Friday, November 13, 2020

My Thoughts: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Audiobook)

Mexican Gothic
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publication Date: June 30th 2020
Publisher: Del Ray
Pages: 301
ISBN: 9780525620785
Genre: Adult | Horror | Historical Fiction
Source: Own

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An isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic aristocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. . . .

From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes a novel set in glamorous 1950s Mexico.

After receiving a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find - her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.

Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind. (Goodreads)


Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was one of my Halloween reads for October, and I am so glad that I read this book! I didn’t initially have the book on my TBR, even though I definitely wanted to read it, but after seeing so much love for the book on Instagram, I decided to give it a shot. I am SO glad I did!

Let me get this started by telling you that Mexican Gothic was not at all what I was expecting. I don’t think I have ever read a book with a storyline like this before, but I very much enjoyed it, and definitely want more! The book was mysterious, and very creepy, which is not usually my kind of read, but it felt like the perfect book to read this season.

I was pretty much fascinated by everything in this novel. Noemí was such an interesting character, and was probably my favorite in the whole book. The storyline for how she goes to find her cousin had me hooked, as did the setting for the book. As I said above, it was very creepy, and left me wanting to read more gothic stories.

I also want to add that while I own a copy of the book, I opted to listen to the audiobook after listening to a sample of it. I am so glad I did! Frankie Corzo was the narrator, and she did a wonderful job of telling me the story. I definitely want to check out more books narrated by her soon!

Overall; Mexican Gothic was not at all what I expected, and not my usual kind of read, but I really, really enjoyed the book! SO much more than I expected to. I definitely need more books like this in my life, and I am now super excited to check out more books by this author!

Thursday, November 12, 2020

My Thoughts: The Switch by Beth O'Leary (Audiobook)

The Switch
by Beth O'Leary
Website | Twitter | Instagram

Publication Date: August 18th 2020
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Pages: 330
Book ISBN: 9781250769862
Genre: Adult Fiction / Contemporary / Romance

Audiobook Pub: Macmillan Audio
Audio Length: 10hrs 12min
Narrated By: Alison Steadman & Daisy Edgar-Jones
Audio ISBN: 9781250751850
Source: Own

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Available for Purchase:
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Audible | Libro FM | Scribd

Eileen, newly single and about to turn eighty, would like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn't offer many eligible gentlemen. Then in bustling London, Eileen's twentysomething, overachieving granddaughter Leena is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work.

Once Leena learns of Eileen's romantic predicament, she proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen will live in London and look for love. Meanwhile Leena will rest and take care of things in rural Yorkshire.

But trading places isn't as easy as either of them expected. Will swapping lives help Eileen and Leena find themselves…and maybe even find love? (Goodreads)


The Switch is the very first book that I have read by Beth O’Leary, and I am excited to have finally read something by her! Her previous book, The Flatshare has been on my TBR for a while now, and I am even more excited to get to that book having now read this one!

I enjoyed so much about The Switch. I was definitely intrigued by both of the characters. Eileen and Leena are grandmother and granddaughter, and while they share the same name, they are nothing at all alike. I enjoyed how the storyline switched between the two women, and how they basically switched lives for a while. It was fun how the chapters switched back and forth between the two. I have to say I think Eileen the grandmother had the most fun in the story, at least that’s how it felt to me.  There are also some great secondary characters in the story as well!

While I have a paperback version of this book, I opted to listen to the audio version instead, and I’m so glad that I did! This book is narrated by two authors, which goes great for the alternating viewpoints between the two main characters. Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones did a really great job narrating the story with all the different voices. It definitely made this read even more enjoyable.

Overall; If you can’t already tell, I very much enjoyed The Switch by Beth O’Leary! Now I’m definitely looking forward to reading more by her, and lucky me, I already have her first book, The Flatshare, queued up and ready to go. I’m so excited to read it!

Monday, November 9, 2020

My Thoughts: Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

Crazy Stupid Bromance
(The Bromance Book Club #3)
by Lyssa Kay Adams
Website | Twitter | Instagram

Publication Date: October 27th 2020
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 352
ISBN: 9781984806130
Genre: Adult / Romance / Contemporary
Source: Own

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Available for Purchase:
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Alexis Carlisle and her cat café, ToeBeans, have shot to fame after she came forward as a victim of a celebrity chef’s sexual harassment. When a new customer approaches to confide in her, the last thing Alexis expects is for the woman to claim they’re sisters. Unsure what to do, Alexis turns to the only man she trusts—her best friend, Noah Logan.

