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Book 838: Keeping Hope – Alexandria Redding

Book cover of "Keeping Hope" with Amazon Affiliate linkWe all know I loved Ngozi’s Check, Please! series and am a sucker for MM Sports Romances. So, this one had a lot to live up to and even though I had some concerns about the cover art (seems slapped together and so meh) I gave Redding the benefit of the doubt and decided to give it a go when it appeared in my inbox.*

Overall, the book was just meh (sort of like the cover). There was a lot of potential and Redding clearly has a lot of ideas, but she could use an editor (or a stronger one). So much of the book was bogged down in social issues, which I am here for every day of the week—bullying, racial inequity/police profiling, homelessness, and mental health awareness absolutely need more representation—but not at the expense of the story. In reading this one so soon after Legendborn and seeing how well Deonn wrote about injustice and had the characters learn/grow from it, I was let down.

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Book 837: Fifty Words for Rain – Asha Lemmie

Book cover of "Fifty Words for Rain" with Amazon Affiliate linkI feel hollow after finishing this book—I’m not sure emotionally drained is the right word because I feel like I have so many emotions going on that they’ve just forced each other out and there’s just nothing.  And when you take in that this is a debut novel, damn.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it’s been on my radar since the publisher reached out last year when it was first published but I didn’t get to it until the paperback was recently released.* I really should’ve prioritized it from back then because I feel like Dutton never steers me wrong looking at the books I’ve read from them.

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Book 836: Summer Kisses (Kiss Me #2) – Charlie Novak

Book cover of "Summer Kisses" with Amazon Affiliate linkWhen this review request came in it was a no brainer.* I adored Patrick and Connor from Strawberry Kisses and was super curious about Aaron and Josh’s story because they were  at each other’s throats so much in the first book!

This one couldn’t be any more opposite. Whereas Strawberry Kisses was full of sweetness and adorableness, Summer Kisses was full of fire and passion and swearing and bad decisions. It worked just as well, just from totally different perspectives and attitudes.

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Book 834: Blackout – Marco Carocari

Book cover of "Blackout" with Amazon Affiliate linkIn general, I don’t read a lot of mysteries or thrillers, even though I really should (see next paragraph). However, when the publicist reached out about this one with a gay protagonist I thought sure why not give it ago.*

Although there were definitely some issues with this book, pretty sure the authors native language isn’t English, for the most part I enjoyed it. And if my reaction to the two big reveals in the novel are anything to go by I really should read mysteries/thrillers more often. The first WTF moment happened and I had to take a few minutes to collect myself. I mean it was obvious it was coming looking back, but I got caught up in the story and didn’t pay attention to the clues or hints. And then the second one, I was just pissed about.

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Book 833: You’re My Home – Katie Moore

Book cover of "You're My Home" with Amazon Affiliate linkLooking back at the review request for this, I’m not sure what drew me to it. Maybe it was the best friends, the religious homophobia, the slow-burn or the hurt/comfort friends to lovers draw.* Whatever it was, I’m glad I said yes because even though I was emotionally exhausted by the end of the novel it was 100% worth the 460-page slog!

You’re My Home is the story of Zach, an underdeveloped young man who survives an abusive religious family, and Brady, the wealthy outgoing football jock with a heart of gold. They meet when they’re young and the story spans five or six years and you feel every one of those years on the page.

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