Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Signs You’re a Book Lover

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is:

Ten Signs You’re a Book Lover
1. You don’t have “text neck”. You have “book neck”.

2. You prefer an E-reader over a book because they aren’t as heavy to hold in your hands for a long period of time.

3. You prefer an E-reader because no one can tell just how many books you actually have on there.

4. You talk about book characters like they’re real people.

5. You have no idea what T.V. shows are currently popular, but you know what books are going to be released next month.

6. Your friends send you texts before they go on vacation asking what book they should take on vacation.

7. You text your friends (who may or may not be readers) about your favorite books when they are on sale so they too can read them.

8. Reading before bed does not put you to sleep. You can’t read in bed because you will stay up all night to finish the book.

9. You spend your time driving, cleaning, etc. listening to audiobooks instead of music.

10. You own a t-shirt, mug, sticker, bag, or anything else with a book quote, book saying, or author name/group name on it.

How many of these could you check off my list?

Review: More Than Maybe (Erin Hahn)

More Than Maybe
Author: Erin Hahn
Publication Date: May 12, 2020
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Growing up under his punk rocker dad’s spotlight, eighteen-year-old Luke Greenly knows fame and wants nothing to do with it. His real love isn’t in front of a crowd, it’s on the page. Hiding his gift and secretly hoarding songs in his bedroom at night, he prefers the anonymous comfort of the locally popular podcast he co-hosts with his outgoing and meddling, far-too-jealousy-inspiringly-happy-with-his-long-term-boyfriend twin brother, Cullen. But that’s not Luke’s only secret. He also has a major un-requited crush on music blogger, Vada Carsewell.

Vada’s got a five year plan: secure a job at the Loud Lizard to learn from local legend (and her mom’s boyfriend) Phil Josephs (check), take over Phil’s music blog (double check), get accepted into Berkeley’s prestigious music journalism program (check, check, check), manage Ann Arbor’s summer concert series and secure a Rolling Stone internship. Luke Greenly is most definitely NOT on the list. So what if his self-deprecating charm and out-of-this-world music knowledge makes her dizzy? Or his brother just released a bootleg recording of Luke singing about some mystery girl on their podcast and she really, really wishes it was her?


More Than Maybe was the first book I have read by Erin Hahn, but it definitely won’t be my last. I was so, so impressed with it. The writing was fabulous and pulled me in from the start. I immediately fell in love with Luke and Vada. They were fun characters on their own, but together they were freaking adorable! The build up to their relationship was so dang cute, I almost couldn’t handle it. I loved the way music was woven into the story. More Than Maybe was EXACTLY what I’m looking for when I pick up a YA contemporary. I can’t wait to read more from Erin Hahn.

Review: Four Days of You and Me (Miranda Kenneally)

Four Days of You and Me
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Publication Date: May 5, 2020
Publisher: Sourcefire Books
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

A new swoon-worthy romance following a couple’s love story on the same date over four years.

Every May 7, the students at Coffee County High School take a class trip. And every year, Lulu’s relationship with Alex Rouvelis gets a little more complicated. Freshman year, they went from sworn enemies to more than friends after a close encounter in an escape room. It’s been hard for Lulu to quit Alex ever since.

Through breakups, make ups, and dating other people, each year’s class trip brings the pair back together and forces them to confront their undeniable connection. From the science museum to an amusement park, from New York City to London, Lulu learns one thing is for sure: love is the biggest trip of all.


Four Days of You and Me was a fun book that was able to pull me in and keep my attention where other books couldn’t in these crazy times. It had an upbeat feel and didn’t go so deep in emotions that I wanted to shy away from it. (Sad, I know, but these times make me crave light and easy.)

What I liked about Four Days of You and Me:

  • Like I said, it was pretty much upbeat the most of the time. Even when the characters had struggles, it had that sweet contemporary feel.
  • Lulu was a great character. She was a bit of an outcast, but I liked that about her. I guess that part was a little cliche, but I didn’t mind.
  • While I wasn’t 100% happy with the way Alex treated Lulu, I did think he really liked her. I loved when he showed his kindness and love. He frustrated me a lot in his boyish ways, but he was a boy in high school so it was exactly how it should have been.
  • It took me a while to get used to the format of a day of school field trips each year and then flashbacks in between. I liked the way it was set up for the most part.

