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.

5/31/2022 Do you request ARCs? Why or why not?

Audio ARCS yes. Because I simply can't say no. And I do want new things when they are brand new. Also, while I still do get these opportunities that people want to send me ARCS I will hold on.

But actually going out requesting on my own does not really happen anymore. I did request one for a joint review, but other than that, not really.

But ARCS do not hold they same pressure as they used to do. On time! Those were hectic days. Now I am more relaxed

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.

Carole's Monday: Weekend Wife

 

Author: Erin McCarthy

Title: Weekend Wife

(Sassy in the City #1)

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Humor

Format: ebook

Pages: 231

Published: February 3rd 2020

Where I Got It: My shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 

Billionaire businessman in need of a fake fiancée…

It should be the easiest job ever for an out-of-work actress, right?

All I have to do is pose as Grant Caldwell (the Third)’s fiancé for a fancy-pants weekend in the Hamptons. Easy. Wear designer clothing and sip champagne? Don’t mind if I do. Flirting with Grant? It’s so delicious I should be paying him.

Nothing can go wrong as long as I can keep my hands off of him.

But that’s the hard part. And I do mean hard.

Because Grant is sexy.

And bossy.

And surprisingly sweet, a real rarity in his pretentious family.

Oops. I’m not as good at faking it as I thought. Or maybe they call this method acting. Because it’s getting harder to figure out where my character ends and I begin…

It just might be the role of a lifetime.

Weekend Wife is a standalone romantic comedy with a sexy billionaire, a sassy heroine, and a Happily Ever After.

Review:

Randomly stumbled upon this in the freebies on Amazon and Mellanie had reviewed this a couple years back. It looked cute and it fit one of my reading challenges...so why not? 

We follow Grant and Leah. Grant is a billionaire who needs a fake fiancé for the weekend. Leah is an actress and she agrees. However, it is getting hard to fake the feelings they have for each other. 

I started off really liking this. Grant is a hunk and Leah is a darling. I was hooked. Some humor that had me chuckling. 

However, around page 100 or so....I lost interest. I kept reading because I was hoping I would reconnect, but I really never did. I was happy they finally realized they loved each other. The lust was there from page 1, but the love took a while. Which fit for them and for the story. However, I just skimmed and kept forcing myself to finish. 

Not sure why I really lost interest. Grant and Leah are okay and the humor did have me chuckle.

In the end, I liked the first half and I was hooked, but the last half...I struggled. I can't really pinpoint why, but I was just ready for it to end but I didn't want to DNF because I had hope. Maybe it just wasn't for me. I'll give this 2 stars.   

Challenge(s):

- #20 for Romance Reading Challenge - Fake romance

Review: The Coming of the wolf

Series: Ravenstow Trilogy (#0)

Format: 272 pages, Hardcover

Published:  August 6, 2020 by Sphere

Historical fiction

Own

This was actually one of the first things she ever wrote, but instead she published the second book first and this prequel stayed where it was. And it does show, she is amazing with making history come alive. You can taste it, feel it! But here even if edited you could still sense the first time writer. Still a good book though, but maybe not one that you got totally immersed in like her later ones.

Christen is Saxon. Then he husband dies, the Normans come and to save her people, her brother and castle she marries a Norman.

Miles is half Welsh, half Norman. But he understands that everyone needs to live together, but yeah this is a bloody time. Normans are trying to put down Saxon rebellions, the Welsh are raiding. Life is pretty miserable.

It was a rather short book. They get married. There is trouble, there are battles, blood and death. But they work together well. I liked that. It is a fascinating time. I always enjoy her books

When Ashdyke Manor is attacked, Lady Christen is forced to witness her husband's murder and the pillaging of her lands at the hands of brutal Norman invaders. it seems the pain is finally over when Miles Le Gallois, Lord of Milnham-on-Wye calls off the attack, but he has Christen's brother under armed guard and a deal to offer - her brother's freedom for her hand in marriage. Christen finds herself hastily married to the enemy side, with the bride's brother swearing vengeance on her new husband. Miles and Christen's precarious union invites enemies from all sides, and when Miles is summoned for a lengthy campaign by the King, Christen is left to watch his lands. In the midst of war, two enemies must somehow learn to trust one another if they are to survive. 

