EmmsBookshelf
I'm Em. An early 30's book nerd who adores Romance, Fantasy, Mythology Retellings and Ancient Historical Fiction and I generally love stories that revolve around complex female characters.
2300 points
Blue Jean Summer is a fun marriage of convenience book, set on a sprawling, picturesque country estate. Hayes needs a wife to keep his familys property out of the hands of his opportunistic half brother, Catherine needs Hayes' last name and resources to pursue her charity/initiatives. Both are acquaintances with instant chemistry and attraction.
Hayes and Catherines chemistry is really evident from their earliest interactions and spills quickly into every scene they have together afterward. Their interactions seemed really easy and I enjoyed reading their dynamic. I really appreciated the neurodiversity representation in Hayes, some of the things he said about masking, particularly like how he felt he was putting on a performance and learning lines, were heartbreaking in their authenticity.
The secret third main character of this book is the Wilder Estate, the book is written in a manner that the property comes alive and leaps off the page. With beautiful gardens, stunning roses, white picket fences and a stunning main house with foyers, sprawling balconies and beautiful big rooms. The depiction of the Wilder Estate is indicative of the detailed descriptions given throughout the whole story, I was particularly fond of the descriptions of the dresses; the wedding dresses of Catherine, the wedding dress of Hayes' grandmother, Catherines paegant dress too.
This story is underpinned by fantastic found family vibes, built into a tight knit small town. I think romances in a country setting need to nail the small town vibes in order to really authenticate the story, and this story did it well. It wasn't a classic quirky small town, but had tight knit, help each other out vibes. The sprinkling in of the characters working on the estate gave very sweet found family vibes and set the audience up to start shipping some of those characters. We were certainly given crumbs, especially at the end.
Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review, these thoughts are all my own.
EmmsBookshelf finished a book
20h
Blue Jean Summer
Maggie Gates
Opposites become unlikely allies when a desperate cowboy needs to marry in order to save his grandfather’s land. Hayes Wilder needs to find a wife—pronto. After returning to the small town of Honey Hollow before his grandfather’s death, he's shocked to learn that the sprawling Wilder Estate was left to him. All Hayes wants is the one thing money can’t buy—more time with his grandfather. Failing that, he’ll do whatever it takes to save his grandfather’s legacy from falling into the wrong hands. Even if it means marrying in order to satisfy the terms of the will. Catherine Foster, reigning Miss Virginia and former Honey Hollow native (who had a childhood crush on Hayes), is saddled with mountains of medical debt ever since her mother’s death. Running out of time to figure out her next move, Catherine reconnects with Hayes at his grandfather’s funeral. Hayes and Catherine impulsively strike a bargain: He’ll pay off her debts, but only if they get married. Despite the situation, Hayes and Catherine look forward to getting to know each other as adults—after the wedding. Which is tougher than anticipated when the entire town has eyes on them and his half brother keeps circling the property like a vulture, determined to poke holes in their marriage. Most troubling of all, this pair may have miscalculated how much they have in common—enough for this cowboy to fall in love for real.
EmmsBookshelf started reading...
2d
Blue Jean Summer
Maggie Gates
Opposites become unlikely allies when a desperate cowboy needs to marry in order to save his grandfather’s land. Hayes Wilder needs to find a wife—pronto. After returning to the small town of Honey Hollow before his grandfather’s death, he's shocked to learn that the sprawling Wilder Estate was left to him. All Hayes wants is the one thing money can’t buy—more time with his grandfather. Failing that, he’ll do whatever it takes to save his grandfather’s legacy from falling into the wrong hands. Even if it means marrying in order to satisfy the terms of the will. Catherine Foster, reigning Miss Virginia and former Honey Hollow native (who had a childhood crush on Hayes), is saddled with mountains of medical debt ever since her mother’s death. Running out of time to figure out her next move, Catherine reconnects with Hayes at his grandfather’s funeral. Hayes and Catherine impulsively strike a bargain: He’ll pay off her debts, but only if they get married. Despite the situation, Hayes and Catherine look forward to getting to know each other as adults—after the wedding. Which is tougher than anticipated when the entire town has eyes on them and his half brother keeps circling the property like a vulture, determined to poke holes in their marriage. Most troubling of all, this pair may have miscalculated how much they have in common—enough for this cowboy to fall in love for real.
EmmsBookshelf started reading...