What wasn’t my favorite:

  • The flashbacks were cool because I felt like that’s when I got to see snippets of their day-to-day relationship, but it also made me crave more of those times. I wanted to see their relationship actually unfold, and I was robbed of that.
  • I needed an epilogue that took place one year after.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Four Days of You and Me. It was a light YA romance that was almost everything I needed in these dark times.

Review: Open Book (Jessica Simpson)

Open Book
Author: Jessica Simpson
Publication Date: February 4, 2020
Publisher: Dey Street Books
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Jessica reveals for the first time her inner monologue and most intimate struggles. Guided by the journals she’s kept since age fifteen, and brimming with her unique humor and down-to-earth humanity, Open Book is as inspiring as it is entertaining.

This was supposed to be a very different book. Five years ago, Jessica Simpson was approached to write a motivational guide to living your best life. She walked away from the offer, and nobody understood why. The truth is that she didn’t want to lie.

Jessica couldn’t be authentic with her readers if she wasn’t fully honest with herself first.

Now, America’s Sweetheart, preacher’s daughter, pop phenomenon, reality TV pioneer, and the billion-dollar fashion mogul invites readers on a remarkable journey, examining a life that blessed her with the compassion to help others but also burdened her with an almost crippling need to please. Open Book is Jessica Simpson using her voice, heart, soul, and humor to share things she’s never shared before.

First celebrated for her voice, she became one of the most talked-about women in the world, whether for music and fashion, her relationship struggles, or as a walking blonde joke. But now, instead of being talked about, Jessica is doing the talking. Her book shares the wisdom and inspirations she’s learned and shows the real woman behind all the pop-culture clichés — “chicken or fish,” “Daisy Duke,” “football jinx,” “mom jeans,” “sexual napalm…” and more. Open Book is an opportunity to laugh and cry with a close friend, one that will inspire you to live your best, most authentic life, now that she is finally living hers.


Jessica Simpson’s Open Book does what so many celebrity memoirs fail to: give an in depth look at her life. Jessica Simpson came across as open and honest. She didn’t hide her faults or try to paint herself always in the best light. She pointed out her part in everything that happened to her and around her over the years.  Obviously, it’s her opinions and memories so it is probably a little biased, but it came off feeling valid and impressed me. I honestly have a higher opinion of Jessica Simpson now than I did in the past. Open Book is one of the best memoirs I have read in recent years.

Top Ten Tuesday: Twenty Romance Series to Binge On

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is:

Genre Freebie

I was having a hard time coming up with anything fun and catchy, so you’re getting:

Twenty Romance Series to Binge On

I might have gone over ten… I couldn’t help myself. I’m going to link the first book in each series’ title to Goodreads so you can check them out if you’re interested.

NOTE: I wrote this post prior to everything exploding the way it has. I went back and tried to note if a book was FREE right now to help out.

1. Addicted / Calloway Sisters
Authors: Krista & Becca Ritchie

Starting with Addicted to You, this book follows the Calloway sisters Lily, Rose, and Daisy as they fall in love. It touches on family relationships, addictions, etc. It’s continuous story that continues through the eyes of the different sisters.
Reading order:
Addicted to You
Richochet
Addicted for Now
Kiss the Sky
Hothouse Flower
Thrive
Addicted After All
Fuel the Fire
Long Way Down
Some Kind of Perfect

2. Billionaire Bad Boys
Authors: Max Monroe

If you like laugh out loud contemporary romances, this series is for you. Max and Monroe know how to bring the funny. Again, this series has a continuous storyline.
Reading order:
Tapping the Billionaire
Tapping Her
Banking the Billionaire
Banking Her
Scoring the Billionaire
Scoring Her
Motherfluffer
Sleighed It

3. King
Author: T.M. Frazier

I’m including this series for those of you who enjoy a DARK romance. Lots of trigger warnings to go along with this series. It’s addictive, but not for the faint of heart. It’s another one that you have to read in order to avoid spoilers.
Reading order:
King
Tyrant
Lawless
Soulless
All the Rage
Preppy: The Life and Death of Samuel Clearwater, Part 1
Preppy: The Life and Death of Samuel Clearwater, Part 2
Preppy: The Life and Death of Samuel Clearwater, Part 3
Up in Smoke
N9ne: The Tale of Kevin Clearwater
King of the Causeway

