Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Waiting on Wednesday: Second First Impressions & Life's Too Short



Second First Impressions
by Sally Thorne

Expected publication: April 13th 2021
by William Morrow

Distraction (n): an extreme agitation of the mind or emotions.

Ruthie Midona has worked the front desk at the Providence Luxury Retirement Villa for six years, dedicating her entire adult life to caring for the Villa’s residents, maintaining the property (with an assist from DIY YouTube tutorials), and guarding the endangered tortoises that live in the Villa’s gardens. Somewhere along the way, she’s forgotten that she’s young and beautiful, and that there’s a world outside of work—until she meets the son of the property developer who just acquired the retirement center.

Teddy Prescott has spent the last few years partying, sleeping in late, tattooing himself when bored, and generally not taking life too seriously—something his father, who dreams of grooming Teddy into his successor, can’t understand. When Teddy needs a place to crash, his father seizes the chance to get him to grow up. He’ll let Teddy stay in one of the on-site cottages at the retirement home, but only if he works to earn his keep. Teddy agrees—he can change a few lightbulbs and clip some hedges, no sweat. But Ruthie has plans for Teddy too.

Her two wealthiest and most eccentric residents have just placed an ad (yet another!) seeking a new personal assistant to torment. The women are ninety-year-old, four-foot-tall menaces, and not one of their assistants has lasted a full week. Offering up Teddy seems like a surefire way to get rid of the tall, handsome, unnerving man who won’t stop getting under her skin.

Ruthie doesn’t count on the fact that in Teddy Prescott, the Biddies may have finally met their match. He’ll pick up Chanel gowns from the dry cleaner and cut Big Macs into bite-sized bits. He’ll do repairs around the property, make the residents laugh, and charm the entire villa. He might even remind Ruthie what it’s like to be young and fun again. But when she finds out Teddy’s father’s only fixing up the retirement home to sell it, putting everything she cares about in jeopardy, she’s left wondering if Teddy’s magic was all just a façade.

From the USA Today  bestselling author of The Hating Game and 99 Percent Mine comes the clever, funny, and unforgettable story of a muscular, tattooed man hired as an assistant to two old women—under the watchful eye of a beautiful retirement home manager.


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Life's Too Short
by Abby Jimenez

Expected publication: April 6th 2021
by Forever

A brilliant and touching romantic comedy from the USA Today bestselling author of The Friend Zone and The Happy Ever After Playlist. 
When Vanessa Price quit her job to pursue her dream of traveling the globe, she wasn't expecting to gain millions of YouTube followers who shared her joy of seizing every moment. For her, living each day to its fullest isn't just a motto. Her mother and sister never saw the age of 30, and Vanessa doesn't want to take anything for granted.
 
But after her half sister suddenly leaves Vanessa in custody of her baby daughter, life goes from "daily adventure" to "next-level bad" (now with bonus baby vomit in hair). The last person Vanessa expects to show up offering help is the hot lawyer next door, Adrian Copeland. After all, she barely knows him. No one warned her that he was the Secret Baby Tamer or that she'd be spending a whole lot of time with him and his geriatric Chihuahua.
 
Now she's feeling things she's vowed not to feel. Because the only thing worse than falling for Adrian is finding a little hope for a future she may never see.

Add to Goodreads


•     •     •

I have two awesome upcoming contemporaries for my WOW picks this week! I adore both of these authors, and I can't wait to read their newest books!
**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**


Monday, February 15, 2021

My Thoughts: A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer

A Vow So Bold and Deadly
(Cursebreakers #3)
by Brigid Kemmerer

Publication Date: January 26th 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Pages: 416
ISBN: 9781547602582
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Retelling / Magic
Source: Own

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Available for Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Face your fears, fight the battle.

Emberfall is crumbling fast, torn between those who believe Rhen is the rightful prince and those who are eager to begin a new era under Grey, the true heir. Grey has agreed to wait two months before attacking Emberfall, and in that time, Rhen has turned away from everyone—even Harper, as she desperately tries to help him find a path to peace.

Fight the battle, save the kingdom.

Meanwhile, Lia Mara struggles to rule Syhl Shallow with a gentler hand than her mother. But after enjoying decades of peace once magic was driven out of their lands, some of her subjects are angry Lia Mara has an enchanted prince and magical scraver by her side. As Grey's deadline draws nearer, Lia Mara questions if she can be the queen her country needs.

