Temptation by Inara Scott

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I was given an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

I am SO far behind in reviewing books it isn't even funny. This particular book was published in August of this year, and honestly I would suggest that anyone who is a fan of cute romance novels check it out. It was right up my alley, and exactly what I needed to get my mind off of all of the stress I am going through at the moment. I generally am not a fan of the "will they won't they" sort of romance, but it was obvious from the beginning that Zoe and Connor were going to get their HEA, which is a plus for me! 

I also liked the focus on women in STEM and the lack of women in tech jobs, and how Zoe was trying to work to change that. Zoe herself was a smart, beautiful, clumsy girl who was definitely worthy of her man's love--even if she didn't know it in the beginning. Connor was a nerdy whiskey aficionado who likes to cook... Is there even a more perfect man on Earth? #bookboyfriend. The two had been friends forever and didn't want their "relationship" to ruin what they currently had. Both had serious hang ups about relationships that they were able to work through in order to make their relationship a real thing. 

This wasn't a hard read. It isn't groundbreaking or anything. But it was funny, cute, and gave me an escape. I would definitely read more by Scott, including the first book in the Bad Angels series, and any more she chooses to add.  

The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter

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Published 8/2019.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved everything I've read by Karin Slaughter, so I didn't hesitate to pick this one up. Had I known it was part of a series, I probably would have just gone ahead and read the rest of them first. (side note- I have the first one in my TBR pile now).  I wasn't super sure about this when I took a look at the description because biological warfare and science isn't necessarily my thing-- think Dan Brown type books-- YUCK. I stuck with it though, hoping Ms. Slaughter wouldn't disappoint, and she did not. This book was disturbing and twisty and even though I figured out some of the twists I didn't see the whole thing coming, which is what I like about her books. If you like thrillers, science, or you've read one of her other books and enjoyed it, this one will be a good read. It took me longer than I intended it to only because I didn't have the time to sit there and read it. I will definitely be reading the rest of the Will Trent series. 

That's What Frenemies Are For by Sophie Littlefield

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I was given an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

That's What Frenemies Are For  is a bit of a difficult book for me to review, because my opinion on it is somewhat mixed. It took me FOREVER to get into it. When I got about 35% of the way, I considered not finishing it because I was bored. I stuck it out though, and while it wasn't the best book I've ever read, it wasn't absolutely horrible either. 

Julia, our main character, befriends a spin teacher named Tatum and decides to help her get with the "IN" crowd, not realizing that sometimes stuff like that can come back to bite you in the butt. And bite you it does. I am not generally fond of cringe-y type humor,and this book had a lot of it in there. It also reminded me of why I don't have a ton of female friends--girls are just too much. The story dragged quite a bit and took a while to finally peak my interest, but I managed to get through it and actually liked the ending. It won't be a life changer of a book but if you're looking for some sort of chick drama, take a shot on this one. 

To Be Your Girl by Rae Kennedy

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I was given an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I finished this book yesterday on the way back from a girl's trip. Honestly it took me that long to gather up my thoughts and decide why exactly this book bugged me so much. First of all, the insta love thing was annoying. Secondly, the author so badly wanted us to like Cade, but I just couldn't. He's magically cured of being a misogynistic manwh*re just because he laid eyes on "the love of his life" ? Nah. That's not how real life works. And as for Adam. We were supposed to like him in the beginning as well, but he creeped me out too. Then there was Haley's brother, who thought he had any right to tell her who she could and couldn't date-- all while going out and doing whatever/whoever HE wanted. #patriarchy. 

Honestly, the main character was a bit too whiny for my taste as well. This was a quick and easy read, but I don't think I'll read the next book in the series. If you are interested however, and you like insta romance with the bad boy sort of thing, it was published on 8/22, so check it out either at your local library #shamelessplug or at a bookstore near you!

The Girl Before You by Nicola Rayner

* I was given an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I really wanted to like this book. A college girl goes missing and years later a woman with a minimal connection to her thinks she sees her on a train? Sounds like it's up my alley. However, it fell a bit flat for me. For one thing, jumping perspectives can be interesting sometimes. But when you switch so many times the reader just gets confused, you lose the whole purpose behind multiple narrators. And the blurb plays on the "relationship" between George and the missing girl, when in reality they were "friends with benefits" for a short amount of time, and she wasn't the only person that George had ever been with. Frankly I feel like she should have been glad her husband didn't have a dead girl in his wake, just a missing one, considering the amount of girls he and his friend "slept with". And the mystery? I called it halfway into the book. All in all, it wasn't a bad book, just not one that I would pick up again. 

Grace, Not Perfection: Embracing Simplicity, Celebrating Joy by Emily Ley

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*

This will probably be a shorter post, because I don't really have a whole lot to say about this book. I will say that I enjoyed it more than Girl Wash Your Face because it seemed a whole lot less preachy to me. The author, Emily Ley, runs her own planner company and has three kids, and just seems a whole lot more personable and down to Earth than the vibe I got from Hollis. She seems to actually be like every other mom out there, not like she pretends to be so that she can be #relatable. 

This book wasn't a very long one, but it took me a while to read because of the other things I had going in my life. It was a cute, well organized read, but there wasn't any new or groundbreaking information in it. It was like almost every other Christian based self help book I had read before, with pretty pictures included. I will say that I checked out the print copy at one of our local libraries, because the format of the layout looked atrocious on my phone, and it was a whole lot better in print. 

Grace Not Perfection was published in October of 2016. If you're looking for something similar to "Wash Your Face" then this would be a good choice! 

On the Corner of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci

* I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.*

This book was published on 8/20/19 so if you're looking for a sweet romance with an HEA, pick it up! 

It has been way too long since I've reviewed a book! I've been in a reading slump lately, and hadn't been able to find something to keep my interest since the last book I tried to read and had to DNF (which I HATE). On the Corner of Love and Hate is a book I will never forget, because it not only got me out of my slump, but it kept my mind off of the seriously sad stuff going on in my life at the moment. 

Our main character Emmanuelle has a love/hate relationship with her former friend and current coworker, Cooper. They grew up together and were able to understand each other, both having come from parents with political backgrounds. Now Emma is trying to help Cooper win his own campaign, while trying to guard her heart from falling for him. This was a sweet read. There wasn't a TON of sex, and it wasn't so graphic that I couldn't read the book at work, even though I didn't. The romance itself was built up in a way that made it believable, and even though it wasn't a plot twist type of book, it was a HEA, which I definitely needed in my life. I truly enjoyed ALL of the characters in the story and the small town itself. Having grown up in a small town, I could appreciate the characters' love for their homes and how that affected their relationship. I would definitely recommend that my library purchase this series, and I look forward to reading the next one coming.