Something Wilder | 
Not a holiday read but I'm looking forward to reading Something Wilder in December. I read a couple of chapters during my trip this week and highly enjoyed them. I can't wait to continue in December!
#WinterGames2024 #earlypoints
#HolidayBookDragons @LiseWorks
so-soLoved the characters. But the whole dad always gone in search of treasure, riddle clues, treasure hunt story was so very a Quantum Leap episode/The Pacifier with lovers instead of sisters/a family. Also, I might be losing my taste for romance stories? 🤷🏻♀️
62/62
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#MountTBR #ReadAway2024 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES
"Lily Wider's boots crunched through smooth gravel as she made her way from the barn to the lodge, surveying her favorite place on earth."
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
And now onto a #BookSpinBingo read that is lighter and fun
pickI don‘t consider myself a romance reader, yet I‘ve just read two in a row 😆 This is what I want in a romance - fast paced (less than 300 pages), flirty, second chance romance, with a good heaping of adventure. Think The Hangover meets Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark specifically because of the romantic tension) vibes but in the form of a second chance romance novel. Fun summer reading 📖 🍹🍿
“Bradley paced the length of the room. ‘Duke‘s taunting us. It‘s all a game to him.‘ He stopped pacing to narrow his eyes at Lily. ‘‘Adventure over stuff,‘ isn‘t that what you said his motto was? Sanctimonious son of a bitch really thought people would be satisfied with the thrill of the chase and he could keep the money himself.‘ He ran a hand through his hair and looked at Jay and Kevin. ‘He got the money. We take them with us.‘”
“‘Sounds like it‘s fine,‘ she said dryly.
They both knew it was a lie, but Nic didn‘t bother to ask again.”
“Leo moved to follow the scattering group when a figure just out of the firelight caught his eye, a mirage at the edge of the moonlight, stepping out of the small horse pen. Stick-straight hair sparked the memory of fall leaves and naked skin on the bank of the river. It was a hazy memory, or maybe he was already half out of it, already dreaming. Shaking his head, Leo climbed into his tent and tumbled onto the sleeping bag there.”
so-soThis was exactly what you would expect it to be—a by the numbers story about second chances & adventures gone wrong all wrapped up with a more or less satisfying HEA. Nothing wrong with it & it was enjoyable enough—great for an afternoon at the beach or a plane trip—but it is not particularly memorable & doesn‘t leave you wanting to rush off to buy another book by the duo.
I can‘t be the only one who throws a book in the bag on my way to visit family knowing full well I mostly likely won‘t have any time to crack it open but nevertheless feel the need to cover my bases because you never know…maybe there will be 30 seconds here or there when I can sneak in a page or two… So, taking this book along for the ride. No idea if I‘ll actually get to start it…
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️
At this point, you all know I love being shocked. And this did have some moderately shocking parts.
I care a lot about Leo. Nicole is a lot of fun. Lily is... I think the least interesting.
You ever continue chasing a high after reading a really good book by an author? That's me- ever since I read Unhoneymooners.
pickI do enjoy this writing duo and this ROMANCING THE STONE-esque adventure makes for a fun and exciting listen! Leo was Lily‘s first love, but when he abruptly vanished for her life, it took years to get over him. Now struggling to make ends meet, Lily is shocked when Leo comes back into her life as a member of a guys trip that she guides through a fake treasure hunt. But when the treasure hunt turns real, things really heat up! Predictable but fun!
pick4/5
Lily Wilder lets tourists pretend to be treasure hunters on her tours in Utah, but when her ex and his friends show up on her tour, things get much more complicated than usual.
This is such a wild ride, and a very fun read.
pickA fun romance and adventure story! A second chance romance with a side of buried treasure.
pickA classic Christina Lauren "second chance" romance, set in the open plains of Wyoming and the red canyons of Utah, plus a Goonies-esque treasure hunt for good measure. I loved it! ❤️
(Also served as a perfect palate cleanser after the mind f**kery of the book I read this morning, lol).
Billed as a romance but there‘s a lot of action-adventure which had me on the edge of my seat - or would have done if I hadn‘t been reading in bed.
Though I am wondering how people keep sneaking up on them in wide open country
panI liked the Indiana Jones-ish synopsis but it didn‘t deliver. The bad guys were a typical caricature of what a typical jock bad guy is. As a result the story suffered. It was jarring to the reader. The second chance romance could have been really good, but the other characters and plot just destroyed the potential of this book. ⭐️⭐️
very quick read, could have been shorter. long lost loves who maybe give it a second chance. she‘s a wilderness guide following the trail of her treasure hunter father, and he left her behind for stability in nyc. their reunion out in the wild is chaotic and turns out their fake treasure hunt might not be so fake, and they might not be the only ones looking out there.
bailedI‘ll pick this up again eventually. As a massive super fan of Christina Lauren and someone who can read their books in a matter of hours, this one was hard to get into. It felt a little bit recycled with the flashback and the lost lovers. Not really what I‘m in the mood for. It hurts to say their books feel like the same now ☹️
Audiobooks make a 12 hour Saturday shift just a little easier 📖
pickSomething Wilder is a fun, adventure-filled tale that makes for a quick read. Influenced by movies like Romancing the Stone, whose heroine Joan Wilder lends her name to this book, Something Wilder takes the reader on a fast-paced adventure filled with treasure hunts, double crosses and of course a love story. Can being thrown back together rekindle the lost love between Leo and Lily? Led by tough, strong women, Something Wilder is a good time!
pickI read this quickly. Sexy, per usual. I will never be mad about pages that prompt me to imagine a lanky, dark-haired man with strong thighs, setting up a tent while wearing only boxer briefs.
