Goodreads: The Love Hypothesis Publisher: Sphere Published: 27 September 2021 Genre: Contemporary Romance
Panda Rating: (5 pandas)
When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman’s carefully calculated theories on love into chaos.
As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive on her way to a happily ever after was always going to be tough, scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting woman, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.
That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when he agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire and Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support (and his unyielding abs), their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion.
Olive soon discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.
Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?
Since last week I’ve managed to finish five books. Most of them were holiday romances but I also finally read The Love Hypothesis and holy wow, I am smitten with this romance! Olive and Adam 4EVER! 🥺❤️
The Naughty, the Nice and the Nanny (Holiday Brothers #1) by Willa Nash ★★★½ This little novella was a fun and quirky holiday romance with characters that had great chemistry and a story with a good dose of touching family moments. While ultimately the romance ended up being very insta-love, it didn’t feel like it initially as our H/h built up a good foundation of trust and respect through their bond with the hero’s “angel” of a daughter, Violet. RTC.
In a Holidaze by Christina Loren ★★★★☆ This was probably one of the more festive holiday romances that I’ve read in a while! It definitely gave me the cosy and happy Love Actually vibes and I wanted to join this mixed family in their yearly holiday festivities because it sounded like so much fun! Mae was a fun heroine and Andrew was a swoonworthy hero and although things got a bit cheesy towards the end, it didn’t fail to warm my heart! RTC.
Goodreads: A Not So Meet Cute Published: 02 November 2021 Genre: Contemporary Romance
Panda Rating: (3.5 pandas)
How did you two meet? The quintessential question asked to every couple. And the answer is usually some bubbly, lovey dovey tale of being struck in the bum by Cupid’s arrow.
My meet cute (well not so meet cute) is slightly different. I was trolling a wealthy neighborhood in Beverly Hills, searching for someone to take me as their bride, you know, to make my arch nemesis jealous who consequently just fired me. He was stomping around the block like some sort of gorgeous ogre, mumbling about a business deal gone wrong and attempting to finagle his way out of it.
And that’s when we bumped into each other. There were no sparks. Not even a hint of blossoming love.
But next thing I knew, I was scarfing down free chips and guac, listening to this man lay out all of his problems which led to his big ask . . . he wanted me to be his Vivian Ward, you know, from Pretty Woman–minus the frisky behavior. We’re talking about living in a mansion, intimate double dates, and pretending we were head over heels in love . . . and engaged. Can you imagine? The absolute audacity. But people do crazy things when they’re desperate. And I reeked of desperation. So, I struck up a deal. My one big mistake, though . . . big . . . HUGE? I accidentally fell for the incomparable Huxley Cane.
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’ve got a few reads going but I’ll be spending the rest of my Sunday in bed reading In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren. This has been on my TBR for… a while but I finally decided to pick it up last night cos this is about as “complicated” as my brain can handle right now. I’m about 60% through and I’m really enjoying it but I’m also kinda waiting for the other shoe to drop? Things are going *too* well and it’s making me nervous! 😂 But what I can say is that it’s one of the most festive and magical holiday romances I’ve read to date!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.
But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.
The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.
Hello, friends! Today I’m shining a book spotlight on Revenge by Dani Hoots.
Be sure to click here or on the banner above to check out the rest of the bloggers on tour!
Special thanks to the author, Dani Hoots, for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review
Goodreads: Revenge (City of Kaus #1) Publisher: FoxTales Press Publish Date: 16 November 2021 Genre: YA/NA Western Sci-Fi, LGBTQ+
A swashbuckling upper YA/NA LGBTQ+ sci-fi western you don’t want to miss!
It has been three years since Elvira “Ellie” Ryder was betrayed by her ex-boyfriend Cor, which caused the destruction of her people by invaders from a different Zone. Now she will do anything to find him and make him pay.
Ellie has found someone who knows where Cor is. The price—assassinate a half-human, half-Sirian who is trying to join the Society, a high-class club only for the rich. Ellie takes the job, as it wouldn’t be the first assassination job she has taken, and heads to the Human Zone. However, when she learns more about her target, the more she realizes what is going on behind the curtain, and how her people were really destroyed.
Will Ellie be able to forgive Cor after learning the truth? Or will she forever hold on to that hatred?
Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?
Since last week I’ve managed to finish five books. As usual, it’s been a bit of a mixed bag of romances from the romcoms to the paranormal reverse-harem erotica! 😂
Chef’s Kiss by Hank Jones & Jarrett Melendez; Illustrated by Danica Brine ★★★★★ I’ve found a new favourite graphic novel! This was simply too cute, too relatable, and basically, everything I love! We’ve got realistic friendships, a slow burn M/M romance, an awesome restaurant setting with lots of foodie goodness and a really endearing main character. I loved this so much! 😍 RTC closer to pub date!
A Not So Meet Cute by Meghan Quinn ★★★½ This started off really well for me—I liked the rom-com vibe and the cheeky and slightly antagonistic banter between Grace and Noah. Sadly, as the story progressed I found myself getting a little bored and I never felt fully invested in their romance. Though I did like their individual character development! RTC.
I was a little undecided about what to do for this freebie so I went the easy route and decided to share the holiday romances that I want to read this month! I’m not a big seasonal reader but in the last two years my list has (unsurprisingly) grown considerably 😂 I still don’t manage to read many of them each year but I try(!) and this year, these are the themed romances I’m hoping to read.
