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Georgia’s Bookshelf



Synopsis:

Kai – I’m a single dad and starting pitcher for Chicago’s MLB team. I’m stretched too thin, but I don’t want help raising my son.

Each of his previous nannies only lasted a few weeks before I let them go.

Now, my coach is putting his foot down by hiring the one person I can’t fire-his daughter.

Miller Montgomery is the last woman I should fall for. Too wild, too young, and too unattached.

Chicago is just a quick stop for her. I thought I’d be counting down the days until she left, but summer feels too short when I start thinking about forever.

Miller – As a high-end pastry chef who recently won the most prestigious award in my industry, I’m desperate to prove I deserve it. But with a new title comes new pressure, and I can’t create a fresh and inspiring dessert to save my life.

With only two months to get back on track, I should be focusing in the kitchen, but instead, I let my dad talk me into using my time off to nanny for his star player’s kid.
Kai Rhodes forgot how to have fun, and I’m eager to jog his memory. But when he and his son start to feel like home, I have to remind us both that my time in Chicago ends with the summer.

Besides, I’ve always been a runner, and the last thing I want is to get caught.

Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance 

Tropes:
  • Baseball Romance 
  • Nanny 
  • Single Dad
  • Forced Proximity
My Thoughts:

After completing my A-Z Reading Challenge, I decided that for the rest of the year I was going to prioritise finishing series I had started, or at least catch up so I was ready to read the newest release. 

That meant catching up on the Windy City series by Liz Tomforde that I started this year. Caught Up is the third book of the series and the third book I’ve read by Liz. I didn’t hugely enjoy the previous two, despite their popularity on BookTok. 

I was on the fence about starting Caught Up because Liz Tomforde’s books are notoriously long and in my opinion, too long – but I do love a single dad/nanny trope, so I was more excited than previously. 

I think The Windy City Series was the first sports romance books that I’d ever delved into and maybe I need to try other authors, but I don’t think sports romances are for me. I don’t know what it is about them that I dislike – maybe the sports technical talk? The only other sports romance I’ve read was Powerless by Elsie Silver and even that I wasn’t a huge fan of, or maybe I should try one more author? 

My enjoyment for reading this book peaked and dipped throughout – I started off really enjoying it, but then eventually lost interest to where I struggled to pick it up, to then towards the end, being motivated to read. 

With all of the previous books, I definitely think this story could’ve easily been 200-300 pages. I really don’t understand why they needed to be so long. They had so much filler, which I can’t even remember what. It got very repetitive with the back and forth, which dragged it out and made me bored. 

I got extremely frustrated with Miller and how she didn’t want to give up her career, when she knew it wasn’t what she wanted anymore. I know that’s what adds to the plot, but I just felt like screaming at her. It felt like we were in a continuous circle of her moaning about her career, it felt like the girl who cried wolf – I eventually lost all sympathy for her. 

I didn’t feel any emotional connection to any of the characters. I will continue the rest of the series, but I can’t say I’ll be pursing Liz’s work further. 

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Georgia
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November 04, 2024 No comments


Synopsis:

When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, they find something elusive–the friendship of two like-minded, pitch-black souls who just happen to enjoy killing other serial killers. 

From small-town West Virginia to upscale California, and from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country. 

But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love. 

Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves?

Or have they finally met their match?

Genre: Contemporary Dark Romance
Tropes:
  • Touch Her and Die Vibes
  • Golden Retriever X Black Cat
  • He Falls First 
  • Forced Proximity 
  • Serial Killers 
My Thoughts:

Brynne Weaver is a new author who hit my fyp recently and quickly became popular among the BookTok community. 

When I looked into the Ruinous Love series and read what they were about, I thought they would be right up my street – especially since I loved The Mindf*ck series, which this was advertised as being very similar. 

Me and my friend Izzy started our own book club back in September and Butcher and Blackbird was the first official book of the club!

After reading this book, I wasn’t sure what to think on it. I was torn on my opinion because it was marketed as being the exact same as The Mindf*ck series, which I absolutely loved. It was my first adventure into the murder love story world, so when I had heard Butcher & Blackbird was the same, I was very excited! 

I wanted to love this book so badly, but I just couldn’t get into the story at all. I couldn’t connect with Sloane or Rowan and this meant my motivation to read their story was just not there. I think with The Mindf*ck series, I was invested in Lara’s story and when I learned of why she was doing what she was, I felt for her. With Sloane and Rowan, I just wasn’t invested into their history of why they were going around murdering – even though they were similar. I felt like the details regarding their trauma wasn’t detailed enough to make me fully understand. 

