Harrington is pretty sure he’s turning into a werewolf. 

Nathan had a plan. Graduate with honors, marry a trophy wife, run for office. Then he met Gretchen Stump – AKA “The Dog Girl” – the hirsute transfer student from East Nowhere, Maine. 

Gretchen and Nathan are from different worlds. Perhaps even different species. They make no sense together. And yet, they can’t stay away from each other. 

But Gretchen has a secret. And under the orange glow of the full harvest moon – Nathan learns the truth. Gretchen isn’t like other humans. She’s cursed. And she may have just passed that curse on to him. 

Now his hair and nails grow faster than he can trim them. His sense of smell is astonishing. Exposure to the moon makes his skin itch. He blacks out at night, waking up in strange places. 

And there’s been a murder on campus. A violent mauling.

FROM GOODREADS: The party is over. The nightmare has only just begun. 

Kelsey Stone was supposed to be the responsible one, but one wrong turn has led her and her mismatched group of friends deep into a dead zone in the Ozark hills. 

When their van wheezes its final breath on a narrowing gravel road, they find themselves stranded in a forest that feels less like Missouri and more like a haunted set from a B-grade horror film. 

Through the thick mist and the driving rain, they find a beacon of an empty but stately house that offers shelter in the least and maybe a line to the outside world. 

The group, however, soon discovers they aren't just guests inside this dwelling; they are cogs in a much larger, sinister machine and they must face a gauntlet of unthinkable terrors. In a world where the trees are closing in, and the very floor can become a death trap, Kelsey and her friends must fight to survive unspeakable horrors.

FROM GOODREADS: Some secrets are better left buried… 

When a group of six strangers are invited into the woods for a content creator retreat where they’re guaranteed to make money, it seems like a perfect escape. However, as accidents turn into incidents and blood begins to spill, they start to suspect they were lured into the wilderness for a reason. Is someone messing with them? Is someone watching them? Who will survive? 

Are you ready to play?

Do any of these catch your eye and which one would you read first? I have heard wonderful things about Judith Sonnet, but it's hard to ignore the 80's vibes of Hungry Like the Wolf.

I'll Never Look at a Roomba the Same Again

TITLE: Samantha Spük: Paranormal Wedding Planner

AUTHOR: Aleese Lin

PUBLISHER: Saga Press

PUBLISHING DATE: June 2, 2026

PAGES: 320   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: Samantha Spük is your go-to wedding planner, be it for werewolf, vampire, or fae! ...even if that's the last thing she would’ve imagined.

Samantha “Sabby” Spük has spent her life trying to escape her family’s legacy of supernatural chaos. She’s finally graduated and landed a nice, normal 9–5 at a New York accounting firm. But then she gets the Grandma Rose is gone, and Sabby has been named executor of her (ahem, magically binding) will. 

Now Sabby is stuck in her dreaded hometown of Salem, Massachusetts, taking on odd jobs—some very odd, like wedding planning for not-so-human locals—until she can sell the family home. At least this means a date with Hanry, the mysterious hottie Sabby meets in the neighborhood graveyard. With help from Hanry, a talking-head sidekick, and a manic pixie assistant, Sabby might pull these weddings off in time to salvage her accounting career…but is she ready to say goodbye to her paranormal one?

MY THOUGHTS: While I didn't think this book was without issues, I will say it is one of most fun books I've read in a long time.  Also, the chapters have titles which are an absolute hoot at times such as "And Now I'm Dancing with Demons. I Guess This is My Life Now," and "The Goddamned Fairy Castle."  I really enjoyed seeing what chapter as up next.

Samantha, aka Sabby, returns to Salem to settle the estate of her grandmother, who recently passed.  Grandma Rose always claimed to be a witch but Sabby always believed she was just eccentric.  And due to a stunt Grandma Rose's friends (coven?) played on her when she was 12, she rarely returned to visit.  Because of that, plus her wack-a-doodle mother, Sabby has spent all her life trying to be "normal" and blend in.  Imagine her surprise when she finds out Grandma Rose's will is cursed and until Sabby figures it out, she can't leave Salem for her new accounting job in New York.

