Sunday Post - 07/09/23

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

You guys, go over to Holly's site and wish her a happy birthday. She's going through one long reading drought. Tell her you miss her and bug her to get to reading already. We hadn't been planning to, but Monday we ended up going to Grammy's house to swim with Husband's sister, her husband, and their grandson. The big kids hung out over there until after dinner. Tuesday we went back over to Grammy's and the kids went swimming. We shot fireworks in honor of Pops that night. Wednesday, I had to run some errands, and the big kids went back to Grammy's again. Baby Boy threw up in the car during my errands so I kept him home with me. I think it was just car sickness. Little Girl gets carsick too. Thursday I took the kids to my parent's house to spend a few days with them. We'll get them today. I had an annual check up. Husband and I had a date night and actually took a day trip to the closest IKEA near us which is in Atlanta. Saturday I had lunch with a friend of mine, and then ran some more errands.

THE PAST WEEK:

Sunday: 2023 Series Enders Reading Challenge - June Wrap Up
Monday: Review of Love Unseen by Rachel Kelley Stones (4 Stars)
Tuesday: Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases Q3/Q4 2023
Wednesday: Can't Wait for A Queen of Thieves and Chaos (Fate & Flame, # 3) by KA Tucker

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of An Unwitting Alliance by Anneka Walker
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday?
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday?

Don’t forget to link up for the 2023 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15th, 2023 to sign up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

NEW BOOKS:

The Sport of Matchmaking (Clavering Chronicles, # 3)

By: Jennie Goutet

Publication: May 17, 2022

268 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: YouTube Audiobook

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--For once, he has met a lady less inclined to marry than he is. How unfortunate that she is the only bride he will consider.

George Clavering is much too young to think about getting married. Yes, his older brother—and even his younger sister—have managed to tie the knot, but he has plenty more years of play and sporting events ahead of him before he need consider such a thing. Even matchmaking becomes a sport when gentlemen bet on the Season’s successes or failures in the club. He will not give them an opportunity to bet on him. Furthermore, why settle down when there are young women like Lady Alice who liven the sport of matchmaking with friendly wagers?

Lady Alice St. Clair is the fifth daughter of the Duke of Carr, and as she is independently wealthy and may do as she pleases, she has no reason to wed. She certainly has no intention of doing so. If the marriage mart offers nothing more than the unattractive boors who have presented themselves at her door for the past five seasons, it should hardly surprise her parents she cannot be persuaded to the altar. True, George Clavering has a full head of dark hair and a smile that is as mischievous as it is attractive, but no lady of character would change her mind for one above-average specimen of the male race.

For both, what began as a friendly bet between two bored guests at a ball turned into an earnest desire to help their protégés find happiness. And if some deeper feelings should stir in George to win Alice’s heart, then he has no choice but to dampen them. After all, Lady Alice has sworn she will not marry, and George has applauded her decision. For him to try to weaken her resolve now would be…unsportsmanlike.

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

June 2023 EOM Wrap Up

I read 6 books (not including children's books). *These qualify for the 2023 Series Enders Reading Challenge.
Silver Dollar Duke (Hearts of Arizona, # 1) by Sally Britton
*Never Wager with a Wallflower (The Merriwell Sisters, # 3) by Virigina Heath
An Aimable Foe by Jennie Goutet
The Shameless Flirt (The Ashbrooks, # 2) by MA Nichols
His Disinclined Bride (Seasons of Change, # 7) by Jennie Goutet
An Unwitting Alliance (Matchmaking Mamas, # 2) by Anneka Walker

I have reviewed 4 books. *These qualify for the 2023 Series Enders Reading Challenge.
Mr. Gardiner and the Governess (Claivoir Castle Romance, # 1) by Sally Britton
Borrow My Heart (Borrow My Heart, # 1) by Kasie West
Play for Me by Libby Hubscher
Love Unseen by Rachel Kelley Stones

Other Posts:
Sunday Post - 06/04/23
Sunday Post - 06/11/23
Sunday Post - 06/18/23
Sunday Post - 06/25/23
Top Ten Summer 2023 TBR List
Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases of Q3/Q4 2023
Can't Wait for Pixels and Paint (Trinket Sisters, # 1) by Kristi Ann Hunter
Can't Wait for Light Bringer (Red Rising, # 6) by Pierce Brown
Can't Wait for A Queen of Thieves and Chaos (Fate & Flames, # 3) by KA Tucker
2023 Series Enders Reading Challenge - June Wrap Up
April & May 2023 EOM Wrap Up

Goals:
I'm about 12 days ahead on my Bible-in-a-year plan.
I've read 41 out of 52 books (not including children's books).
I've read 3 out of 5-10 series enders.

Can't Wait for The Queen's Crown

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

The Queen's Crown (Leauge of Rulers, # 1)

By: Jennifer Anne Davis

Expected Publication: September 19, 2023

? pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Eighteen-year-old Princess Sabine Ludwig of Backley thought her biggest problem was finding a man remotely interesting to dabble with while trying to fill her days with something other than knitting or drinking tea. But when her dear sister is brutally murdered in a foreign kingdom a week before she’s to be married, Sabine suddenly wishes for boring, ordinary days again.

Seeking retribution, Sabine decides to take her sister’s place and marry the mysterious king of Lynk. It’s the only way she can hunt down and find the killer. It’s the only way she can get revenge. When she finds the king far more appealing than she’d intended, it becomes difficult to keep her wits about her and remember why she’s there.

Thrown into a world of lies, power struggles, and seduction, Sabine must learn to navigate through the foreign kingdom’s dangerous court as she seeks her sister’s killer. The closer she gets to discovering who it is, the more she questions who she can trust—including herself.

