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Thoughts While Reading: The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves

April 5, 2019April 4, 2019Leave a Comment

Hello Friends! It is a chill Sunday night and I just got cozy in bed and read chapter three of The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves. I “started” this book about a week ago, but the way last week was set up: hardly any reading got done. I am determined to get it finished this week though because it releases April 2. I thought instead of a typical review, I’d just do check in’s every few chapters or so and share my feelings and thoughts…

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Sunday, March 24th at 7:33 pm:

I am very early into the book but already, only three chapters in, the tension is building up for me. I really want to know what the heck Annika did to Jonathan.

So far I am enjoying the way the book is formatted. It appears that we will flip flop between Annika and Jonathan’s narration, so I’m hoping we are privy to what happened from both of their perspectives.

Also, I tabbed a few things Annika says in chapter 3 that has me curious as to if she is autistic..

“When I was a child, I would rock and hum, but as I got older, I learned to keep my self-soothing methods hidden.”

“He smelled faintly of chlorine, and while I hated most smells, for some reason that one didn’t bother me.”

But I had a very sensitive nose and I knew what it was the moment she introduced us. Janice understood that the memories it triggered were something I simply couldn’t handle.”

“It would take me hours to fully unwind, but being home allowed me to relax slightly and my breathing to grow deeper.”

“Janice had had three years to learn how to communicate with me, and to her credit, she’d mastered my native language like an expert linguist.”

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Saturday, March 30th at 5:24 pm:

I did some catch up reading of The Girl He Used To Know this morning while sipping a delicious latte at one of my coffee spots. I didn’t get very far, but it felt so good to jump back into the story. For real, it has been a while since a book has had me highlighting and underlining like crazy and I am nowhere near even halfway through this book. It’s so good. The chapter I read today was from Jonathan’s perspective and my heart has broken for him, both due to his recent divorce and for whatever the heck Annika did to him!

When thinking of his recent divorce:

“It’s funny how the very trait that attracts you to someone is the same trait you can’t stand when you’re untangling yourselves from each other. And not funny ha-ha. Funny like how in the world could you not have seen it?”

“That’s the thing no one tells you about divorce. No matter how much you and your spouse agree that the relationship is broken, it hurts like hell when you go to your separate ways, and the pain follows you around until one day, it doesn’t. It’s only recently that I’ve noticed its absence, and I have no desire to gamble on replacing it with more heartbreak.”

Jonathan agrees to have a coffee date with Annika where they make basically small talk and nothing from the past gets resolved. So as it comes to a close, Jonathan thanks her for the coffee and tells her he should get going. He can tell it bothers her:

“When she comprehends that one coffee date I the extent of our reunion, she looks crushed. Thought is isn’t intentional and it’s certainly not retaliatory, I have the fleeting thought that this is the first time I’ve ever done anything to hurt her. And it feels awful.”

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Wednesday, April 3rd at 7:18 pm

It’s been a few days but I have been taking my time with this book. Savoring it yet devouring it piece by piece. It is beautiful. I finally got the answers to my questions I had when I initially started the book. Annika’s therapist believes she lives is on the high functioning spectrum of autism but Annika has never taken the steps to finding out for sure. I love how in a way, rather than put a name or label on something, the author chose to just create this complex character and her quirks and leave it at that. Jonathan is now a favorite hero. He truly lives up to the word.

Something crazy, what in the world plot twist just happened that I wasn’t expecting and my heart is a little broken at the moment but wow. I feel like this is going to be one of those books I never shut up about.. it has my emotions all over the place.

Thursday, April 4th at 6:57 pm

Hello loves. I finished the book this morning. I gave it 5/5 stars on Goodreads. It was so good. I enjoy second chance romances, especially when the writer writes the story where you are time hopping between then and now. That’s how The Girl He Used To Know is written and I couldn’t imagine it being written any other way. You really get to see the evolution of Annika with the time hopping. She is a very intelligent, beautiful woman but there’s a lot of things she doesn’t know how to do, a lot of things she’s uncomfortable with doing. Jonathan comes into her life and tries to ease things for her which I loved but she really did need to see that she could do life on her own at the same time. I liked that. I liked that Annika needed to figure life out and how she personally can navigate the world before getting her happily ever after. In the end, she really had to be bold, be brave, to find the man she loves and I was so proud of her.

This is a wonderful romance for lovers of second chances. If you enjoy those stories of two people who are perfect for each other, making their way back to one another, I think you’ll really enjoy this one.

