We made it to Friday y’all. And it is kind of a weird day filled with lots of memories for many of us. Be extra kind and gentle with yourself today. But on to the books. Here is a smattering of books I started and finished recently. I even put them in order of how much I liked them, because why not? You Had me At Hola by Alexis Daria- This book was so good I am not sure I have the words to properly explain it. Beautifully written and engaging from page 1, Daria tells the story of two Continue Reading
DNF Friday- Four Titles I Started but Didn’t Finish
I am pretty selective about the books I read and over the years have really been able to identify books that will most likely work for me. I don't take a lot of chances any more. But even when I pick books I am pretty sure I am going to like them, but these four books did not work for me. And that is okay. Not every book has to be for every one. The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham- I had such high hopes for this book. It seemed like several of my friends were RAVING about it. But I resisted it Continue Reading
Kini’ Friday Kisses- Mini Reviews for books by Kathy Douglass, Kate Meader, Kate Stayman-London, and Sarah Hogle
I'm back with some reviews. Reading and writing about books has been really tough lately. I know this slump is temporary but it still kind of sucks. You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle - I recently felt like I needed a comfort read so I picked this up for a re-read. The book held up on a re-read and it will still be one of my favorite books for the years. On a second read it was a lot easier to see how deeply Nicholas felt for Naomi. Grade: AAmazon l Goodreads Single Mom’s Continue Reading
Kini’s Friday Kisses- Mini reviews for books by Farrah Rochon and Molly Fader
Hi Friends! It’s Friday! 2020 has been a rough year and it doesn’t seem to be getting better. It feels hard to talk about books when the world is so unsettled. But also I know that books bring comfort to many, including myself. I want to quickly highlight two books this week. The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon- The cover is adorable and the premise is great, Samiah finds out through social media that the man she is dating is also dating two other women. Samiah immediately dumps this man Continue Reading
Kini’s Friday Kisses 5/29- Mini review for books by Meryl Wilsner and Annika Martin and a couple of DNFs’
I have had a miserable reading week and I DNF’ed 3 books. Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner- I read this back in January when Berkley so kindly sent me a paperback galley. I really enjoyed it. It is super SLOW burn. But it felt very authentic to the characters. I really enjoyed watching Emma and Jo’s friendship blossom into romantic love. There are little hints throughout the story that even as “friends” they are more than just friends. They each do little things for each other that Continue Reading
Kini’s Friday Kisses- Mini reviews for He’s Come Undone Romance anthology, and books by Emily Henry, Tash Skilton, and Kwana Jackson
I’ve been fortunate to get lost in some really good books lately. He’s Come Undone Romance Anthology by Adriana Herrera, Emma Barry, Olivia Dade, Ruby Lang, and Cat Sebastian. Here’s a little about each of the stories in the order they appear in the book. Appassionata by Emma Barry- This story is about a pianist and a piano tuner. It was so heavy on the piano world that I kept getting hung up on things that I didn’t understand. It was taking me days to get through this story so I decided Continue Reading
Kini’s Friday Kisses- Mini reviews for books by Sarah Morganthaler, Molly O’Keefe, Cecelia London and a couple of DNFs
I’ve read a lot of books that I haven’t talked about yet, so I am trying to catch up. The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morganthaler- The premise to this sounds so cute. And the book delivers a lot of cute, almost too much for me. Snarky hero who hates tourists, nerdy, glasses wearing heroine who is a tourist, a blind dog that wears pajamas, a moose that loves a car, and a town full of quirky characters. Zoey travels to Alaska and meets Graham, a diner owner who really hates the tourist who Continue Reading
Kini’s Friday Kisses- Mini reviews for books by Nalini Singh, Kate Canterbary, Cara Bastone, Martha Waters, Molly O’Keefe, and Abby Jimenez
We'll call this one a mixed bag round up of books I've read relatively recently and one I read months ago. Much like my reading these days, these reviews are all over the place. I think it is indicative of the times. One thing that has really helped me though is giving myself the flexibility to read any books I want and not be pressured to read only ARCs. My library upped our available check outs through Hoopla so I have been trying to take advantage of that. Cherish Hard and Rebel Hard Continue Reading
Kini’s Friday Kisses- Mini reviews for books by Corinne Michaels and Allison Ashley
All I Ask by Corinne Michaels- I picked this up at the recommendation of my good friend Estelle, publicist at Forever Romance. She told me it was a second chance romance between single parents who are 35 ish. I felt like I needed to read this and then had really high expectations. (CW: widower hero, grief, ailing parent) The heroine, Teagan, is struggling to get by. She runs her parents antique store. She is raising her teenage daughter alone. One day the school calls and Teagan’s Continue Reading
Kini’s Friday Kisses: Mini reviews for books by Tammy Robinson, Ainslie Paton, and Nalini Singh
Photos of You by Tammy Robinson- This is 100% not a romance, but it does have a romantic arc. I knew going in this would not have an HEA but I wanted to give it a try. CW: death, dying, main character with breast cancer. The main protagonist, Ava, discovers her cancer has not only returned but it is aggressively terminal. She wants the rest of her life to be on her terms and decides to have a wedding before she dies. It was a journey that had some brutal moments as Ava talked about her Continue Reading