Rookie Move by Sarina Bowen

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For June 2022 I decided to try doing a tbr. I decided to give myself three prompts with 10 options each. The prompts are new to me author, backlist author and continue a series. The option I chose for continue a series was a newer series to me, Brooklyn Bruisers. I recently read Hard Hitter by Sarina Bowen for the Smart Women Read Romance exclusive patreon review and was encouraged to pick up a later book in the series. Instead of going with that recommendation I decided to go back to the beginning and pick up the first book, Rookie Move. I was able to use this for the prompt a book Shelby's read in the past two years for the Summer of Swoon and the prompt protagonist smells like laundry for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo.

Leo had just been traded to his hometown team, the Brooklyn Bruisers. Things aren't an easy assimilation though since the interim PR head is Georgia, his high school girlfriend and love of his life. Also just hired to the team is Georgia's father as head coach, who has harbored some hatred towards Leo since he was in high school. As Georgia and Leo start to reconnect, it comes to light that they both haven't dealt with some of the feelings that manifested their senior year when Georgia was attacked during a tennis camp. With the weird ending of their relationship and the trade deadline looming, Georgia is nervous to restart their relationship if she would lose Leo right away, especially with her father's anger towards Leo.

So, this was a little bit deeper and rougher, emotionally speaking, than I expected. There are triggers with dealing with rape, not only with the victim but her father and boyfriend at the time (it was not Leo that raped her). When it was first kind of mentioned that she was raped in high school, it seemed like it was only because her attack was a factor in the changing of their relationship that led to their break up. I was wrong in my assumption (I know, I try not to assume too much). There is some revelations that her dad still has some anger about the situation on top of Leo feeling even more protective of her (since he wasn't there during the attack). Outside of that, I really enjoyed seeing them reach their hea and reconnecting. I really felt like the reason for them breaking up made sense here and also allowed for them to pretty much pick back up easily. I'm not the biggest fan of second chance romance, but I didn't mind the way it played out here.

I'm excited to continue the series and definitely dig more into Sarina Bowen's backlist. Right now I'm going to focus on working through this series, but I've heard great things about some of her other series as well, particularly True North. Another contemporary author for me to keep my eye on! I'm happy that this was the series I pulled for my tbr, especially my hockey fever has been at a high with my team, the Colorado Avalanche, making it to the Stanley Cup Finals!

Have you read Rookie Move?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Rookie Move, Sarina Bowen, 4-stars, 1 day, eBook, 336 pages, published in 2016, traditionally published

A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman

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After a late change, the June book selected for the Rake Appreciation Society was A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman. This is the second book in her Ruthless Rivals series. The Rake Appreciation Society is hosted by Crystal and Jenn, but this month featured a guest host, Jessen! I was able to use this for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo for the prompt architect and the Summer of Swoon prompt new to you author. This also worked perfectly for my Twos prompt for the Yahtzee Challenge!

Carys and Tristan have known each other since they were kids. Being neighbors and their family rivals, they have a slightly antagonistic relationship. When Tristan finds out that Carys has been "ruined" and is being blackmailed by the man responsible, he finds it harder and harder to hold back from making the moves on her. Carys is very bold and acts like nothing will bother her in society, but she is hiding not only her secret, but a big part of her true self. When Tristan strikes a deal with Carys during a house party to teach her about true passion and love making, they find it harder and harder to stay away from each other.

This was super cute, low angst and low stakes. I enjoyed myself, but I do have to say I was a little let down by the Ruthless Rivals wording. Even Carys and Tristan called each other enemies, but it didn't feel like there was any real antagonistic relationship between them. They hung out a lot as children and it seems that it was more of a teasing kind of relationship. Outside of that, this was just a quick and easy read. There really wasn't anything particularly wrong here to make me drop it a star; it was just very pleasant. I wasn't really blown away by anything in particular and while reading I found I was okay to put it down when ending a chapter (where I always try to stop) and was missing the urge to binge the book.

I feel like this review is kind of boring, but there just wasn't too much that stood out for me with this book. This is my first Kate Bateman even though I've had her previous series on my tbr for a while. I'm glad to have finally try her out. I definitely would like to go back and read the first book in the series and will be picking up the 3rd book this December, if anything than at least for the gorgeous cover. With they way trends are going in traditionally published historical romance covers, I will support a clinch cover any day! If you've read the book but missed the live show, definitely check it out. there was some great discussions had!

Have you read A Daring Pursuit?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: A Daring Pursuit, Kate Bateman, 4-stars, 1 day, Paperback, 311 pages, published in 2022, traditionally published

Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews

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The second book assigned for June for the Hidden Legacy readalong is Diamond Fire. This is listed as Ilona Andrews's book 3.5 in the series. The readalong is hosted by Megan, Stef, Heather and Izzy. I was able to apply this to the prompts F in SWIFTIE for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge, beachy read for Summer of Swoon and graduation for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo.

After having issues with previous wedding planners, Catalina and Arabella are now taking over to plan Nevada and Connor's celebration. Catalina is taking point on the planning and is tasked by Connor's mother in finding the stolen tiara all brides wear during their wedding in the family. As she struggles to juggle Connor's extended family, someone else is trying to derail the wedding. Catalina tries to not worry Nevada and take on the investigation herself.

This was the perfect novella to help us move from Nevada's trilogy to Catalina's. Not only do we get to see Nevada and Connor get married, but we also have a couple of the small threads from her books that get tied up. My favorite part was learning more about Catalina's magic. We also get to know her a lot better since we're in her POV. She definitely has a different tone than Nevada and I look forward to see her really start to use and master her magic as well. I also loved seeing how Catalina interacted with Connor and his people (like Bug and Rivera). We also got to meet Connor's mother and his extended family. At the end we see that Connor's mother will help train Catalina, which makes me even more excited.

This was the perfect novella to warp up Nevada's trilogy and move on to Catalina's. It was just great and I love reading anything by Ilona Andrews. I was excited to move on the the next three books in the series, and this was the perfect primer. Seriously, if you haven't tried Ilona Andrews, this is the perfect series to start. Especially since the 6th book comes out in August!

