What I’m Looking For by Karen Grey @KarenWhitereads @TheRealJoeArden #AudiobookReview

Hello book friends, I hope you are all well?

I was asked by the lovely Karen White (Pen name Karen Grey) to review this wonderful audiobook, and I’m so glad I said YES, as it was so good!!

Also, just look at that stunning cover!!!

My Review

This book was so much fun, taking us back to the 80’s we meet the very awkward Kate Bishop, she is a financial analyst working in an all male office. She tries her best to fit in and be one-of-the-boys, but she mostly fails miserably.

She is brilliant at her job, but she has problems with speaking in front of people, and has trouble with social cues.

While trying to impress her work colleagues, she agrees to go to a social gathering at the local bar, this is where she meets Will, an actor/bartender, who notices how uncomfortable she is, and offers her a drink that won’t end up with her on the bar floor as she really doesn’t do well with alcohol.

Although these two people shouldn’t fit together they do brilliantly, Kate being her usual awkward self doesn’t immediately see the connection, while the Shakespeare spouting young Will does feel a spark.

With lots of 80’s references throughout the book, and the narration by the always brilliant Joe Arden, and the fabulous narration by the author herself, Karen Grey/White has made an instant new fan in me.

It was cute, very funny, and sometimes cringeworthy with some of the characters antics!

The audiobook was done brilliantly, and I loved the added extras such as the answering machine voicemails that were left, it made me very nostalgic.

All in all it was a great read, and I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next, I wonder if we will have a story for “hot Steve”?

**Thank you so much to Karen White/Grey for reaching out and asking me to review this book, I had so much fun listening to it**

Synopsis

Recipe for a Boston Classic Cocktail: one part finance geek, one part starving actor, two shots of stubborn and a healthy squeeze of passion. Shake well and serve in a vintage glass.

When Kate Bishop walks into Boston’s famous Bull and Finch pub, all she’s looking for is one guy from her investment firm that she can trust to have her back—a tall order. With a salesman at her side, maybe stage fright won’t paralyze her completely when she presents her meticulously prepared research to clients. And maybe she can save her job.

Romance is the last thing on her to-do list, but a meet-cute with a Shakespeare-quoting bartender has her speculating on the value of diversifying her life portfolio.

Will Talbot is not a fan of the slick financiers who cram into his bar after each day’s closing bell. With their calls for Harvey Wallbangers and their Hermès ties, they’re all the same.

Except for a certain beautiful, buttoned-up brunette with fire in her eyes and a storm in her heart. They’re totally wrong for each other. He should be focusing on his upcoming audition, not coaching Kate on how to act like she’s a bona fide member of the Gordon Gekko club.

Problem is, they can’t seem to stay away from each other.

The course of true love never did run smooth, but in this 1980’s sweet-and-sexy rom-com, returns on love can’t be measured on the S&P 500

Purchase Links

Amazon Affiliate Link

Audible UK

Heidi’s Guide to Four Letter Words by Tara Sivec & Andi Arndt @TaraSivec @andi_arndt #BookReview #HeidisGuidetoFourLetterWords

Hello book friends,

I have the PERFECT book for you all today, prepare for laughs and mortification a-plenty!

🅳🅸🅲🅺 🆃🅰🆂🆃🅴 🅸🅽 🅼🆈 🅿🅰🅻🅼, 🆂🅻🅴🅰🆉🆈 🆂🅻🅴🅰🆉🆈 🅷🅴

🅱🅴🅽🆃 🆈🅾🆄🆁 🅳🅾🅽🅶

Ok while you are listening to this book, and definitely listen to get the best effect, please do the following:

Do not hold anything breakable in your hands, you will likely drop it, or throw it in the air when you gasp and put your hand to your mouth, imagine accidentally stabbing yourself in the eye? PUT DOWN THE KNIFE

Have plenty of Kleenex to hand, as you will most certainly cry laughing.

If you have to listen to this one in public, try not to shout Nooooooo too loud and scare the other shoppers in the supermarket.

You will cringe, you will laugh hysterically, you will feel mortified on Heidi’s behalf, but you will absolutely love the bones of that goofy girl, I promise!

Heidi is a Kindergarten teacher in Minnesota, who has unfortunately been laid off, she is sweet and innocent, so when she gets a new job at an audio studio, she has a bit of a shock when she listens to one of the narrators recording a naughty erotic book.

Oh the horror, Heidi’s idea of a romance book is something that is nice, polite, and fade to black, she can’t even say a dirty word without blushing.

