Finding Our Way Back (Well Paired, Book 5)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

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Author: Marianne Rice

Series: Well Paired

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Star Hill Press

Pages: 380

Jenna Snyder spends her days caring for an elderly man and her free time relaxing by making pottery. She seems to have finally put her life and her heart back together after it was completely shattered. Those painful memories are the only thing keeping her from moving forward and finding someone new. Tristan, the man who broke her heart, is in Crystal Cove running his catering business in partnership with the small winery there. He had no idea that this would mean his running in to Jenna. He will do anything in his power to make things right with her. He has to make sure that she doesn’t find out the truth behind what really tore them apart…

Welcome back to Crystal Cove! This is the fifth installment in the Well Paired series by Marianne Rice. This may be the most emotionally heavy book in the series, yet. The Jenna and Tristan story was a roller coaster of heartbreak and healing, and I am here for it! It was a bit of a slow burn, but the payoff was worth the wait. As with the other books in this series, the characters were well developed and fleshed out. This could be my favorite book in this series (I may have said this before, though?). If you want a book to pull at your heartstrings, I recommend this one! I also recommend pairing this with a glass (bottle?) of your favorite red or white. 

The Pirate’s Betrothed (Sea Scoundrels, Book 1)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

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Author: Kimberley Anne

Genre: Historical Romance 

Series: Sea Scoundrels 

Pages: 83

Publisher: Indie

Hannah O’Rourke and Abigail Murphy are fleeing Ireland for the colony of Rhode Island. They know that it is a dangerous journey, and that it may not being them much safety, but they are both willing to take the risk. Hannah is fleeing an arranged marriage to a pirate whom she has no intention of marrying. Abigail, her now closest friend, is carrying the bastard of a sea captain whom she loved but did not want to marry her. When Abigail dies giving birth, she leaves the baby to Hannah to raise. Unfortunately, Hannah soon learns that not only is the baby’s father more than willing to take and raise him, he is the same pirate to whom she was betrothed and ran from. Righteous anger, rum, and a fiery temper mix together to formulate a plan that doesn’t quite go as planned. 

Look y’all, I’m branching out! This was a really entertaining, short historical romance! I really enjoyed it, and read it super quickly. If I didn’t know better, I honestly wouldn’t have guessed that this is Kimberley’s debut historical romance. The plot was paced well, so it didn’t feel that it was lacking anything in the novella length. The characters were great! Hannah was great, and her temper and emotions were a mood! I loved her! The engaging characters and well paced plot will keep you reading straight through to the surprise at the end! If you enjoy clean historical romances, or just want to dip your toe in and see if you enjoy them, try this one out! 

Coming Soon: Finding Our Way Back (Well Paired, Book 5)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Happy Monday, everyone!!

I hope you all had a great weekend! I thought I’d start the week of with some fun news: the next book in Marianne Rice’s Well Paired series drops this Friday! I’m super excited about it!!

Are you ready??!!

Isn’t that a beautiful cover?!

If you’ve been following the series, this is Jenna’s story, so it should be good!!

I’ll have a review up for you before Friday, and you can pre-order at the link below!

Have a great week, y’all!!

https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Back-Well-Paired-Novel-ebook/dp/B07VC9TTW6/?tag=smarturlebook-20

#backlistboost Friday

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Happy Friday everyone!!

It’s time for #backlistboost Friday!!

This week I’m boosting one of my favorite post-apocalyptic/dystopian books, The Fire Sermon, by Francesca Haig.

The Fire Sermon is the first book in a very different post-apocalyptic/dystopian trilogy, where everything has changed due to the after effects of radiation. Every pregnancy now results in twins. One twin is always born with some sort of deficiency. These are the Omegas…

If you’re a fan of post-apocalyptic/dystopian reads, and want something a bit different, give this a shot! I think you’ll dig it!!

Find my original review of The Fire Sermon here: The Fire Sermon (The Fire Sermon Trilogy, 1)

The August Plan…

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Happy Monday, everyone!!

I can’t believe that August is already here!

This year feels like it has flown by, and we are getting close to my favorite time of the year: Fall!! Unfortunately, for me, this year the Fall season is bringing me back to school. I’ve decided to pursue another degree, and I start back in September. That means that I am trying to get in as much fun reading as I can this month!

I am going to try to get through as many of these as possible before the Fall quarter starts:

I am currently reading Three Women by Lisa Taddeo, which I am enjoying. I’m also making my way through Preacher for the first time, and wondering why I’ve waited so long to read it!

What are your reading plans for August? Do you have any big upcoming plans for fall?

What should I read next?!

Let me know your thoughts!!

Have a great week!

Always,

T

#backlistboost Friday

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Hi Everyone!!

It’s #backlistboost Friday, again!!

I hope you’ve all had a great week! Mine has been absolutely crazy, but I had to make time to spotlight one of my favorite mystery authors, Jamie Lee Scott!

This week, I’d like to boost Let Us Prey. This is the first book in Jamie’s Gotcha Detective Agency series.