As two kingdoms come closer to conflict, loyalties are tested, love is threatened, and an old enemy resurfaces who could destroy them all, in this stunning conclusion to bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer’s Cursebreaker series. (Goodreads)


A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer at the top of my list of most anticipated reads for 2021, and I was so very excited to finally get my hands on the book! I have really enjoyed the series since it was first released in 2019, and while I’m not at all ready for the series to come to an end, I am very curious to see how it will do so.

If you’ve been around my blog a while, or if you follow me on Instagram, then you probably know how much I LOVE A Curse So Dark and Lonely. Not only because it’s such a unique, addictive read, but also because it’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling, which I LOVE. (Seriously, can I get more retellings like this in the future, please?!) I thought the sequel, A Heart So Fierce and Broken was fantastic as well, and after the MAJOR cliffhanger ending in it, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this final book.

(It was a LONG wait… but it was also SO worth it.)

While I wanted to absolutely devour this book after I finally got my hands on it, I chose to read it slowly instead, because, as I said above, I really, really didn’t want the story to end. This was actually hard to do because the story was SO good, and things kept happening, and I just wanted to devour the book as quickly as I could. Once I hit the halfway mark, I was a goner, and read the last half of the book in one sitting.  And I enjoyed every minute of it.

I had no idea what to expect going into this book. The first and second books went in completely different directions than expected them to, and so I had no idea what would happen in this third book. The storyline picks up not long after where A Heart So Fierce and Broken ends and quickly goes from there. We get multiple viewpoints throughout the book, as we did in the previous books, and it was so nice to get in these characters' heads again. We learn so much new info! This series has so many great characters, and I love them all so much, and want to know so much more about them!

The first half of the book is a little slow, but once you hit the halfway mark, things really start to heat up. I’m pretty happy with the way things ended in this book… though… While it feels like some things came together rather nicely, it also felt like some things were left open – either to be left to our interpretation or for something else, I have no idea. I definitely feel like there could be more to this story in the future, and if Brigid wants to add to this series, or make a spin-off, I would SO be down for that. Give me all the books!

Overall; I thought A Vow So Bold and Deadly was the perfect end to this wonderful series. I wasn’t at all ready for it to end, and I am hoping beyond hope that we get more books in this series down the road, or maybe a spin-off series, because I’m so not ready to say goodbye to these characters. If you’ve read and loved the other books in this series, do check out this conclusion with A Vow So Bold and Deadly! If you’ve not yet started this fantastic series… well… what are you waiting for??

Sunday, February 14, 2021

My Top Five Favorite Rom-Coms to watch for Valentine's Day!


It's Valentine's Day, Bookworms! Whether you love the day or not, you have to admit that today is the perfect day to curl up with a good book and/or watch a romantic comedy or two!

Today I'm sharing a few of my most favorite rom-coms that you could spend the day watching. They are all fun, cute movies! I have watched them SO many times, I pretty much know them by heart, but I will definitely be watching again.

So without further ado... here's my list!



You've Got Mail (1998)

This is hands down my most favorite movie ever. I love Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) so much. I adore Tom Hanks as well, but I am always still a little miffed at the end of this movie with him. This movie has it all... Romance... books... bookstores... everything you need for a good movie! lol



French Kiss (1995)

Yes, another Meg Ryan movie on my list. This movie, while definitely not as popular as the previous movie, is so cute. I love the chemistry between Meg and Kevin Kline. So good!



Pride and Prejudice (2005)

My favorite adaptation of my favorite book. I love this movie! The casting is fantastic, and watching this movie always makes me happy.



Notting Hill (1999)

Julia Roberts is another actress that I really love, and Notting Hill never gets old!
(It's also a place I want to visit someday.)



The Wedding Planner (2001)

This movie is so cute! I can (and have) watch it over and over again. Jennifer Lopez is adorable in it! So cute!

•     •     •

Have you watched any of these movies? Are there any that you still need to?
I think I will try to watch them all today!

What are some of your favorite rom-coms? I definitely need more to add to my list.

Thursday, February 11, 2021

My Thoughts: A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

A Heart So Fierce and Broken
(Cursebreakers #2)
by Brigid Kemmerer

Publication Date: January 7th 2020
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Pages: 450
ISBN: 9781681195117
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Retellings
Source: Own

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Available for Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Find the heir, win the crown.