Because it‘s a Wild West adventure, this book focuses more on plot than other romances by Christina Lauren, which means there‘s less space for dialogue and banter. I *always* prefer more of the latter than the former. 👇
pickSecond chance lovers × bad friends × National Treasure × Fenn Treasure Fandom
Absolutely love the west setting as a change from most of their urban storylines.
pickFantastic! Loved this fun filled romantic suspense novel. Different than their past books, I loved every minute of the adventure. 142nd book read in 2022 and only 1 more book to go to blackout my #Bingo card! #romantsy #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
pickThis was different than the other books I read of theirs. I liked it. This book was a quick, easy read.
Sixth #owlsreadingchallenge subject passed!! All of my books in this subject were coincidentally love stories!
TRANSFIGURATION:
🌟Transfiguration: a book to screen adaptation - Pride & Prejudice
🌟McGonagall: strong female characters - The No Show
🌟Vanishment: a bestseller - Something Wilder
pickI love Christina Lauren‘s writing. They use such vivid similes and metaphors to describe the heat and passion of being in love, and this book particularly made me feel so in awe of them.
The plot, though - just a little too wacky and implausible for me! Wasn‘t my favorite of theirs.
Definitely made me want to go camping with a sexy man, but what else is new 😂
so-soA western adventure in Indiana Jones sort of situation isn't my cup of tea, but the book was enjoyable, pretty fun.
In my personal opinion it wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't Christina Lauren's best book - the romance felt flat, so many unnecessary things added...
I am excited for my next installment of CL! I love everything of their's ❤️
pickThis one was another soft pick for me, but honestly I think it's partially because the book just went a direction I wasn't expecting. I might enjoy it more the second time around with a better idea of what is going to go down. There's a big plot twist about 100pgs in that isn't even vaguely hinted at in the synopsis, and it kind of threw me off balance. I guess in a way this book was a little... sillier? than I was expecting, with some situations⬇
So I actually had a pretty good reading week, although I'm behind on reviews!! I finished Magic for Marigold, Book Lovers, and Something Wilder, as well as two of my chapter-a-day reads, Gone With the Wind and Kon-Tiki. I bailed on one of my #22booksin22 Kindle reads (The Missing) because it was just plain ridiculous. I also read the first chapter or so of Book of Night and decided to send it back to the library because (a) it wasn't clicking for⬇
Day 5 of #BigJuneReadathon photo challenge
*Wild/Crazy
This one is on my TBR. I have enjoyed other Christina Lauren books so I have high hopes for this one.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️ read. It wasn‘t mind blowing but it wasn‘t horrible. I think the issue I had with it was the pacing. Otherwise the story was good and at time steamy. This is only the third time I‘ve read these authors and I have to say for me they are a hit and miss. 🤷♀️ #romantsy #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks
pickThis was a fun quick adventure romance. I enjoyed the second chance romance and the treasure hunting aspects of this story. No big surprises and more just contemporary romance then rom-com - there isn‘t much comedy in here, not sad just not super funny moments. I did enjoy it though and would recommend if you are looking for a nice easy summer read. 4⭐️
#NSR22 - contemporary romance
#20in4 #readathon 1st book done
pickAn Indiana Jones quest for hidden outlaw treasure, a second chance reunion between two former lovers, a band of misfits on an adventure vacation & a tribute to Romancing the Stone. This basically came emblazoned with *stuff Caramellunacy likes* and it wasn't wrong!
I missed some of Christina Lauren's witty banter, but the adventuring made up for it. More like this, please!!!
pickDifferent than the last couple of ones, but in a good way. Really very enjoyable!
pickIt‘s always fun a when Christina Lauren takes the reader to Utah for the setting of their romance. Picture if you will this writing team decides to meander into the thriller genre…. Well, it would be something wilder!
so-soSecond chance romance with a treasure hunt. Unfortunately the treasure hunt overshadows the romance and it feels very surface level. This was one of Christina Lauren's darkest books as it has a bit of suspense. Out 5/17
#dangerbang
Next up is an ARC of Christina Lauren's next book. The description sounds amazing. I'm excited to read it.
A combo of Lara Croft, Indiana Jones, and the Davinci Code with some good steamy scenes, lots of adventure, a couple “what the heck just happened” moments, and the second chance romance that I totally love!!!
Like seriously I am gonna go broke this year on New Releases!!
