Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookishin June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
Every Tuesday, a new topic is assigned from the schedule below. Then, you take that topic and fly free with it. You can do as little or as much as you want to (I have done as low as two before). If you want, you can link back To That Artsy Reader Girl and show her what you posted.
The Schedule
April 16: Characters I’d Like to go on Vacation With (Pretend you’re going on vacation and can bring 10 of your closest friends with you. Pick your vacation spot and tell us who you’d like to bring! Bonus point if you tell us why. Or maybe you like the idea of traveling in small groups, so plan 10 trips or 5 trips!) April 23: Unread Books on My Shelves I Want to Read Soon (Bonus points if you tell us how long it’s been sitting on your shelf waiting for you.) April 30: Petty Reasons You’ve DNF’d a Book (Or reduced its rating. You don’t even have to say what the book was if you don’t want to!) May 7: May Flowers — Pick your own title for this one to reflect the direction you choose to go with this prompt (books with flowers on the cover, flower names in the title, characters whose names are flower names, stories involving flowers/gardeners) May 14: Favorite Book Quotes (You can pick your favorite quotes from books, or about books! You can set a theme like quotes from books about love, friendship, hope, etc. or you can just share quotes you loved from your recent reads!) May 21: Authors I’d Love a New Book From (These could be authors that have passed away, who have retired from writing, who have inexplicably gone quiet, or who might jut not be able to keep up with how quickly you read their books!) May 28: Books I Was Super Excited to Get My Hands on but Still Haven’t Read June 4: Books I Had VERY Strong Emotions About (Any emotion! Did a book make you super happy or sad? Angry? Terrified? Surprised?) June 11: Bookish Wishes (List the top 10 books you’d love to own and include a link to your wishlist so that people can grant your wishes. Make sure you link your wishlist to your mailing address or include the email address associated with your e-reader in the list description so people know how to get the book to you. After you post, jump around the Linky and grant a wish or two if you’d like. Please don’t feel obligated to send anything to anyone!) June 18: Books on My Summer 2024 To-Read List June 25: Most Anticipated Books Releasing During the Second Half of 2024
All books listed are taken from my NetGalley/Downloaded to Kindle/Want to Read Goodreads shelf.
Romanceopoly 2023! (Read a contemporary romance by an author you haven’t tried before): Father Figure by James J. Cudney
2023 TBR Prompts (Shortest book on my TBR): Thirst by Graceley Knox
July:
Buzzword Reading Challenge 2023 (“Weather-related words: weather related words in the title: rain, storm, snow, clouds, sky, sunshine, hurricane): Stormcall by T.A. Marks
Buzzword Reading Challenge 2023 (Flavour-related words: Must have flavour/herb/spice related words in the title: salter, pepper, dill, ginger, mango, vanilla, lemon…etc)—The Saltwater Marathon
2023 Sami Parker Reads Title Challenge (with a word such as rabbit, bunny, hare to honor Chinese Year of the Rabbit. Title should include at least one of those words)—Killer Rabbits
The StoryGraph’s Onboarding Reading Challenge 2023 (Read a book in your least read format or genre)—Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
Scavenger Hunt TBR Book Challenge (Go to page 34, line 6 of the book you just read. How many words are there in that line? Divide that number by 3. That’s the amount of words the title of your next book should be): Modern Girl’s Guide to Vacation Flings by Gina Drayer
Beat the Backlist 2023 (meant to read it last year): Prepared by Courtney Konstantin
The StoryGraph’s Genre Challenge 2023 (A children’s book you never read as a kid): Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2023 (A book with a mythical creature): Hereditary by Jane Washington
2023 TBR Toppler (The last book in a series): Ten Thousand Truths by Kelli Washington
Books I bought*:
*Normally, there won’t be a lot of books on here. But I am going through my Goodreads shelves and downloading any free books I am coming across from books already shelved (as well as adding books that are in the same series). This is an ongoing project, and I should be done by September (yes, I have that many books).
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
How it works:
She assigns each Tuesday a topic and then posts her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.
