My Monday Musings…

I’m moving into my new house this week!!

We officially closed on Friday and moved the smaller items over on the weekend but the furniture goes in Tuesday and that’s when it's all official.

Then we have some cleaning to do at the rental but then it should be done!

The Fonzi saga continues: He had his ultrasound and they didn’t see anything that would contribute to his abnormal bloodwork. Yay! I was worried about tumors. But they did find a sludgy gallbladder. Boo. Basically, this means that mucus builds up until it can’t function properly and it bursts. Killing the dog. So even though it’s kind of scary I’m really glad we caught it very early. He’s on meds to dissolve it and hopefully that will work. Otherwise he gets it removed which I guess is  complicated surgery because some of it can leak and become toxic and kill the dog during recovery. So let’s avoid all that shall we??!!

However, we still have to find out what’s causing his low protein levels because at some point it will get too low and cause a problem. GAH!

He also apparently learned how to unlock my phone and camera to take a selfie lol

Reading:

I’ve read NOTHING for weeks now. Nothing is holding my attention. I’ve returned all my library and KU books after a few chapters. I have no idea what I’m even in the mood for right now.

I am all caught up on arc’s and reviews though so at least there’s no stress there.

Randomny randomness…

What’s up with this bearded guy?? He’s EVERYWHERE! lol

I know him and connect him to Penny Reid’s Winston Brothers series (& it’s a fun one!)

But now the dude is popping up all over and I was seeing several different author names on the books and thought hmmmm….that’s weird that so many authors would deliberately copy another authors branding so blatantly.

But after a little researching (ok I stumbled onto it) I found out that Reid opened up her “Pennyverse” and allows other authors to do their take on her world. With fanfic using her characters, or adding a new couple but in one of her worlds.

This is all published under Smartypants Romance.

TBH, I’m kind of confused by the whole thing and not sure if I want alternate timelines or another author writing my favorite characters but some of the stories sound really fun too and in the spirit of Reid’s romances – smart, sexy and funny. And as far as I can tell – all of them are on KU.

Especially the Green Valley Library Series. These titles are GREAT!

Love in Due Time, Crime and Periodicals, Prose Before Bros, Shelf Awareness

And the Donner Bakery series:

Baking Me Crazy, Stud Muffin, No Whisk, No Reward.

I’m a huge sucker for food themed romance!

Now that I understand this whole bearded dude cover mystery I might have found my new comfort read binge to get me out of my slump!

Have any of you read any of these?

I might be (even more) MIA for this week as I head on over to the new place and try to get settled. I will try to stop by and visit you all though!!

Review: The Bromance Bookclub (bromance Book Club #1) by lyssa Kay Adams

The first rule of book club:

You don't talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife. ~ Goodreads

Source: e-arc provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Review:

I adored this book SO much! It had all the humor, friendships, romance and showed the work to the couple’s HEA.

We start from Gavin’s POV, where he’s shaken to his core to find out his wife has been faking the Big O for their entire marriage. he does not handle it well and his wife, Thea ask for a divorce.

As Nashville Legends second baseman, he’s put his all into the game but thought he had a solid marriage. He’s stunned by Thea’s revelation but is sure he can get her back but of course goes abut it all wrong and pushes her further away.

His teammates see him fumbling along and bring him into their secret club where they read romance novels to learn what the women in their lives want, need and use them to help communicate better.

Oh man, did I love Gavin’s friends and their willingness to help him but also to see things from Thea’s pov. The romance book club could have been used as a gimmick – and it does make for a lot of laughs – but it never stoops to making fun of the genre or it’s readers. This aspect was so brilliantly done that I hope it somehow sweeps the nation and becomes a thing in marriage counseling/communication. Not to mention how well it tackles misogyny and toxic masculinity without missing a beat or getting preachy.

The club chooses a Regency title called, Courting the Countess, for Gavin and excerpts from this story alternated between Gavin and Thea’s chapters – giving a blueprint for how things went wrong and how they could move forward.

Gavin is so clearly a good guy and husband who still adores his wife. If I had a nitpick it would be with this. He’s so awesome (and introduced to the reader first) that Thea comes off as too harsh. But once you get to know her better, she’s someone I think we can all relate to. They married quickly after her pregnancy and she was swept up into Gavin’s lifestyle and being a mom that she lost most of what made her Thea.

She grudgingly let’s Gavin move back in but only to prove that it’s over and they agree to date rather than jump all in. It was really sweet seeing them fall back in love and really listen to each other – not just play the blame game. They both needed to make changes and do the work.

It’s interesting how both Thea and Gavin’s parents marriages had an impact on them in totally different ways. Gavin’s parents marriage seemed perfect to him so he felt like a failure by having any problems while Thea came from a broken home and didn’t trust people to stick around when it got tough. Thea’s sister was aggressively against Thea and Gavin's reconciliation and really pissed me off at times. I thought she overstepped but a) I got it. She has baggage too and was just being overprotective and b) Thea didn’t stand for it. She made her own choices. I ended up having compassion for her sister and hope she gets a book! There was a hint of who her love interest would be and boy will that be a doozy! lol But girrrrrrlllll BACK OFF! lol

This is one of the few romance novels I’ve read that showed a truly messy marriage with bad sex *gasp* so that couldn’t be used as a crutch or easy way out to solve things.

This is being marketed as a rom-com and there are LOTS of laughs! but this one hit me in the feels a lot and felt much more emotional than I was expecting.

The Bromance Book Club was funny, with relatable problems and solutions using a a very clever take on the romance genre and tropes.

So maybe – rom-com with a gut punch?

Tell Me Something Tuesday

Tell Me Something Tuesday is hosted by Rainy Day Ramblings and discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging.

Question: What are your favorite book genres?

Answer:

This is always changing for me. I tend to binge on any genre I love.

It started with PNR, then UF, then contemporaries….I just read and read and read until I burn out.

Now that I’ve been blogging for 10 years though – I think I’m all genre binged out lol so I read all over the place to try and keep it fresh.

The one type of book I go back to and adore more than any other though is a sweet, low angst romance. That is my comfort read. When I’m in the zone, I can read two a day because they make me so happy.

I would have said Rom-Com, specifically, but so many of the ones out now aren’t really doing it for me. They either seem more Women’s fiction (low on romance) or high on the over-the-top wacky scenarios or even super angsty and that’s not really what I look for in a favorite/comfort read.

My favorite kind of books are lighter romance, have good people (they can be a little edgy) trying to do better, romantic romance (yes, that’s a thing – constant hot sex doesn’t = romance to me), humor is a BIG plus but I want characters who are moving towards something – not get mired in miscommunication and indecision.

There doesn't have to be a big plot conflict. Honestly, I love a lot of books that people think are boring because nothing is going on. I just love reading about good people being nice to each other lol

It HAS to have an HEA - an epilogue is even better!

Two of my recent favorites are:

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren – so funny, sweet and adorable and romantic!!

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams – this had a bit heavier storyline but was hilarious and romantic. Plus it felt fresh and original. (I’ll be reviewing it here on Thursday)


This is not to say that I don't like heavier reads or anything like that - because I do! This is just my FAVORITE.

What's your favorite genre or type of books to read?