Audio review: That cowboy of mine

Narrated by: Monica King

Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins

Release date: 04-26-22

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Romantic suspense

To review

A bit of romantic suspense, and I totally understand why it was difficult to trust the love interest here. Even if I knew.

Dillon inherited a ranch, but she keeps having accidents, and someone wants to buy it. Then it gets dangerous.

Cal wakes up drunk and accused of having stolen a horse. And he knows the person who wants to buy her ranch. I totally understand why it is hard to trust him even though he helps her.

Lots of danger, and a budding romance. They worked well together, but things kept coming at them so they had a tough road to travel.

I liked this narrator. I am unsure if I have listened to her before, but I would do it anything. She brought the drama

Dillon Young is proud that she inherited her aunt’s ranch. The problem: someone is trying to run her off and is willing to do whatever it takes. Strange, dangerous things keep happening. Dillion suspects her no-good neighbor and fellow wealthy rancher Hank Stephens. Never a man to get his hands dirty, he sends others to get the job done. So, when the irresistible Cal Bennett is found passed out drunk on her property, Dillion is on high alert. Until someone takes a shot at her and Cal springs to her rescue. When the hard-bodied, no-nonsense-talking cowboy points out that she may need some help, Dillion is inclined to reluctantly agree.

Waking up on a stranger’s property with a shotgun in his face is not Cal Bennett’s idea of a good time. Never mind that the woman on the other end of the barrel is one of the most fiercely beautiful women he has ever seen. Things get more interesting when he finds himself shielding her from flying bullets. It’s clear that this smart, savvy woman could use a hand and he is all too happy to lend any part of his body she requires. His proposal: pose as lovers until they find out who is after her ranch. As the danger rises and secrets are revealed, the passion explodes between them. There is no turning back.

Audio: Not just any Earl

Narrated by: Heather Wilds

Series: Games Earls Play, Book 1

Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins

Release date: 05-10-22

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Historical romance

To review

This was short, and I did like that. Yes there was even some drama, but other than that they worked it out quickly.

The Templeton sisters are shunned cos their mother ran away with someone not her husband. Ugh the ton has a long memory. But then a good friend of the family whisks two of them away to London. Emmeline does not plan to make a match, she things her sister should make one. But that is book 2.

A stolen kiss leads to rumours. Emmeline meets a handsome Earl who she can not stop thinking about, and he can't stop thinking about her. But she does not want to marry. And the ton does love gossip.

They worked well together, and in the background another romance is budding that had me wondering. But that takes until book 2 to find out more-

Sweet and fast.

Good narrator. Different voices , and I could easily follow along who was speaking, and I could loose myself in the story.

It’s never been easy to be one of the five Templeton sisters, but for quiet Emmeline, the silver lining surrounding the dark cloud of her family’s disgrace is a life of comfortable obscurity. But when her sisters accept an outrageous wager that takes the family to London for a season, an unexpected kiss with a handsome earl thrusts shy Emmeline into the middle of a shocking public scandal.

Jonathan Parrish, the Earl of Melrose never meant to kiss Emmeline Templeton. It was an innocent case of mistaken identity, a stolen embrace meant for one of his vivacious admirers. Emmeline Templeton is perfectly wrong for him, and he’s never before spared the shy wallflower a single glance, but after a single kiss, the memory of her warm curves are imprinted forever on Jonathan’s fingertips, and he can’t forget the sweet taste of her lips against his.

But wherever the Templeton family ventures, gossip and rumor inevitably follow. If the secret wager that brought the sisters to London is revealed, it will shake London to its foundations. Will the blazing passion that brought Emmeline and Jonathan together end in a happily ever after, or will their hearts fall victim to the consuming flames?

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.

5/24/2022 Do you review every book you read? Why or why not? 

Of course I do! This is what I was born to do! No, really, I would get OCD if I did not do it. I have to talk about every freaking book I finish.

So a big fat YES on that question. And why, because my brain makes me lol

5/31/2022 Do you request ARCs? Why or why not?

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.

Carole's Monday: How y'all doing

 

Author: Leslie Jordan

Narrator: Leslie Jordan

Title: How Y'all Doing? - Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived

Genre: Nonfiction, LGBT, Biography, Comedy

Format: Audiobook

Published: April 27th 2021

Where I got It: Audible 

Summary: 

Viral sensation and Emmy Award-winner Leslie Jordan regales fans with entertaining stories about the odd, funny, and unforgettable events in his life in this unmissable essay collection that echoes his droll, irreverent voice.