Have you read Diamond Fire?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Diamond Fire, Ilona Andrews, 5-stars, 0 days, Paperback, 145 pages, published in 2018, traditionally published

Wildfire by Ilona Andrews

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The June assigned books for the Hidden Legacy readalong starts with Wildfire. This is the third book in Ilona Andrews's very popular series. If you didn't see in my previous reviews, the Hidden Legacy readalong is hosted by Stef, Megan, Heather and Izzy. I used this read to cover the prompts Me! (one word title) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge and the prompt cover model with long hair for Summer of Swoon.

Nevada is getting hounded by her paternal grandmother to join her house, things are getting more serious with Connor "Mad" Rogan, and she has taken the case of his ex-fiancé's missing husband. A lot is happening at once for Nevada and her family and more of the houses are starting to pay attention. When the Caesar and the conspiracy group end up behind the husband's disappearance, things start to become more deadly. With all this going on, Rogan and Nevada come to the conclusion that the best way to protect her family from Victoria is to establish themselves as their own house, House Baylor. Connor is concerned that when they become a house Nevada and her family with join the houses and adopt the same mindset and won't want to be with him any more since their genetics probably won't help bring forth magically powerful children. Nevada didn't grow up in those games though and fights for her right to choose her man because she loves him and will love any kids they have regardless of magical ability.

Oh my gosh. Oh my freaking goodness. This was such a fun wrap up to the trilogy and to see how much Nevada is starting to master her powers was so good. We also get to see more of her family's magic. I've mentioned this before, but Ilona Andrews does such a good job fleshing out their worlds/universes and here it is just the same. I love the full cast of secondary characters and you really get attached to them as well. We get so much more about magic and the houses here with Nevada petitioning to become a house and I cannot wait to see the future books when they are officially established. If you haven't read this series before, there are a lot of threads tied up in this book, but we do still have the identity of Caesar unknown and he's not taken down. The next trilogy will be focused on Catalina and will be in her POV. If you aren't interested in reading more, I think this does a good job of leaving some small threads to continue on, but tying it up enough that you could stop here if you so choose (buy why would you choose that?). 

Let's focus on Nevada though for a moment. I loved her even more in this book and I loved that with Connor's ex around, while she wasn't fond of her trying to finagle her way into his life more, she trusted Connor. She understood why Connor was helping his ex in this touch situation, but also was over the way she was acting. She didn't get all jealous or butthurt though and I just loved how she put her foot down. She made it known that she understood why Connor wanted to help her (since they were childhood friends as well), but she wasn't going to be 2nd in priority. She also didn't let Connor distance himself and she got closer and closer to finalizing her house's formation. She was so staunch in that who she wanted as a husband was Connor. Did she go on a date with someone who approached to make a  match, yes. She made it clear though that it was because she wanted to learn more about her abilities and talk with another truthseeker, as well as try to get more information from him. I just loved how level-headed she was and just was so open about her feelings with Connor; never mind the fact that as much as Connor "tried" to distance himself, he never really could stay away from Nevada.

I cannot wait to see what happens in the future books and how House Baylor is going to grow. I'm so intrigued to learn more about Catalina's, and Arabella's, magic. Ilona Andrews just does such a good job getting you so invested in so many side characters, but it also doesn't feel like it's too much. I'll pick up any of their books and am so excited that we'll be catching up in time for the release of book 6, Ruby Fever, in August!

Have you read Wildfire?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Wildfire, Ilona Andrews, 5-stars, 1 day, Paperback, 391 pages, published in 2017, traditionally published

How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart by Vivienne Lorret

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The last book I read for my May 24th new releases binge was probably my most anticipated of the three, How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart. This is the the fourth book in Vivienne Lorret's The Mating Habits of Scoundrels series. I was able to use this for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge covering the prompt Look What You Made Me Do (cover with eyes on it), Summer of Swoon covering the prompt set outside of the USA and the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo covering the prompt property inheritance.

Prudence has been ruined for kissing someone she thought was going to propose soon, but instead gets practically disowned by her father and sent to live with relatives in the country. When she receives a letter from her father that he is allowing her step-mother to use the small items of inheritance that was passed down from her birth mother, Prudence takes action. She heads to London, during the height of the season, to steal her mother's inheritance back. Since she is ruined, she struggles to find invitations to events around town. After running into Leo, the Marquess of Savage, a few times, she decides to take him up on his offer of help. Prudence and Leo sign and fourth month contract to have Pru become his mistress and in return she be rewarded as his previous mistresses, but also to help recover her mother's items.

How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart was one of my most anticipated books for 2022 and it did not disappoint. Going in all I knew about what was going on with Prudence was what we found out in the previous books. I tried to stay away from all blurbs and reviews and was so surprised about what the plotline was. I loved the first meeting of Leo and Pru and how when she was asked why she was headed to London her response was "Larceny" and walked off. From that moment Leo was intrigued by Pru and just wanted to know more about who she was. Now there is the "not like other girls" trope here, but it made more sense. Pru is not like other girls in the fact that she's not like other mistresses and doesn't understand or care to become apart of the demimonde. Her plan isn't to become a mistress that floats from protector to protector. One of the items of inheritance from her mother was a deed to a small cottage that's not entailed. Her plan once she get's all of these items is to move to the cottage and live the rest of her life as a spinster in the country.

The way that Pru really pushes against all the money that Leo tries to spend on her was so funny to watch because Leo gets so frustrated that she's not trying to take advantage of him. She genuinely wants to get to know him as a person since they are going to spend the next four months together, but all his previous mistresses were outwardly happy to just stay surface level. Now I do want to kind of also mention that this might be triggering to others, but there is talk about a forced sex situation. It's not rape, but after her "ruination," the gentleman tracks Pru down in the country and tups her in a field. She is more than happy to not have sex again since he left her really sore and covered in bruises. He also apparently didn't enter her all the way to break her hymen. She doesn't see it as raped, but with the injuries she received Leo thinks that the guy forced himself on her. This is one of those odd situations, so if you are super sensitive to things like that I just wanted to mention it. I also do want to mention that there is some miscommunication at the end that was a little frustrating and I've seen quite a few people giving this 4-stars because of it. I totally understand why, but the rest of the book just gave me so much joy that it didn't detract from my reading experience overall. I do have to say that I might be a little bit biased as well though.

