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Book 838: Keeping Hope – Alexandria Redding

We 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 826: His Compass (His #2) – Con Riley

I was a little surprised to find that there were already two additional books released in Con Riley’s His series. I read and adored His Horizon this time last year and had kept an eye out for the follow-ups, but either missed the review opportunity or totally spaced on them.

So, when I realized they were on Kindle Unlimited I grabbed both for this up-coming holiday and am glad I did. His Compass is the story of Captain Tom, who we briefly met in the first book and Nick, the seemingly wayward irresponsible deck hand who has his own backstory that provides the crises of the novel.

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Book 811: Yes, Daddy – Jonathan Parks-Ramage

This is a dark ass book and a perfect example of what happens when I read too many MM Romances. I’m guessing I read the first part of the synopsis and either didn’t finish or blocked out the last portion when/after I requested a review copy.*

Don’t get me wrong, the fact that it’s dark definitely doesn’t take away from it being a good book, I just had no idea that it got dark and then even darker before starting to get a little lighter at the end. I did not like the protagonist, Jonah, and I do not think he redeemed himself by the end (and that is in no way victim blaming), he just wasn’t likeable.

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Book 809: Heartstopper, Vol. 3 (Heartstopper #3) – Alice Oseman

[Check out my updated (Feb 2022) response to Heartstopper Vol. 3 here.]

Well, my organized reading list has already been disrupted. I pre-ordered this back in December and didn’t really forget that I ordered it, but forgot when it was supposed to arrive. So, when it arrived while I was out of town last week I knew I couldn’t put off reading it—and frankly I’m impressed I lasted the four days I did!

These are so stinking adorable. I can’t believe I’ve managed to keep myself from finishing the series on the website, knowing it’s there! So, kudos to me for having some self-restraint in some part of my life 😀 If only I could figure out how to do that with food . . . I know for sure there’s at least one more, I’ve ordered it already, but I’m not sure how many more she’ll squeeze in between this and Solitaire.

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Book 794: Best Laid Plans (Garnet Run #2) – Roan Parrish

As soon as I found out there was going to be another book in the series that brought me Better Than People, I jumped on board with a request to the publisher.*

Taking place not long after BTP, Best Laid Plans features Charlie, the older brother of Jack from the first novel who has spent his life sacrificing for Jack since their parents died, and Rye, a down on his luck loner who has come to Wyoming after inheriting a dilapidated house because he has nowhere else to go.

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