Top Ten Tuesday – Books Too Good to Review Properly (I have no words!)

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Top 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 Books Too Good to Review Properly (I have no words!).  I have so many reads that are like this.  I fall in love with them and then there’s no way possible that I can write a review that even comes closer to doing them justice so I don’t even try. Most of the ones I’m sharing today are books I didn’t even attempt a review for even though I absolutely loved them, but there are a couple that I did try to review on the blog with mixed success.  Reviews or not though, just know that these books are all gems.

Books Too Good to Review Properly (I have no words!)

 

 

 

1. THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morganstern

2.  UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR by TJ Klune

3.  BEARTOWN by Fredrik Backman

4.  THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE by Katherine Arden

5. THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah

6. THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO by Taylor Jenkins Reid

7.  THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE by V.E. Schwab

8.  WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens

9. IT ENDS WITH US by Colleen Hoover

10. THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA by TJ Klune

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Question:  Have you read any of these?

Can’t Wait Wednesday – Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson

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“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 Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson.  This book just sounds like pure fun to me and I’m kind of obsessed with the cover.

Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson

Publication Date:  August 1, 2022 by Jove

 

From Goodreads:

Turns out that reading nothing but true crime isn’t exactly conducive to modern dating-and one woman is going to have to learn how to give love a chance when she’s used to suspecting the worst.

PhD candidate Phoebe Walsh has always been obsessed with true crime. She’s even analyzing the genre in her dissertation-if she can manage to finish writing it. It’s hard to find the time while she spends the summer in Florida, cleaning out her childhood home, dealing with her obnoxiously good-natured younger brother, and grappling with the complicated feelings of mourning a father she hadn’t had a relationship with for years.

It doesn’t help that she’s low-key convinced her new neighbor, Sam Dennings, is a serial killer (he may dress business casual by day, but at night he’s clearly up to something). But it’s not long before Phoebe realizes that Sam might be something much scarier-a genuinely nice guy who can pierce through her armor to her vulnerable heart underneath.

 

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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 – Love is in the Air (and in these book titles)

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Top 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 a Love Freebie, so I decided to take it literally and look for book titles on my shelves that have the word “Love” in them.  It was a little more challenging than I was expecting, so I instead ended up with a mix of books from my shelves and some upcoming releases that I want to read.

10 Books with Love in the Title

 

 

1. A BRUSH WITH LOVE by Mazey Eddings

2.  LOVE AND OTHER WORDS by Christina Lauren

3.  DONUT FALL IN LOVE by Jackie Lau

4.  THE LOVE CON by Seressia Glass

5. THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS by Ali Hazelwood

6. LOVE & GELATO by Jenna Evans Welch

7.  LOVE ON THE BRAIN by Ali Hazelwood

8.  HOW TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR by Sophie Sullivan

9. THE SPANISH LOVE DECEPTION by Elena Armas

10. WITH LOVE FROM LONDON by Sarah Jio

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Question:  Have you read any of these? Can you think of any other titles with LOVE in them?

Can’t Wait Wednesday – 3 “Airport Novellas” by Denise Williams

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“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 a set of three novellas by one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, Denise Williams.  She posted about these little gems over the weekend and I’m just too excited not to share them with you.  I’m providing the Kindle release dates below, but if you’re interested in listening to the audiobook versions, those release even sooner. 🙂

THE LOVE CONNECTION

Publication Date:  May 17, 2022 by Berkley

 

From Amazon:

An airport pet groomer meets her frequent flier crush in this captivating romance novella from the acclaimed author of How to Fail at Flirting

Ollie Wright loves the thrill of taking chances, like opening a pet grooming salon in an airport where every day is a little unpredictable. The one thing she won’t risk is her heart, so catching glimpses of a cute stranger from afar is enough romantic entanglement for her.

Bennett Baker is a professional risk assessor by day while writing popular romance novels at night, except he finds himself facing writer’s block. His life of carefully planned stability comes crashing down when he rescues a slippery pup in the airport and returns it to the enchanting pet groomer whose laugh inspires him to start writing again.

Their chance encounter and instant chemistry thrusts them into a whirlwind of airport dates at pretzel kiosks, stolen glances at empty gates, and late-night texts that leave them swooning. If the risk-adverse Bennett can take a chance on uncertainty and adventurous Ollie will break her own rule, their relationship might stop taxiing and actually take off.

