Tag Archives: Rom Com

Happy St George’s Day!

In light of this day, I have chosen two books with white covers and two books with red covers together with my review of them. Enjoy!

Random Things Tours – Book Review – The People Before by Charlotte Northedge

Psychological Fiction

Random Things Tours – Book Review – Someone To Kiss by Jamie Anderson

Romantic Comedy

Random Things Tours – Book Review – Do No Harm by Jack Jordan

Crime/ Thriller/ Mystery

Random Things Blog Tour – Book Review – Shadow Flicker by Gregory Bastianelli

Crime/Mystery/Thriller

#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookblogging #bookpics #weekendreads #bookrecs #booknerdproblems #bookpictures #bookstagram #amreading #booksbooksbooks #instablog #booknerds #bookphotos #bibliophile #bookreview #stgeorgesday #romcom #mystery #thriller

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “spring reading”, “book review”, “st georges day”, “rom com”, “mystery”, “thriller”

Book Review – The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

Book From My TBR Shelf

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Number of Pages: 308

📖PLOT SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS 📖

Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths…and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. Sure, Vivi knows she shouldn’t use her magic this way, but with only an “orchard hayride” scented candle on hand, she isn’t worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day or two.

That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town’s ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly just as gorgeous as he always was, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should be a quick trip to recharge the town’s ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. With one calamity after another striking Rhys, Vivi realizes her silly little Ex Hex may not have been so harmless after all.

Suddenly, Graves Glen is under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed off ghost, and a talking cat with some interesting things to say. Vivi and Rhys have to ignore their off the charts chemistry to work together to save the town and find a way to break the break-up curse before it’s too late.

💭THOUGHTS💭

I had seen this book around last year, and when I saw that it was written by Rachel Hawkins under a different name I had even higher hopes after enjoying her book, Reckless Girls. I was quite excited when I saw that this book was on offer a couple of weeks ago and knew that I had to get it to make my Halloween complete. 

The writing was light and entertaining, with the odd bit of humour thrown in. I kept wanting to read more and looked forward to picking it up each day. The only downside was the unnecessary swearing in it. At one point I was thinking of giving it 4 stars, but I got so taken in by the story that the unnecessary swearing didn’t seem that much of a big deal any more. 

The chapters were fairly short and had a cute illustration of a cat and a candle over the chapter number. The story had an excellent pace to it and there was always something going on. I was gripped and kept wondering what else was going to happen. I did enjoy the suspense of will the curse be lifted and will they live happily ever after? 

Whilst the majority of the POV was from the main character Vivi, there were little moments when it switched to Rhys. There were just random moments, but you always knew when it was a change of POV. It wasn’t very long, but you got the gist of what was going on with Rhys. I have come to appreciate dual perspectives, I think that it adds something extra to the story. 

The characters were excellent. I loved the main characters’ humour and relationship. I also loved the family relationship that Vivi had with her Aunt and Cousin and I enjoyed reading about Rhys and his family. 

Lastly the settings. I loved the Halloween village, the shop, Vivi’s place of work and the description of (one of) Rhys family home, basically everything! There was enough description to give you a good idea of where you were without overpowering what the characters were up to. 

Overall I loved this book and highly recommend it if you want a Halloween Rom Com.  

⭐Rated 5/5⭐

#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookblogging #bookpics #weekendreads #bookrecs #booknerdproblems #bookpictures #bookstagram #amreading #booksbooksbooks #instablog #booknerds #bookphotos #bibliophile #popularbooks #romance #fantasy #witches #halloween #romcom

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “autumn reading”, “fall reading”, “halloween”, “romance”, “witches”, “fantasy”, “popular books”

Book Bargain! The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

A rather successful shopping trip if I do say so myself. Despite the falling value of the pound I still consider this to be good value! I have had my eye on this book for a while and when I saw it all over Instagram this week I went hunting for it. I will be starting it next week (or maybe sooner depending on how much I get read this weekend) to get me in the Halloween mood.

Book Description From Goodreads:

“New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, writing as Erin Sterling, casts a spell with a spine-tingling romance full of wishes, witches, and hexes gone wrong.Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths…and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. Sure, Vivi knows she shouldn’t use her magic this way, but with only an “orchard hayride” scented candle on hand, she isn’t worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day or two.That is until Rhys Penhallow, descendent of the town’s ancestors, breaker of hearts, and annoyingly just as gorgeous as he always was, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia. What should be a quick trip to recharge the town’s ley lines and make an appearance at the annual fall festival turns disastrously wrong. With one calamity after another striking Rhys, Vivi realizes her silly little Ex Hex may not have been so harmless after all.Suddenly, Graves Glen is under attack from murderous wind-up toys, a pissed off ghost, and a talking cat with some interesting things to say. Vivi and Rhys have to ignore their off the charts chemistry to work together to save the town and find a way to break the break-up curse before it’s too late.”