In the series, Rowan and his brothers are Irish but for me, the constant reference to Irish slang and Romans constant line of “feckin eejit” got very annoying, very fast. I think the second time he said it had me rolling my eyes. I really hate when authors take something and oversell it or make something the character’s only personality trait. I feel like the Irish persona was made more exaggerated by the fact that Brynne Weaver isn’t Irish?

I did hope that this was the type of book that would grow on me, but it didn’t. 

Towards the end of the book, I was just skim reading it because I had fully lost interest in it

With The Mindf*ck series, I wouldn’t say the scenes detailed were super gruesome, but with Butcher & Blackbird they were – to the point where I was feeling very sick. The cannibalism scene in particular had me feeling very queasy and I was a bit shocked that David was the one to watch for.

I felt like I was left with a lot more questions at the end – who was phantom and why was he targeting Rowan? Maybe they were answered but I was too busy skim reading 🤷🏻‍♀️

I am supposed to be reading the second book Leather & Lark, which I can’t say I’m excited for.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Georgia
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November 04, 2024 No comments



Synopsis:

Beau Eaton is the town prince, a handsome military hero with a tortured past.

I’m the outcast bartender, a shy girl from the wrong side of the tracks.

He’s thirty-five and all man, I’m twenty-two and all . . . virgin. He’s also my fiancé. Correction: my fake fiancé.
We start out as a bet. He doesn’t believe that anyone holds my last name against me. So he offers me his to prove a point.

It’s a win-win. He gets a break from his concerned family’s prying, and I get a chance to shed my family’s reputation while I save up to ditch this small town.
He says all I have to do is wear his ring, follow his lead, and pretend I can’t keep my hands off of him in public.
But it’s what happens between us in private that blurs all those carefully drawn lines . . .

It’s what transpires behind closed doors that doesn’t feel like pretending at all . . .

This engagement was supposed to be for show. This agreement? It has an end date.
He once told me he’d never fall in love.
And yet here I am, head over heels for my fake fiancé.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes:
  • Fake Dating / Fake Engagement
  • Tortured Hero
  • He Falls First
  • Age Gap
  • Touch Her and Die Vibes
  • Military
My Thoughts:

I held off reading Hopeless because I adored the Chestnut Springs series and I truly didn’t want it to end. I was worried that finishing this book and putting this series to a close would mean all other cowboy romances wouldn’t come near to the love I had for this series. 

Elsie Silver released the first two books of her new Rose Hill series and I knew I wanted to read them, BUT it meant I had to finish the chestnut springs series because they’re all interconnected standalones and I didn’t want to risk spoilers. 

Hopeless was a book I was very nervous to read – it had gotten very mixed reviews online and I hadn’t seen any that were positive. I loved majority of the Chestnut Springs books – didn’t massively love Powerless, but it was a sports romance and they’re not my thing. So I was hoping that Hopeless wouldn’t disappoint and ensure the series went out with a bang. 


I loved everything about Hopeless, despite my initial concerns. I fell in love with Beau and how attentive he was and how he genuinely cared for Bailey. I equally loved Bailey and how she was such a spitfire with no filter – equally loved Beau’s reactions to her one liners. 
I loved the tension in this book and how it built in such a perfect time frame – it wasn’t too long or too short! 

Hopeless had me giggling to myself at Bailey and Beau’s banter and interactions – it really brought back my love for reading and made me remember that this is what I love about reading romances. I enjoy feeling the character’s connection and being in on the funny banger. I feel like a lot of books miss that and I struggle to care or connect with the characters. 

I think Hopeless got a lot of negative reviews because of Beau’s previous behaviour in other books and also because of the age gap between Beau and Bailey. In Hopeless, Bailey is 23 years old and Beau is in his mid 30’s I want to say (I can’t remember). Personally, I don’t think this was that bad of an age gap and that’s because I’d previously read Virtuous Lies which had the FMC as a freshly turned 18 year old with a 30 year old who had been pining after her for a while. I had not long finished that book before starting Hopeless, so in comparison I didn’t think it was as bad as that. Would my opinion be different if I’d read Hopeless before that? I don’t know. As a 23 year old myself, I can’t say whether I would or wouldn’t date someone older, but this is just fiction and I read a lot of things I would not do in my life. 

