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.

11/30/2021 Book cover love: Share some book covers that you loved in 2021

SO much prettier in RL

Again one that pops even more in RL

These were pretty :D

12/7/2021Do you enjoy reading holiday-themed books at the holidays or year-round?

12/14/2021 What's the hardest part about blogging for you? 

12/21/2021 End of Year/Holiday What reading challenges (if any) are you planning to participate in 2022?

12/28/2021 End of Year/Holiday What are your favorite books/audiobooks that you read in 2021

Movie Discussion: A castle for Christmas

 

This month we decided to discuss  A Castle for Christmas

I am in red and Carole is in green.

Title: A Castle for Christmas
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Family

Released: Nov. 2021
Rating: G

Length: 1h 38m

To watch the trailer, click HERE.

DISCUSSION:

**BE WARNED - THERE ARE SOME MINI SPOILERS**

XMas movie time!

Yesss Xmas time!!! Gotta love Xmas movies! 

Thank you Netflix, keep them coming. They are just so light and fun, not a lot of drama. Cheesy, and just lol

They are perfect movies to watch with some wine and snacks! I do love how most of them, like this one, have little drama. Usually, the drama is because one or both are being stubborn or there is a miscommunication. Easily resolved! 

Perfect and light. And we even got a grumpy Scottish Duke this time, yay. Of course, my mind was working overtime and I was all, oh, his line is dead now isn’t it

Yes I was excited he was a grumpy Duke. Made me happy. I thought the same thing! He is the last of the line (unless he has some brother or nephew out there). They are too old to have kids. WHICH. It made me happy that this was an older couple. I loved the whole you are never too old to find true love. Very refreshing and melted my heart. 

I do not think the creators put much thought into it, most think Dukes are royals. Like hello. And that the title finds someone, yeah, not anymore.

But yes I loved that it was an older couple who had been through it all

Yea they are not too concerned anymore to find someone. I bet so many titles have just died out.

It was so nice to see an older couple who were both super burned in love find love in an unlikely place. It was also so nice to see Sophie find some legit friends. It sounded like she only had her daughter and her agent. 

Her husband sounded like a proper ass! Good riddance. And I loved the new friends she made

Yesssss a super asshat and the Duke’s lady (was she a fiance or wife) left him in the dust what a B-word! I’m also glad it took them months to get together. They both were burned so bad and they are stubborn. Perfect. I loved her friends and I’m glad that Thomas and the Inn rekindled. I want to see more of that village. 

Yes, that would be fun! More village and I am sure her daughter can find a grumpy Duke too

OOOOO! I nearly forgot about Lexi! She is a good girl and deserves love. Maybe a mystery nephew that comes wanting the title ;) LOL So much room for sequels. 

Ohhh, good call, yes mystery nephew for the win

The castle was saved...now the Title needs saving!! What a perfect plot. Plus we all deserve to see and hear Cary and his Scottish accent. Flawless….hot. HAHAHA. 

I so love this, I hope they do something with it next year.

One can hope! I really adored the characters and the story. I want to go to that village and learn to knit!!

Lol, not that keen on the knitting, but the village looked fun.

But hey we have to talk about how she wrote 10 books about the same character and owns a million-dollar apartment in NY.

TRUE I did make a comment to JP (bless his heart….poor guy woke up to me watching it and he was so confused since he woke up halfway through it) how on Earth does she have THAT much money!?!?!?!?!?! Maybe she does some short stories or helps write on TV shows??? ORRRRR did she get one heck of a settlement from that Arsehat ex?

I guess she was the next 50 shades. But still, how does one even write a romance in a 10 book series. Omg I would be mad too if she killed the guy!

Maybe! Has to be. She has so much money. I am curious how she stretched a romance that long. Maybe it was an on-and-off relationship? Or you see them and their life? Struggles of marriage….first kid….retiring….etc. But yes - after all that I would’ve been MAD that she killed the guy off. 

