Stacking the Shelves #16!

Stacking The Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks! And audiobooks. Don’t forget audiobooks!

Once again I received a few too many books this week, but I’m looking forward to all of them!

NetGalley:

I never tire of Carolyn Brown novels, and I read the first book in this series “Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch, and really enjoyed it and I”m looking forward to this next installment. You can see my review for Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch HERE.

Synopsis: The bestselling Queen of Cowboy Romancedelivers a heartwarming novel where a doctor and veterinarian get a second chance at true love when a storm traps them together.

After traveling the world, Dr. Cody Ryan has finally come home to his foster family’s ranch in Honey Grove, Texas. But all his time in Doctors Without Borders couldn’t have prepared him for the sudden blizzard that forces him to take shelter in an old barn—or for the shock of watching Stephanie O’Dell yank open that same barn door minutes later. He’s barely seen the gorgeous veterinarian since he returned, so why is she icier than the wind outside?

Stephanie—better known as Dr. Stevie around Sunflower Ranch—has been treating the cattle there for years…and not one of them is as bullheaded as Cody. He’s completely forgotten how he broke her heart, back when she was a teenager smitten by his easy charm and sharp wit. But as the blizzard rages on, trapping Cody and Stevie together, it’s clear that the fire they’ve built to keep warm isn’t the only source of sparks in that barn. Once the storm passes, will Stevie and Cody discover that they’ve fallen in love …and will either of them ever admit it?

I read the second book in Barb Curtis’s Sapphire Springs series and really enjoyed it. So I’m looking forward to Falling for You, her third book in the Sapphire Springs series. You can find my review for Barb Curtis’s second book in this series HERE.

Synopsis: From the series that “fans of Susan Wiggs will find…to their liking” comes this irresistible story of a free spirit who falls for the last man she’d ever expect (Library Journal).

Just when recently evicted yoga instructor Faith Rotolo thinks her luck has run out, she inherits a historic mansion in quaint Sapphire Springs. Though Faith never imagined putting roots down anywhere, small-town life is growing on her, as is her fixer-upper house. If only her handsome new contractor, Rob Milan, would stop spoiling her daydreams with the realities of a major rehab…and his generally grouchy vibes.

A single dad of two, Rob doesn’t have much time for fantasy wish-list ideas his clients can’t afford. Then again, Faith’s creative energy might be exactly what he needs right now. But while Rob and Faith work to give her home the second chance it deserves, their spirited clashes wind up sparking a powerful attraction. As work nears completion, and Faith’s house becomes the shining jewel of the neighborhood, will she and Rob realize that they deserve a fresh start too?

I really enjoyed the blurb for this book and I don’t read enough LGBTQ+ books, even though I enjoy them.

Synopsis: “A lovingly drawn depiction of Black family dynamics.” —Publishers Weekly on Learned Reactions.

A marriage lost is found again in this cheeky new romantic comedy from acclaimed author Jayce Ellis. 

As executive chef at one of the hottest restaurants in DC, DeShawn Franklin has almost everything he’s ever wanted. He’s well-known, his restaurant is Michelin starred and he can write his own ticket anywhere he wants. Until his grandmother calls him home and drops two bombshells:

1) She has cancer and she’s not seeking treatment.

2) She’s willing half her estate to DeShawn’s ex-husband, Malik.

Make that three bombshells. 

3) That whole divorce thing? It didn’t quite go through. DeShawn and Malik are still married.

And when DeShawn’s shady uncle contests Grandma’s will, there’s only one path back to justice: play it like he and Malik have reconciled. They need to act like a married couple just long enough to dispense with the lawsuit.

Once DeShawn is back in Malik’s orbit, it’s not hard to remember why they parted. All the reasons he walked away remain—but so do all the reasons he fell in love in the first place.

Carina Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters. Discover a new Carina Adores book every month!

Just for Show looked like fun. I read the blurb and thought it would be fun as one of the main characters is an HGTV carpenter!

Synopsis: TwitterBae forever….

They’ll fake a relationship for the social media exposure, but can they be more than a hashtag?

Here’s how things are going so far for me in Chicago:

1) Messed up my attempt at asking out the gorgeous woman next to me on the plane.

2) Couldn’t catch up to her at O’Hare.

3) I’m hoping she finds me on Twitter.

4) Maybe if she sees this, we can split another cheese plate sometime.

It doesn’t take long for Luke Murphy’s tweet to go viral. So it also doesn’t take long to reconnect with Audrey. Nailed it. But at what cost? His network has put his whole career as a TV home renovations carpenter on the line. A midair meet cute is exactly what they want.

After recovering from the shock, Audrey Whitaker can see the benefits of faking a relationship for social media exposure. She’ll get the publicity to launch her photography business—her lifelong dream—and she’ll get to spend time with a man who can, as his fans say, “really fill out a plaid shirt.”

Luke and Audrey agree to spend the summer together to get what they each need, then say goodbye. And to keep it professional, they’ll follow all the rules…except the “no kissing” one. And maybe the “no sex” one, too! But with so much on the line, they definitely can’t fall in love.

I requested Winter Fires at Mill Grange by Jenny Kane because it looked good.