4. Blue Heron
Author: Kristan Higgins

This recommendation is for a more traditional contemporary romance reader. You can’t go wrong with this series. It’s Kristan Higgins at her best.
Reading order:
The Best Man
The Perfect Match
Waiting on You
In Your Dreams
Anything for You

5. Fallen Crest High
Author: Tijan

This is a very mature YA – pretty much NA series that is full of over-the-top drama. This is one that you have to read in order.
Reading order:
Mason
Fallen Crest High
Fallen Crest Family
Fallen Crest Public
Fallen Fourth Down
Fallen Crest University
Fallen Crest Christmas
Logan Kade
Fallen Crest Home
Fallen Crest Forever

6. Beneath
Author: Meghan March

If you like romance with a tad bit of suspense, the Beneath series is for you. It’s set in colorful New Orleans with a cool cast of characters. Meghan March actually has a preferred reading order list of how all her series mesh together, but I’m just giving you this series alone. Once you get into her duets, she has some amazing cliffhangers.
Reading order:
Beneath This Mask
Beneath This Ink
Beneath These Chains
Beneath These Scars
Beneath These Lies
Beneath These Shadows
Beneath the Truth

7. True North
Author: Sarina Bowen

Don’t let the shirtless dude put you off. If you like contemporary romances with sweet stories and amazing characters, this series is for you. (I actually would recommend all of her books/series. I would have listed them all if I didn’t have to stick to 10.)
Reading order:
Bittersweet
Steadfast
Keepsake
Bountiful
Speakeasy
Fireworks
Heartland

8. Grip
Author: Kennedy Ryan

People have been paying attention to Kennedy Ryan since Long Shot won a major award, but I would still argue her best work is the Grip series.
Reading order:
Flow
Grip
Still

9. Maysen Jar
Author: Devney Perry

Devney Perry has a few really great series, but my favorite is the Maysen Jar. If you like romances that hit you right in the heart, check out this two-book series.
Reading order:
The Birthday List
Letters to Molly

10. Winston Brothers
Author: Penny Reid

Smart, funny, and filled with a lovable family, you can’t go wrong with the Winston Brothers.
Reading order:
Beauty and the Mustache
Truth or Beard
Grin and Beard It
Beard Science
Beard in Waiting
Beard in Mind
Dr. Strange Beard
Beard with Me
Beard Necessities

11. Off Campus
Author: Elle Kennedy

This is one of the best college sports romance series ever, in my opinion. It also has a great spin-off series, if you love it so much you want more.
Reading order:
The Deal
The Mistake
The Score
The Goal

12. Smart Jocks
Author: Rebecca Jenshak

Here’s another great NA college romance series that I just found and binged myself.
Reading order:
The Assist
The Fadeaway
The Tip-Off
The Fake

13. Full Tilt
Author: Emma Scott

Here’s a romance series for readers who don’t mind crying a bit while falling in love.
Reading order:
Full Tilt
All In

14. Elements
Author: Brittainy C. Cherry

The Elements series is a series for those who want a series of standalone romances.
Reading order:
The Air He Breathes
The Fire Between High & Lo
The Silent Waters
The Gravity Between Us

15. Texting
Author: Teagan Hunter

If you like books with texting involved, you will love this series. It’s fun and fresh. Plus, the titles are so cool!
Reading order:
Let’s Get Textual
I Wanna Text You Up
Can’t Text This
Text Me Baby One More Time

16. Sex, Love & Stiletto
Author: Lauren Layne

Lauren Layne is one of my go-to authors for contemporary romances. They’re office romances. This is one of my favorite series by her.
Reading order:
After the Kiss
Love the One You’re With
Just One Night
The Trouble with Love

17. Binghampton
Author: Meghan Quinn

Meghan Quinn’s books are romantic comedy gold. She always makes me laugh. This is one of my favorite series of hers.
Reading order:
Co-Wrecker
My Best Friend’s Ex
Twisted Two-Some
The Other Brother

