Weekly Recap #31

Hi everyone, with Rachel and I's crazy work schedules, we miss sharing whats going on with us. We used to have a lot of fun with our Showcase Sunday posts, so thought we'd do something regular on the blog, where we share bookish news and life news in general as a weekly recap! We've decided to link our weekly wrap up's with The Sunday Post hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer.

Jasprit:

I had a quiet week for once, work was busy as usual but I was able to get a lot more reading in this week and for once I've also been in the mood for reading more. Other than that I really didn't get up to much, it was a bit of a anti-social week, but I think I just really needed one of those after the busy couple of weeks I had. 


WHAT I READ/REVIEWED 

Jasprit:
(Click on title for Goodreads link)

The usual books that I go to when I need a pick me up, good old contemporary really haven't been working for me, I ended up DNF'ing Luck of the Draw, despite the positive reviews that I had seen around and Making Up I only ended up rating three stars, it was a bit too predictable in the end for me. Whereas I ended up really enjoying Burn For Me,  I don't typically read Urban Fantasy books, but Burn For Me was everything I could have hoped for. I'll be starting White Hot the second book over the weekend and I can't wait! 

BOOKS RECEIVED 
Jasprit 

(Click on title for Goodreads link)

 

I loved Vinesse's debut book Seven Days of You, so I can't wait to see what she has in store for us with her latest book The Summer of Us! And thanks to Nick for putting Hot Asset on my radar, I've loved Layne's books in the past and so I'm excited to know she has a new book out. And it seems a long time coming since Courtney Summers had a new book out, the reviews I've come across so far for Sadie have been really positive! 

NEW TO MY TBR
Jasprit 
(Click on Book for Goodreads link)

 

As you probably know I'm a huge fan of books which feature a second chance romances, Five Years From Now sounds exactly like something I would enjoy with our characters meeting up every five years. And I can't believe I hadn't heard about Emergency Contact until now, I think I saw it a few times on my Goodreads feed too. And like Lauren Layne, Christina Lauren have quickly become my go to authors, doesn't Josh and Hazel's guide to dating sound fantastic? 

  WHAT I'M WATCHING:

Jasprit  

I started Homeland the other day because my sister highly recommended it, but now I'm like seven episodes in and I'm not really feeling it, I don't know if I should continue or start with something else entirely. 

EVENTS OF THE WEEK

Jasprit 

I got my first run in after a month, the day was horrible as it was raining non-stop, but it actually felt like a good run for once, I'm hoping to get more in the upcoming weeks. 

How was your week?

Review: Love at Last by Claudia Connor

Love at Last by Claudia Connor
Publication date: April 24th 2018
My rating: 4 Stars
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo


 

New Romance from New York Times Bestselling Author Claudia Connor ...

How many times can you be unlucky in love before you decide it's not luck, it's you?

With her ex-groom's words, I'm in love with someone else, still ringing in her ears, Clare Franklin flies off alone to her would-be honeymoon. Forced to accept not everyone gets that happily ever after she's always dreamed of, she's done with men. Until she gets tangled up, quite literally, with one sexy veterinarian.

The only thing Dr Deacon Montgomery wants is to share his surgical expertise and get back to his two year old twin daughters. But, the connection he feels with Clare highlights just how alone he really is and makes him wonder if he can be more than doctor and daddy.

Long talks and moonlit walks under the rustle of palms has Clare thinking maybe she gave up on love too soon. Until one phone call from home changes everything.

My Thoughts:

Love at Last starts out as Clare is basically left at the altar, although her heart isn’t broken her confidence is finding love is. She goes on her honeymoon alone and stumbles upon Deacon, a sweet, handsome veterinarian there for a medical conference.  With Deacon Clare feels all the swooning and heat she never felt with her ex.  They spend exciting days of exploring the island and a few steamy nights together before circumstances unexpectedly tear them apart. Can the new intense feelings overcome all the real-life drama?

I loved this story! I’m a huge fan of Claudia Connor’s romances! Deacon and Clare have such a profound connection on the island, and I was hurt when they were torn apart.  I must say my least favorite time in the novel was the time they spent apart wondering if they would ever see each other again, or if what they felt was real.  Poor Clare! Although they both were cheated out of things by the circumstances, Clare had to go through so much alone, and again wondering if she could trust her judgment in men. I loved that Deacon was so determined to mend Clare’s broken heart and trust again once they were reunited.  He was such an absolute gem!  Deacon didn’t do anything wrong and he was a victim of circumstances, too, but I still felt really bad for Clare.

Claudia Connor always writes the dreamiest male heroes!  Men with a protective streak a mile long, and loving dads that will melt your heart!  Clare and Deacon had a bumpy ride on the road to love, but the journey was well worth it!

 

Review: The Family Gathering by Robyn Carr

The Family Gathering (Sullivan's Crossing #3) by Robyn Carr
Publication date: April 17th 2018
Publisher: Mira Books
My rating: 4 Stars
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | TBD | Kobo

 

An exceptional storyteller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr beautifully captures the emotionally charged, complex dynamics that come with being part of any family. Readers will laugh and shed a few tears as they discover what it means to be loved, supported and accepted by the people who mean the most.

Having left the military, Dakota Jones is at a crossroads in his life. With his elder brother and youngest sister happily settled in Sullivan’s Crossing, he shows up hoping to clear his head before moving on to his next adventure. But, like every visitor to the Crossing, he’s immediately drawn to the down-to-earth people and the seemingly simple way of life.

Dakota is unprepared for how quickly things get complicated. As a newcomer, he is on everyone’s radar—especially the single women in town. While he enjoys the attention at first, he’s really only attracted to the one woman who isn’t interested. And spending quality time with his siblings is eye-opening. As he gets to know them, he also gets to know himself and what he truly wants.

When all the Jones siblings gather for a family wedding, the four adults are drawn together for the first time in a way they never were as children. As they struggle to accept each other, warts and all, the true nature and strength of their bond is tested. But all of them come to realize that your family are the people who see you for who you really are and love you anyway. And for Dakota, that truth allows him to find the home and family he’s always wanted.

My Thoughts:

Robyn Carr is one of my all-time favorite contemporary romance writers.  She writes realistic romances that warm your heart, usually set in a quaint small town with an abundance of lovable secondary characters.   The Family Gathering is the third book in the Sullivan’s Crossing series and centered on another one of the Jones’ siblings, Dakota. 

Dakota distanced himself from his wacko parents as soon as he was old enough to enlist in the army and hasn’t been around his brother and two sisters in quite some time. The circumstances surrounding his discharge from the army and a tragic love lost has made Dakota re-examine his life and reestablish a connection with his brother and sisters. Luckily for Dakota Cal and Sierra have settled in the same place, Timberlake, and so he sets off there thinking he might spend a few weeks. Being around his brother and sister and their mates, as well as the charm of Timberlake and its residents, feels right and so Dakota starts making more permanent arrangements. 

There is no shortage of women in Timberlake, and two take and immediate interest in Dakota, but he only has eyes for, Sidney, a bartender at the local watering hole. Unfortunately for Dakota, Sid isn’t much interested in starting a relationship since the end of her marriage just about destroyed her.  Also, unfortunately, the two woman, Neely and Alyssa, who are interested aren’t what you’d call a picture of sanity.  Dakota deals with these two nut-jobs while trying to get to know Sid and patiently wait for her to come around. 

I love Robyn Carr’s leading men.  They have a protective streak without the usual over-the-top alpha-assholery you find in a lot of romances. Watching Dakota and Sid slowly build to a romance was a delight. Dakota was a sweet guy, patient and understanding.  Also, he was smart about the Neely and Alyssa who were complete psychos! 

There’s were several side stories in The Family Gathering, a standard in Carr’s stories, which were just as interesting and engaging as Dakota and Sid’s story.  Sierra and Sedona, Dakota’s sisters have issues, both happy and sad to work through, and Tom Canaday and Lola sort out romance and merging families. I think the only negative about The Family Gathering is I wanted more!  I wanted to see a little more of Dakota and Sid’s future, but with any luck Ms. Carr will write another installment and I’ll get to catch up with these characters I’ve come to know and love!

 

Review: In Search of Us by Ava Dellaira

In Search of Us by Ava Dellaira
Publisher: Hot Key Books 
Publication Date: March 6th 2018
My rating: 4.5 Stars 

The author of the beloved Love Letters to the Dead returns with a parallel story of a mother and daughter each at age seventeen. Marilyn's tale recounts the summer she fell in love and set out on her own path. Angie's story is about her search for her unknown father. This sweeping multi-generational love story introduces readers to mother-and-daughter pair Marilyn and Angie. To seventeen-year-old Angie, who is mixed-race, Marilyn is her hardworking, devoted white single mother. But Marilyn was once young, too. When Marilyn was seventeen, she fell in love with Angie's father, James, who was African-American. But Angie's never met him, and Marilyn has always told her he died before she was born. When Angie discovers evidence of an uncle she's never met she starts to wonder: What if her dad is still alive, too? So she sets off on a journey to find him, hitching a ride to LA from her home in New Mexico with her ex-boyfriend, Sam. Along the way, she uncovers some hard truths about herself, her mother, and what truly happened to her father.

I went into In Search of Us not really knowing much about the book, I’d seen Sam give the book a five star rating and that’s all I needed to give this book a go. To be honest I really did struggle with the beginning of the book, the chapters alternate with perspectives from Angie in the present and her mum Marilyn in the past. And I found myself more interested in following Angie’s perspective, I wanted to follow her story and longing in discovering the truth in what happened with her father. But as the story progressed, I began to understand the importance of getting Marilyn’s story from the past, it played such an integral part to how far Marilyn had come and the person Angie had become today. 

Dellaira gave us such a beautiful story with In Search of Us, I enjoyed going on this incredible journey with Angie to discover the truth about her father, the risks she took to get there and the fear that she had to deal with when she found out the truth. Angie was a character who I immensely liked, yes, she made mistakes along the way when she just had one focus in mind, but what 17-year-old would travel to LA to try and find her uncle, with only titbits of information? Yes, she was going behind her mum’s wishes, but I could understand her sense of longing and answers that she needed after she had first discovered the photo of her parents. I kind of had a feeling about how things would end up for Angie when she got to LA, but nothing could have prepared me for her story. It was heartfelt and raw, and left such a lasting impression with me. 

In Search of Us was just a beautifully written story, I couldn’t praise Dellaira enough in giving us such a wonderful story. The overlap in stories from Marilyn and Angie was done majestically, with Dellaira constantly keeping us on our toes with us not knowing what could be around the corner. In Search of Us was really a gem of a read, one that I will be constantly thinking and talking about in the upcoming weeks.