This isn’t a Chestnut Springs book without the much loved family dynamic, but I felt like we didn’t see as much as we have previously and I missed it. 

I felt so many emotions for Bailey, especially how she’d never received genuine care and love before Beau. It truly had my heart breaking for her and I was so happy when she got to experience not only romantic love from Beau, but also from the Eaton girls. 

My only criticism is that I wish we saw more into Beau’s backstory of when he went missing in the military. It was made a big theme in Powerless and Beau’s behaviour was mentioned frequently in Reckless, that I thought we would’ve seen some flashbacks detailing what he went through to cause his change in character. 

Now that I’ve finished the Chestnut Springs series, I know for certain I’ll definitely be revisiting it in the future, especially since I read Flawless so long ago. 
I am excited to delve into the Rose Hill universe of single dads, but I think I’ll miss the cowboy setting. 


My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (very close to being 4.75)

Georgia
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November 04, 2024 No comments

Synopsis:

David and Cheryl Burroughs are living the dream – married, a beautiful house in the suburbs, a three year old son named Matthew – when tragedy strikes one night in the worst possible way.

David awakes to find himself covered in blood, but not his own – his son’s. And while he knows he did not murder his son, the overwhelming evidence against him puts him behind bars indefinitely.

Five years into his imprisonment, Cheryl’s sister arrives – and drops a bombshell.

She’s come with a photograph that a friend took on vacation at a theme park. The boy in the background seems familiar – and even though David realizes it can’t be, he knows it is.

It’s Matthew, and he’s still alive.

David plans a harrowing escape from prison, determined to do what seems impossible – save his son, clear his own name, and discover the real story of what happened that devastating night.

Genre: Suspenseful Mystery-Thriller

Tropes:
  • Missing Person
  • Abduction
  • Prison Escapee
  • Murder
  • Wrongful Conviction 
My Thoughts:
Now that I’ve completed my A-Z Reading Challenge, my goal is to dip into my TBR Jar that’s been very neglected the past few months.

I have always been a fan of the screen adaptations of Harlan Coben’s work. I absolutely loved Netflix’s The Stranger and Stay Close and Prime’s Shelter (absolutely gutted that it’s been cancelled!), but I haven’t ever read his books, so when I saw I Will Find You, I thought it would be a good book to start with! 

I first came across I Will Find You in Waterstones and it stuck with me because the premise of the story really interested me – how is he in prison if his son is alive?
When this book popped up for me to loan from my local library, I knew it was time to venture into Harlan’s writing!

The pace of this was extremely slow to begin with and I felt like a lot of the details were unnecessary filler. I always think thrillers need to be fast paced and snappy because if they’re slow paced, it gives me too long to think about the plot twists.

Based on the synopsis that got me intrigued to read the book, I thought David’s son William to be an adult rather than a child and I was expecting the premise to be that William framed his own father – oh how I was wrong! 

When I first set out reading this book, I was thrown from time to time as the chapters alternated between the first person of David and then a third person perspective of the other characters – only it wasn’t mentioned whose pov it was. This did really confuse me as I would be reading each chapter not knowing whose pov it was, until halfway through the chapter. Once I realised this, I was quickly able to realise what was happening going forth.

I wasn’t necessarily hooked on the plot, I was more motivated to finish it and discover the big Harlan Cohen twist. I predicted that Cheryl (William’s mother) went ahead with the insemination because David couldn’t father a child, which meant that Hayden (Cheryl’s sisters ex) ended up being the father, which resulted in Hayden to kidnap his child. I was pretty spot on, aside from the Hayden did the insemination as revenge for Rachel, believing it was her having the procedure, rather than her sister. 

I think there were too many side plots pushed into the story which made it very hard to follow such as the neighbour who framed David and her own separate reasons, which really had nothing to do with William’s disappearance. 

After reading this months ago and rethinking about the plot, it has made me realise how twisted this plot actually was and how intertwined parts were, plus the additional side plots. 

I think I will read more of Harlan’s work, if it’s something that interests me and catches my attention, but I don’t think I’d actively pursue looking for his next work. I do like his adaptations, so I will continue to watch those. 
This is a book I would be excited to see turned into a screen adaptation.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Georgia 
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November 04, 2024 No comments

 




Synopsis:

A woman is in a race against time to clear her name and find her husband’s murderer.

Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. 

To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their suspect-her. Suddenly on the run and quickly running out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the real killer.

Genre: Suspenseful Mystery-Thriller

Tropes:

  • Murder 
  • Detective/Investigation 
  • Fugitive
  • Framing

My Thoughts:

The final book of the A-Z Reading Challenge! Finally completed the challenge and I could not be happier – also managed to finish it within August, like I had said (only these posts are back dated). I finished the challenge, with a few days in August to spare. 

Full rundown and rating of all the alphabetical choices: here.

Finding a choice for letter Z of the challenge, proved to be quite tricky, as nothing with the letter seemed to fit the genres I enjoyed reading. I somehow came across Zero Days (can’t remember how – maybe a Facebook page?), but I knew when I read the synopsis, that it had to be added to my tbr. 

Ruth Ware is an author that I was deeply unfamiliar with until I stumbled upon this book of hers.


I was not expecting to feel so connected to the characters in this book so much! I have never connected with the characters of any a Mystery-Thriller book I’ve read in the past, not enough to genuinely care for them!

Through reading this book, I felt so connected to Jack and Gabe and the subsequent pain that she carried with her from loosing Gabe. When moving through the chapters, I could feel the love Jack had for Gabe and her determination to find out who was responsible for his death. My heart broke for her several times throughout her time as a fugitive because all she wanted to do was grieve, but she was fuelled to get answers, putting aside her own pain from grieving and also pain from her injuries.

As the story moved, I was interested to find out who killed Gabe, especially as the line of work they do wouldn’t make you think of him as a target. 

It’s definitely a different type of thriller to what I’m used to, such as Verity, but I enjoyed it a lot. I wrote in my book journal that I didn’t love it or hate it, but now reflecting on it, I really enjoyed it. 

The start of the book is very slow, which I think is probably my initial thoughts of not overly liking it, even as Jack went on as a fugitive it was very slow. It did seen like it dragged out a lot and how long Jack was on the run for, but I think that was probably realistic as Gabe had no enemies, so it made sense for it to take a while for Jack to uncover information. 

I was surprised at how quick I was able to read this, as I feared this book might’ve been a one that would’ve put me in a slump, since it was a new author and also because of the pace, but I just struggled to put it down honestly. I became so connected to Jack that I wanted to know who killed her husband.

The thing that surprised me most about this book is the fact that I cried for a thriller! Going into reading this book, I was not expecting to be emotionally crying at the ending. I didn’t just cry once, but twice! I cried when Jack found out she was pregnant and despite the injuries she gained from being on the run, which almost killed her, the baby survived. Then I started crying again when it was revealed that she had a daughter who she named after Gabe. 

The only thing I didn’t like about this book, aside from my mixed feelings on the pace, was that Cole, Gabe’s best friend, died in prison and didn’t receive his punishment in the role he played in Gabe’s death. I also felt like his murders were a cop out because they weren’t known to the reader and they were hired by someone who Cole worked for. They weren’t given names, then they ended up being found dead before they could pay for their role in Gabe’s death. This made the story feel anticlimactic, especially when the sole plot of the story is “who done it” and you don’t fully know who did it. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and anything that makes me cry and tugs at the heartstrings instantly gets a high rating and is something I enjoy. I think the rating is purely down to my emotional connection to Jack and it would’ve been higher if we knew the murderers. However, this hasn’t deterred me from wanting to read more from Ruth Ware

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Georgia 

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October 29, 2024 No comments

 



Synopsis:

You’ve opened up your house and your heart to a total stranger …What could possibly go wrong?

Grace Evans, an overworked New Yorker looking for a total escape from her busy life, books an Airbnb on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming. When she arrives at the idyllic getaway, she’s pleased to find that the owner is a handsome man by the name of Calvin Wells—and he’s eager to introduce her to his easygoing way of life. But there are things Grace discovers that she’s not too pleased about: A lack of cell phone service. A missing woman. And a feeling that something isn’t right with the ranch.

Despite her uneasiness, the two bond and start to fall for one another. However, as her departure date nears, things change for the worse. What began as a playful romance soon turns into a complicated web of lies. Grace grows wary of Calvin as his infatuation for her seems to have morphed to obsession. Calvin fears that Grace is hiding something from him—including her reason for staying at his ranch to begin with. Vacation flings typically end in heartbreak, but for Grace and Calvin, it’ll be far more destructive.

