ReadTheUSA2023

High Noon | Nora Roberts

pick

Because my mojo is off, it took me about four times longer to read this book than usual. So while I definitely enjoyed the characters and the concept, I honestly can't tell you if the pacing was good or bad 😂 All in all, pretty typical romantic suspense from Roberts.

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Librarybelle I actually like this one the least of the titles I have read by her. Glad it was a pick for you! 1y

61 likes1 comment

TheAromaofBooks

The Witness | Nora Roberts

so-so

I'm usually a pretty big fan of Roberts, but this one just didn't click for me. I didn't particularly care for either of the main characters (Abigail came through as an android and Brooks was so freaking pushy, especially in the beginning, at a level where I felt like he was mis-using his position as sheriff) and for a book where she's supposedly being hunted down by Russian mafia and the FBI, the action level was almost nonexistent.

TheAromaofBooks #MtTBR
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68 likes1 comment

julieclair

Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun (Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery #1) | Lois Winston

so-so

A fun, lighthearted cozy mystery, featuring a snarky, spunky heroine. I easily figured out who was going to be murdered, and who the murderer was (which is unusual for me!) This was a perfect pick for the June #TitlesAndTunes prompt, #GuiltyPleasure . There was nothing “literary” about it, but it was a great read for a lazy summer afternoon.
@Cinfhen @BarbaraBB
#ReadTheUSA2023 @aperfectmjk (New Jersey)
#ReadYourTBR @melissajayne

Cinfhen 😊 1y

31 likes1 comment

TheAromaofBooks

Happy Place | Emily Henry

pick

While I did enjoy this one enough to give it a solid Pick, there were also times that the characters frustrated me. I think my main issue is that both Harriet and Wyn were so obsessed about whether or not the other person's feelings were ever going to change. Both of them were constantly worrying about whether he would get tired of her, whether she would realize he wasn't good enough for her, whether she was forcing him to live someplace he ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) wasn't happy, whether he was holding her back, etc etc etc. But I personally believe that, at the end of the day, a good relationship is built on commitment, not feelings, and it was obvious that both of these people were so genuinely committed to each other and to making their relationship a good one, yet allowed their obsession with hypothetical future feelings that haven't even happened yet to ruin what they had. Of course we get a ⬇ 1y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) happy ending in the end, but I still felt like their focus was on making sure their feelings stayed the same, not on making a commitment to keep their marriage happy and healthy.

Also negative points for Harriet's parents wasting their whole lives being angsty about the dreams they were “forced“ to give up. We all have plans, but sometimes life happens and plans have to change. Suck it up and get over yourselves. They were such babies⬇ 1y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) Despite me complaining about this one, I actually did enjoy it. The friendship were done well, all the banter within this group of friends was so fun, and I snort-laughed multiple times. The sense of nostalgia for not just a place, but for a season of life, was done really well. Really, the book wasn't the problem, it was mostly me rolling my eyes at the amount of navel-gazing vs. actually working on the relationship. 😅 1y

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Andrew65 Excellent 👏👏👏 1y

Roary47 I agree with this review so much! Good book, but for people that have been with each other forever they sure were not as open with each other on what they were thinking. 1y

TheAromaofBooks @Roary47 - It just felt so weird that they were both so genuinely committed to the relationship, but seemed to spend all of their time obsessing over whether or not the other person was always going to feel that way, instead of communicating and working together to solve various life-issues. It frustrated me so much! 1y

89 likes1 stack add7 comments

TheAromaofBooks

Identity | Nora Roberts

pick

Okay, last review for now. This is Roberts's latest book, and I actually really enjoyed it a lot. It's not groundbreaking or trend-setting, but if you've enjoyed her other recent books, you'll probably like this one as well. It's romantic suspense light on the suspense, as it's really more about Morgan choosing to put her life back together after tragedy. I loved the way that reestablishing a relationship with her mom and grandma was such a ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) big part of the story (although I was way over her calling them “her ladies“). I totally shipped the romance as well, although I did find their initial falling into bed to be a bit abrupt. If you're looking for heart-racing page-turning, this is not the book to pick up. But if you're looking for an engaging romance with likable characters and a splash of suspense to keep things moving, this is one I recommend.

#ReadtheUSA2023 - Vermont 1y

Bklover Sounds good! 1y

61 likes1 stack add2 comments

julieclair

The Litigators | John Grisham

pick

A team of 3 rather bumbling lawyers take on big pharma and their oh-so-competent corporate lawyers in an effort to win a big settlement and get rich. Lighthearted and funny, but also thought provoking. What is - and what should be - the role of lawsuits in today‘s society? Are lawyers more often a force for good - or bad - in the US? Would make a good book club choice.
#NoBuyReadingChallenge #ReadYourTBR #ReadTheUSA2023 (Illinois)

melissajayne, PuddleJumper, aperfectmjk

29 likes

TheAromaofBooks

The Bodyguard: A Novel | Katherine Center

I enjoyed this one but I didn't LOVE it. Part of the problem was that Hannah drove me a little crazy - I have trouble relating to workaholic characters, like seriously, who gets this mad that they can't go to work!? I also never completely bought the whole “Hannah is a badass“ aspect. I get that this book takes place during a season of emotional turmoil in her life, but she was constantly doing things that didn't make sense given her job. ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) I think this book would have really benefited by having the opening chapter or a prologue of her doing something clever to protect a client at an earlier job, so that we could actually see the contrast between her competent, professional self, and the way she somewhat falls apart in this story, instead of just being repeatedly told that this isn't how she “usually“ is.

Still, it's a fun and fluffy romcom. I really appreciated the ⬇ 2y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) closed door aspect as well. I definitely want to try some other books by this author, so if you have a favorite, let me know!!