Wow, why does it feel like I just wrote my September wrap up… Yesterday? Anyone else or is it just me? 😂
I don’t know what happened in November. I feel like it was a pretty weird month as I fell into a bit of a funkier mood and lost motivation when it came to work, which eventually bled into pretty much all other aspects of my life. How dramatic! 🙈 But I honestly didn’t do much and nothing of note happened. I baked a bit, I ate at a restaurant for the first time since the second wave hit Indonesia in mid-2021, got obsessed with playing Zelda BOTW, and of course, obsessed over Taylor’s Version of Red. Better Man is my current favourite track from the vault, mostly cos the lyrics hit so close to home in maybe not the best ways, but as much as I’m an emotional reader, I’m also an emotional listener and this has me wrapped up in my feels!
I think I read 20 books in November! I feel like maybe I read a romance or two and didn’t note them and uh, forgot? 😂 Brain fog was kinda my November… I thought I got a little bit of my reading mojo back at one point but no, my reading mood has still been a little erratic and slump-ish even though I stopped gaming for a week+ thinking it would help (don’t think it did).
Surprisingly though I had THREE 5-star reads with a new favourite fantasy and a new favourite small-town romance series to add to my faves list! I think if I had to pick my favourite of the three, it’d be The Hand of the Sun King by J.T. Greathouse, which is an amazing fantasy debut. That said, Brighton Walsh had me wanting to set up in Havenbrook asap, please! 😂 So, I guess I really can’t choose between my 5-star reads? LOL!
My name is Wen Alder. My name is Foolish Cur.
All my life, I have been torn between two legacies: that of my father, whose roots trace back to the right hand of the Emperor. That of my mother’s family, who reject the oppressive Empire and embrace the resistance.
I can choose between them – between protecting my family, or protecting my people – or I can search out a better path . . . a magical path, filled with secrets, unbound by Empire or resistance, which could shake my world to its very foundation.
But my search for freedom will entangle me in a war between the gods themselves…
Also, a quick update on my #NetgalleyNovember BINGO reading: I read 6 out of 9 titles, which is a little sad but also, ngl, I’m pretty chuffed to have managed those six books! 😂 As my super funky reading mood continues I was pretty worried I’d struggle to finish even two books, so this is a win for me!
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’ll be spending the rest of my Sunday night in bed reading Battle Royal. I’ve been having a bit of a time concentrating on anything other than romance cos my mind just won’t let me focus for more than 2 seconds before it fixates on the things that are currently making me an anxious wreck (lol 🥲). So it’s taken a while to get into the story but I’m loving the humour and Lucy Parker’s writing style! Just read a funny scene unknowingly involving absinthe that had me laughing out loud and oh, these two are a treat! 😂
Ready… Four years ago, Sylvie Fairchild charmed the world as a contestant on the hit baking show, Operation Cake. Her ingenious, colorful creations captivated viewers and intrigued all but one of the judges, Dominic De Vere, the hottest pastry chef in London. When her glittery unicorn cake went spectacularly sideways, Dominic was quick to vote her off the show. Since then, Sylvie has managed to use her fame to help fulfill her dream of opening a bakery, Sugar Fair. The toast of Instagram, Sugar Fair has captured the attention of the Operation Cake producers…and a princess.
Set… Dominic is His Majesty the King’s favorite baker, the go-to for sweet-toothed A-List celebrities, and a veritable British institution. He’s brilliant, talented, hard-working. And an icy, starchy grouch. Learning that the irksome Sylvie will be joining him on the Operation Cake judging panel is enough to make the famously dour baker even more grim. Her fantastical baking is only slightly more troublesome than the fact that he can’t stop thinking about her pink-streaked hair and irrepressible dimple.
Match… When Dominic and Sylvie learn they will be fighting for the once in a lifetime opportunity to bake a cake for the upcoming wedding of Princess Rose, the flour begins to fly as they’re both determined to come out on top.
The bride adores Sylvie’s quirky style. The palace wants Dominic’s classic perfection. In this royal battle, can there be room for two?
Special thanks to Algonquin Books for the gifted ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Goodreads: A People’s History of Heaven Publisher: Algonquin Books Published: 19 March 2019 Genre: Literary Fiction
Panda Rating: (4.5 pandas)
Heaven is a thirty-year-old slum hidden between brand-new, high-rise apartment buildings and technology incubators in contemporary Bangalore. In this tight-knit community, five girls on the cusp of womanhood-a politically driven graffiti artist; a transgender Christian convert; a blind girl who loves to dance; and the queer daughter of a hijabi union leader-forge an unbreakable bond.
When the local government threatens to demolish their tin shacks in order to build a shopping mall, the girls and their mothers refuse to be erased. Together they wage war on the bulldozers sent to bury their homes, and, ultimately, on the city that wishes that families like them would remain hidden forever.
Elegant, poetic, and vibrant, A People’s History of Heaven takes a clear-eyed look at adversity and geography and dazzles in its depiction of love and female friendship.
TL;DR:A People’s History of Heaven is a beautifully crafted literary debut full of so much heart! With her lyrical prose and vivid descriptions of everyday life, it was as if Mathangi Subramanian reached through the pages of this novel and pulled me right into Heaven itself. This is a story about the strong and proud women that live in Heaven—the grandmothers, the mothers, and the daughters, who do whatever it takes to survive the hardships of not only living in a slum but being part of an oppressive patriarchal society that was not designed for women and girls to succeed.
dinipandareads 