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Sunday Coffee

March 31, 2019March 30, 2019Leave a Comment

Hello Friends. We have made it to another Sunday. This is the last day of March, 2019. I can’t believe it. We are truly zooming through time at insane speeds. Grab your favorite Sunday drink of choice, and let’s chat about how this past week, the last week, of March went.. And while at it, do some reflection on the month as a whole.

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This past week was a combination of absolute madness and hope. I have been on the fence about remaining on Active Duty or separating to focus on my education, be a Mom and just feel normal, for a while now. If I was in the Air Force under any of the numerous administrative types of jobs, there’d be no question at all about staying in or not. Given that I am a military police officer though, I sing a totally different song. Seeing women in my career field, making a career out of this job isn’t far fetched but they still get the utmost respect from me. My perspective began to change when my kids started getting older and once I really started taking help for my mental health seriously. I don’t want to jinx anything so I am going to standby on putting it out there, but I received a little beacon of hope this week. Shortly after that, someone tried to dim my sparkle just a tad, but I am keeping faith in the system and staying positive.

“I closed my notebook and sat in the cafe thinking about real time. Is it time uninterrupted? Only the present comprehended? Are our thoughts nothing but passing Trains, no stops, devoid of dimension, whizzing by massive posters with repeating images? Catching a fragment from a window seat, yet another fragment from the next identical frame? If I write in the present yet digress, is that still real time? Real time, I reasoned, cannot be divided into sections like the numbers on the face of a clock. If I write about the past as I simultaneously dwell in the present, am I still in real time? Perhaps there is no past or future, only the perpetual present that contains this trinity of memory. I looked out into the street and noticed the light changing. Perhaps the sun had slipped behind a cloud. Perhaps time had slipped away.”

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I was very much in the mood for a memoir this past week, so I started M Train by Patti Smith. I listened to the audiobook and occasionally followed along with my physical copy and I remember when I hit this particular quote, I replayed this specific part over and over again. I thought it was absolutely beautiful and so meaningful as a person obsessed with time. I love when I read a memoir and can tell that the writer truly loves the craft of writing. That’s the vibe I get from Patti Smith. So much of this book transported me to the cafe table across from her as she sat and journaled. I loved it.

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This month I found two, new to me coffee shops. Estate Coffee and Brown Coffee Co. I can’t recommend it enough. Find a place where you live that illuminates all the cozy vibes. Get up a little early and go with your current read. I have a very short list of what I do for my mom time, but frequenting my local coffee shops with what I’m currently reading is at the top. From Estate Coffee, I have fell in love with with Kentucky Smoked Latte and I loved the atmosphere I found in Brown Coffee Co. The Barista broke down the menu there being that it was my first visit. She was super sweet and we chatted quite a bit before I left.

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This month was also the month of see ya later’s.

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Two of my previous co-workers are headed to Las Vegas for their next assignments and my previous supervisor is staying here in San Antonio, but going back to her regular job. I am so excited for all of them and this new phase of life for them and their families.

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I attended this really amazing Women’s History Lunch our Wing Commander put on for us ladies across the installation. She did a phenomenal job. The panel of women we got to chat with and ask questions were fantastic. I laughed. I cried. I laughed and cried some more. It was great. It really made me appreciate the tribe I’ve found that much more. Seriously, nothing beats having a group of girlfriends you can turn to.

Reading plans. Id really love to start April off with a clean slate reading wise, but won’t stress myself out if that doesn’t happen. In April though, I would love to get the number of books sitting on my shelf that have been sent to me cut down and mix in poetry with April being Poetry month. I have so many poetry rereads planned and a couple of new collections I’ve hauled and want to read too. This weekend my goal has been to finish The Girl He Used to Know, which I am adoring. I can’t wait to share my thoughts with you.

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Lastly, I finished my Air Force Physical Training test. Oh my goodness, I can’t even begin to explain how great it feels to have the stress of that out of the way. I definitely need to put more effort into working on my physical fitness..there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day sometimes. My health and physical well being however, will become a higher priority, because although I passed, I could’ve done a lot better than what I did. I know I have it in me. It is so easy to make excuses. So easy to stay in a rut. Then when the time comes to bust your butt, you find yourself wishing you would’ve put in more work. Eh, I don’t want to feel like that anymore, next time.

That is my week, and thoughts on March in a nutshell. I hope this month was good to you. Take care of yourselves, and until next time, xo.

