The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club, #1) by Lyssa Kay Adams Narrated by Andrew Eiden & Maxwell Caulfield

Synopsis (via Goodreads): The first rule of book club: You don't talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.

The Bromance Book Club has received sooo much praise - and several friends recommended it to me - which is why I finally decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately, I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. To be perfectly honest, I thought Gavin and Thea were a little boring. Their problems felt authentic and they were characters I could relate to, but I didn't like that the story seemed to be based on whether or not Gavin could make her orgasm. I know there was more to it than that, but her lack of O's played a REALLY big role in their relationship. 

Thea faked her orgasms for three years and Gavin never noticed. His explanation later on was plausible, but still unlikely. It simply wasn't believable for him to have been oblivious for that long. Their "big night" was all about whether or not she would orgasm, and if Gavin would finally be able to get her there. They should've been able to work on their marriage without Thea's vagina playing such a prominent role in the equation. Do I think it was handled well? Sure. I thought the author explored that aspect of their relationship in a very unique way; I just didn't understand why that one thing seemed to outweigh everything else. Sex was the least of their problems, yet it was the one they focused on the most.

I did, however, really like the baseball team and Gavin's friends. The Bromance Book Club itself was interesting, and I wish there had been more page time for all of the guys involved. It was fun listening to them dissect romance novels and apply them to their daily lives. I think more men should read romance novels just to give them a better idea of how women think (and potentially give them some ideas for the bedroom.)

All in all, it was a fun book to listen to, just not one I was eager to dive into every day. I had to keep reminding myself to listen to a few chapters before my library loan expired (again (and again)). Thea and Gavin just didn't hold my attention, but I'm definitely interested in the tension brewing between Liv and Mack. I have a feeling their story will have a lot more steam and *fingers crossed* be more interesting overall. 

Random thought: I wasn't really a fan of Gavin's "grand gesture" at the end. It just didn't sit well with me. What he did was EXTREMELY rude and selfish. There were so many other ways for him to declare his unending love for his wife, but he chose to overshadow someone else's big moment. #NotCoolBro

Lastly, I enjoyed the random chapters from the book Gavin was reading, and seeing how the parallels played out in his life. I would definitely be interested in reading that book, if only it were real and something I could actually do. 😉 Kudos to Adams for creating two very distinct-yet-similar stories in one book! I thought it was a brilliant concept that worked really well for this story, so hopefully all of the other books in this series follow the same format. (★★★☆☆)

Read the Alphabet Challenge 2021

This year I am partnering with the lovely Lauren from Shooting Stars Mag, and we're doing a little something called: Read the Alphabet Challenge. What? Another challenge? Yes! Why not? We all love challenging ourselves, and this one has very unique limitations. Starting in January, you will be challenged to read books that start with specific letters, and obviously some months will be harder than others (what books start with Q, X & Z??).

The months will be organized like so:

JANUARY: AB
FEBRUARY: CD
MARCH: EF
APRIL: GH
MAY: IJ
JUNE: KL
JULY: MN
AUGUST: OP
SEPTEMBER: QR
OCTOBER: ST
NOVEMBER: UVW
DECEMBER: XYZ

Guidelines: 

1. This challenge will run from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021 (your local time). You can sign up now or in June -- it doesn't matter! The form will remain open all year (on this post and the corresponding post at Shooting Stars Mag).
2. The goal is to read books that start with a certain letter, and each month will present a new challenge.
3. The books can be in any format (audio, ebook, physical -- whatever floats your boat).
4. Any and all genres count -- whoop.
5. Re-reads are also allowed! If you read the book this year -- and it starts with the right letter -- it counts.
6. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate! You just need a way to track your progress (Goodreads, Instagram, LibraryThing, YouTube, etc.).
7. Create a post somewhere that states your intention to participate. If you're a book blogger, you can just grab the button from the top of the page (please give credit and list the blogs hosting this challenge), and do a quick post letting everyone know that you've accepted the RTA challenge. Sharing is caring! Competition is fun!
8. We will do an update and a giveaway every quarter (that's once every three months: March, June, September, December), and there will be a Google form that you can fill out all year! Read a book. Add a book. There is no limit to the number of books you can read for this challenge!
9. You have to review the book in some capacity (on any platform). It can be a tweet, an IG post, a vlog -- whatever makes you happy. You'll need to leave a link for each review that you want an entry for.
10. Have fun! Re-read some old favorites, challenge yourself to read a title you've never heard of, or dig deep and only read books with specific letters every month. It's entirely up to you!
11. Books that start with the can be used during October, or you can choose to go with the next word in the book's title. We're not going to be picky about this, just play honestly!