When actor Leslie Jordan learned he had “gone viral,” he had no idea what that meant or how much his life was about to change. On Instagram, his uproarious videos have entertained millions and have made him a global celebrity. Now, he brings his bon vivance to the page with this collection of intimate and sassy essays.

Bursting with color and life, dripping with his puckish Southern charm, How Y’all Doing? is Leslie doing what Leslie does best: telling stories that make us laugh and lift our spirits even in the darkest days. Whether he’s writing about his brush with a group of ruffians in a West Hollywood Starbucks, or an unexpected phone call from legendary Hollywood start Debbie Reynolds, Leslie infuses each story with his fresh and saucy humor and pure heart.

Review:

I saw this come out and I wanted to check it out because I adore Leslie Jordan. I want to read the other one too!

When Emmy Award-winner Leslie Jordan went viral, he had no idea what that meant or how much his life would change. 

Awwwww Leslie Jordan is a gem! I adore him. His voice. His comedy. And you can tell he has such a sweet soul. I would love to meet him one day!!! 

I am so HAPPY he narrated this because I would've been sad. His voice is such a comfort to me for some reason. It makes me happy and makes me laugh! I loved listening to him share some stories of his childhood and career stories like when he was filming 'The Help'. He shared funny stories, a couple sad stories, and even honest stories about when he suffered from addiction. 

I adored this from beginning to end. I literally didn't want to stop listening! Dang sleep getting in my way........

But yes, I highly recommend this especially if you like Leslie Jordan. I recommend doing the audio since he narrates it. 5 stars of course from me. 

Challenge(s):
- #25 for Audiobook challenge

Audio: The Dachshund wears Prada - Stefanie London

 

Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya

Series: Paws in the City, Book 1

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

Release date: 05-03-22

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

Contemporary romance

To review

This was cute!

Theo is known as the 5th Avenue hermit. Poor guy lost his parents as a kid, was raised by his grandma and now she is gone too. And the family was rich and famous, so he is camera shy and a workaholic these days.

Isla worked with social media, then she crashed and burn, and now no one takes her call. So she takes a job as a dog sitter.

Theo is grumpy, but she wears him down. And the dog that used to be a menace just needs love, like a certain Mr Grumpy.

Cute, and funny. They both have their issues, him with his privacy and she with her raising her teen sister. I liked this one. I am not a dog person, but I srsly want to look at this instagram she made for the dog.

Great narration. I felt I got to know them both, and she stayed though to their voices.

The internet is forever. Social media consultant Isla Thompson learned that lesson the hard way when she went viral for all the wrong reasons. A month later, Isla is still having nightmares about the moment she ruined a young starlet’s career and made herself the most unemployable influencer in Manhattan. But she doesn’t have the luxury of hiding until she’s no longer Instagram poison. Not when her fourteen-year-old sister, Dani, needs Isla to keep a roof over their heads. So, she takes the first job she can get: caring for Camilla, a glossy-maned, foul-tempered hellhound.

After a week of ferrying Camilla from playdates to pet psychics, Isla starts to suspect that the dachshund’s bark is worse than her bite—just like her owner, Theo Garrison. Isla has spent her career working to make people likable and here’s Theo—happy to hide behind his reputation as a brutish recluse. But Theo isn’t a brute—he’s sweet and funny, and Isla should not see him as anything but the man who signs her paychecks. Because loving Theo would mean retreating to his world of secluded luxury, and Isla needs to show Dani that no matter the risk, dreams are always worth chasing.

Audio: Lizzy meets the countess

Narrated by: Amanda Berry

Series: The Bennet Wardrobe, Book 4

Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins

Release date: 07-10-18

Publisher: Don Jacobson

PP variation /Historical fiction

To review

This is a two part story, in the first one 10 year old Lizzy stumbles through the wardrobe. But she is a smart kid and figures things out even if the adults in the future tries to smooths things over. It was a rather bittersweet story. She meets her sister, but does not know it. So it was more bittersweet for Kitty in that aspect.

And then it comes into the second story. Lizzy and Darcy meets Percy Shelley, Mary Godwin and Byron. Lizzy also starts remembering strange things from her childhood. And Mary Shelley writes her famous story.

I enjoyed these stories, and the more I listen the more I realised how messed up the Bennet family was. But then comes explanations and it all goes together.