4d
Spurred On
Elle Jordan
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS DOESN'T ALWAYS STAY IN VEGAS. A girls weekend in Vegas to celebrate me finally passing my nursing boards what could go wrong? A lot. Like accidentally marrying the star of bull riding. Maverick Ryder. Im sure you're wondering how someone gets accidentally married. a mechanical bull and way too many margaritas. I've spent the last ten years of my life in survival mode, and just when things are supposed to get easier. I'm uprooting my life on judges orders and moving to Windy Peaks, Wyoming, until they grant us a divorce Windy Peaks is nothing like I thought it would be, and neither is Maverick. Underneath his go lucky demeanor is a man with scars on his heart that look a whole lot like the ones on mine. Like calls to like and before I know it, I'm so wrapped up in him that I forgot why I shouldn't do this. When the fears of losing yet another person I love become way too real, will the man I love choose me? Or will he become just another thing for me to lose?
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4d
Servus: How Slavery Made the Roman Empire
Emma Southon
We associate the Romans with majesty and we marvel at their innovative aqueducts and underfloor heating, at the dominance of their army and navy, at the grandeur of their palaces and temples and the magic of the tiny coins and mosaic tiles we dig up in fields. But the Romans were also enslavers. They built an empire on the backs of millions of people snatched from their homes in the aftermath of war, kidnapped from the streets, sold into slavery as punishment or, simply, born enslaved.Servus takes us into the invisible spaces of Rome, where millions of enslaved lives were unwillingly dedicated to the perpetuation of the empire that owned them. From the fields of wheat required to give every Roman his daily bread, to the actors and gladiators who provided their circuses, and the miners who kept Rome a city of gold and marble, enslaved people held up the empire in all its glory. These enslaved people were ubiquitous, but silenced. Through the fragments they left behind, historian Emma Southon traces the pain and tragedy of their lives alongside the love stories, lifelong friendships, small victories and hard-won freedoms.Servus tells the truth about the Roman empire and the unseen lives that made its history.
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6d
Eternal Ruin
Tigest Girma
The breathtaking sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller, Immortal Dark! Like all ruinous things, he came from the abyss. Kidan Adane has finally embraced her darkness. She’s killed without remorse, lied, and broken Uxlay University’s most sacred law by inviting elusive rogue vampires, the Nefrasi, into Uxlay. Trapped with a violently unstable vampire, and reeling from her sister’s return, Kidan wields her anger like a weapon. She vows to master her house and protect the sacred artifact hidden inside, even if it means forging an alliance with the depraved leader of the Nefrasi, Samson Sagad–and betraying Susenyos. A dangerous new philosophical text seems to hold the answers and promises the very thing Kidan has lost: control. Even as the dark pages consume her, Kidan knows no soul at Uxlay is trustworthy—least of all Susenyos. For Kidan and Susenyos, the lines of loathing and attraction may blur, but the quest for power rules them both. And neither is willing to surrender. As devastating secrets resurface from the past, Kidan and her sister, June, must finally confront each other and take their rightful places in the looming war.
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6d
Cross Check
Chelsea Curto
Amelia Green is making a name for herself as an assistant coach in the NHL. A woman who isn’t intimidated by the people who try to pull her down, she handles the attention on her without batting an eye. What she didn’t account for was the hockey player who keeps showing up in her life. Grant Everett is the newest player on the DC Stars roster and adjusting to life in the NHL. A guy who loves his teammates, he’s never one to break the rules. But after an accidental run-in with the league’s most talked about coach, Grant can’t stop thinking about Amelia no matter how off-limits she is. He should stay away from her. He’s supposed to stay away—she’s older. She’s not looking to date, and he’s someone who wants to settle down. Years of friendship and fighting their feelings turns to something more after one night together, and they never look back. Except… hiding a relationship from the league isn’t easy. Between secret meetups and Amelia landing a new job as the head coach of the league’s newest expansion team, she and Grant are forced to confront their future. Is there a chance their relationship can withstand the scrutiny from those on the outside, or are they a quick cross check away from disaster? Cross Check is a spicy strangers-to-friends-to-lovers sports romance with an off-limits relationship, a woman in a male-dominated field, a man obsessed with her from the very beginning, and a guaranteed happily ever after.
EmmsBookshelf finished a book
1w
Lucky Shot
Rebecca Jenshak
Nick Galaxy has zero interest in helping anyone write a love story—especially not one about him. He’s a single dad with enough on his plate, and the last thing he needs is a curious, chatty author poking around in his past. But when Ruby shows up on his doorstep, notebook in hand and determined smile on her face, resistance becomes... complicated. She’s supposed to be here for research. Instead, she’s moving into the empty cabin on his property, asking personal questions, and somehow roping him into teaching her how to skate. He’s not looking for love—but she’s writing it into every inch of his life. And the more time they spend on the ice, the harder it is to pretend she doesn’t already have his heart. Lucky Shot is a grumpy/sunshine, single dad, forced proximity hockey romance with found family, banter, and spice—all wrapped up in a guaranteed happily ever after.
