One hundred and twenty eight!

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY EIGHT. 128! That's how many books I read this year 🤯 The powers of Libby and disassociating were strong this year. I didn't set a number book goal this year because I didn't want that to be my reading drive but clearly that wasn't a problem this year.  SO here it is. My final book update of the year! 112. The Au Pair Affair (Big Shots, #2) by Tessa Bailey

113. The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

114. Lost and Lassoed (Rebel Blue Ranch, #3) by Lyla Sage

115. Lovelight Farms (Lovelight, #1) by B.K. Borison

116. Winter Street (Winter, #1) by Elin Hilderbrand

117. Winter Stroll (Winter, #2) by Elin Hilderbrand

118. Winter Storms (Winter, #3) by Elin Hilderbrand

119. Winter Solstice (Winter #4) by Elin Hilderbrand

120. The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

121. Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey

122. Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake

123. A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy

124. Snow Place Like LA by Julie Murphy

125. A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy

126. When in Rome (When in Rome, #1) by Sarah Adams

127. Practice Makes Perfect (When in Rome, #2) by Sarah Adams

128. Beg, Borrow, or Steal (When in Rome, #3) by Sarah Adams And just like that, the 2024 reading season has come to an end 📚

All the Men I've Loved Again by Christine Pride

 Thank you NetGalley for this ARC of All the Men I've Loved Again by Christine Pride. 

Personally, this book was not what I was expecting when the publisher is describing it as “novel about a woman who finds herself in a love triangle with two men in her early twenties, and then again, in her forties” and marketing it towards romance. This book seemed more of a “coming of age” book than a romance novel. 
 If this was a love triangle, it was a very obtuse triangle- with most of the book heavily focused on Cora and Lincoln’s relationship. I would have really liked to see more of the relationship between Cora and Aaron. Most of that relationship we learn about through old letters. (I had an eArc copy of this book and the letters were difficult to read on the kindle as others have mentioned.) I felt like we missed out getting to connect with the Aaron part of this book even though he’s supposed to be her soulmate.
 I think the most beautiful relationship in this book was the relationship between Cora and her father and that’s what really kept me turning the pages. 

Never Planned on You Lindsay Hameroff

 

Thank you to NetGalley for my eARC of Never Planned on You by Lindsay Hameroff. 

When you jump into a book that others are comparing to the Wedding Planner, you get a little hesitant. I expected the “cheating trope” to be centerstage and to have the ick the whole book but boy was I wrong! 

I LOVED Never Planned on You! Lindsay Hameroff added a little twist that made you want to back team Ali+Graham the whole time. 

The FMC Ali is such a fun character and had me laughing throughout the book. It’s not all sunshine and roses and we do get to see some personal growth with her character. 

The MMC Graham  is introduced as this broody, reserved man but when he’s with Ali he can barely resist coming out of his shell. 

The supporting family and friend characters are also a delight. I’m not Jewish so there was a little bit of googling involved for me to get the whole picture of the phrases or food that was mentioned but I didn’t mind the lesson. 

The majority of the timeline/chapter jumps were around when our main characters saw each other next and something about that really worked for me. 

Overall this was quick and super fun read! Personally, I devoured it in a day and was hooked the whole way through. This is the perfect rom-com for February! 

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
 
 

Overall an enjoyable read but a few misses for me. 

What I loved:
 ❤️ Rue 

❤️ Beanie 

❤️ Key West 

❤️ George Bailey (dog lover here) 

What I dislike: 

💔 Cole 

💔 Cole (this is an intentional duplication because he was in fact terrible) 

💔 the “third act breakup” scenario 

💔 possibly too many storylines vying for attention 

 

What I can’t decide on 

❓ The over the top ending? 

❓ The mixing of a heavier topic with the otherwise lightheartedness that we typically see in a KC novel. 

 

Personally, for me this book went from “great” to “WTF” to “okay I guess” 

Katherine Center is, and will continue to be, and instant buy author for me but The Lover Haters fell short for me. 

In the beginning of the story I really appreciated KC taking on a heavier topic like body image. As the story progressed it seemed like this topic was just fighting to be apart of a story that wanted to be both comedic but also dramatic. 

I was on board with this book until we get to our “third act breakup” when Cole arrives at Key West. Everything about Coe in Key West was atrocious and off putting. I also really did not like how Katie the character was handled during this whole part. It really did not feel like I was reading the same book. 

Once we start reaching the finale now the story really goes in to overdrive and I’m still trying to discern how I feel about it. Was the situation totally over the top? Yes. Could we assume that some rescue situation was likely going to transpire because of Hatch’s profession? Probably. 

Overall, I feel like there were too many storylines trying to give this book depth but in my opinion,  it made this book a little messy and over the top. 

Rue was my favorite character and I really loved her story. 

Beg, Borrow, or Steal

 

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced reader copy of Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams. In exchange for this ARC, I agreed to give my honest review. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own. So buckle up, we’re heading back to Rome, KY!

In the third installment of the When in Rome series we find ourselves following Emily Walker, the eldest daughter of the Walker siblings. Emily is the Queen Bee of Rome and has been holding her family together since the death of their parents in childhood.