I have read almost everything by Charlotte Bronte except for Jane Eyre. This book has been on my reading bucket list for a while. Maybe I’ll get to it in 2022.
The cover caught my attention for this book. I have decided that I am going to read more cozy mysteries and this one seems like something I would like.
Fresh out of a long-term relationship, Willow Parks is working two jobs and caring for her mother, whose husband left her with nothing but a pile of bills. That’s why Willow made a vow: no men until she figures out her own life.
But while she may not need a man, she could use a break. And a weekend away at a California beach to clear her head? That’s appealing. Even if the offer comes from Trey Collins, the irresistible tech-mogul millionaire who visits her coffee shop every morning like clockwork—and needs a date for his best friend’s wedding. With an adorable, occasional stutter, he refuses to take no for an answer.
Once the weekend begins, Trey is intent on proving how good they can be together. Willow’s even feeling tempted to break her vow—until reality rudely interrupts her well-deserved getaway. There’s no way she and Trey have a future, not with the colossal amount of baggage Willow has to offer.
But Trey is used to getting what he wants. He just has his work cut out for him convincing her that they want the same thing.
First Line:
Wiping sleep from my eyes, I trudge down the hall of my childhood home.
Weekend Fling by Stacey Lynn
My Review:
I have had a love-hate relationship with Stacey Lynn’sCrazy Love series. I loved the first book in the series. But, with the next two books, I was “meh.” Those two books didn’t impress me too much. So, when I saw that Weekend Fling was up for review on NetGalley, I decided to give it ago. I figured with two “meh” books in a row that I would like the next book. And I thought right. I enjoyed reading Weekend Fling. It was just the book I needed to read, and it reignited my interest in the series.
The plotline for Weekend Fling had an excellent flow to it. Having a good flow to the plotline makes the book so much easier to read. The pacing of the book was medium, which I enjoyed. I go back and forth on how fast I like my romances to be. Sometimes I like them slow. Other times I want them fast. And still other times, I like the medium-paced. There were no dropped storylines or characters who mysteriously disappear.
I wasn’t a fan of Willow when Weekend Fling started. She rubbed me the wrong way with the way she treated Trey. But, as I got involved in the book, I began to see why Willow treated him the way she did. She was burning the candle at both ends. Willow was resentful that her father could leave and go on with his life. She also was becoming resentful that her mother couldn’t pull herself out of her depression. I was surprised when she agreed to go away with Trey for the weekend. By that point, I started to like her. She had an inner strength that most people don’t have, how she acted in the events after the wedding showcased that perfectly.
I loved Trey. He was everything that Willow needed and then some. I loved that he wasn’t pushy. Trey let Willow set the pace of their relationship. I also loved how he was there for her, and he didn’t let her push him away during the last half of the book. There was a point in the book where I thought Trey needed to be a little more pushy with her. Almost as soon as I felt that, he took charge. Loved it!!
There are some triggers in Weekend Fling. The author touches upon mental illness and suicide during the book. The author’s note at the end of the book broke my heart. I started bawling my eyes out when reading it.
Weekend Fling can be read as a stand-alone book. It is the 4th book in the Crazy Love series. What I enjoyed is that the author was able to bring the previous characters from the previous three books into this book but keep them in the background.
Trey and Willow had insane sexual chemistry. The author chose to let it build and build throughout the book. When they finally did have sex, it was a flipping explosion. I loved it!! The sex scenes after that weren’t as hot, but they were still good.
The end of Weekend Fling was bittersweet. I thought that Willow’s father’s explanation was weak AF, but it still worked. I loved the epilogue!!!
I would give Weekend Fling an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.
I would reread Weekend Fling. I would recommend it to family and friends.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
In the age of apps and social media, how many dates does it take to find “the one”? The author of Knocked Up and Fake Wife swipes right on love with a captivating friends-to-lovers tale.
Caitlin Pappas is a lifelong commitment-phobe. The closest thing she’s had to a relationship in the last few years was a friends-with-benefits thing that fizzled out because the guy wanted more. So when she and her best friend design a new app that promises to find “the one” in 28 Dates, Caitlin is the perfect guinea pig. Little does she know that she may have already met her match. . . .
