TMST

 

10/13/2026 What animal do you think best represents your personality?

Hmmm, a cat? A cat will spend time with those it likes, but be rather aloof with others. They go their own way and do not give many effs. A cat hates making mistakes and will totally pretend that stumble did not happen. And they like sleep, and warmth

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions,  please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

10/20/2026 If you could have any office supply in unlimited quantities, what would it be?

10/27/2026  Who do you want on your team during the zombie apocalypse and why?

Carole´s Monday: A taste of magic

 

Author: Tricia O'Malley
Narrator: Siobhan Waring & John Hartley

Title: A Taste of Magic

Series: The Scottish Charms #2

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Format: Audiobook

Published: August 25, 2026
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)


Summary: 

She’s hexed. He’s her ex. And if they can’t bake in harmony, Briarhaven’s big cooking competition might just go up in smoke.

Lyra MacGregor’s magic is as unpredictable as her love life—especially when her spellwork starts misfiring during the filming of Briarhaven’s favorite reality TV Bewitching Bake-Off. Even worse? She’s paired with Rabbie Campbell, her high school sweetheart turned heartbreak.

He’s never baked a thing in his life. She turns spoons into hedgehogs when he’s nearby. But with the cameras rolling, the curse deepening, and old sparks reigniting, they’ll have to cook up more than just a winning cake to survive. Because in Briarhaven, baking is spellwork, and love is the trickiest recipe of all.

Review:

I finished book 1, and I had to get my hands on book 2. I'm loving this town and this family. Plus...I had to know what the heck is up with Rabbie and Lyra. What happened between them the last time they were in town?

Lyra and her family have been back in town for about a year now. It is her turn to finally get her powers and lift her part of the curse. However, things are interrupted when a Baking Show picks Briarhaven to host the Christmas special. This is the chance Lyra has been dreaming about! She finally got a job at the bakery, but maybe this competition will help blast her Baking show to new heights. However, she is having issues with her magic, and now she's being partnered with her ex....

I really loved this one. I loved watching them go from enemies to baking partners to friends to being in love. It felt real. They finally are forced to TALK and hear each other out. *chef kiss*

Lyra is adorable. 

Rabbie is cranky and cute. 

Gimme all the hedgehogs. 

I just wanted to eat all the yummy desserts mentioned. 

This is a second chance, and I get scared of them, but the reason why they broke up was an easy fix once they matured, especially when they realized it was all a misunderstanding. 

The ending was lovely. 

The narrators were perfect. 

I loved this. So much fun. I want book 3!!!!

5 stars. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #42

- Reading Romance Challenge #20 (MC Works in the Food Industry)

The Stand-in by Lily Chu

By: Lily Chu

Narrated by: Phillipa Soo

Release date: 07-15-21

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher: Audible Originals

Contemporary romance

Gracie has a terrible boss and no where to turn. Her mother is in a home and Gracie needs money for a better one. Then she is stopped and asked to be a stand in for a famous Chinese actress called Wei Fangli...

Good money! But can she do it? I did not really understand why Gracie had such a hard time with the lie. It was like she thought people would think she came up with it herself and she went around pretending to be Fangli. But then she does suffer from anxiety and she writes these lists to keep herself calm. So the whole pretending thing is hard for her.

Oh and Fangli has a super hot friend called Sam and they do start with butting heads but something grows.

I enjoyed this one and I will def look for more on audible.

Great narration. I enjoyed it

Gracie Reed is doing just fine. Sure, she was fired by her overly “friendly” boss, and yes she still hasn’t gotten her mother into the nursing home of their dreams, but she’s healthy, she’s (somewhat) happy, and she’s (mostly) holding it all together.

But when a mysterious SUV pulls up beside her, revealing Chinese cinema’s golden couple Wei Fangli and Sam Yao, Gracie’s world is turned on its head. The famous actress has a proposition: due to their uncanny resemblance, Fangli wants Gracie to be her stand-in. The catch? Gracie will have to be escorted by Sam, the most attractive—and infuriating—man Gracie’s ever met.

If it means getting the money she needs for her mother, Gracie’s in. Soon Gracie moves into a world of luxury she never knew existed. But resisting Sam, and playing the role of an elegant movie star, proves more difficult than she ever imagined—especially when she learns the real reason Fangli so desperately needs her help. In the end all the lists in the world won't be able to help Gracie keep up this elaborate ruse without losing herself... and her heart.

The truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen

Format: 374 pages, Paperback

Published : May 11, 2004 by Penguin Group Inc.

Romance YA /own

I must have found this one at a yard sale ages ago...and September was reading oldies month!

Macy has a to me boring boyfriend who goes to space camp. She takes over his boring library job where the coworkers hate her. She is the good girl who gets good grades, and who has a boring boyfriend who corrects her...yeah I do not like that guy.

But then she meets a messy group of catering staff and the summer begins.

I liked this one. Well written, some real teen drama and feelings.

That's what Macy has to look forward to while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp. Days will be spent at a boring job in the library, evenings will be filled with vocabulary drills for the SATs, and spare time will be passed with her mother, the two of them sharing a silent grief at the traumatic loss of Macy's father.

But sometimes, unexpected things can happen—things such as the catering job at Wish, with its fun-loving, chaotic crew. Or her sister's project of renovating the neglected beach house, awakening long-buried memories. Things such as meeting Wes, a boy with a past, a taste for Truth-telling, and an amazing artistic talent, the kind of boy who could turn any girl's world upside down. As Macy ventures out of her shell, she begins to question her sheltered life.