Can’t Wait Wednesday – THE TRUE LOVE EXPERIMENT by Christina Lauren
/32 Comments/by Suzanne
“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about. It is a meme that I have loved participating in since I first started blogging, but as Jill is no longer actively posting, from now on I’ll be linking to Can’t Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, which is a spinoff of the original WoW meme.
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My selection for this week is THE TRUE LOVE EXPERIMENT by Christina Lauren. Back when I read Christina Lauren’s The Soulmate Equation, I adored the secondary character of Fizzy. She was such a fun character and I said then that I hoped CLo would give her her own book at some point. Well, lo and behold, they did and I’m so here for it!
THE TRUE LOVE EXPERIMENT by Christina Lauren
Publication Date: May 16, 2023 by Gallery Books
From Goodreads:
Sparks fly when a romance novelist and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the perfect Hollywood love story and take both of their careers to the next level—but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script—from the New York Times bestselling authors of The Soulmate Equation and The Unhoneymooners.
Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is lost. Sure, she’s got an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist with a slew of bestsellers under her belt, but when she’s asked to give a commencement address, it hits her: she hasn’t been practicing what she’s preached.
Fizzy hasn’t ever really been in love. Lust? Definitely. But that swoon-worthy, can’t-stop-thinking-about-him, all-encompassing feeling? Nope. Nothing. What happens when the optimism she’s spent her career encouraging in readers starts to feel like a lie?
Connor Prince, documentary filmmaker and single father, loves his work in large part because it allows him to live near his daughter. But when his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show, putting his job on the line, Connor is out of his element. Desperate to find his romantic lead, a chance run-in with an exasperated Fizzy offers Connor the perfect solution. What if he could show the queen of romance herself falling head-over-heels for all the world to see? Fizzy gives him a hard pass—unless he agrees to cast the contestants according to a list of romance archetypes. When he says yes, and production on The True Love Experiment begins, Connor wonders if that perfect match will ever be in the cue cards for him, too.
The True Love Experiment is the book fans have been waiting for ever since Fizzy’s debut in the New York Times bestselling The Soulmate Equation. But when the lights come on and all eyes are on her, it turns out the happily ever after Fizzy had all but given up on might lie just behind the camera.
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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your CWW selection for this week. 🙂
Top Ten Tuesday – 5 Indie Book Stores I Love & 5 I Really Want to Visit
/34 Comments/by SuzanneTop Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is Favorite Bookstores OR Bookstores I’d Love to Visit. I decided to focus my list on Indie bookstores but couldn’t think of 10 I loved or 10 I wanted to visit, so I’ve split my list in half to share 5 of each.
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5 Bookstores I Love
1. The Strand, NYC
The Strand will always make my list of favorite Indie bookstores. I try to stop by every time I visit NYC.
Why? 18 miles of books, some of the coolest bookish merchandise, and loads of amazing author events.
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2. Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA
Credit: https://www.instagram.com/fountainbookstore/
If you ever find yourself in the Richmond, VA area, I highly recommend stopping by Fountain Bookstore in the quaint and quirky Carytown area. They have a great selection of books and merchandise, signed books, tons of staff recommendations which are always reliably good reads, and they also have a full schedule of author events.
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3. Riverby Books, Fredericksburg, VA
This is a fantastic Indie bookstore right in my own town. The shop has an extensive collection of used books, they buy and sell rare books, and the store is just super cute with lots of little reading nooks tucked into every corner.
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4. Green Valley Book Fair, Mount Crawford, VA
The Green Valley Book Fair is tucked away in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Prior to the Covid pandemic, for a couple of weeks, 5 or 6 times a year, the book fair would open and book lovers would come from all over to purchase deeply discounted books. Their selection has always been vast and the prices great. Where so many businesses failed during the pandemic, the Green Valley Book Fair completely changed the way they operated in order to survive. Since everything was closed, they started a mail order business so that book lovers could still get the discounted books they love and they even expanded their inventory to include items like jigsaw puzzles for those who Covid kept at home. Once things started to open back up, they began to open year round 5 days a week, and continued to offer their mail service as well as curbside pickup. I love this bookfair, both for its great prices and extensive selection, but also because of their resilience and determination.
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5. CHOP SUEY BOOKS, Richmond, VA
Chop Suey Books is another fantastic bookstore in the Carytown area of Richmond. They have a fun, quirky storefront, a cat mascot named Wonton, and they buy and sell used books.
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5 Bookstores I Really Want to Visit
6. THE BOOKWORM BOX Bookstore, Sulphur Springs, TX
This is the bookstore that Colleen Hoover and her sisters own. Enough said, lol. Not enough? Here’s a little more detail: “The Bookworm Box is a one-of-a-kind specialty bookstore with signed books donated by the authors. All profit is donated to various charities with over $1,000,000.00 donated since opening the doors in 2015. The Bookworm Box holds special events and exclusive signings with best-selling authors such as EL James, Tarryn Fisher, Anna Todd, Caroline Kepnes and Colleen Hoover.”
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7. BLUEBIRD & CO., Crozet, VA
Even though this book shop is only about an hour away from me, I had never heard of it until Elle Cosimano happened to mention on her social media a while back that she was doing an event there. I unfortunately couldn’t attend the event, but looking at their instagram page, the store is just as adorable on the inside as it is on the outside so I need to visit it someday soon.
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8. POWELL’S BOOKS, Portland, OR
According to their website, Powell’s is the World’s Largest Independent Bookstore. I have no idea if that is still true or not, but it’s enough to make me want to visit it. They apparently have a very extensive inventory of used books and, and they buy and sell books.
