Audio: A Scot to the heart by Caroline Linden

 

Narrated by: Beverley A. Crick

Series: Desperately Seeking Duke, Book 2

Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins

Release date: 06-29-21

Publisher: HarperAudio

Historical romance

to review

I have become bad at writing reviews at once when on holiday! So here I go, a few days later; Andrew has been in the army and now he is the heir to a Duke! Sadly an English Duke, boooo, but hey it will give him the chance to better support his mother and sisters. But he must take a wife first. Andrew was nice, just good you know

Ilsa is living life. She is a widow, her husband was an asshat. People thinks she is rather scandalous, and all I say is you go Ilsa! She was great. A thirst for living. Held back by her father, aunt and society.

They meet. She is not proper Duchess material. But Andrew is pulled to her.

There will be drama, I can't tell you, but this is real drama! And it made me mad and I would not be as forgiving as Ilsa. I was glad she had Andrew.

But then the end, what about the next book? New couple! And even more drama regarding something. Ohhh, pretty sure I know who one of them is.

Good narrator. I enjoyed listening to her and I felt she did justice to the voices and accents

Captain Andrew St. James always knew he came from a noble family, but his branch grew far from the wealth and status. Nothing shocks him more than learning that he now stands as heir presumptive to his distant cousin the Duke of Carlyle. There is much for Drew to learn and adjust to - but first he goes home to Edinburgh, to tell his mother and three sisters of their startling good fortune.

Ilsa Ramsay yearns for some adventure and fun, not another husband. When she discovers the handsome soldier who sweeps her off her feet for a rollicking dance is her friend’s brother, soon to be an English duke, she tells herself he’s not for her, no matter how tempting he is. But one impulsive kiss, then another, and another...says otherwise.

Drew means to marry a respectable, dignified Englishwoman - a very proper future duchess. The spirited Ilsa is none of that. Still, when she’s caught in a dangerous scandal, he leaps to her aid without hesitation. And neither family duty nor future obligation can make them ignore what’s in both their hearts.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Format: 245 pages, Hardcover

Published: September 15, 2020 by Bloomsbury

Fantasy Fiction Mystery Magical Realism

Library

Ok so this was weird. I hardly know what to say cos if I say anything that might be a spoiler.

Right, so this man lives in a weird house. The house has oceans and tides. Hallways filled with statues. No one living there except a man he calls The Other. And some skeletons. Such a weird place. No recollection why he is there, and if there exists anything else but this house.

Was it great? Nah. But I really wanted to know why this man was living in this house, that is not a house but a strange world at the same time. Hall after hall, you can walk for days.

And we do get an explanation, grateful for that. I can not say anything more.

And about the characters. Well, we know nothing about The Other. He is just there. Piranesi, as the Other calls the man, well we know nothing about him either. He is resourceful, he keeps a journal. He loves this house and likes to explore.

I did like it, because something kept me reading

Piranesi's house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.

There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

TMST

 

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.

7/20/2021 What authors have you recently discovered and loved?

How recent is recent? Like within a year? Cos omg last fall I totally binged on Elly Griffiths!!! She is amazing. The only modern mystery thriller that has been a total hit.

An amazing series :D

The rest of the year I have mostly read authors I have tried before, and I do not like to mention authors I tried one book from. Cos the rest might suck!

But I did listen to 2 Elizabeth Lim books and I did enjoy those. I like the world she created

7/27/2021 Where is your favorite place to read during the summer?

Carole's Monday: The Perfect play

Carole Szymanski 5:11 PM (5 hours ago) to me

Author: G.S. Carr

Narrator:  Trei Taylor & Ryan Kailbourne

Title: The Perfect Play

Genre: Short story, Contemporary Romance, Sports

Format: Audiobook

Published: June 10th 2021

Where I got It: Audible

Summary: 

Simone Thompson wakes up in a Vegas hotel suite to discover three things:

Her headache might kill her.

The guy spooned behind her isn’t some random Vegas hookup—it’s James Sumner, the NFL’s bad-boy wide receiver and her twin brother’s teammate.

There’s a ring on her finger—you know, the finger.

As part of a football family, Simone knows all about the game, the good, the bad, and the ugly. That’s why she joined her brother’s trip to Vegas in the first place—to keep an eye on him, not to end up entangled with her crush. Her very out-of-her-league crush.

James has always had the hots for Simone and now that they’re married, he sees an opening to prove to her that he's more than just a playboy and that they really do belong together. But if he’s going to win over his bookish princess, he’ll need to execute the perfect play…

Review:

This was recommended to me to check out and it's a freebie on Audible so why not!

We follow Simone and James. The two wake up in a Vegas hotel suite and discover they not only had a crazy night...but they are married. However, this could never work! They are so different! Simone has been a book-nerd and even works at the library and she was only in Vegas to hang out with and make sure her brother doesn't get into too much trouble while he parties with his NFL friends. James is NFL's bad-boy wide receiver. They soon realize that they have both been crushing on each other and this might be a chance to see if there is something there. 

Ahhhhh booze and Vegas mix too well but can lead to a crazy, insane night even for an innocent like Simone. 

I adored these two and they really were perfect! A weird way to start a romance. Maybe it was the push Simone needed to finally find her happiness in life! Yesss, yesss she feels she has to be the mother hen to her bro and her dad....but she deserves to be happy!

James is adorable and I loved him. 

I hope we get more books. Maybe something for Simone's bro or even another book following Simone and James. I feel like they still have some issues to get through. More pleaseeeee.

The narrators were perfect for the characters. Love them!

In the end, this was short and sweet, but there was some serious character development here and it was adorable to see them fall in love. Totally recommend it. 5 stars. 

Challenge(s):
- #40 for Audiobook challenge