I want to read them now, still 10 books with one love and then boom dead. Thanks for that author. But the covers, boring! ;)

Yess I want to read them too. Especially that last book she made. It sounds badass. :D

Oh yes, that last one sounds cool. Still, what was that? Historical fiction romance? Damn the movie made it sound like authors make a lot of money. And that people recognize them in the street?!

Right?? Maybe her hubbie was famous too? I don’t know. Sure it can happen becoming a millionaire as a writer….but not celebrity status where people have a picket/protest because they are THAT mad at her book. Very unrealistic there for sure. 

Lol, but sure fun to see at least. A good movie. I do not need much.

I think that was my only issue, but the rest? Adored it! I do want another movie. Sequel pleaseeeee!

Yes :D

For sure worth the watch this holiday season. I kinda wanna watch it again ;) 

The end?

The end! I don’t have much else. Can’t wait to watch more Xmas movies! GIMME MORE!

Short Movie Review: How to be a Latin Lover

Finding himself dumped after 25 years of marriage, a man who made a career of seducing rich older women must move in with his estranged sister, where he begins to learn the value of family.

Director: Ken Marino

Writers: Jon Zack, Chris Spain

Stars: Eugenio Derbez, Salma Hayek, Raphael Alejandro

1h 55min | Comedy, Drama 

This was one I did not expect much from, but it was funny. I enjoyed this one.

Recommend?

yes

PS. I have these very very old drafts saved so time to post them! :D

Audio: They went left by Monica Hesse

Narrated by: Caitlin Davies

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Release date: 04-08-20

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers

Own

YA Histoical fiction

The author explained at the end that so many books is about the war and the end, but not what happens after the end. And she is right, I haven't read many like this that is all about afterwards.

So yes, nothing about the war, nothing about her time in the ghetto or concentration camp. The war is long over when Zofia is released from hospital. She is really messed up and had no idea what really happened before the concentration camp, or after. I have rarely seen a book like this, just so out of it, and of course she would be. But she is trying to put her life together, she goes back to Poland, she goes back to Germany to find her brother.

Most of the book takes place in a refuge/replacement camp. She is trying to find her brother, like so many others. She meets new friends, she meets a man. Pieces of memory shows itself to be made up, erased or just hidden so well behind her trauma. A few things surprised even me.

A good book. Sad, but that is understandable. I did not understand the title either before it was explained, she went right, so many others were taken left and killed.

Good narration, there is music too, and the tone she sets during that time is so sad and emotional. Those are the hard bits

Germany, 1945. The soldiers who liberated the Gross-Rosen concentration camp said the war was over, but nothing feels over to eighteen-year-old Zofia Lederman. Her body has barely begun to heal; her mind feels broken. And her life is completely shattered: Three years ago, she and her younger brother, Abek, were the only members of their family to be sent to the right, away from the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Everyone else--her parents, her grandmother, radiant Aunt Maja--they went left.

Zofia's last words to her brother were a promise: Abek to Zofia, A to Z. When I find you again, we will fill our alphabet. Now her journey to fulfill that vow takes her through Poland and Germany, and into a displaced persons camp where everyone she meets is trying to piece together a future from a painful past: Miriam, desperately searching for the twin she was separated from after they survived medical experimentation. Breine, a former heiress, who now longs only for a simple wedding with her new fianc�. And Josef, who guards his past behind a wall of secrets, and is beautiful and strange and magnetic all at once.But the deeper Zofia digs, the more impossible her search seems. How can she find one boy in a sea of the missing? In the rubble of a broken continent, Zofia must delve into a mystery whose answers could break her--or help her rebuild her world.

Audio: The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan

Narrated by: Eilidh Beaton

Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins

Release date: 11-16-21

Publisher: HarperAudio

Women's fiction

To review

Carmen has a dead end job, and then the store closes. She likes her life, but is not really doing much. So she ends up in Edinburgh, living with her sister and working in a bookshop. She sees her sister as perfect, and is rather resentful.

