Reading, Writing & Pondering

   I have enjoyed every book in this Love in Sheet Cake, Texas series. The Pocket Pair is a bit different than the rest though because this one is Val and Chevy's story. They have connections to the Graham family and live in Sheet Cake but aren't part of the family like the main characters in the other books in the series. Val is an artist. She starts out the book living with Mari, but then Mari moves to Puerto Rico. Val is also going to go to Puerto Rico to study under and artist but she needs a temporary place to live . Val had no where else to live so Chevy offered her his sister's former room at his house. This creates some romantic tension. I love the friends to lovers trope and I enjoyed the romantic moments in this book. I also enjoyed catching up with the rest of the Graham family in Sheet Cake. I like all of Emma's books and this Sheet Cake series ranks up there as some of my favorites.  I like the voices in the audio book of The Pocket Pair . I enjoyed listen...

I was looking forward to Not what We Pictured by Becca Kinzer all year--and was so excited to get my copy. I have read all of her previous books and enjoyed them--and I enjoyed this one too. As the book begins, McKenna Boston is trying to look out for her much younger sister, Bobbi, when she helps her boyfriend stage a proposal that goes awry. She promised her deceased mother that she would give her mother's engagement ring to Bobbi. She also wants to know Bobbi is safe and happy. She loves her sister and she thinks she will be free to move on in her own career besides seeing Bobbi happy. Nate Lambert is in Omaha for a funeral. He ends up resting on a park bench to relax and stave off a headache. . .but things get a little wild when he doesn't want to move off of the special bench McKenna needs to stage for Bobbi and Oliver's proposal plan. I enjoyed getting to know McKenna and Nate through Not What We Pictured . There were some humorous moments throughout the book. There ...

  The Wild Card by Emma St. Clair is part of the Love Stories in Sheet Cake series. It could read as a stand-alone but characters from the other books are in this one so I would encourage you to read the whole series. I loved all of the books in the series that I have read. Collin Graham often feels over-looked in his family of brothers and a sister. However, he is surprised when out of the blue, Molly, grabs him at a festival and asks him to be her fake boyfriend. He knows Molly is his brother-in-law's sister but she doesn't recognize him in a beard--so he once again feels over-looked even though she only met him twice before. He agrees to go along with her plan and the fun begins.  Molly is auditioning for an actress role in a new production company based in Sheet Cake and really wants the part when she grabs Collin. She is trying to make her own way after her father tries to control her. Collin is reeling after a bad break-up with someone who since drug his name through th...

  I found myself back in Sheet Cake, Texas as I listened to the audiobook of The Bluff by Emma St. Clair. James is the typical grumpy boss character. . .I really didn't like him too much at first, but. . . I was surprised at how much I warmed up to this guy by the middle of the book.  Winnie sets out to be a good employee, even though she is temporary, for James Graham as he gets ready to open Dark Horse Brewery in Sheet Cake. I truly enjoyed getting to know both of these layered characters. There was definitely more than meets the eye to both of them. I was pulling for them more and more as the book went on. I also like the other characters in Sheet Cake. It was nice to catch up with all the characters from the first book. The narration in the audio book was well done and I found myself looking forward to listening whenever I could. Now, I am definitely looking forward to moving on to the next book as this one ends, so I can see how everything unfolds between Chevy and Val. ...

  I live in a Midwestern State with a lot of farms so I enjoy a good novel with a farm setting. Fun fact about me: I milked cows with my husband on a date before we got married. So when I read Meet Hate by Abi Sabina, I had a feel for all that was going on in this rom-com set on a struggling dairy farm. Hayes is sent from a big corporation to make a deal with Ellie's family to buy their dairy farm that is currently financially operating in the red. While Ellie's folks are reluctant to sell, they have made peace with it. On the other hand, Ellie is stubbornly refusing to sell. When Hayes comes on to the farm, Ellie sees him as the enemy in this enemies to lovers romance. Meet Hate is a cute story. I enjoyed the banter between Hayes and Ellie. I also could see how they could become more than enemies as the book and the plot went on. While it isn't real fast moving, the pacing is pretty good. The story flows along and is interesting. It took a little while to warm up to Haye...

  Meri Newberg is still single. Sigh. She was just a bridesmaid at her friend's wedding and came away with the bouquet--and a 1950s magazine article with a list of "ways to get a husband." Husband Audtions by Angela Ruth Strong is a contemporary romance novel with some fun characters. When Meri's brother's roommate's sees her list, he comes up with a crazy plan for Meri to to the items on the list while he films her and the reactions of the men she tries to catch. Kai Kamaka believes the videos will go viral and he will finally get the dream job he has been wanting. So together Meri and Kai create this fun show. As time goes on, though, Kai and Meri continue with the list but the results aren't exactly what they expected. Husband Auditions was a fun rom-com. Some of the scenarios were pretty fun to read about and did make me chuckle. I also enjoyed the chemistry between Kai and Meri. The the other supporting characters in the book were also well develope...

Hadley Beckett's Next Dish by Bethany Turner is one of the top books that I have been looking forward to this year--and it did not disappoint me. I am a foodie who loves a good rom-com so I was anxious for this one with that special mix. I imagine many readers didn't like Max Cavanagh to begin with in Hadley Beckett's Next Dish . However, Hadley Beckett was easily likable. Then the mixture got stirred and folded and we ended up with characters that I both liked in the end. Max was not only a better human being than I thought at first, he was proof that we can all learn and grow. Hadley was a little more relatable than at first glance, which just made her more likeable in my eyes. She was proof that forgiveness and mercy are doable. As a whole, I liked that these characters were like real people with real problems who got caught up in the business of television cooking shows. I am a foodie and I love good cooking shows. I enjoyed the subtle humor sprinkled throughout the...