Her hot new neighbour gets her thinking that in order to ask him out, she needs to be able to pluck up the courage to do so, and as the studio are throwing out some old recording equipment, Heidi seizes the opportunity to ‘broaden her horizons’ and get those dirty books out on air…the thing is, she can’t even say the words.

After a drunken evening alone, she finally has drunk enough dutch courage, and “Heidi’s Discount Erotica” is born, with not so brilliant results.

I laughed so much at this book, the things that go wrong for her are just incredible, whether that is being scratched to pieces while hiding in a bush from her neighbour Brad, or the ‘Talk to Text’ the “Dick Taste in my Palm” sentence above which didn’t sound anything like that when she narrated it, but who checks their texts before they send them??

As per all of Tara Sivec’s books, her secondary characters are always perfect, and this book was absolutely no exception.
Heidi’s parents were almost as funny as she was.

I’m not sure who’s idea it was for Andi Arndt and Tara Sivec to write a book together, but whoever it was, they should definitely do it again, it was just pure genius.

🎧🎧

Narration by Andi Arndt was just incredible, and her Minnesota accent for Heidi was apparently spot on, being from the UK it didn’t translate with me, and a few of the “Uff da!” references didn’t make sense, but from what I can gather, it is spot on as she lived there for years.

Enjoy

Vicci 📚💛✨

 

About The Book

*Amazon UK

Amazon U.S – Included with Audible Escape

Cowritten by USA Today best-selling author Tara Sivec and award-winning narrator Andi Arndt, a hysterically funny, heartfelt romance – created specifically for the audio format!

Nothing good ever comes from drinking a box of wine alone. So when I decided to entertain my drunken self by setting up some hand-me-down podcasting equipment and reading the steamy parts from romance novels, I never thought anyone would actually listen. The fact that I admitted my huge crush on my sexy next door neighbor made the whole thing even more mortifying. But sometimes life surprises you, and that’s how my podcast, Heidi’s Discount Erotica, was born.

Now I, Heidi Larsen, a sweet former kindergarten teacher in Waconia, Minnesota, lead a scandalous double life reading erotic novels to the listening world. And with each episode, I find myself embracing my new alter ego more and more. Now I’m starting to feel more comfortable in my own skin and do things I never would have dreamed of – like kissing my neighbor.

Look out, Waconia, because Heidi’s on the loose! She’s in your ears, in your hearts, and down your pants…wait, that didn’t sound as good as it did in my head. Well, you get the picture, don’tcha know!

*Affiliate Link

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Vicci 📚💛✨

 

The Cactus by Sarah Haywood @SarahxHaywood @TwoRoadsBooks #AudiobookReview #TheCactus

Well another day, another book!!
I’m super happy to bring you my review for this fabulous read, I love books with ‘quirky’ characters, and although it isn’t at all the same, if you loved the book Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, and the Rosie project by Graeme Simsion, chances are you’re going to love this one too.

Why Did You Pick It Up Vicci?

Well I grabbed it because it was the June pick for Book of the Month for Reece Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Book Club Hello Sunshine, and so far she hasn’t steered me wrong, and she didn’t this time either.

My Thoughts

𝔸 ℙ𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕝𝕪 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦‘𝕝𝕝 𝔹𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖!

Susan Green, 45, likes to be in control, of her life, her work, and her love life.

She lives in her one-bedroom flat in London which is perfectly suited to her as she can keep everything organised and functional, she works in an office environment, and is a little bit of an enigma to her work colleagues, as she doesn’t have anything like a social media account, she wouldn’t stoop so low!

No, she is happy as she is at work, and socialising outside of the office with her work friends is a no-no, in fact she doesn’t see why anyone would want to do this! She’s happy just getting on with her work, and looking after her succulents, i.e. Cacti / Cactuses.

She has an arrangement with a man for a no-strings-attached relationship, that provides cultural and other, more intimate, benefits, however she does NOT want, or NEED a relationship, as it causes problems.

“Dealing with members of the opposite sex isn’t that dissimilar from training a dog; you need to be firm and persistent.”

Her brother Edward is the “Golden Child” and she has always been slightly resentful of him because of this, he doesn’t work and hasn’t contributed to the help with their mother’s care during her illness.

When their mother suddenly passes away, Susan is horrified to find out at the reading of the will, that her mother has left the family home to her brother, not only that, he has moved his friend into the house, and he SMOKES!! This simply Will. Not. Do

And then to add to a bad situation, she finds out that she is pregnant at 45!

