My 4.5 star review of The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

 My 4.5 star review of the Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood.

This 4.5 star book started out very slowly for me and I wondered what all the hype was about. A few chapters in, it resonated with me and I couldn't put it down. The whole book ended up being not only a cute story but making valid points that we could learn from. Great read for those need a women in STEM book for a challenge. I truly liked the characters from Olive who was hilarious at times to Adam who was not your typical hunky hero. Yes he was definitely hunky but he played the grump real well. He ended up being one of my favorite males in a book. I laughed, I cried, I sighed, I ooohed and aaahed. If you like fake dating stories, romance, rom-coms, and so many more genres that this book hit on then it is for you. For me it wasn't a typical romance and I ended up loving it and it was a fast read. I would love to read more about Adam and Olive plus their friends and enemies so I hope that at some point there might be a sequel and am really glad that I finally got around to reading this one.

5 Star review of The Lost Husband by Katherine Center

My review of The Lost Husband by Katherine Center.

This was my second book by Katherine Center and my second book with a 5 star rating. This book grabbed my attention immediately and I did not want to put it down. I read it with a buddy and we both found ourselves missing our stopping points to discuss it and ended up reading it much faster than we expected. I so loved the story. It was beautifully written with a well crafted plot and not a typical romance. The characters were absolutely wonderful and it was so real to me that I could see them all in my head as I read. The author painted pictures brilliantly in words. The characters I was expected not to like I did not like but there were only one or two of those at most. There was nothing I didn't like about this book. I do enjoy books set in Texas as my three children were born there and two are living there now as adults. I found myself laughing and crying; sometimes at the same time.

I would absolutely recommend this book to Katherine Center fans, for fans of books set in Texas and who like non typical romances. I haven't seen it, but I can see why this was adapted as a movie. I know that I am now a Katherine Center fan and will be reading more of her books in the very near future.

The Blame Game by Sandie Jones

My review of The Blame Game by Sandie Jones.

I would firstly like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for providing me an ARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This 3 star read was my first book by Sandie Jones and I got into it immediately. I liked the plot and all the twists and turns that I did not expect. Each time I thought I had guess the answer I was proven wrong. Our protagonist, Naomi was an interesting character and unlike any other therapist I have ever read about or known. While I enjoyed the writing I found it difficult to come to terms with how unethically Naomi practiced and it was one of the things that made this a tough one to believe or imagine. I do like how we kept visiting her family home in New York when Naomi was a child. Seems she was a liar as a child and brought that into her adult life too.

I think this is a good psychological thriller and it did keep me in suspense right up until the very last sentence.

I think folks should make up their own minds about this book and I will not say more except that I would like to read another Sandie Jones book to compare.

Dusty by my friend and author N. J. Adel. Warning if you have triggers DO NOT read this book!!!

My 5 star review of Dusty the 3rd book in the Night Skulls series by N.J. Adel.

Firstly I must thank N. J. Adel for my ARC copy of Dusty via Booksprout in return for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this 5 star read and did not want it to end. It was so good that I read it in one sitting. It pulled me in that much. The book comes with a warning which I will reiterate here....if you have any triggers whatsoever then please DO NOT read this book. It is wonderfully constructed with well developed characters. I would hate to see low ratings from folks because they do not adhere to the warnings. There is extreme sex and extreme violence but it all works so well in this book as it does in each of N. J. Adel's books.

The characters do fall in love quickly in this book but somehow it seems to fit with the darkness and the twists and turns of the plot. Love is truly closely related to hate. Dusty is the ultimate bad boy. Tough but with a kindness and sensitivity deep in him.

This book will be released on September 26th and I would all N. J. Adel fans to preorder and read this. It can be read as a stand alone at this point although it is the third in the Night Skulls series and does end with a cliffhanger.

Thank you for another great read N.J. and I am waiting anxiously for Cameron to read the second half of this story.

Review of Under by Helen Hardt - 5th book in the Follow Me Series

My 3.5 star, rounded down to 3 star review of Helen Hardt's Under. This is the 5th book in the Follow Me series.

I am a huge Helen Hardt fan and I admit that I haven't read books 1-4 in this series as I was gifted this as an ARC in return for my honest comments. Helen Hardt is always a 5 star read for me, so it pains me that I can only give this 3.5 stars which I have rounded down to 3.

I will start by saying that I loved that this book was from Brandon's POV. I really enjoy erotica when it is told from the male perspective. Having said that, the first half of this book reminded me so much of the three 50 Shades books from Christian's point of view that I had a hard time thinking Brandon and Skye. I truly love Dominants like Brandon and I was fascinated with his story once I got through to where I could see it as Brandon and not Christian. Even the cover while being maroon, Brandon's color, I was reminded of the covers of the 50 Shades books.

I have read many Helen Hardt books and I enjoy the way she crafts her stories, especially those in a series and the characters she comes up with.

I think I am going to have to read books 1-4 in the series and then reread this and see if my feelings change towards it. I would hesitate to recommend it new readers of the series at this time but those familiar with the previous books will no doubt enjoy this tremendously.

My 3 star review of The Blame Game by Sandie Jones

I would firstly like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for providing me an ARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This 3 star read was my first book by Sandie Jones and I got into it immediately. I liked the plot and all the twists and turns that I did not expect. Each time I thought I had guess the answer I was proven wrong. Our protagonist, Naomi was an interesting character and unlike any other therapist I have ever read about or known. While I enjoyed the writing I found it difficult to come to terms with how unethically Naomi practiced and it was one of the things that made this a tough one to believe or imagine. I do like how we kept visiting her family home in New York when Naomi was a child. Seems she was a liar as a child and brought that into her adult life too.

I think this is a good psychological thriller and it did keep me in suspense right up until the very last sentence.

I think folks should make up their own minds about this book and I will not say more except that I would like to read another Sandie Jones book to compare.

My 4.5 star review of Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.

I should like to thank Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in return for an honest review.

I ended up giving this 4.5 stars. There were parts where I felt it was too wordy but overall got better and better as the book went along. This has everything ... romance, suspense, feminism and the list goes on. Thank you for a book that shows how were women were undermined and not given credit for their work. If I had a daughter that read this and said " I want to be Elizabeth Zott when I grow up", that is the highest praise I can give this book and the wonderful writing. I laughed, I cried, I kept screaming "No" and breathing a sigh of relief when it all turned out just fine.

You don't need to be a science expert to read this. Elizabeth Zott our protagonist does a wonderful job of teaching us Chemistry. If I had encountered a teacher like her, I might have liked science much more than I did.

This is a great read for women of all ages and I am sure will be around and popular for many years to come. I definitely am glad that I read this book and again my thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for introducing me to Bonnie Garmus and her wonderful story.