I was so happy to read a new book by Vivienne Lorret and am so hyped for the next book in the series. It's announced at the end that Meg's book will be next. There's also a hint as to what's going on in the 2nd half of the epilogue and I am certainly intrigued. I have so many thoughts about what's going on and as soon as the release date and pre-order is announced I will be getting my order in. Vivienne Lorret is one of my favorite modern historical romance authors and I cannot wait to read more!

Have you read How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart, Vivienne Lorret, 5-stars, 1 day, Paperbook, 384 pages, published in 2022, traditionally published

Always Practice Safe Hex by Juliette Cross

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The 2nd book I picked up for my binge of May 24th new releases was Always Practice Safe Hex by Juliette Cross. This is the fourth book in her amazing Stay a Spell series. I was able to use this for the prompts Willow (witchy character) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge. work rivals for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo and enemies to lovers romance for Summer of Swoon.

Livvy and Gareth are tasked both work together and compete with a third person to work on a PR campaign for a good cause. After the campaign is over, one will be awarded a cash prize. As Livvy and Gareth work together, their attraction and chemistry starts to explode. Livvy is cautious, but Gareth even more so. His idea that's chosen for the campaign is about awareness for orphaned supernatural kids that get put into the human foster care system. He himself was in the foster system and has pretty big trust issues. As they get closer, Gareth finds it hard to believe that Livvy is on board and willing to be with him. Being a grim, only other grims know what kind of powers they have, and Gareth is one of the most powerful, a Grimlock. When Livvy gets targeted by a predator, Gareth finds it hard to contain his inner monster.

Wow, wow, wow. Once again Juliette Cross blows me away. One thing I love about this series is while they all feel in the same world and similar, there's also a vibe difference between the books so far. I really enjoyed learning about Grims as a whole, but also more specifically what Gareth's powers are. We also get quite a few hints about Henry and Clara (which will be the pairing for the last book). I loved getting back to the Savoie sisters and learning more about Livvy since she isn't a big side character in the previous books. It was cool to learn more about her and her style of magic as well.

Now, this is probably Juliette's steamiest book (objectively). There was a lot of chemistry between Gareth and Livvy and they certainly caught fire. However, for me this type is steam isn't as titlating. Gareth likes to tie up his partner and be more dominating. For me, that's not a kink I enjoy in real life, so it doesn't titilate really while reading. It made sense for Gareth and I loved how open Livvy was, it's just not my style. It was really well done though. All that means is Gareth is not my book-boyfriend of the series. Even though that's not my jam, I still really enjoyed this book and all the hints leading to the final two books were a lot of fun. I also loved that we got see Isadora and Devraj got engaged as well as Evie and Mateo eloping and being pregnant (and giving birth) to their triplets!

Another great entry to the series and Juliette's backlist! I cannot wait for what Juliette writes next, both in this series and in general. She's one of my favorite authors and if you haven't read her before, definitely give her a try! Stay a Spell is a great place to start!

Have you read Always Practice Safe Hex?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Always Practice Safe Hex, Juliette Cross, 5-stars, 1 day, Paperback, 379 pages, published in 2022, indie published

Dukes Do It Better by Bethany Bennett

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I decided to do a little reading binge of releases that came out on May 24th, 2022 that were also anticipated reads for me. The first book I picked up was Dukes Do It Better. This is the third book in Bethany Bennett's Misfits of Mayfair series. I was able to apply this to the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge for You Belong With Me (character that knows what they want), Summer of Swoon for author with less than 5 published books and the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo for widowed protagonist.

Emma has been persuaded by Fi and Lottie to come back to town for the season so her their sons can get to know each other better. While in town, Emma runs into Malachi. They had a tryst months before in the seaside town she lives in before Mal headed back out to sea as a Captain for Her Majesty's Royal Navy. Since they last met, Mal's older brother has passed and he has now inherited his family's dukedom. Mal and Emma want to resume their relationship, but it quickly becomes more as Mal meets Emma's son and family. Mal is struggling with accepting his new title and is looking for a way to remove the hold his mother has over his commanding officers to head back out to sea. When all three couples start getting blackmailed, they must band together to figure out who's behind everything.

Oh my gosh, this was such a great wrap up to the trilogy. I absolutely adored Emma and Mal. Their connection was so palpable and I loved how naturally Mal integrated in with Emma's family. He was also so good with her son. There was a scene where Emma and Mal have a picnic with her son and he's struggling to get his toy sailboat to sail. Of course Mal, captain of a ship, helps him and I just loved the relationship formed between Mal and Alton. The way that they became a little family was just so precious to see, especially at the end when Alton immediately starts calling Mal "papa." My heart was just so full.

Now, I would say you could probably read this as a standalone, but to get the full effect of Emma's background, it would be better to read at least book two, West End Earl first; my favorite of the series. This book takes place about 5-years in the future, so in the background we get to see how Lottie and Ethan as well as Fi and Cal. We get a little more of Cal and Fi, since Cal is Emma's brother, and we also get to see their son as well. It was just such a nice time getting to see Emma get her HEA and how she's really grown over the past five years. Also seeing her as a mother was so neat and you could really feel her emotions when it came to her son. I listened to an interview with Bethany Bennett before the release and Bethany was a single mother for a long time and really pulled from her personal experiences. That little extra relatability just really made it so much more effective emotionally.

I'm sad that this is the end of the trilogy, but also so excited to see where Bethany goes next. She is one of my new favorite historical romance authors and I cannot wait to see where she decides to go. I feel like she adds some really great plot points and uniqueness to her stories. If you haven't checked out Bethany Bennett yet, I highly recommend her! Plus she's a newer author so she only as three books on her backlist (so far)!

