Series: None
Author: Shannon Greenland
Published August 6th 2019 by Entangled: Teen
Goodreads Synopsis
A terror with no answer needs a girl with no limits.
I am the daughter of the first female POTUS, and today is about to become the longest day of my life…
24 hours—that’s how much time I have to save my mother before terrorists assassinate her. But now my father and brother are missing, too. This goes deeper than anyone thinks. Only someone on the inside would know how to pull this off—how to make the entire First Family disappear.
I can’t trust anyone, so it’s up to me to uncover the conspiracy and stop these madmen. Because little do they know, they picked the wrong person to terrorize.
My name is Sophie Washington, and I will not be a victim. No one, I repeat no one, is taking me or my family down. But the clock is ticking…
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
This book was one that I read on one of the sea days on my cruise last year, and it was such a quick and easy read. Being the daughter of the first female President, Sophie is no stranger to how dangerous her life may be. Her and her brother have been taught everything that the experts think they need to know to protect themselves, but when the First Family are warned of an imminent threat, and told they need to bunker down in different locations for safety, Sophie doesn't trust this is right, and skips her 'protection' in order to find her brother, who she discovers is missing. Using all of her know how, and with a little help from her friends, she goes off the grid, and has less that 24 hours to save her entire family.
Like I said, this book was a quick read, and that was partially because of how fast paced it was. It starts off a little slow, with us meeting the family, and seeing the issue for the first time, but then as the tension racks up, so does the speed of the action, and the plot. Sophie is mainly level headed for most of the book, and when she has a wobble - quite understandable with the amount of death and destruction she is seeing - she relies on her friends, who are there for her, no matter what. Yeah, it was a bit unbelievable that this rag tag group of teenagers - albeit very clever and skilled teens - were able to stop the terrorists when the actual government agencies - CIA, etc. - were struggling, but all in all, a proper enjoyable read, which hooked me from the first until the very end.
Dates Read:
August 20, 2019
Rating
4 Stars
2019 Contemporary Romance Challenge
ARC Review: The Boyfriend Bid (The Girlfriend Request #2) by Jodie Andrefski
10:00
Series: The Girlfriend Request #2
Author: Jodie Andrefski
Published April 8th 2019 by Entangled Publishing, LLC (Crush)
Goodreads Synopsis
Sarah Campbell’s never bid in her high school's charity auction to win a date with one of the school's hottest guys. And she’s certainly not going to start now––when she’s still hurting over a bad breakup. The absolute last thing she’d ever do is bid on Mr. Ego himself, Chance DuPont.
Chance just wanted to help out a worthy cause, not get roped into not one but six dates with someone who seemingly can’t stand him. But when Sarah’s friends bid on him on her behalf, that’s exactly where he ends up. Now a local blog is covering the story by following them on all their dates, too?
Seems like everyone loves a good love story––except the two living it.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
In The Boyfriend Bid, Sarah has just gone through a bad breakup after discover her boyfriend had been cheating, and is dragged along to the school's charity auction with her best friends. She had no plans to bid on any of the soccer players, but after her friends place a bid on her behalf, and she won, she has to spend six dates with Chase - someone who she would never have wanted to be near. Chase, for his part, only agreed to take part because of his brother's current fight with Leukaemia, and would rather spend time with him. However, neither of them can get out of it, especially not when a local blogger, Erica, caught wind of it, and wanted to document the entire situation.
I enjoyed this book, and found both Sarah and Chase likeable characters. The situation with the forced dates and Erica's bloggers following them was a bit contrived, but you could see that when they were both really alone, they were falling for each other in a natural way. It was difficult for them to be themselves when they were mic-ed up, and had cameras following their every move, and for me to engage with the characters, but once you got passed this, it definitely improved the book. All in all, this was a fun and cute read.
Dates Read:
March 22-24, 2019
Rating
4 Stars
Series: None
Author: Casey McQuiston
Published May 14th 2019 by St. Martin's Griffin
Goodreads Synopsis
What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?
When his mother became President of the United States, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with an actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex/Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.
Heads of the family and state and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: Stage a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instagrammable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the presidential campaign and upend two nations. It raises the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to ben? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through? , how will history remember you?
Goodreads
Review
Red, White, & Royal Blue is an enemies to lovers story, in which the Prince of Wales falls for the First Son of the American President, and their romance must overcome opposition from all sides. When they first met Alex and Henry thought the other was uptight, and after they get into a bit of bother at an event, in which the paparazzi capture and tabloids spread all over the front pages, it's time for damage control. Both their families and the PR advisers decide on a sort of tour to show there's no animosity between them. They need to do joint appearances and interviews, be friends on social media, and just show that they aren't at odds with each other. This leads them to spending more and more time talking, and when they can be themselves, the chemistry flows and it's inevitable that they fall for each other. But for Alex, as a bi-racial son, of the first Female President of America, there are people out there who want to do anything they can to derail the re-election campaign, and this secret romance could be the right fodder.