#reading #booknerd #booksofinstagram #bookclub #readingtime #bookphoto #readabook #totalbooknerd #getlit #bookrecommendations #greatreads #iread #fortheloveofreading #booksaremagic #idratherbereading #currentreads #booksarelove #momswhoread #bookblog #goodreads #bookblogging #booknerdigans #booksofinsta #ireadbooks #bookstagram #halloween #romcom

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “popular”, “recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “romance”, “reading slump” “entertaining”, “what should I read next”, “what books do you recommend”, “what is everyone reading”, “popular books”

5 Star Summer Reads Part 2 (July to August)

Every season I like to look back and revisit my 5 star reads. As well as trying to read different genres, I also like to try and match my reading to the season as far as possible.

So here were my 5 star reads for the second half of Summer (click for my reviews):

Book Review – Paris For One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes – SHORT STORIES

Book Review – Last Time We Met by Emily Houghton – ROMANCE

Book Review – The Little Paris Patisserie by Julie Caplin – ROMANCE

Book Review – The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict – CHRISTMAS/MYSTERY

Book Review – The Weekend Before The Wedding by Tracy Bloom – ROM COM

Book Review – Quarter To Midnight by Karen Rose – THRILLER/MYSTERY

What have been your 5 star Summer reads? Have you read any of these?

#bookstagram #bibliophile #igreads #currentlyreading #bookreview #instaread #lovetoread #booksarelife #readingisfundamental #whatimreading #bookreviewer #bookaddicts #bookpost #tbrpile #justread #bookishphotography #whattoreadnext #readallday #bookworms #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #bookpic #newreads #booknerd #bookblog #5starsummerreads #5starbook

“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”,”recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “rom com”, “mystery”, “thriller”, “summer reading”, “reading slump”, “what should I read next”, “what book do you recommend”, “library”, “what book should I get from the library”, “what books should I read this summer”

Random Things Tours – Book Review – The Weekend Before The Wedding by Tracy Bloom

“Is there any more terrifying moment in a woman’s life than when she looks in the mirror for the first time on her wedding day?”

Genre: Rom Com

Number of Pages: 384

Date of Publication: 4 August 2022

Publisher: HarperCollins

My Review Summary: A gripping, fun rom com

📖PLOT SUMMARY📖

Mamma Mia meets Bridesmaids in a laugh-out-loud, life affirming comedy

One weekend, one bride-to-be, what could possibly go wrong…

All Shelley wanted on her hen weekend was to enjoy three days of sun, sea and sangria. But instead of being surrounded by the A-team of her closest friends, she somehow ends up with a Golden Girls-meets-the-Spice Girls B-list that includes her mother, a rebellious teenager, and a best mate ‘on the verge’.

The squabbling starts at the airport, and on arrival in Spain, Shelley barely has time to unpack her suitcase before getting an unwanted text ̶ one that throws her wedding into doubt.

Shelley has got a BIG decision to make, but her unruly medley of nearest and dearest seem determined to confuse matters with their own problems.

Have they got what it takes to get her through the most important weekend of her life?

💭THOUGHTS💭

When I saw this book come up I knew that I had to put my name down for it! I loved the cover and the blurb and was excited to get my copy. I am pleased to say that I wasn’t disappointed! 

The writing was light and entertaining with plenty of things going on to keep your interest. I loved that at the beginning we hopped between time zones before finally settling into the past where the story was really set. I also enjoyed the occasional change in point of view. It was nice to read a couple of chapters from a different character’s view. This was only done a couple of times so there was a clear main character, but it added another layer to the story. The way it was written kept up the suspense and I had no idea what was going to happen at the end. I thought that the end was tied up very quickly and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I wanted more detail, but at the same time the story was only about the weekend before the wedding and not the time after so I can’t really complain! 

The chapters were a mix of lengths, mainly shorter chapters to keep the story moving, with the occasional longer chapter in there to give you more in depth knowledge before moving on. They were also clearly labelled so you knew which time frame you were in. The beginning chapters had more title detail then as the book went on you ended up with just the chapter number as it was clear where you were and you didn’t need the interruption.

The characters were great. I loved their individual personalities and the relationships that they all had with each other because they weren’t all friendly. It was interesting to see how they all got over their differences and ended up having a life changing weekend. 

Lastly the settings. These were secondary to the conversation style of the book until it was necessary to point out the wealth of a character or to add to a character’s personality. I think that any more detail would have made the story drag and taken away from the conversations and actions that were taking place. 

