Week in Review #14

 

The Week in Review is where I combine Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post and It's Monday! What are you reading?  If you have never joined in on these meme's you can check them out by clicking on the meme and it will take you to the host blog.

Okay, I am done with the cold, bring on Spring! I know others are colder than I am but we have a day coming up that has a low of -6 and I am not having it!! No, no, no, give me my warm weather back!

I don't think much happened this week or if it did I had done forgot...lol. Didn't even really watch any Christmas movies.

Have a great week and happy reading!

What you might have missed on my blog

Review of Harvest Moon

Books I have added

 

• Set Up in the City - This is the fourth book in the Colt Brothers Investigation series. I am currently reading #3 as it's a Christmas one then I need to go back and read #1 and #2 as it's driving me crazy reading out of order...lol. Then I will be ready for this one! :)
• Texas Bodyguard: Luke - First book in the the Texas Bodyguard series.
• The Golden Spoon - It's thriller that is billed as Only Murders in the Building meets The Maid and so I am curious as I haven't read The Maid but I have watched the Only Murders tv show.
• Last Known Location - Just sounded like an interesting thriller.

Books read last week

 

• Bring Me Home For Christmas - Another great installment in the Virgin River series!
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Witness - This was decent and book two in a spin off series from the Witchless in Seattle series.
• How to Fight a Dragon's Fury - Bittersweet as this is the end of a fun middle grade series!
• Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen - The first book in the Year Round Christmas mystery series, it was decent.

Currently reading

 

• The Christmas Pig - I didn't read on this one this past week.
• Tinsel - I didn't read on this one either!
• Murder and Mistletoe - Read a few pages.
• Christmas Ransom - I read a lot of this one, I am enjoying it.
• Quest Kids - I read several chapters and should finish it up this week.

What might be up next

 Not sure.

How was your week? What did you get?

Two Bloggers One Series ~ Harvest Moon

 

Barb and I are on a roll with this the Virgin River series!! We have both really enjoyed this series so after you see what I have to say head on over to Booker T's Farm to see what she has to say. 

Rising sous-chef Kelly Matlock's sudden collapse at work is a wake-up call. Disillusioned and burned out, she's retreated to her sister Jillian's house in Virgin River to rest and reevaluate.

Puttering in Jill's garden and cooking with her heirloom vegetables is wonderful, but Virgin River is a far cry from San Francisco. Kelly's starting to feel a little too unmotivated…until she meets Lief Holbrook. The handsome widower looks more like a lumberjack than a sophisticated screenwriter—a combination Kelly finds irresistible. But less appealing is Lief's rebellious stepdaughter, Courtney. She's the reason they moved from L.A., but Courtney's finding plenty of trouble even in Virgin River.

Kelly's never fallen for a guy with such serious baggage, but some things are worth fighting for. Besides, a bratty teenager can't be any worse than a histrionic chef…right?

I am really enjoying this series and so I am always excited to dive into another one. 

In this one we have Kelly who we meet I believe in the last book because she is the sister to Jillian (the gardener who gardened a lot in the last book...lol) and we also met Lief briefly in the last book as well.  

Kelly is sort of on the brink of having an affair with her boss, but I don't think it had gone real far but the wife comes and has it out with her and then the pressures of being a sous-chef got to her all at once and she has a anxiety attach and passes out. The doctor says she needs  break so she goes to visit her sister in Virgin River.

She meets Lief on her way to Kelly's as she stops at Jacks Bar and Grill and forgets that she shouldn't mix her meds with drinks and he has to take her to her sisters house. Lief is attacted to her right off bat and seems to find some reasons to hang around the house. Lief also has a teenage stepdaughter who is going through some phases because her mother died I think a year or two ago and Lief is having a hard time dealing with the death of his wife and the daughter. He is hoping that Virgin River would be a nice change for both of them. 

Kelly and Lief just seem to really strike up a really great friendship right off the bat but each of them are not really sure about going farther at first, especially with the daughter being in the picture. Kelly isn't sure what to do with a teenager! 

Just when things where going really well the biological father decides he wants his daughter to go on vacation with him and his wife and kids, but she doesn't want to and Lief has no choice but to make her go and let me tell you that part I felt so bad for the young girl!!

Anyway, I really enjoyed this one! I liked the two main characters and might have even liked the kid a bit more than. I was worried that  this was going to deal with a horrid teen age acting out but she actually gets in with some nice kids and turns out pretty good and then what she deals with when with her actual father really made me feel bad for her. 

Of course we have some of our beloved regular characters which is always nice and makes this series so much fun to read. 

4.5 stars

Week in Review #13

 

The Week in Review is where I combine Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post and It's Monday! What are you reading?  If you have never joined in on these meme's you can check them out by clicking on the meme and it will take you to the host blog.

Not a lot to report on this week but that is okay. I have watched a few movies. Since I read A Boy Called Christmas, so watched the movie that was made and it was a little different but it cute. Oh I also watched another Netflix Christmas one but can't remember the name something about a Diary..and of course I watched some Hallmark and GAC movies.