I really enjoyed this story, Susan was quite difficult to like at the beginning, because she came across very emotionless, however as you begin to get to know her better, you start to realise that this is part of her quirky personality, and she copes with things this way.

🎧🎧

I listened to the Audiobook, and the narration for this was fabulous, Katherine Manners did a fantastic job with the accents and the characters.

About The Book

𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘶𝘵, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥.

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘺 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘢 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 “𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵” 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭.

𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘙𝘰𝘣, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘴 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘯, 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘣. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘪𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘨𝘰

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK
Amazon U.S

About the Author:

𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘩 𝘏𝘢𝘺𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘩𝘢𝘮. 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘢𝘸, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘰𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴.

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Vicci 📚💛✨

 

I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella @KinsellaSophie @randomhouse #bookreview #ioweyouone

Happy Sunday bibliophiles!

Super excited to share with you today my review of this book from one of my absolute favorite authors! I have read and loved every single one of Sophie Kinsella’s they are all so delightful romcom perfection!💕💕

I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella

My Thoughts

A fun escapist read full of whimsy and charm!

This book was quintessential Sophie Kinsella! Full of fun flawed realistic characters, wity dialogue, and loads of humor… I can always count on a Kinsella book to take me away for a few fun hours, make me feel good and induce me into laughter until tears are coming down my face, and this book was no exception… sophie’s books never take themselves too seriously and are full of many laugh out loud moments… warning: don’t pick this up unless you have your sense of humor intact, don’t read while drinking, especially a carbonated drink, and don’t read around other people, unless you’re OK with them looking at you strangely because you’re laughing at what appears to be nothing….

Fixie was a kind caring sweet girl who really needed to find her backbone… I really liked her and I think she would make an amazing friend, but the girl sure did frustrate me! Fixie is a people pleaser she wants to make sure everyone around her is happy… her friends, her family, her coworkers, and of course the men in her life…. One day Fixie was at a local coffee shop when a man asks her to watch his laptop when he steps out to take a phone call… the ceiling starts to cave in, Fixie throws herself on top of the laptop and saves the day… The man who’s named Sebastian and of course is handsome issues her an IOU to repay her for saving his laptop and livelihood… Fixie is pretty sure she will never use it, that is until her lifetime crush Ryan enters the picture like a wounded puppy… what ensues is Fixie being walked all over by Ryan and her siblings, add in the stress of trying to keep the family business afloat while her mom is out of town… thank goodness Fixie has some good friends in her life who eventually help her see the light and get a back bone… as in all SK books there was some major much-needed character growth in the story, and that extended to most of the secondary characters as well….

The romance in the story was sweet but slightly confusing… Sebastian who I really liked was a little all over the place when it came to relationships, it was something that confounded me and I had trouble wrapping my head around… I felt there was real chemistry and respect between Fixie and Seb, so I cannot understand why a certain bimbo (whose name I cannot remember) was around for as long as she was, really kind of threw a wrench into it for me… having said that though I thought this book wrapped up perfectly and that final chapter was book perfection!

A perfect romcom with wonderful characters and plenty of humor! Absolutely recommend!

🎵🎵🎵 Song Running Through My Head

A-E-A-E-I-O-U-U I sometimes cry
A-E-A-E-I-O-U-U I sometimes cry
You tell me that you love me every day
When we’re alone I really feel in love
But when you’re out with friends I see a change
You treat me bad, I feel like second best
I want your love (I want your love)
Give me your love, girl (give me your love)
That’s how I feel, I want it to be real
I want your love (I want your love)
Give me your love, girl (give me your love)
I need your touch and I, I owe you so much
A-E-A-E-I-O-U-U I sometimes cry
(Oh) A-E (I really care) A-E-I (I really care) O-U-U
(I really care, care, care) I sometimes lie
Do you realize some things you say
I know you do, it makes me so confused
I’m sure this ain’t the way that love should be
Let’s get…

*** many thanks to Random House for my copy of this book ***

About the Book

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sophie Kinsella, an irresistible story of love and empowerment about a young woman with a complicated family, a handsome man who might be “the one,” and an IOU that changes everything

Fixie Farr has always lived by her father’s motto: “Family first.” But since her dad passed away, leaving his charming housewares store in the hands of his wife and children, Fixie spends all her time picking up the slack from her siblings instead of striking out on her own. The way Fixie sees it, if she doesn’t take care of her father’s legacy, who will? It’s simply not in her nature to say no to people.