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Sin and Ink by Naima Simone

March 28, 2019March 24, 2019Leave a Comment

Hello Friends! I finished my first ever Naima Simone romance and don’t mind me as I casually binge my way through everything I can find with her name on this year.. I read Sin and Ink which is a romance I have heard nothing but raving reviews on. Did it live up to all of the hype it gets? Absofreakinglutely!

Sin and Ink by Naima Simone

Published October 15, 2018 by Entangled Publishing, LLC (Scorched)

Audiobook narrated by Rock Engle & Mackenzie Cartwright

4/5 Stars

“Sex with Knox, my employer, my friend, my brother in law, is about 31 different flavors of crazy. Inappropriate doesn’t even begin to cover it. But forbidden and practically incestuous does.”

Synopsis:

There’s sin, and then there’s literally going-straight-to-hell sin…

Being in lust with my dead brother’s wife pretty much guarantees that one day I’ll be the devil’s bitch. But Eden Gordon works with me, so it’s getting harder and harder to stay away. I promised my family—and him—I would, though.

My days as an MMA champion are behind me. But whenever I see her, with those wicked curves and soft mouth created for dirty deeds, it’s a knock-down fight to just maintain my distance. “Hard Knox” becomes more than just the name of my tattoo shop. However, surrendering to the forbidden might be worth losing everything…

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My Thoughts:

Sin and Ink had my emotions here there and everywhere. Simone has created this back story to Knox and Eden’s romance that is a complete ode to how forbidden and wrong their attraction to each other. I love a grieving hero story and reading Sin and Ink made me realize it’s been a while since I’ve read a grieving widow story. I liked how in this romance though, Eden lost her husband two years ago, so when we meet her in the book, she is at the point where she is ready to stop grieving and move on. She makes an important point in the book which is basically that she didn’t die with her husband.

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I liked that Knox and Eden didn’t immediately jump each others bones. As the reader we really get a much needed glimpse into the guilt that both of them feel about their attraction to one another. I liked that the author explored this and didn’t have them just going for it. Besides these two grappling with both their guilt and this love and lust that’s ready to explode, there is this constant feeling of walking around on egg shells when it comes to Knox’s family.

Knox’s Mother is still really grieving the death of her son and blames Knox for his death. In the story she spews out some pretty hurtful words his way. I liked the way that his Mother was written. Her still grieving and accusations toward Knox only added to the conflict surrounding the romance.

I listened to Sin and Ink on audio while following along with the ebook and there were a few parts early on in the book that felt a bit slow. These slow parts I will attribute to the male narrator and me having to get use to his narration style.

Not to end off on a negative though, I loved this book. I was addicted to the attraction between Eden and Knox while at the same time listening with my eyes closed and sneaking a peek every once in a while. It felt so wrong but the love between the two was undeniable. Simone did a great job of of writing what it must feel like the surviving spouse but rather than dwelling on that and focusing the story around it, I loved how our surviving spouse is ready to move on with her life.

Overall this was an emotional roller coaster. It’s very, very sexy. Very descriptive. If that’s not your thing, you’ve been warned..

“My love for him is that of a woman who has experienced the suffering of life and has come out stronger, forced into unbreakable steel. A woman who understands that she doesn’t need a man by her side to complete the picture of who she is but chooses to want him there. My love for his is with the knowledge that heroes aren’t shiny, golden-haired, perfect Gods. They’re men. Scarred, battered, wounded men with feet of clay…and hearts of the purest, most precious gold.”

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Some Sort of Love by Melanie Harlow

March 26, 2019March 24, 2019Leave a Comment

You know the feeling when you’ve read the first two books in the trilogy, and you’re Positive that there’s no way that the this book is going to live up to the first two? Like, there’s no way all three books can be good? I was very nervous as I began reading Some Sort of Love by Melanie Harlow. The first two books in this trilogy were basically awesome and that made me weary about the third. Melanie Harlow yet again, has me gracefully taking several seats because not only did I love Some Sort of Love, but it’s my favorite out of all three reads.

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Synopsis:

From the outside looking in, I had it all—a career I loved, a supportive family, the Nixon metabolism but not the Nixon ears, and a salary that supported my lavish taste in designer shoes, fine wine, and lacy lingerie … but I had no one to share it with.
Until the day I ran into him—my one night stand from college with the crooked smile, let’s-get-out-of-here eyes, and dirty, dirty mouth.
Cute and cocky then, today Levi Brooks is six feet four inches of hot bearded fantasy. A sexy single dad with broad shoulders, strong hands, and a fantastically big … heart. (I mean, it’s massive. And generous. And it pumps so hard … um. Sorry. Lost my place.)
Being a good father means everything to him, but he’s keeping me at a distance because he thinks I deserve someone better — a man who can give me more time, more attention, more of himself. He doesn’t believe he could ever be enough.
But he’s wrong.
He’s everything

My Thoughts:

Some Sort of Love felt like riding the biggest ride at the state fair, in the front seat with a blind fold on! Jillian and Levi had a one night standish/in the closet/in college situation once upon a time and haven’t seen each other since. Until years later and they find themselves as guests at the same wedding.