And sure Sofia is rather perfect, but she works hard for it. She says that her water can broke in the office and she will then go have her baby.  But yes she needs to let loose a bit. And not to rely on her truly annoying nanny (omg, ugh the nanny.)

As for Carmen, she also have to loose some of her prejudices. She will also see how good she really is trying to turn around a bookshop. And finding out kids are not horrid.

Lots of interesting people comes into her life, a chance for romance too, but since this is not a romance it takes time.

And I really want to visit that street in xmas times now. Awww xmas times.

Good xmassy book.

The narrator had this great voice for Carmen that fitted her so well, the same with the rest if the voices too. Annoying people, stuck up people, the kids, yes everyone got the voice they deserved.

When the department store she works in closes for good, Carmen has perilously little cash and few options. She doesn’t want to move in with her perfect sister Sofia, in Sofia’s perfect house with her perfect children and her perfectly ordered Edinburgh life.

Frankly, Sofia doesn’t exactly want Carmen there either. Her sister has always been sarcastic and difficult. But Sofia has yet another baby on the way, a mother desperate to see her daughters get along, and a client who needs a retail assistant for his ailing bookshop, so welcoming Carmen might still have some benefits for everyone.

At Sofia’s behest, Carmen is thrown into the daily workings of old Mr. McCredie’s ancient bookshop on the streets of the old dark city. Can she use her design skills to revamp the store and bring it back to popularity in time to benefit from Christmas shopping traffic? Can she choose between bad boy literary rock star Blair and quiet Quaker student Oke? And will she heal the rift with the most important people of all: her family?

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.

11/23/2021 Gratitude. 

What books/authors/narrators/bloggers are you most thankful for this year?

I was looking at Goodreads and omg, is this my worst year ever? Not a single 5, and my 4s are really really few. No wonder I have a hard time picking a book each month, because yes I have read lots of good books, but not that many great books.

And now I do not feel thankful at all *sobs*

But no, I am always thankful to wonderful narrators that makes a book come alive in my head, and gives my eyes a rest. I love audiobooks and I am grateful for them

And for all wonderful authors that keeps writing good books!

11/30/2021 Book cover love: Share some book covers that you loved in 2021

Carole's Monday review

Author:  Roxanne Snopek

Narrator: Joanna Patrick

Title: Three River Ranch

(Three River Ranch #1)

Genre: Western Romance, Contemporary    

Format: Audiobook

Published: August 25th 2012

Where I got It: Audible

Summary: 

Needing a fresh start from her two-timing fiancé, Aurora McAllister answers a realtor’s ad for a guesthouse on the beautiful, serene Three River Ranch. She shows up at Three River tired, heartbroken, and with no one but her trusty Labradoodle as a companion.

Cowboy Carson Granger has enough trouble in his life without adding a woman and her dog to the mix. There’s the untamed mustang he’s prepping to release into the wild, not to mention his father’s crazy will, which stipulates that if Carson wants to fully inherit Three River, he’ll need to find a bride. Carson wants nothing to do with love and especially not a marriage of convenience. But he soon realizes Rory, and everything she represents, might just be exactly what he needs.

Sometimes love arrives on your doorstep when you least expect it…

Review:

Been itching for a Western romance and I see this and its a quick one so why not!

We follow Aurora who needs a fresh start after breaking up with her two-timing fiance. She answers a realtor's ad for a guesthouse on a beautiful and serene ranch. She shows up with her dog and realizes the guesthouse needs work and Cowboy Carson Granger is not happy she is there. Carson has had enough trouble in life without adding a pregnant woman and her dog to the mix. He is trying to set up a foundation for wild horses and prepping a wild mustang to be released back into the wild. He needs money though for his dreams, but his father's will has a crazy stipulation...he needs to find a wife before he will get full access to the funds. He wants nothing to do with love or marriage, but he soon realizes that Aurora might just be what his hearts need. 

This was fun. I loved Aurora and Carson. They both had their hearts broken and just want to find stable land. I do love how they became friends first. Sure there is lust, but they actually grow to like each other before they have a fake wedding/marriage. It was nice. The love came out of nowhere for them, but you can see them slowly falling in love. 