Have you read Dukes Do It Better?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Dukes Do It Better, Bethany Bennett, 5-stars, 2 days, Paperback, 328 pages, published in 2022

Walking in a Geeky Wonderland by Allie York

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The 6th and final book (for now at least) in Allie York's Word for Nerds series is Walking in a Geeky Wonderland. I decided to pick this up now to not only finish the series, but also because I needed a holiday romance for the prompt 'Tis the Damn Season for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge. I was also able to use this for the Summer of Swoon prompt white on the cover. I also decided to apply it to the prompt 2nd chance romance for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo.

Jake is still reeling and feeling out of place after stealing Amelia's purse to then return it and get in her good graces. When coming clean and returning her purse, an out of towner named Rory happens to overhear. After getting reprimanded by Amelia, Rory mentions that Jake got off easy and he turns to find himself drawn to the stranger. He suggests she meet him later that day over at the bookstore, and she never shows. Months later Rory and her friend plan to visit Word For Nerds again for their holiday party. Since their first encounter, Rory can't get Jake out of her mind and hopes to run into him at the party.

Now, this is my least favorite in the series. I did wish it was a little longer, but for it being a short holiday novella I though 4-stars was the rating. If I compared it to the rest of the series, it would definitely be closer to a  3.5-stars. I try to not do too many comparisons when I figure out my ratings, so that's why I gave it 4-stars. I liked how Rory and Jake were able to connect and they just had that little bit of extra tension between them. Now, Jake did not make a good decision in trying to get Amelia to see him as more than a co-worker, but I didn't like how off-putting our previous main characters seemed. Their accepting nature of all type of people just felt a little missing here even though I understood why they were angry with Jake. He apologized and Rae and August were friendly with him as well as Amelia. It just felt weird to me. 

What's fun is there could be a spin-off series from this book! Rory not only owns a computer repair shop with her girlfriends, but they are also a top video gaming team. Rae was kind of fangirling over them, which was funny because they were huge fans of Rae as well. I liked how Rory just really understood Jake and was accepting that he wasn't really a nerd. She saw how he was still trying to reach out to be accepted and find friendship. The way that the book wrapped up too was really heartening to see Jake find that acceptance. I do just wish that this was a little longer.

Even though it's my least favorite in the series, I was happy to see everyone get their HEAs. I'm hoping that this really was the potential bridge to a new geeky series or continuation of the series. I recently signed up for Allie York's newsletter, so hopefully I'll see any new releases that she has next. I don't know how long until I start going through more of her backlist, but I can't wait to see what else she's published!

Have you read Walking in a Geeky Wonderland?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Walking in a Geeky Wonderland, Allie York, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 72 pages, published in 2021, indie published

Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge Wrap Up

 For the past three months, I have been participating in the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge! It was hosted by Romance Readers Reading Challenges group on Goodreads and ran from March 15th through June 14. If you missed my tbr, check it out here! Since there's a lot of prompts, let's just get to it. I will be bolding the option I used the book for since each prompt has at least two options.

I managed to meet the highest level, Level 5 - I am a Swiftie. Level 5 means I read at least 40 prompts!

1. Tim McGraw- Read a book with a cowboy or a book set on a ranch or farm - A Fast Start by Elsie Silver

2. Teardrops on My Guitar- Read a book that you think could make you cry or a book with an instrument on the cover or in the story - The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn

3. Fifteen- Read a YA story or a book with teens in the story or a book with a lot of angst - Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

4. Love Story- Read any romance - guaranteed HEA! - Let's Geek It On by Allie York

5. White Horse- Read a story with a character who saves another or a book with white on the cover - The Proposal by Mary Balogh

6. You Belong with Me- Read a fated mates story or a book with a character who knows what they want - Dukes Do It Better by Bethany Bennett

7. Mine- Read a book you own or a book that you really don't want to give back if you've borrowed it (hopefully you love it that much!) - Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron by Julia Quinn & Violet Charles

8. Back to December- Read a book published in December of any year (any edition) or a Historical book - Hollywood Dreams by Molly O'Hare

9. Dear John- Read a book that includes a text, letter or email or a book with a break-up in it. - Written on His Skin by Simone Stark

10. Mean- Read a story with a mean character or a book with green on the cover (maybe they are jealous?) - Burn by Suzanne Wright

11. The Story of Us- Read a book that is part of a series or a book with more than one person on the cover - Fool's Gold by Jenny Bunting

12. I Knew You Were Trouble- Read a book with a bad-boy character or with someone who does a bad thing - The Assassin and the Pirate Lord by Sarah J Maas

13. All Too Well- Read a story with a fit character or an athlete or a book with a character who helps themselves in some way - Stumbling Into Him by Molly O'Hare

14. 22- Read a New Adult book or a book with two of the same number together in the page count or publishing date (i.e. 133 or 441 pages, pub. 2022, 2011) - Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas

15. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together- Read a second-chances romance or a book featuring a self-confident character - Talk Nerdy to Me by Allie York

16. Everything Has Changed (featuring Ed Sheeran)- Read a friends to lovers story or a book featuring magic or spells - Blood Heir by Ilona Andrews

17. Welcome to New York- Read a book set in NY or a story featuring a friendly character - Hard Hitter by Sarina Bowen

18. Blank Space- Read a book with a character who works in the sciences (i.e. astronaut, chemist, doctor) or a character who uses a gun (hopefully shooting blanks) - Topaz by Beverly Jenkins

19. Out of the Woods- Read a book with a character with a medical condition or a book set in an urban city - A Kiss of Venom by Beena Khan

20. Shake It Off- Read a book with a character who likes the arts (i.e. dancer, singer, painter) or a story with a character you want to shake some sense into - The Marquess Makes His Move by Diana Quincy

21. Bad Blood- Read an enemies to lovers story or a book with red on the cover - Parks and Provocation by Juliette Cross

22. Wildest Dreams- Read a book outside your normal romance sub-genre or a book with a wild cover (your interpretation) - Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

23. Look What You Made Me Do- Read a suspense story or a book with eye(s) on the cover - How to Steal a Scoundrel's Heart by Vivienne Lorret

24. Getaway Car- Read a road trip romance or a book with a vehicle on the cover or in the story - All Geek to Me by Allie York

