I just finished Six days in Bombay by Alka Joshi and here are my thoughts. Sona is a nurse and when Mira comes to her hospital having a miscarriage they strike up a friendship. Sona is devastated when she dies but finds that MIra has left her a task. To deliver paintings to some of the people who matter to her, also leaving her a painting too.. After losing her job at the hospital, Sona is set on the adventure of a lifetime. Firstly I am a massive, MASSIVE fan of Alka Joshi so I had high expectations of this book. It didn’t disappoint. The stage is set in an epic fashion. Sona is a wonderful character and I love how much depth there was to her. Mira is an interesting character. We get the version of her she wanted Sona to see and you get a different version of her with every person Sona gives a painting to. It was fascinating. I loved the plot. It was fully immersive and the narration was on point!! I love her writing style and this standalone book might be my favourite of hers to date. It was clever, well paced and entertaining from start to finish. 5 stars Thank you @netgalley and @harlequinbooks for my gifted ALC #alkajoshi #sixdaysinbombay #historicalfiction #bookreview #audiobook #audiobooklover #audiobookreader #readersofig #bookalorian #litdulterous #lionessofliteracy #bookblog #booktalk #bookishpodcast #bookchat

I just finished Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler for my book tour for @berkleypub and here are my musings. Nina is licking her wounds and heading back to her childhood home.. Only to find the house next door is not empty…But has Quentin Bell, her ex best friend and secret crush. Radio silence for years but their friendship seems to have stood the test of time and the treasure hunt they started all those years ago is still calling to them… Can they work through the hurt they both harbor? Cute Romance Friends to lovers Childhood friends Treasure hunt Old Mystery Second Chance Small town These are the exact ingredients needed for the kind of romance read, all romance readers need… on any given day. I loved the dynamic between Quentin and Nina. I love romance reads that have romances bloom from childhood friendships. I love the added bit of mystery with the treasure hunt. It gave us something else to focus on that wasn’t just the will they won’t they tension that the book had in spades. I also loved the small town vibes that were going on. I thought the book alternating between the man who set the hunt and the present day was clever. I wasn’t so sure about the flitting back and forth at first but it really gave the book a much needed dimension from the source of the hunt opposed to the duo finding the answers along the way. I loved the writing. It was clean and well paced. I think the author did an awesome job of keeping the mystery and romance simmering at equal levels. I do wish the ending had been a bit splashier… What they found at the end, while very sweet, was a bit of a let down too. I did think the HEA was a nice touch though and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. 4 stars! This little gem of a book is available tomorrow JUNE 24TH! So go grab your copy! (I think the cover is excellent by the way!) Thank you to @netgalley and Berkley Publishing for my gifted copy. I have massively enjoyed my tour spot! #finderskeepers #sarahadler #blogtour #booktour #readerblog #readervlog #booklover #bookreview #berkleybooks #berkleypub #romance #womensfiction #netgalley #kindlereader #litdulterous #bookalorian

I just finished Rope, How a bundle of twisted fibres became the backbone of civilization by Tim Queeny and here are my thoughts! I never thought reading about rope would be so entertaining. The book does an amazing job of explaining the history of the rope and the ways it was useful in history and the future uses of it and how we can adapt with synthetic materials. I have a soft spot for boats so the nautical stuff was fabulous! I loved the writing. It is funny and natural with some chuckle worthy jokes mixed in with all that rich history. If you think about it… Rope is a common item used at different times and with different races. Rope is the one thing that binds us… See what I did there haha. I really enjoyed this book and part of me is laughing inside that a woman in her 40s is tickled pink with a book about rope… Honestly its one of those books you read and now have a wealth of knowledge to make your friends jealous with. 4 stars Thank you to @stmartinspress and @timqueeney for my gifted copy #rope #timqueeney #nonfiction #historicalread #historicalreader #goodreads #netgalleyreader #netgalley #civilizationread #bookreview #bookalorian #litdulterous #booktalk #readersofg #booktoker

I just finished So Gay for You by Leisa Hailey and Kate Moennig and here are my musings! OOOMMMMFFFFFGGGGGGGGG I am a bit of a fan girl for Kate! (Stay cool Stacey) I don’t read many memoirs because 9 times out of 10 I don’t much care for someone's embellished story but this one sucked me right bloody in. (I wish I could have got the audio to work but it didn’t work for Canada :( ) Leisa and Kate have a podcast and man oh man I had no idea so I took my little ass off to have a listen! Pants… It is too funny and relatable! I highly recommend it as it's on spotify. The book felt real, honest and raw. I loved it. I love their friendship. They were there for each other during the good, the bad, the ugly. Now I’ve never seen the L Word… I know! My friend was like.. Were you living under a rock? I’ve convinced hubs to give it a go with me so yay for that. I couldn’t put the bloody thing down. My husband was like Stace… I was like SHHHHHH. He left me alone in the end because he could see it was futile. Each chapter is written by one of them and they took turns and it added a real nice dimension like they were having a chat! Loved it. Loved it too much! 4.5 stars! Such a beautiful story of sisterhood and how it feels to be a queer influencer! I gave my copy to my son! Thank you to @stmartinspress and these beautiful ladies for my gifted PR box! #sogayforyou #katemoennig #leishahailey #memoir #lgbtq #pridemonth #lgbtqreader #lgbtqbook #foundfamily #nonfiction #pantspodcast #bookalorian #litdulterous #podcast #literaryinfluencer #booklover

