Top Ten Tuesday: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Book Moms

Hey guys!

It's Top Ten Tuesday by The Broke and The Bookish! Since this past weekend was Mother's Day, this week's TTT is a Mother's Day related freebie. I'm going with some of the best and worst moms in books, so let's jump right in!

The Bad 

Unfortunately, books seem to be really lacking in the good mother department, so there was a big pool to draw from here. 

Both Lo and Lily's mothers were terrible. 

I don't actually remember much about about the mother in this story, other than a general sense of dislike. 

The mother did manage to somewhat redeem herself at the end, but still. 

Cat and her mother's relationship broke my heart on so many occasions, both in good and bad ways. 

While she was definitely supportive and kind to her daughter, I had serious issues with the way she handled things around Eva and her lack of notice in her childhood traumas. 

The Downright Ugly

Oh my god, I wanted to strangle the mother here. Also, this book made me so. damn. uncomfortable.

Ugh, Charley's stepmom. Who else loves to hate that woman, and with good reason?! Every time she had any page time she set my teeth on edge. 

Nothing quite like exploiting your child in the most horrible way.

And The Good

While not the biological mother, Chelsea was such an amazing mom to those kids!

Lake's mother...oh my gosh, I cried so hard in this story. 

Yay for a strong, single mom!

Mini Reviews Monday

Lily O’Connell, a succubus, owns Lily Bound, an elite sex salon in the Blood Night District of Seattle. When a client is murdered in her house, a patch of skin missing from his chest, she knows there’s something evil afoot. Then comes the news that the Souljacker—a tattoo-artist-turned-vampire—has escaped from an institution for criminally deranged Supernaturals. And he’s hunting and killing everyone he has ever inked.

With one of the Souljacker’s tattoos on her thigh and nowhere else to turn, Lily hires Archer Desmond, a chaos demon and PI, to help her track down the vampire before he finds her and her friends. But Lily didn’t plan to fall for Archer. And as the old tales say—a succubus who falls in love will destroy the heart of the one she seeks to claim. 

3 stars!

This had a lot of potential as far as plot and characters go, but something about it just fell a little flat. Whether or not that was due to the slightly dry narration in the audiobook or if it was a fault of the book, I can't say. Regardless, I didn't connect with the heroine.

While the premise was really interesting in the beginning, it took a safe and boring turn and didn't live up to all it could be.

I am curious about what will happen in the second book though, and will likely continue and give it a second chance.

We fell in love on a beach, got married in paradise, and I carried her off into the sunset. It should have been perfect, but saying “I do” doesn’t guarantee a happily-ever-after.

Two years later, I barely recognize either of us behind the walls we’ve built.

It’s time to bring it full circle. Back to a tropical paradise. Back to find out if we can still make this work.

I’m not willing to give her up, but to save us, I have to risk everything. 

Two damaged people. 

Countless secrets. 

The fight of our lives.

We might be broken, but we’re not done.

4.5 stars!

Sexy, fun, gripping at times and highly emotional at others. This left me with some serious desire for seafood, islands and boats. ;)

I was pleasantly surprised with how much I loved this story, and blew through the audiobook in a day. Fantastic narration, too!

A new standalone from New York Times bestselling authors Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward. 

I met Bianca in an elevator.
She was on her way to interview me when we got stuck.
The beautiful, raven-haired reporter assumed I was a delivery guy because of the way I was dressed.
She had no clue I was really Dex Truitt, the wealthy, successful businessman she’d dubbed “Mister Moneybags”—her afternoon appointment.
Bianca told me how much she hated Dex’s type—snobby, over educated, silver- spooned men who didn't appreciate the simple things in life.
So, after the elevator finally started moving again, I cancelled the interview and let her believe I was someone I wasn’t—a bike messenger named Jay. I loved the way she looked at the fake me and didn't want it to end.
I began dating her as “Jay”—all the while letting her interview the real me over email.
I didn’t expect that our chemistry online would be just as hot. 
I didn’t expect the mess I’d gotten myself into.
I didn’t expect that Jay and Dex would fall in love with her.
And she was falling for two men. 
Only, both men were me. 
And when she found out, we were both going to lose her.
Nothing could have prepared me for that day. And I certainly wasn't prepared for what came after.
All good things must come to an end, right?
Except our ending was one I didn't see coming.