So when a handsome stranger in a coffee shop asks her to watch his laptop for a moment, Fixie not only agrees—she ends up saving it from certain disaster. Turns out the computer’s owner is an investment manager. To thank Fixie for her quick thinking, Sebastian scribbles an IOU on a coffee sleeve and attaches his business card. But Fixie laughs it off—she’d never actually claim an IOU from a stranger. Would she?

Then Fixie’s childhood crush, Ryan, comes back into her life and his lack of a profession pushes all of Fixie’s buttons. She wants nothing for herself—but she’d love Seb to give Ryan a job. And Seb agrees, until the tables are turned once more and a new series of IOUs between Seb and Fixie—from small favors to life-changing moments—ensues. Soon Fixie, Ms. Fixit for everyone else, is torn between her family and the life she really wants. Does she have the courage to take a stand? Will she finally grab the life, and love, she really wants? 

Have a wonderful day filled with words and whimsy!

berit☀️✨

Amy Cole is Zen as F*ck by Elizabeth McGivern @MayhemBeyond #bookreview

Happy Sunday bibliophiles!

I can hardly believe it is almost 2019, where did 2018 go?

Excited today to share with you my review for this wonderful story that I strongly encourage you to give a go!🍍

Amy Cole is Zen as F*ck by Elizabeth McGivern

My Thoughts

Amy Cole is flippin fabulous!

Another wonderfully fun installment in this delightful series! Elizabeth McGivern has done it again! She has the remarkable ability to take some pretty serious subject matter and infuse A large dose of compassion and a whole lot of humor into it…. I can’t even tell you how many times I laughed out loud during this book, tears running down my face laughing! This is the second book in the series, and it could be read as a standalone, but I would strongly strongly encourage you to pick up the first book and then immediately followed up with this one! This series is a little gem that should not be missed!

So Amy Cole has found her mind and infused her life with Zen…. don’t panic though she is still the crazy quirky Amy we met in the first book, she just has conquered a few of her demons… she is also still BFFs with Elle and the girls are still up to their silly antics! Some of the funniest parts of this book involved Elle beginning to date again determined to find the love of her life online….. from her ridiculous dating profile to a man in a llama shirt two the SafeWord pineapple, I was cracking up the entire time! Not only did we have Elle’s dating nightmares, we also spent some time with Amy’s mother in law… talk about the mother-in-law from hell, this woman was way too much! And then we had the skinny class that took fat shaming to another level…. oh my goodness so many wonderfully hilarious moments in this book, don’t worry I won’t list them all!

The true charisma of this book lies in its characters! Amy has a wonderful Group of people around her… of course there is Elle her BFF the ultimate ride or die! Ben her husband who has the patience of a saint and a heart of gold, although he could step it up when it comes to his mom! Her kids are adorable and add charm and whimsy to the story as children always do…. Joseph her fairy godfather is in this book as well, still solid as a rock…. and even though Amy might not always get along with her mother and father, they do bring some comedy to the book….

This book is a sparkling example of a perfect escapist read, I cannot encourage you enough to pick this one up! Absolutely recommend! And I will be eagerly anticipating the next book in this series, cannot wait to see what Amy and her friends and family are up to next!🍍

*** Big thanks to Elizabeth McGivern for my copy of this book ***

About the Book

Ding Dong the bitch is dead

The inner bitch, that is 

It’s been almost two years since Amy Cole walked through the door of her therapist’s office and now she’s ready to emerge as the sane, zen-like woman she has always wanted to be. Unfortunately for Amy, life has the nasty habit of not playing along.

There’s no time for a quiet life with a business to run, family life to balance and a newly-single best friend to keep an eye on.From getting embroiled in a feud with a maniacal diet guru, making sure Elle isn’t murdered by strangers from the internet and dealing with the mother-in-law from hell, mayhem always seems to find a way into Amy’s life.

Elle De Bruyn is on the cusp of finalising her divorce and is ready to jump, head-first, into dating once again. She soon learns that finding love in the 21st century is a tricky business. She lives in hope that somewhere in between the liars, cheats and unsolicited dick pics there’s still a chance for one more great love affair.

With life in a constant state of chaos, it doesn’t take long for Amy to realise that therapy was the easy part and now it’s time for the real work to begin.

Is sanity really all it’s cracked up to be?