What you might have missed on my blog

Review of The Christmas Spirit

Books I have added

 

• Don't Open the Door - A family torn apart. A botched investigation. She’ll stop at nothing to get answers. So readers meet the US Marshall that is the MC in this one as sort of a side character in the first one or maybe a secondary MC in the first one, but now the series has turned into a series that follows her as she starts off on a new career. I really enjoyed book one so I can't wait to try it!
• Burn the Negative - Thirty years hiding from her past. Eight deaths still unexplained.
  One haunted horror film. Nowhere left to run. I don't know about you but this sounds awesome! 
• How Can I Help You -  Razor-sharp suspense about two local librarians whose lives become dangerously intertwined. Not sure if it will be a razor-sharp suspense, but it is a thriller about librarians!! I couldn't pass it up.

Books read last week

 

• Spaced Out & Waste of Space - The last two books I needed to read to have read all of the books that Stuart Gibbs has written as of this year. :) (He was my most read author this year!)
• The Christmas Spirit - If you need a laugh and a fun Christmas read pick this one up!
• Berried at Sea - The fourth book in the Cranberry Cove series and it was enjoyable.
• The Plot and the Pendulum - The lastest book in the Library Lovers series and I loved it!
• Harvest Moon - It's the 13th book in the Virgin River series and it was a lot of fun!

Currently reading

• Murder and Mistletoe - Harlequin Intrigue and so far it's okay.
• The Christmas Pig - I am about 15% into it and it's finally picking up some, before that I was a little bored.
• Tinsel - This book is different that I imagined and only around 80 pages into it but not much going on and so I don't know what I think of it.

What might be up next

 

How was your week? What did you get?

eARC Review ~ The Christmas Spirit

 

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for a fair and honest review.

Peter Armstrong and Hank Colfax are best friends, but their lives couldn't be more different. Peter, the local pastor who is dedicated to his community, spending time visiting the flock, attending meetings, and, with the holiday season approaching, preparing for the Christmas service and live nativity. As a bartender, Hank serves a much different customer base at his family-owned tavern, including a handful of lonely regulars and the local biker gang.

When Peter scoffs that Hank has it easy compared to him, the two decide to switch jobs until Christmas Eve. To their surprise, the responsibilities of a bartender and a pastor are similar, but taking on the other's work is more difficult than either Peter or Hank expected. As the two begin to see each other in a new light--and each discovers a new love to cherish--their lives are forever changed.

I love Debbie Macomber's Christmas books and this was no exception! I actually think this is one of my favorites! It's not an original concept or anything but it was executed well and it made me laugh and that is what I like from my Christmas romances. :) 

Hank and Pete have been friends since they were young and even though their paths took different directions as they got older they always made sure to get together for lunch at least once a month. During one of these meetings they started talking about how each though the other had the better life. Hank owns a Tavern and Pete is a local pastor. They decide to change lives for a week!

Pete has a lot of things to do to get reading for Christmas Eve, and Christmas at the church and Hank learns that being a pastor isn't as easy as it might seem. Grace, Pete's sister is not happy with this switch as she feels that Hank will ruin her brothers reputation. Pete thinks that being a tavern owner would be easy until he gets there and meets some of the locals. Thank goodness, Millie a waitress from the one of Petes hangouts come to his rescue.

This was just full of the warm and fuzzies and also very comical. I laughed at so many moments in this book. I could see myself rereading this one again during another Christmas time.The way it was told was fun as well. It starts out with a grandmother telling her two grandkids a story, she tells them this one isn't a made up story that it really happens and during the story there are present day interuptions with the kids asking questions, the boy getting grossed out by the kissing scenes, it was cute. 

I loved all the characters, Hank and Grace, Pete and Millie, their other friends and some of the local patrons like the bikers! So many fun scenes with Pete and the bikers...lol. 

If you want a fun, warm and fuzzy Christmas read I highly recommend it!

5 stars

Week in Review #12

The Week in Review is where I combine Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post and It's Monday! What are you reading?  If you have never joined in on these meme's you can check them out by clicking on the meme and it will take you to the host blog.

Hi everyone!! How is it already December! The weather is looking so gloomy which makes me gloomy. I need sunshine! It's not as cold as it could be but I think that might be coming soon. I know I am just counting down the days till more daylight and warmer weather. :) 

Nothing really happened this week but I did watch some Christmas movies. :) I think one of my favorites so far is I'm Glad it's Christmas on the GAC channel. I have been watching it mostly. I have watched a few on Hallmark, Haul out the Holly was super fun. 

Books I have added

 

• Vinyl Resting Place - A cozy mystery in a record/coffee shop!
• Of Manners and Murder - New historical mystery series.
• What Happens in the Ballroom - I really liked this author and this series!
• Fateful Words - One of my favorite series, so excited to see a new one is coming out.

Books read last week

 

• Blood Brothers - My last Nora book of November! :) I liked it.
• Murder in Mayfair - Start of what I am sure will become a favorite historical mystery series.
• A Boy Called Christmas - I liked this one and now I need to watch the show.
• My Kind of Christmas - This was a decent Christmas romance, cutsy.
• Rancher's Christmas Storm - A decent spicy Christmas romance.

Currently reading

 

• Berried at Sea - working on some of those series I am in the middle of trying to catch up!
• Spaced Out - I realized I only have two books of Stuart Gibbs read everything he has currently out, so need to get them done.
• The Christmas Spirit - I feel like this one is going to be fun, it's about to male friends who swap jobs for a few days as they each think the other has easier jobs, one is a pastor the other a bar owner...lol. I am going to guess that each will find love while being in those switched places.
• Nickel Bay Nick - I am wanting to read some MG Christmas books and was recommended this one so going to give it a go.

What might be up next

How was your week? What did you get?

Image post ignore :)