4 stars!

Ah, there's nothing quite like the sexy times and drama that comes from a Keeland/Ward mashup. This writing duo is such a guilty pleasure of mine, and this didn't disappoint. 

Despite the hero's antics during the first part of the book, I really felt for him and enjoyed his character throughout the story. Couldn't really connect with the heroine, but I didn't have any major problems with her either way. 

And oh, that drama....it was so good in an insane kind of way. ;)

When his younger brother loses interest in online dating, hot, bearded, bartender extraordinaire, Joe Collins, only intends to log into his account and shut it down. Until he reads about her.

Alex Parks is funny, friendly, and pretty much everything he's been looking for in a woman. And in no time at all they're emailing up a storm, telling each other their deepest darkest secrets... apart from the one that really matters.

And when it comes to love, serving it straight up works better than with a twist.

4 stars!

First, I absolutely loved this heroine! She was strong, smart, funny and her voice was easy and enjoyable to follow. The hero got on my nerves a lot towards the end and I could never really reconcile his behavior, but for the first half I was absolutely swooning.

Fantastic side characters, especially Val!

I blew through this very well done audiobook and really enjoyed it overall. 

First we were friends. Then we were roommates. Now I want more…
What can I say about Chess Copper? The woman is capable of bringing me to my knees. I know this about five minutes after getting naked for her.
No one is more surprised than me. The prickly photographer my team hired to shoot our annual charity calendar isn’t my usual type. She’s defense to my offense, a challenge at every turn. But when I’m with her, all the regrets and darkness goes away. She makes life fun.

I want to know Chess, be close to her. Which is a bad idea.

Chess is looking for a relationship. I’ve never given a woman more than one night. But when fate leaves Chess without a home, I step up and offer her mine. We’re roommates now. Friends without benefits. But it’s getting harder to keep our hands off each other. And the longer we live together the more I realize she’s becoming my everything.

Trick is… Now that I’ve made her believe I’m a bad bet, how do I convince her to give this player a true shot at forever?

5 stars!

I loved every single thing about this book. It was the perfect contemporary romance for me. Friends to lovers, sweetest man ever, strong heroine, roommates (!!!), believable angst that wasn't over the top, and the whole relationship progression felt very natural and genuine. I loved it. 

The Sunday Post/It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Hey guys!


Happy Mothers' Day to all the moms out there! I hope you have a wonderful day. :) I'm spending the day with my own wonderful mama (I never hear anything southern in me until I say that....), so this'll be short.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I didn't finish a single book this week. Nope, nada, nothing. I've listened to maybe two hours of my current book and haven't so much as picked up my Kindle. I'm feeling slumpy again, and my normal audiobook time has been sucked up with music, on top of being insanely busy. Hoping I can find something to spark the interest again!

Fitness

Very happy with this week's stats!

Sunday - 17,424

Monday - 17,104

Tuesday - 11,829

Wednesday - 17,714

Thursday - 14,983

Friday - 20,285

Saturday - 12,120

Total - 111,459 steps

This Week's Recap

4 "Give Me That, NOW!" May Releases

Top Ten Tuesday: I Want to See More...

Waiting on Wednesday

TBR Thursday

Cover Lust, No. 63

Coming Up

Mini Reviews Monday

Top Ten Tuesday

Waiting on Wednesday

TBR Thursday

Cover Lust, No. 64

Read This Week

See above

Currently Reading

3 hours left in this audiobook. It's okay, but definitely has a touch of middle book syndrome. 

What Will I Read Next

?

Cover Lust, No. 63

Love is timeless…

Nash Nation loves zeroes and ones, over-sized monitors and late office hours. He’s too busy taking over the world to make time for relationships—that is, until his new neighbor Willow O’Bryant barges into his life, and now Nash can’t shake the feeling that this isn’t the first time she’s interrupted his world.

Then, the dreams start. And in the dreams—memories.

Memories of a girl named Sookie who couldn’t count on love or friendship, never mind forever. Memories of a library and a boy called Isaac and secrets made in private that destroyed his world.