Great narration. These are fun to listen to

The universe was shaken once again on Midsummer’s Day in 1801. The Bennet Wardrobe’s door to the future was opened in the book room at Longbourn. This time, the most impertinent Bennet of them all, Elizabeth, tumbled through the gateway. Except she left not as the grown women with whom we have become so familiar, but rather as a 10-year-old girl who had been playing a simple game of hide-and-seek.

What/where/when was her destination? What needs could a young girl, only beginning to learn to make her way in the Regency, have that could be answered only by the Wardrobe? Or were the requirements of another Bennet, one who began as younger, but had aged into a beautiful, confident leader of society, the prime movers behind Lizzy’s journey? Is the enigmatic Lady Kate the force that shaped the destiny of Lizzy and her younger sisters left back in Hertfordshire? How do the visions of the future brought home by young Lizzy help shape her world?

Answers to these and other questions raised in the Bennet Wardrobe series can be found in Lizzy Bennet Meets the Countess.

Audio. All the Duke I need

 

Narrated by: Beverley A. Crick

Series: Desperately Seeking Duke, Book 4

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Release date: 04-26-22

Publisher: HarperAudio

Historical romance

To review

Phillippa was born in India. Then she left with her father, who remarried. Now she is orphaned, a spinster and companion to her grandmother, the Duchess of Carlyle. She is also a heiress and the Duchess wants her to have a season.

In previous books we saw the Duchess search for heirs, as her son is 60, and unmarried. She has some waiting in the wings, but the hunt continues.

In comes William, as the estate haven't really had a Duke for decades(long story), and the estate manager got to an age, well things are falling apart. 

Spaks fly between him and Philippa. But oh no, he is a servant! And he has secrets.

Work on the estate, fall in love, it was a rather drama free book, and I enjoyed that. Some are of course there, their road can't be too easy. But it works out well and they live happily ever after.

I have listened to her narrations before and I have enjoyed them. She does a good job with everyone and I always know where I have them

Raised in the splendor of Carlyle Castle by her doting guardian, the Duchess of Carlyle, Philippa Kirkpatrick is one of the greatest heiresses in England. The duchess is eager to see her wed, but Philippa hesitates to leave the only home she knows.

William Montclair is in London to expand his family’s trading firm, with little progress. Impulsively he takes a job managing the Carlyle estate—for the money, he tells his incredulous brother, and only for a year.

Philippa is shocked by the handsome, scandalously bold new steward. It’s all she can do to prevent the horrified duchess from sacking him on sight. She determines to teach him how to love Carlyle as she does, only to find herself reluctantly charmed by the rogue.

It’s true; Will is falling for everything about Carlyle…including the duchess’s beautiful ward. But he has promises—and secrets—to keep, and telling Philippa would resurrect a devastating family scandal. Not telling her, though, means he must break her heart—and his own.

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.

5/17/2022 How long have you been blogging? And has your blog changed over time?

I have been blogging since December 2008! I was bored, came across bookblogs and was all omg you can do this?! It  took a while to get going, and to find a bigger community. And that is really what changed things, the community of likeminded people.

And no, I mean yes the look has changed, but other than that I still ramble on as I always did. I tried to shake things up at times, but that is not me. In the olden days I had more guest posts from authors and giveaways, but damn that takes work! Now I just focus on reading.

5/24/2022 Do you review every book you read? Why or why not? 

5/31/2022 Do you request ARCs? Why or why not?

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.

Carole's Monday: Alien King crashes

 

Author: Becca Brayden

Narrator: Teddy Hamilton

Title: Alien King Crashes the Wedding

(Lumerian Knights #1)

Genre: SciFi, Fantasy, Romance, Erotica

Format: Audiobook

Published: August 6th 2019

Where I got It: Audible 

Summary: 

Shy art dealer Sasha Montgomery is both nervous and thrilled to be invited to the Caldorian Earth Base for her best friend’s wedding to an alien warrior. She’s never seen an alien up close but she made a promise to be there, no matter how much the idea of being surrounded by hundreds of huge alien warriors frightens her.

Sash thinks she’s got it all under control until Dagan, the groom’s best friend, crashes the wedding. He’s smoking hot—way too hot to be an alien—and determined to seduce her.

