I GRADUATED. NOW WHAT? by Amanda McLaughlin

Nonfiction, Self-help, How-To

5*****

Blurb: Learn essential life skills, set goals, and ace adulting after graduation. Becoming a grown-up is no easy feat. Many new grads find themselves How do I find a place to live? How do I land a job interview? How do credit cards work? Whether this is you, or you know someone at this exciting but challenging stage of their life, worry help is on the way! This book gives you the basics to face the “real world” head-on. But adulting isn’t just about DIY repairs and budgeting like a pro (though you’ll find that in here too!). It’s about figuring out what success looks like to you. Setting goals and sticking to them. Finding joy and purpose in independence. Filled with fun prompts, exercises, and checklists,I Now What? goes beyond other “life skills” books to provide the tools young people need not just to survive, but to thrive at adulting. Easy-to-read and organized by topics like Home How-Tos, Money, Work & Career, Relationships, Set Goals, and Structure Your Time. Packed with useful tips and bite-sized hacks at the end of every sectionThe ideal graduation The guide you wish you had when you entered the real world—perfect for any student about to graduate, just graduated, or even a few years out of high school or college. Practical meets inspirational in this essential guide to building your best life in adulthood.

Thoughts: I wish I had had this book years ago–when I graduated, and then when my kids did. But I know for certain, this is going to go to my grandkids. I’ll probably buy multiple copies so each one has one.

The book is full of good advice and information on what to do once you’ve graduated. I loved the checklists like finding a roommate (if necessary), renting a place, buying groceries, budgeting, and more. It also helps you set long- and short-term goals. And what you need to do to reach them. There is so much information in this book that you can’t go wrong with picking up a copy of it. With this in hand, you’ll have a decent roadmap for your future.

Definitely recommended.

Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book from Zeitgeist (Penguin Random House) with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

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STEAL MY HEART by Andrew Grey

Fiction, Contemporary Gay Romance

4****

Blurb: Hilliard Bauman’s life and his law practice are in Ohio, so when he inherits a home in California, his first instinct is to sell. Then again, his law partner is also his ex-partner, so maybe starting over wouldn’t be so bad. Either way, he needs someone to fix up the house first. That’s where Brian Mayer comes in. Brian Mayer will do whatever work he can get, whether that means dog walking or painting fences. But in a small town where everyone knows everything about everyone, finding jobs can be difficult—especially if you’ve been wrongly convicted of theft. When Hilliard hires him to fix up his great-aunt’s place, it’s a relief on Brian’s strained bank account… but tests Brian’s heart to its limits. As Hilliard digs into Brian’s case and the botched investigation of the original crime, things really start heating up—both between him and Brian and in what should’ve been a cold case. This time when cops try to lay the blame at Brian’s feet, he has Hilliard in his corner. Can they solve the mystery, put Brian’s past to rest, and find a new beginning together?

Thoughts: I enjoyed this story. The characters are realistic and there’s a bit of a mystery involved, along with the romance (and some heat!). Hill is an Ohio lawyer who inherited his great-aunt’s home in California. After going through a bad breakup, he moves there, but the house is in need of some work. He hires a neighbor—Brian—who does good work, but has a past—mistakenly convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. The two bond as Hill attempts to find out who really committed the crime. He’s also fighting with an uncle who believes the house should have come to him.

I liked both Hill and Brian. They’re both strong characters who have issues that they work on. The romance is perfect between the two of them and there’s a HEA that satisfies.

Recommended.

LINCOLN by Alisa Jean

Fiction, Sport (Hockey) Romance, Level 4 Heat

4****

Blurb: L.A. Quakes’ fans stomped their feet to cheers of “Caveman!” when I made incredible saves in the crease, leading the team to two Stanley Cup victories. I thought I could go on forever, but at thirty-six, the clock’s counting down even for Lincoln Cavanaugh. Social media and fan sites are filled with rumors of me being traded. Or worse. My future looks as uncertain as a loose puck on the ice. My fate rests in the hands of Catherine Bishop, daughter of the team’s owner and a power to be reckoned with. And what fine hands they are, along with everything else about her. A chance encounter leads to sparks between us, but is falling in love with this incredible woman worth the risk? Because with her by my side, I’m once again an unstoppable force between the pipes, and victories pile up like never before. However, our love is a ticking time bomb because Catherine has dreams of making history as the first female and person of color to own an NHL team. Sleeping with a player would make that all go up in smoke. I fear when the truth comes out, it will be the final buzzer for us.