The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.

Win the crown, save the kingdom.

Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen--until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?

The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.

In the sequel to New York Times bestselling A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Brigid Kemmerer returns to the world of Emberfall in a lush fantasy where friends become foes and love blooms in the darkest of places. (Add to Goodreads)


I originally read A Heart So Fierce and Broken back when it was first released in 2020, but for some reason never typed out my thoughts on the book. Since I just finished re-reading it to refresh before starting A Vow So Bold and Deadly, I figured I would go ahead and take a moment to share my thoughts on the book while it is, once again, fresh in my mind.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely is a book that I enjoyed so much. Not only because it’s a highly addictive read, but also because it is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. (I seriously can’t get enough of them.) It was definitely one of my favorite series starters, so of course, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on its sequel, A Heart So Fierce and Broken.

While the first book in the series is about Rhen and Harper, the second book is all about Grey, and a newly introduced character, Lia Mara. I loved Scary Grey from the moment I met him in the first book, so I was really, really excited to get his story in the second book. Especially after we discovered his secret! Grey is such a great character, and I really enjoyed following him on his journey in this book. I also really enjoyed watching his relationship with Lia Mara grow throughout the book. I like them both so much, and I’m so curious to see what’s in store for them, (as well as Harper, Rhen, and the rest of the crew), in the third book.

(Also, that ending of A Heart So Fierce and Broken was crazy! Waiting a year for the next book almost killed me!)

Overall; A Heart So Fierce and Broken was a great sequel to A Curse So Dark and Lonely! I am now very excited to get started on A Vow So Bold and Deadly, even though I am SO not ready for the series to end. If you haven’t yet started this series, you definitely need to do so! It’s so good, and I hope you enjoy it if you do decide to read it.

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Waiting on Wednesday: Bridge of Souls & Lost in the Never Woods


Bridge of Souls
(Cassidy Blake #3)
by Victoria Schwab

Expected publication: March 2nd 2021
by Scholastic Press

Where there are ghosts, Cassidy Blake follows ... unless it's the other way around?

Cass thinks she might have this ghost-hunting thing down. After all, she and her ghost best friend, Jacob, have survived two haunted cities while travelling for her parents' TV show.

But nothing can prepare Cass for New Orleans, which wears all of its hauntings on its sleeve. In a city of ghost tours and tombs, raucous music and all kinds of magic, Cass could get lost in all the colourful, grisly local legends. And the city's biggest surprise is a foe Cass never expected to face: a servant of Death itself.

Cass takes on her most dangerous challenge yet...


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Lost in the Never Woods
by Aiden Thomas

Expected publication: March 23rd 2021
by Swoon Reads

When children go missing, people want answers. When children go missing in the small coastal town of Astoria, people look to Wendy for answers.

It's been five years since Wendy and her two brothers went missing in the woods, but when the town’s children start to disappear, the questions surrounding her brothers’ mysterious circumstances are brought back into light. Attempting to flee her past, Wendy almost runs over an unconscious boy lying in the middle of the road, and gets pulled into the mystery haunting the town.

Peter, a boy she thought lived only in her stories, claims that if they don't do something, the missing children will meet the same fate as her brothers. In order to find them and rescue the missing kids, Wendy must confront what's waiting for her in the woods.


Add to Goodreads

•     •     •

Two more awesome upcoming releases this week!

I absolutely adore Victoria Schwab's Cassidy Blake series, and I feel like I have been waiting forever for this third book to release! I am very excited to check it out!

And Lost in the Never Woods sounds absolutely fantastic as well! I can't wait to 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.**


Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Top Ten Tuesday: Romances You Could Read for Valentine's Day

February 9: Valentine’s Day/Love Freebie

Happy Tuesday, Bookworms!

Today's Top Ten prompt is a freebie, so I thought it would be fun to share with you some romances that you can read for Valentine's Day! I am really enjoying romances right now, and these are just a few of my favorites, so I hope you see something you may like!



The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne



Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey



Well Met by Jen DeLuca
Intercepted by Alexa Martin



The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang



The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

•     •     •

There you go, friends! A list of romances that you could totally read before Valentine's Day... and beyond! Most of these are series, so if you like the first book, check out the rest of the series as well!