Genre: Suspenseful Mystery-Thriller

Tropes:

  • Missing Person 
  • Secrets
  • Manipulation 
  • Infatuation/Obsession

My Thoughts:

Second to last book of the A-Z Reading Challenge that I set out on at the start of 2024 and I can’t believe I am nearly finished! 

Jeneva Rose is a fairly new author who I’ve discovered recently. I first came across her work last year, when I read The Perfect Marriage (no review, but rated 4 ⭐️s). 

When it came to letter Y of the challenge, I initially had two options: this one and You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle. Ultimately, I went with this book because it was on the kindle 99p deal – choice made easy.


This book is one of those books where I didn’t necessarily hate it, but equally didn’t love it to the point of obsession. 

I found that this was a very easy read, one that I couldn’t put down because I was intrigued to know the ending. I always think it’s good to have books that you enjoyed but aren’t necessarily obsessed with. 

This book definitely had my heart racing during the tense height of the story and even had me rooting for our main character Grace to get herself out of that situation. 

I knew from the very start that Calvin wasn’t right in the head, but it quickly became clear how weird he was! He gave off very strange vibes from the start, which extended to his sudden obsession and infatuation with Grace – him claiming he was in love with his house guest after like 3 days! 

I wasn’t sure whether he was delusional or not, because at times he would refer to Grace eventually leaving which seemed normal, but then he’d eventually drop comments about her not leaving. So when it came to her eventually leaving when she had a feeling in her stomach, I knew Calvin had done something to her car to prevent her from leaving at all. 

In terms of Charlotte and her feelings towards Calvin, I expected more from her behaviour to be more erratic. 

I felt like Joe, Calvin’s brother was an unnecessary part of the story, more so him attacking Grace and his attempt to burn the house down. I understand that this was done deliberate to divert readers away from Calvin, so they’d believe Joe was the problem, but I still don’t understand the characters reason for it, like I know why the author did it, but why Joe? 

The twist was that I didn’t expect Grace, or should I say Avery, to be a psycho who takes regular “retreats” from her family, to go and murder people. I thought her reasoning for targeting Calvin was because she goes after deranged men, but it wasn’t mentioned that was why she targeted him – she actually didn’t know about his history of murdering his house guests when they tried to leave.

I can’t say I was surprised at the ending because I knew Calvin was up to no good, but I wasn’t expecting the Grace/Avery element. I felt like everything happened within the last 10% of the book, which made it feel very rushed.

I’m also struggling to believe how the police didn’t make the connection that all of Calvin’s house guests eventually disappeared because he murdered them! 

Overall, I enjoyed the book and it was nice to be motivated to read the book and not want to put it down. I think I’d be interested to read more of Jeneve Rose in the future. 

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Georgia 

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October 29, 2024 No comments
 

Synopsis:

Xeni Everly-Wilkins has ten days to clean out her recently departed aunt’s massive colonial in Upstate New York. With the feud between her mom and her sisters still raging even in death, she knows this will be no easy task, but when the will is read Xeni quickly discovers the decades old drama between the former R&B singers is just the tip of the iceberg

The Secrets, lies, and a crap ton of cash spilled on her lawyer’s conference room table all come with terms and conditions. Xeni must marry before she can claim the estate that will set her up for life and her aunt has just the groom in mind. The ruggedly handsome and deliciously thicc Scotsman who showed up at her aunt’s memorial, bagpipes at the ready.

When his dear friend and mentor Sable Everly passed away, Mason McInroy knew she would leave a sizable hole in his heart. He never imagined she’d leave him more than enough money to settle the debt that’s keeping him from returning home to Scotland. He also never imagined that Sable would use her dying breaths to play match-maker, trapping Mason and her beautiful niece in a marriage scheme that comes with more complications than either of them need.

With no choice but to say I do, the unlikely pair try to make the best of a messy situation. They had no plans to actually fall in love.

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Tropes:
  • Forced Proximity 
  • Marriage of Convenience 
  • Small Town 
  • Interracial 
My Thoughts:

3 more books to go until I’ve completed the A-Z Reading Challenge I planned on doing for 2024, at the end of 2023. 

My choice for letter X was a struggle to find, but after lots of searching, I came across Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon – the second book of a series that can be read as a standalone, exactly what I did as I didn’t want to read the first book of the series.


