Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week a new theme is suggested for bloggers to participate in. This week’s prompt is Spring 2020 TBR!

Hello Readers! I hope you are all healthy and safe. The world may feel unstable right now, but it’s nice to be a part of something familiar, like Top Ten Tuesday, right?? Last week was “Spring Break” for most people in our part of the world, and we planned to have our floors redone. So, while my family and I were living out of a few rooms, amid excessive amounts of dust (that I don’t feel I was properly warned about) and lack of a working kitchen, a pandemic was inching closer. I’m a bit of a hypochondriac, so living under these circumstances–having strangers in and out of my house and not being able to sanitize 24/7–has been a bit stressful. It also put a crimp in my ‘I’ll spend the week reading plan’! I spent more time scrolling the news than anything else, which was not a healthy choice and I don’t recommend it. Sooo, I’m still currently reading Chain of Gold, and not too happy with the fact that I haven’t been able to give it the attention it properly deserves. I have loved it though, and look forward to a reread someday soon.

Now, on to my “loosely planned” Spring TBR! If you’re a follower, you’ve seen most of these books on my posts before. I apologize for the repetition! The ARCs I will stick to, but the rest of the time I will read according to my mood–which is how it should be right now, right?? <3

1

A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler

Synopsis: In Oak Knoll, a verdant, tight-knit North Carolina neighborhood, professor of forestry and ecology Valerie Alston-Holt is raising her bright and talented biracial son, Xavier, who’s headed to college in the fall. All is well until the Whitmans―a family with new money and a secretly troubled teenage daughter―raze the house and trees next door to build themselves a showplace.

With little in common except a property line, these two families quickly find themselves at odds: first, over an historic oak tree in Valerie’s yard, and soon after, the blossoming romance between their two teenagers. 

3/10/20

Amazon / Goodreads

I had every intention of reading my ARC (advanced reader copy) of this one before it was released, but Cassandra Clare (Chain of Gold) and home renovations have delayed me. I have started it–and read about 15%–and I’m really enjoying it!

2

The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren

Synopsis: Carey Douglas has worked for home remodeling and design gurus Melissa and Rusty Tripp for nearly a decade. A country girl at heart, Carey started in their first store at sixteen, and—more than anyone would suspect—has helped them build an empire. With a new show and a book about to launch, the Tripps are on the verge of superstardom. There’s only one problem: America’s favorite couple can’t stand each other.

James McCann, MIT graduate and engineering genius, was originally hired as a structural engineer, but the job isn’t all he thought it’d be. The last straw? Both he and Carey must go on book tour with the Tripps and keep the wheels from falling off the proverbial bus.

Unfortunately, neither of them is in any position to quit. Carey needs health insurance, and James has been promised the role of a lifetime if he can just keep the couple on track for a few more weeks. While road-tripping with the Tripps up the West Coast, Carey and James vow to work together to keep their bosses’ secrets hidden, and their own jobs secure. But if they stop playing along—and start playing for keeps—they may have the chance to build something beautiful together…

3/24/20

Amazon / Goodreads

I was thrilled to have received an invitation through Netgalley to read the latest from Christina Lauren, especially after my request had been denied months ago. I’m anxious to get to this one!

3

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

Synopsis: Samantha Casey loves everything about her job as an elementary school librarian on the sunny, historic island of Galveston, Texas—the goofy kids, the stately Victorian building, the butterfly garden. But when the school suddenly loses its beloved principal, it turns out his replacement will be none other than Duncan Carpenter—a former, unrequited crush of Sam’s from many years before.

When Duncan shows up as her new boss, though, he’s nothing like the sweet teacher she once swooned over. He’s become stiff, and humorless, and obsessed with school safety. Now, with Duncan determined to destroy everything Sam loves about her school in the name of security—and turn it into nothing short of a prison—Sam has to stand up for everyone she cares about before the school that’s become her home is gone for good.

7/14/20

Amazon / Goodreads

I might have squealed out loud when I saw the invitation from Netgalley to read this one. It’s one of my top wishlist books for 2020. I typically try to read my ARCs closer to publishing date, but I can’t wait that long for this one. 😉

4

The Simple Wild (Wild, #1) by K.A. Tucker

Synopsis: Calla Fletcher wasn’t even two when her mother took her and fled the Alaskan wild, unable to handle the isolation of the extreme, rural lifestyle, leaving behind Calla’s father, Wren Fletcher, in the process. Calla never looked back, and at twenty-six, a busy life in Toronto is all she knows. But when Calla learns that Wren’s days may be numbered, she knows that it’s time to make the long trip back to the remote frontier town where she was born.

