August Releases!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

I'll admit that I haven't managed to fit this post in yet, but we're officially in a new month! Which means, more book releases. So, what am I excited to read this month?

1. Kiss My Cupcake by Helena Hunting (11th August)

Blaire Calloway has planned every Instagram-worthy moment of her cupcake and cocktails shop launch down to the tiniest detail. What she didn't plan on? Ronan Knight and his old-school sports bar next door opening on the very same day. He may be super swoony, but Blaire hasn't spent years obsessing over buttercream and bourbon to have him ruin her chance at success.

From axe throwing (his place) to frosting contests (hers), Blaire and Ronan are constantly trying to one-up each other in a battle to win new customers. But with every clash, there's also an undeniable chemistry. When an even bigger threat to their business comes to town, they're forced to call a temporary time-out on their own war and work together. And the more time Blaire spends getting to know the real Ronan, the more she wonders if it's possible to have her cupcake and eat it too.

Click here to purchase from Amazon.

2. The Wedding Date Disaster by Avery Flynn (25th August)

I can’t believe I have to go home to Nebraska for my sister’s wedding. I’m gonna need a wingman and a whole lot of vodka for this level of family interaction. At least my bestie agreed he’d man up and help. Too bad he had to catch a different flight than me. Then his plane got delayed. And finally—because bad things always happen in threes—instead of my best friend, his evil twin strolls out of the airport.

If you looked up doesn’t-deserve-to-be-that-confident, way-too-hot-for-his-own-good billionaire in the dictionary, you’d find a picture of Will Holt. He’s awful. Horrible. The worst—even if his butt looks phenomenal in those jeans. Ten times worse? My buffer was supposed to be there to keep me away from the million and one family events. But Satan’s spawn just grins and signs us up for every. Single. Thing.

Fine. “Cutthroat” Scrabble? I’m in. I can’t wait to take this guy down a notch. But somewhere between Pictionary and the teasing glint in his eyes, our bickering starts to feel like more than just a game…

Click here to purchase from Amazon, and click here to check out my review.

3. The Trouble with Quarterbacks by R.S. Grey (6th August)

CANDACE: KAT & YASMINE! DO NOT DALLY! Come straight home after work. Kat, don’t take the long route from the subway station just so you can pass by Cute Hot Dog Guy. This is important!

I’ve had THE BEST DAY. You won’t believe it. There I was in my preschool classroom, washing a bit of poo out of some soggy trousers, when this absolute babe came to collect his nephew from my class.

Truthfully, I thought I’d blacked out for a moment when I first saw him. He was a proper hunk with glorious brown hair, quite tall, and he had these arms. Are muscly arms supposed to turn me on? I’m panting just thinking about them.

Anyway, he told me he’s a professional foosball player. At least, I think that’s what he said. The tots can get quite loud near pick-up time.

Click here to purchase from Amazon.

4. The Anti-Boyfriend by Penelope Ward (31st August)

At first, my neighbor Deacon frustrated me. Sure, he was great-looking and friendly. But our walls were thin, and on occasion, he’d bring women to his place and keep me awake while he “entertained” them. As a single mother to an infant, I didn’t appreciate it. So, finally it was my turn.

When my daughter wouldn’t stop wailing one night, Mr. Manwhore came knocking on my door. Miraculously, at the sound of his voice, Sunny stopped crying. And when he held her…she eventually fell asleep in his arms. Deacon was rough on the exterior, but apparently on the inside? Mr. Single-and-Ready-to-Mingle was a baby whisperer.

After that night, we became friends. He’d go for coffee runs. Come over to chat. Normal friend stuff. But over time, our conversations ran deeper. We got closer. Until one night we crossed the line. Our friendship turned into a complicated mess. I’d gone and fallen for a guy who’d sworn off commitment and kids. I knew Deacon was starting to care for me too, even though Sunny and I didn’t fit into any plan he’d ever imagined for himself. He was wrong for me—so wrong that I’d dubbed him the “anti-boyfriend.” Then why did I wish more than anything that I could be the one woman to change him?

What are you looking forward to reading this month?

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Happy Friday!

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic week, and found some great new reads!

I'm still in my book rut and I can't really get into any new books at the moment, so I've been going back to old favourites, namely books by Teresa Medeiros, and rediscovered some fantastic gems. Honestly, if you haven't read her books yet, you NEED too. She was one of the first romance authors I discovered, and her books made me believe in love. If you need something that inspires you, and leaves you in nothing but happiness, honestly, pick up her books.

But, to what you've seen this week! I read an excerpt from Helena Hunting's Meet Cute back in December, and had to read the full book based on that, and came out with very mixed emotions. While I absolutely loved the book, I'll confess that tears were shed as the plot of this story had some tragic undertones that did bring down the mood. While an honestly fantastic, well-written read, I just know that I did struggle with those themes. There's also Sabrina Jeffries first in her School for Heiresses series, Never Seduce A Scoundrel, which was a great historical read. Click on the book covers below to be taken to the reviews.

                           

As mentioned early in the week, unfortunately I did flare up on old writing injury in my left hand, causing some amount of pain when typing so posts have been a little bit shorter from me this week, but hopefully with time to rest, it should be back to normal soon. On the other hand though (ha), I have spent some great time reading, which was greatly appreciated.

As we're coming up to the weekend and I think we all need some cheering up, all printables in the store are now on sale for 50% off, including the reading tracker! Pick up yours by clicking the picture below.

                           
I hope you all have a fantastic weekend, and looking forward to hearing what you're reading!

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(ARC) Meet Cute - Helena Hunting

Kailyn Flowers was always calm, rational, and controlled-until she ended up sprawled all over Daxton Hughes, the former actor she totally crushed on as a teenager. Then she did the unthinkable: She became a mortifying fangirl in five seconds flat, which may or may not have included professing her undying love. And oddly, he didn’t run away. In fact, their meet cute led to a friendship she never saw coming. Of course, she never saw his betrayal coming, either…

Now Dax needs her help. As guardian to his thirteen-year-old sister, he’s in way over his head. And though Kailyn hasn’t forgiven Dax, she isn’t heartless enough to make him fend for himself, either. Soon their friendly meetings turn into flirty dinner dates, and Kailyn can feel their chemistry is as explosive as ever. But how can she possibly let down her guard again to a guy who has heartbreak written all over him?

While this book has already been published, I was fortunate enough to receive an extended free preview, and I can definitely say I'll be purchasing the full version. Having never read anything by Ms. Hunting, I was drawn in by a great blurb and front cover, and was instantly hooked.

While the story should always be the main feature of any novel, there are also factors that affect your enjoyment of the book, with one of the biggest being formatting. Formatting can make or break a novel, affecting the flow and reader's enjoyment. The formatting of this ebook was smooth and a fantastic flow, causing me to read all of it in one sitting. As soon as I was finished the book, I searched for it on scribd to continue, and while unfortunately not available, I will be searching for it nearby.

To the story itself, I instantly was drawn to both the hero and heroine, both written in an engaging and human way. Without giving too much away, I was slightly discouraged by the continued meet-cute with death bringing our leads together, which seems to be quite common across the romance theme, and something not entirely necessary to bring our leads together. However, for the sake of this plot line, it was needed. 

In the short 40 page preview I was given, there was comedy, romance, and drama and I simply can't wait to read more. 

Rating: 4/5

Click here to purchase from Amazon.

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