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9. McNally Jackson Books, NYC
Even though I visit NYC pretty often, I’ve somehow never made it to this shop and I need to remedy that. It just looks so cozy and quaint and apparently it has a nice cafe in it as well.
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10. NEW DOMINION BOOKSHOP, Charlottesville, VA
This is yet another Indie bookshop that is only about an hour from me but I’ve yet to make it there. New Dominion is the oldest independent bookstore in my state and the picture I chose to represent it features the stunning rose garden they have. Some of the other photos on their Instagram page show bookclubs meeting in the garden as well as some author events. It just looks so lovely and peaceful and I would love to experience it in person.
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Question: Have you visited any of these shops?
Reviews: SPELLS FOR FORGETTING & THE WITCH AND THE TSAR
/14 Comments/by Suzanne
Hey everyone! Welcome to today’s episode of life has gotten in the way of my blogging again. Between trying to make a huge deadline at work this past Friday as well as being obsessed with where Hurricane Ian would go once it made landfall, blogging was the last thing on my mind so I have a lot of catching up to do this week. Today I’m back to share reviews for two pretty unusual books, considering what a romance kick I’ve been on. The first is a new favorite from an author I’ve been enjoying for a while now, and the second is a wonderful debut that I was drawn to because it’s inspired by Russian folklore and mythology.
Spells for Forgetting Goodreads
Author: Adrienne Young
Publication Date: September 27, 2022
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Delacorte Press
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young was truly the perfect book to start off my spooky season reads. Set on a remote and mysterious island that is steeped in folklore and magic, the story features a mystery surrounding an unsolved murder as well as a second chance at love for two individuals whose lives were deeply impacted by the murder.
Spells for Forgetting follows Emery Blackwood, a young woman whose life was turned upside down when her best friend Lily was murdered and her boyfriend, August Salt, is accused of killing her. Although August is never formally charged with murder, nearly everyone on the island assumes he is guilty and so he and his mom leave Saoirse Island and attempt to start a new life elsewhere. Emery is left behind to pick up the pieces of her own life. For the past fourteen years, she has done so by working at her family’s business, a tea shop that specializes in herbal tonics and tea leaf readings. Emery senses that something strange is about to happen and her suspicions are confirmed when all of the trees on the island suddenly change color in a single night. A few hours later, Emery learns that August has returned to the island. He has come home to bury his mother, and from the moment she sees him, Emery knows things will never be the same.
There’s so much to love about this story, but Young’s atmospheric writing is really the star of the show. She really brings the island of Saoirse to life to the extent that it feels like an actual character in the book. Surrounded by mist and with tourist life winding down as they head into the colder months, the island has an almost ominous and lonely vibe to it. The hints of magical realism further bring the island to life as it seems to sense the return of August and the trouble his return will bring.
Speaking of August, I really felt for him and for Emery. They were each other’s first love and, according to everyone who knew them, their relationship was a special one. I can’t even imagine how devastating it must have been to have their relationship torn apart like it was. It’s also clear that they both still have intense feelings for one another and that they won’t be able to stay away from each other even though everyone else on the island wants August gone immediately. I also felt sympathetic toward Emery once she decides it’s time to dig deeper and find out what really happened to Lily. She wants to clear August’s name once and for all but what if he’s not as innocent as she thinks he is?
I can’t say much about what Emery finds, but oh boy, does she really shake things up. It quickly becomes apparent that the island of Saoirse is full of secrets, lies, and betrayals. Pretty much everyone who lives there seems to be hiding something. I was on the edge of my seat watching Emery slowly unravel all of the secrets and lies until the truth of what happened to Lily is finally revealed. I also loved that there were enough twists and turns that I didn’t guess the big reveal either.
If you’re in the mood for an atmospheric story about first loves and unsolved murders, be sure to pick up a copy of Spells for Forgetting. You won’t regret it! 4.5 STARS
The Witch and the Tsar Goodreads
Author: Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
Publication Date: September 20, 2022
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group, Ace
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
The Witch and the Tsar is Olesya Salnikova Gilmore’s debut novel and it is a wonderful read! Part historical fiction, part mythological retelling, the story takes us to medieval Russia where Ivan the Terrible rules and the country is on the brink of destruction. Ivan is of course the Tsar in the novel’s title, and the witch is none other than the legendary Baba Yaga.
The story centers around Yaga, who is half mortal, half goddess, and has been living alone in the forest for years, with only her animals and those who seek her out for her magical healing powers as companions. One such person who seeks her out is Anastasia, her long-time friend and the wife of the Tsar. Anastasia has fallen ill and worries that someone in Moscow is trying to hurt her. She begs Yaga to come out of exile and come to Moscow as her companion and protector. Yaga can’t refuse her friend but has no idea that she’s about to find herself caught in a struggle to save the people of Russia from Ivan the Terrible, who is apparently being influenced (and driven mad) by the dark influences, specifically the immortal Lady of Death. The Lady of Death hates Yaga because Yaga’s healing work is at such odds with her own need for the souls of the dead, which sets up a showdown of sorts between the two.
I don’t want to give any details of the plot away, but I just loved how the author has woven together actual events from Russian history alongside the mythological elements and Russian folklore to create an engaging and plausible tale as to why Ivan the Terrible goes mad. The plot is intricate and well thought out and I found myself very invested in the author’s version of the legendary Baba Yaga and the journey she finds herself on as the underdog in this story, not fitting in with the human world but not fitting in with the Gods either. As she fights to save the people of Russia, she learns so much about her own history, her magic, and her place in the world.
With The Witch and the Tsar, Gilmore has an impressive debut on her hands and I look forward to reading more from her. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories inspired by Russian folklore and mythology and to anyone who enjoys witchy reads. If you like witches, you’ll love Baba Yaga. 4 STARS