Thursday, March 25, 2021

Update on me




It's been a few hot minutes since this blog has been active, and I apologize for that. 

As the main blogger for this page, I am the one that usually keeps it active. But in September of 2019 my mom suddenly died. The months that followed were hard. And just as things started to even out some, the pandemic hit. 

When I first started working from home during the pandemic, I thought I'll be able to work on the blog and get it back up and running...no problem! and I honestly don't have a good reason for not doing that except to say that I wasn't in the reviewing mindset. 

After my mom died, I wasn't able to read anything for months. I wanted to read, I was always looking at books on Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram and Amazon. But every time I sat down to read, I couldn't concentrate, or I'd get a page in and a word or sentence would hit me and make me start crying. So even though I always had my kindle and phone on me, little to no reading was accomplished. 

Once I was able to start reading again, I wasn't in the mindset to review what I was reading. Now, this wasn't a bad thing. I needed to read for me, read for pure enjoyment. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy reviewing books (because I really do) but I needed to sit down and read, absorbing the joy of what I just read. During this time I fell in love with some new authors, but I've also had a hard time finding books that are holding my attention. A lot of books look awesome and I want to read them but when I start them they're just not right for me at this time. 

One author I absolutely fell in love with was Tijan. I've seen her books around for years, I've seen friends of mine reading them and I just never gave them a chance. I don't have a good reason for that, I just never got around to it. But I found one of her books on my kindle that I randomly purchased a while back and I decided to try it on a lark. Like I said, I was having a hard time finding the perfect books to read. And I started it and never looked back. I absolutely loved it. I started reading her backlist from that moment on. I haven't completely read everything by Tijan yet, mostly because I have to be in the right mind for a series, but she has definitely become an auto-buy author for me. 

It's actually only been recently (extremely recently) that I've started reviewing books. Lol, I say that having only posted 2 reviews. I should wait to say this so I don't jinx myself, but 2 is good. Especially in a short time. Honestly, the most recent review is really reminiscent of my very first review, the one that kicked off the drive to start writing reviews. I read a book that angered me, left me irritated and I had to get it all out. Lol, so I wrote a review. 

During the past year I did try to write reviews. I had a few that came out ok but majority of the time when I sat down, all that came out was The book was good. I liked it. I mean, that's not bad but it also doesn't tell me anything. I always review under the assumption that no one else is going to read my reviews. So I review for myself. Back in the golden days of Goodreads, before it turned toxic and people started leaving, I had friends that did read my reviews. We talked books. We joked about things, had gif wars. Good times. But now, I never know if anyone actually reads them (and that's fine) so I just write them for myself. 

Anyway, if you've made it this far in the post, thank you for reading. If you've followed us for any length of time, thank you for sticking with us! I'm seriously hoping that this is a restart of this blog. A Renaissance if you will. 




REVIEW: Bear in a Bookshop by Zoe Chant

 


Bear in a Bookshop by Zoe Chant
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Book Description: 

He's all wrong for her.
So why do his arms feel so right?


When shy bookworm Melody daydreamed about her perfect man, "must love books" topped the list. She never dreamed of someone like Gunnar blowing into her neatly alphabetized and indexed world to turn it upside down. Finding out that her one true mate is an ex-con with a grade school education must be fate's idea of a cruel joke. Never mind that his kisses make her swoon and his touch turns her traitorous knees to jelly ...

Sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit, Gunnar is six and a half feet of gruff, dyslexic, tattooed bear shifter ex-con hiding a gentle heart. He knows he could be the man Melody deserves, if only she'll let him unleash the passionate woman hidden underneath her sexy librarian cardigans.

But with danger from both their pasts closing in fast, Gunnar is running out of time to prove to Melody that a good girl and a guy from the wrong side of the tracks just might be able to write their own happy ending.

A sweet and funny paranormal romance building to a thrilling climax, #3 in the Bodyguard Shifters series. All books in the series are standalones with a guaranteed HEA, and can be read in any order.