Overall a great read and one that I highly recommend! 

📖THE AUTHOR📖

#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookblogging #bookpics #weekendreads #bookrecs #booknerdproblems #bookpictures #bookstagram #amreading #booksbooksbooks #instablog #booknerds #bookphotos #bibliophile #blogtour #bookreview #randomthingstours #romcom #theweekendbeforethewedding #tracybloom

“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”, “easy read”,”entertaining”, “new”, “what book should I read next”, “rom com”

Friday Musings – Inspired by Top 5 Tuesday – Best Books of 2022 so far

Welcome to my Friday Musings Post! This is where every week I will scour the Blogosphere and find past meme questions and incorporate them into a current post (linking back to the blog who set the meme).

This week I have chosen:

Top 5 Tuesday by hosted by Meeghan Reads

On 28 June 2022 the prompt was Favourite Books of 2022 so far. I have read so many books so it will be hard just to pick 5, but here is my final list!

The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict – THRILLER/MYSTERY

You Had Me At Halloumi by Ginger Jones – ROM COM

Four Aunties And A Wedding by Jesse Sutanto – HUMOUR

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig – MAGICAL REALISM

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood – ROM COM

What have been your favourite books so far this year?

#bookstagram #bibliophile #igreads #bookreview #instaread #lovetoread #booksarelife #readingisfundamental #whatimreading #bookreviewer #bookaddicts #bookpost #tbrpile #justread #bookishphotography #whattoreadnext #readallday #bookworms #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #bookpic #newreads #booknerd #friday

“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”,”recommended”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “entertaining”, “what should I read next”

Happy National Book Lovers Day!

As today is National Book Lovers Day I thought that I would honour it by posting some of my favourite books from this year (it was difficult to pick just these 10 as I have read so many excellent books!):

Book Review – The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood – ROM COM

Book Review – The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman – MYSTERY

Book Review – The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell – GOTHIC FICTION

Book Review – The Little Cafe in Copenhagen by Julie Caplin – ROMANCE

Book Review – A Moment on the Lips by J Taylor – HUMOUR

Book Review – The Midnight Library by Matt Haig – MAGICAL REALISM

Book Review – The Better Brother by Simon Gravatt – DARK HUMOUR

Book Review – Four Aunties And A Wedding by Jesse Sutanto – ROM COM

Book Review – Lucie Yi Is Not A Romantic by Lauren Ho – ROM COM

Book Review – Last Time We Met by Emily Houghton – ROMANCE

What are some of your favourite books of 2022 (so far!)?

#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookblogging #bookpics #weekendreads #bookrecs #booknerdproblems #bookpictures #bookstagram #amreading #booksbooksbooks #instablog #booknerds #bookphotos #bibliophile #favouritebooks #romance #mystery #gothicfiction #humour #nationalbookloversday

“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”, “new” “recommended”, “easy read”, “free”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “romance”, “reading slump”, “entertaining”, “what should I read next”, “what books do you recommend”, “national book lovers day”, “favourite books of 2022”

Time Travel Thursday – #pastreads #fantasy #chicklit

*I am currently away on holiday so I will catch up on comments on my return*

It’s Time Travel Thursday! This is where I take a look back at what I was reading this time last year (or the year before or the year before that…) and compare it to what I am reading now.

This day in 2021 I was reading:

Book Review – The Bookshop on the Corner by Rebecca Raisin

Book Description From Goodreads:

“Set in a quiet town where everybody knows one another, a young, single woman who owns a bookshop and mainly reads romance novels, wonders if she will ever find a man just like the ones she reads about. Her bookshop is her life and her books are her family. One day a handsome stranger comes to town and seems to be like someone from one of her romance novels, but is it too good to be true?”

Fast Forward To Today:

The Heron Kings’ Flight by Eric Lewis

Book Description:

“The Heron Kings have been betrayed.

A century after their formation from a gang of desperate peasant insurgents, the shadowy band of forest rangers suffers a rare defeat when a skirmish turns into a bloody ambush.

Their shaky truce with the crown is tested as young members Linet and Aerrus work to track down their enemies.

When reluctant peacetime soldier Eyvind reveals a conspiracy to welcome the charismatic invader Phynagoras, the trio must convince a weak king and pitifully few allies to stand against the storm.

Their only hope lies in the forgotten tactics of their own guerrilla past, and a terrifying new alchemical weapon the likes of which the world had never imagined. The only question is which side will be destroyed by it first…”

As you can see very different books and genres! I haven’t read a fantasy in a while so it is nice to get back to that.

What were you reading this time last year or the year before (or the year before!)? Add your links in the comments below!

