Can't Wait for A Debt of Honor

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.

A Debt of Honor (The Leighs, # 4)

By: MA Nichols

Expected Publication: February 27, 2024 by M.A. Nichols

pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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

Goodreads description--Can a marriage based on obligation become something meaningful?

Benjamin Leigh is at a crossroads. Having reached his majority, his parents expect him to do his duty and break the entail that keeps them from selling off bits of the family’s estate. Doing so would destroy his family’s legacy, but to deny his parents would bring their wrath down upon his head.

Bigger troubles arrive when Benjamin receives a letter from a dear schoolmaster, who was more a father figure than a teacher. On his deathbed, he begs Benjamin to provide for his beloved daughter, who hasn’t money or connections to protect her once he is gone.

Yet to do so would ruin her reputation.

Unless she is his wife.

Nan Price is stuck in a difficult situation. Whilst reeling from the death of her father, she finds herself turned out of the only home she’s ever known and barely able to feed herself, leaving her little choice when an old pupil of her father’s arrives and offers a marriage of convenience.

With their present in upheaval and their future in question, they return to Benjamin’s family’s home and his parents’ disapproval at his having married a girl of such low standing—and they will do anything to be rid of Nan and free their estate from the entail.

Can Benjamin remain strong against his parents’ machinations when their financial aid is the only thing keeping the young couple from the poor house? How will he provide for his wife without their support?

And how can two strangers learn to coexist when so much stands between them?

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

Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read in 2023

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's topic is Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read in 2023

1. Helen Scheuerer - Blood and Steel (Legends of Thezmarr, # 1)



2. Rebecca Yarros - This should probably be my number 1. I didn't rank them in order of preference. But these two books are in my top favorite of 2023.



3. Jennie Goutet - I read 9 books by Jennie Goutet this past year which is pretty phenomenal for a new-to-me author in one year. I read: A Yorkshire Carol (A Christmas Match, # 3 --review coming), An Amiable Foe, A Regrettable Proposal (Memorable Proposals, # 1 --review coming soon), A Faithful Proposal (Memorable Proposals, # 2 -- review coming soon), A Daring Proposal (Memorable Proposals, # 3 --review coming soon), A Fall from Grace (Clavering Chronicles, # 1), Philippa Holds Court (Clavering Chronicles, # 2), The Sport of Matchmaking (Clavering Chronicles, # 3 --review coming soon), & His Disinclined Bride (Seasons of Change, # 7)



4. MA Nichols - Read The Shameless Flirt (The Ashbrooks, # 2) & Flame and Ember (The Kingsleys, # 1 --review coming Thursday)

5. Katie Stone Stewart - I read Scotland's Melody and immediately hoped for a sequel.

6. Louie Giglio - We finished How Great is Our God and we are reading Indescribable now.

7. Jamie Erickson - I read Homeschool Bravely and LOVED it.

8. Libby Hubscher - Play for Me was much deeper and complex than I expected. I'll defintely check out more from her in the future.

9. Amanda Taylor - I read an Uncharted Devotion and was totally bummed to have missed her newest release Persuaded to the Sea when it was available on egalley. I'll get around to it eventually, I'm sure.



10. Nisha J Tuli - I read Trial of the Sun Queen & Rule of the Aurora King. These weren't perfect books for me, but I did read them quickly.

Which new-to-you authors did you read in 2023? Let me know!

Silver Dollar Duke - Review

Silver Dollar Duke (Hearts of Arizona, # 1)

By: Sally Britton

Publication: March 1, 2021 by Pink Citrus Books

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: YouTube Audiobooks

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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

Goodreads description--The last thing Dannie needs is a Victorian gentleman on her ranch, playing cowboy while she’s trying to save her family’s livelihood. Will high stakes and high emotions lead to heartbreak?

Evan Rounsevell, second son to the Marquess of Rothwell, is running as far from his family and responsibilities as he can. His fascination with cowboys takes him from English shores to the Arizona desert, but the days of showdowns are over, and Tombstone, Arizona, is a respectable town. With no funds left, and no desire to call on his affluent family for rescue, Evan seeks a position as a cowboy at a ranch on its last leg.

Daniella Bolton’s fiancé left when the drought of 1893 crippled the KB ranch, but that’s just fine by her. She doesn’t need a man to help her save her family’s land. Especially not an Englishman who looks down on her style of living, like Evan does. She loves her life on the ranch, and no outsider could ever understand what it means to be loyal to the land and her family’s way of life.