25. Lover- Read a book with an embrace on the cover or in the story - Rules for a Proper Governess by Jennifer Ashley

26. Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince- Read a book set in the U.S. or a book with a ‘heartbreaker’ in the story - How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins

27. Cornelia Street- Read a story with a road or building on the cover or a small-town romance - Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

28. Death By A Thousand Cuts- Read a story with a motorcycle club character or a book with over 1000 ratings - White Hot by Ilona Andrews

29. You Need to Calm Down- Read a story with a lawyer or a book with the color blue on the cover - Learning Curves by Molly O'Hare

30. ME! Ft. Brendon Urie- Read a story with a one word title or a book written by a duo/writing team - Wildfire by Ilona Andrews

31. Cardigan- Read a book with clothes on the cover or a story you want to read while getting cozy by the fire - Wife by Wednesday by Catherine Bybee

32. The Last Great American Dynasty- Read a book with royalty in the story or a wealthy character - Untouchable by Sam Mariano

33. August- Read a 'hot' story or a book with a character you would like to spend some hot times with - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

34. Betty- Read a book with a character who has an interesting name or a medieval story (Betty Rubble comes to mind) - The Devil and I by Kay Alastor

35. Willow- Read a book with tree(s) on the cover or a book with a witch or witchy character in it (homage to Willow from Buffy) - Always Practice Safe Hex by Juliette Cross

36. Champagne problems- Read a book with a bar, bartender, server or alcohol in the story or a book that makes you feel hung over when you finish it - Savage Hearts by JT Geissinger

37. ‘tis the damn season- Read a holiday romance or a book with a scroogey character in it - Walking in a Geeky Wonderland by Allie York

38. No body, no crime feat. HAIM- Read a mystery or a book without a person on the cover - The Assassin and the Healer by Sarah J Maas

39. Happiness- Read a story that you think will make you happy or a book that finally came in for you at the library (online or in the building) - Tall Dork and Handsome by Allie York

40. Ivy- Read a book with a college setting or with a college student in the story or a book with brown on the cover - I Touch My Shelf by Allie York

Also, there were options for some bonus book to help your total. For the letters listed below you could add a book that has the associated letter as the first letter in a word from the title, series name, author's name or setting of a story.

S - n/a
W - n/a
I - n/a
F - Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews
T - n/a
I - n/a
E - n/a

I'm happy I was officially able to get the highest level, even though I didn't get all the bonus prompts. After not doing as well during Love Has Sprung as I expected, this was a perfect way to help really kick off my Summer Reading trying to finish it out! I don't do too many of the challenges from the Reader Group, but I'm super excited to see what other fun and unique challenges they do next! Definitely join the group if you're looking for some fun options!

Did you participate in the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Let's Geek It On by Allie York

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

And my binge continues! Next was the 5th book in Allie York's Word for Nerds series, Let's Geek It On. I was able to use this to cover the prompts Love Story (romance) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge and friends to lovers for Summer of Swoon.

Amelia and Simon have been coworkers and friends since Amelia got hired on at the bookstore across the street from Words with Nerds. She loves hanging out with the girls and is hoping to join their friend group. When she's helping out with a late night event, her purse goes missing. To help out, Simon offers to let her crash at his place. Even though they've been good friends, Simon has had a secret crush on Amelia for a while and they finally cross that line into more than friends.

As a follow up novella to the previous books, this was such fun addition. I loved seeing our previous heroines and heroes living in their HEAs in the background and also loved seeing more people be accepted and added to their business and friend group. Amelia is younger than the other girls, and it felt like it, but I just loved how they all were able to connect. Amelie and Simon are also huge fans of Firefly and Star Trek so we get a lot of references to those two specific fandoms. Now, I do prefer friends-to-lovers over enemies-to-lovers, but I thought the transition felt natural here and they really just kept hanging out the same, just with sexy times instead of just sleep at the end of a night.

Now this wasn't quite a full five-stars for me. One minor reason is that I just wish it was longer and we got to see a little more depth between them. There was some fast-forwarding at times and a lot of their connection was referenced as being developed before the book took place. The biggest reason I docked (which isn't that big of a reason overall) is at the beginning when in Simon's POV he apologized for his nerdy references or hobbies several times. There wasn't any of that in the previous books, so it just felt kind of off putting and out of place. Especially since a part of what makes this series so great is the acceptance of being nerdy and finding your people.

I've said this in my previous reviews of this series, but I'm very intrigued to read the rest of Allie York's backlist and anything she still has to write! I'm a little sad there's only one more book left in the series, but I'm also excited to finish it. I also really want to find paperback copies of this series since I can see myself rereading most of the books in this series.

Have you read Let's Geek It On?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Let's Geek It On, Allie York, 4.5-stars, 1 day, eBook, 117 pages, published in 2021, indie published

Tall Dork and Handsome by Allie York

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Continuing my binge of Allie York, I picked up book 4 in her Words for Nerds series, Tall Dork and Handsome! This was my first read for the 2022 round of Summer of Swoon and I applied it to the prompt illustrated cover. I also used it to cover the prompt Happiness (book that you think will make you happy) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge and HEA for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo.

Greer has finally said no more to the man that's been stringing her along for years and is going to spend the next 6 months focusing on herself. When Tuesday's agent Brian starts hanging around Word for Nerds more, Greer struggles to keep her "no men" rule as her crush for Brian intensifies. Not only is she attracted to him, but Brian is the founder and owner of an up and coming comic publishing house. They both are huge comic fans and when Brian finds out that Greer has been working on a graphic novel since high school and is looking to start seeing if it can be published, he wants to help. Greer, in her self-sufficient mode, doesn't want help because she doesn't trust Brian to be completely unbiased in his opinion on her work.

Okay, so this is probably the steamiest of the books in the series so far. Oh my gosh are Brian and Greer absolutely fire around each other. I love that Greer tries to keep Brian at a distance and he is fine to wait the 6 months, but makes it clear that he will be first in line once she's ready to date again. I just really loved the list that Greer made to help find herself again and really recover from how her previous relationship changed her. She really wanted to focus on doing things for herself and repair her relationships with Tuesday, her twin sister, and the other girls. I also loved that her big change was dying her hair pink and I can just picture how cute Greer looks now.