Thoughts: I can honestly say I’ve never read a romance like this before. Not knowing anything at all about hockey, I was afraid I wouldn’t “get” it, but that wasn’t true. Yes, there is a lot of hockey jargon, but you don’t need to know the game to understand what’s going on. It’s the romance between Lincoln and Catherine that is the main focus of the story. And that is amazing. There is emotion, betrayal, forgiveness, love, and hot sex that make this romance worthwhile. Oh, and a HEA that satisfies.

I loved the characters of Linc and Catherine. They were very well done and the world building gave me enough information about the game without knocking me over the head with details. Plus, you get to read about all the background that fans don’t see — like what the owners have to take into consideration for their teams, and team camaraderie whether on or off the ice.

All in all, this was a different type of romance for me to read, but an enjoyable one with a satisfying ending. Recommended.

Blurb: Once a royal Breton knight, Sir Cardin is now infamously known as Basati, the Basque Wolf. Savage and sullen, he drowns his guilt in raucous taverns, accruing enormous debt and acquiring vengeful enemies. Ulla, widowed daughter of a Viking chieftain, is a skilled archer who lives as a recluse in a secluded woodland cottage. Rendered mute by trauma, she avoids humans, preferring the company of her wild wolf and falcon as she hunts in the Forest of Brocéliande. When his mother’s dying wish calls Basati home, he finally meets the son he abandoned at birth and Ulla, the enigmatic priestess who is teaching the boy to hunt. As the holidays approach, Basati finds himself smitten with the beguiling beauty as he bonds with his once forsaken child. But past enemies plot against him, and Basati is ensnared in darkness. Can music lure the savage wolf into the light of love?

Buy Links:  Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Celtic-Yuletide-Carol-Jennifer-Walker/dp/1509257446

Barnes and Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-celtic-yuletide-carol-jennifer-ivy-walker/1146173524?ean=2940185698761

Enthralled with legends of medieval knights and ladies, dark fairy tales, and fantasies about Druids, wizards and magic, Jennifer Ivy Walker always dreamed of becoming a writer. She fell in love with French in junior high school, continuing her study of the language throughout college, eventually becoming a high school teacher and college professor of French.

Her newest release, “A Celtic Yuletide Carol”, is a steamy medieval romance between a broken, battered royal knight and a solitary, mute healer and huntress who prefers the company of her wolf and falcon to humans. Both protagonists are shattered souls who slowly find solace in each other.

Readers who enjoyed Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle and The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven trilogy—a fated mates paranormal fantasy adaptation of the medieval legend of Tristan and Isolde, interwoven with Arthurian myth, Avalon, Elves, Druids, forest fairies, Vikings, and dark magic—will recognize several of the main characters in this new novel as well.

Explore her realm of Medieval French Fantasy. She hopes her novels will enchant you.

Website:  https://jenniferivywalker.com/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213034332-a-celtic-yuletide-carol

 Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jennifer-ivy-walker

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferIvyWalker

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/bohemienneivy

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/jenniferivywalkerauthor/

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Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jenniferivywalker

OLD-FASHIONED HOLIDAY HOMICIDE by Gin Jones

Fiction, Cozy Mystery

5*****

Blurb: Jess Walker is spending Christmas with her sisters for the first time in years, but it’s a working holiday at the Three Sisters B&B in the heart of Kentucky’s bourbon country. Jess, Em, and CJ are expecting a guest who has long dreamed of running her own B&B, so she’ll be playing hostess while her extended family will join her as additional guests. Except the sisters end up doing most of the hard work, and things keep going awry. Jess would swear the holiday is jinxed. And things go from difficult to downright dangerous, when CJ delivers her bourbon cranberry sauce to the local gift shop…and finds the owner dead! The sheriff immediately jumps to the wrong conclusions, and the sisters are determined to get justice for CJ’s best wholesale customer. Suspects are scarce though, and the B&B’s guests are spooked by the murder and threatening to cancel their booking. Can the sisters solve the murder while still giving their guests an Old-Fashioned Holiday?