Sabby ends up making friends with Rose's talking head, Bulan and together, while at Rose's shop one day, end up talking on the job of planning a vampire wedding.  After all, Sabby has to have some kind of income while she is stuck in Salem.  Along the way she hires a pixie named Mandy and together the three of them gain a reputation of THE supernatural wedding planners everyone wants to plan their wedding.  Sabby even starts dating a guy she met in the cemetery one night, Hanry.  Life is definitely unpredictable until Mandy solves the will's puzzle and returns to New York, right after Hanry dumps her.  Sabby soon discovers normal isn't all it is cracked up to be and hops back to Salem in a pumpkin carriage to help Mandy pull off the fairy wedding of the year.  But oh, what surprises THAT wedding holds.

As I mentioned, I found this book to be loads of fun.  But I will say that about halfway through, it seemed like one story ended and another began.  Almost like I was reading a shorter book and then the sequel all in one.  Another thing, the names, Sabby and Hanry?  Although they are explained later on, I still found them rather annoying.  As for the main characters, I liked Sabby well enough although her strive to be normal was obsessive at best.  Mandy was scattered but was a great offset for Mandy's seriousness. And then Bulan - he steals the show.  Bulan has to be one of the best "animal companions" who is actually a talking head I've met in a long time.  He almost had me wishing for a talking head (who disguises himself as a Roomba) of my own.

If you like paranormal romances and cozy fantasy books, this is one you definitely want to check out.  The ending definitely sets up a sequel, and I can only hope it comes out soon because I need fun books like this in my life more often. 

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - Summer of Horror 2026 Edition

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" 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.

Also, since it is Summer of Horror, each week I will be trying to do one horror and one horror pick - at least through August.  So, enjoy!

July 21, 2026

FROM GOODREADS: When Babe—the complicated, magnetic matriarch of their teenage summers—dies, four estranged friends return to sleepy Mercy Island, a storm-swept stretch of coastal Georgia, summoned by the reading of her will.

Didion arrives at the timeworn pink house to find the friends she never thought she’d see again—along with the tensions, attractions, and unfinished business that once bound them together and broke them apart.

What should be a brief weekend of small talk quickly unravels when they wake up and discover...it’s Saturday. Again. And again. And again.

Trapped in a time loop with no end and no instructions, they’re forced to confront the betrayals, breakups, and buried truths that shattered them all those years ago. Because maybe, just maybe, an endless weekend is exactly what they all need to save their own lives.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  This appears to be a quirky summer read which is something I am looking for right now to break up all my horror fun.  Plus I've always loved Georgia and I know tons of people like the time-loop trope.

July 31, 2026

FROM GOODREADS: The annual cottage getaway to Elm Ridge Falls should have been bliss for Amelia and her sisters. Instead, a looming threat stalks the secluded forest. Trapping them in the confines of the once tranquil vacation home.

The Barlow sisters return to the cottage with one thing in mind, escape. Escape from a secret affair, a retaliatory coworker, and an abusive partner. They were going to bask in the warmth of the summer sun, cruise along the lake, and unwind by the nightly campfires. Though, the skeletons in their closet would soon catch up to them. Unable to outrun the destructive men in their lives, a sighting of a uniquely masked individual, lurking in the shadows, taunts each of them with his mysterious presence.

When one of their family members go missing, Amelia is left to fight for her sister’s survival. One-by-one they start to fall victim to the remote wilderness. Snatched up like prey by a cunning killer. Angry and alone, Amelia seeks out her abducted family, hellbent on vengeance. The concealed killer leads her in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Uncovering secrets that were never meant to see the light of day.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  One word - slasher!

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

Horror Movies I've Recently Loved! (Summer of Horror 2026)

 

I'm participating in Tammy's, over at Books, Bones & Buffy, Summer of Horror Event.  It's such a great event and she encourages all kinds of horror-related posts.  Mr. Barb and I love a good horror movie, and let's be honest, we watch a lot of bad one too (which are sometimes just as fun).  So today, I want to share three recent watches.  Make sure you check out Tammy's blog which is linked above.

Hokum (2026)

Synopsis: a celebrated American novelist, who travels to the Bilberry Woods Hotel in rural Ireland to scatter his parents’ ashes, unaware that the hotel may be haunted and steeped in local folklore.

The story centers on the haunted honeymoon suite, rumored to be occupied by a witch, and explores Ohm’s confrontation with both supernatural elements and his own past traumas.

