What I Read January 2021

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Hey loves. It's time for another month of What I Read. I had a great month of reading, starting off the new year strong with 8 books. February isn't going as well, but we are only eight days in. Lets see what I read in January and Linking up with Steph for Show your Books


 

Title: Just His Secretary

Author: Donna Jeffries

Genre: Romance

My Rating: 5 out of 5

Amazon Description: Dawson Houser makes sure everyone who comes into the office knows I'm "just his secretary." Heck, I've even said it to suppliers and CEOs when they smile knowingly at the two of us during business meetings. He scowls and grumps around the office afterward, as if the two of us dating is the most ridiculous thing on the planet.


Dawson can handle them.

I can handle them—and him too, once they leave. And he's no picnic, let me tell you.

Who can't we handle? His mother.

When Lila Houser comes to town with her faux furs and fashion sunglasses, she only has one question for her spoiled rotten son: When are you going to get married, Dawson, darling?

I expect him to laugh and tell her he's never getting married. I mean, I've heard those exact words come out of his mouth. Instead, he pulls me to his side and says, "Maybe sooner than you think, Mother."

Oh, that Lila Houser can make a woman feel two inches tall with a simple up-down look. I think I'm a pretty good catch...no matter what my last three boyfriends say.

When Lila says, "I thought Callie was just your secretary," I suddenly want to prove her dead wrong...

My Review: I love that Callie the main character is a strong independent female and knows what she wants. The characters are very likeable and could really happen. I really enjoy this book from the plot to the characters. 


Title: Big Shot

Author: MJ Jendrix

Genre: Romance

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Amazon Description: Kate

THIS IS NOT YOUR ROUTINE ROM-COM.
I mean, it’s close. I can see why you’d think that.
It started with the usual. I got fired and cheated on in the span of two hours.
I wanted to forget my troubles with the sexy stranger at the bar, so yes, I approached him. And yes, he definitely made me forget my pathetic life that night.
Until three days later when I was officially introduced to said stranger—as his new assistant.
The real twist?
He thinks I was sent here to kill him.
I wasn't—of course. It was all a big mix-up involving bourbon, supermodels, and government secrets labeled CLASSIFIED.
I've never even held a gun before, but apparently I give off Russian spy vibes.
I’m not the girl who grew up craving excitement.
Masked men breaking into my apartment and trying to kill me was never in my five year plan, but if we survive, maybe I can convince Mr. Big Shot to make me a part of his.

Luke
I’ve never been fooled by an enemy agent—until her.

My Review: This book did not disappoint with a twist to an office love story. I enjoyed the book so much I read it in two days. However the book was memorable afterwards. As I am writing this I had to go back and read the description to refresh my memory of what the book was about. 


Title: The High 5 Habit

Author: Mel Robbins

Genre: Personal Development

My Rating: 3 out of 5

Amazon Description: Don't let the title fool you. This isn't a book about high fiving everyone else in your life. You're already doing that. Cheering for your favorite teams. Celebrating your friends. Supporting the people you love as they go after what they want in life.


Imagine if you gave that same love and encouragement to yourself. Or even better, you made it a daily habit.

You'd be unstoppable.

In this book, Mel teaches you how to start high fiving the most important person in your life, the one who is staring back at you in the mirror: YOURSELF.

If you struggle with self-doubt (and who doesn't?) ...
If you're tired of that nagging critic in your head (could somebody evict them already?) ...
If you're wildly successful but all you focus on is what's going wrong (you're not alone) ...
If you're sick of watching everybody else get ahead while you sit on the couch with your dog (don't bring your dog into this) ...

...Mel dedicates this book to you.

Using her signature science-backed wisdom, deeply personal stories, and the real-life results that The High 5 Habit is creating in people's lives around the world (and you'll meet a lot of them throughout this book), Mel will teach you how to make believing in yourself a habit so that you operate with the confidence that your goals and dreams demand.

The High 5 Habit is a simple yet profound tool that changes your attitude, your mindset, and your behavior. So be prepared to laugh and learn as you take steps to immediately boost your confidence, happiness, and results.

It's time to give yourself the high fives, celebration, and support you deserve.

My Review: I love the concept of High 5'ing yourself. You honestly can't high 5 yourself in the mirror and talk negative about yourself at the same time. There is a lot of story telling to reiterate the concept. The book could have been a lot shorter and gotten the point accross. 




Title: Wolf

Author: Penelope Black

Genre: Reverse Harlem

My Rating: 3 out of 5

Amazon Description: "Kiss a stranger." Those three words started off a series of events I could have never predicted. Fresh off graduation, I have my entire summer planned out: European vacation with my cousins, college courses, and picking up shifts at work. But then my mom calls and drops the bomb: she's getting married to the rumored head of the Irish mafia. Even though I've been looking out for her for most of my life, we haven't lived together in ten years. So when she invites me to stay with her for the summer, I don't hesitate. And I make a new summer plan: skip the vacation, take online courses, and dig up dirt on Mom's new fiancé. What I didn't plan for was Wolf Fitzgerald--and his brothers. Dangerously good-looking with tattoos and bad attitudes. And my new stepbrothers.