Don't forget to SHARE your updates on social media! Official Challenge Tags: #ReadTheAlphabet2021 #ReadTheAlphabetChallenge2021 #RTA2021 #RTAC2021

SIGN UP HERE:

Start filling out this form in January! You should be able to use it as frequently as you like. Anything submitted before January 1, 2021 will be deleted. 

The Sunday Post [62]

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly at the Caffeinated Reviewer! It's an opportunity to share news, post a recap for the previous week, showcase books, and highlight what's planned for the week ahead.

News:

Halito! I JUST finished my holiday shopping (I know, I know), so I feel like I can finally relax and enjoy the rest of the year (as much as one can during a pandemic with a virus that's evolving and becoming more deadly). I know we're all in the same boat, but I am soooo ready for COVID to be something we talk about in the past tense. We've been struggling with whether or not to send our kid back to school since online learning just really isn't working for him (and kids NEED those social interactions, especially at this age), but now the schools are saying everyone will be 100% online for the first two weeks of the new semester (since they doubt people will follow the rules and guidelines over the holiday break). It's just A LOT. 

We're still making progress on the new house! The last of the trees came down this week, and now we're waiting for them to grind the stumps and clear the rest of the wood. Unsurprisingly, Jacob wants to keep some of the wood for future projects, but now we have to find someone for it to go. We'll have to pay someone to come out and cut it (whatever you woodworkers call slicing and dicing a tree), so it's basically a bunch giant logs that need a temporary home somewhere on the property. Our backyard is currently a giant mud pit, which makes taking the dogs out a chore, so we'll also need to put some sod down pretty soon. Oh, and have a fence installed... 

How are your holidays shaping up? Excited about them, or bummed because you can't visit family? 

Previous week on the blog:

Sunday: NA

Monday: NA   

Tuesday: Rules of Enchantment by Wendy Tardieu (★★⋆☆☆)

Wednesday: My Weekly Pull [146] & Can't-Wait Wednesday [121]

Thursday: NA

Friday: NA

Saturday: NA

What I'm currently reading:

The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club, #1) by Lyssa Kay Adams 🎧

Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #3) by Jessica Townsend 📖

Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan 📱

Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky, #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse 📱

• The Bromance Book Club is adorable and I love it. Although, I'm not really a fan of Gavin as a character. I'm more interested in the tension between Mack and Liv. Sorry, Thea! I like their story, but there's just not enough oomph for me. It's super sweet, don't get me wrong, but Thea and Gavin are sort of...boring. There. I said it. 
• Hollowpox is everything I wanted it to be and more! Really enjoying reading this one with my kiddo.
• I'm not very far into Ten Rules for Faking It, but I'm not hating it. ;)
• Sorry, Amber. I AM STILL READING Black Sun. 

What I plan on reading next:

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

Outlawed by Anna North

What I'm watching: 

Not too much! I watch Black Clover and Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon whenever there's a new episode (so like once a week, or once every two weeks). Jacob is still trying to get me to watch epsiodes of The Last OG and Space Force with him, but I'd rather read (don't tell him I said that). ;)

Challenge updates:

• Read the Alphabet Challenge 21
• Audiobook Challenge 32 / 50+
• Beat the Backlist Challenge 38 / 110
• Discussion Challenge 2 / 1-10
• Goodreads Challenge 281 / 365

I don't think I'm going to make any of my goals this year, and I'm totally okay with that! At least I've managed to read during this garbage fire of a year. I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday week! 🎄

My Weekly Pull [146] & Can't-Wait Wednesday [121]

 

My Weekly Pull is something I do every Wednesday to show which comics I had pulled for me that week! If you're into comics, or you're looking to start, please join me! If you decide to do your own post, there's a link-up at the bottom. I would love to stop by and check it out!