Monday, February 8, 2021

My Thoughts: Snapped by Alexa Martin

Snapped
(Playbook #4)
by Alexa Martin

Publication Date: October 20th 2020
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 336
ISBN: 9780593102503
Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Sports
Source: Netgalley, Own

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Available for Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

With the stakes this high, it’s no longer just a game for the quarterback in this romance by the author of Blitzed.

Elliot Reed is living her best life—or pretending to. She owes it to her dad’s memory to be happy and make the most of her new job as Strategic Communications Manager for the Denver Mustangs. Things are going well until star quarterback Quinton Howard Jr. decides to use the field as his stage and becomes the first player to take a knee during the national anthem.

As the son of a former professional athlete, Quinton knows the good, the bad, and the ugly about football. He's worked his entire life to gain recognition in the sport, and now that he has it, he’s not about to waste his chance to change the league for better. Not even the brilliant but infuriating Elliot, who the Mustangs assign to manage him, will get Quinton back in line.

A rocky initial meeting only leads to more tension between Quinton and Elliot. But as her new job forces them to spend time together, she realizes they may have more in common than she could've ever imagined. With her job and his integrity on the line, this is one coin toss that nobody can win. (Goodreads)


The Playbook series by Alexa Martin is hands down one of my most favorite sports-themed romance series that I have read so far, and I absolutely thought the series had ended with the third book, Blitzed. So imagine my surprise when I discovered that there was going to be a fourth book in the series! To say I was ecstatic would be an understatement. I was so excited to read Snapped!

Confession time … I am not exactly a fan of sports. I used to watch football all the time but had to stop because it made my anxiety skyrocket, which is not a good thing for me. When I started reading this series, I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Though football may be the theme, it’s definitely not the main focus of the stories, and because of that, I ended up LOVING this series.

Snapped is the fourth and newest book in the series, and it’s all about Elle and Quinton. These two characters had a bit of a rocky start and had a very, very slow burn relationship, but I really enjoyed them together. And that slow burn romance was very, very worth it in the end. I loved watching their relationship grow throughout the book!

I was also VERY happy to see some of the characters that we know and love from the previous books in this series again. I LOVE the friendships that these ladies have! And it was so great when they brought Elle into that friendship like she’d been there all along. Books with strong friendships are my favorite.

The storyline for Snapped has a bit more of a somber feel to it than the rest of the books in the series did. Both of the characters are going through major things in their lives, and you can definitely feel that as you read the story. There are also a lot of in the story that are relevant to things happening in the world right now, and I appreciate the author including her thoughts on these issues as well.

Overall; I really enjoyed this newest book in the Playbook series! I really hope that we get more books in this series in the future, and I’m thinking that we may see a book for Vonnie coming out soon? (I hope so because I LOVE Vonnie!) If Alexa Martin wants to keep adding books to this series, I will most definitely keep reading them. And if you’re a fan of romances, you should definitely check them out as well!

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Waiting on Wednesday: Chain of Iron and Rule of Wolves



Chain of Iron
(The Last Hours #2)
by Cassandra Clare

Expected publication: March 2nd 2021
by Margaret K. McElderry Books

The Shadowhunters must catch a killer in Edwardian London in this dangerous and romantic sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling novel Chain of Gold, from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Cassandra Clare. Chain of Iron is a Shadowhunters novel.

Cordelia Carstairs seems to have everything she ever wanted. She’s engaged to marry James Herondale, the boy she has loved since childhood. She has a new life in London with her best friend Lucie Herondale and James’s charming companions, the Merry Thieves. She is about to be reunited with her beloved father. And she bears the sword Cortana, a legendary hero’s blade.

But the truth is far grimmer. James and Cordelia’s marriage is a lie, arranged to save Cordelia’s reputation. James is in love with the mysterious Grace Blackthorn whose brother, Jesse, died years ago in a terrible accident. Cortana burns Cordelia’s hand when she touches it, while her father has grown bitter and angry. And a serial murderer is targeting the Shadowhunters of London, killing under cover of darkness, then vanishing without a trace.

Together with the Merry Thieves, Cordelia, James, and Lucie must follow the trail of the knife-wielding killer through the city’s most dangerous streets. All the while, each is keeping a shocking secret: Lucie, that she plans to raise Jesse from the dead; Cordelia, that she has sworn a dangerous oath of loyalty to a mysterious power; and James, that he is being drawn further each night into the dark web of his grandfather, the arch-demon Belial. And that he himself may be the killer they seek.