Sasha gives in to passion with unexpected consequences. Ancient power rises in response to their new-found bond, and the once innocent Sasha discovers that Dagan has been keeping secrets. He’s not just another warrior, he’s a king, and the power rising between them hasn’t been seen in a millennium.

Sasha must learn to control the force clawing its way through her body or destroy them all.

Review:

I had read another one in the series a while back. I think it was book 3 or 4? I can't remember, but luckily this series seems to be okay to be read out of order. 

Here we follow Sasha Montgomery who is a human art dealer. She is shy and nervous. She's excited for her best friend's wedding to an alien warrior, but she is scared but curious at the same time. When she arrives she thinks she has it all under control until she meets Dagan. He is way too hot to be an alien and he is determined to seduce her.  Sasha gives into the passion but with unexpected consequences. Ancient power rises in response to their newfound bound but Dagan has kept a big secret. He is not just a warrior, but he is their king, and the power rising between them hasn't been seen in a millennium. 

It was fun watching Sasha and King Dagan falling for each other! They were together and married and happy in the book I read. Sasha def was a meek girl to begin with. Poor thing. She is so nervous and scared of her own shadow. This...brings me to my first big issue... 

The lust was literally INSTANT. Sure, sure, I get being lusty and whatever but they really jumped each other really dang quick. Too quick. And there were a few parts that became non-consensual and it bugged me.   

Sasha DOES eventually wake up to the realization that she doesn't even know Dagan AT all. She decides to take a few steps back and be on her own to mull over stuff. Good on her. Dagan needs to win her and woo her. 

I wish the author had slowed things down a bit. The plot seemed to be a freight train speeding by. 

The narrator was good. His girl voices are pretty good. It sometimes can be hard for a man to do good girl voices and have them all be a little bit different. Kuddos to him. 

In the end, this was fun but I did have some issues. The lust and love were WAY too quick and there were some questionable scenes that were kinda, sorta not consensual. I'll give this 2 stars. 

Challenge(s):

- #23 for Audiobook challenge

- #19 for Romance Reading Challenge - SciFi

Finding love at the Christmas Market

Format: 352 pages, Paperback

Published: October 29, 2020 by Corgi

Women's fiction

Library

I needed a food book for my bookclub and picked up this one.

Connie goes with a group of old people to visit a xmas market in Germany, and to scatter ashes of a friend of theirs. Lots of bake and gingerbread talk, sweets is food so score there.

She is also to meet an online flirt. Right, talk about uber German. Loved rules, lists, time and ticked of boxes to see if she fit him (she did the same but still.)

And then she met someone else.

Dunno really, it was just...there. No special feelings about the book to be honest.

Residential-home caterer Connie has had one online-dating disaster too many. Hurt in the past and with her son to consider, now she's feeling hesitant. Then one of Connie's residents sets her up on a date at a beautiful German Christmas market - with the promise she'll take a mini-bus full of pensioners along with her...

Amongst the twinkling lights and smell of warm gingerbread in the old market square, Connie heads off on her date with a checklist of potential partner must-haves. Baker Henrich ticks all the boxes, but when Connie meets Henrich's rival William, she starts to wonder if ticking boxes is the answer.

Will Connie's wish for love this Christmas come true, and if so - with who?

Audio: Fool me once

Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon

Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins

Release date: 04-05-22

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

Romance

To review

This book, well it didn't really feel that romancy at the beginning. They had a long journey before them.

Lee has issues, all going back to her finding out her dad cheated on her mum. And then heartbreak followed until she decided not to let anyone break her, so she broke someone. All while thinking it was justified. Oh Lee, you have issues and need therapy. She no longer believes in love.

But she is kick-ass at her job, and wants to push through a green energy bill.

To help her she is paired up with an ex. Whose heart she broke. And they must get support for this bill together...and he has a girlfriend. Yes, see that is why it not felt romancy. First of all they had a lot of emotions to work through and were more enemies. Then she realises that obvi those feelings never went away. But he has a girlfriend!

Cheating is beyond wrong, so be at ease, they will of course end up together, but he will be single. Obvi that is not a spoiler. It is a romance after all. Still not really romantic. More like a journey of finding yourself, your inner depth and what you want in life. And then having wild smexy times and realising you are meant to be.