Praise for Elizabeth McGivern & The Amy Cole Series

‘I just adore the character of Amy…a really cracking story’ Claire Allan, Sunday Times Best-Selling Author 

‘Fantastically written characters & an engaging storyline…I couldn’t put this book down’ – Frasers Funhouse

‘I was in hysterics for most of the time I was reading it‘  – Portable Magic

‘I’ve been in need of a good laugh & this book really did deliver’  – Goodreads Reviewer

‘Amy Cole is every wife, mother, daughter & survivor out there’ – Amazon Reviewer

‘Elizabeth McGivern is a gifted writer that takes a difficult subject matter and managed to mix it with wonderful dashes of humour’– Reflections of a Reader

Books in the Amy Cole Series: 

Amy Cole has lost her mind 
Amy Cole is Zen as F*ck 
Amy Cole has it all figured out (2019) 

GET A COPY

• Kindle Unlimited 

have a wonderful day! Berit☀️✨

Sweet Addiction by J. Daniels @JDanielsbooks @PiperGoodeve #Romance #Sweet #VNerdsRare19Challenge

Sweet Addiction by J. Daniels

🌟🌟🌟·75 Sweet Stars

Synopsis

Wedding hookups never amount to anything.

Those who partake in this wicked little activity know the rules. Get in. Get laid. Get out. There’s no expectation of a relationship. It is what it is.

Dylan Sparks knows the rules. She’s familiar with the protocol. And she engages in the best sex of her life with a complete stranger at her ex-boyfriend’s wedding.

Reese Carroll doesn’t care about the rules. He wants more than just one night with Dylan.

And Dylan finds him too addicting to pass up.

Sweet Addiction is the story of one woman’s struggle to keep things casual, and one man’s desire to never let her go.

Warning: This book contains adult themes. 18+

Review

This one was a sweet romance, and sometimes I just need a bit of sweet.

Dylan is a baker, she runs her own business and has quite a fanbase as she will make anything you ask for (within reason)

She is a dab-hand at making Wedding cakes and we meet her after she has delivered and is a guest at her cheating Ex’s wedding!

After literally falling into the lap of a sexy man she decides that a little bit of sneaky wedding sex will be just the ticket to take away her blues.

Reese isn’t going to pass up the chance to have some “extra” fun at the wedding and him and Dylan sneak off to find a room for some fun.

After getting on swimmingly in the *ahem* bedroom department, Reese and Dylan decide to go ahead with a ‘friends-with-benefits’ type of relationship, of course you all know how that turns out!

We know how Dylan feels about Reese as she is telling the story, but she doesn’t know how Reese feels about her, so she just carries on with the agreement and doesn’t make her feelings known.

There are a few arguments, a couple of great face slapping moments, and a silly misunderstanding that could have been rectified if only they would just talk to each other!

🎧🎧 Narrated by Piper Goodeve who is a new narrator for me, but did a fantastic job!

I enjoyed this story, but it was a little too sweet for me and i just Personally needed a little more oomph, but if you like sweet stories then you will LOVE this one!

Prepare for some Sugar!

V xx

The Oddest Little Series by Beth Good – 5 Novellas @rararesources @BethGoodWriter #BookReview #BeachShop #TeaShop

Happy Thursday all!

Thrilled to be on the blog tour for this adorable collection of Novellas! Today I will be reviewing two of them Beach and Tea Shop, and the tour will be making another stop here on September 14 for the rest! Many thanks to Rachel for my invitation and to Beth Good for her wonderful words!💕

My Thoughts

Beach 🏖

magical! Quirky! Beachy!

SO much charm packed into this little package of a book! A beach shop, a love triangle, a pie rolling Contest… oh my! This is the perfect little afternoon pick me up of a novella….

Annie along with her nephew just moved to Polzel… this little resort town was so adorably quirky, another place I want to visit! Annie immediately learns that her neighbor and competition is a gruff and unpleasant man named Gabriel… in contrast her coworker is a lively and hot lifeguard named Jamie…. so what’s a girl to do? Who does she fall for?

A lovely romcom filled with laughs and some swoon worthy moments… and bonus I learned what a pie rolling contest is, I had no idea this was a thing! Beth Good has a wonderful way with words and character development, I was captivated throughout this entire story! The biggest bummer of these Novellas is they end too soon!

*** many thanks to the author and Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for my copy of this book ***

Tea Shop 🍵

Quirky! Bewitching! Fun!

Curses and tea shops and hot guys… oh my!

Charlie is excited to reopen her aunt’s tea room in the seaside village of Tremevissey… locals are a little skeptical, they believe the tea rooms are cursed! Charlie believes it is all superstition, even though it was her own Aunt that took her life after being heartbroken… but when things start going sideways Charlie thinks there might be something to this curse thing!

