Her pretend Christmas Date by Jackie Lau

Cider Bar Sisters Series, Book 2.5

By: Jackie Lau

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

Series: Cider Bar Sisters Series, Book 2.5

Length: 3 hrs and 13 mins

Release date: 12-07-21

Contemporary romance/from storytel.fi

I wanted something short and came across this one. Perfect, and I have tried this author before.

Julie and Tom goes on a bad date, but she keeps telling her parents she is dating him. Yikes. Not good, so when xmas rolls around she gets back in contact and asks him to be her fake BF.

Her parents is always criticizing her career choice and everything else. And Julie just wants a nice xmas for once

But Tom and she was such a BAD fit. He is so proper and perfect and she is his opposite. But something is there and it grows when they spend xmas together.

Opposites do attract and sparks fly in this novella.

A good short listen. Perfect for the season.

Good narration. it fitted very well. I have listened to this narrator before and she is good

She's home for the holidays with her starchy fake boyfriend...

Although she's the fun and outgoing one, Julie Tam has always lived in the shadow of her older sister, Charlotte. Now Charlotte has a good career and a great boyfriend whom their parents love, and Julie has neither of those things.

Her blind date with Tom Yeung is disastrous; however, he's exactly the sort of guy her parents would like--a methodical, strait-laced pharmacist who even folds his underwear and wears paisley ties. So, she pretends they're a couple to impress Mom and Dad in their phone conversations. When her mother insists that Julie bring Tom to her hometown for Christmas, Tom, who has no plans for the holidays, agrees.

But Julie doesn't know how she'll tolerate a whole weekend in his company, especially when they have to share a bed and participate in a gingerbread house competition together. The man is irritatingly proper and set in his ways.

Except after hours of baking and skating and opening presents, she's starting to find Tom annoyingly attractive and even endearing. And now, she doesn't want this holiday weekend to end...

Dune by Frank Herbert

605 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1965

Series: Dune (#1), Dune Universe (#14)

Scifi/own

This was a tough one to rate. I read it when I was 18 and loved it. I re-read it now and was pretty meh about it.

The movies are great. Maybe I compared too much.

Maybe it was because it is written in third person. I never got under anyone´s skin, I never cared for anyone.

No one was scary, those Harkonnen´s are pretty lame.

Maybe you can only read some great books once.

This Hugo and Nebula Award winner tells the sweeping tale of a desert planet called Arrakis, the focus of an intricate power struggle in a byzantine interstellar empire. Arrakis is the sole source of Melange, the "spice of spices." Melange is necessary for interstellar travel and grants psychic powers and longevity, so whoever controls it wields great influence.

The troubles begin when stewardship of Arrakis is transferred by the Emperor from the Harkonnen Noble House to House Atreides. The Harkonnens don't want to give up their privilege, though, and through sabotage and treachery they cast young Duke Paul Atreides out into the planet's harsh environment to die. There he falls in with the Fremen, a tribe of desert dwellers who become the basis of the army with which he will reclaim what's rightfully his. Paul Atreides, though, is far more than just a usurped duke. He might be the end product of a very long-term genetic experiment designed to breed a super human; he might be a messiah. His struggle is at the center of a nexus of powerful people and events, and the repercussions will be felt throughout the Imperium.

2025 Romance Reading Bingo Challenge

 

Hosted by: Blodeuedd @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About Carole @ Carole Rae's Random Ramblings

We are doing it again in 2025! It's the Romance Reading Challenge, hosted by Carole, Linda, and Jen! The challenge is to read a book and check the boxes! This year we have levels

List of Challenges (Romance books):

• Non-US/UK setting (real country)
• LGBTQ+
• TBR over 1 year
• Audiobook
• SciFi/Fantasy Romance
• Romantic Suspense
• Borrowed from Library
• “Highland” in the Title
• Any Non-Christmas Holiday setting
• MC over 35 years old
• Fake Dating trope
• Forced Proximity trope
• Non-Romance book with Flowers on the cover
• Pumpkins on the cover
• MC name starts with an “M”
• MC is a Rockstar
• Setting is in the 1700s
• MC works on a Farm
• Title is only One Word
• Sports Romance
• Shirtless Man on the cover
• Food on the cover
• MC is a Royal
• Snow/Ice on the cover
• Non-US Author

Rules:

• It MUST BE a romance novel (HFN/HEA), with the exception of the center square.
• One box per book. (If your book meets a couple of these, you have to pick just one.)
• No changing the box. Once you put a book in a box, you can't move it.
• Books can be used in other challenges. (examples: Goodreads, Library Love, TBR, Audiobook, etc.)
• The goal is to get at least one BINGO! (see levels below)
• The challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2025.
• You may join whenever.

Bingo Levels: 

1 or 2 Bingos: Beginner 

3 Bingos: You're getting the hang of this!

4 Bings: Expert Level 

Entire Sheet: Supreme Ruler of Bingo!

If you want to add your blog or Goodreads to the list, click on the linky below. NOTE: You do not have to have a blog or URL to sign up!

 

So what level will you try in 2025?

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.

12/17/2024 Do you enjoy reading holiday-themed books at the holidays or year-round?

I remember one year I tried xmas books around the holidays, but the thing is then I had books. Now, well I tried finding some audio ones. But I mostly do it cos it is fun. I do not really care and I can read them all year around.

12/24/2024 Taking a break (no question)

12/31/2024 How do you celebrate New Year's Eve/the new year?

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.