Jonas Reeveshas tried his best to move on after Caitlin didn’t want take things to the next level. Now they really are just friends . . . without benefits. Caitlin’s even a regular at his bar, The Dirty Martini. But when he learns that Caitlin plans to beta-test a new dating app on his home turf, Jonas senses a golden opportunity to win her heart. Even if he has to slide into her DMs to do it. . . .
The steamy standalone novels in Stacey Lynn’s Crazy Love series can be read together or separately: FAKE WIFE • KNOCKED UP • 28 DATES
My Review:
I started 28 Dates being excited about it. I had read the previous two books and liked them. So, my expectations for this book were high. I figured that a book about friends with benefits relationship turning into more would be a good read. Instead, I got a book that had me so disinterested in the characters that I almost skipped over the epilogue.
The plot for 28 Dates was interesting. Caitlin is a commitment-phobe. She refuses to do relationships. Her long term friends with benefits ended because Jonas developed feelings for her, and it scared Caitlin. So, she was surprised when her best friend asked her to beta test a dating app that he developed. All she had to do was go on 28 dates. She reluctantly agrees. The same time that she becomes the beta tester, she discovers that her feelings for Jonas haven’t disappeared over the last sixmonths. How is she going to deal with her feelings and date at the same time? Will Caitlin finally realize that she is worth a relationship?
28 Dates started strong. I was enjoying Caitlin’s forays into Dirty’s. I was enjoying watching her friendship with Jonas deepen. Then she started beta testing that app. That is when the book began to go downhill.
The author did do a great job of showing what kind of nutcases there are when online dating. The foot fetish guy had me in tears laughing. That was genuinely funny.
I thought that Caitlin setting up her dates in Jonas’s bar was weird. I know that she felt safe there but couldn’t she pick up on the jealousy vibes from him? He wasn’t subtle about how he felt.
I did like Caitlin. She was sweet. She didn’t take any crap from any of the people she met from the app. She was a pro at putting Jonas in his place. I also liked her outlook on life.
Jonas skeeved me out. He couldn’t get over Caitlin. He acted like a toddler when she started bringing dates into his bar. Instead of coming clean about his feelings, he did something that made me go “Ewww.” I got stalker like vibes from him the entire book. What he did only reinforced my feelings on that.
The romance angle wasn’t there, even at the end of the book. Because I didn’t feel the romance, the sex scenes didn’t do it for me. Yes, they were hot, but I couldn’t get into them.
The end of the book was alright. I liked that everything was wrapped up, but it didn’t feel right to me. And the epilogue. Usually, I would be beyond happy for news like that. But this time, I was like, “eh.”
I would give 28 Dates an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.
I an on the fence if I would reread 28 dates I am on the fence if I would recommend it to family and friends.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes baby in a baby carriage. Just not necessarily in that order. . . .
Braxton: I should probably be dead or in jail right now. Instead, thanks to some tough love, I worked my ass off and now I own a string of tattoo parlors throughout the Pacific Northwest. And yet the one thing I’ve always wanted—a family—still seems out of reach. When my best friend gets married, I’m just hoping to blow off some steam with the super-hot maid of honor. But after Cara Thompson tracks me down to tell me she’s pregnant, she’s more surprised than I am when I tell her I’m all in.
Cara: For the first time in my life, I’m living for myself—not for my parents and their ridiculous expectations. I gave up on my MBA, dropped out of the Ivy League, and moved to Portland to pursue my dream of becoming an artist. And what’s the first thing I do? Get knocked up. For a tatted-up sex god, Braxton Henley seems way too eager to “be there for me.” Is this guy serious? Maybe. He sure is patient. Because he won’t back down until I admit what I know in my heart: that our one-night stand might’ve led me to the one.