18. Flight & Glory
Author: Rebecca Yarros

Flight & Glory is one of my favorite military romance series. I think it helps that it was written by a military wife.
Reading order:
Full Measures
Eyes Turned Skyward
Beyond What is Given
Hallowed Ground
The Reality of Everything

19. Him / WAGS
Authors: Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy

Him is a M/M hockey romance. It’s utterly addictive and Kennedy & Bowen do some of their best writing together. I am including the spin-off series in the reading order because you won’t be able to stop after these two books. You will need more.
Reading order:
Him
Us
Good Boy
Stay

20. The Kiss Quotient
Author: Helen Hoang

The Kiss Quotient was one of my favorite books of 2018. It features an autistic woman and a male escort. It’s a truly heartwarming romance.
Reading order:
The Kiss Quotient
The Bride Test
The Heart Principle (TBR)

21. The Legal Briefs
Author: Emma Chase

I loved this series about a group of lawyers who fall in love. It’s so cute and funny.
Reading order:
Overruled
Sustained
Appealed
Sidebarred

Honestly, I could go on and on. Obviously. LOL. I hope you found some new series to give a try!

Review: Chasing Lucky (Jenn Bennett)

Chasing Lucky
Author: Jenn Bennett
Publication Date: May 5, 2020
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

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…


Chasing Lucky started out strong for me. I really loved the whole curse thing that was going on and what it meant for Josie and her mom to move back to Beauty, Rhode Island. I do have to mention that I was thrown off pretty quickly, though. There was an unexpected time jump and I wasn’t quite prepared for it. I don’t know if that was the weird formatting of the ARC I received or that it felt weird in general. Once I got past that initial shock, I was back to navigating the story easily.

Josie had A LOT going on in her life. She didn’t quit trust her mother. Her old best friend, Lucky, confused her with the way he kept her at a distance…until they were back to being friends. People in town judged and treated her wrong. Her cousin had boy problems. It was a lot for both Josie and me. It was so much to take in that I found myself being bogged down by it all. I honestly would have rather had less to focus on so that one or two major things could have been dealt with deeper. What I really loved about this book was Josie and Lucky. I would have rather just read about them without so much other stuff. The middle of this book just dragged for me because of all of it.

That being said, once I hit about 75% great, interesting things started happening. I loved the book from this point on. I loved where Josie’s relationship with her mom went. I loved Josie and Lucky deciding friendship wasn’t the only thing between them. I could have used more information about her cousin. The last 5% was the best part of the book.

Overall, I liked this book. I wish I would have loved it. It had some strong bones; it just needed a little simplifying.

Review: Little Secrets (Jennifer Hillier)

Little Secrets
Author: Jennifer Hillier
Publication Date: April 21, 2020
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

From the author of Jar of Hearts, a mother driven to the edge by the disappearance of her son learns her husband is having an affair with the woman who might have kidnapped him.
Four hundred and eighty seconds. That’s how long it took for someone to steal Marin Machado’s four-year-old son.

Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They’re admired in their community and are a loving family. Up until the day Sebastian is taken.

A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. The only thing keeping her going is the unlikely chance that one day Sebastian reappears. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding him, she discovers that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman.

Kenzie Li is an artist and grad student—Instagram famous—and up to her eyeballs in debt. She knows Derek is married. She also knows he’s rich, and dating him comes with perks: help with bills, trips away, expensive gifts. He isn’t her first rich boyfriend, but she finds herself hoping he’ll be the last. She’s falling for him—and that was never part of the plan.

Discovery of the affair sparks Marin back to life. She’s lost her son; she’s not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix. But as she sets a plan in motion, another revelation surfaces. Derek’s lover might know what happened to their son. And so might Derek.


Normally, I shy away from thriller involving missing children. It’s just too hard to read as a parent — one of my biggest nightmares. That being said, I couldn’t pass up Little Secrets. I loved Jennifer Hillier’s last book, Jar of Hearts, so I was reading this book no matter what. I’m so, so glad I did!

Little Secrets is a book about a mother’s despair after the abduction of her only child, Sebastian, and the depths she will go to find out the truth. This book unravels slowly, building up to the truth. Not that it’s slow paced. It’s not at all. It’s a page turner that gives divulges those little secrets at the perfect time and pace. You’ll be so wrapped up in the story, you won’t realize the end is near until it’s on you. At least, that’s the way it was for me, and I loved every second of it.

