January Book Review

*This post may contain affiliate links, which means at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through or make a purchase 

 Hey loves. Happy Valentine's Day. Are you doing anything special today? I gave my kids a little chocolate heart this morning, we had a heart themed food day on Sunday and Brian and I had a date night on Saturday.  What about you?

Today I am sharing my book reviews for January. The month started off slowly with the passing of my father in law, we were hosting about 20 people at our house for meals for about a week and I didn't have much time and/or energy to read, or alone time to listen as well. 

My goal for the year is 100 books total and 20 being audiobooks. I also made the goal to not purchase any books (unless for book club and audiobooks don't count) 

Books Read: 4

Audiobooks: 6

Total: 10




Title: Road Trip with a Billionaire

Author: Harmony Knight

Genre: chick lit

How I Read It: kindle unlimited

My Rating: 5 out of 5

Amazon Description: A billionaire in disguise, a writer down on her luck, and a road trip to force them together…

As a true crime fangirl and wannabe crime fiction author, I know better than to accept a ride from a stranger. Especially a handsome, confident stranger with a charming smile. That’s the stuff sociopaths are made of.

But I have no choice.

Stranded at a bus station coffee shop after leaving my cheating ex, I’m cold, tired, and weighed down by everything I own stuffed into one huge bag. So I jump at Mark Sullivan’s offer to give me a ride to Upstate NY.

If you’re thinking this is the part where I fall for the guy, write a bestseller, and turn it all around? You couldn’t be more wrong.

Things that go awry on my road trip:

 I spill coffee all over Mark Sullivan.

 I pee in front of Mark Sullivan. (It was an accident!)

 A snowstorm forces me to share a motel room with Mark Sullivan.

And as if all that’s not enough? When I get back to my small hometown with my tail between my legs and show up for my first shift in the diner, I find out that Mark Sullivan is actually Matthew Sullivan. Renowned billionaire bachelor. Capitalist vulture. Liar. And my temporary boss.

Maybe I should have just waited for that bus after all.

My Review: A story about two strangers who paths cross numerous times drawing them together. Some trust was broken but will they get a second chance? It was a cute fun romantic read. 


Title:
Lucky Pucker

Author: Hilary Rose

Genre: sports romance

How I Read It: kindle unlimited

My Rating: 5 out of 5

Amazon Description: Hockey is in my blood—hell, it’s practically my birthright—but when an injury shattered my Olympic dream, I had no choice but to shift my ambitions. Now, instead of being a professional athlete, I work for them. In a world where a person can ruin their reputation in forty characters or less, it’s my job to keep my clients’ phones from being a weapon of mass destruction that decimates their careers.

Enter Luke Valentine, the NHL’s hottest, all-star defenseman, whose colossally stupid mistake has him and his team in hot water. They need me to help rebuild their reputation and I need them to boost my resume credentials for a promotion. I want to climb the corporate ladder, but my scorching hot attraction to Luke is getting in the way. With all eyes on me, I must resist temptation, but not mixing business with pleasure is hard as puck.

My Review: A forbidden romance with a hockey star, yes please. This book had my hooked the whole time. It is fast paced, fun, sexy read. 

Title: Finding You 

Author: Lena Hendrix

Genre: military romance

How I Read It: kindle unlimited

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Amazon Description: I never thought I’d find her.

After eight years in the Marines, I’m still looking for the mysterious woman I’ve obsessed over since her first letter. When she shows up in my small town, I’m thrilled.

But when she turns out to be my brother’s best friend--and the girl he’s always loved--I’m caught between the two people who matter to me the most.

I’m a Marine, which means honor and duty run deep. Joanna is off-limits. That would be a whole lot easier if she hadn’t already agreed to help run my brother’s fishing guide business for the summer, forcing me to work side-by-side with the woman I’ve fantasized about for years.

I try to keep her at a distance, push her away, man up. But she draws me in without even trying, and I can’t get enough of how she makes me feel. I’m stealing moments with her, and I know it’s wrong. She may not be my brother’s girlfriend, but I know a landmine when I see one.