The romance picks up very quickly. Things get hot and heavy pretty quickly. These two are perfect for each other, and I realized that very quickly. What stirred up my emotions in this book though was Levi. Levi is a single father taking care of his son Scottie who is autistic. As the mother of a special needs child, I felt his frustrations and hesitations in my core. I felt Harlow did a wonderful job writing Levi and Scottie. As the reader you really get to see Levi struggling to find the balance between being attentive with Scottie who he has always put first because he needs him, and falling in love with Jillian.

I enjoyed seeing things from Jillian’s perspective. I was very frustrated on her behalf because Levi at a certain point began treating her like a “side dish,” as her sisters put it. He was so nervous about introducing Jillian to Scottie that all she was getting from him was there Friday night rendezvous.

“I didn’t need everything but I needed more.”

This romance really explored the concept of trusting someone. Levi had to let his guard down and trust Jillian. Thanks to Scottie’s Mom, he has his reasons to be hesitant the way he is and I enjoyed seeing the many different backlashes from mistrust after being hurt.

With this following three sisters and their romances, I was happy to finally get older sister Jillian’s romance. I admire the sisterhood between the three characters. It was refreshing to read. In a world where the more strain the relationship the better, it is so nice to read of a sisterly bond with no drama. I also really liked Levi’s sister and how supportive she is. Levi’s Mom too. She and Levi had been a bit strained due to his outlook on how she periodically stepped her boundaries when it comes to Scottie. My respect for her grew though.

I am sad to see this trilogy come to a close, but it makes me excited to continue on with what I can find by Melanie Harlow. I loved this book. I loved the families. I loved the romance. Its definitely worth the read if you’re looking for a romance you can easily get lost in and finish in a day or two.

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Sunday Coffee

March 24, 2019March 23, 2019Leave a Comment

Hello Friends. We have made it to another Sunday and wow, what a week. Thursday and Friday in particular were crazy days for me. I feel like I earned the hell out of this weekend. Grab your Sunday drink of choice and let’s catch up.

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This past week I finished the second two books in Melanie Harlow’s, Happy Crazy Love trilogy.

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Both were fantastic, but the third book, Some Sort of Love I’d have to say is my favorite of all three. Melanie Harlow has become one of the few authors who after reading one book of hers, I want to read anything and everything I can get my hands on by her.

I had another incident of right place, right time, new favorite song. Seriously, I need to create a playlist dedicated to songs I hear on a whim, while out and about. I was at my local Central Market yesterday morning after grabbing coffee and heard this reggae beat being played throughout the store. Reggae isn’t a genre I know basically anything about but I have an ear for older music. Older music is a first love of mine. I immediately pull out my phone and Shazam it. I learn that song is, It’s True by Alton Ellis from his album, Sunday Coming. It’s True gives feeds my old school, crooning, doo wop soul what it needs while on top of a reggae beat that transports me to an island paradise I need to visit sooner rather than later.

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One of my current reads is a poetry collection by Andrea Gibson, The Madness Vase.

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I am enjoying this one a whole lot more than a previous read of hers. I was pretty let down by that one after reading and loving, Pansy. I’ll share some of what I have highlighted so far:

Like drumbeats forever changing their rhythm I am living today as someone I had not yet become yesterday, and tonight I will borrow only pieces of who I am right now to carry with me to tomorrow.

I am whatever I am when I am it.

I will say I have never cared to Be nearly as much as I care to Become.

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I am also currently in the middle of Sin and Ink by Naima Simone.

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I don’t want to say too much about it, because I am pretty far in and will definitely post a full review once I am done, but I am enjoying it so far. Up to this point I felt like I’ve read some very forbidden romances. Like, what else could be out there? Then I started reading Sin and Ink and all I’ll say I if you like a good forbidden romance. A totally messed up situation? You have to give this one a try! More to come on it once I’ve finished.