I just finished Hello Juliet by Samantha M Bailey and here are my musings. Ivy was once a star… She hasn’t been in the limelight after her hit show, Hello Juliet ended… She has the hashtag #poisonivy she is blamed for the implosion. 10 years later an expose brings with it old scandals but there is light at the end of the tunnel… A top secret reunion… There is something waiting for her in her old dressing room and it starts a deadly game of cat… and mouse. This was surprisingly good. I enjoyed the dark undertones. It was better than I was expecting. It seemed like it was going to be one of those easy to figure out plots… Nah!!!! It was artfully done. It wasn’t one of those books that did the twist….twist… whiplash… It was a tad menacing! Ivy was awesome. You can feel how she was catapulted into something no one thought she was ready for, she connected with her co-stars but she still felt like she was on the fringe of their friendship. It was an interesting dynamic and it had a brilliant ending. 4 stars! Thank you @netgalley and @brillianceaudio for my gifted ALC #thriller #bookreview #audiobook #audiobooklover #audiobookreader #readersofig #bookalorian #litdulterous #lionessofliteracy #bookblog #booktalk #bookishpodcast #bookchat #hellojuliet #samantthambailey

I just finished Ask a Matchmaker - Matchmaker Maria’s no-nonsense guide to finding love by Maria Avgitidis and here are my thoughts. Dating today is a nightmare… The apps… UGH! The emotionally unavailable men… DOUBLE UGHHHH!!! People throw people away because they don’t like how they hold a spoon. This book will help you! Maria gives it to you straight! It’s like getting advice from your bestie! She covers personality typing for compatibility! It’s done really well. I am married so I didn’t need this book but I really felt like I got a lot from it anyway. The writing is great! She sets it all up as quick strategies and it's all easy to implement. I liked the part about the spark and how you should still go on the second date. It really made sense to me. It’s easy to follow and can be used as a reference guide too! If you are single and you are hopeless (Like me) at the dating game, this book is a real asset to finding the right match… Not just any match.. The right one for you! Brilliant! 4 stars Thank you to @mariaavgitidis for my gifted PR box and @stmartinspress #askamatchmaker #mariaavgitidis #nonfiction #selfhelp #dating #findinglove #bookreview #bookishreview #booklover #bookalorian #litdulterous #readsofig #bookishpodcast #podcaster #bookinfluencer #literaryinfluencer #smpreader

The wandering season by Aimie K Runyan Veronica is a food broker, she loves her job and her family… Her sister unwittingly outs her parents at christmas as being her adoptive parents… she already knew this but her parents didn’t know she knew. In an attempt to help her connect with her heritage they send her on an extended holiday to all the places her DNA test said she came from… With a beautiful journey and a handsome man, Veronica finds so much more than just who she is. This book was wild! I loved that the author mashed up magical realism and contemporary fiction. It worked really well for me. The narrator was phenomenal. I could listen to them all day for the rest of my life. I loved the characters and all the charming places she visited. The writing was spectacular and it truly felt like I was traipsing around some of the most beautiful parts of Europe. 4.5 stars! Excellent!!!! Thank you @netgalley and @hapermuse for my gifted copy! You can grab a copy today at https://amzn.to/4n3UmeS #thewanderingseason #bookreview #netgalley #audiobooks #audioreader #audiobookreview #audiobooklove #audiobookstagram #bookstagramcanada #yycreads #litdulterous #bookalorian #readervlog

I just finished Charity Trickett is not that Glamorous by Christine Stringer and here are my thoughts. It’s 1997 and Charity has gotten the job of a lifetime… Assistant to the director of the biggest movie of the year… The trouble is that life isn’t what she was expecting. The backstabbing and disaster love life is just the tip of the iceburg.. When a mistake costs the studio hundreds of millions of dollars and there is now an FBI investigation that could land her in jail… Charity knows she needs to keep her head down and change her fate. You know this one started off strong. I was really drawn in, loved Charity and I was ready to be blown away and then fizzle…. It just started to drag. It was monotonal and the story didn’t seem to be going anywhere and I almost DNF’d it and then…BOOM it was like it came back online. I likened it to dialing… it was like waiting and waiting for the good stuff haha. I loved the plot. Hollywood… The hustle and bustle.. The glitz.. Glamour and the darkness. It’s always great when you dive into a book where you don’t know much about how the setting works. I love movie set books. They always teach me something. The writing was great when it was great and repetitive in the middle. It felt like someone else wrote the middle.. It was a weird feeling. All in all I did like the characters and the story was interesting enough that I did enjoy it by the end. 3.75 stars Thank you to @netgalley and @sparkpress for my gifted copy. #charitytrickettisnotthatglamorous #christinestringer #sparkspress #netgalley #bookreview #bookishreview #bookreader #ebookreader #kindlegirl #kindlereader #digitalreader #bookishblog #bookalorian #litdulterous #bookishpodcast

I just finished Outclassed - How the left lost the Working Class and how to win them back by Joan C Williams and here are my thoughts. Just so you know, I do not like books that lean one way or the other with political view points. I like books that will give you both sides and are rational. This book is a left leaning book of propaganda but I gave it a fair shake but when it has things that sound like this… “The far right manipulates class anger to undercut progressive goals and liberals often inadvertently play into their hands” The left does the same thing with social issues. They are both ridiculous and this author did a horrible job with balance. THUMBS DOWN. I rarely post reviews of books that I think are terrible but this one deserved to be put on blast. The next thing is they attempt to create arguments on how the left could potentially win back the working class Americans that after 4 years were made to feel unimportant… There was no power of conviction in her words and half assed. Blaming a political party into pulling the wool over their uneducated eyes… GROSS! If a book is gonna lean one way or the other, at least make it interesting. I am fairly certain Professor Binns would have done a better job of engaging their audience. It was so boring. I don’t recommend books with no balance and I don’t recommend books that condescend. If you are a working class American... I highly doubt any of these would trick you into voting left. 2 stars #political #leftleaningtripe #boringbook #badbook #bookalorian #lionessofliteracy #litdulterous #bookreview