There are some funny moments in this one, it would work great on screen by the way. And I liked her, even if she sure had some issues. But she was human. All I wanted happiness at the end,

Good narration. I think this was my first time listening to her. A good book to listen to

Lee Stone is a 21st-century woman: she kicks butt at her job as a communications director at a women-run electric car company (that’s better than Tesla, thank you) and after work she is “Stoner,” drinking guys under the table and never letting any of them get too comfortable in her bed….That’s because Lee’s learned one big lesson: never trust men. After four major heartbreaks set her straight, from her father cheating on her mom all the way to Ben Laderman in grad school - who wasn’t actually cheating, but she could have sworn he was, so she reciprocated in kind.

Then Ben shows up five years later, working as a policy expert for the most liberal governor in Texas history, just as Lee is trying to get a clean energy bill rolling. Things get complicated - and competitive as Lee and Ben are forced to work together. Tension builds just as old sparks reignite, fanning the flames for a romantic dustup the size of Texas.

Audio: The Exile: Kitty Bennet and the Belle Epoque by Don Jacobson

By: Don Jacobson, A Lady

Narrated by: Amanda Berry  

Series: The Bennet Wardrobe, Book 3

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Release date: 10-23-18

Publisher: Don Jacobson

Pride and prejudice variation

To review

This was the toughest PP variation I have read so far. There are a lot of trigger warnings for those who need to know, rape and abuse. Be warned.

Kitty goes through the wardrobe and ends up in the 1880s. She decides to stay as she did not really feel welcome in her own time. Her we get to see the neglect of her parents and why Kitty wanted to strike out on her own.

She meets a relation by the name Henry Fitzwilliam of Matlock. And having read book 2, I know that in the end these two will end up together and be happy. But before that a lot happens. Henry pines for the lady in book 2 (which is Kitty, long story.) He finds this Kitty fascinating but cares not. And he is to marry someone else.

There are many trials before them before they can be happy, and Kitty must learn to live with her past to embrace her future.

A good book, but the bad people are so evil, and there is an evil brewing that i guess will follow into later books.

Great narration. I was there in the good and bad. It put my heart through a wringer.

Longbourn, December 1811. 

The day after Jane and Lizzy marry dawns especially cold for young Kitty Bennet. Called to Papa’s bookroom, she is faced with a resolute Mr. Bennet who intends to punish her complicity in her sister’s elopement. She will be sent packing to a seminary in far-off Cornwall.  She reacts like any teenager chafing under the “burden” of parental rules - she throws a tantrum. In her fury, she slams her hands against the doors of The Bennet Wardrobe. 

"I wish they were dead! Anywhere but Cornwall! Anywhere but here!"

As Lydia later said, “The Wardrobe has a unique sense of humor.”

London, May 1886. 

Seventeen-year-old Catherine Marie Bennet tumbles out of The Wardrobe at Matlock House to come face-to-face with the austere Viscount Henry Fitzwilliam, a scion of the Five Families and one of the wealthiest men in the world. However, while their paths may have crossed that May morning, Henry still fights his feelings for another woman, lost to him nearly thirty years in his future. And Miss Bennet must now decide between exile to the remote wastelands of Cornwall or making a new life for herself in Victorian Britain and Belle Époque France.

The Exile follows the story of Kitty Bennet as she grows from the coughing follower of her younger sister, Lydia, into a bright and engaging young woman living in the exciting world of the late 19th century. However, she must pass through many trials before she can fully understand why the Wardrobe sent her 75 years into the future - and for her to become one of the most important fixtures in the Bennet Wardrobe Universe.

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.

5/10/2022 What are the books/authors you pick up when you need a comfy read?

I would not say there is any particular authors I pick up, it is more genres. Romance is always a comfy read, and if it is really comfy  *thought dropped mid sentence when realisation hit*

EDIT. Who am I kidding!!!!!  Duh, Heartstrikers by Rachel Aaron and The Others by Anne Bishop is totally my comfy reads these days.

ALL THE FEELS!

5/17/2022 How long have you been blogging? And has your blog changed over time?

5/24/2022 Do you review every book you read? Why or why not? 

5/31/2022 Do you request ARCs? Why or why not?

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Joint Discussion. Kiss hard by Nalini Singh

Hello all! Carole and I will be discussing "Kiss Hard" by Nalini Singh. I am in red and Carole in purple.