The memories seem real, but who do they belong to?

When Nash and Willow discover the truth, life as they know it unravels.

The bridge between this life and the next is shored up by blood and bone and memory. Sometimes, that bridge leads to the place we’ve always wanted to be.

I'm a sucker for anything galaxy-y and with a pretty font. Also, though it's a little cheesy, I'm curious about the book itself, too. Releases later this month!

TBR Thursday

Kimberly @ Kimberlyfaye Reads started a new weekly feature that I'm excited to join in! This feature is to showcase what's on your to be read shelf (or eReader, or Audible library) and see what others think of it. Have you read it? Should I read it or put it back on the shelf? It's a way to dust off the books on your self and decide if they're worth reading!

There are three things you need to know about Janie Morris: 1) She is incapable of engaging in a conversation without volunteering TMTI (Too Much Trivial Information), especially when she is unnerved, 2) No one unnerves her more than Quinn Sullivan, and 3) She doesn't know how to knit.

After losing her boyfriend, apartment, and job in the same day, Janie Morris can't help wondering what new torment fate has in store. To her utter mortification, Quinn Sullivan- aka Sir McHotpants- witnesses it all then keeps turning up like a pair of shoes you lust after but can't afford. The last thing she expects is for Quinn- the focus of her slightly, albeit harmless, stalkerish tendencies- to make her an offer she can't refuse.

I've read Penny Reid with L.H. Cosway, but never on her own. How is she? 

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine and is a fun way to see what books other bloggers just can't wait to get their hands on!   

September 26th, 2017

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Chicagoland Vampires Novels--the hunter becomes the hunted in a New Orleans devastated by a Paranormal war....
When bounty hunter Liam Quinn discovered that Claire Connolly was a Sensitive and infected with magic, he should have turned her in to be locked up in the prison district known as Devil's Isle. Instead, he helped her learn to control her power and introduced her to an underground group of Paranormals and humans who know the truth about the war and those who fought it.
Now the weight of Liam's own secrets has forced him into hiding. When a government agent is killed and Claire discovers that Liam is the prime suspect, she races to find him before the government can. But she'll discover proving his innocence is no simple matter. Their enemies are drawing closer, and time is running out.... 

I've enjoyed the first two in this series, especially the New Orleans setting. Curious to see how it wraps up!

Top Ten Tuesday: I Want To See More.....

Hey guys!

It's Top Ten Tuesday by The Broke and The Bookish! This week's topic is your reading wish, things you want to see more of in books. Let's jump right in!

10. Comic relief

Is it just me, or do most contemporary books seriously lack anything in the way of humor? I want to laugh out loud at least a handful of times while reading!

9. Killer side characters

I love a richly developed cast of side characters; they add so much to the story!

8. Pets

A protagonist with a pet makes them 10x more relatable, especially if it's a dog.

7. Semi-functional families

The current trend is to have a small, completely horrible family in books. I'd like to see more parents that aren't totally awful, siblings that mostly get along, ect.

6. Big families

Tying into #7, I'd like to see more larger families...especially ones that aren't religious, wanna-be Duggars (sorry!).

 As the oldest of 7, I laugh when I read a character talking about "all their siblings" when there's 2-4 of them. Amateurs. 

5. Less angst

My god, do normal people really fixate so much on every bad thing that's ever happened to them? Who would want to be around someone that was constantly so damn morbid and moody?

I have a really, really horrible relationship with my biological father. Absolutely retched. It doesn't consume my every thought and action. I've actually worked to heal from it and get over it. Guess there goes my spot as any book heroine, ever. 

4. Faster paces

I want more books that snatch my attention within the first chapter!

3. Long term relationships

Especially when it comes to series.

2. Sex and body positivity

I really don't get the whole shameful, blushing virgin (or very inexperienced) thing that's so popular in the new adult genre. I also don't understand how self conscious every single one of these women are. 

I was raised in a very sex and body positive household, and aside from the requisite teenage years, I've never dealt with physical insecurity. I realize that's the minority, but damn, maybe a little more confidence in books would change that. 

1. Strong characters that grow and develop

I'd like to see some of the strength and character development that's a little more common in paranormal/urban fantasy slip into the contemporary genre.