Synopsis: Mill Grange is a place of miracles, and never more so than at Christmas….

Mill Grange is putting on a show this holiday season! When young Dylan Harris’s former babysitter (and soon to be step-sister), Harriet, needs a last minute venue for her acting troupe’s outdoor production of Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale, the staff at Mill Grange throw open its doors, keen to fill their halls with guests over the holiday season…but they may get more drama than they’d bargained for!
With pageants and plays to arrange, a much-anticipated book launch, an unexpected arrival, a heart-warming offer, and a little bit of the manor’s magic, this Christmas is one that Thea, Tina, Sam, Shaun, Helen and Tom – along with retirees Bert and Mabel Hastings,– won’t soon forget…

I thought I should read more non-fiction, so what’s better than reading a non-fiction book about fictional characters! And my husband and I were real fans of the show when it was out.

Synopsis: The oral history and exploration of the cultural impact of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the ground-breaking television show adored by fans old and new, from pop culture critic Evan Ross Katz, social media’s foremost Sarah Michelle Gellar historian.

Over the course of its seven-year run, Buffy the Vampire Slayer cultivated a loyal fandom and featured a strong, complex female lead, at a time when such a character was a rarity. Evan Ross Katz explores the show’s cultural relevance through a book that is part oral history, part celebration, and part memoir of a very personal fandom that has universal resonance still, decades later. Katz—with the help of the show’s cast, creators, and crew—reveals that although Buffy contributed to important conversations about gender, sexuality, and feminism, it was not free of internal strife, controversy, and shortcomings. Men—both on screen and off—would taint its reputation as a feminist masterpiece, and changing networks, amongst other factors, would drastically change the show’s tone. Katz addresses these issues and more, including interviews with stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Charisma Carpenter, Emma Caulfield, Amber Benson, James Marsters, Anthony Stewart Head, Seth Green, Marc Blucas, Nicholas Brendon, Danny Strong, Tom Lenk, Bianca Lawson, Julie Benz, Clare Kramer, K. Todd Freeman, Sharon Ferguson; and writers Douglas Petrie, Jane Espenson and Drew Z. Greenberg; as well as conversations with Buffy fanatics and friends of the cast including Stacey Abrams, Cynthia Erivo, Lee Pace, Claire Saffitz, Tavi Gevinson, and Selma Blair. Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born engages with the very notion of fandom, and the ways a show like Buffy can influence not only how we see the world but how we exist within it.

I can’t remember the last time I read a regency romantic comedy! This just sounded like fun.

Synopsis: Former lovers become reluctant allies in this delightfully witty historical rom-com from the bestselling author of A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem—for fans of Evie Dunmore, Enola Holmes, and Netflix’s Bridgerton!

England, 1867: As half of the writing duo behind England’s most infamous crime column, Miss Caroline Hardcastle has quite the scandalous reputation. It may have cost her a fiancé, but she would much rather bring attention to crimes against those ignored by society than worry about what the ton thinks of her.

After Caro’s dear friend is kidnapped, however, she has no choice but to work with Lord Valentine Thorn, the same man who broke her heart. Worse, when her actions put her father’s business at risk, a marriage of convenience may be her only solution . . . but can she trust Val to stand by her? Or will their past repeat itself?

Val—the new Viscount Wrackham—is in an untenable position: His father is demanding he find a respectable bride to secure the succession. Yet the only woman he’s ever loved, Miss Caroline Hardcastle, is notorious for behaving improperly. And she’s never forgiven him for his youthful transgressions, missteps made in the name of familial duty, but ones he still regrets to this day.

As they grow closer to unmasking the culprit, Val sees an opportunity to show Caro he’s a changed man. But can he convince her to give their love a second chance—before death does them part?

Audiobook:

I’ve heard so much about Eight Perfect Hours that when my audible credit came up today, I got this one. Jodie @ThatHappyReader wrote a lovely review here for Eight Perfect Hours.

Synopsis: In this romantic and heartwarming novel, two strangers meet in chance circumstances during a blizzard and spend one perfect evening together, thinking they’ll never see each other again. But fate seems to have different plans.

From the acclaimed author of the “swoon-worthy…rom-com” (The Washington Post) Dear Emmie Blue.

On a snowy evening in March, 30-something Noelle Butterby is on her way back from an event at her old college when disaster strikes. With a blizzard closing off roads, she finds herself stranded, alone in her car, without food, drink, or a working charger for her phone. All seems lost until Sam Attwood, a handsome American stranger also trapped in a nearby car, knocks on her window and offers assistance. What follows is eight perfect hours together, until morning arrives and the roads finally clear. 

The two strangers part, positive they’ll never see each other again, but fate, it seems, has a different plan. As the two keep serendipitously bumping into one another, they begin to realize that perhaps there truly is no such thing as coincidence. With plenty of charming twists and turns and Lia Louis’ “bold, standout voice” (Gillian McAllister, author of The Good Sister), Eight Perfect Hours is a gorgeously crafted novel that will make you believe in the power of fate.

That’s all I have for this week. Have you read any of these books? What’s on your list to read? Comment below!