Review: Not According to Plan (A.M. Madden)

Not According to Plan
Author: A.M. Madden
Publication Date: March 23, 2020
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC (Amara)
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

For one night of my life, I dared to do something reckless.
My birthday. A bar. Karaoke. And a man so hot he could melt the sun.
Sparks flew. Lust took over.

For one night of my life, I felt alive.

Then I was back to my “boring” life. Career-driven. Goal-oriented. Always planning ahead.

But nothing could have prepared me for the positive pregnancy test. We weren’t that reckless.

There goes my “boring” life. And what happens when I tell the father?


I liked this book, but I think I could have loved it if the blurb had been more honest. There’s more at play here than just a woman accidentally getting pregnant with a one-night stand’s baby. Max, the baby daddy, actually has another baby coming soon as well in another state. (Not really a spoiler because it’s told to the reader almost immediately. Also, no OW drama.) So, the real drama surrounds that and figuring things out. I grew frustrated with Jade quickly. I didn’t want her to have to give up the way she wanted her life, but I did think she could have looked the bigger picture and what Max was facing. Cute love story, but not one that had me swooning over it.

Top Ten Tuesday: Spring 2020 TBR

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is:

Spring 2020 TBR
1. Pike
Author: T.M. Frazier

2. Number Neighbors
Author: Emma Hart

3. Chasing Lucky
Author: Jenn Bennet

4. Four Days of You and Me
Author: Miranda Kenneally

5. Little Secrets
Author: Jennifer Hillier

6. A Secret for a Secret
Author: Helena Hunting

7. Filthy Lawyer
Author: Whitney G.

8. Loud Mouth
Author: Avery Flynn

9. Runaway Road
Author: Devney Perry

10. Pawn
Author: T.M. Frazier

Review: Taming Hollywood’s Baddest Boy (Max Monroe)

Taming Hollywood’s Baddest Boy
Author: Max Monroe
Publication Date: March 10, 2020
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Do people say they hate someone’s guts so that they can still fall stupidly, head-over-heels in love with the other parts?
Asking for a friend.

Okay, fine. I’m not asking for a friend.

I’m asking for me—and I’m begging you to tell me that the practice of falling in love with your should-be-enemy is common.

Please tell me that I’m not the only person to track down a guy—who used to be Hollywood’s baddest bad boy before he left LA for good—at his off-the-grid cabin in Alaska, show up unannounced, and find him gloriously naked.

This probably happens all the time…right?

Tell me I’m not alone in my stupidity—that I’m not the only woman who would fall for gorgeous blue eyes and a sexy devilish smirk, even if they belong to a broody, mysterious jerk.

Please. Please. Please. Tell me I’m not alone in this.

For the love of everything, I need all the supportive girl power I can get if I’m going to convince Luca Weaver to come back to Hollywood—otherwise known as the place he hates so much that he ghosted Oscar-level success and escaped to no-man’s-land for the last eight years just to avoid it.

Yeah, don’t worry—that smoke you’re smelling isn’t your house catching fire as you read this…it’s just my career and what was previously known as my heart going up in flames.

Gah. Is it just me, or am I totally, completely, and utterly screwed?


If I had to sum up Taming Hollywood’s Baddest Boy in one word, it would FUN. Everything about it was fun. If you’ve read Max Monroe before you know they excel at humor, and things got humorous in the best way possible in this book.

Taming the Hollywood’s Baddest Boy starts off on the enemies to lovers side of things. The banter is right on par with that trope. Billie and Luca had instant chemistry, which was aided by the fact that they both had stubborn sides. Pushed together by an unplanned camping trip together in the Alaska wild, their hate to love relationship accelerated quickly, but not unbelievably. Every moment between them was swoon worthy. I didn’t even bat my eye at their problems because I knew the make-up was going to be perfectly fulfilling.

I honestly don’t know what else to say about Taming Hollywood’s Baddest Boy other than to shout “FUN!!!” It’s the type of book to read when you want to escape from all the unpleasant news or problems of today. It was exactly what I’ve come to expect and depend upon from the collaborative genius of Max Monroe.