Now Brian did keep pushing Greer, but it didn't feel like too much to me. I loved how a lot of it was really playful, not that he didn't want her to break her rule. It also helped that her girls also realized the connection that Brian and Greer were forming and also let up on protecting Greer and the rules she set. Oh my gosh and the first date that Brian and Greer had, hoo boy does Brian know how to bring it. The steam was definitely leveled up in this book. I also liked that while the third act conflict was a little predictable, I loved how Brian apologized as well as Greer. He also managed to confirm to Greer that he wasn't being unbiased and she really did have a great graphic novel.

This book was just all around feel good and these four books have been some of my favorites of the year. I absolutely am enjoying this series and am glad to see that there's more in the series. I'm excited to dig into Allie York's backlist and see what other series she's written. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for any future publications as well.

Have you read Tall Dork and Handsome?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Tall Dork and Handsome, Allie York, 5-stars, 1 day, eBook, 187 pages, published in 2021, indie published

I Touch My Shelf by Allie York

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With some more free time I went back to one of my new favorite series, Words for Nerds by Allie York! The next book in the series is the third, I Touch My Shelf. I used this to cover the Ivy (brown on the cover) prompt for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge and also the book with a punny title prompt for the 2nd board of Love Has Sprung.

Tuesday has been in love with her best friend Rae's older brother Leo since she was 10 years old. They have been dancing around each other for a while now, especially after they both came of age. After Leo is a little rude to Tuesday, she loses her temper and let's him have it. Faced with the option that she might have to finally move on, Leo finally makes his move and kisses Tuesday. From them they really start opening up to each other even more. What Leo doesn't know though, Tuesday is actually a popular science-fiction writer. When he reaches out to the author hoping to convince "him" to do a signing at his bookstore to make Tuesday happy, Tuesday fights with opening up to everyone, including her twin sister, about her secret persona.

Guys, guys, guys. This book. This series. They are giving me life. Tuesday and Leo were a mutual pining masterpiece with sci-fi and fantasy twists (Tuesday's main fandom is Lord of the Rings). I loved getting to see them connect in a different way and really push what they want from their relationship. I also loved that even though Tuesday was a virgin, it wasn't made that big of deal. Leo just accepted that he was the first for her but it was more of a sweet moment knowing that she was trusting enough of him to allow that kind of vulnerability for the first time. I also loved the way they connected over reading and books (are we really that surprised?). Some of their time together was spent reading together (either both reading the same book or reading separately while cuddling). It was really sweet and just made me feel so happy.

Now, the big 3rd act conflict was kind of predictable, but I liked how it played out and that it eventually led to Tuesday and her twin sister Greer getting even closer in the next book. Another fun aspect is that Tuesday runs Second Breakfast, the mini-café associated with the Words for Nerds comic shop. It was a fun addition seeing her put together unique sandwiches and coffees and coming up with nerdy and punny names. Another thing that is also touched base on is Leo's OCD. It's been an issue with his previous relationships and I loved how accepting and adaptable that Tuesday was for him. Once again, it wasn't made into some big thing. It just made them both feel so much more real.

If you couldn't already tell, I'm absolutely obsessed with this series and these characters. This the nerdy series of my dreams and I love the strong friendships between everyone. Seriously, if you enjoy any aspect of Nerd-dom culture, check out this series. I'll definitely be looking into Allie's other works after getting through this series.

Have you read I Touch My Shelf?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: I Touch My Shelf, Allie York, 5-stars, 1 day, eBook, 184 pages, published in 2021, indie published

Stumbling Into Him by Molly O'Hare

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After finishing A Court of Thorns and Roses, I needed something to keep me from really getting into a book hangover. With some free reign until the start of June, I decided to completely switch lanes and pick up a contemporary rom-com. I decided to go with my new go-to rom-com author Molly O'Hare and pick up something off of her backlist. I went with Stumbling Into Him, the first book in her Stumbling Through Life series. I was able to apply this to the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge prompt All Too Well (character that's fit). Since it was still May, I went ahead and used this for the 2nd board prompt of rom-com for Love Has Sprung as well.

Holly is a clutz to the nth degree. When walking her corgi with an attitude, Lord Waffles, she gets hit in the face with a frisbee and falls. Ben was the veterinarian that accidentally took out Holly and is immediately enamored by her physical appearance. He takes her to his nearby clinic to help her clean up her lip and they find each other enjoying the banter between them. Ben is able to finagle a date the same day and they quickly find each other falling; and falling hard.

It was really fun to finally meet Lord Waffles. He's been a little Easter egg in Molly's other books, so it was fun to back to the 2nd book in her backlist and see how Holly and Ben met. This was really cute and Holly was really clutzy. It was crazy how often she was tripping over "invisible rocks." I have met people like that, but being a romcom this was a little extra on top. Ben was an "Adonis" to Holly and I did think it was a little too insta-lovey for my tastes. I kind of knew that's what I was getting into, but I think you can tell that this is an earlier book of hers.

Another book is done in Molly's backlist and I can't wait to continue going through the rest of her books. These are just great palate cleansers for me. They're a little shorter, have good humor and a little bit of steam. I used this to keep myself from going into a book hangover after reading A Court of Thorns and Roses and it was exactly what I needed to do so.

Have you read Stumbling Into Him?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Stumbling Into Him, Molly O'Hare, 4-stars, 0 days, eBook, 214 pages, published in 2018, indie published

Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo TBR

Update: My Wrap Up is posted! 

It's back! Summer of 2022 means the 6th round of Summer Bingo hosted by the Ripped Bodice. I have participated they last few years and they always have tougher, more unique prompts. It's definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone and/or my research skills to find books that work. If this is the first time you're hearing about this bingo, it runs from June 1st through August 31st. To learn more or find copies of the information, check out their website.

The Ripped Bodice also allows for you to enter to win prizes up to 5 times, 4 bingos and then the final for blackout. I've entered every year that I've participated, but still haven't won anything. Maybe this'll be the year I win! The link to the google form is also on their website linked above. Below is the bingo board followed by some of the ideas I have for the more unique prompts!