Firefly #24 by Greg Pak, Lalit Kumar Sharma, Daniel Bayliss, Marc Aspinall

Once & Future #14 by Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora

We Only Find Them When They're Dead #4 by Al Ewing, Simone Di Meo

Jacob's comics for the week!

Deadpool #9 by Kelly Thompson, Gerardo Sandoval

Stillwater #4 by Chip Zdarsky, Ramon L. Perez, Mike Spicer

Kick-Ass vs Hit-Girl #2 by Steve Niles, Marcelo Frusin, John Romita Jr.

King in Black Immortal Hulk One Shot by Al Ewing, Aaron Kuder

Savage Avengers #16 by Gerry Duggan, Patrick Zircher, Valerio Giangiordano

Symbiote Spider-Man King in Black #2 by Peter David, Greg Land

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature that's hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. It highlights the upcoming releases we're really excited about reading! CWW is a spinoff of the feature Waiting on Wednesday (WoW), that was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Portrait of a Scotsman (A League of Extraordinary Women, #3) by Evie Dunmore

Expected publication: September 7th 2021

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Going toe-to-toe with a brooding Scotsman is rather bold for a respectable suffragist, but when he happens to be one's unexpected husband, what else is an unwilling bride to do?

London banking heiress Hattie Greenfield wanted "just" three things in life:

1. Acclaim as an artist.
2. A noble cause.
3. Marriage to a young lord who puts the gentle in gentleman.

Why then does this Oxford scholar find herself at the altar with the darkly attractive financier Lucian Blackstone, whose murky past and ruthless business practices strike fear in the hearts of Britain's peerage? Trust Hattie to take an invigorating little adventure too far. Now she's stuck with a churlish Scot who just might be the end of her ambitions....

When the daughter of his business rival all but falls into his lap, Lucian sees opportunity. As a self-made man, he has vast wealth but holds little power, and Hattie might be the key to finally setting long-harbored political plans in motion. Driven by an old revenge, he has no room for his new wife's apprehensions or romantic notions, bewitching as he finds her.

But a sudden journey to Scotland paints everything in a different light. Hattie slowly sees the real Lucian and realizes she could win everything—as long as she is prepared to lose her heart.

*Share your My Weekly Pull post! Please leave the direct link to your My Weekly Pull post and not just your blog's URL. Thank you for participating and happy reading!

The Rules of Enchantment by Wendy Tardieu

Synopsis (via Goodreads): When a Sorcerer and a Scribe Team Up to Fulfill an Ancient Prophecy, The Fate of The World Lies in Their Hands

In the mythical kingdom of Salyndria, an exiled sorcerer named Leith plots to overthrow the restrictions placed on the use of magic by the Academy. Suspecting the worst, the Academy sends a beautiful young scribe, Kyler, to be his apprentice and act as an unwitting spy.

Leith tries to drive her away by proving his reputation as a vicious and unforgiving master, but he soon discovers his new pupil is far more useful than she appears. As her charms and magical abilities become all too tempting for him to resist, the two join forces to fulfill a hidden prophecy that will grant them incredible power.

Together, the sorcerer and the scribe will change Salyndria's history forever.

Their story is equally sinister and sensual, a romantic dark fantasy adventure full of suspense and surprises.

Fans of Defended by Darkness by Terry Bolryder, A Torn Paige by L. Rose, Innocence by Dean Koontz, and The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith will love this fantasy romance. 

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product. 

