What I've Been Reading (Playing Catchup Edition #2)

 

Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner 

Summary from Goodreads:

"From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner, a propulsive thriller featuring an ordinary woman who will stop at nothing to find the missing people that the rest of the world has forgotten"

My Thoughts:

Gardner is one of my favorite mystery authors because I love her D.D. Warren series so much!  I started smack dab in the middle of that one and haven't looked back since.  So I jumped at the opportunity to read this one as soon as I heard about it.  Let me just say that this is an author who writes books that are not to be missed if you are a mystery reader!  From the very beginning, I found myself pulled into this new story with new characters.  Frankie Elkin is one of those characters that I couldn't help but root for despite all of her perceived flaws.  She is a recovering alcoholic who searches for women who have been gone missing for so long that no one is really looking for them any longer.  As the reader, you know that she has more of a darker history that hasn't yet been shared with us.  It just made her feel so darn real to me!  The book was one that I just flew through the pages of.  I couldn't put it down because I was so sucked into the story.  And honestly I just really loved this book.  I was so excited to hear after finishing this one that it is now going to be the first book in a new series.  I cannot wait to read more about Frankie and see what types of trouble she finds herself in next.

Overall, this is a book and author that you definitely to check out if you are a mystery reader!  I cannot recommend her D.D. Warren series enough - start with Find Her like I did and you will be in for a treat especially if you like darker mysteries.  Now, I can also highly recommend this book for those readers who want to start at the beginning of a series because this one is really just as good.  This book will easily be on my top reads list of the year and Gardner has become a must read author for me.  Highly recommended!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.  I ended up reading a print copy from my local library.

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Summary from Goodreads:

"Talia Hibbert returns with another charming romantic comedy about a young woman who agrees to fake date her friend after a video of him “rescuing” her from their office building goes viral..."

My Thoughts:

I was in the mood for a good romance when I picked this book up and had high expectations after loving the first book in this trilogy titled Get a Life, Chloe Brown.  Happily enough, this book far exceeded those high expectations.  I truly adored this book and both Zaf and Dani.  There was just something about the two of them that had me instantly both invested in their relationship and rooting for them as a couple.  Plus, this book was just funny - I found myself laughing out loud a couple of times at it.  It was just one of those delightful reads that I picked up at the perfect time and fit my reading mood perfectly.  There's nothing better than when this happens in my opinion!  There is a reason this trilogy is so popular and I won't be waiting too much longer before I pick up the final book in this series.  

Overall, I enjoyed my time with this book immensely.  It was just a fun read with a couple that I adored.  I turned the pages as fast as I could because I needed to see them get their happy ever after.  Talia Hibbert has become a go to romance author for me - I'll be working my way through her backlist and reading everything/anything that she writes.  Pick this book up (and you don't have to read the books in order) if you enjoy a steamy romance, are looking for relatable characters that will make you laugh, or just want a book that you can't put down.  Another book that I can highly recommend!

Bottom Line:  A romance that makes me smile just thinking about it!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.  I also ended up reading a print copy courtesy of my local library.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamourous family’s mansion. The next items?


Enjoy a drunken night out.
Ride a motorcycle.
Go camping.
Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
And... do something bad.
But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…"

My Thoughts:

This may be one of the most adorable books that I've read in a really long time!  I enjoyed it so much that I found myself grinning at my e-reader at times.  Because I'm that person apparently and this book was also that good.  Let's start off by talking about Chloe and how much of an enjoyable character she was.  Because you just don't see (in my experience at least) main characters that are not only diverse but also that have a chronic illness which isn't glossed over.  Let me be the first person to say that I cannot speak to any of the above as I'm neither of these two things.  I cannot speak to the accuracy but I can speak to how this book made me feel - and it made me feel so good!  It was a nice change of pace to read a book where the chronic illness wasn't the point of the story but it was an important factor and was acknowledged throughout the entire book.  Chloe has good days and she has bad days with her illness and this felt real to me.  I'm sure that her experiences and symptoms are not the same as everyone that has fibromyalgia and that's okay.  I just feel like this book helped to shine a light (however big or small) on what life is like for individuals living with chronic illnesses.  And then we had a character like Red who was just perfection as well.  Red's got some major relationship issues thanks to a past relationship but that doesn't stop him from being just about the most adorable love interest that I've ever had the pleasure of reading about.  And the chemistry between these two was just complete perfection!  Okay, I'm going to get slightly spoiler-ey here so if you aren't here for that move on to next paragraph.  I do have to also say here how much I enjoyed the fact that the relationship between Chloe and Red developed naturally without any huge misunderstandings or angst.  Yes, there is a few blips here and there but they were minor looking back which just really fit my reading mood perfectly.  I enjoy an angsty romance when I'm in the right mood but I didn't feel like this book was that which I really appreciated (because apparently that is NOT what I wanted without even knowing it).

Overall, I read this one with a smile on my face which should tell you everything that you need to know.  I even found myself highlighting passages on my e-reader (which I hardly ever do) because the writing was just perfection.  It was the perfect blend of humor and adorableness all rolled into one really great book!  I'm really excited that this is my first book by Talia Hibbert because it won't be my last!  I actually already have one of her other books on my e-reader but then when I finished this one I realized that it was beginning a series.  AND I AM HERE FOR ALL OF THE BOOKS in this series!  Like seriously!  I cannot wait to see what else she comes up with next!  I would recommend this book to fans of romance, contemporary romance, rom com readers, and just those that enjoy a really adorable book with a nice steam factor.  An easy book for me to recommend!

Bottom Line:  A really great book that I couldn't help but enjoy from the very first page!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.  Honest thoughts are my own.