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

An Unwitting Alliance - Review

An Unwitting Alliance (Matchmaking Mamas, # 2)

By: Anneka R Walker

Expected Publication: July 10, 2023

272 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Cassandra Vail has but one objective at the Kellens’ ball: she must secure a proposal from her eminently suitable suitor. Instead, she finds her best-laid plans thwarted by another man―the handsome and thoroughly vexing Mr. Harwood. Thanks to his meddling, Cassandra is faced with an unthinkable consequence: her parents take matters into their own hands and betroth her to a complete stranger.

Tom Harwood meant only to deter a debutante from pursuing his friend. He wasn’t supposed to be entranced by her. He certainly wasn’t supposed to flirt with her. And he especially wasn’t supposed to engage the wrong woman entirely. To make matters worse, he’s offended Cassandra and before he has the opportunity to make amends, he finds himself the latest unwitting victim of the meddlesome Matchmaking Mamas. His parents have signed a contract for his hand in marriage, and it seems his mysterious betrothed is as opposed to the union as he is.

When the reluctant couple finally meets, they are shocked to realize they are not strangers after all. Can one miserable beginning be overcome, or has their future ended before it even begins?

I really enjoyed Bargaining for the Barrister. The idea of arranged marriages pulls me in every single time. And my favorite way these stories play out is when the characters come to love each other despite their relationship beginning in the most unromantic ways. I knew I would want to read more of this series where a group of mamas determine to find matches for their children who are equally determined not to marry.

This go-round is for Tom out of the group of friends, or rebels as they call themselves. Tom and Cassandra meet at a ball. I loved their unorthodox meeting. Tom is enlisted to keep a determined lady from bothering his friend, and he asks her to dance without receiving an introduction by claiming they have been introduced before only Cassandra must not remember. He handles the dance in such a fun-hearted way that is Tom's way. Only things don't end so well for Cassandra. She injures her ankle and loses the opportunity to be proposed to be a man she's had her eye on for weeks. Tom is determined to apologize to her, but he doesn't know her name. What a surprise to find that Cassandra is the lady his mother has determined should be his future bride!

Cassandra is angry at Tom. He embarrassed her. And he ruined her chances to make a match. Despite everything, she is determined to find a match of her own making. So little choice is given to women of this time, and Cassandra wants the right to choose. But she also knows that she needs to marry to relieve the financial burden she places upon her parents and their growing number of children. She and Tom form an uneasy alliance to get the engagement broken by their parents. The only trouble is that Tom starts to realize that he doesn't want to the engagement to be broken.

Cassandra's family was easy to fall in love with. And my heart broke for Tom's past and his brother that passed away. Her family is so foreign to him. But where he was once overwhelmed upon meeting them all, he comes to care for each of the members of her family and doesn't want to lose them either.

There's more to the story than all this, but I wouldn't want to ruin it for anyone interested in checking it out. I will only say that I wasn't disappointed, and I read it very quickly.

Favorite quotes:

-Love has many languages, but sarcasm is not one of them.

-"Forgive me. It sounds foolish, but I sometimes forget how to breathe when my emotions get the better of me."

I find that this can sometimes happen to me too.

-It was not every day a person realized he wanted to marry at the same time he realized who he wanted to marry.

-"I hate him." Megan's mouth dropped. "No you don't." "Then, I hate that I love him."

An Unwitting Alliance was enjoyable all around. I love the side characters from the previous book still. I loved the new side characters. It was easy to root for Tom and Cassandra. Feeling what they feel and wanting what they want for themselves even with that conflicts with what they used to want or think they want. I really enjoyed every part of this story. An Unwitting Alliance gets 4 Stars. Have you read An Unwitting Alliance? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday Post - 07/02/23

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Somehow Mondays just seem to get blocked from my memory. I think that's because those are usually normal days where we don't do anything out of the normal. Tuesday I took the kids to exchange library books and play at the park. Wednesday was grocery pickup day. Thursday my mom came to visit with us. We went for a walk and went swimming. Baby Boy loved having her in the pool with him, and that freed me up to be more available for the big kids. They love to do tricks and try to swim to the bottom of the deep end, but they prefer me to be close by, and I prefer that too. Friday I think was a normal day too. Saturday, Husband was able to be available with us through most of the day and that was really nice. Usually, he has some kind of house/yard chore that needs doing on the weekends.

THE PAST WEEK:

Sunday: 2023 Series Enders Reading Challenge - June Wrap Up
Monday: Review of Love Unseen by Rachel Kelley Stones (4 Stars)
Tuesday: Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases Q3/Q4 2023
Wednesday: Can't Wait for A Queen of Thieves and Chaos (Fate & Flame, # 3) by KA Tucker

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of An Unwitting Alliance by Anneka Walker
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday?
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday?

Don’t forget to link up for the 2023 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15th, 2023 to sign up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

NEW BOOKS:

Pixels and Paint (Trinket Sisters, # 1)

By: Kristi Ann Hunter

Expected Publication: July 1, 2023

362 pages

Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--For Emma Trinket, life is a delicate balancing act between loving her family and pursuing interests they don’t understand. When the opportunity arises to finally impress them with her job as a computer programmer, she jumps at it even if it means immersing herself in a world she’s despised since childhood. Unfortunately the one man who could crush her prospects is also the best person to help her navigate the lessons she needs to be a success. Artistic expression is both Carter Anderson’s safe space and his livelihood, but his fading inspiration has him worried about his place in life. His encounters with Emma spark a passion to create that he hasn’t felt in years and he isn’t ready to let go of his new muse even if she’s threatening the sanctity of his art world with her digital technologies. As each tries to gain an advantage from the other, Emma and Carter discover they actually might be more compatible than they thought. Will that be enough to unify their opposing missions or will the real differences between pixels and paint tear them apart?

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!