Saturday, April 29, 2017

Whatcha Reading? (96)



A new Saturday post where you can share with us what you are currently (or just finished) reading and I will share my brief thoughts on books that I read during the previous week.




Week of April 23rd:




Concourse by Santino Hassell

Kindle | NOOK | Kobo
Goodreads
eARC -- Releases Monday
Rating = 4 1/2 Stars
May Royal Pick

  • Book 5 in the series but could be read as a standalone
  • Dual 1st POV
  • Friends-to-lovers
  • Demi hero
    • Boxer
  • Androgynous hero
    • Instagram model
    • Rich boy
  •  Angst
  • Pretty steamy, like all of Hassell's
  • Loved seeing other characters from previous books, but characters that don't have a book yet -- but will soon, I hope!
  • Love this series and author, period



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Find my review HERE




Baby, Come Back by M. O'Keefe

Kindle
Goodreads
eARC -- Releases Monday
Rating = 4 1/2 Stars
May Royal Pick

  • Could be read alone but book 1 (different couple) does set this one up a bit, though there's overlap so you really wouldn't be confused jumping int
  • Hero (Jack) is involved in a gang/drug leader type of thing
    • Joined to settle his dead father's debts and protect his brother (hero from book 1)
  • Heroine (Abby) works the bars helping to sell a brand's vodka
    • She's also the sister of the heroine from book 1
  • Some dark/grittiness to the story because of everything Jack is involved in
    • Promise, he's really not a bad guy, just a guy doing what he had to, and that's shown
  • Quite sexy, like all of O'Keefe's books
  • When she runs after seeing firsthand what he is, he gets out of the life and tries to find her, especially knowing she's pregnant with his baby
    • Has to then convince her to take him back, to trust that he's not really a monster
  • Can't wait for the next book!


Pre-Order price is $0.99, hurry though!

Find all my tweeted quotes HERE
Find my review HERE





Fortune Favors the Wicked by Theresa Romain

Kindle | NOOK | Kobo
Audio
Goodreads
Audiobook from Overdrive
Narrator = Beverley A. Crick
Narration rating = 4 Stars
Rating = 4 Stars

  • Heroine is a vicar's daughter who moved away 10 years ago and became a courtesan in London
    • She's very confident about herself, her sexuality, etc., and I loved that
    • There's a reason why she moved, etc., but I won't spoil as it doesn't come up until the middle of the book or so
  • Hero is a Navy Lieutenant, now retired because he's blind from an illness while on ship 4 years ago
    • He's not part of the ton, nor is she, and I loved having a romance that's not between a lord and lady
  • They met in her home village, she's there visiting, he's there trying to publish a memoir
    • Plus they're both drawn there because of the local mystery of missing coins from the government
  • A very enjoyable read; I liked the writing (have read Romain before) and the romance, liked the bit of mystery plot going on, and I liked that the hero is more beta than alpha -- plus his blindness is not magically cured by the end (which happens in romancelandia, tbh)
  • Narrator: Good. Not my favorite historical narrator, but not the worst, just a solid good.


Still $1.99 for the ebook!

Find all my tweeted quotes HERE





Behind the Curtain by Beth Kery

Kindle | NOOK | Kobo
Goodreads
eARC -- Releases Tuesday
Rating = 3 - 3 1/2 Stars

  • Was recommended to me by Has on Twitter, and I picked it up from NG last week
  • I liked this one, and my average rating isn't because of the story being told but rather the pacing of everything
    • Dragged during quite a few parts, left me skimming during others, and overall just fell flat on the execution of it
  • Heroine is Moroccan-American singer
  • Hero is a journalist, specifically foreign correspondence
  • They first met around college (she still in, he just graduated), spent a week or so that summer together
    • Neither parents wanted them together, but especially her family, and so she pushed him away and they went there own ways for the next 8 years
  • Present day, he's in town visiting his old friends (about to head out to his newest job) and he has the feeling he recognizes the mysterious singer who won't show her face
  • Part of the book is in the present, part is in the past when they first met
    • While I liked seeing them get together the first time and build their budding relationship then, I felt like too much of the book was set on that and very little on the meeting up again after 8 years and falling back into love/HEA
  • The sex was hot though -- both when they were younger and when they reunite
    • The scene on the train though! (Present day)
  • Overall, liked it, felt the pacing/time line for their romance was a bit off, but can still see many loving this one even more
  • First time reading Kery, I'll try another from her


Find all my tweeted quotes HERE




Aces Wild by Emmy Curtis

Kindle | NOOK | Kobo
Goodreads
eARC -- Releases Tuesday
Rating = 3 1/2 Stars

  • British hero, pilot in the RAF (Royal Air Force)
  • American heroine, pilot in the Air Force
  • Both are competing at Red Flag, an international training exercise/competition that takes place in Nevada
  • On top of that conflict/tension, she overhears something she shouldn't and the bad guys try to silence her for it -- and him for helping her
  • Sex was pretty good, though there's only two scenes in the entire book
  • Writing was just fine -- would read Curtis again (Kame loves her previous series, btw)
  • But the romance . . . it was a bit MIA, to be honest
    • The two don't even spend any sort of time together until 40%, and even then it's a one night stand
    • The suspense plot kicks up after that and their focus is on staying alive and getting help (obviously) but I felt like when I'm at 75% and I have almost NO visible progression of the romance going on, it's a bit of a romance flop, even if I'm liking the overall story
  • So, if you want a quick military/suspense story, this one is a nice read, but the romance is lacking 


Find all my tweeted quotes HERE





Currently Listening To:



Kindle | NOOK | Kobo
Audio
Goodreads

Moving on to Vasic



Currently Reading:



Kindle | NOOK
Goodreads

Finally finishing this series with the novella;
my library didn't have it so I pulled the trigger and bought it.









So what are YOU currently reading? 



Enjoy!


Until Next Time,


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  *TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

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