We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!
I spent the majority of my Sunday on my cosy couch reading my ARC of With You Forever by Chloe Liese. This is the fourth book in the Bergman Brothers series and if you’ve been following me for a little bit, you’ll know that this series is one of my all-time favourites! Chloe Liese writes such amazing inclusive romances full of emotion and so much heart, and this one about Axel and Rooney was no different. I swooned at least a thousand times and thought it was a fantastic way to wrap up my weekend. I’ll be posting my review closer to pub day (14 September).
Axel
Rooney Sullivan is sunshine incarnate. Warm, bright, always smiling, she’s everything I’m not and the last person I have any business desiring. Desperate to hide a hopeless attraction, I’ve done everything possible to keep my distance…until a charades game gone wrong brought that to a grinding halt.
Since then, steering clear of Rooney has been impossible. In a matter of months, she’s kissed me speechless, commandeered my art career, and infiltrated not only my dreams but my home. The woman who was once avoidable has become the last thing I needed: temptingly within reach.
Rooney
Axel Bergman is a gorgeous grump who doesn’t have the time of day for me. Thankfully, I’ve kept my crush under wraps…well, until I kissed him. Charades got away from me, okay? It was an accident! I haven’t seen him since, which is for the best. My life is a mess, and the last thing I need is to embarrass myself further with the man who avoids me like that’s his job rather than painting modern masterpieces.
It seems the universe, however, has a different plan. When Axel and I unexpectedly find our paths—and problems—converging, a marriage of convenience proves the perfect solution. At least, until I’m facing my most serious problem yet: a once-loveless marriage of convenience that’s inconveniently become a love match, after all.
With You Forever is a sunshine and grump, marriage of convenience romance about a shy artist on the autism spectrum*, and a smiley smartypants who has a chronic IBD. Complete with combustible cooking lessons, interfering family and friends, and a steamy slow burn, this standalone is the fourth in a series of novels about a Swedish-American family of five brothers, two sisters, and their wild adventures as they each find happily ever after.
*This is an #OwnVoices story for its portrayal of autism by an autistic author.
What are you currently reading?
I just took a look at the last time I wrote a weekly wrap up and it was back in mid-April, so I guess you can say a lot has been happening since then! Well, a lot might be a bit of a stretch considering we have been and continue to be in semi-lockdown and I haven’t really done anything new or gone anywhere. Work continues to be work and I continue to feel unfulfilled? 😂 While I’ve been away, I’ve come to realise just how negatively my work has affected my confidence and it feels as if I’ve completely regressed professionally and personally since being in this job. I had a bit of a panicked moment a few weeks ago where I almost quit on the spot, but as much as I would love to not be in this negative space, I do still need a job, so we’re sticking it out until December. It honestly couldn’t come fast enough though!
On the gaming front, I’ve finally finished my Animal Crossing islands and still haven’t finished my houses on said islands, but at this point I’m over it 🙊 I’ll probably share my Dream Address in my next post for anyone who plays and wants to visit! Since I’ve basically stopped playing ACNH, I’ve become obsessed with Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town and I’ve locked in a good couple hundred hours playing by now! There’s just something about farming sims that calm me down?
Other than that I’ve been doing a fair bit of baking these last few weeks. I would say it has something to do with the fact that I started to watch The Great British Bake Off (for the first time!), but really, I’ve just been itching to do something and try something new. I made soft-bake pretzels for the first time and they tasted (almost) like Auntie Anne’s and that was amazing! But I’ve mostly been doing a lot of chocolate chip variety baked goods 😂
As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m in quite the romance reading mood, though I feel like I should try to get in some other genres so I don’t burn out on romance too quickly! I’m trying to get my ARCs in order because I have a crazy number of them that I really…shouldn’t, so I hope to get that list shortened this month (it’s ARC August after all)! It’s hard when I’m such a mood reader but I’m so tired of seeing that NG percentage fall below 75% (pls don’t judge me too harshly lol 🐼)! On that note, I now have to figure out what I want to read in bed tonight after With You Forever stole my heart and feelings! ❤️
ARC Review: Revenge of the Sluts by Natalie Walton
Let’s Talk Bookish: What is your posting type?
Cover Reveal: Fire & Ash by Heather Frost
Hello, it’s me!
Blog Tour Review: Small Places by Matthew Samuels
WEEKLY TRACK HIGHLIGHT
Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift have become such comforting favourites the last few weeks. ‘favorite crime’ is one of the tracks that has been spinning on an endless loop!