My Review: Pen pal romance with a marine who needed her more than she could ever know. Loved that the Jo, the main female isn't your typical girly girl. 


Title: The Perfect Marriage

Author: Jeneva Rose

Genre: mystery thriller

How I Read It: kindle unlimited

My Rating: 5 out of 5

Amazon Description: Sarah Morgan is a successful and powerful defense attorney in Washington D.C. As a named partner at her firm, life is going exactly how she planned. The same cannot be said for her husband, Adam. He’s a struggling writer who has had little success in his career and he tires of his and Sarah’s relationship as she is constantly working. 


Out in the secluded woods, at the couple’s lake house, Adam engages in a passionate affair with Kelly Summers. But one morning everything changes. Kelly is found brutally stabbed to death and now, Sarah must take on her hardest case yet, defending her own husband, a man accused of murdering his mistress. 

The Perfect Marriage is a juicy, twisty, and utterly addictive thriller that will keep you turning pages. You won’t see the ending coming . . . guaranteed!

My Review: This book has been sitting on my TBR forever. I was afraid that the hype the book got from Tiktok was fake and it would be a flop. OMG the hype is real. I could not read this book quick enough with the twist and turns. When you think you know who did it, you were wrong, then you think you know again wrong again. I can not wait for the movie.

Title: God of Wraith

Author: Rina Kent

Genre: dark romance

How I Read It: audiobook

My Rating: 1 out of 5

Amazon Description: I’m trapped by the devil.

What started as an innocent mistake turned into actual hell.
In my defense, I didn’t mean to get involved with a mafia prince.
But he barged through my defenses anyway.
He stalked me from the shadows and stole me from the life I know.
Jeremy Volkov might appear charming, but a true predator lurks inside.
He’s out to possess, own, and keep me.
But I have no plans to stick around in his blood-soaked world.
Or so I think.

My Review: I could not get into this book. Maybe if I was reading it instead of listening to it I would have enjoyed it better. 


Title:
Satisfaction Guaranteed 

Author: Lauren Blakley 

Genre: romance

How I Read It: audiobook

My Rating: 5 out of 5

Amazon Description: The first rule of working together? Don't fall for the boss' daughter. Definitely don't fall for her when you're trying to buy the business.

The trouble is Sloane is smack dab next to me from nine to freaking five. And she's as captivating, brilliant, and sexy as ever, which means I'm taking more than the recommended dosage of office romance temptation every day. Make that every single second, because she's not only "the one" - she's the one who got away. 

But she's the very definition of off-limits, so I keep my hands to myself. Fine, we might flirt. Okay, we do indulge in the occasional dirty text. And there was that one time when we kissed on the street. But we've been good since then. 

Until the night she issues me a challenge - seven nights of O lessons and then we walk away.

Sounds like a simple arrangement. 

But I was never good with those kind of rules.

My Review: The singing alone is 5 stars for the audiobook. It is a very cute romance second chance romance. 



Title: Instant Gratification 

Author: Lauren Blakley 

Genre: romance

How I Read It: audiobook

My Rating: 5 out of 5

Amazon Description: I need a fake date. She needs my late-night expertise. Now, if we can just keep our hands off each other…

As the premier best-man-for hire in all of Manhattan, I promise discretion, so when I need a plus one for a couple of “I dos,” I turn to my gorgeous, clever, witty best friend’s sister.
She’s my good friend, too, and I lust after her completely. I mean, I TRUST her completely.
After all, just look how she’s kept her lips sealed about the hot, multi-O night we spent together.
In any case, we only fell off the wagon once, and it was months ago. I’m sure we can make it through these weddings without banging each other in the limo.
Or can we?

My Review: Friends to lover romance, loved the cast of narrators. I found myself laughing, and swooning all at the same time. 