Carson was a stubborn jerk sometimes, but you can kind of understand him. He just wants to save these horses. He has no time for love....especially after his ex broke his heart in more then one way. Won't say what, but I felt so bad for him. 

Aurora's ex was an ass. He even accused her of being preggo with another man's baby. Jerkface. I would never let my baby see that guy. Screw him.

But yesss - lots of baggage between the two of them. It took forever for them to fully trust one another. Which...you can understand...but I just wanted to scream at them when they had a huge misunderstanding. UGHHHH. 

This was cute and I enjoyed it! I am curious about book 2. It is about Aurora's pal. So maybe ;)

Oo! Nearly forgot...the narrator was good. Perfect for the characters. I feel like I have heard this person before...but I can't pinpoint where. But yes - perfect...even the guy voices. 

In the end, I really enjoyed this. It was a nice romance. Some drama and some baggage that the two had to get over, but I liked it. I am curious about the next book. The narrator was good, I hope she does book 2 if I go the audio route. I'll give this 4 stars.

Challenge(s):
- #79 for Audiobook challenge

Short Movie Review: Falling Inn Love

When city girl Gabriela spontaneously enters a contest and wins a rustic New Zealand inn, she teams up with bighearted contractor Jake Taylor to fix and flip it.

Director: Roger Kumble

Writers: Elizabeth Hackett, Hilary Galanoy

Stars: Christina Milian, Adam Demos, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman

1h 38min | Comedy, Romance 

It did have a lot of Hallmark feels, but without the ultra cheesiness. I enjoyed it, I knew what I was getting, it was light, and omg I am meant to live in NZ!

Recommend

Sure

Audio: The Highlander's Irish Bride by Vanessa Kelly

 

Clan Kendrick Series, Book 4

Narrated by: Ruth Urquhart

Tantor Audio

Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins

Release date: 07-27-21

Historical romance

To review

I meant to review this one and oops, a lot of time has gone by.

Kathleen is sent up north cos she is a hellion.

Grant Kendrick used to be a hellion, but is now very proper and works too much.

They meet, not much there, they spend time together and things progress.

Add one crazy grandpa. Mix in One annoying sibling who falls in love way too often. And sprinkler in some drama with thieves and hooligans.

A nice romance, yay Scotland

I adore this narrator. She is so good with Scottish things! So she is truly perfect and sets the stage for it

Miss Kathleen Calvert may be the daughter of an Irish aristocrat, but she has no intention of acting like one. All she desires is to return to her family's estate to raise horses and manage her father's magnificent gardens. But when a scandal threatens her reputation, her parents order her to a remote Scottish estate, hoping she will finally learn to behave like a proper lady. To make matters worse, her escort is a handsome Highlander who just happens to be the most boring man in all of Scotland...

After a youth of dangerous and wild escapades, Grant Kendrick surprised his family—and himself—by becoming a successful businessman and the most respectable Kendrick brother. But does that matter, when the beautiful and free-spirited Kathleen deems him a stodgy bore? Luckily, he gets the chance to prove her wrong when their carriage is ambushed by thieves. But it will take all his ingenuity to protect the beautiful lass who has stormed her way into his heart—and to convince her that a life with him will be a love-filled adventure...

Audio: The perfume garden by Kate Lord Brown

 

Narrated by: Maggie Mash

Length: 17 hrs and 6 mins

Release date: 01-01-13

Publisher: W. F. Howes Ltd

Fiction /His fic

Own

I won this one ages ago, so long that I have forgotten from who, and I never got to it. Not before I decided to try it in the car. It did take me 1,5 months, but it worked, sort of good, outside noise, ugh.

I haven't really read anything about the Spanish civil war, horrific, how does one even forgive and forget? The answer here was they decided to forget cos it was so horrible,

Emma is preggo, and goes to a rundown house in Spain. Her looser ex, oh yes I will call him that, cos damn girl, you deserve better! He cheated on her cos she was away too much, boohoo. Also the woman he cheated with was their mutual friend, and a bigger bitch I have not met. Gods, she was the worst.