She braves the roaming wildlife, the odd daylight hours, the exorbitant prices, and even the occasional—dear God—outhouse, all for the chance to connect with her father: a man who, despite his many faults, she can’t help but care for. While she struggles to adjust to this rugged environment, Jonah—the unkempt, obnoxious, and proud Alaskan pilot who helps keep her father’s charter plane company operational—can’t imagine calling anywhere else home. And he’s clearly waiting with one hand on the throttle to fly this city girl back to where she belongs, convinced that she’s too pampered to handle the wild.

Jonah is probably right, but Calla is determined to prove him wrong. Soon, she finds herself forming an unexpected bond with the burly pilot. As his undercurrent of disapproval dwindles, it’s replaced by friendship—or perhaps something deeper? But Calla is not in Alaska to stay and Jonah will never leave. It would be foolish of her to kindle a romance, to take the same path her parents tried—and failed at—years ago. It’s a simple truth that turns out to be not so simple after all. 

Amazon / Goodreads

I added this one to my to-be-read list after seeing it recommended by so many of you! I snatched it up when it went on sale on Amazon. (It might still be on sale for $1.99!) I love it when books come along and jump right up to the top of my TBR.

5

The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club, #1) by Lyssa Kay Adams

Synopsis:

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.

Amazon / Goodreads

Here’s another one that I picked up after succumbing to peer pressure. 😉

6

Anna K by Jenny Lee

Synopsis: At seventeen, Anna K is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society (even if she prefers the company of her horses and dogs); she has the perfect (if perfectly boring) boyfriend, Alexander W.; and she has always made her Korean-American father proud (even if he can be a little controlling). Meanwhile, Anna’s brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Lolly, are trying to weather an sexting scandal; Lolly’s little sister, Kimmie, is struggling to recalibrate to normal life after an injury derails her ice dancing career; and Steven’s best friend, Dustin, is madly (and one-sidedly) in love with Kimmie.

As her friends struggle with the pitfalls of ordinary teenage life, Anna always seems to be able to sail gracefully above it all. That is…until the night she meets Alexia “Count” Vronsky at Grand Central. A notorious playboy who has bounced around boarding schools and who lives for his own pleasure, Alexia is everything Anna is not. But he has never been in love until he meets Anna, and maybe she hasn’t, either. As Alexia and Anna are pulled irresistibly together, she has to decide how much of her life she is willing to let go for the chance to be with him. And when a shocking revelation threatens to shatter their relationship, she is forced to question if she has ever known herself at all.

3/3/20

Amazon / Goodreads

For Christmas, my husband gave me a subscription to The Strand’s The Book HookUp box, which comes quarterly. I was happy when my box showed up and had two fabulous books in it–plus a lot of other goodies! As soon as I saw that this was a retelling of Anna Karenina, I couldn’t wait to read it!

7

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Synopsis: A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous breakup.

Amazon / Goodreads

I feel like this has shown up on every post of mine recently, but I purchased the audiobook of Daisy and I’m hoping to listen to it soon! Really, I swear.

8

Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Synopsis: Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart. 

Amazon / Goodreads

Another one that has been on most of my TBR posts recently. I will dive into the Grisha world soon!

9

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

Synopsis: There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story. 

As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison. 

Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming…human or demon. Princess or monster.

5/12/20

Amazon / Goodreads

Along with Anna K, an ARC of this book was included in my Strand book box! It was such an awesome surprise because I’ve been eyeing this book since I first saw the cover on someone else’s blog. I think it may be one of the most gorgeous covers I’ve ever seen.

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10

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

Synopsis: Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions—like grief. And love. He thinks he’s defective. His family knows better—that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.

As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can’t turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn’t go as planned. Esme’s lessons in love seem to be working…but only on herself. She’s hopelessly smitten with a man who’s convinced he can never return her affection.

With Esme’s time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he’s been wrong all along. And there’s more than one way to love.

Amazon / Goodreads

And last but not least, this one will keep appearing on my TBR lists until I finally get to it. Hopefully this spring!

Do you have any of these books on your TBR? Have you read them already? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Wandering!