Waiting On Wednesday ... Second First Impressions

 Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

From the USA Today  bestselling author of The Hating Game and 99 Percent Mine comes the clever, funny, and unforgettable story of a muscular, tattooed man hired as an assistant to two old women—under the watchful eye of a beautiful retirement home manager.

Distraction (n): an extreme agitation of the mind or emotions.

Ruthie Midona has worked the front desk at the Providence Luxury Retirement Villa for six years, dedicating her entire adult life to caring for the Villa’s residents, maintaining the property (with an assist from DIY YouTube tutorials), and guarding the endangered tortoises that live in the Villa’s gardens. Somewhere along the way, she’s forgotten that she’s young and beautiful, and that there’s a world outside of work—until she meets the son of the property developer who just acquired the retirement center.

Teddy Prescott has spent the last few years partying, sleeping in late, tattooing himself when bored, and generally not taking life too seriously—something his father, who dreams of grooming Teddy into his successor, can’t understand. When Teddy needs a place to crash, his father seizes the chance to get him to grow up. He’ll let Teddy stay in one of the on-site cottages at the retirement home, but only if he works to earn his keep. Teddy agrees—he can change a few lightbulbs and clip some hedges, no sweat. But Ruthie has plans for Teddy too.

Her two wealthiest and most eccentric residents have just placed an ad (yet another!) seeking a new personal assistant to torment. The women are ninety-year-old, four-foot-tall menaces, and not one of their assistants has lasted a full week. Offering up Teddy seems like a surefire way to get rid of the tall, handsome, unnerving man who won’t stop getting under her skin.

Ruthie doesn’t count on the fact that in Teddy Prescott, the Biddies may have finally met their match. He’ll pick up Chanel gowns from the dry cleaner and cut Big Macs into bite-sized bits. He’ll do repairs around the property, make the residents laugh, and charm the entire villa. He might even remind Ruthie what it’s like to be young and fun again. But when she finds out Teddy’s father’s only fixing up the retirement home to sell it, putting everything she cares about in jeopardy, she’s left wondering if Teddy’s magic was all just a façade.

Sally Thorne has another book coming out so you better believe I am excited. I loved her previous two novels and this one also sounds pretty cute!

Sally's novels have great love interests and I expect that Teddy will be no exception. I am looking forward to 'meeting' him. 

This may feel really far away with that April release date, but hopefully that wait means it can be enjoyed on a nice spring day.

Expected release date - April 13, 2021

Best Reads Of 2019 .... So Far

We are quickly approaching the midway point of the year and that means checking in on my reading progress and the books that have stood out so far.

I am always amazed at how fast the year is going whenever I decide to write one of these posts. It seems like it is flying by in particular this year.

I have not read nearly as much as I wanted to. I am already 8 books behind in my Goodreads challenge. I am hoping to refocus my attention on reading and the blog and making some progress this summer.

Taking a look at what books I have read this year has made me realize that I have become quite good at picking books that will appeal to me. I feel like my reading is made all the richer as a result. I still stray outside my comfort zone (especially if friends recommend a book) but feel like I genuinely know what books I will and will not enjoy. This has made picking my ten favourites even more difficult.

Here, in no particular order, are the ten books that have stood out to me during the first half of the year;

1. Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

2. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

3. Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

4. The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg

5. A Curse So Dark And Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

6. You'd Be Mine by Erin Hahn

7. Top Secret by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

8. Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins

9. 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne

10. Chase Darkness With Me by Billy Jensen

All of the above books are linked to my reviews so you can discover exactly why they made my list if you so choose. Chase Darkness With Me is not currently reviewed so there is no link for that, but expect a review closer to release date.

I will be curious to see which books make it on to my year end list as the year continues! What book makes your own best of 2019 (at least so far) list? Let me know in the comments!

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

BOOKS

Cover for 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne (goodreads)

All of the romance readers I follow on Twitter were VERY excited about this cover reveal (myself included). I loved The Hating Game so much and cannot wait to get my hands on Sally's next book.

99 Percent Mine has a great synopsis and now a super cute cover. It's going to be a great way to chase way those winter blues!

Cover of Crashing The A-List by Summer Heacock (goodreads)

This one came to my attention completely by accident. I was scrolling through Twitter and saw the cover appear on my feed. I instantly had to look up what it was about because it caught my eye. It is obviously a Hollywood set romance which I happen to love and it has a great synopsis.

I love that she meets the celebrity love interest because she is clearing out abandoned storage lockers and discovers a potentially scandalous secret from his past. It has the makings of a charming, funny, sweet romance read and I am here for it.

TV/MOVIE

I Am The Night Trailer

Combine Petty Jenkins, Chris Pine, and the infamous Black Dahlia murder and you have a television show that I am instantly OBSESSED with.

It looks really good and is on my list for things to be excited about for 2019. I am wishing it was fall 2018 though. It just looks so good!

OTHER

Cody Fern Cast In American Horror Story: Apocalypse

Cody Fern has been cast in the newest season of American Horror Story and I am so excited. The role he is playing is super spoilery for the first season (aka Murder House) and is a big spoiler for the upcoming season as well. If you want to be spoiled I recommend the Entertainment Weekly post announcing the news.