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THE MISSED CONNECTION

Publication Date:  June 21, 2022 by Berkley

 

From Amazon:

Two strangers share a romantic night together only to discover months later they’re professional rivals in this grumpy meets sunshine romance novella from the acclaimed author of How To Fail at Flirting.

Gia loves her job as a professor, even when it means dealing with an elusive rival academic who’s made it his mission to criticize her work. When she meets him for the first time, she’s shocked to learn they’ve met before. Months earlier, they shared a perfect New Year’s Eve together in an airport during a weather delay.

After months of working together, Felix still can’t believe the person whose research he’s been challenging is the same captivating woman he kissed that night. The two couldn’t be more different. Gia is bubbly, friendly, and extroverted and drives ordered, serious Felix nuts.

Now the two have been assigned to embark on a five-school tour for work. Gia and Felix can’t imagine a travel partner they’d enjoy less until they feel the sparks fly over their shared armrests, security mishaps, and a shared hotel room. They’ll need to decide if they can manage their professional tension, or risk missing the connection of a lifetime.

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THE SWEETEST CONNECTION

Publication Date:  July 19, 2022 by Berkley

 

From Amazon:

Two best friends have one week to return a lost love letter found in a candy store—and to work up the courage to confess to the deep feelings between them—in this romance novella from the acclaimed author of How To Fail at Flirting.

Teagan’s job in an airport candy store pays the bills but she dreams of traveling the world. With one week until she boards a plane for an international adventure, she finds an abandoned love letter in the store and talks her BFF into helping her figure out who it belongs to.

Silas solves problems for a living as an airline customer service representative. One problem he can’t solve is how to reveal a big secret to his best friend that would risk changing their entire relationship. When she proposes they work together to get the love letter back to its owner, he jumps at the chance.

Teagan and Silas stumble on romantic clues, old stories, and more than a few dead ends along the way while trying to play Cupid, all of which bring them closer together. With only a few days before Teagan’s transatlantic move, the two of them must decide if the sweet temptation of falling for their best friend is worth the potential heartbreak or if either can stand to keep their feelings wrapped up.

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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 – My Reading and Blogging Goals for 2022

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Top 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 actually supposed to be Books with Names/Character Names In the Titles, but I wasn’t really feeling that one so I decided to go rogue.  Since I’ve been a bum and haven’t yet posted my list of goals for reading and blogging, I’m going that route instead.  I think most of these are repeats of goals I had for 2021, either because I failed at them last year or because I did okay and really want to continue to work on that same goal in the coming year.

 

via GIPHY

My Reading and Blogging Goals for 2022

 

1)  My number one goal this year is a repeat goal from the past two years and that is to read more of the books I own.  I love ARCs of course, but I hate feeling like I’m neglecting books I’ve purchased.  I actually did really good with this goal last year, reading 78 of the books I had physically sitting on my shelves.  Where I didn’t do as well, however, were all of those ebooks I have sitting on my kindle so I really want to make those a focus this year.  I’m not taking part in any challenges aside from Goodreads this year but am setting a personal goal for myself of reading 70 books I already own.

 

2)  This is also a repeat goal from 2021 and 2020.  I really want to continue to only participate in blog tours where I have already requested a review book.  I did pretty well at this in 2021; I don’t think I participated in any tours where I didn’t already have a copy of the book.  Hoping to stay on track in 2022.

 

3)  This is also an ongoing goal since my struggle to finish series continues.  In 2021, I had a list of 8 series I wanted to finish or get caught up in and another list of 3 series that I wanted to start.  I finished 6 of the series from the first list and started (and finished!) one from the second list. For this year, I have 3 series that I want to finish and 7 sitting on my shelf that I want to start.