Emma finds herself again in Spain, and love

Flashbacks are of her grandmother Freya and her brother Charles during the war. And seeeeecrets.

It worked well the way I listened to it. It was interesting even if some characters felt a bit over the top. Like her bitch friend who stole her looser man. And this horrible creep Freya encounters in her time.

Good narration, but it took some time to get used to Emma, she had this weird naive, and whispering voice for her.

High in the hills of Valencia, a forgotten house guards its secrets. Untouched since Franco’s forces tore through Spain in 1936, the whitewashed walls have crumbled, and the garden, laden with orange blossom, grows wild. Emma Temple is the first to unlock its doors in seventy years. Emma is London’s leading perfumier, but her blessed life has taken a difficult turn. Her free-spirited mother, Liberty, who taught her the art of fragrance making, has just passed away. At the same time, she broke up with her long-time lover and business partner, Joe, whose baby she happens to be carrying.

While Joe is in New York trying to sell his majority share in their company, Emma, guided by a series of letters and a key bequeathed to her in Liberty’s will, decides to leave her job and travel to Valencia, where she will give birth in the house her mother mysteriously purchased just before her death. The villa is a perfect retreat: redolent with the exotic scents of orange blossom and neroli, dappled with light and with the rich colors of a forgotten time. Emma makes it her mission to restore the place to its former glory. But for her aging grandmother, Freya, a British nurse who stayed in Valencia during Spain’s devastating civil war, Emma’s new home evokes memories of a terrible secret, a part of her family’s past that until now has managed to stay hidden.

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.

11/16/2021 Do authors/narrators actions, political beliefs, etc impact your view of their work? 

First, I have no idea about anything. There have been authors I do not know are male or female, and who cares, since it does not matter. No idea where they are from, but of course I usually guess US since I read in English ;)

And I really do not want to know shit, ugh, that ruins everything! I liked these Marion Zimmer Bradely books when I started reading in English. Now I would burn them if I owned them, god damn what a horrible human being.  I am glad she is dead is all I am saying.

As for narrators, oh I do not know anything about them. Nothing at all. Ignorance is bliss

11/23/2021vGratitude. What books/authors/narrators/bloggers are you most thankful for this year?

11/30/2021 Book cover love: Share some book covers that you loved in 2021

Carole's Monday: The Christmas Pact

 

Author:  Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

Narrator: Andi Arndt & Sebastian York

Title: The Christmas Pact

Genre: Romance, Novella, Chick Lit, & Holiday

Format: Audiobook

Published: December 5th 2019

Where I got It: Audible

Summary: 

Riley Kennedy’s emails keep getting crossed with her colleague, Kennedy Riley.

The infuriating man forwards them along with his annoying commentary and unsolicited advice. At least she never has to see him in person since they work in different locations…until they come face to face at the office holiday party. As luck would have it, Kennedy turns out to be gorgeous…though still a jerk. Yet somehow he’s able to charm her out on the dance floor—and convince her to participate in his crazy scheme: He’ll go home with Riley for a Christmas party and pretend to be her boyfriend if Riley agrees to be his date to a wedding.

It sounds easy enough. But little by little, the act they’re putting on starts to feel like so much more than a Christmas pact—and Riley’s about to learn there’s more to Kennedy than she ever imagined.

Review:

Bring on the Xmas!!!

Here we follow Riley Kennedy and her colleague Kennedy Riley. Yes, you read that right. Emails always get sent to the wrong person because their work emails are so similar. Riley is a good co-worker and just forwards it to him, while Kennedy forward the email with his annoying commentary and unsolicited advice. When they actually meet at a office holiday party, he convinces her to participate in his crazy scheme....pretend to be BF/GF at each other's family events this year. He needs a date for his brother's wedding. Somehow, he convinces her to say yes. They hate each other, but little by little, they start developing real feelings. What are they to do? 