The news has made me even more excited for this season which is to be a crossover season of Murder House and Coven (season 3). This news has me intrigued and really optimistic about the direction this season might go in.

And if you don't want to be bothered to venture over to Entertainment Weekly ... click the spoiler tag for who he is playing and my ridiculous commentary.

He'll be playing Michael Langdon, the devil child of Tate and Vivien. So apparently the Antichrist is hot?

This news has made me excited enough that I think I might have to recap this season on the blog again.

What are you obsessed with this week? Let me know in the comments.

Waiting On Wednesday .... 99 Percent Mine

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Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne

Here is the Goodreads synopsis 

Crush: a strong and often short-lived infatuation, particularly for someone beyond your reach…

… If Darcy Barrett hadn’t met her dream man when she was eight years old, the rest of the male population wouldn’t be such a let-down. No one measures up to Tom Valeska, aka the best man on Earth, not in looks, brain or heart. Even worse is the knowledge that her twin brother Jamie saw him first, and claimed him forever as his best friend.

Tom’s off limits and loyal to her brother, 99%. One percent of Tom has had to be enough for Darcy, and her adoration has been sustained by his shy kindness. And if she’s honest, his tight t-shirts.

Now Darcy’s got three months left to get her life together, before her twin insists on selling the tumble-down cottage they inherited from their grandmother. By night, she’s working in a seedy bar, shooting down lame pickups from bikers. By day, she’s sewing underwear for her best friend and wasting her award-winning photography skills on website shots of pens and novelty mugs. She’s enjoying living the messy life, and a glass of wine or ten… until that one night, when she finds a six-foot-six perfect package on her porch.

Tom’s here, he’s bearing power tools—and he’s single for the first time in a decade.

As a house flipper extraordinaire, Tom has been dispatched by Jamie to give the cottage a drastic facelift that will result in a ton of cash. Darcy doesn’t appreciate Tom’s unsentimental approach to knocking down walls, and he really, really doesn’t approve of her current burnout boyfriend. They can’t be in the same room together without sparks flying- and it’s not the faulty wiring. One bedroom wall separates them at night, and even that’s looking flimsy.

Will Tom ever see Darcy as anything other than a little-sister obstacle to get around? And can she stand up to her most formidable opponent—her twin? This time around, she’s determined to make Tom Valeska 99 percent hers, and he’s never managed to say no to her yet…

I loved The Hating Game so much when I read it last year. It was one of my favourite books of last year and certainly one of my favourite romance novels.

I am (im)patiently waiting for her second book which sounds equally adorable. I love the whole "wanting to date your brother's best friend" trope and I am intrigued that the siblings are twins so that dynamic could be interesting. Mostly I just want more hot kissing scenes and for it to be a fun read.

The January release date is perfect for holiday gift card pre-orders and ensures that there will be something to look forward to chase off the winter blues.

Expected release date -January 29, 2019

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Release Date - August 9, 2016

Publisher Website - Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy
Pages -  363 pages
My Rating - 5/5
**borrowed from friend**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Nemesis (n.)
1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome;
2) A person’s undoing;
3) Joshua Templeman.
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.

I am immediately a fan of books that make me snort laugh within the first chapter. I am also a fan of sexy books with relationships that are imperfect. Combine that with some delicious game playing, some racy (and dark) banter and you have an instant favourite. Sally Throne has crafted a wickedly enjoyable read that demands to be read with a glass of wine (or two).

Sally Thorne's writing is pitch perfect for this genre. She can make you laugh as easily as she can craft some of the hottest kisses I've ever read. She crafts an entirely spellbinding romance that is imperfect enough to feel entirely perfect. Her characters are rich and vibrant and larger than life. It read like a movie, and is basically a rom com in book format. I would love to see Josh and Lucy get the big screen treatment and that is a testament to how addicting this story is.

This book is funny. I mean snort while laughing funny. Everything from Lucy's hilarious passwords, to their socially awkward interactions, made me laugh. The only thing more intoxicating than this book's humour is its sexiness. It has both in spades, and is not afraid to charm you with both. It's the type of book that you'll want to read again and again while underlining favourite passages simply because of the happiness it leaves you with.

Fans of banter between couples will immediately ship Joshua and Lucy. Their sharp tongues are only rivaled by the death glares they shoot each other across the office. This is all a mask for the fact that they really want to rip each other's clothes off (of course) but provides a slow burn relationship that feels earned.

The sexiness in this novel comes not only from the steamy make out scenes, but the delayed gratification. The teasing, taunting, and steamy elevator kisses are all an electric form of foreplay that is entirely delicious. The reader becomes invested in this couple, and their happiness, because of this incredibly built tension. Each of the characters have flaws but their flaws make them so well suited to each other. They both like to play games. They are both a little socially awkward. They both have trouble admitting their true feelings. This all just adds to their charm and makes it so that they feel like friends by the time the novel is finished.

A fun, sexy page turner that is a delight to read. Sally Thorne is instantly an auto buy author after reading this banter filled, wickedly charming debut. It's the perfect book to help chase away the winter blues, or throw in your beach bag for the summer. I highly recommend The Hating Game. It may even leave you wanting to play a few games of your own.