🍦 For Superhero I have a couple options already on my kindle - JA Huss's Anarchy Found and a recently found author Trish Heinrich and her Vigilante series

🍦 For Steampunk I have a lot of different series that could work, but I narrowed it down to the London Steampunk series by Bec McMaster or checking out one of Meljean Brook's series (also known as Milla Vane)

🍦 For Architect this took a little bit of research on my end. I checked some listopia lists and checked for what was already marked as want to read. I found Underneath It All by Kate Canterbary. I also discovered a new series called Hearts and Crafts by Nicole Michaels and book three has an architect.

🍦 Animal Rescue or Shelter was a little harder to find as well. I have quite a few veterinarian books, but not too many of them are set at a shelter or rescue. I did remember though that I still need to finish Jill Shalvis's Animal Magnetism, of which the next book I have to read is Rescue My Heart.

🍦 For Amnesia I went to my historical books and have a couple that I haven't read yet from top authors of mine - How to Forget a Duke by Vivienne Lorret and Someone to Watch Over Me by Lisa Kleypas.

🍦 Made-up Country - This was also a prompt I had to do some research into. I found that some of Emma Chase's Royally series takes place in a made-up country as well as Twisted Games by Ana Huang. If I want to be super easy though, I could also use pretty much any fantasy romance to work for this prompt. 

🍦 The final prompt I'm going to give some ideas for is Ghost. I have physical copies of Whispers of the Wind by Donna Fletcher and Shadow's Kiss by Joan Hohl. I also am intrigued by Cindy Miles's Ghosts series.

I'm super excited to see what books I end up choosing for some of these more unique prompts. Let me know if you have any ideas that I might have missed! Feel free to leave a comment below or reach out on instagram to let me know. Also feel free to check out what I've read before by looking at the rippedbodicebingo tag.

Will you be participating in the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

And now, the time has come... for A Court of Thorns and Roses. This is the first book in highly popular A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas (hereby referred to as ACOTAR). I have been reading Sarah J Maas's backlist as apart of the SJM-along organized by Jenn (The Book Refuge). The 2nd half of May's assigned reading is this book. I was able to use it for my reading challenges to cover Love Has Sprung board 2's prompt author you think is a nice person and the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge's prompt August (character you want to spend some "hot" time with).

Feyre is out hunting to bring home food to her two sisters and father. They are in severe poverty and rely on what Feyre can catch to live. When hunting a doe, Feyre's hunt is interfered by a giant wolf. She has an inkling at the time, but the wolf is actually Fae and she then owes her life to the Fae after killing him. The High Lord Tamlin shows up to claim her life and forces her to live with him in his Spring Court. As Feyre spends time across the border and living in the land of Fae, she grows close with Tamlin and his people. They have all been cursed by a "blight" and are secretly hoping that Feyre is the key to remove the curse. All that needs to happen is for Feyre to fall in love with Tamlin and express her love to him out loud within 49 days.

Okay, I was understanding the hype with the earlier books I read by SJM, but I see why people are obsessed with ACOTAR and I'm not even to the big books yet. The world SJM has created here is so much more vast feeling compared to Throne of Glass and I feel like she even pushes the mythos for her Fae creatures. Now, I'm not 100% sure if the Fae here are related to the Fae in Throne of Glass, but I'm intrigued to see what the other readers think as we discuss in the readalong. But back to ACOTAR itself. I really enjoyed Feyre and being inside her mind. What's a different aspect compared to Aelin is that she's a painter. A lot of things are referred to with an artist's eye. It led to a different type of description of Feyre's experiences than I expected and really enjoyed it.

Now, I did ask Jenn during a member live show if there was anything I needed to keep in mind before reading ACOTAR for the first time. She said to expect something similar to Throne of Glass where the character we get our HEA is not who you expect and to not get attached. Now, despite not knowing too much about this series outside of people are a huge fan of Rhysand (show me a bookish merch shop that doesn't reference him). I think that helped me temper my expectations a little and I'm hoping that it's Rhysand that's actually endgame for Feyre. Also, I should mention that I read this along in paperback while listening to the Graphic Audio audiobook. Now what's different about this is that Graphic Audio does it more cinematically with different actors/voices for everyone, sound effects and the whole shebang. It was pretty awesome, although I don't recommend doing both at the same time unless you're loosely following along in paperback. I was able to listen to it via my library using the Hoopla service.

I am so excited to continue this series as well! I almost wish we were going series by series instead of publication order because I have a couple books to read before getting the the next in this series. I am understanding the hype and almost kick myself for waiting so long to finally pick up SJM. Although it's super fun to read these books as a first timer and be able to blindly discuss things during the live show. It also helps I'm not the only one reading her for the first time!

Have you read A Court of Thorns and Roses?

(Let's be honest, most of you probably already have!)

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J Maas, 5-stars, 1 day, Paperback & Audio Book, 448 pages, published in 2015, traditionally published

Love Has Sprung Wrap Up 2

 Even though I didn't manage to finish or get a bingo on the second board of Love Has Sprung, I decided to do a mini-wrap up. Partly so you could see prompts that work for books I read that covered spots on this board if you're looking for recommendations in the future, and the other part because I was expecting to finish at least two of the boards so I added prompts to each book as it got shifted. Instead of removing that portion from all of their reviews, I decided to just do a mini wrap up!

In case you missed by tbr post, above is the blank bingo board. Below is where I ended up finishing on May 31st. I'll go ahead and list the books I read in order starting from the top left corner and moving row by row.