Thoughts: I enjoyed this mystery – though I will admit, I knew who the perp was pretty early. But that didn’t reduce my enjoyment. After all, I wanted to see the reasons behind the murder.

In this story, an older woman who owns a tea shop/tourist gift shop and rents out office space in her building is killed. But who would kill such a nice woman? She was everyone’s friend. Right?

Jess Walker, a lawyer who rents one of the offices in the building, and who has moved back to her hometown after twenty years to help her sisters run a B&B, goes on the hunt with her sisters and their various boyfriends. After all, they can’t count on the incompetent sheriff to do it right, so it’s up to them. I liked Jess and Em and Cy. They’re realistic. And have squabbles like real sisters and lots of love. They’re tasked with providing a “Hallmark” kind of holiday experience for their guests. Gerrie wants to learn what it’s like to run a B&B – and she gets her money’s worth with the sisters. But there are a lot of things the travel agent didn’t tell them about – like tours of businesses that are closed, and special meals (to be ordered from caterers and delivered) and decorating when there are no decorations. It’s all a bit chaotic, especially when they’re also trying to solve a murder. There are lots of unexpected slip ups in both the holiday arrangements and in the murder investigation. Enough to keep everyone on their toes trying to solve all the problems.

Recommended. And I know I’ll be reading more by this author.

Computer geeks write code… and sometimes they bake them in gingerbread.

BLURB:  Clay Blackstone, avowed bachelor, is an ambitious computer design engineer at a prestigious firm. When an accident puts his dad on crutches, he returns home to help with his family’s Christmas tree farm, never expecting to find romantic entanglement with an alluring woman he remembers as a tomboy in braids. As a single mother launching a bakery business, Shelby Turner has experience with measuring cups and watercolor paints, but not handsome, intriguing men—especially one who is her secret schoolgirl crush. Between her sweet treats, his tech savvy, and their combined chemistry, will they risk their hearts and discover the code to their happily ever after?

BUY LINK  https://books2read.com/u/bzdMyj

I enjoy spending time with my family and exploring recipes on the lighter side of southern comfort foods. I’m a member of Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, and I love relaxing on my back porch to read and write. These days I take walks around my neighborhood, but when I was sixteen, I hiked the Grand Canyon with a group of friends. I love watching television dramas (in no special order): Palm Royale, The Buccaneers, The Bear, Emily in Paris, Outlander, Shrinking, Shogun, Outer Banks, Stranger Things, The Crown, and Peaky Blinders and reading a great romance book.

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Website:                https://annmtrader.com

HOLIDAY CHEER by Andrew Grey and Amy Lane

Fiction, Holiday Anthology, LGBTQ

4****

Blurb: Fall in love this holiday season with Holiday Cheer, a delightful collection of romantic Christmas tales from bestselling authors Amy Lane and Andrew Grey. From snow-filled streets to cozy fireside moments, these charming romcoms bring warmth, laughter, and love to the most wonderful time of the year. Whether it’s a chance meeting under the mistletoe, the magic of an unexpected holiday getaway, or a second chance at true love, these heartfelt stories capture the joy of the season. With plenty of festive cheer, witty banter, and swoon-worthy moments, Holiday Cheer is the perfect holiday treat for anyone who believes in the power of love and a Christmas miracle. Grab a cup of cocoa, cuddle up, and let the romance of the holidays begin!

Thoughts: This anthology contains six stories by authors Amy Lane and Andrew Grey. They all contain some heat—at least 4 flames on a couple. All take place during the Christmas season and all are M/M. “Stardust” – Duncan, an engineer, is in Bavaria to oversee the creation of a satellite mirror. Georg is his company contact. Love prevails. “Sweet Anticipation” – Rhys and Gregory, old boyfriends, reconnect over Gregory helping with a friend’s wedding. “Rudolph the Jack Russell Terrier”- told partially from the dog’s POV – Alex and Luther bond over a shelter dog. “The Morning After” – Pierce is injured in a crash and Hal helps him through recovery. “Watch Out for that Tree” – Cassidy, a loner, is seriously injured by a falling tree. His neighbor Mark (and Mark’s entire family) help him out. “Chrismyths” – Andy is stuck returning to Vermont for the holidays and has to leave Eli behind. When disasters happen at the Rainbow House where Eli is trying to hold things together, Andy’s entire small town comes to the rescue and the two have a definite happy holiday after all.