This needs to be made into a Hallmark Xmas movie. This was perfect for a holiday romance. There is humor. There is drama. There is witty dialogue. There are fun characters. There is Xmas and a HEA. Perfect Hallmark material. 

I like Riley and Kennedy even though Kennedy was an asshat. OMG - I would've walked away at the rehearsal dinner. What a jerk. Sure, sure, he was drunk and there is a reason why he is SO miserable. It break my heart.....but....ugh. I was so mad. Kuddos for Riley for sticking by his drunk butt and helping him out.

The ending had me all "AWWWWWWWWWWW"ing. It was very sweet and it made me happy. Kennedy finally got over his issues and really made a grand gesture. It had me laughing but awwing all at the same time. 

I will say this was predictable in some spots BUT there were some good twists that didn't make this boring. It was nice. 

I do not recall these narrators, so I think they are new to me. They were good. Perfect voices for the characters. Loved them. 

In the end, this was the perfect level of cheesy. Some predictable moments, but overall I enjoyed this. It would make for a great Xmas movie. I'll give this 4 stars. 

Challenge(s):
- #78 for Audiobook challenge

Audio: Duke, actually by Jenny Holiday

Narrated by: Stacy Gonzalez

Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins

Release date: 11-16-21

Publisher: HarperAudio

Contemporary romance

To review

Awww, this one was sweet! And omg, they became friends and was friends for a long time before becoming more. They actually knew each other. Oh and this should so be a netflix movie! Perfect holiday movie wink wink.

Dani's husband left her (he sounds like a real ass), her job is fine, but she wants more!

Max is a Duke to be (from a strange European country where everyone speaks with a posh English accent, very Netflix :D He is a rake, and oh he sounded so lovely, especially when with her. That made me melt.

They met before, they meet again, become friends, become really good friends, become must text each other all the time. Oh you two, you love each other!

Drama on different fronts, becoming more and just being so freaking great for each other. Awww, the feels. A really fun and cute movie.

Great narration, her Max voices was perfect, as were her other voices too. Emotion and cuteness all the way through

Maximillian von Hansburg, baron of Laudon and heir to the duke of Aquilla, is not having a merry Christmas. He’s been dumped by a princess, he’s unemployed, and his domineering father has sent him to New York to meet a prospective bride he has no interest in. In the city, he meets Dani Martinez, a smart (and gorgeous) professor he’s determined to befriend before their best friends marry in the Eldovian wedding of the century.

Newly single, no-nonsense New Yorker Dani is done with love - she even has a list entitled “Things I Will Never Again Do for a Man” - which is why she hits it off with notorious rake Max. He’s the perfect partner for snow angels in Central Park and deep conversations about the futility of love.

It’s all fun and games until their friendship deepens into attraction and, oops....Falling in love was never part of the plan.

Audio: Holly Jolly Cowboy by Jessica Clare

Book 7 in the Wyoming Cowboy series

Narrated by Abby Craden

Tantor Audio

Publication date Oct 26, 2021

Running time 7 hrs 14 min

Contemporary romance

To review

Another good narration by Abby Craden, I really like her voice for these books, it fits very well. She can do those gruff cowboys as well as female voices.

In this one Holly, the ever smiling waitress, who supports her sister, meets Adam, the 1 dollar tipper, the most annoying man in the world. And yes there is a reason, he was all awww she liked me, and then he noticed she flirts with everyone so hurt feelings cos of a dick ex wife. Oh Adam, man up!

They are thrown together. Passive aggressiveness. And one really really stupid move from Adam, grrr, you deserved having your nuts kicked. Not cool. 

They argue, she bakes up a storm, they get close, they live happily ever after.

Enjoyable, xmas feels, and it will make you hungry for cake.

Local waitress Holly Dawson needs a better paying job to cover her sister's college tuition. Given that it's Christmas and she's broke as a joke, she's feeling pretty bah-humbug. New jobs are hard to come by in a town as small as Painted Barrel, especially as the town dropout.