Author: Nalini Singh
Title: Kiss Hard

(Hard Play #4)

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports
Published: May 3rd 2022
Format: ebook

Pages: 329

Summary:

Daniel Esera is a young god on the rugby field, a sexy and charming man who's got the world at his feet. There's just one problem: his sudden potent attraction to his number one nemesis--Catie River. No. Just no. Not happening.

Catie River is on her way to Paralympic gold, and she's not about to allow Danny "Hotshot" Esera to derail her plans. Too bad her body isn't cooperating. Even worse? Her heart might be coming along for the ride. No. Nope. Never.

The pair are united in their desire to remain enemies... until a stranger's reckless action threatens both their careers. Now, the only way out for Catie and Danny is to pretend to be in a relationship. How bad can it be? They're adults in full control of their hormones and their hearts. There will be no kissing. No PDA. And definitely no falling in love.

Let the games begin.

Discussion:

Since I read book 3 I have been dying waiting for this one to come out!!! 

I listened to them, so this was kind of weird, cos I kept hearing the narrator when I was reading. I must say I missed her!

I feel like I did at least one audio in this series. I’m blanking though. My memory is bad. 

I loved her NZ accent, sniff. So if I could change one thing then that would actually be to listen instead cos she was amazing! But this was fun too. Singh is amazing!

*does some digging* Ah yes, I did one of these with the narrator. #3 to be precise. I read over my review really quickly and I do remember liking the narrator a lot. However, you can’t go wrong! Reading or audio…Singh is good. I love her characters and her worlds. 

True true, I like her contemporary romances and her paranormal romances.  I can’t wait for her next psy book to come out. She is just always good.

I’m still playing catch-up with some of her paranormals. But she is good. This was good. And I love how she is willing to do different locations and whatnot. Like this is set in NZ. How often do we get NZ romances? 

tIt feels so refreshing, even if she is just like everyone else writing about what she knows - Well some do cave and write something boring set in NY ;) I really like the NZ aspect and rugby. And her pnr, I have not read all, but I am up to date with her latest.

Yess and I don’t recall ever reading a sports romance with rugby players. Maybe some guys that may casually play with their mates and whatever but with this one,, the rugby player is a celebrity. Oh and Catie working her way to win in the Paralympics. I loved Daniel. Big heart. And Catie too.

At the back of my brain I could see him and his team doing the Haka while I was reading. I feel like I need to watch a rugby game.

And yes Daniel was just so aww, cutie! And Catie was so cool, even if she had her issues with romance. But it will always work out. I liked the ending too. Go her!

It made sense why she was all anti-romance and anti-commitment. Between her unreliable father and emotionally-unavailable mother and that crappy ex….poor girl didn’t stand a chance. She really should see a therapist.Ooooo yes that ending was perfeeeeect! 

Yes she really needed to see someone to dig through her feelings. Her parents are the worst

Yepppp. Poor thing. And then wasn’t Daniel kinda a womanizer or at least a big ol’ flirt? So I can see why she was on the fence for a bit.

You always need some drama, and this was nice drama. It never felt like she made them suffer, lol

True, true. Plus, they have known each other for YEARS, so he totally understands and gets her worries and hesitations. Love him. He is so sweet. 

It felt so natural between them, cos yes they already knew each other. I was at home with them at once.

Same here. And it wasn’t insta-love which was perfect. They had the frenemies feelings, then more friendship, then lust mixed in, and then the love. It felt natural. 

I can’t say anything bad. A good romance. That is that lol

Indeed! It was a good romance. You really don’t have to read the other 3 but I would say at least read book 3. It was a nice stand-alone, but we do see the other couples and there are some references. 

I’d say perfect stand-alone, but if you want to know more and wonder about their family, the yes just read them all :D

The others are good too. I would highly recommend this series to romance lovers. 

Go read them :)

Oh and LISTEN!!! The audio is great

You can’t go wrong! Audio and reading…all great options!! I hope there is a book 5…doubtful bc I have no idea what couple would be next. 

Hmm, maybe one of her friends, his friends?

Was her bestie single? I can’t remember! She was a good egg and I would like to learn more about her. 

Dunno.

The end?

We shall see I guess! *fingers crossed* And yesss, the end. :) 

About the Authors

Carole and Blodeuedd have been blogging for a long while now. The last few years the epic duo has been discussing books, watching movies, and even wetting the pen and sharing their stories with the worldwide web. They both love cats, chocolate, and a good story.