The steamy standalone novels in Stacey Lynn’s Crazy Love series can be read together or separately: FAKE WIFE | KNOCKED UP
And don’t miss her passionate Fireside series: HIS TO LOVE | HIS TO PROTECT | HIS TO CHERISH | HIS TO SEDUCE
My review
I was excited when I saw that Knocked Up was out. I had enjoyed Fake Wife, so I figured that I would enjoy this book. Which I did, for the most part. My issues with the book are that there was so much extra going on that I couldn’t enjoy Braxton and Cara’s story. Plus the drama was too much. I also didn’t like the way that Braxton kept jumping to conclusions about Cara. That added more drama to the book. All those reasons are the reason I gave Knocked Up a 3-star rating.
Cara drove me crazy. There is being independent and then there is being over the top independent. Braxton wanted to take care of her and the baby but she refused. My eyes almost rolled out of their sockets, that’s how much I was eye-rolling. There was one point in the book where I wanted to shake her and say “Duuuudddde, let him take care of you. Stop being so stubborn“.
Besides driving me crazy with her über independence, I did like Cara. She was sweet. She loved her friends. She loved her job. She loved her unborn child. I felt awful that her brother died. I felt even more awful at how her parents treated her. I thought, at first, that it was all in her head. Until they showed up at her apartment and said what they said. Then I understood why she was so independent. She was shoving her lifestyle in her parent’s face and telling them to take a flying leap.
I liked that Cara had far from a picture perfect pregnancy. Her having hyperemesis gravidarum made her more normal in my eyes. I didn’t like that she was so sick but I loved that she became more relatable. Most romance novel pregnancies are all sunshine and unicorns. So it was refreshing to see one that I could connect with.
Where do I start with Braxton? I liked that he stepped up when Cara showed up at his tattoo parlor and told him she was pregnant and it was his. I liked that he wanted to date Cara. I liked that he wanted to be in this baby’s life. But, he came with baggage. So. Much. Baggage. I almost couldn’t handle it.
He was a **reformed** man whore. I say reformed because he stopped sleeping around the minute Cara told him she was pregnant. That’s wonderful. But his past didn’t stay in the past. Cara and he had an uncomfortable confrontation with his last one night stand. I don’t know how Cara didn’t freak the heck out on him after what that chick said.
His relationship with Stella made me wonder exactly what was going on with them for a while. She got as salt AF when Cara showed up. She tried to destroy their relationship. She warned Cara off him. She was the one that showed Braxton those pictures of Cara with her friend. I didn’t understand why he still employed her or even was her friend after all that. And her apology was lukewarm. Again, don’t know why he stayed her friend. Anyone tried to mess with my relationship would have had a foot up their butt while going out the door.
The chemistry between Braxton and Cara was insane. The sparks were between them from the moment Cara showed up at his tattoo parlor. It deepened the more the book went on. Which is why it sucked when Stella did what she did. And it was also gratifying when Braxton and Cara talked. Because you could see the feelings there. It wasn’t just sex.
Speaking of sex, it was hot. Scorching hot. Braxton and Clara didn’t hold back because she was pregnant. What impressed me was that he still used condoms even though Cara was pregnant. Because he was a “reformed” man-whore who hadn’t been tested. But once he was, it was bareback all the way. It’s not like he could get her pregnant….lol.
The end of Knocked Up was cute. The book ended the way I thought it would. The epilogue was fantastic. I figured out the baby’s name pretty early on. So it wasn’t a surprise to me.
What I liked about Knocked Up:
A) Cara. She had a backbone and stood up to Braxton. Not a lot of female main characters do that
B) Cara’s relatable pregnancy
C) Braxton taking care of his responsibilities
What I disliked about Knocked Up:
A) Cara being over the top independent
B) Stella’s behavior.
C) All the other drama in the book. Took away from the main plotline.
I would give Knocked Up an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.
There are no triggers in Knocked Up.
I am on the fence if I would reread Knocked Up. I am also on the fence if I would recommend Knocked Up to family and friends. I would read other books by the author.
I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Knocked Up.
All opinions stated in this review of Knocked Up are mine.
**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**
This marriage is strictly business… until the temptation gets way too real.