Ah I’m not sure how I feel about this book and I’ve left time for it to stew and for my thoughts to lie, but I’m still not sure! 

It was a nice easy read and I wasn’t not motivated to read it, but something about it just didn’t hit where it needed to hit. It didn’t leave a lasting impact on me and I didn’t care for the characters – not enough for me to consider reading more from the author. 

I didn’t think I would like how quickly the characters’ feelings developed, but I wasn’t mad about it – I actually liked it because it made the story progress more instead of it feeling like nothing was happening. I liked that it was straight to the point and wasn’t filled with unnecessary filler.

The thing that I think has me feeling “meh” about it is that there was a scene of pegging mentioned and other sexual preferences/orientation that I haven’t read before. I’m not sure how I feel about it and I don’t think going forward it’s something I’d look for, at all. For me, I like men to portrayed in a certain way and in this book, the male main character wasn’t. 

I felt like there was a deliberate and intentional effort to include “woke” topics in the story – both male and female characters were bi. I just felt like it wasn’t done right, it felt like it was just mentioned for the sake of it and to add diversity. I don’t think it had meaning – it felt forced. 
At times, I cringed at the female character Xeni and how she made numerous comments about her being the shit and how attractive she was. I felt like it was meant to ooze confidence but all it did was make her appear cocky and full of herself. 

I also felt like the whole “aunt is her real mother” plot was brushed aside too quickly. We saw Xeni struggle with the revelation, but the answers she got seemed wishy washy. 

I did in the middle of the book, I did consider adding the first book of the series to my tbr, especially during that female protagonists interaction with Xeni, where they reflected on her story, but not in a urgent rush. Then after the whole pegging scene, I ultimately decided the themes of Rebekah’s books aren’t for me. 

Overall, I can’t say Rebekah is an author I’d revisit again. 

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Georgia
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October 29, 2024 No comments
 


Synopsis:

Rome is where the heart is.

Amelia Rose is burned-out from years of maintaining her public image as pop princess Rae Rose. Inspired by her favourite Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday, she drives off in the middle of the night for a break in Rome . . . Rome, Kentucky, that is.

Running the pie shop his grandmother left him, Noah Walker is busy enough as it is. But after finding Amelia on his front lawn in her broken-down car, he decides to let her stay in his guest room – on a very temporary basis, of course.

As the two of them grow closer, Noah starts to see a new side to Amelia – kind-hearted and goofy, yet lonely from years in the public eye. Amelia may have to go back to her other life someday, but for now she’s perfectly happy falling in love with the cozy small town she’s found herself in . . . and her grumpy tour guide isn’t half-bad either.

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Tropes:
  • Small Town
  • Grumpy X Sunshine 
  • Forced Proximity 
  • Roommates 
  • Famous Singer 
My Thoughts:

So close, but not close enough (to finishing my A-Z Reading Challenge). 

Letter W of the reading challenge I decided to read When In Rome by Sarah Adams. I first ventured Sarah’s work last year when I stumbled upon Practice Makes Perfect, which I absolutely loved! I went into reading that book not realising it was actually the second of the series and when I did realise, I was a good chunk into Practice Makes Perfect and didn’t want to stop, but equally I knew I had to read the first book of the series too.


After finishing Virtuous Lies, I felt like I was burning myself out with trying to get through the challenge so quickly, whilst also trying to fit in all the many other books I wanted to read. 

My motivation had dipped and that’s why it took me quite a while to finish When In Rome – not that reading length is a reflection of enjoyment. I think subconsciously I was putting off reading the first book of the series because I loved Practice Makes Perfect so much and I was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy the book as much and therefore, be disappointed. 

Once I finally got over this feeling and truly let myself read it, I absolutely loved it! I really enjoyed reading about Amelia and Noah’s story – I loved their personalities. How Noah was very grumpy and how Amelia was a golden ray of sunshine. The whole story gave me Gilmore Girls vibes (pretty sure o say that on every small town trope), but Noah reminded me so much of Luke with his dry sense of humour and sarcasm and Amelia reminded me on Lorelai with her witty comebacks – it’s got me considering rewatching Gilmore Girls! 

The whole story was done perfectly, I just wish we had a scene where Noah taught Amelia how to make his pancakes because it was made a theme throughout how bad Amelia couldn’t make pancakes and with her even asking Noah to teach her. So I was slightly disappointed we didn’t see a potentially cute scene between them. 
I loved reading the banter between Noah and Amelia and it had me smiling to myself. 