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Rule of Wolves
(King of Scars #2)
by Leigh Bardugo

Expected publication: March 30th 2021
by Imprint

The wolves are circling and a young king will face his greatest challenge in the explosive finale of the instant #1 New York Times-bestselling King of Scars Duology.

The Demon King. As Fjerda's massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm—and even the monster within—to win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king's gift for the impossible.

The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost.

The Queen of Mourning. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.

King. General. Spy. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. Or watch a nation fall.

Add to Goodreads


•     •     •

My WOW picks this week are two upcoming sequels that I can't wait to finally read! I loved the first books in both series, and I can't wait to see where the stories are going to go next!

(Though I am a little bummed that Rule of Wolves is the last book in the King of Scars series. Sigh.)

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


Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Most Anticipated February 2021 New Releases


February is here! And it's brought with it SO many awesome new releases.
Here are a few that I'm looking forward to checking out this month!



The Iron Raven
(The Iron Fey: Evenfall #1)
by Julie Kagawa

You may have heard of me...

Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Prankster, joker, raven, fool… King Oberon’s right-hand jester from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The legends are many, but the truth will now be known as never before, as Puck finally tells his own story and faces a threat to the lands of Faery and the human world unlike any before.

With the Iron Queen Meghan Chase and her prince consort, Puck’s longtime rival Ash, and allies old and new by his side, Puck begins a fantastical and dangerous adventure not to be missed or forgotten.

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A Court of Silver Flames
(A Court of Thorns and Roses #4)
by Sarah J. Maas
Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she's struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can't seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.

The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre's Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta's orbit. But her temper isn't the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.

Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.

Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance-and healing-in each other's arms.

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The Gilded Ones
(Deathless #1)
by Namina Forna

The start of a bold and immersive West African-inspired, feminist fantasy series for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther. In this world, girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice.

Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.

But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity--and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.

Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki--near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire's greatest threat.

Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she's ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be--not even Deka herself.

Add to Goodreads

 

What Big Teeth
by Rose Szabo

Rose Szabo's thrilling debut is a dark and thrilling novel about a teen girl who returns home to her strange, wild family after years of estrangement, perfect for fans of Wilder Girls.

Eleanor Zarrin has been estranged from her wild family for years. When she flees boarding school after a horrifying incident, she goes to the only place she thinks is safe: the home she left behind. But when she gets there, she struggles to fit in with her monstrous relatives, who prowl the woods around the family estate and read fortunes in the guts of birds.

Eleanor finds herself desperately trying to hold the family together — in order to save them all, Eleanor must learn to embrace her family of monsters and tame the darkness inside her.

Exquisitely terrifying, beautiful, and strange, this fierce gothic fantasy will sink its teeth into you and never let go.

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Make Up Break Up
by Lily Menon

Love, romance, second chances, fairy-tale endings…these are the things Annika Dev believes in. Her app, Make Up, has been called the “Google Translate for failing relationships.”

High efficiency break-ups, flashy start-ups, penthouses, fast cars…these are the things Hudson Craft believes in. His app, Break Up, is known as the “Uber for break-ups.” It’s wildly successful—and anathema to Annika’s life philosophy.

Which wouldn’t be a problem if they’d gone their separate ways after that summer fling in Las Vegas, never to see each other again. Unfortunately for Annika, Hudson’s moving not just into her office building, but into the office right next to hers. And he’ll be competing at the prestigious EPIC investment pitch contest: A contest Annika needs to win if she wants to keep Make Up afloat. As if it’s not bad enough seeing his irritatingly perfect face on magazine covers when her own business is failing. As if knowing he stole her idea and twisted it into something vile—and monumentally more successful—didn’t already make her stomach churn.

As the two rival app developers clash again and again—and again—Annika finds herself drawn into Hudson Craft’s fast-paced, high velocity, utterly shallow world. Only, from up close, he doesn’t seem all that shallow. Could it be that everything she thought about Hudson is completely wrong? Could the creator of Break Up teach her what true love’s really about?

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Honey Girl
by Morgan Rogers

A refreshingly timely and relatable debut novel about a young woman whose life plans fall apart when she meets her wife.

With her newly completed PhD in astronomy in hand, twenty-eight-year-old Grace Porter goes on a girls’ trip to Vegas to celebrate. She’s a straight A, work-through-the-summer certified high achiever. She is not the kind of person who goes to Vegas and gets drunkenly married to a woman whose name she doesn’t know…until she does exactly that.