#bibliophile #igreads #currentlyreading #bookreview #instaread #lovetoread #booksarelife #readingisfundamental #whatimreading #bookreviewer #bookaddicts #bookpost #tbrpile #justread #bookishphotography #whattoreadnext #readallday #bookworms #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #bookpic #newreads #booknerd #timetravelthursday #pastreads

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “easy read”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “entertaining”, “what should I read next”

Random Things Tours – Book Review – Retreat to the Spanish Sun by Jo Thomas

“Oooffff! 

The smack to my face is an almighty shock, making my heart pound like a racehorse on the gallops, and leaving me wondering what on earth has just happened.”

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Number of Pages: 352 pages

Date of Publication: 23 June 2022

Publisher: Penguin

Rated: 5/5

My Review Summary: A lovely holiday read – it transported me straight to Spain!

📖PLOT SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS📖

“Eliza has a full house! When her three children grew up and moved out, she downsized to a smaller property… but now they’re all back. Every room in the house is taken and Eliza finds herself sharing her bed with her eldest daughter and her daughter’s pug. Combined with the online course she’s trying to finish, plus her job to fit in, there just isn’t the peace and quiet that Eliza needs.

So when an ad pops up on her laptop saying ‘house-sitters wanted’, Eliza can’t resist the chance to escape. She ends up moving to a rural finca in southern Spain, looking after the owner’s Iberico pigs, learning about secret gastronomic societies… and finding a new zest for life and love along the way.”

💭THOUGHTS💭 

I admit that I was taken in by the bright, bold cover and the title so was excited when I was accepted onto this Blog Tour. I really wanted a summer read and this book gave it to me!

The writing was descriptive, with the right amount of narration of the main character’s thoughts and conversation. It was a bit slow to start, setting the scene and introducing us to the characters, but once that was done the story picked up and I was hooked! 

The chapters were fairly long, allowing us to get immersed in that part of the story before moving on. I loved the detail, ie the smells and the sights of the village, the farm and the food, and together with the main character’s thoughts and conversation it resulted in a well rounded story. 

I also enjoyed the prologue and epilogue. I think that really started and ended the story well. At the end of the story I felt really uplifted. There were some tense moments in the story, but they were balanced out well leaving you feeling positive. 

The characters were excellent. I loved reading about the friendships and the romance that blossomed. The main character was just lovely and you couldn’t help but hope that things worked out for her. She was so selfless and it was a joy to read. I also loved the journey that we were taken on with her. It was nice to see her blossom and grow. 

I enjoyed all the supporting cast. Whilst they had small parts to play, they all came together to help the main character on her journey and to leave you as the reader feeling warm and fuzzy. 

Lastly the settings. I loved them. I really felt like I was in Spain in the village and on the farm. The description was wonderful and it really added something to the story. 

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it as a light holiday read. 

⭐Rated 5/5⭐

📖THE AUTHOR📖

#bookstagram #instabook #bookphotography #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookblogging #bookpics #weekendreads #bookrecs #booknerdproblems #bookpictures #bookstagram #amreading #booksbooksbooks #instablog #booknerds #bookphotos #bibliophile #blogtour #bookreview #randomthingstours #romance #romcom #summerread #retreattothespanishsun #jothomas

“book”, “read”, “book review”, “book blog”, “easy read”,”entertaining”, “new”, “what book should I read next”

Saturday Night Reading

A bit longer than last night, but as I was out today I spent a lot of the evening catching up on comments!

I have however successfully read all three of my books; Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins, The Bay by Allie Reynolds and Finding Mr Perfectly Fine by Tasneem Abdur-Rashid. Reckless Girls and The Bay are both beach based so are proper summer reads (although there is a bit of tension being built up in both of them!), whereas Finding Mr Perfectly Fine is just an excellent rom com based on land that I am really enjoying! It’s nice to have a mix of books on the go and I am pleased with all of the books. Hopefully tomorrow I can make more of a dent in all of them, but we shall see.

I hope that you have had an excellent Saturday. Tomorrow is Sunday Post and Sunday Salon plus an Author Q and A with Nell Hudson.

#classicbooks #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworms #bookaddict #bookshelf #goodreads #reads #bookaholic #reader#bookstagram #booklover #reading #bookstagrammer #bookworm #bookish #readersofinstagram #booknerd #bookreview #bookrecommendations #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #instabook #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookphotography #bookaholic #booklove #bestseller #instabooks #bookclub #library #summerreading #popularbooks

“book”, “read”, “book blog”, “popular”, “new”, “recommended”, “easy read”, “free”, “don’t miss out”, “fiction”, “romance”, “mystery”, “reading slump”,”entertaining”, “what should I read next”, “what books do you recommend”, “what is everyone reading”, “popular books”