This past week was insane. One of those weeks which consisted of early mornings to get to work and attempt to catch up, yet still leaving feeling like I accomplished nothing. I am determined to do better at time management while also not stressing myself out. My Psychologist I have been seeing is moving out to Arizona, so I start therapy with a new doctor this week. Wish me luck. I’ve met this particular doctor before and she seems nice, but I have built trust with the doctor I’ve been using and it kind of feels like starting all over again.

Let me know what is going on in your corner of the world. How did your week go? Anything awesome coming up this week for you? I am wishing you the best. Take care of yourself. Until next time, xo.

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Goodbye Winter, Romance Faves

March 21, 2019March 20, 2019Leave a Comment

Hello Friends, and Happy Spring! I am very much looking forward to Spring, 2019. I am determined, reading wise, to really enjoy myself. I want this Spring to be a memorable one thanks in part to reading some awesome stuff. Before moving on and living my best Spring Life though, I want to share what my top 3 romance reads from Winter were. Narrowing my favorites down to only 3 was tough, because I can count on one hand how many books from my Winter reading that I didn’t like. I read a lot of stories that are standing the test of time and are really sticking with me. These 3 (and one honorable mention) are the ones that have had the most impact.

First up is A Tall, Dark Cowboy Christmas by Maisey Yates. I received this one thanks to the Harlequin Publicity Team and really enjoyed it. I read A Tall, Dark Cowboy Christmas as part of my Holiday Romance Binge which honestly is in the works to become an every holiday season thing! Holiday Romances are my absolute favorites and this one didn’t disappoint. It is Grant and McKenna’s romance. What I loved most about this book was Grant. I love a grieving hero romance and Grant was so well written. He ripped my whole heart out as he lived day to day refusing to move on out of survivor’s guilt. I loved how Maisey Yates explored that in this one and I am so excited to try more out from her.

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My next pick is Grip by Kennedy Ryan. I’ll probably never stop recommending this book by Kennedy Ryan. I was obsessed with it! Obsessed! This is Grip and Bristol’s romance. We meet the two in the novella, Flow which leaves off on this total cliff hanger and will have you immediately one clicking Grip so you can find out what in the heck is going on! This is an interracial romance which grapples with some heavy topics. I think it is an important book that more readers should read. I could seriously go on and on but let’s just say: police brutality toward people of color is discussed in this book, along with what it must be like to be a police officer in today’s America-I liked that both sides were explored, the mother’s of both Bristol and Grip wanting their kids to be with someone of their own kind, and a third party whose head over heels for the hero! There is so much going on in this story, amidst beautiful, poetic writing, a sexy romance and important message. Kennedy Ryan knocked it out of the park with this one.

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My third pick is going to Queen Bev herself, Ms. Beverly Jenkins! I have been gradually making my way through works by hers and have successfully completed her Destiny trilogy and while each book brought its own unique spin to the trilogy, one in particular really stood out to me. My favorite from this trilogy and my final favorite from this Winter, is Destiny’s Captive. This is Noah and Pilar’s romance. The two cross paths after Pilar, a female pirate, steals Noah’s ship. All 3 heroines from this trilogy were basically bad asses, but Pilar was my favorite. We see how tough she is, and it felt genuine. It felt like the life she had been living was truly all she ever knew and wanted. So when Noah comes around she really struggles with the change. Noah though! Oh my goodness. If a damaged hero is your thing, you have to read this book. We learn at the end of this romance why Noah is so broken and dammit, I didn’t think Queen Bev would go there, but she did. It still breaks my heart thinking about it.

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I have to have an honorable mention, because this is my show and I’m allowing myself the liberty to bend the rules! In the spirit of bending rules, my honorable mention isn’t going to be a romance, which can be a tad bit debatable. My honorable mention is Hollywood’s Eve: Eve Babitz and the Secret History of L.A. by Lili Anolik. I have yet to read any of Eve Babitz’s fiction but when I saw the cover to this one, I couldn’t resist. I found it absolutely fascinating. I have never been to L.A. and find the 60s and 70s fascinating. I feel like those years get forgotten about as time continues to pass, but so much amazing music and pieces of pop culture happened during them. I loved how this book is one woman who lived during this time’s own experience. We learn how much of a recluse Babitz is know, but I felt Anolik really showcased her voice well. Literally after finishing this I jotted down all the Babitz titles I need to read sooner rather than later with the intention of decoding what I’m reading. I loved it!

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So those are my favorite reads from this past Winter. I am sad to see it go, but I hoping this Spring is an amazing one. I have so many awesome reads lined up! Let me know what your favorite reading favorites were from this past Winter, I’d love to know. I hope you’re taking care of yourself. Until next time, xo.