My Review: I have to say I didn't know what a reverse harlem was before reading this series. I follow Penelope Black, the author on TikTok and her reels interested me to buy the book. Wolf, which is the first book in the series, so I purchased the book. This book was kinda slow, lacked on details. It still caught me interested in more. I was very disappointed that the book ends with a huge cliffhanger. So many unanswered questions that leaves you hanging or you have to purchase the next book. (which I did)




Title: Rush

Author: Penelope Black

Genre: Reverse Harlem

My Rating: 5 out of 5

Amazon Description: I wake up with a gasp, surrounded by smoke and flames.


Twelve hours earlier, my cousins cut their European vacation short and came home to spend my birthday with me. They promised me a day to remember.

No one could have predicted how true that promise would turn out to be.

When the clock strikes eleven-eleven on June sixth, I make a wish. But fate has other plans, and she deals me an unexpected hand.

That’s the thing about fate. She doesn’t ask permission, she takes what she wants.

When my world devolves into chaos, I decide to be like fate.

And I want all three Fitzgerald brothers.

My Review: This is the second book in the series, again you cannot read as a stand alone and also leaves you hanging to get all your questions answered you have to purchase the third book. Rush, the second book, gives a lot more details into the characters and how they are intertwined. If I had to pick this was my favorite book of the three. 


Title: Sully

Author: Penelope Black

Genre: Reverse Harlem

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Amazon Description: “Do you believe in the butterfly effect?”


There comes a time in your life when you’re faced with a choice. One that has the potential to alter the course of your life. I answered my mother’s call that day and everything changed.

The path I chose was a turnpike masquerading as a meadow, and the tolls I paid have been grave.

So I made a promise to myself that I will have my vengeance.

And with my dark Irish gods at my side, I will wreak havoc on everyone who had a hand in the destruction of the girl I used to be.

I was remade in the cabin in the woods. And I was forged in the warehouse fire. And like a phoenix, I will rise anew.

By the time I’m done, my path will be littered with the heads of my enemies.
But not before I claim what’s rightfully mine.

My Review: The last book in the trilogy. Leading up to the end was juicy, with twists and turns. Then the ending was like you hit a brick wall. The book tied up loose ends but you were still wanting more. 

Overall I loved the series, the storyline, the characters, the twists and turns. I wasn't a fan of it being 3 books and the way it ended. 


Title: Night After Night

Author: Lauren Blakely

Genre: Erotic Romance

My Rating: 2 out of 5 

Amazon Description: I wasn't in the market for a man. I definitely wasn't looking for a man like Clay Nichols, with a dirty mind and a mouth to match. But then he walked into my life one night and he was everything I wanted.


He's also exactly what I can't have.

Because there's a price tag on my head. I'm a wanted woman and I owe debts that were never mine.

The dangerous men I owe them to have threatened to hurt anyone in my life if I don't pay up. So I work off my debts by playing cards in an underground poker ring. One so risky I shouldn't get involved with a soul.

Clay is irresistible though, so I steal away to New York to spend one delicious weekend with the man who unlocks pleasure in me I never knew was possible, and who captivates my mind.

But when I return home, trouble is waiting for me and for everyone I care about.

My Review:

Another cliff hanger that wants you to purchase the next book. After the last series I decided I wasn't doing that again. I liked the story line and the characters chemistry. I wish I knew what happened next without having to buy another book. 



Title: The Compound Effect

Author: Darren Hardy

Genre: Personal Development

My Rating: 4 of 5

Amazon Description: Do you want success? More success than you have now? And even more success than you ever imagined possible? That is what this book is about. Achieving it.

No gimmicks. No hyperbole. Finally, just the truth on what it takes to earn success
As the central curator of the success media industry for over 25 years, author Darren Hardy has heard it all, seen it all, and tried most of it. This book reveals the core principles that drive success. The Compound Effect contains the essence of what every superachiever needs to know, practice, and master to obtain extraordinary success. Inside you will find strategies on:
  • How to win--every time! The No. 1 strategy to achieve any goal and triumph over any competitor, even if they're smarter, more talented or more experienced.
  • Eradicating your bad habits (some you might be unaware of!) that are derailing your progress.
  • Painlessly installing the few key disciplines required for major breakthroughs.
  • The real, lasting keys to motivation--how to get yourself to do things you don't feel like doing.
  • Capturing the elusive, awesome force of momentum. Catch this, and you'll be unstoppable.
  • The acceleration secrets of superachievers. Do they have an unfair advantage? Yes, they do, and now you can too!
If you're serious about living an extraordinary life, use the power of The Compound Effect to create the success you desire. Begin your journey today!

My Review: I have actually read The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy three times. I reread it in a Beachbody coach training group I was apart of last month. There are good tips and tricks to staying consistent, and making changes in your life. 

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XOXO




4 comments

  1. Big Shot sounds like an interesting take on the office romance! I will save it for a palate cleanser from my more murdery books LOL

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  2. oh the cliffhanger to buy another book, so frustrating. i prefer standalones these days.
    i really like mel robbins, so true you can't high five yourself and talk bad at the same time lol

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  3. I haven't read any of these, but yay for a pretty great reading month!

    Lauren @ www.shootingstarsmag.net

    ReplyDelete
  4. I also find that sometimes I really like a book and two weeks later, promptly forget everything about it except that I liked it.

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