Series I Want to Finish or Get Caught Up On: 

  • Lifelike by Jay Kristoff (2 books left)
  • The Aurora Cycle (2 books left)
  • Percy Jackson and the Olympians (3 books left)

Series I Want to Start:

  • The Poppy War
  • City of Brass
  • Legend
  • The Consortium Rebellion
  • The Great Library
  • The Invisible Library
  • The Bloodsworn Saga

 

4)  This is also a repeat goal from the past two years.  I really want to work more on my Bookstagram account.  I have always struggled with consistency and honestly almost deleted my account last year because I just didn’t have time for it because of some things going on in my personal life.  Things have stabilized now so I’m glad I didn’t delete it, even though I lost a couple hundred followers because I wasn’t active on there.  I’ve gotten off to a pretty good start in January and have even made a few reels. I’m really hoping I can keep it up this year.  If you’re not already following me, give me a follow at https://instagram.com/thebookishlibra

 

5)  I also want to get better when it comes to re-reading books I love.  This is also a repeat goal and one I failed at in 2021.  To keep it low pressure, I’m setting a personal goal of 1 re-read a month.  Below are the books I’m hoping to re-read.  Some are old favorites, while others are series books I need to re-read in order to facilitate goal #3 above.

  • The Night Circus
  • Aurora Rising
  • Rebecca
  • LIFEL1K3
  • The Invisible Life of Addie Larue
  • The Chronicles of Narnia (6 books) – I did manage to re-read the first book in the series in 2021.
  • Pride and Prejudice
  • The Handmaid’s Tale

 

6) I am aiming to keep my Netgalley percentage at 85% or above in 2022.  I did very well with this goal in 2021, finishing the year at 91%.  I know I can’t keep it that high, but if I could maintain 85, I’d consider that a success.

 

7)  In 2022, I want to read more Nonfiction.  Most years I only read maybe 1 or 2 nonfiction books.  As with the re-reads, this year I’m setting a personal goal of 1 nonfiction book a month. Here’s a list of some of the titles I’m hoping to read:

  • The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
  • My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg
  • What Unites Us by Dan Rather
  • We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  • Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win WWII by Liza Mundy
  • D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win WWII by Sarah Rose
  • A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win WWII by Sonia Purnell
  • Untamed by Glennon Doyle
  • Where the Light Enters, Building a Family, Discovering Myself by Jill Biden

 

8)  In 2022, I really want to work on being better organized, particularly when it comes to blogging ahead.  I usually frantically writing posts the night before I want to post them and I would love to be able to get most, if not all, of my posts for the week done the weekend before.

 

9)  Revisit Shakespeare.  I’m counting this as separate from my re-reading goal because I’m honestly not sure if I’m going to re-read or watch, but bottom line is that my son is now in high school and he’s about to start reading Shakespeare for the first time.  Even though I read the majority of his plays in high school, college and even again in grad school, I don’t remember much about any of them and would like to re-familiarize myself with the ones I know my son will be reading (Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear, and Hamlet).

 

10) Lastly, I’ve already mentioned that I’m not doing any challenges this year.  That’s not strictly true. I am doing the Goodreads Challenge and have set my goal at 150 books.  I read 210 books in 2021 and can probably replicate that this year since we have cancelled our cable TV.  I stream a few shows here and there, but for the most part, I spend almost all of my downtime reading.  But to keep it from being too stressful, although still challenging, I’m aiming for 150.

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Do you have any reading or blogging goals in mind for 2022?

Can’t Wait Wednesday – LOVE ON THE BRAIN by Ali Hazelwood

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“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 LOVE ON THE BRAIN by Ali Hazelwood.  Given the popularity of the first book in the series, The Love Hypothesis, I have a feeling that Love on the Brain is going to be a much anticipated read for many romance readers this year.  I’m in love with Bee already, just from reading the synopsis and can’t wait to watch the sparks fly between her and her archenemy, Levi.  I also love that this is being described as a “STEMinist rom-com.”  I have a major love for STEM heroines so I think it’s safe to say that STEMinist rom-coms are my jam. 🙂

LOVE ON THE BRAIN by Ali Hazelwood

Publication Date:  August 23, 2022 by Berkley

 

From Goodreads:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis comes a new STEMinist rom-com in which a scientist is forced to work on a project with her nemesis—with explosive results.

Like an avenging, purple-haired Jedi bringing balance to the mansplained universe, Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project—a literal dream come true after years scraping by on the crumbs of academia—Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.

Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. And sure, he caught her in his powerfully corded arms like a romance novel hero when she accidentally damseled in distress on her first day in the lab. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school—archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.

Now, her equipment is missing, the staff is ignoring her, and Bee finds her floundering career in somewhat of a pickle. Perhaps it’s her occipital cortex playing tricks on her, but Bee could swear she can see Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas…devouring her with those eyes. And the possibilities have all her neurons firing. But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there’s only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?