Another delightful book from this collection! These books are like a breath of fresh air on a hot summer day or a warm blanket when it’s cold outside! Comfort food without the calories! Another story filled with romance and some zany antics! Charlie was ?a really likable character and Giddeon wasn’t too bad either! These truly are my favorite types of romance full of lovely characters and laughs! Excited to get to the rest of the books in this wonderful collection! Just realized I use quite a few!!!! In this review, but so deserves it!

*** many thanks to the author and Rachel for my copy of this book

***

Check Out All the Books!

The Oddest Little Book Shop

Escape to the gorgeous seaside resort of Port Pol, where love and laughter overflow in the Cornish sunshine.

‘I love Beth Good’s quirky style!’ – bestselling author, Katie Fforde

After ten long years away, television star Daisy Diamond is finally going home.

She’s not back at the gorgeous seaside resort of Port Pol in sunny Cornwall five minutes before she realises the mistake she’s made. Her childhood sweetheart Nick Old – affectionately known as ‘Devil’ – is still living there, running the local bookshop, and he is determined to rekindle their flame.

Daisy is no longer the dewy-eyed romantic of her school days. Her life may not have gone according to plan, but she’s not afraid to show Nick how much she’s grown since he famously dumped her at the school leavers’ disco.

Even if it means bending her heart out of shape a little . . .

A charming summer novella from popular romantic comedy writer Beth Good and another entry in her quirky ‘Oddest Little Shop’ series.

Purchase Link – – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oddest-Little-Book-Shop-feel-good-ebook/dp/B07D2FRKZ3

The Oddest Little Beach Shop

‘I love Beth Good’s quirky style!’ – bestselling author Katie Fforde

From the first day of Annie’s arrival in the sleepy Cornish resort of Polzel, next-door neighbour Gabriel seems determined to make her life difficult.

Despite his sexy looks and angelic name, Gabriel behaves like an ogre to everyone, and has apparently been that way since losing his wife in a surfing accident. Annie would do far better, her friend Claudia urges her, to focus her attentions on Jamie instead. Jamie’s the hottest lifeguard in the village – and her co-worker in the Polzel beach shop.

But when Polzel’s famous annual pie-rolling contest sees Annie and Gabriel forced together, it turns out Annie might have a thing for big Cornish ogres after all . . .

A feel-good summer novella from popular romantic comedy writer Beth Good and another quirky entry in her ‘Oddest Little Shop’ series.

Purchase Link – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oddest-Little-Beach-Shop-feel-good-ebook/dp/B07D2FLRCV

The Oddest Little Romance Shop

‘I love Beth Good’s quirky style!’ – Katie Fforde

Izzie has the perfect plan for a perfect life. Work hard, get married, settle down, start a family. But when a mysterious Valentine’s day card arrives, asking in a bold scrawl, ‘Will you marry me?’, it upends everything.
Because Izzie thought she’d found Mr Right – and the card isn’t from him.

Puzzled, she sets out to discover the identity of her secret admirer . . . and is shocked by the truth. Torn in two directions, Izzie doesn’t know what to do.

Should she stick to the plan, or is it time to take life in a bold new direction?

Another quirky, charming novella in the ‘Oddest Little Shop’ series from popular romantic comedy writer Beth Good.

Purchase Link – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oddest-Little-Romance-Shop-feel-good-ebook/dp/B07D2G25DT

The Oddest Little Chocolate Shop

Treat yourself to something delicious . . .

‘I love Beth Good’s quirky style!’ – bestselling author Katie Fforde

When Clementine discovers that Monsieur Ravel’s beloved chocolaterie is about to close, she rushes to rescue it – without thinking through the consequences.

A lost Persian cat, a depressed but utterly gorgeous French chocolatier, an allergic shop assistant in search of true love, the oddest little chocolate shop Clementine has ever seen . . .

Can Clementine save them all, or has she bitten off more than she can chew?

A delicious, feel-good novella set in the world of chocolate-making from popular romantic comedy writer Beth Good.

Purchase Link – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oddest-Little-Chocolate-Shop-feel-good-ebook/dp/B07D2FSQ7M

The Oddest Little Cornish Tea Shop

‘I love Beth Good’s quirky style!’ Katie Fforde

It’s a big day for Charlie Bell – the grand reopening of her Aunt Pansy’s long-closed tea rooms in Tremevissey, a quaint Cornish seaside resort. But not everyone is happy for Charlie. The locals say the tea rooms are cursed. For Pansy was cruelly jilted by her lover, and walked out into the ocean, never to return.