Sterling:I loved my grandma, but I don’t need her money. All I care about is keeping the house—the only place that’s ever felt like home. That, and screwing over my dad, who wants to turn the property into a mall. There’s only one catch: To receive my inheritance, I have to get married within six months. Me, the guy who’s never dated a girl for more than six minutes. Now I need to find a woman I can trust. So when I’m rear-ended by a Prius, I figure it’s a sign that I’m supposed to meet gorgeous, down-to-earth Teagan Monroe.
Teagan:First I lose my job. Then I come home and find out—in the most graphic way possible… yeah, that way—that my boyfriend is a cheating jerk. And then I speed off and nearly kill Portland’s sexiest bachelor. Sterling Lane should be pissed. Instead, he offers me more money than I’ve ever seen in my life to marry him and live together in a mansion for two years. No sex. No feelings. Just cash—enough to make all my dreams come true. Then we go and break all our rules… and I realize I’m falling in love with my fake fiancé.
An honorable man who’s lost his way . . . A career woman who hides behind her button-up suits . . . Unexpected romance is the specialty at the Fireside Grill as Stacey Lynn’s captivating series comes full circle. Becoming an ER doctor had been David McGregor’s mission ever since he could remember. But after tragedy strikes at his hospital in Chicago, David runs away from the guilt—all the way back to Latham Hills, Michigan, where he takes a job tending bar at his childhood friend’s restaurant. That’s how he meets Camden Reed, and the way Camden refuses to give him the time of day should be a turnoff. Instead, he’s drawn to her tough, tightly wound exterior, and soon David realizes that he has a new mission: to see her tightly wound beneath him. Camden’s fighting tooth and nail to resist the desire she feels for David. Growing up dirt-poor, raised by a single mother, she worked twice as hard to get where she is today, and she doesn’t have any patience for the kind of guy who’d give up a decent paycheck to sling drinks. But when the sexual tension finally combusts between the sheets, Camden discovers that people aren’t always what they seem. As David pushes her past her limits, Camden begins to loosen up—and to trust that, when she falls, there will be someone waiting to catch her.
My review:
What a great ending to a great series. Now granted, I only read two books. But the books that I read blew me off my feet. His to Seduce starts off as your typical screw fest. I mean, Camden and David had no holds bar sex in a closet at their friend’s wedding reception in Jamaica and then spend the rest of the vacation doing the same. But, Cam’s tragic past raises its head and David’s huge secret (which was only a secret to Cam….not everyone else) is revealed in a very shocking way.
I will admit, Camden annoyed me. She came across as a bit snobby (telling Trina that she would never date bartenders) and very insecure. But, the more I read the book and the more she reveals about herself, I started to get why she was the way she was and it broke my heart. No child should ever have to go through what she did and all I have to say is that the drunk neighbor was my hero in that situation. It also explained her over the top reaction to David’s secret.
David was a saint. His only fault was that he didn’t tell Cam that he was a Dr or that he was über rich. I think he dealt with Cam and her insecurities amazingly well and I pegged him being in love with her when she told him her big secret and he gave her space. He also didn’t take her crap, which I liked also. But he wasn’t a saint. To be honest, I felt that he was dealing with a form of PTSD after being an ER Dr in Detroit. Just saying, it sounded like it to me. I also liked that he pushed Cam to face her fears and embrace them. I swear, if he was real, I would be all over him like white on rice….lmao.
The sex was beyond hot. They had closet sex, pool sex, ocean sex, and bed sex. I loved Cam’s reaction to the ocean sex. Honestly, I would have thought the same thing. Saltwater wouldn’t make a good lube….lol.
The end of the book, along with the epilog, was awesome!! I just wish that the other characters from the other book made an appearance so we could have seen what was going on in their lives.
How many stars will I give His to Seduce: 4
Why: A great book with hot sex and some memorable characters. I will admit that Cam annoyed me but that was eclipsed by her and David’s love story
Will I reread: Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes
Age range: Adult
Why: Sex and language
**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**