The Rules of Enchantment was an enjoyable read, but I was a little disappointed with the worldbuilding. We're introduced to this completely fictional place, yet we learn very little about it over the course of the book. There were old gods and new, ancient evils roaming cursed forests, legendary battles fought in the past, but very few details were actually shared about any of those things. I also wanted to know more about the Orders and how people were chosen for them. It just felt like a wasted opportunity, because the potential was definitely there. I wanted to know more, and I think that says a lot. 

I also felt like most of the story was rushed. The author crammed a lot into 142 pages, so there wasn't a lot of time for the characters to grow and evolve. It also stifled the story itself, since the author only focused on one potential scenario. I like it when multiple threads are woven into a single story, since it adds a lot of complexity and depth, but this book was missing those crucial components that really give a story it's oomph. It also meant that the relationship between Kyler and Leith escalated VERY quickly, and without them really having to get to know one another. Leith's demeanor seemed to change overnight, but it was simply because the author skips ahead several weeks without much preamble.

Additionally, I didn't understand Kyler's inability to use magic, and hated when the author used another character to explain something away instead of actually addressing the issue. She was too powerful for simple spells? Okay, I can get on board with that, but I still wanted to know WHY. I don't want my questions to be brushed aside for the sake of furthering the story. Also, characters (Rowan specifically) cannot confess their undying love out of thin air. If these are going to be important, lasting relationships, we need to know more about how they developed. Oh, and lust diminished someone's magic? THEN NO ONE IN THIS BOOK SHOULD HAVE HAD MAGIC.

Basically, I wish the author had spent more time on this book and developed her characters and the world more carefully. If someone loves someone else, I want to know why and how they got there. If you're going to mention Orders, towns, ancient gods and archaic languages, take the time to really explain how those work. Readers typically have great imaginations, but we also need help seeing the author's vision for their story. It was really hard to see the whole picture for this one, which was super disappointing. 

I'm curious if there will be a second book, since the ending was very vague. I know what the author was insinuating with Rowan's vision, but it would have been nice to have an epilogue or one more chapter from Kyler and Leith's perspectives. If you're going to read this one, you'll have to suspend your disbelief for most of the book and just go with the flow. It's an interesting story, although I don't think it can be called "an erotic fantasy adventure novel," because there was very little adventure and even less erotic fantasy. (★★⋆☆☆)

The Initial Insult (The Initial Insult, #1) by Mindy McGinnis

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Welcome to Amontillado, Ohio, where your last name is worth more than money, and secrets can be kept… for a price.

Tress Montor knows that her family used to mean something—until she didn’t have a family anymore. When her parents disappeared seven years ago while driving her best friend home, Tress lost everything. She might still be a Montor, but the entire town shuns her now that she lives with her drunken, one-eyed grandfather at what locals refer to as the “White Trash Zoo,” – a wild animal attraction featuring a zebra, a chimpanzee, and a panther, among other things.

Felicity Turnado has it all – looks, money, and a secret that she’s kept hidden. She knows that one misstep could send her tumbling from the top of the social ladder, and she’s worked hard to make everyone forget that she was with the Montors the night they disappeared. Felicity has buried what she knows so deeply that she can’t even remember what it is… only that she can’t look at Tress without having a panic attack.

But she’ll have to.

Tress has a plan. A Halloween costume party at an abandoned house provides the ideal situation for Tress to pry the truth from Felicity – brick by brick – as she slowly seals her former best friend into a coal chute. With a drunken party above them, and a loose panther on the prowl, Tress will have her answers – or settle for revenge.

In the first book of this duology, award-winning author Mindy McGinnis draws inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe and masterfully delivers a dark, propulsive mystery in alternating points of view that unravels a friendship . . . forevermore. 

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product. 

The Cask of Amontillado is one of my favorite Poe stories! Mindy McGinnis has written an excellent retelling that kept me on my toes until the very last page. There is so much going on in this book, and I'm not sure where to start! Should I begin with the fact that there's a JAGUAR POV that pops up throughout the book? Because that alone was amazing. It was eerie, haunting, and AHHH! Loved it!