Emily is known to be a strong-willed, a fixer and a perfectionist. To all of Rome, Emily is the rock the wave crashes upon. But once we get a look into Emily’s head it becomes clear that Emily is barely holding herself together.

Enter her archenemy, Jackson Bennett.

Jackson “Jack” Bennett and Emily Walker have been archenemies since the moment they met 10 years ago. And yet, the universe is doing all in her power to keep bringing them back together.

 

What I have loved since the very first book in this series is the dual POV. I especially enjoyed this in Beg, Borrow, or Steal because we get to connect more with Jack, who is also struggling with his own trauma.

Beg, Borrow, or Steal is by far the heaviest book thus far in the When in Rome series. Sarah Adam delicately writes about depression, anxiety, and the aftermath of having a narcissistic parent. In many ways, I found this to be the most relatable book in the series because of it.

Even with some heavy topics, Sarah Adams manages to keep Beg, Borrow, or Steal entertaining and comedic with small town shenanigans and Emily and Jacks dialogue.

I especially enjoy that we are still getting cameos from our other Walker siblings and beaus. I am eagerly looking forward to Madison’s story in the next book. And all I can say to Sarah is you better not do anything to Mabel except maybe to make her even more sassier and wise!

Macarons wrapped. My year in macarons.

 How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

 I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

I love thee in all the ways you make me feel just right

💗my lover letter to macarons

There are many trends I would leave in the early 2000s but macarons would never be one of them. These little cookies still have my heart (and stomach) and it's a joy to get then whenever I can. Unfortunately for me, the closest patisserie that offers them is over and hour away so they are always a treat that I savor every time. 

Here is my 2024 Spotify Macaron Wrapped:

When the clock strikes 12 on NYE is when I start stalking Costco for these holiday delights. In my opinion these are the best store bought Macarons and you can't beat the price. Plus they're little hearts! how cute is that?!

My favorite "local" patisserie is on the coast and just over an hour away. A Sweet Affair has the most delicious looking display. The two things that bring me two the coast are the beach and the macarons!

Life imitates art. I picked up this macaron cart from Poppy Designs. I'm waiting for a LNS visit to pick out some special fibers to stitch it.

Another round of Coscto year round macarons to starve off the itch.

J'adore les macarons and I was excited to see these cute Emily in Paris themed macarons at my grocery store. It was a nice mix of traditional flavors and "different" flavors.

I had high hopes for these but Costeaux, you let me down. The almond croissant was fantastic so they do get points for that.

 

 

When I saw the Ladurée x Marin Montagut I squealed with delight! A bookish and macaron cross over?! Sign me up! Thankfully I was able to order these and can attest that the packing is as beautiful as the macarons are delcious! I even got a repost from Laduree (fangirling over here. Also, I accept payment in the form of macarons)

After a tough day a work I came home to find these waiting for me on my front porch. My bestie generously gifted these as part of my Christmas present and they were just the pick me up I needed. AND THEY WERE SO GOOD. Like immediately gone, so good. These are my first macs from LadyYum but definitely not my last!

What a sweet year it was!

Spooky Season, Spooky Reads

Spooky month = spooky books! I piled up on a TON of fallish books to get into the season.  From pumpkin spice to poltergeists, this month was packed with a bunch of fun reads.  88. The Kiss Curse (The Ex Hex, #2) by Erin Sterling

89. Back in a Spell (The Witches of Thistle Grove, #3) by Lana Harper

90. From Bad to Cursed (The Witches of Thistle Grove, #2) by Lana Harper

91. A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon (Glimmer Falls, #1) by Sarah  Hawley

92. A Demon's Guide to Wooing a Witch (Glimmer Falls, #2) by Sarah  Hawley

93. Go Hex Yourself (Hex, #1) by Jessica Clare

94. The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave

95. In Charm's Way (The Witches of Thistle Grove, #4) by Lana Harper

96. Not the Witch You Wed (Supernatural Singles, #1) by April Asher

97. Not Your Ex's Hexes (Supernatural Singles, #2) by April Asher

98. What the Hex (Hex, #2) by Jessica Clare

99. Pumpkin Spice & Poltergeist (Maple Hollow, #1) by Ali K. Mulford

100. The Wedding Witch (The Ex Hex, #3) by Erin Sterling

101. Not Your Crush's Cauldron (Supernatural Singles, #3) by April Asher

102. The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

103. Hot Hex Boyfriend by Carly Bloom

104. Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1) by Travis Baldree

105. A Werewolfs Guide to Seducing a Vampire (Glimmer Falls, #3) by Sarah  Hawley

106. Small Town, Big Magic (Witchlore, #1) by Hazel Beck

107. Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe

108. Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi

109. Daughter of No Worlds (The War of Lost Hearts, #1) by Carissa Broadbent

110. Practical Magic (Practical Magic, #1) by Alice Hoffman

111. Rise and Divine (The Witches of Thistle Grove, #5) by Lana Harper

I still have a few in my TBR pile but I think I'm going to move onto some wintertime reads!