Books We've Read - How to Catch a Queen

 

I kept my Alyssa Cole streak up with How to Catch a Queen.  This is a spin-off from the Reluctant Royals series, but it starts a new series, Runaway Royals.  Sanyu and Shanti start the series (and their appearance in A Prince on Paper) married.  They're strained for many reasons - death of a parent, political climate, pressures of running a country (or rebelling against a monarchy).  You know, typical marital issues...  

I thought this book was super unique, and I felt for Sanyu.  I mean, he was kind of a jerk, but it was interesting to learn his point of view and where he was coming from.  Ugh, Daddy issues, they're the worst.  

What I love about Alyssa Cole's books is that the tropes are there.  The plot seems like you know where it's going, but then there's more or it doesn't go the place you thought.  I love that.  I wouldn't say it's a twist so much as a misdirection.  I can't wait for the next book (still have one in my to be read pile at least).

Books We've Read - A Prince on Paper

 

I slowly got back into writing over the holidays.  I had this one in the ereader for quite awhile.  I love Alyssa Cole's books, but somehow they get buried in a mountain of books, but I'm always so happy when I read them.  A Prince on Paper is some secondary characters from her Reluctant Royals series.  Johan was the playboy prince from the previous book.  Nya is heading home after a disappointing time in New York City.  They both end up in the same bed in a private jet (because who hasn't that happened to before?) and get thrown together during mutual friends' wedding.

I loved the characters.  I love a good fake relationship/engagement.  I loved seeing all the beloved characters from the previous book.  There's such great character development, believable dialogue, and chemistry between the characters even if the premise, from a distance, seems a bit much.  That's usually a consequence of the genre in general.  Plus, during one scene, you get to meet the characters from the next book/series.

Books We've Read - Mistletoe in Paradise

I read this book as a light little diversion to keep my reading going.  I love Jill Shalvis, and this was a perfect book for a Saturday.  It opens with 2 brothers - James and Jason - and a childhood friend, Hannah.  Their families always spend Christmas together on a yacht sailing around the Carribean.  This year, Hannah, James, and Hannah's step-father are on the yacht for a most awkward trip.  

There is some reunited love, some father/daughter moments, warm temperatures when it is definitely cold where I am, some sexy times.  It's perfectly adorable - light in parts, funny in parts, and really touching and moving in parts.  This is loosely part of the Wildstone series, but you definitely do not need to read any of the series for this one.  It's very stand alone.

Books We've Read - What You See

What You See is the latest book in the Sons of the Survivalist series by Cherise Sinclair.  You don't have to read the previous books though it does help of course.  Cherise Sinclair's books get a little graphic - there's some violence - hand-to-hand combat, gun, abuse, there is some sexy times that are described with a fair amount of detail.

This series takes place in Rescue, Alaska, and is about 4 boys who grew up together, foster brothers who form a strong brotherhood between them.  They end up being raised by a survivalist after being taken from an abusive foster home.  

In this one, Bull meets Frankie.  Bull is owner of the local bar/restaurant though he has other business ventures in Alaska.  Frankie takes time off from her job at her family's modeling agency to rescue her friend being held in Alaska by the local religious cult.  We've seen the cult gain more and more attention throughout the book, how local law enforcement wants to shut it down, but they have no evidence.  So, this comes to a head a bit in this book.  

I liked this one.  I liked the action.  I completely understand that this book/series is not for everybody.  It gets very gritty and rough around the edges.  That said, it is typical for Cherise Sinclair's books and, truthfully, it is a little tamer than her other series in terms of subject matter and content.  So, if this is your jam, check out the series.

Books We've Read - Final Gravity

 

Last weekend, I dipped my toe into reading again with a little short story.  Final Gravity by Layla Reyne is a little short story that brings all of her teams together for a surprise wedding where the grooms are surprised.  It's got all of the action and steamy sexy times as a regular books except no shoot out, and it is very condensed.  I definitely wanted more, but it's always great revisiting all of the characters.  This book stands on its own, but it's not appreciated at all if the other books aren't read first.

Books We're Reading - Eerie Elementary

 

Eerie Elementary is a new series Captain and I have been reading.  When we read The Witches, he LOVED it in a way that he's never loved a book before.  He wanted all of the scary books.  However, there aren't a lot of scary books for first graders.  I did a search and this series came up.  So, we learned about the pandemic safety measures at the library and put the first book on hold.  It was a hit!  So, we put the next 4 books on hold.  

This is a super cute series.  It's for kids 6-8 or a 2nd grade reading level.  Captain is a little below benchmark for his reading, but he loves listening to books, and he can now read select words on each page.  Sam is chosen to be hall monitor and starts to be in tune with the creepy school.  Mr. Nekobi is the grounds keeper and keeps all the kids safe from the school.  It turns out the school is angry and wants to absorb the children.  Sam and his friends, Antonio and Lucy, save the school in the first book.  

In the second book, Antonio and Lucy get promoted to Assistant Hall Monitors and continue to figure out how the school is haunted/possessed?  We're only 3/4 of the way through the second book so I don't know much more than that.  Anyway, if you have a young reader who likes a bit of the creepy, these are fun.

