ARC Review: Do Me A Favor by Cathy Yardley

Special thanks to the author for providing me a digital ARC of this book via the publisher on NetGalley!

Do Me A Favor
Publisher: Montlake
Publication Date: 25 June 2024
Genre: Adult Romance

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

๐Ÿ“– SYNOPSIS

Willa Lieu-Endicott moved from California to the Pacific Northwest to start over. Since her husbandโ€™s death, sheโ€™s been struggling to get back her old career as a cookbook ghostwriter. Unfortunately, her latest projectโ€”ghostwriting for a viral cooking sensation known more for his washboard abs than his mealsโ€”has her stuck.

Until she meets her new neighbor.

Hudson Daws, the handyman next door, lives on a farm with his parents and two adult children. Heโ€™s the opposite of everything sheโ€™s ever known. His happily chaotic life includes biker barbecues, an escape artist dog, and adorably menacing goats. Heโ€™s also got a sinfully sexy smile and a rumbling bass voice that makes her shiver. He inspires her.

From their first meeting, the two fall into an escalating cycle of favors, paybacksโ€ฆand attraction, even though Willaโ€™s trying to keep her distance.

They both have their own pasts to deal with. Now, they just have to figure out if they have a future.

A delectable rom-com about a widowed cookbook writer and a divorced handyman who find that itโ€™s never too late for a fresh start.

โš ๏ธ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Parental estrangement and abandonment; death of spouse (off-page); chronic illness – type 1 diabetes (secondary character); brief mention of infidelity; drug use; sex on page

TL;DR: Do Me A Favor was a sweet, wholesome and sexy romance featuring older protagonists who just needed a bit of a push to love themselves first. This was a really enjoyable romance to devour (and I didnโ€™t put it down until I finished it)! It gave me great comfort to read and I would recommend it to those who love a soft love story that balances the romance and character growth beautifully, plus a HEA for characters who couldnโ€™t be more deserving of one.

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#TopTenTuesday: Debut Novels I Enjoyed!

Weโ€™re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s topic is Debut Novels I Enjoyed (A debut novel is an authorโ€™s first published book. You could also choose to share genre or age group debuts if youโ€™d prefer, such as an adult fiction authorโ€™s first YA book or a mystery writerโ€™s first romance.) (submitted by Angela @ Reading Frenzy)

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Blog Tour Review: The Secret of the Fang by Michelle Lam

Hi friends, as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours I’m excited to share my thoughts on The Secret of the Fang (Meesh the Bad Demon #2) by Michelle Lam. You can check out my review for the first book in this graphic novel series here.

The Secret of the Fang (Meesh the Bad Demon #2)
Publisher
: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 23 July 2024
Genre: Middle-Grade Graphic Novel

Rating:

(4 pandas)

๐Ÿ“– SYNOPSIS

Meesh the Bad Demon is no stranger to saving the worldโ€”but she never thought sheโ€™d have to do it twice! Can she defeat the darkness once and for all in this sequel of epic proportions?

When Meesh banded together with Fairy Princess Nouna to save the underworld, she never expected sheโ€™d have toโ€ฆ do it again someday. Though, as Meesh grows into her newly discovered destiny as the Guardian of the world, she figured there would be a few minor rescues, maybe some crime-fighting here or there.

But before long, her new friend Chaiโ€™s family is forced out of their home by an evil force who threatens to destroy all of fox-kind if they dare stay. Meesh suspects the same masked villain she faced before is behind all of this, but will she be able to stop them before itโ€™s too late?

โš ๏ธ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Xenophobia, forced displacement, violence, kidnapping/captivity

๐Ÿ“š BUY A COPY

TL;DR: The Secret of the Fang is book two in the middle-grade fantasy graphic novel series about a young demon who wants to succeed at doing good. I enjoyed this continuation of the story from book one and what the secret was about. While the story reaches a well-rounded ending, I do hope that we get to return to this world for more adventures with Meesh and her wonderful group of friends!

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Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [242]

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 your time reading in bed or wish you had time to read today!

I’m spending Sunday night in bed with Near Misses & Cowboy Kisses. I’ve been in such a funky reading mood lately and am so behind on blog tours/ARC reads! I’m just starting this but YA books are always relatively quick reads for me so *fingers crossed* I’ve got the timing right… ๐Ÿ˜‚

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#FirstLinesFriday: 19 July 2024

Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are the rules:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but donโ€™t give anything else about the book away just yet โ€“ you need to hook the reader first
  • Finallyโ€ฆ reveal the book!

First lines:

“Casper Bell pressed himself against the foyer wall and wished he could disappear. He watched in a fog as his father walked past him, tossing his navy blue duffel bag out the open front door.”

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Blog Tour Review: The Second Son by Adrienne Tooley

Hi friends, as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours I’m excited to share my thoughts on the conclusion to the Betrayal Prophecies fantasy duology: The Second Son by Adrienne Tooley.

The Second Son (Betrayal Prophecies #2)
Publisher
: Christy Ottaviano Books
Publication Date: 16 July 2024
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rep: Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Queer

Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

๐Ÿ“– SYNOPSIS

An epic clash of deities explores the two facets of painโ€”rage versus sadnessโ€”in this rousing followup to The Third Daughter, a dark crown fantasy duology with a sweeping sapphic romance.

The centuries-old prophecy has been fulfilled at last: the New Maiden has returned to Velle. Unfortunately, so has a malicious demi-god, whose elusive prophet is intent on converting the New Maidenโ€™s followers. The Second Son is a vengeful, angry deity, whose psalm resonates with the disenfranchised.

With Elodie on the throne and Sabine in her own unique position of power, it should be easy enough to track down the culprit. Yet even as they’re falling in love, both girls are keeping dangerous secrets from each other. While the cult of the Second Son threatens to overthrow not only the Church of the New Maiden but also Velleโ€™s monarchy, Elodie and Sabine must navigate impossible odds to dismantle the root of his power, all while their lives hang in the balance.

A must-read for fans of the BookTok sensations Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch and Beth Revis, and These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong.

โš ๏ธ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Descriptions of anxiety and depression, depictions of self-harm, parental death (off-page), parental neglect, physical abuse at the hand of a parent, religious trauma

๐Ÿ“š BUY A COPY

โœจNote: As this is the review for part two of a duology, there may be spoilers for book one.โœจ

TL;DR: Objectively, I think this was a well written story. It has an engaging plot, complex characters, and compelling relationships. While I wouldnโ€™t say anything surprised me as I saw the twists and reveals coming from a mile away, I appreciate how Tooley formed her story around the chosen themes. The way she weaves emotion into faith was unique and I think the way it was written allows readers flexibility in how they interpret the story. Ultimately, I think The Second Son is a great conclusion to a dark-tinged fantasy duology.

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#TopTenTuesday: Let’s Talk “A”

Weโ€™re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s topic is Ten Things I Loved About [Insert Book Title Here] (Pick any book and tell us ten things you loved about it!) (submitted by Cathy @ WhatCathyReadNext)

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Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [241]

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 your time reading in bed or wish you had time to read today!

I’ll be spending the rest of my Sunday in bed with The Second Son. I’m very behind. I should’ve started this last week but it just didn’t happen! I admit that I remember very little about the first book but I enjoyed it enough to want to continue the series and see what happens. I hope it’ll be a quick (and painless!) read.

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