Against the Tide was written as a prequel to the live action Little Mermaid from Disney. This was such a cute read that plunks readers right into the middle of the ocean with Ariel and her family and a mystery!
One of Ariel’s sisters is kidnapped, Triton and the kingdom’s security are searching the seas for her, but Ariel works together with her sisters to find her.
Ariel also meets Flounder for the first time in this book, and it’s such a sweet meet-cute.
I devoured this book! I loved the descriptions of the different oceans and the banter between sisters. I especially found Ariel to be a great character, as she’s stubborn and loves to learn new things (I totally can relate!)
Bite Me was such a cute read – and would be perfect for the holidays. Our MMC is a gingerbread shifter, and shifts every year on Christmas Day. This year, he will remain in his gingerbread form forever, unless he finds his mate.
Bite Me absolutely had me craving cookies and icing. Not to mention, it was sweet and spicy (like a gingersbread 😉).
Lonely Planet’s Snacks Around the World is super fun! I brought this to a baseball tournament weekend and everyone – kids and adults alike – really enjoyed reading this book!
There are more than 200 snacks from all over the world – both popular snacks and unusual ones. I loved flipping through this and checking off snacks I’ve enjoyed during my travels.
Blurb:
Explore our planet one unique treat at a time! From lip-smacking lollipops to bizarre chocolate concoctions, kids will discover the many magnificent sweet, crunchy, chewy, and salty nibbles that stock kitchen cupboards around the world. Packed with fun facts, awesome illustrations, and fascinating insights into food traditions, it’s time to dig in!
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Thank you Lonely Planet and Sabrina Dax PR for the #gifted copy of Snacks Around the World!
I bought this poetry collection, I Hope You Stay by Courtney Peppernell 100 percent for the adorable cover. Peppernell’s poetry is more modern, which I like a lot, however, I couldn’t get into the poetry in this book. I considered DNF-ing, however, the second half I liked a little better.
I did love the otter drawings in the book – it was the otter on the cover that drew me in initially. I’m honestly disappointed that I didn’t love this more.
I am super duper excited to meet Julie Hall at Rocky Mountain Readers Retreat this September, especially after finishing Forging Darkness, book two in the Fallen Legacies series.
I loved the first book in the series, Stealing Embers, and this was also a great read. I found the first about 40 percent a little slow, but after that, it picks up.
This is a fabulous fantasy with a clean romance (just some searing kisses). There’s action, adventure, and betrayal. There’s some epic battles, too.
I loved Every time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack, so when I saw there was a next book with a similar cast of characters, I was all for it!
That said, No One Was Supposed to Die at this Wedding didn’t quite live up to the original for me.
I do love that our main character is a mystery writer, and she’s applying her mystery writing skills to her sleuthing. And the author definitely thought of some unique ways of killing off her victims.
This one is set on Catalina Island, CA (a remote island with only ferry service from the mainland) during a hurricane, and our crew is there for the wedding of our FMC’s best friend’s wedding.
I’m never good at guessing the whodunnit in mystery books, I sort of guessed this one, but I wasn’t entirely correct.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the review copy!
Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle and @blackstonepublishing for the #gifted copy of Love, Coffee, Revolution by Stefanie Leder. Available now!
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Synopsis:
Deftly weaving romance, action, and humor with a quest for integrity in an unjust world, Love, Coffee, and Revolution is a timely and relatable coming-of-age novel.
Idealistic and naïve college senior Dee Blum is suffocating. Trapped in the soul-killing plan laid out by her parents–go to law school and become a divorce lawyer–she is desperate for an escape. She’s also desperate for a more meaningful life. So when she unexpectedly lands a job organizing eco-tours of coffee farms in Costa Rica, she drops out of school, setting off on a journey of activism and adventure.
In Costa Rica she finds freedom–maybe a little too much of it–and discovers she’s woefully unprepared to navigate another culture and the real world in general. Dee quickly meets not one but two attractive men. Adrián is sexy and fun but politically wrong for progressive Dee. Matías is a globe-trotting revolutionary organizer who sets her mind and heart ablaze.
As Dee pursues her work, she soon discovers that a powerful fair-trade organic coffee network is actually exploiting the environment and the very people it claims to help. Risking her safety to uncover the depth of their wrongdoings, Dee confronts the real-world implications of her progressive ideals. If she doesn’t act, what will happen to the farmers whose livelihoods–and lives–are at risk?
Will Dee find the courage to chart her own course? The wisdom to understand her own heart? And has she finally found a cause worth fighting for?
I’ve read a few novellas by Vera Valentine and loved every weird minute of it. At Monsterotica, I picked up Squeak (because sentient balloon animals). This was short and spicy, with MM and MMF scenes.
I am absolutely looking forward to getting a copy of The Squeak-uel.
Thank you TLC Book Tours and Aphmau for the gifted copy!
Aphmau is the new girl in town, and after a rough first day at school—thanks, Stacy—she’s not sure anyone will come to her birthday party. Thankfully, the super cute and mysterious Aaron comes through and brings the party with him. But after Stacy sprinkles the cake with magic, Aphmau’s birthday wishes don’t only come true, they come to life! Soon Aphmau and her friends find that the world has become just like Aphmau’s video games! Will they be able to turn everything back to normal? Or will Stacy’s evil plan reign supreme?
Blow out the candles and put on your headsets in the action-packed, FIRST-EVER graphic novel adventure from beloved social media sensation Aphmau, with over 22 MILLION subscribers and over 23 BILLION views!
Pumpkin Spice Cafe was in the drawer of the nightstand at a resort I recently stayed at in Turks & Caicos, so I figured I’d read it while there. Especially since I’ve heard wonderful things about this series.
It turned out to be the perfect beach read, despite the autumnal setting.
This interconnected standalone features:
Grumpy x sunshine trope (my favorite)
Starting over
Trusting to love again
Small town
Everyone knows your business
So basically, all my favorites. It’s a little spicy, with a hot make out session that made me stop and fan myself on the beach.
Leann Reads Books 