#14Books14Weeks2023 @TheHeartlandBookFairy
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#ReadtheUSA2023 - Texas
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#BookSpinBingo 2y

BkClubCare Yep, I would agree with all your thoughts and your idea to show her badassery as intro is 🔥 AND YET! I really enjoyed this one, too 😁 2y

TheAromaofBooks @BkClubCare - It had so many of the right ingredients that I was willing to overlook a lot of the weaknesses 😂 2y

BkClubCare @TheAromaofBooks - sometimes a book hits the feels in the right place and the brain has to say, “ok, I will be over here if you need me” 2y

78 likes1 stack add5 comments

TheAromaofBooks

The Sweetheart Deal | Miranda Liasson

pick

Isn't it annoying when the last 40 pages aggravate you so much that it brings down your overall feeling for the book?? This was a 4* read for me until the final misunderstanding, which left it as a borderline so-so. The main story employs a marriage of convenience, which is pretty much my favorite trope. Tessa and Leo are both likable characters, although I would have liked more from the supposed decades-long feud between their families. In the⬇️

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) end, there's a misunderstanding that Tessa blows WAY out of proportion, accusing Leo of some pretty terrible things. This would have made sense at the beginning, but now they've been living/working/talking together for months, so for her to still act like he would do this stuff felt really unreasonable. There's a big fight and they both say mean stuff, yet for some reason it's all Leo's fault. We get the absolutely infuriating ⬇ 2y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) “she doesn't want to talk to you because you were sooooo mean“ when Leo wants to apologize the next day (despite it honestly NOT EVEN BEING HIS FAULT), and of course HE has to make a grand gesture because Tessa “deserves“ someone who will “treat her like a princess!!“ No, Leo, YOU deserve someone who doesn't flounce off to pout for days instead of having an adult conversation. 🙄 So yeah, despite actually enjoying this book for the ⬇ 2y

IndoorDame I hate that! I‘m sorry 😣 2y

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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) most part, the ending aggravated me a LOT.

#ReadtheUSA2023 - Indiana
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#ISpyBingo - Deck, Lamp, Suburb, Table, and Animal That's an Emoji!!! Maybe my best cover ever! 😂 2y

Clwojick Crushing that iSpy! And I agree! I know there‘s always going to be something towards to end of a romance to potentially tear the couple apart, but I HATE when it‘s just one person being an untrustworthy ass-hat. 2y

Bookwormjillk Yes!! Drives me nuts. Not so easy to find an Indiana book though. 2y

56 likes6 comments

TheAromaofBooks

The Lies I Tell | Julie Clark

pan

I am on the struggle bus with time lately!! Not sure why things feels way busier the last couple of weeks. Partially it's the good weather - lots of outside stuff starting to happen. I just haven't been reading as much lately. So I was actually a little excited to take a car in for a tire rotation/balance because it meant some uninterrupted, guilt-free reading time!!! Unfortunately, I ended up really disliking this one but I was trapped with no⬇️

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) other books!! 😂 In the end, this turned into kind of a hate-read for me, and I ranted about it AT LENGTH on GR. But the short version? I first off hated the way this book was a constant, incessant reiteration of how all men suck, all men are predators, all men are gaslighters, all men are manipulators, no man can be trusted, no man actually works (because he just gets stuff automatically because he's a man), on and on and on and on. ⬇ 2y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) I could have gotten behind the premise of a woman conning unsavory men in a Robin Hood style if those stories had been balanced by literally even a SINGLE good male characters, but there were NONE. All men suck, and every woman is either a victim or one who has figured out how to manipulate the men in her life to get what she “deserves“ because the system is SO RIGGED that there is no POSSIBLE way for a woman to get ahead honestly. ⬇ 2y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) Combined with what I found to be genuine plot holes (oh, I've known you two weeks, and you think I should give you $300k to “hold“ for me and then give back after my nasty divorce so my ex can't get it? What a great idea, I'll write the checks!!), I just was so aggravated the whole time I was reading this. Plus, there's the part where I feel like the blurb really misrepresents the story anyway because the reason Kat blames Meg for ⬇ 2y

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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) ruining her life... literally makes no sense. In what world is this Meg's fault?!?! When I finally found out what Meg “did“ I genuinely couldn't believe that this was the source of all Kat's angst. (Like, the event itself was obviously traumatic, but blaming Meg was nonsensical.)

Moral of the story: Always bring TWO books when you get your tires rotated!! 2y

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marleed Oh this is on my physical TBR and thinking I might get to it with prioritizing October mystery/thrillers later this year. Maybe not! I feel your review. When I read a book I‘m not liking, it‘s faults just start piling up and up. I actually think it helps me to read through a disliked book once in a while. It helps confirm my reading tastes. 2y

PuddleJumper I always have a book to go on my phone as well as a physical book just in case. Too many times I've been trapped and finished a book 🤣 I've been struggling to read this month, I'm very restless and don't want to sit still 2y

5feet.of.fury I did enjoy this book for the fleeting moment I read it, barely remember anything about it at this point bc it was not that memorable, but I remember that Kat blaming Meg was BS. It was preposterous. 2y

68 likes8 comments

julieclair

Surviving Savannah | Patti Callahan

pick

Fascinating story of an 1838 shipwreck, and the harrowing conditions faced by the survivors. Dual timelines: the shipwreck itself, and the present-day museum curator who is preparing an exhibition of the artifacts and dealing with a personal tragedy of her own. Based on the true story of the steamboat Pulaski, which sank in 1838 and was recently discovered off the coast of North Carolina. Haunting.
#ReadTheUSA2023 #Georgia @aperfectmjk

24 likes

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