Charlie dismisses the ‘curse’ as superstitious nonsense, but by the end of the first day, her world is in tatters, and she’s not even sure the tea rooms can open again.

Then in walks a rugged, taciturn man with a sexy smile and everything he owns on his back, looking for a summer job . . .

Is Gideon Petherick an angel in disguise? Or is history about to repeat itself?

The latest novella in Beth Good’s quirky and popular ‘Oddest Little Shop’ romcom series.

Purchase Link – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oddest-Little-Cornish-Tea-Shop-ebook/dp/B07D2FR32B/

Author Bio –

Born and raised in Essex, England, Beth Good was whisked away to an island tax haven at the age of eleven to attend an exclusive public school and rub shoulders with the rich and famous. Sadly, she never became rich or famous herself, so had to settle for infamy as a writer of dubious novels. She writes under several different names, mainly to avoid confusing her readers – and herself! As Beth Good she writes romantic comedy and feel-good fiction. She also writes thrillers as Jane Holland, historicals as Victoria Lamb and Elizabeth Moss, and feel-good fiction as Hannah Coates.

Beth currently lives in the West Country where she spends a great deal of time thinking romantic thoughts while staring out of her window at sheep. (These two actions are unrelated.)

You can find her most days on Twitter as @BethGoodWriter where she occasionally indulges in pointless banter about chocolate making and the Great British Bake Off. Due to a basic inability to say no, she has too many children and not enough money, which means she needs as many readers as she can get.

Social Media Links –

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BethGoodAuthor

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/BethGoodWriter

Be sure to come back on September 14 for the rest of my reviews of this wonderful collection! Berit☀️✨

4.5 FUN Stars🌟 Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren @ChristinaLauren @GalleryBooks #BookReview

Happy Wednesday book lovers!

Do you love the love??? Then you will absolutely LOVE this fabulous romcom from Christina Lauren!😍😍😍

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

My Thoughts

4.5 Fun Flirty Fabulous Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

This! Book! What an absolutely adorable sweet and funny romcom with the perfect amount of steam and sizzle🔥

Hazel is being added to my book BFF list and might even have earned the top spot!!! Hazel is a friend you want by your side and somebody you wish you were more like… she had such a fabulous sense of who she was and was not willing to compromise herself for anyone… she had a heart of gold and a tremendous passion for life…. she was also loud, eccentric, and had an unusual fashion sense…. As somebody who is too concerned with what everyone else thinks, I really need some Hazel in my life and in my personality… and Josh? Well he wasn’t too bad either…😉

This was probably one of the absolute best friends to lovers books I have ever read… convinced that they are completely wrong for one another, and after Josh is cheated on and ends a two year long relationship… josh and Hazel begin setting each other up on blind dates…. most of these blind dates were disastrous and hilarious… I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit throughout this book…. I mean we’ve all been on bad dates, so this part was so tremendously relatable and a lot of fun!

Also really loved how important family was in this book… Hazel had an equally eccentric mother, and the bond between them was undeniable… josh’s family was equally fabulous, I loved how accepting they were of Hazel…. i’d also really love Josh‘s mom to cook some Korean food for me!

Beautifully told with some pretty darn amazing characters! This book had it all… humor, romance, friendship, family, pets, food, and sizzle! Absolutely recommend to fans of this writing team, and if you aren’t a fan already pick this book up and you will become one!

*** many thanks to Gallery Books for my copy of this fabulous book ***

About the Book

Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them…right?

GET A COPY

•Amazon

Have a day filled with words and laughs! Berit☀️✨

Boy Toy by Sarina Bowen & Tara Eby @SarinaBowen @Blunder_Woman #LaughOutLoud #Romance

Boy Toy by Sarina Bowen

🌟🌟🌟🌟·5 Never Too Old Stars

Synopsis

Liam

The moment Sadie Matthews walks through the daycare center door, I feel my world tilt in her direction. Again. I fell for her when I was fourteen, and I’m still not over her. Problem: she still thinks of me as a teen she used to babysit. But I’ve learned a few things about pleasing a woman in the last fifteen years. I can’t wait to show her how good it could be. I need to move quickly before I lose her again. This is more than a game to me, but I still plan to win.

Sadie

I’ve just survived the worst year of my life. As a single mom of twin toddlers, I don’t have time for a man. I barely have time to finish a thought. Who knew that Liam McAllister would grow up to be so devastating? He’s everything my husband was not: tall, built, and willing to have a tea party with my girls.