Books We've Read - Country Boy

I won the first three books of this series, Hot Off the Ice.  Country Boy is the first in the series by A.E. Wasp.  During a night of insomnia, I sped through the first book.  I have some nitpicks, but overall, I liked the story.  It was everything I needed at 3 in the morning.

It's about a professional hockey player nearing the end of his career.  He is recovering from injury and decides to spend the holiday (it takes place right before Thanksgiving) recuperating at his new house he inherited.  He has a meet cute with the current tenant of the house (and, of course, he has no idea that's who he is).  

A couple of things to know: main character has a best friend on his hockey team as well as is still good friends with his ex-wife.  Pretty much everyone suspects he's gay (you know this from page 1).  When the dude meets his meet cute, it all kind of clicks.  

There are some clunky parts with the legalities of the inheritance and the ex-boyfriend, but the main couple was cute as was all of their relationships with friends and family.  I would have been happy just to read the Thanksgiving portions - full of family, friends, sexy times.  I think the family and friendships were written really well.

I'm also reading The Nickel Boys so it's all either very light or very heavy for me.

Books We're Reading - Shadows in Death

 

I read a non-book club book!  I cracked into Shadows in Death on release date a couple of weeks ago.  The on-page death count was low.  I prefer a good race against time, serial killer, but this one did most of his killing before the book starts.  The book, as all do, starts with a murder.  Then, murder cop, Eve Dallas, gets to work to find the killer.  In this case, it was fairly easy because Roarke, husband and civiliant consultant, sees a familiar face.  So, in this case, it was more of gathering enough evidence and catching the killer to put him away.  In the meantime, Cobbe, big bad, was after torturing and killing everything dear to Roarke.  

To catch the big bad, all of Eve and Roarke's chosen family comes together - Mr. and Mrs. Mira, the entire precinct, Nadine, Summerset.  In the subplot, there was also mention of Nadine's boyfriend and Mavis and Leonardo and Trina.  

All in all, it was a great book.  I don't always like the personal books.  I tend to just like the straight-forward serial killer books, but it's nice to see Eve and Roake grow as characters and grow closer together and to see a couple work to maintain a relationship because usually with romance books, it all ends with the happily ever after.  Eve and Roarke are obviously happily ever after, but it's not as easy as a fade to black which I appreciate - also, even though it's like 50+ books with us, it's only been a couple of years for them.  

Books I've Read AND Movies We've Watched - The Hate U Give

 

This month, for my work book club, we read The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and then watched the movie.  It's about Starr.  Starr lives in a black community and goes to a private school that is predominantly white.  She feels the push/pull of the two different communities and has two different personalities she shows.  In the beginning of the book, she witnesses her childhood friend murdered during a traffic stop.  This changes her to her core, and she finds it more and more difficult to continue to show two different sides of herself.

First, I read the book before watching the movie.  I found it so stressful.  I didn't know much about the book other than I bought it forever ago and never got around to reading it.  It is so infuriating to read the struggle and fear of an entire community combined with watching the news every day.   Knowing this book was written years ago and seeing absolutely no progress today is also difficult to take.  I really liked the nuances of the book, the little moments between Starr and her friends, between Starr and her boyfriend, between Starr and her uncle and dad.  

Second, the movie starts off completely different.  It hit the broad strokes of the book, but I missed the little things.  I felt like the movie's ending was definitely different, and I don't know if I liked that when I compare the two.  Viewing it on its own, I liked it.  I just think I liked the book more.  Of course.  

Books I've Read - the Want You series

 

I read both I Want You Back and Want You to Want Me by Lorelei James.  I thought I was safe reading Books 1 and 2, but I didn't realize there was a Need You series.  They're all about the same family.  I think you're fine reading these by themselves, but it'll be interesting to read the first series next.  

These are not my favorite type of book in that they are in first person point of view that jumps between the two main characters.  I don't prefer first person.  That said, I didn't feel like it was manipulative or used as a way to keep a secret.  If anything, I think it helps that we saw both points of view because all of the characters had some internal struggle based a little on perception.  It would be a shame to to miss that, but I think it could have been done as third person, too.  Still, I still enjoyed the books which is saying a lot because when I say I don't like first person, I really do not.

Anyway, the first book is a reunion story.  The couple share a daughter.  The hero is a former professional hockey player putting the next steps in his life in order.  He is a former player off the field as well who was unfaithful to his girlfriend and is an alcoholic.  She has a few walls - not all the hero's fault.  

The second book is the hero's brother from the first book, and the heroine is a hockey player who is a coach and referee.  I loved Gabi.  I loved how generous and tough she is.  I feel she was unique and something you don't read a lot.  Nolan was typical in some ways but unique in some others.  He had family pressures, but he has a supportive family which isn't always true when you read about the rich, entitled playboy type of hero.  Usually, they have some daddy issues or a wall or deep into the family business.  This was a little more.  

They were good books to keep me reading before steeling myself for another book club book with heavy themes.