Hello Readers! I had a great reading month in May and you can check out my May Wrap-Up to see what all I read. I also managed to add quite a few books to my physical and digital shelves. Mostly thanks to being stuck at home with Covid and some great sales. 😃 I also added three new ARCs (one I’ve already read), and I’m pretty proud that it’s only three because the invitations have been abundant. I’m determined to continue to be very selective so I can keep reading off my backlist, as well.

Let’s take a look at my haul for May!

(Link to synopsis on Goodreads through the book title.)

My eARCs

Even though I tend to have mixed reactions to TJR’s books, I did enjoy Malibu Rising, so I was happy to be approved for Carrie Soto Is Back, which is about a character from that world.

Synopsis:

In this powerful novel about the cost of greatness, a legendary athlete attempts a comeback when the world considers her past her prime—from the New York Times bestselling author of Malibu Rising.

Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular. But by the time she retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Grand Slam titles. And if you ask Carrie, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father, Javier, as her coach. A former champion himself, Javier has trained her since the age of two.

But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning player named Nicki Chan.

At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked “the Battle-Axe” anyway. Even if her body doesn’t move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.

In spite of it all, Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season. In this riveting and unforgettable novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells her most vulnerable, emotional story yet. 

Expected August 30, 2022

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I recently joined Camilla Isley’s street team, so when an advanced copy of her latest book Sweet Love and Country Roads arrived, it quickly moved up my tbr. And I adored it!

Synopsis:

Falling for the wrong cowboy never felt
so good . . .

Samantha Baker is a high-flying movie producer living in New York City. She loves her shoes, drinking cosmopolitans, and wouldn’t trade the comforts of city life for anything in the world. But when her job is put on the line, Samantha has no other choice than to move to the middle of nowhere to straighten out the filming of her latest romantic comedy blockbuster.

Her new country home has no Starbucks, no Pilates, and the one pub in town has never heard of appletinis—only serves beer and whiskey neat. On the plus side, the views are scenic. And not just for the aerial shots, as the local eye-candy provides a welcome distraction.

At least until Samantha discovers a native cowboy, Travis Hunt, is the source of all her troubles…

And the battle begins.

Each has something the other wants, but as Samantha and Travis go head to head, they might discover the endgame has changed. When hate turns to heat, all becomes fair in love and war for these two sworn enemies who’ve been playing a game of hearts.

But will a roll in the hay be enough to make Samantha decide there’s no sex in the city and convert to country living?  

Published on May 31, 2022
My Review

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I was excited to be approved for Adrienne Young’s newest Adult fantasy mystery, Spells for Forgetting. I loved Fable, her YA fantasy novel, and this one sounds just as immersive!

Synopsis:

A rural island community steeped in the mystical superstitions of its founders and haunted by an unsolved murder is upended by the return of the suspected killer in this deeply atmospheric novel.

Emery Blackwood’s life was forever changed on the eve of her high school graduation, when the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her best friend, Lily. Now, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence among the community that fractured her world in two. She’d once longed to run away with August, eager to escape the misty, remote shores of Saiorse Island and chase new dreams; now, she maintains her late mother’s tea shop and cares for her ailing father. But just as the island, rooted in folklore and tradition, begins to show signs of strange happenings, August returns for the first time in fourteen years and unearths the past that no one wants to remember.

August Salt knows he is not welcome on Saiorse, not after the night that changed everything. As a fire raged on at the Salt family orchard, Lily Morgan was found dead in the dark woods, shaking the bedrock of their tight-knit community and branding August a murderer. When he returns to bury his mother’s ashes, he must confront the people who turned their backs on him and face the one wound from the past that has never healed—Emery. But the town has more than one reason to want August gone, and the emergence of deep betrayals and hidden promises that span generations threatens to reveal the truth behind Lily’s death once and for all.

Evocative and compelling, Spells for Forgetting is a vivid exploration of lost love and the unraveling of a small town and its many secrets.

Expected September 27, 2022

My Indie Bookstore Day Purchases

When I couldn’t get out to a physical independent bookstore on Indie Bookstore Day, I ordered a few books from Bookshop.org!

• The No-Show by Beth O’Leary – I have adored everything I’ve read by the author so far and I’m eager to pick up her latest!
• Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgertons, #4) by Julia Quinn – I picked up the next book I needed in the Bridgerton series. I’ve only read the first two, but I’ll get to the rest someday!

My Target Purchases

It’s so very hard to resist Target’s book sales. I ordered these with the buy-one-get-one-half-off sale.

• Maybe Someday (Maybe, #1) by Colleen Hoover – One of Hoover’s books that’s been at the top of my wishlist. I’ve only heard good things about this musical romance.
• Book Lovers by Emily Henry – I’d had every intention of picking this up in-store, but thanks to my Covid diagnosis at the beginning of the month, I had to settle for ordering it. I’ve already read and enjoyed this one. Here’s My Review!
  

My Book Outlet Haul

Another impulse buy when I ended up with a coupon and some leftover birthday money was this haul from Book Outlet. When this big box arrived, I honestly couldn’t remember what I’d ordered. (Thank you Covid brain!) I was imagining it full of books, but I quickly remembered I’d ordered three puzzles that were taking up most of the box. 😂

• Somewhere Close to Happy by Lia Louis – Ever since I’d read and adored Louis’ Dear Emmie Blue (My Review) and Eight Perfect Hours (My Review), I’ve wanted to read this one off her backlist but it’s proved hard to find. I was happy to finally pick it up!
• To Sir Phillip, With Love (Bridertons, #5) by Julia Quinn
• When He Was Wicked (Bridgertons, #6) by Julia Quinn

Sourcebooks Early Reads

I received Spread Your Wings: A Self-Discovery Journal by Katie Clemons from the Early Reads program from Sourcebooks. It’s a journal marketed for teens and adults, but I think it would work for the pre-teen age, as well. It’s smaller and perfect for coloring or highlighting, too. Be sure and scroll through the pictures to see inside!

Free ebook

I’d previously picked up the first book in this series, Truth or Beard, when I saw it available for free, so I snatched up Beard Science (Winston Brothers, #3), as well, when I saw it available. (I believe it still is!) Now I just need to pick up the second one and actually read them! So many of you recommend these romances!

Amazon First Reads Selection

I chose The Candid Life of Meena Dave by Namrata Patel as my Amazon First Reads selection in May. When a woman inherits a Victorian brownstone in Boston, it sparks a journey into her family’s past. The early reviews are encouraging for this one!

Published on June 1, 2022

Have you read any of these books? Did you add any of them to your TBR? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Wandering!