I’m really looking forward to reading the third book of the series, which has been announced! I was initially confused at the mention of Noah’s sisters other than Annie mainly because cause it was so long ago I read Practice Makes Perfect and therefore forgot that detail. 
I feel like on this series there’ll be 4 books total because there’s 4 walker siblings, so after Emily’s book, it leaves Madison. 

This book made me slightly emotional and not because it was emotional, just because it made me realise how much I want what Amelia and Noah have (hello very single life) – all I want is my own book romance which is clearly too much to ask for in the modern day of dating of tinder and hinge. 

I like that so far all of the books are interconnected series that can be read as a stand alone because it takes the pressure off reading the next. 


My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (half a rating lower than Practice Makes Perfect, purely because Annie and Will have my heart) 

Georgia
🌷

October 29, 2024 No comments
 

Synopsis:

Bianca Rossi is the perfect mafia daughter. A good girl. She does what she’s told.

She knows her value in the family; the key to peace with the Chicago Outfit. But when her sister’s safety is threatened, she’ll do everything in her power to protect her. She knows that she may pay for her lies with her life and it’s a risk she’s willing to take.Forced into matrimony with the family’s enforcer, Bianca begins to realize that not all is as it seems.

Lies begin to unfurl and the line between lust and love is blurred.

Hearts and loyalties are tested.
Lies may be commonplace in the underworld, but rarely are they as virtuous as hers.

Her heart is good, but her new husband may very well break it right after he claims it.

Genre: Dark Mafia Romance 

Tropes:
  • Age Gap
  • Mafia Romance 
  • Arranged Marriage 
  • Forced Proximity 
My Thoughts:

Making very good progress with completing my A-Z Reading Challenge, with reaching my choice for letter V of the challenge, which is Virtuous Lies by Haley Jenner.
I hadn’t heard of Haley Jenner or read burning by her before reading this book and stumbled upon her through either BookTok or researching (I can’t remember honestly).

After finishing Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey, I thought I wouldn’t struggled to read any book because once I’m in a rut, it’ll take a very good book to pull me out of it. So I was really surprised to finish Virtuous Lies so quickly, despite not being hooked on it.
I have to be honest and say this isn’t my favourite mafia romance I’ve read for a few reasons. 

The age difference between the main characters felt very icky (Bianca was 18 years old and the man was 30 years old), which felt too big of an age gap. I wouldn’t have minded if Bianca was maybe 20 or 21, but 18 and freshly turned 18, felt very weird. 

I felt like the story as a whole didn’t have much of a plot or depth to it, but I didn’t mind because it was short and meant I could check off another tbr read.

I was hooked on reading the book, but not necessarily connected to the characters or towards their magnetic pull of attraction towards one another. I wish throughout the book there was more hatred and angst between the characters to follow build the tension. 

I’m not saying no to reading the other books 
of the series, but I’m not sure I would make a huge effort to read more of the authors work, outside of this series.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Georgia
🌷
October 29, 2024 No comments
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About Me

About Me
Hello, I'm Georgia! I'm a 23 year old reader of romance and psychological thrillers. I spend way too much time listening to Taylor Swift and spending time on Tik Tok!

2024 GoodReads Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Georgia has read 4 books toward their goal of 30 books.
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4 of 30 (13%)
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Currently Reading

The Housemaid
The Housemaid
by Freida McFadden
tagged: currently-reading

goodreads.com

TBR

Powerless
Powerless
by Elsie Silver
tagged: to-read
King of Greed
King of Greed
by Ana Huang
tagged: to-read
Where Good Girls Go To Die
Where Good Girls Go To Die
by Holly Renee
tagged: to-read
The Inmate
The Inmate
by Freida McFadden
tagged: to-read
Sidetracked
Sidetracked
by S.T. Abby
tagged: to-read

goodreads.com

Completed

November 9
really liked it
November 9
by Colleen Hoover
A Long Time Coming
really liked it
A Long Time Coming
by Meghan Quinn
Practice Makes Perfect
it was amazing
Practice Makes Perfect
by Sarah Adams
Reminders of Him
it was amazing
Reminders of Him
by Colleen Hoover
King of Pride
really liked it
King of Pride
by Ana Huang

goodreads.com

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      • Caught Up by Liz Tomforde - A Book Review
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      • You Shouldn’t Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose - A Bo...
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