Title: Roommaid

Author: Sariah Wilson

Genre: chick lit

How I Read It: audiobook

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Amazon Description: Madison Huntington is determined to live her dreams. That means getting out from under her family’s wealth and influence by saying no to the family business, her allowance, and her home. But on a teacher’s salary, the real world comes as a rude awakening—especially when she wakes up every morning on a colleague’s couch. To get a place of her own (without cockroaches, mold, or crime scene tape), Madison accepts a position as a roommaid. In exchange for free room and board, all she needs to do is keep her busy roommate’s penthouse clean and his dog company. So what if she’s never washed a dish in her life. She can figure this out, right?

Madison is pretty confident she can fake it well enough that Tyler Roth will never know the difference. The finance whiz is rich and privileged and navigates the same social circles as her parents—but to him she’s just a teacher in need of an apartment. He’s everything Madison has run from, but his kindhearted nature, stomach-fluttering smile, and unexpected insecurities only make her want to get closer. And Tyler is warming to the move.

Rewarding job. Perfect guy. Great future. With everything so right, what could go wrong? Madison is about to find out.

My Review: A cutest romance with likeable characters, and a fun plot. Story like was very predicable but still a good way to pass time. 



Title: Seatmate

Author: Cara Bastone

Genre: chick lit

How I Read It:  audiobook

My Rating: 3 out of 5

Amazon Description: I have exactly 5 hours and 10 minutes to get from Boston to New York City or the professional opportunity of a lifetime disappears. My only travel option? The second to last seat on a discount bus. Across from the bathroom. Wearing last night's clothes (don't ask). All worth it if I can make it in time.


My nerves almost get the best of me, but then there he is, sitting down in the seat next to me. Tall. Friendly smile. Bright indigo streak in his brown hair. The perfect distraction. Turns out he's on his way to reconnect with an old flame. The one that got away. We can both make it on time - just barely - if the traffic keeps flowing.

Playing road-trip games, avoiding calls from his mother, and effortless conversation keeps us from clockwatching . . . until the bus breaks down. And my seatmate turns into my copilot as we wrangle a ride in a car three decades old. And hit all the traffic. And oh, Lord, the detours. And somehow I end up careening cross-town on the handlebars of a Citi Bike carrying a box of kittens. (Yeah, don't ask.)

He's my hero every step of the way . . . and I might be falling for him. But what happens when we reach our final destination? Could my seatmate really be my soulmate?

My Review: Seatmate was a fun listen, keeping you hooked and wanting to know what happens next. I loved all the extra sound effects while listening, such as car noises. Even without any spice it kept me entertained. 



Title: Call Me Maybe

Author: Cara Bastone

Genre: chick lit

How I Read It:  audiobook

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Amazon Description: Paint your toes. Pick up the wrong coffee and bagel order. Drive from Brooklyn to Jersey in traffic so slow you want to tear your hair out. It's amazing all the useless things I can accomplish while on hold for three hours with customer service. Three hours when I should be getting the Date-in-a-Box website ready to launch at the big business expo in a few days. Except my shiny new website is glitching, and my inner rage-monster is ready to scorch some earth . . . when he finally picks up. Not the robot voice I expected but a real live human named Cal. He's surprisingly helpful and really knows his stuff, even if he's a little awkward . . . in an adorable way.


And suddenly I'm flirting with him? And I think he's flirting back.

And suddenly it's been hours, and we're still on the phone talking and ordering each other takeout while he troubleshoots my website.

And suddenly we're exchanging numbers and sending texts and DMs every day, leaving voice mails (who even does that anymore?!).

And suddenly I'm wondering if it's possible for two people to fall in love at first talk.

Because I'm falling . . . hard.

My Review: An sweet, entertaining, fun audiobook. I caught myself smiling and laughing often. The characters were so likeable.



Currently Reading:

Thank you for stopping by!!!!! If you are new here,

Feel free to follow along.
You can find me on BloglovinFacebook, and Instagram

XOXO


2 comments

  1. You actually managed to read quite a lot this month! Road trip with a billionaire sounds so fun

    ReplyDelete
  2. Now I need to check out The Perfect Marriage. Nice month! Sorry to hear about your father in law though.

    Lauren @ www.shootingstarsmag.net

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for leaving some comment love.