I read this book on one of my at sea days on my cruise in 2019, and just could not put the book down. Yes, I had sort of put it off for a while because of all of the hype surrounding it, but for the most part, it was deserving of that love. The banter and chemistry between the main character just made this book what it was - especially through their messages and emails which were swoony to say the least. Everything about this book was diverse, and all of the characters, from Alex and Henry, to the varying cast of side characters, had their own personalities and stories, and helped to flesh out the plot. The angst in the book was a bit obvious, and did set my eyes rolling a little, but I can see why it was done, and the way everything was resolved was perfect. My main negative with the book is one I have with many books by American authors, where they are talking about British culture and get it so wrong. I mean, you know that This Morning is an actual show, but make up the names of the hosts? Why not just call them Holly and Phil?
Dates Read:
August 12, 2019
Rating
4 Stars
Series: None
Author: Kasie West
Published July 9th 2019 by Point
Goodreads Synopsis
One year. Nine events. Nine chances to . . . fall in love?
Weddings. Funerals. Barbecues. New Year's Eve parties. Name the occasion, and Sophie Evans will be there. Well, she has to be there. Sophie works for the local florist, so she can be found at every big event in her small hometown, arranging bouquets and managing family dramas.
Enter Andrew Hart. The son of the fancy new chef in town, Andrew is suddenly required to attend all the same events as Sophie. Entitled, arrogant, preppy Andrew. Sophie just wants to get her job done and finish up her sketches so she can apply to design school. But every time she turns around, there is Andrew, getting in her way and making her life more complicated. Until one day she wonders if maybe complicated isn't so bad after all . . .
Told over the course of one year and following Sophie from event to event, this delightful novel from master of romantic comedy Kasie West shows how love can blossom in unexpected places.
Goodreads
Review
Maybe This Time sees Sophie Evans as she is constantly put in situations and events where Andrew Hart will be. Working with the local florist, Sophie has always been a big part of events, and has happily done so, especially when her best friend, Micah, is often there working with her dad's catering business. When Micah's dad asks a renowned chef to come and help widen his business, this brings Andrew to town, and immediately he gets Sophie's back up. It seems he's always there, causing problems, and making Sophie's already stressful life even worse. But, as they are thrown together more and more, a sort of camaraderie appears, and it seems like hatred might not have been what Sophie was actually feeling.
This book was one of my favourites by Kasie, especially seeing how some of her more recent books have been more of a miss from me. I loved Sophie's interactions with her brother, Gunnar, and Micah, and felt the chemistry between herself and Andrew was one that was believable, as was the slow burn quality to their relationship. Because of the way they met, and the preconceived notions of each other, it was hard for them to get over the initial hatred, and let themselves be open to the possibility of more. Definitely an enjoyable romance though, and has redeemed Kasie in my eyes!
Dates Read:
October 26-27, 2019
Rating
4 Stars
Series: None
Author: Cindy Anstey
Published April 16th 2019 by Swoon Reads
Goodreads Synopsis
1833. After young Lord James Ellerby witnesses a near-fatal carriage accident on the outskirts of his estate, he doesn't think twice about bringing the young woman injured in the wreck to his family's manor to recuperate. But then she finally regains consciousness only to find that she has no memory of who she is or where she belongs.
Beth, as she takes to calling herself, is an enigma even to herself. She has the rough hands of a servant, but the bearing and apparent education of a lady. Her only clue to her identity is a gruesome recurring nightmare about a hummingbird dripping blood from its steel beak.
With the help of James and his sister, Caroline, Beth slowly begins to unravel the mystery behind her identity and the sinister circumstances that brought her to their door. But the dangerous secrets they discover in doing so could have deadly ramifications reaching the highest tiers of London society.
Goodreads
Review
The Hummingbird Dagger is a mystery surrounding Beth, who is found on the outskirts of Lord James Ellerby's estate, after an accident with absolutely no memory of who she is (even her name is unknown, but she likes Beth), or how she got there. James and his sister Caroline, want to help Beth, and know from observations that while she has hands that a servant might have, she by all means appears to be a lady. Her one memory is that of a bloodstained hummingbird dagger, and using that as a means of discovering who Beth really is could lead all three of them into a dangerous situation.
Cindy's books have always been favourites of mine, but this one takes the prize of my most favourite! From the get go, I was hooked, and every page had me gasping or in shock, and I needed to read it as fast as possible to find out more. Beth's character was wonderful, and even with her amnesia, she was feisty though somewhat vulnerable, and doesn't want to see by while there's a mystery out there. When she is taken in by the Ellerby's, she becomes close to them all, and James is smart and sensitive, and the perfect hero for Beth. Their romance is the slowest of slow burns, to the extent that it was almost painful, but as they relied on each other and got to know one another, we saw the romance blossom and bloom naturally. The secondary characters of Caroline, Walter and his Henry, were all true characters too, with their own tales and characteristics, and really added to the story. Some of the plot lines were a little too out there, but I was left guessing at what would happen next. Cindy has retained her spot on my auto buy list, and I can't wait for my pre-order of Deadly Curious to arrive!
Dates Read:
May 4-5, 2019Rating
5 Stars