This was also my first experience with a synthetic voice. I didn't hate it, but it was difficult to know who was talking unless I paid really close attention. Normally, I clean the house or do something else that occupies my hands, but the sameness of the voice required me to pay more attention to the chapter changes and what was going on. I saved this audio for when I was alone and painting the new house, so I was able to concentrate more on the story. My overall enjoyment wasn't impacted by the lack of a "real" voice, but I do think this book will be even better when properly narrated. 

The Initial Insult is dark, and I don't mean because it takes place at night (which it does). If you don't like it when bad things happen to animals (insert sob here), then you might need to mentally prepare yourself before starting this one. I still can't think about what happened without wanting to cry. I know that means McGinnis is just really good at her job, because she makes me feel BIG emotions for her fictional characters and their pets.

If I haven't lost you after that last paragraph, I think it's worth noting that Tress's entire plan is dark and disturbing. I totally understood her motives, but damn. Everyone has secrets in their small town, and she's determined to find out what they know about her parents. Felicity's flashbacks show that even Tress's parents had secrets, and how those may have played a role in their disappearance. It all ties together somehow, but I still don't know the specifics. Apparently, this is going to be a series (I didn't know that at first), so we're left with a pretty big cliffhanger. We learn something massive about Tress's parents, Tress herself makes a huge mess of things, and everyone at the party... just wow. McGinnis did me dirty with that ending, but I can forgive her since this retelling was awesome. I am definitely looking forward to the next one! (★★★★☆)

My Weekly Pull [145] & Can't-Wait Wednesday [120]

 

My Weekly Pull is something I do every Wednesday to show which comics I had pulled for me that week! If you're into comics, or you're looking to start, please join me! If you decide to do your own post, there's a link-up at the bottom. I would love to stop by and check it out!

Spider-Man #5 by J.J. Abrams, Henry Abrams, Sara Pichelli, Olivier Coipel

Goosebumps Secrets of the Swamp #3 by Marieke Nijkamp, Yasmin Flores Montanez, Bill Underwood

Scarenthood #2 by Nich Roche

Guardians of the Galaxy #9 by Al Ewing, Juan Cabal, Rafael Albuquerque

Firefly #23 by Greg Pak, Lalit Kumar Sharma, Daniel Bayliss, George Kambadais

Seven Secrets #5 by Tom Taylor, Daniele Di Nicuolo

Heroes at Home One Shot by Zeb Wells, Gurihiru

Jacob's comics for the week!

Usagi Yojimbo #15 by Stan Sakai

Transformers #25 by Brian Ruckley, Anna Malkova

Amazing Spider-Man #54 by Nick Spencer, Mark Bagley, Patrick Gleason

Venom #31 by Donny Cates, Iban Coello

Bill & Ted Are Doomed #4 by Evan Dorkin, Roger Langridge

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #112 by Sohpie Campbell, Jodie Nishijima, Kevin Eastman

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature that's hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. It highlights the upcoming releases we're really excited about reading! CWW is a spinoff of the feature Waiting on Wednesday (WoW), that was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

The In-Between by Rebecca Ansari 

Expected publication: January 26th 2021

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Cooper is lost. Ever since his father left their family three years ago, he has become distant from his friends, constantly annoyed by his little sister, Jess, and completely fed up with the pale, creepy rich girl who moved in next door, who won’t stop staring at him.

So when Cooper learns of an unsolved mystery his sister has discovered online, he welcomes the distraction. It’s the tale of a deadly train crash that occurred a hundred years ago in which one young boy among the dead was never identified. The only distinguishing mark on him was a strange insignia on his suit coat, a symbol no one had seen before or since. Jess is fascinated by the mystery of the unknown child—because she’s seen the insignia. And, she tells Cooper, he has too.

It’s the symbol on the jacket of the girl next door.

As they uncover more information—and mounting evidence of the girl’s seemingly impossible connection to the tragedy—Cooper and Jess begin to wonder if a similar disaster could be heading to their hometown. Thus begins an unforgettable adventure about the forgotten among us and what it means to be seen.