When Holly's offered a job at the Flat C Ranch to clean and cook for the cowboys that work there, it seems like a dream come true...except for one thing. Her nemesis, the incredibly handsome (and annoyingly arrogant) Adam Calhoun works there. It doesn't matter that he loves dogs more than people, or that he's a war veteran. No Christmas spirit can save that particular grinch.

When the rest of the ranch hands go out of town for the holidays, Holly and Adam will be forced to work closely together. No sweat. Holly can deal with Adam. And if she doesn't kill him first, she just might fall in love.

Audio: The unexpected Miss Bennet by Patrice Sarath

Narrated by Kitty Kelly

Publication date Oct 26, 2021

Tantor Audio

Running time 8 hrs

Pride and Prejudice continuation

To review

Oh this was delightful, I do love variations, they are so much fun! I used to read a lot and when this one came up, yes at once.

Mary has grown a bit since PP, less preachy, more coming into her own. But then it is just she and Kitty left. Maybe Mary should get married? So Lizzy invites her to Pemberley.

When someone showed up I just did not know, but at the end, yes, absolutely perfect, and I was happy for her.

As for the Burghs, as annoying as always.

Good fun :D

The narrator did so well with her different voices. Annoying Lady Catherine, sarcastic Lizzy, flighty Kitty. It really got me into the feel of the story.

A great listen

The third of five daughters, Miss Mary Bennet is a rather unremarkable girl. With her countenance being somewhere between plain and pretty and in possession of no great accomplishments, few expect the third Bennet daughter to attract a respectable man. But although she is shy and would much prefer to keep her nose stuck in a book, Mary is uncertain she wants to meekly follow the path to spinsterhood set before her.

Determined that Mary should have a chance at happiness, the elder Bennet sisters concoct a plan. Lizzy invites Mary to visit at Pemberley, hoping to give her sister a place to grow and make new acquaintances. But it is only when Mary strikes out independently that she can attempt to become accomplished in her own right. And in a family renowned for its remarkable Misses, Mary Bennet may turn out to be the most wholly unexpected of them all...

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.

 Do you use reading subscriptions (e.g., Kindle Unlimited, Scribd, etc)? Why/why not?

Nope. 

Dunno why, harder to get here? 

I do not see the point. When would I have time for that?! Not enough hours in the day. Money wasted then

11/16/2021 Do authors/narrators actions, political beliefs, etc impact your view of their work?

11/23/2021vGratitude. What books/authors/narrators/bloggers are you most thankful for this year?

11/30/2021 Book cover love: Share some book covers that you loved in 2021

Carole's Monday: The Christmas List

 

Author: Chrissie Manby

Narrator: Rebecca Courtney

Title: The Christmas List (Kindle Single)

Genre: Chick Lit, Short story, Fantasy, Contemporary Fiction

Format: Audiobook

Published:  October 24th 2013

Where I got It: Audible

Summary: 

What if you got exactly what you wanted this Christmas? Find out why you should be careful what you wish for in best-seller Chrissie Manby's (Getting Over Mr Right, Seven Sunny Days) exclusive Christmas novella.

It’s the 1st of December and Milly Arnold is facing a miserable Noel. Newly single, the last thing she wants to do is join her settled sister and her young family

Review:

Awww randomly stumbled upon this looking at some Xmas short stories. 

What if you got everything you wanted for Christmas? That is what happens to Milly Arnold after she is dumped just about a month before the holidays. The problem is....she is about to learn that she needs to be careful what she wishes for. 

This was a quick listen but I really enjoyed it. Poor Milly. Being dumped RIGHT before the holidays is rough. Luckily she has her family looking out for her and Santa has a wicked sense of humor. 

I would've loved this to be longer. I want to see more of Milly and her family. They were a lot of fun. I adored Milly.

The narrator was good. Perfect for the characters. 

Overall, this was a perfect way to start of the holidays! My first Xmas of the season. 4 stars. 

 

Challenge(s):
- #75 for Audiobook challenge