Computer genius Noah left his rebellious teenage hacker past behind to become a computer security expert. Now he only uses his old skills for the right cause. But Noah’s got a secret: He’s madly in love with Alexis. When she asks for his help, he wonders if the timing will ever be right to confess his crush.

Noah’s pals in The Bromance Book Club are more than willing to share their beloved “manuals” to help him go from bud to boyfriend. But he must decide if telling the truth is worth risking the best friendship he’s ever had.

A hacktivist and a cat café owner decode the friend zone in this romantic comedy from the author of Undercover Bromance. (Goodreads)


Crazy Stupid Bromance is the third book in the Bromance Book Club series by Lyssa Kay Adams, and was also one of my most anticipated reads for the second half of 2020! I was very much looking forward to this newest addition to the series, and I’m thrilled to you tell you that it didn’t disappoint!

If you’ve been following me for a while now, then you know that romance books are the ones getting me through this mess of a year, and it’s quickly becoming one of my most favorite genres. I definitely need more books like this in my life right now, and I can’t wait to discover more.

Crazy Stupid Bromance was such a good read. I pretty much loved everything about the book, from the lovable characters, to the addictive storyline, to all the ways it made me laugh… It was great, and just the book I needed to read right now!

If you have started the series already then you will know that each novel spotlights a different couple, and this book was all about Alexis and Noah, who we met previously in the series. I seriously love them both, and their chemistry together was off the charts. And it’s a slow burn between the two… and it was definitely worth the wait! I also loved seeing all the characters from previous books in the series as well. Some of the new characters took a while to warm up to, but they did eventually grow on me.

As I mentioned above, the storyline for this book made me laugh… a lot! It was mostly the guys in the book club and some of the things that they got into, but I definitely had a few good laughs. There were a few eye-rolling moments in the book, because while we really want a man to do some of the things the guys in this series do, it never seems to happen that way. Maybe one day.

The only issue that I had with the book was the organ donation part. It felt a bit forced to me, and I felt like Alexis made her decision a bit to prematurely. It’s a small thing, but did bother me.

Overall; if you can’t tell by reading my thoughts on Crazy Stupid Bromance, I really, really enjoyed it. I definitely need more books like this in my life right now. And I am now even more excited to get my hands on the next book in the series, Isn’t It Bromantic, which is currently set to release June 2021! That will be Vlad’s story, and I can’t wait to read it. I hope it’s fantastic as well!

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Waiting on Wednesday: Chasing Lucky & These Voilent Delights

Chasing Lucky
by Jenn Bennett
Website | Twitter | Instagram

Publication Date: November 10th 2020
Publisher: Simon Pulse
ISBN: 9781534425170

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Budding photographer Josie Saint-Martin has spent half her life with her single mother, moving from city to city. When they return to her historical New England hometown years later to run the family bookstore, Josie knows it’s not forever. Her dreams are on the opposite coast, and she has a plan to get there.

What she doesn’t plan for is a run-in with the town bad boy, Lucky Karras. Outsider, rebel…and her former childhood best friend. Lucky makes it clear he wants nothing to do with the newly returned Josie. But everything changes after a disastrous pool party, and a poorly executed act of revenge lands Josie in some big-time trouble—with Lucky unexpectedly taking the blame.

Determined to understand why Lucky was so quick to cover for her, Josie discovers that both of them have changed, and that the good boy she once knew now has a dark sense of humor and a smile that makes her heart race. And maybe, just maybe, he’s not quite the brooding bad boy everyone thinks he is…
(Goodreads)

A new Jenn Bennett novel, you guys!
I love her books and I'm SO very excited for this one!


These Violent Delights
by Chloe Gong
Website | Twitter | Instagram

Publication Date: November 17th 2020
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 9781534457690

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Available for Pre-Order:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule. (Goodreads)

Does this book sound fantastic, or what?
I've had my eye on it for a while now, and I can't wait to finally read it!