This one moment of departure from her stern ex-military father’s plans for her life has Grace wondering why she doesn’t feel more fulfilled from completing her degree. Staggering under the weight of her father’s expectations, a struggling job market and feelings of burnout, Grace flees her home in Portland for a summer in New York with the wife she barely knows.

In New York, she’s able to ignore all the annoying questions about her future plans and falls hard for her creative and beautiful wife, Yuki Yamamoto. But when reality comes crashing in, Grace must face what she’s been running from all along—the fears that make us human, the family scars that need to heal and the longing for connection, especially when navigating the messiness of adulthood.

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A Pho Love Story
by Loan Le

If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself, he’d say he was a rock. Steady and strong, but not particularly interesting. His grades are average, his social status unremarkable. He works at his parents’ pho restaurant, and even there, he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee. Not ideal.

If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and fire. She loves art and dreams pursuing a career in it. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including working practically full-time at her family’s pho restaurant.

For years, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring pho restaurants. Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition.

But then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao in the same vicinity despite their best efforts and sparks fly, leading them both to wonder what took so long for them to connect. But then, of course, they immediately remember.

Can Linh and Bao find love in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories?

When Dimple Met Rishi meets Ugly Delicious in this funny, smart romantic comedy, in which two Vietnamese-American teens fall in love and must navigate their newfound relationship amid their families’ age-old feud about their competing, neighboring restaurants.

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A Lady's Formula For Love
(The Secret Scientists of London #1)
by Elizabeth Everett

What is a Victorian lady's formula for love? Mix one brilliant noblewoman and her enigmatic protection officer. Add in a measure of danger and attraction. Heat over the warmth of humor and friendship, and the result is more than simple chemistry—it's elemental.

Lady Violet Hughes is keeping secrets. First, she founded a clandestine sanctuary for England's most brilliant female scientists. Second, she is using her genius on a confidential mission for the Crown. But the biggest secret of all? Her feelings for protection officer Arthur Kneland.

Solitary and reserved, Arthur learned the hard way to put duty first. But the more time he spends in the company of Violet and the eccentric club members, the more his best intentions go up in flames. Literally.

When a shadowy threat infiltrates Violet's laboratories, endangering her life and her work, scientist and bodyguard will find all their theories put to the test—and learn that the most important discoveries are those of the heart.

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First Comes Like
(Modern Love #3)
by Alisha Rai

The author of The Right Swipe and Girl Gone Viral returns with a story about finding love in all the wrong inboxes...
Beauty expert and influencer Jia Ahmed has her eye on the prize: conquering the internet today, the entire makeup industry tomorrow, and finally, finally proving herself to her big opinionated family. She has little time for love, and even less time for the men in her private messages—until the day a certain international superstar slides into her DMs, and she falls hard and fast.

There’s just one wrinkle: he has no idea who she is.

The son of a powerful Bollywood family, soap opera star Dev Dixit is used to drama, but a strange woman who accuses him of wooing her online, well, that’s a new one. As much as he’d like to focus on his Hollywood fresh start, he can’t get Jia out of his head. Especially once he starts to suspect who might have used his famous name to catfish her…

When paparazzi blast their private business into the public eye, Dev is happy to engage in some friendly fake dating to calm the gossips and to dazzle her family. But as the whole world swoons over their relationship, Jia can’t help but wonder: Can an online romance-turned-offline-fauxmance ever become love in real life?

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The Paris Library
by Janet Skeslien Charles

Based on the true World War II story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris, this is an unforgettable story of romance, friendship, family, and the power of literature to bring us together, perfect for fans of The Lilac Girls and The Paris Wife.

Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet has it all: her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into Paris, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved library. Together with her fellow librarians, Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapons she has: books. But when the war finally ends, instead of freedom, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal.

Montana, 1983: Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure in small-town Montana. Her interest is piqued by her solitary, elderly neighbor. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbor’s mysterious past, she finds that they share a love of language, the same longings, and the same intense jealousy, never suspecting that a dark secret from the past connects them.

A powerful novel that explores the consequences of our choices and the relationships that make us who we are—family, friends, and favorite authors—The Paris Library shows that extraordinary heroism can sometimes be found in the quietest of places.

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So many great books, right?! I can't wait to read them all.

Are there any books you're excited for this month??