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Hello Spring, Romance Recommendations

March 20, 2019March 10, 2019Leave a Comment

I feel like when it comes to seasons, we as readers have two favorite seasons which really dictate what we’re reading. Everyone knows their go to’s for the fall: darker, cozier stories to curl up with. Then there is the summer, where our to be read piles look more light and fun. I know me personally, I don’t give Spring the respect it deserves. It’s the time of year for new beginnings. The flowers are beginning to bloom. The weather is getting cooler (unless you live in Texas, it already feels the the dog days of summer) and Its the perfect time to treat yourself to a trip to your favorite coffee shop’s patio to sip on a cool drink with a good romance for a bit. If you’re unsure of what to read, I have you covered. These are a few romances I have read in the past few months that I think will be perfect for those cool spring days.

First up is My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren. This is a fun friends to lovers romance. I like what the author duo did with this one. Very realistic to how a lot of people nowadays are tackling the dating world, the plot line involves online dating. A group of co-workers have an upcoming office party, and one of the friends puts out the idea that the crew should all create online dating profiles on a website. Millie (the only female in the crew) goes along with the plan, yet creates a fake profile, and finds herself matched up with Reid, one of the guys from the crew. This was my first read by Christina Lauren. It was a lot of fun and very realistic. As someone who hasn’t been on the dating scene for a long time, it was a fun glimpse into how much it has changed with continuous growth of technology. If you want a fun, sexy romance that’s easy to get into, and follows a crew of educated professionals, I highly recommend this one.

My next recommendation is Priest by Sierra Simone. I would probably recommend you read Priest in any season but if you’re looking for a romance that is going to hook you through the last page, you have to give this one a try. Priest is told from Tyler, aka Father Bell’s perspective. In the outskirts of Kansas City, Tyler is a Priest at a local Catholic Church and his world Is flipped upside down when Poppy stumbles in to make confession. Without even trying really, Simone created a very dark, atmospheric vibe that is almost an ode to how forbidden Tyler and Poppy’s romance is. Things that take place in this book are so wrong but so damn sexy. Save this one for those cool, breezy Spring nights..it is totally worth the read.

Only You by Melanie Harlow is my next recommendation. At this point it’s safe say, Melanie Harlow can do no wrong in my book. I love her characters. I love her Detroit, Michigan settings and although I read the third book in this trilogy first, I absolutely adored Only You. This one has the accidental baby trope, but with a twist that works and won’t leave you pissed off..I know that is a lot of romance readers’ least favorite trope! It is also a friends to lovers romance, which I think Spring is perfect for. Emme and Nate have been neighbors for years. They are complete opposites. Nate is a divorce attorney and well known player. Emme is a wedding planner who wears her heart on her sleeves and has been known to fall easily and quickly. Let’s just say the unexpected baby with a twist makes the two see each other in a totally new light and brings them much closer than they every could’ve expected. I loved it.

Fall in love with the romance of Grip and Bristol, in Kennedy Ryan’s Grip. This is the novella to the Grip series and I loved it so much. This is an interracial romance and although it’s a novella it truly sets everything you need for the rest of the series up. It takes place out in California and I could feel the breeze from the ocean on my skin and the whole vibe was just perfect. Grip is a poet/rapper and he’s become one of my favorite heroes of all time. I love what he stands for. This is a quick read, but one you won’t want to miss a thing with. It is fun and forbidden and sexy yet entangled with some very important dialogue. Amazing, you have to read it.

My last recommendation is another shorter romance, but one that was a lot of fun and that’s Catastrophe Queen by Emma Hart. Mallory is a complete klutz which adds a funny, lighthearted edge to this story. Her family is freaking hilarious. Her aunt and grandfather have been staying with her and her parents and there is the constant banter back and forth. I was literally sitting at the coffee shop one morning reading this on Kindle laughing hysterically, I know people around had to think I was losing it. Mallory literally steps into traffic due to not paying attention and is almost ran over by her soon to be boss, Cameron. Long story short, this is their romance. I am finding that I really enjoy office romances, so if they are a setting you enjoy, I can’t recommend Catastrophe Queen enough. You are literally on edge the entire time, worrying that Mallory is going to spill coffee all over the edge, or trip over her own feet.

Thank you for reading. I hope you found something in this list that you want to add to your Spring to be read list. Share some of your Spring reading recommendations with me. xoxo,

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