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**


Monday, November 2, 2020

My Most Anticipated November 2020 Book Releases


 


November is finally here! And with it comes a lot of awesome new releases! This month is not going to be quite a big as other months for new books, but there are still a few coming out that I'm really excited for.

Check them out below!
Instant Karma
by Marissa Meyer

In this young adult contemporary romance, a girl is suddenly gifted with the ability to cast instant karma on those around her—both good and bad.

Chronic overachiever Prudence Daniels is always quick to cast judgment on the lazy, rude, and arrogant residents of her coastal town. Her dreams of karmic justice are fulfilled when, after a night out with her friends, she wakes up with the sudden ability to cast instant karma on those around her. Pru giddily makes use of the power, punishing everyone from public vandals to karaoke hecklers, but there is one person on whom her powers consistently backfire: Quint Erickson, her slacker of a lab partner and all-around mortal enemy. Soon, Pru begins to uncover truths about Quint, her peers, and even herself that reveal how thin the line is between virtue and vanity, generosity and greed . . . love and hate.

Add to Goodreads

Chasing Lucky
by Jenn Bennett

Budding photographer Josie Saint-Martin has spent half her life with her single mother, moving from city to city. When they return to her historical New England hometown years later to run the family bookstore, Josie knows it’s not forever. Her dreams are on the opposite coast, and she has a plan to get there.

What she doesn’t plan for is a run-in with the town bad boy, Lucky Karras. Outsider, rebel…and her former childhood best friend. Lucky makes it clear he wants nothing to do with the newly returned Josie. But everything changes after a disastrous pool party, and a poorly executed act of revenge lands Josie in some big-time trouble—with Lucky unexpectedly taking the blame.

Determined to understand why Lucky was so quick to cover for her, Josie discovers that both of them have changed, and that the good boy she once knew now has a dark sense of humor and a smile that makes her heart race. And maybe, just maybe, he’s not quite the brooding bad boy everyone thinks he is…

Add to Goodreads

Written in the Stars
by Alexandria Bellefleur

With nods to Bridget Jones and Pride and Prejudice, a charming #ownvoices queer rom-com debut about a free-spirited social media astrologer who agrees to fake a relationship with an uptight actuary until New Year’s Eve—with results not even the stars could predict!

After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesn’t expect her lie to bite her in the ass.

Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account, Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy... a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy’s brother—and Elle's new business partner—expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because... awkward.

When Darcy begs Elle to play along, she agrees to pretend they’re dating to save face. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family over the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a fake relationship.

But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?

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Rent a Boyfriend
by Gloria Chao

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before meets The Farewell in this incisive romantic comedy about a college student who hires a fake boyfriend to appease her traditional Taiwanese parents, to disastrous results, from the acclaimed author of American Panda.

Chloe Wang is nervous to introduce her parents to her boyfriend, because the truth is, she hasn’t met him yet either. She hired him from Rent for Your ’Rents, a company specializing in providing fake boyfriends trained to impress even the most traditional Asian parents.

Drew Chan’s passion is art, but after his parents cut him off for dropping out of college to pursue his dreams, he became a Rent for Your ’Rents employee to keep a roof over his head. Luckily, learning protocols like “Type C parents prefer quiet, kind, zero-PDA gestures” comes naturally to him.

When Chloe rents Drew, the mission is simple: convince her parents fake Drew is worthy of their approval so they’ll stop pressuring her to accept a proposal from Hongbo, the wealthiest (and slimiest) young bachelor in their tight-knit Asian American community.

But when Chloe starts to fall for the real Drew—who, unlike his fake persona, is definitely not ’rent-worthy—her carefully curated life begins to unravel. Can she figure out what she wants before she loses everything?

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The Boy Toy
by Nicola Marsh

A woman ready to give up on love discovers that age is truly just a number in this heartwarming and steamy new romantic comedy by USA Today bestselling author Nicola Marsh.

For almost a decade, successful 37-year-old Samira Broderick has used her bustling LA practice as an excuse to avoid a trip home to Australia. She still resents her meddling Indian mother for arranging her marriage to a man who didn't stick around when the going got tough, but now with a new job Down Under, she's finally ready to reconnect with her. And while she's there, a hot international fling might be just what she needs to get out of her recent funk.