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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: New-to-Me Authors I Read for the First Time in 2021

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Top 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.

This week’s TTT topic is Top 10 New-to-Me Authors in 2021. I read a lot of great new authors last year, especially since I’ve continued to explore the romance genre, which is one I hadn’t explored too much prior to the pandemic.  Some of these authors have been around for quite a while so I’ll be continuing to make my way through their older books now that I’ve read and loved their newer releases.

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Top 10 New-to-Me Authors in 2021

(in no particular order)

 

1. LAUREN LAYNE

 

2. COLLEEN HOOVER

 

3. TESSA BAILEY

 

 

4. SARA DESAI

 

5. ELIZABETH ACEVEDO

 

6. TJ KLUNE

 

7. JANE HARPER

 

8. SONYA LALLI

 

9. TIFFANY JACKSON

 

10. KAREN WHITE

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Who were some authors that were new to you in 2021?  Do we share any?

 

Can’t Wait Wednesday – ONE ITALIAN SUMMER by Rebecca Serle

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“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 ONE ITALIAN SUMMER by Rebecca Serle.  I just love the premise of this one and that Italian setting doesn’t hurt either.

ONE ITALIAN SUMMER by Rebecca Serle

Publication Date:  March 1, 2022 by Atria Books

 

From Goodreads:

When Katy’s mother dies, she is left reeling. Carol wasn’t just Katy’s mom, but her best friend and first phone call. She had all the answers and now, when Katy needs her the most, she is gone. To make matters worse, their planned mother-daughter trip of a lifetime looms: two weeks in Positano, the magical town Carol spent the summer right before she met Katy’s father. Katy has been waiting years for Carol to take her, and now she is faced with embarking on the adventure alone.

But as soon as she steps foot on the Amalfi Coast, Katy begins to feel her mother’s spirit. Buoyed by the stunning waters, beautiful cliffsides, delightful residents, and, of course, delectable food, Katy feels herself coming back to life.

And then Carol appears—in the flesh, healthy, sun-tanned, and thirty years old. Katy doesn’t understand what is happening, or how—all she can focus on is that she has somehow, impossibly, gotten her mother back. Over the course of one Italian summer, Katy gets to know Carol, not as her mother, but as the young woman before her. She is not exactly who Katy imagined she might be, however, and soon Katy must reconcile the mother who knew everything with the young woman who does not yet have a clue.

 

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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 – 2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To

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Top 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 Most Recent Additions to 2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To. I’m forever behind on new releases I want to read so I could probably easily do a list three times this long, but I restrained myself and picked ten I truly wished I could have squeezed in last year.

2021 Releases I Was Excited to Read But Didn’t Get To

 

 

1. THE GUNCLE by Steven Rowley

2.  HERE’S TO US by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

3.  YOU’LL BE THE DEATH OF ME by Karen McManus

4.  EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE by Jay Kristoff

5. SURVIVE THE NIGHT by Riley Sager

6. FLOAT PLAN by Trish Doller

7.  SIX CRIMSON CRANES by Elizabeth Lim

8.  IN THE WILD LIGHT by Jeff Zentner

9. THE SECRET BRIDESMAID by Katy Birchall

10. THE LADIES OF THE SECRET CIRCUS by Constance Sayers

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Question:  Have you read any of these?

Can’t Wait Wednesday – HUSBAND MATERIAL by Alexis Hall

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“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 HUSBAND MATERIAL by Alexis Hall.  I was late to the party reading the first book in this series, but I adored Luc and Oliver so much that I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of the sequel and see what they’re up to.

HUSBAND MATERIAL by Alexis Hall

Publication Date:  August 2, 2022 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

 

From Goodreads:

Wanted:
One (very real) husband
Nowhere near perfect but desperately trying his best.

In BOYFRIEND MATERIAL, Luc and Oliver met, pretended to fall in love, fell in love for real, dealt with heartbreak and disappointment and family and friends…and somehow figured out a way to make it work. Now it seems like everyone around them is getting married, and Luc’s feeling the social pressure to propose. But it’ll take more than four weddings, a funeral, and a bowl full of special curry to get these two from I don’t know what I’m doing to I do.

Good thing Oliver is such perfect HUSBAND MATERIAL.

This Summer 2022, you’re invited to the event(s) of the season.

 

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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. 🙂