Tuesday, September 26, 2023

the books I read in September

 


Happy Tuesday, friends! I hope this finds you well. I read some excellent books this month! I hope you're inspired in your reading. I'll jump right in!


First up is this book by an author that's new to me. 




Hallie and Jack decide to give a dating advice a try. After meeting once, and running into each other a few more times, they decide to try this together as friends, to see how each one does. They make this work by going out on dates to the same restaurant, leaving at the same time when their dates are over, and going out for tacos to talk about it after each date. Needless to say, they become fast friends. Discouraged by their dates, they make a wager to see which one of them will find love first, but when they agree to be fake dates for a weekend wedding, all bets are off. As they pretend to be a couple, lines become blurred and they each struggle to remember why the other was a bad idea to begin with. 


I could not put this book down!


Next up was this extremely creepy book by a favorite author.




Have you read books by this author? They never disappoint! This is the story of a convicted criminal out after serving her term in prison, who is down on her luck and goes to work as a house maid for a prominent family. But after that first meeting with the mistress of the family, things start to change. She's accused of things she hasn't done, she's given clothing then is later on accused of stealing them, she's accused of trying to poison their daughter....who is telling the truth here? Who is lying? And why? You should check out this quick, albeit very creepy, read!




My third book of the month was this short story by a favorite author of mine. This is a series of books, where each author writes a novella of sorts in it, so I read this in about an hour, maybe a little less. "Speak your truth", is the icebreaker that leads to unintended consequences for two strangers aboard a luxury yacht. I don't want to give away too much, but this book took a turn that I didn't see coming...because of that relationship, I do not recommend this book. 




Next up is Off the Map by Trish Doller. Carla Black's life motto is, "here for a good time, not a long time". For nearly a decade she's been traveling the world, mostly in her old hand-me-down Jeep that her dad gave to her. She's happy on her own and doesn't "do" love...and she never goes home. When the wedding of her friend takes her to Ireland, she meets Eamon Sullivan, a modern day cartographer who creates digital maps, but who never takes the time to explore the land he shares on them. When he and Carla team up, their great adventure begins, and that changes their future. If they choose, they finally both have a chance at love, something they never looked for before meeting each other. 


This was a good book, but it is very rated R. Just a heads up.




I loved The Match! Here's what Good Reads has to say about it:


Sometimes, love finds you when you least expect it. Evie has epilepsy and works at a place that trains people to receive service dogs for their illnesses. She is always prepared for everything that life may throw her way...but she wasn't prepared to meet and fall in love with Jake, the single dad of her newest client. As you can imagine, these books are predictable, but they're oh-so-good! 




This book was the second in the series, and though it was good, I didn't care for it as much. Old time rivalries June and Ryan are thrown back together for a wedding. Each of them has secrets from their high school days...will they finally make amends, or will they continue to despise each other?




When Izzy is in her local Starbucks and running super late for her first day of work, she makes a decision that changes her foreseeable future. She stumbles into a man who then she realizes is her new boss. Though neither of them know that at the time, they find out soon enough...she and Blake have undeniable chemistry, but because of their work situation, they can only be friends. I'll let you read it yourself to find out more, but I liked this one a lot, in spite of it being rated R. I liked The Love Wager much better than this one.



 
And lastly, I read this book in one day. (You can read this free on Kindle Unlimited right now!) Helen has an idyllic life, or so it seems. She's married to Daniel, an architect who runs her father's old firm with her brother Rory, she lives in their beautiful old home, and she is pregnant with their first child. When she attends her first prenatal class, she meets Rachel, the quirky friend who keeps showing up wherever Helen goes. At first it seems coincidental...but is it really? This book was full of twisty turns and details, and had an ending I didn't see coming! This is what I did all day yesterday...I could not put this book down even for a minute. 


I'm excited to start my next book tonight! Tell me what you've been reading this month, I would love to hear about it! Thanks for reading my blog, friends. Love to all! 

18 comments:

  1. I have Off the Map on my library request list and can't wait!
    I just finished The Enemy and I will read The Match after The Paris Daughter, I think. The Enemy was ok, but not my favorite of hers - I agree.
    You did some serious reading!

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  2. I read Greenwich Park and really liked it. Suspenseful! The Housemaid sounds good. I will plan to download that soon. Safe travels!

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  3. I just downloaded Greenwich Park. I read a sample and it sounded good! Currently I'm reviewing The Inspiring, Untold Story of the Making of a Holiday Classic, Charlie Brown's Christmas Miracle. What a long title! It's the backstory to how and why the show was made. I've also been skimming through Stephen King's memoir called On Writing. Skimming because I bought it for the writing part, not the memoir part and well...he's Stephen King, so he's a bit strange.

    Have a wonderful trip! Sounds like fun and a lot cooler!

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  4. Amy, The Match is so much better than The Enemy! And you'll love Off the Map...I flew through that one...and several of these others this month. It helps that I'm a fast reader as well!

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  5. Maria, that one was SO GOOD! You'll love The Housemaid!

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  6. Debbie, both of those sound interesting! I agree about Stephen King, though and could see why you're skimming through it quickly. I hope you like the book! It was a crazy fast read for me!

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  7. Frieda Mcfadden is one of my favorite authors. Always so many twists and turns!

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  8. The Housemaid is our next Book Club Book- do you think I will like it? Any more deets to share? :)

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  9. I really want to read the Housemaid but I'm having a hard time getting it at the library!

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  10. Holly, you will LOVE IT! I hate to share too much, because it's full of twists and turns. I'd hate to ruin it for you!

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  11. Tanya, I think it may be free on Kindle Unlimited!

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  12. I read Off the Map recently too and thought it was a good sequel. Love Wager sounds really cute!

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  13. Wow, you read so many books in one month. Amazing! I've had Greenwich Park on my list for a long time. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Maybe I'll move it up on the list so I get to it sooner... :) Thanks for sharing all the reviews

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  14. Leah, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! I did have a really good reading month, finally. I've not had a great summer of reading, so this was my first in a while!

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  15. Looks like an interesting month of reading!!

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