“know that i loved you so bad / i let you treat me like that / i was your willing accomplice, honey / i watched as you fled the scene / doe eyed as you buried me / one heart broke, four hands bloody”
I hope you’ve all had a good weekend and that you have a great week ahead! Take care of yourselves and of each other, friends 🖤
dinipandareads 
Nice post! I’m sorry to hear about your stressful ob though ): sending you good thoughts!
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Thank you so much 💜
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Great wrap up! I’ve been in a massive romance mood recently too! Hopefully your job gets less stressful soon!
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Well, the romance has been helpful with the stressful job feels, so there’s that at least! Haha I hope you have a great week ahead 🙂
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Ah I love Bake Off!!! Can’t believe how many seasons it’s been going for! Happy baking and reading! 👍
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Bake Off is AMAZING! I can’t believe I haven’t watched it until now. I did start from Season 4 though and now closing in on the final of Season 6! So, so good 😍 Makes me wish I was better at baking LOL hope you’re having a great week!
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I been burned out from Animal Crossing for months now, and even though it scares me, I think I’m going to make the move to reset my island! I think I’ve gotten so caught up in creating the perfect island, that I’m not having fun anymore. I’d love to see how yours looks! 😊 Great post, those baked goods look delicious!
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Yeah, I was doing pretty well with not burning out for a while and then minute I finished my original island it was just ‘nup, not going on there again for a while!’ 😂 I do miss my villagers though! I’m actually also kinda tempted to reset one of my islands… I was toying with maybe just flattening first and then seeing if I want to reset but it’s so much work lol… Good luck with resetting if you do it—it’s scary but also quite exciting! Will defo share my DA’s soon. Have a great week ahead 😃
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Oh, With You Forever sounds so good, and I definitely need to add the series to my TBR. I’ve been reading a lot of romances lately too. I’m in the middle of a historical romance right now and am loving it! Sorry to hear that you are still hating your job – I hope it gets better for you or you’re able to get a new one soon. 🙂
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It is SO good, Julie! I would definitely recommend this series. It’s just so comforting plus I love how diverse/inclusive it is 💜 It’s been a while since I’ve read a historical romance so I think I need to have a scour through your posts to see what’s good! Any recs from what you’ve read recently? Hope you have a great week ahead 🙂
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The Princess Stakes was great – I’m reading the second book in the series now and am really enjoying it. A Duke Worth Fighting For by Christina Britton and The Bachelor Bargain by Maddison Michaels are really good too. 🙂
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Yay! Thanks for the recs, I’ll defo be checking those out 😍
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I’m on a nonfiction stint right now and I’m halfway through ‘Sapiens’ by Yuval Noah Harari.
I’m so sorry to hear about your stressful job conditions. Hopefully you get to figure out a way around it rather than sacrifice your mental health on it.
Also, love your bakes! They look so homey! Maybe I should get back into baking too!
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Oh, I would love to find myself in a NF at some point in my life 😂 I do have Sapiens on my TBR and have (of course) heard wonderful things about it! Are you enjoying it?
Also, I would 100% recommend getting back into baking! It’s been a bit of a soothing balm for me with the negative work feels, and thankfully I don’t have to worry about eating all I bake by myself 🙈 Hope you have a great week ahead!
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I’m definitely enjoying Sapiens! I’m keeping it as something to fall back on whenever my fiction tbr gets too much for me to handle haha! Oh, I’ll definitely start baking again! I’ve got so many recipes I wanna try out!
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Aw sorry to hear about your job being stressful 😦 On a brighter note, I love your baking photos – I’m not craving cookies! Haha…I play Animal Crossing Pocket Camp to destress because I don’t have to design my island to the degree of ACNH lol I have no time! Now my 4 year old has taken my switch lite and plays on ACNH…I have no clue what she has done to my island, but that’s okay. I want to try Story of Seasons – farming games always calm me also. 🙂
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Thanks, Yolanda! The negative work situation is so not ideal but… I do have baking and romances to keep me floating for now 😂 Ooh, I used to be obsessed with Pocket Camp but after going hard on it for a few months earlier, I’ve now gone off it completely. Kinda curious to see what’s happening now though so might pop in at some point! I would defo rec Story of Seasons if you like farming games. A lot less intense than Stardew but intense enough to feel like you’re accomplishing things! Haha hope you have a great week ahead 🙂
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Pocket Camp is the same lol…but for some reason leveling up my visitors calms me down. My daughter plays it too and I send her lots of gifts because she’s obsessed with getting fortune cookies 😂. Will definitely give Story of Seasons a try!
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A good book and some yummy cookies! Hopefully they helped with the job stress.
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It definitely does. Baking and romances, for the win! 💜 Hope you have a great week ahead!
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All of your chocolate chips baked goods look delicious! Sorry about your stressful job situation, Dini. It’ll get better! 💜
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