Thoughts: This was a slower-moving Gothic tale which was dark and twisty and VERY eerie.  There were a few good jump scares, including some dumbwaiter scenes which I still can't get out of my head.  5/5 movie paws.

Lee Cronin's The Mummy (2026)

Synopsis: After a journalist’s young daughter vanishes in the desert, she is presumed lost forever. Eight years later the fractured family is stunned when she suddenly reappears, but the long‑awaited reunion quickly descends into terror as the girl’s return unleashes a nightmarish reality.

Thoughts: I don't scare easily which is expected as much horror as I read and watch, but I found this movie extremely terrifying.  The special effects are creepy and disgusting and the plot is intense. Mr. Mike and I compared this to the original Exorcist in scare-factors back in the day. 5/5 movie paws.

They Will Kill You (2026)

Synopsis: The film follows Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz), a former convict seeking a fresh start, who answers a cryptic ad for a live-in housekeeper at The Virgil, a luxurious yet foreboding high-rise in New York City. Unbeknownst to her, the building harbors a dark secret: its residents are part of a Satanic cult that has been responsible for numerous disappearances over the years.  

Thoughts: This movie is a wild ride from start to finish.  In fact, the entire film is pretty much one long action sequence.  This movie is considered action, comedy, horror but I would say it's not really comedy as much as it is "snark."  The lead actress is phenomenal, and this one is definitely not for someone who might be squeamish. 5/5 movie paws.

Have you seen any of these?  Did you love them just as much or do you have another recent fave I need to check out?

2 Bloggers 1 Series - Wild Iris Ridge (Hope's Crossing #7)

 

One more down and only one more left!  Stormi and I decided to read the next installment of Hope's Crossing this month as it leaves us with only one left.  That one happens to be a Christmas title, so we decided to celebrate Christmas in July next month with it.  So read on for my thoughts on this one and then hop over to Storm Reads to see what Stormi had to say.

TITLE: Wild Iris Ridge (Hope's Crossing #7)

AUTHOR: RayAnne Thayne

PUBLISHER: HQN Books

PUBLISHING DATE: July 24, 2014

PAGES: 352   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: Lucy Drake and Brendan Caine have only one thing in common… 

And it's likely to tear them apart. Because it was Brendan's late wife, Jessie—and Lucy's best friend—who'd brought them together in the first place. And since Jessie's passing, Brendan's been distracted by his two little ones…and the memory of an explosive kiss with Lucy years before his marriage. Still, he'll steer clear of her. She's always been trouble with a capital T. 

Lucy couldn't wait to shed her small-town roots for the big city. But now that she's back in Hope's Crossing to take care of the Queen Anne home her late aunt has left her, she figures seeing Brendan Caine again is no big deal. After all, she'd managed to resist the handsome fire chief once before, but clearly the embers of their attraction are still smoldering…

MY THOUGHTS: While this book definitely wasn't my favorite of the series, it is still a strong contender and overall, I enjoyed Lucy and Brandon's story.

Lucy has lost her hi-tech job and returned to Hope's Crossing to get things back on track.  She inherited her Aunt's home when she recently passed and she plan on turning it into a bed and breakfast, a dream of both her aunt and cousin.  While Lucy couldn't wait to leave Hope's Crossing when she was young, she finds some comfort she didn't expect coming back.  However, she has to deal with Brandon. Brandon broke her heart when she was a teen and married her cousin.  When her cousin passed it childbirth, it left Brandon alone to raise the two remaining children.  He and Lucy never got along during his marriage but of course she wants to spend more time with the kids and that means seeing more of Brandon as well.

Brandon is one of the brothers of the large Caine family who plays a big role in this series.  Thus, seeing him also meant getting glimpses of other past characters as well.  While I felt this this story both dragged out in places and then rushed the romance too fast, it was still a quick read. I enjoyed the kids as well which isn't always the case in books.  

One extra thing I can't forget is that Lucy, Brandon and the kids end up rescuing two puppies from a dumpster one evening.  When it happens, Lucy has her troublesome young sister staying with her for a few weeks which was rocky to say the least.  But each family takes a puppy, and these cute balls of fur end up bring everyone closer together.

It's nice to be almost done with another series, although this one does have another spin-off series which ties in.  After a short break, I'm sure you'll eventually see me reviewing that one as well.  If you love small-town low-spice romances and family drama, this is assuredly a series to consider picking up.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS