Stacking the Shelves/The Sunday Post #6

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Hello everyone! Ugh laptop is still out of commission but HOPEFULLY back in my hands early this week! I haven't really been able to blog much - there always seems to be someone on the family computer lol! But once I get it back, I'll be back in business! 

This coming week, I plan on posting Monday's book meme at least, and hopefully 2-3 reviews but we'll see how it goes! 

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!

From NetGalley:

Physical ARC's in my mailbox:

How to Survive a Scandal by Samara Parish

 

Title: How to Survive a Scandal
Author: Samara Parish
Publish Date: May 25th, 2021
Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC for review!

In this whirlwind regency romance a near-death experience leads to a marriage of convenience for two unsuspecting strangers, but will their unusual meeting lead them to true love?

Lady Amelia was raised to be the perfect duchess, accomplished in embroidery, floral arrangement, and managing a massive household. But when an innocent mistake forces her and the uncouth, untitled Benedict Asterly into a marriage of convenience, all her training appears to be for naught. Even worse, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to this man no finishing school could have prepared her for.

Benedict Asterly never dreamed saving Amelia’s life would lead to him being shackled to the hoity Society miss. Benedict was taught to distrust the aristocracy at a young age, so when news of his marriage endangers a business deal, Benedict is wary of Amelia’s offer to help. But his quick-witted, elegant bride defies all his expectations . . . and if he’s not careful, she’ll break down the walls around his guarded heart.

Penelope's Review

This was such a cute, fun read! I really enjoyed it and want to congrratulate this author on her debut. 

The book follows Lady Amelia, a prim and proper, upper class member of society. She is destined to marry a duke, but one mistake ruins her chances and forces her into marrying our male lead, Benedict Asterly. I loved Amelia's character - she took everything in stride, and stayed true to herself no matter what. Watching her grow and learn about things that she always considered beneath her station was heartwarming and exciting! I loved that this book was sort of the opposite of what I'm used to in these romance books - the ones I pick up always seem to be a rich, upper society man rescuing the poor damsel with no prospects. While I love, and will continue to love that trope, I must say this was a breath of fresh air! I loved seeing Amelia brought down a few notches only to clamber back up them again with ferocity and determination. 

Benedict was a hard-working man with great aspirations and a love for the people in his town. I loved reading from the perspective of a working class man in an era of industrialization. Benedict was also very protective of his little sister, and it was sweet to see that side of him. 

While Amelia and Benedict's relatonship was a bit dramatic at time, it nevertheless kept me entertained and rooting for them. The chemistry was definitely there, but I hoped for more romance in this romance novel lol! I still thoroughly enjoyed the book however, as it had a great plot and lots of entertaining twists and turns. If the next book in the series is featuring the two characters I think it might be, then I am super excited to see what happens - I am hoping for more heat and chemistry, but looking forward to it regardless! 

Overall, this is a great read that I recommend to anyone looking for a bit of a different twist on regency romance. I think ou'll quite enjoy it!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

Happy Monday everyone! Well.. as happy as it can be I suppose lol! Unfortunately my laptop completely died on the weekend and though I'm taking it in to see if it can be fixed today, it's very likely that I've lost everything on it. I haven't quite wrapped my head around what that means... but it's not good as all of my school files are on that computer. It's my own fault for not backing anything up though. I have definitely learned my lesson for next time! On the plus side, with no laptop for homework all weekend, all I did was read lol!

What I Read Last Week:

What I Am Currently Reading:

What I'm Reading Next: 

Book Blogger Hop

 

This is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer! Hop over to their page to grab a button and join in the fun!

This week's question:

Do you think you will ever get tired of blogging? (submitted by JadeSky)

Nope! I may take breaks throughout my life, like I did after high school until recently but I don't think I will ever completely stop or get tired of it. It's too much fun! I love reading, hearing about new books, and interacting with other bloggers and I don't think that will ever change. 💓

A Secret Scottish Escape by Julie Shackman

Title: A Secret Scottish Escape

Author: Julie Shackman

Publish Date: May 21st, 2021

Publisher: One More Chapter

Source: Huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC for review!                                                                

When Scotland’s sleepiest hamlet becomes the centre of hot gossip, Layla Devlin finds herself caught in a mystery…

When Layla’s fiancée has an unexpected heart attack and dies – in another woman’s arms, no less – Layla is determined to pack up and leave Loch Harris, the village she’s always called home. But an unexpected inheritance and love for her quiet corner of Scotland send her down a new path.

Now Layla finds herself facing a whole new kind of drama. Rumours swirl that a celebrity has moved into Coorie Cottage and Layla is determined to have him headline her opening night at local music venue The Conch Club. But the reclusive star is equally determined to thwart Layla’s efforts. Rafe Buchanan is in hiding for a reason, and soon his past comes to Loch Harris to haunt him…

Penelope's Review

This was a cute, fun read but I would say it's definitely one that you can pick up and put down and read in between other books. It had an interesting storyline, and went in a couple different directions, but I did find it a bit slow at times. 

The book follows Layla Devlin, who, right from he beginning of the book finds out that her fiancé dies of a heart attack while in his ex-wife's arms. It was an interesting start to the book, I'll admit. I liked Layla, I found her to be a pretty relatable character and enjoyed the close relationship she had with her dad. I liked her drive and courage to try new things, including a very cool business venture! 

*P.S. kind of a spoiler alert for this next paragraph... but nothing that you couldn't figure out from the synopsis*

I was looking forward to a good bit of romance, but unfortunately that wasn't quite the case here. Layla meets Mask aka Rafe a few times throughout the book, and he's rude pretty much every time (not that I cared about that, it's a book not real life lol!) but it just made it kind of unrealistic for them to get together at the end. I mean yes, they did open up a bit to each other but... I dunno I just wasn't feeling it. There wasn't really any growth or great connection that made me root for them, you know what I mean? So that was kind of a let down.

The story itself was good, but not amazing. The book was written well, I just found that it took me quite awhile to get through what with the slow bits making me put it down more often than I usually do. That being said, I like it enough as a "background book" and I'm glad I read it regardless. I wouldn't be opposed to trying out other books by this author. 

Rating: 3.5/5 Devils!