Recommended.

Blurb: Former OSS spy, Sarah Kraft, thought she’d left her dangerous past behind in 1950s New York City. But when her former boss tracks her down and convinces her to accept a new mission-steal the ancient Byzantine Cross from inside the Kremlin for the CIA she’s dragged back into the world of espionage. Once in Moscow, she’s promised the aid of a Russian double agent, Nicolai Rodzyanko, but things aren’t as they seem. Someone hired a hitman to eliminate Sarah, and she and Nicolai realize they’re not the only ones after the mysterious cross. As the two dig deeper into the history behind the oldest known biblical relic, they discover it’s far more than a simple artifact. Sarah starts questioning the motives of her former boss and the agency she once trusted, and when supernatural forces come into play, she must make a decision that could change the course of history.

Buy links – 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Byzantine-CrossDena-Weigel/dp/1509258280

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thebyzantine–cross–denaweigel/1146196612?ean=9781509258284  

Dena Weigel was born in a small Western Kansas town—a place that provided her with ample time for exploring, reading, and lots of daydreaming. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, she studied art and culture in over thirty countries before settling in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. There, she built a career writing for businesses and nonprofits around the world. Dena enjoys hiking with her husband and daughter, painting, and relaxing on her deck with a cup of coffee and a great book. She is currently working on the next Sarah Kraft novel, The Argentinian Affair.

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Istagram: https://www.instagram.com/de naweigelauthor/  

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@denaweigel  

THE EMPRESS by Kristin Cast

Fiction, Fantasy, Tarot Subject

2**

He’s a ruthless, battle-scarred warrior with a dark past, and she’s stuck pretending to be his wife to save a fantasy kingdom.
The Arcana aren’t just figures in a tarot deck―they’re real. Terrifyingly real. That’s what I learned when I found a tarot card in the snow and was yanked from my world and into Towerfall. The first thing the people of this harsh, cruel realm did was try to kill me, and they probably would have succeeded if Kane hadn’t taken me to his hideout in the woods and nursed me back to health. But I don’t know if I can trust him. He’s too hot to be good news, he’s definitely hiding secrets, and I’ve already seen him kill two people to protect me. If I hadn’t just been helplessly dumped into his world, the scars on his hands and his dark, brooding attitude would have me running in the opposite direction. But right now, convincing the Kingdom of Pentacles that Kane and I are married is my best chance of getting into the palace, and back to my own world. Because there’s something wrong with Towerfall. Something deeply, terrifyingly wrong. And if anyone finds out Kane and I aren’t really married? Well, then both of us are dead.

Thoughts: For me, the best part of this story was the Tarot connections. I liked the beginning with the Tower spread and instructions on how to use it. Unfortunately for me, that was my favorite part of the book. It’s written in first person/present tense – admittedly not my favorite POV. But the main character, Scarlett, seems more like a teen than an adult, which would be fine, but the “lust” scenes make this definitely in the adult not the YA realm, especially the first scene on the opening pages. The instant attraction between her and Kane just didn’t work well for me either. There was no getting to know each other, just instant lust.

Scarlett loses her job, her boyfriend, and is basically having a rotten day. She goes into a shop to have her future read by a seer. She gets hit by a magic card that pulls her into another realm. She’s branded a witch, injured, and running for her life when Kane grabs her. Not knowing who he is, she fights him, but is too weak to do much. He saves her life and the two enter into a quest to save the Pentacle Kingdom. Of course things don’t go smoothly, but, like most stories, they do overcome by the end.

I’m not sure if I recommend this or not. It’s a decent fantasy in some areas. Definitely not a good “romantasy” even though they end up in a HEA ending. Just be forewarned that there are some very hot scenes that are adult in nature. Caveat emptor.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this book. All opinions are mine alone and are not solicited or influenced by anyone.