I can’t possibly get involved with him. He’s too young for me. Too handsome. But he’s so persuasive…

Review

I loved this book, it is the 3rd one in the series, but can absolutely be read as a standalone, the author even told me to tell you in the book.

“Note: We would like to let you know that this is a stand-alone novel. No previous experience with books by Sarina Bowen & Tanya Eby is required. Jump in anywhere!
Other Note: there is some discussion as to who can claim Liam as her official book boyfriend. Please form an orderly line.”

Sadie is a single mum, a single mum to twins, and she is trying to make it on her own.

Struggling alone without the help of with a nanny is fine for her, considering her ex husband and the nanny are now together are the reason for her divorce, Sadie makes the guilty decision to put the girls in daycare.

On the first day she makes sure she has everything ready for her daughters “Piggypoo” for Amy, a cuddly toy who she is VERY attached to, and a Helmet for Kate, who likes to run headfirst into things a lot as she has sensory issues.

Dropping them off and full of guilt, Sadie then bumps into the handsome man who is working at the daycare centre, who turns out to be no other that Liam McAllister, a boy that she used to babysit for when she was younger.

Liam has always had a crush on Sadie since she used to look after him years ago, she is the reason why he now likes older women, but Sadie is having none of it.

Time for Liam to get his game on and turn on the charm!

Sadie can instantly feel the attraction between them, but with Liam being so brilliant with the girls (a total turn on) she finds it more and more difficult to stay away, especially since her friends are also trying to push them together too!

A quick hilarious little story with no drama and a whole lot of fun.

*Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC copy for review.

Vicci

The Serial Dater’s Shopping List by Morgen Bailey @morgenwriteruk @Bombshellpub #BookReview

Are you ready for the weekend book lovers?!?!

Excited to be part of the blog blitz for this fun book about the good, the bad, and the ugly of dating… many thanks to Sarah for my invitation and to Morgen Bailey for this delightful story!💕

About the Book

31 days. 31 dates.

Izzy is a journalist who usually writes a technology column for a Northampton newspaper. Her somewhat-intimidating boss William sets her the task of dating thirty-one men, via an internet dating site, all within a month, and writing about it for the paper.

Having an active, though fruitless, social life with her friend Donna, Izzy knows what she wants in a man, so creates a shopping list of dos and don’ts and starts ticking them off as she meets the men.

Follow the ups and downs of the dating process including Tim ‘the Weeble’, whose date leads Izzy to see banoffee pie in a whole new light, Lawrence the super-skinny social worker, Felix with his bizarre penchant for Persian Piranhas, and ‘the music maestro but don’t talk about dead pets’ Jake.

By the end of the month, will Izzy have met Mr Right?

A laugh-out-loud comedy about the highs and lows of dating.

My Thoughts

4 Delightful Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

31 dates in 31 days! Sounds exhausting, but it sure made for a fun book… A little reminiscent of Sex in the City minus New York and shoes…

Isabel is a journalist who has been tasked by her boss to forgo her usual tech column and write a dating column…. she signs up with a online dating site and buckles up for 31 dates in as many days…. this book really explored the good… the bad… and the ugly of dating…. as you can imagine Isabel dated a wide variety of different men in this book… some of them I thought were really well-suited for her and others probably weren’t well-suited for anybody 😂 thank goodness Isabel had her good friend Donna to share her trials and tribulations with… what did you learn last night?

A fun story filled with lots of humor that did not take itself too seriously… absolutely recommend as a light summer read either on the beach or poolside be sure to pack it in that beach bag!

*** many thanks to Bombshell Books for my copy of this book ***

Meet the Author

Morgen Bailey – Morgen with an E – is a multi-genre author, freelance editor, writing tutor, Writers’ Forum magazine columnist, blogger, speaker, and Northants Authors co-founder. The former Chair of three writing groups, she has judged the H.E. Bates, RONE, BeaconLit, BBC Radio 2 and Althorp Literary Festival short story competitions. She also runs her own free monthly 100-word competition and is a forthcoming Flash 500 judge.

Links:

• author https://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/books-mine

• editor http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/editing-and-critique

• tutor http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/courses

• blogger https://morgenbailey.wordpress.com

• speaker https://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/writer-for-hire/speaking-at-your-event

• Twitter http://twitter.com/morgenwriteruk

• Facebook http://facebook.com/morgenwriteruk

Have a day filled with words and laughs! Berit☀️✨