🌷 "Kiss" in the Title: A Kiss of Venom by Beena Khan

🌷 Tattooed Cover Model: Savage Hearts by JT Geissinger

🌷 Continue Series You Forgot About: White Hot by Ilona Andrews

🌷 One Person on the Cover: How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins

🌷 Published in 2021: The Devil and I by Kay Alastor

🌷 Building or House on Cover: Burn For Me by Ilona Andrews

🌷 Book With Punny Title: I Touch My Shelf by Allie York

🌷 Diverse Hero: Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron by Julia Quinn and Violet Charles

🌷 Book 2 in a Series: Talk Nerdy to Me by Allie York

🌷 Read a Romcom: Stumbling Into Him by Molly O'Hare

🌷 Book by an Author You Think is a Nice Person: A Court of  Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

And that's all! Hopefully I'll be able to get at least the first board done a lot sooner for Summer of Swoon, maybe even more, but we'll see what happens. So far I've started out strong, but things could change over the next three month. If you'd like more recommendation ideas, check out my wrap up for the 1st board as well!

Did you participate in Love Has Sprung?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

Rules for a Proper Governess by Jennifer Ashley

⭐⭐⭐⭐

As I approached the end of May, it was time to pick up the the Smart Women Read Romance Patreon exclusive book for May. The theme was non-aristocratic hero and the book that won the poll was Rules for a Proper Governess. This is the 7th book in Jennifer Ashley's popular MacKenzies and McBrides series. I was also able to use this for the prompts starts with the letter R for the first board of Love Has Sprung and Lover (embrace on the cover) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

Roberta aka Bertie is watching the trial of a friend of hers that is being falsely charged for the murder of her mistress. Bertie is upset her friend is going to go down for the murder, but when the barrister turns the tides and surprisingly reveals the real murderer, Bertie can't take her eyes off of him. Once everyone has left, Bertie sees the change from his barrister "persona" to the sadness he deals with day to day after his wife passed several years ago. When she's forced to steal something from him by her father since her father's friend's friend was the murder and now arrested, they are drawn to each other. Bertie can't stay away and "finds" herself at his house. When she sees trouble with his two children and the governess, she steps in. The kids befriend Bertie and hold her hostage until Sinclair comes home and can hire her as his new governess. Sinclair is worried that he'll be even more drawn to Bertie and doesn't want to put her in a potentially bad situation, but Bertie wants it all.

I forgot how much I enjoy Jennifer Ashley's writing. I really loved the connection between Bertie and Sinclair and their tension was really good too. The sass Bertie brought to the table was bringing me everything I could need and I really enjoyed seeing how she maneuvered through everything.  The kiddos were also really well done I loved that they were two completely different characters and felt like real children. His daughter also broke my heart since she was still kind of processing and dealing with her mother's passing.

Overall this was really well done, but there were a couple things that detracted for me a little bit. The biggest was how much the stakes suddenly increased and didn't feel natural. There were life and death stakes a couple of times. Now the first instance was kind of explained away, but even then it just felt like for what the "villains" were using as their reasons for acting out against Sinclair didn't match their fervor or how they were wanting to get revenge. It just felt disjointed to me. Also, while this mostly read well as a standalone, there were a couple of times when I was obviously missing what's going on or all the names of people that were mentioned mean nothing to me (except Ian and Beth). While I know those are meant to be more of an easter egg, because this was book 7, there was a lot of people involved with couples and their kids from the previous 6 books. Plus we had family members that will most likely be in the remaining 5. It wasn't all the time, but it did stick out to me a little bit because there were so many people involved.

I really enjoyed my time and this was a good reminder that I still have the rest of the series on my tbr. I'll need to bump it up on my list for sure. Jennifer Ashley writes so well and this is a good option if you're looking for a historical romance set in a Regency-esque time period but with main characters that aren't apart of the aristocracy. I'm basic and usually prefer to read in the aristocracy, but this series has a lot of aristocracy adjacent characters that would fit the bill!

Have you read Rules for a Proper Governess?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Rules for a Proper Governess, Jennifer Ashley, 4-stars, 1 day, eBook, 320 pages, published in 2014, traditionally published

Talk Nerdy To Me by Allie York

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

After reading All Geek To Me, I immediately picked up Talk Nerdy To Me. This is the second book in Allie York's Word for Nerds series. I was able to use this to cover the prompts book 2 in a series for the 2nd board of Love Has Sprung and We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (self-confident character) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

Rae is a popular gaming YouTube and Glitch (think Twitch) star. She has been working with her top competitor AugmentedReality lately to help keep both of them at the top. Slowly they've turned from rivals into friends, and now maybe more. When he notices she's off when they do a stream, he decides to come down and check on her in person. As a streamer that doesn't show his face, August knows who Rae is can't help but be even more attracted to her in person. When Rae unknowingly hits on August, he plays along. It doesn't take long for the truth to come out and their banter to turn more flirty.

This was so reaking good and I'm completely starting to get obsessed with this series. While all four girls are nerdy/dorky/geeky, they all have their niche. Rae, as you can probably guess, is all about the video games. She also does live streaming and vlogging of events held at the store. I really enjoyed how Rae forced them to put the breaks on the relationship once the attraction was acknowledged between them. The banters about if a meeting was considered a date or not was so cute; they're waiting until at least three dates to "go all the way." I also loved seeing a different side of nerdom and reading from the perspective of how it really is work to be a video game streamer. While it seems fun and games, there is a lot of "work" that has to be done.

Now, this wasn't quite a full 5-stars for me, and mainly for the 3rd act conflict. We see Rae and August get into an argument, and while one of them steps away to cool off, they don't leave the apartment. I loved the way that they really communicated with each other afterwards and hashed through why the argument happened and what each other needed to move past. Almost immediately we see August back track and then he does something incredibly stupid, he goes full ghost. And then, to top it all off, Rae is the one that goes to him and does more groveling. While I understand why he initially is upset with Rae and she does have something to apologize for, I felt like most of the situation should've been addressed by August. That tiny little thing (which is becoming more and more of an item I'm a stickler on), is why I docked the rating.

I cannot wait to continue the series and am so hyped up for the next couple books. I know that at some point we'll have Tuesday and Rae's older brother, whom she has pined after since she was 10-years old. I am going to be digging into Allie York's backlist for sure and can't wait to see what else she has written. If you are at all interested in nerd culture of any type, certainly check out this series!

Have you read Talk Nerdy To Me?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Talk Nerdy To Me, Allie York, 4.5-Stars, 2 days, eBook, 166 pages, published in 2020, indie published