Aussie stuntman, Rory Radcliffe, has been hiding his stutter for years by avoiding speaking roles. When a job he can't refuse comes up as a reality show host, he knows he'll need some help for the audition: a dialect coach. But he finds himself at a loss for words when he discovers it's the same sexy woman with whom he just had a mind-blowing one-night stand...

Samira can think of many reasons why Rory is completely wrong for her: he's ten years her junior, for one, and he's not Indian--something Samira's mother would never approve of. Even if things were to get serious, there's no reason to tell her mother...is there?

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The Awakening
The Dragon Heart Legacy #1
by Nora Roberts

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts begins a new trilogy of adventure, romance, and magick in The Awakening.

In the realm of Talamh, a teenage warrior named Keegan emerges from a lake holding a sword—representing both power and the terrifying responsibility to protect the Fey. In another realm known as Philadelphia, a young woman has just discovered she possesses a treasure of her own…

When Breen Kelly was a girl, her father would tell her stories of magical places. Now she’s an anxious twentysomething mired in student debt and working a job she hates. But one day she stumbles upon a shocking discovery: her mother has been hiding an investment account in her name. It has been funded by her long-lost father—and it’s worth nearly four million dollars.

This newfound fortune would be life-changing for anyone. But little does Breen know that when she uses some of the money to journey to Ireland, it will unlock mysteries she couldn’t have imagined. Here, she will begin to understand why she kept seeing that silver-haired, elusive man, why she imagined his voice in her head saying Come home, Breen Siobhan. It’s time you came home. Why she dreamed of dragons. And where her true destiny lies—through a portal in Galway that takes her to a land of faeries and mermaids, to a man named Keegan, and to the courage in her own heart that will guide her through a powerful, dangerous destiny…

Add to Goodreads

These Violent Delights
These Violent Delights #1
by Chloe Gong

Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

Add to Goodreads

Ready Player Two
Ready Player One #2
by Ernest Cline

An unexpected quest. Two worlds at stake. Are you ready?

Days after Oasis founder James Halliday's contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything. Hidden within Halliday's vault, waiting for his heir to find, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the Oasis a thousand times more wondrous, and addictive, than even Wade dreamed possible. With it comes a new riddle and a new quest. A last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize. And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who will kill millions to get what he wants. Wade's life and the future of the Oasis are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance.

Lovingly nostalgic and wildly original as only Ernest Cline could conceive it, Ready Player Two takes us on another imaginative, fun, action packed adventure through his beloved virtual universe, and jolts us thrillingly into the future once again.

Add to Goodreads

Sunday, November 1, 2020

My November 2020 TBR!


Happy November, Bookworms!

Can you believe that it's November already? I soooo didn't want October to end. It's definitely my favorite month. But, it did, so we're moving on. :)

Did you have a good reading month in October? I did, and while I didn't read hardly any of the books I had picked out to read, I still read a lot of really good books. I am hoping that I can keep this reading mojo going for the rest of the year... I've been in a reading slump for most of the year, and I really, really miss reading.

:)

You may see a few books on my TBR this month that have also been on previous TBR's this year. I am hoping to spend the next two months catching up on a few books that I meant to read this year, but didn't get to. (That's the plan anyways.) :)

Here's what I'm hoping to read this month:

Books I'm Reading:

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
(Excited to start this!)

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan
(Because I'm *really* missing the PJ world right now.)

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
(I really want to read this one finally, and I hear this is the perfect time of year to do so.)

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
(This one sounds so fun! I hope it puts me in the Christmas spirit.)

Snapped by Alexa Martin
(I LOVE this series, and I'm so ready for this newest book!)

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
(Reading this because of the movie, and because it's my moms most favorite book ever.)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
(I read this book every November!)

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
(So excited to get started on this one!)

Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
(Because I miss this world, and can't wait to get back to it!)

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
(Sigh... I've been trying to read this book since it was released, and I keep putting it off. I am determined to read it this month!)

•     •     •

There are also a few new releases I'll be checking out this month as well:

Instant Karma by Melissa Meyer
The Awakening by Nora Roberts
Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett
Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

I also have some books and audiobooks borrowed from the library that I am excited to read as well.

:)

What are you planning to read in November??