If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll probably recognize this series, as it’s ongoing and I’ve recently reviewed book twelve, Love is a Many Splintered Thing. This is a really fun murder mystery/PI series, with some great humor and snark. The story definitely evolves as the series continues. The author did edit the book after some initial reviews, and removed some of the more crude language that was in the first edition.

If you’re a fan of lighter mysteries in the arena of Jana DeLeon, Janet Evanovich, or Joanne Fluke, I think you’ll enjoy this series.

You can find my initial review here:Let Us Prey (Gotcha Detective Agency, Book 1)

#backlistboost Friday

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Hi everyone!!

It’s time for #backlistboost Friday, again!! This week I’d like to showcase a book that I first read and reviewed back in August of 2015: Get in Trouble: Stories by Kelly Link.

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I know that I say this every time that I get the chance (so, obviously, I’m going to say it again!), I LOVE short stories!!! Guys, this is honestly my favorite book of short stories to date. The stories in this cross genres of fantasy, myths, and urban legends in an organic way. Link’s writing is completely brilliant, and I was absorbed from the very beginning. This was the first of her books that I read, but it certainly wasn’t the last. There is a reason that I grabbed a book strictly based on her endorsement being on it (the previously boosted Glittering World), and I didn’t regret it for a second. If you’re a fan of the above mentioned genres, and don’t mind your short stories with a little bit of creepiness, this may just be the collection for you! I hope you love it as much as I do!

You can find my original review here: Get in Trouble: Stories

 

 

Pretty Guilty Women

Posted on by The Novel Girl

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Author: Gina LaManna

Genre: Thriller

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmarks

Pages: 336

Four old college roommates, all who’ve grown apart, reunite as Whitney is to become the new Mrs. Banks at a posh resort wedding. They each have their own reasons for attending, aside from seeing Whitney wed. If nothing, it should be a relaxing weekend at the fancy resort. 

Lulu is on her latest rich husband, a Banks relative, and they are coming up on their five year mark. She is sure that her husband is hiding something, and she plans to use this trip to find out what is going on and save her marriage. Something, however, goes terribly wrong at the Banks wedding. Someone’s dead. Four separate women confess to committing the murder alone. Why would the all confess? Who is telling the truth? 

I’ve read several of Gina LaManna’s Magic & Mixology series books, so I was very excited to receive the ARC to this book. For some reason, I always enjoy reading a great thriller in the summer, and this one didn’t disappoint. I loved that, like her previous series, this is full of strong female characters. All of these characters have a great story and are well developed. Even if you don’t love them right away, you come to root for them in the end. By the end of the book, I wanted to hang out and have some wine with these ladies! The author used descriptions freely, but not so much that they got in the way of the story. The plot moved along at a steady pace, with no very slow places. This book felt very much in the same arena as Big Little Lies, Not That I Could Tell, etc, with that great blend of women’s fiction and thriller. If you are a fan of those, I feel that you would really enjoy this. I look forward to reading more from this author! (P.S. If you’re a fan of books with a lot of fun and magic- check out her Magic & Mixology series! I love it!)

This releases on 9/3/19. 

Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC! 

The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets

Posted on by The Novel Girl

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Author: Molly Fader

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Publisher: Graydon House

Pages: 368

Seventeen years after their last summer together, the one that drove them apart, the McAvoy sisters have moved on. Lindy has a new life in the city and never returned home. Delia, on the other hand, never left and raises her daughters in their hometown. Now, with their mother’s health going downhill and her daughter rebelling, Delia must welcome Lindy and her helping hands home. This may give them both a chance to get back something that they’ve both been missing. When old secrets surface, will it drive them further apart or finally bring the McAvoy sisters back together? 

This is the first book that I have ready by this author. It is a very well written and poignant family drama. The characters were well written, well developed, and thoroughly fleshed out. The main characters really give you someone to root for, which is always nice! The plot was well paced and didn’t feel like slowed in many places, as can happen sometimes in family dramas. The book finished well, and it didn’t feel like the author rushed the ending to tie things up. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I’m happy to have read it! 

This book releases on July 16, so if this sounds like something you’d like there’s plenty of time to pre-order! 

Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy!! 

 

Cursed (Underground Encounters, Book 0)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

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Author: Lisa Carlisle

Series: Underground Encounters

Genre: PNR

Publisher: Indie

Pages: 78

Gargoyle shifter Lucan finds out the hard way that one should never cross a witch! When Lucan has what he believes to be a fling with a witch, she turns vengeful and locks not only him but his two brothers in to their stone forms and turns their memories cloudy. How will the brothers handle this curse? 

This is a prequel novella to the Underground Encounters series, which I know that you have have seen me rave about. These characters and the world has already been incredible well developed, so I loved that we got to see how the story of these brothers being under this curse began. We get to see the reason that they were paced under this curse and how they came to be in the state in which we find them in their individual stories. This, like the others, was incredibly well written and moves along at a great pace. It’s, of course, a quick read as it is a novella. If you’re a fan of these stories, or shifters in general, pick this up!