Being a cowboy is harder than Evan thought, but as he works to earn his place on the ranch, his heart opens up to the beauty of the desert… as well as that of Dannie Bolton. Watching Evan fight for the ranch she loves makes Dannie realize that not all men are afraid of hard work and troubled times, and loving Evan might be just the salve her wounded heart needs. But when Evan’s family summons him home right when Dannie needs him most, the feelings of betrayal from her former fiancé’s flight return tenfold.

Does Evan dare risk his tenuous relationship with Dannie to fulfil his family responsibilities? Or will leaving Arizona be the worst mistake of his life?

I've been blowing through Sally Britton's audiobooks on YouTube. And well, it was Silver Dollar Duke's turn. I wasn't sure about this series because westerns aren't usually my jam. My dad loves the old movies, but I guess they fell into the category of things I rebelled against. I don't think I hated them simply to rebel, but I can't be sure. Anyway, I've enjoyed Jody Hedlund's Colorado Cowboys series, so I thought I would give this a try. Honestly, I was a little disappointed.

Dannie has had to step up on her father's ranch since he had a heart attack a while back. Her mom passed away years ago, and her brothers are a big help in the physical labor department, but they don't know the ins and outs of running the ranch or the financial aspects of it. And Dannie is doubly protective after having nearly given herself away to a man who was only interested in the ranch. When Evan shows up looking for a wild west adventure, she can't be bothered to give him the time of day.

Evan has no interest in his birthright. It isn't much anyway. As a second son, the best he can expect is to live on and run an estate that essentially won't belong to him. His heart burns for adventure, and he's always longed to see the American wild west. He doesn't expect to stay long-term, and he definitely doesn't expect to fall in love with the daughter of the rancher he's employed under.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for me was that I wasn't in a position to listen to this audiobook at regular intervals. And I know that the longer it takes me to finish a book, the less my enthusiasm will be. While the writing was sound and what I would expect from Sally Britton, I just found that I couldn't connect to Dannie or Evan. The narrator was good, but maybe I'm partial to Jessica Elisa Boyd. Of course, her narration wouldn't have made as much sense given the accents of the Arizona west.

All in all, I might have to say that Silver Dollar Duke has been my least favorite Sally Britton book. I guess one book has to be the least favorite, right? Sorry Sally, it's not you. It's me. The wild west might always be a challenge for me. Although, I do intend to see if the next book, Copper for the Countess, will redeem the series for me or if I should count this series as a loss for my personal interests. Regardless, Silver Dollar Duke gets 3 Stars from me. Have you read (or listened to) Silver Dollar Duke? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday Post - 01/28/24

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.

Sunday we celebrated Baby Boy turning 3. It has essentially rained the entire last week. But this was a mostly normal week other than that. We did go to the library on Tuesday. The kids wanted to go to the park, but I knew they would end up with wet bottoms if they did. We did get groceries Tuesday too. Thursday afternoon we baked cupcakes. Little Girl loves to cook/bake etc. I'd promised her we would make them. And so we did. We ran out of time to make the frosting though, so we did that Friday morning. We also did normal school on Friday, and we had to go to a funeral after getting Baby Boy from school. Saturday, I was so sick of being stuck inside that I took the big kids to the store to buy new cleats for baseball/softball season. That's really it. I haven't been reading for two weeks because I've been devouring a Netflix show. I'm almost done with it so I'll get back to reading. Thankfully, I'm still ahead of schedule for the year's goals.

THE PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of Rocky Mountain Promise (Sisters of the Rockies, # 2) by Misty M Beller (4 Stars)
Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Didn't Get to in 2023
Wednesday: Can't Wait for The Outlaw Noble Salt by Amy Harmon
Thursday: 2024 Series Enders Reading Challenge - January Wrap Up
Friday: Homeschool Friday - The Adventures of Captain Underpants

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of Rocky Mountain Promise (Sisters of the Rockies, # 2) by Misty M Beller
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday?
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday?
Thursday: Review of Flame and Ember (The Kingsleys, # 1) by MA Nichols
Friday: Homeschool Friday?

Don’t forget to link up for the 2024 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15th, 2024 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:

No new books this week.

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!

Homeschool Friday - The Adventures of Captain Underpants

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

The Adventures of Captain Underpants (Captain Underpants, # 1)

By: Dav Pilkey

Publication: September 1, 1997

125 pages

Genre: Children's Fiction, Humor, Graphic Novels, Chapter Books, Comics

Source: Borrowed from the Elibrary

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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

Goodreads description--Pilkey plays with words and pictures, providing great entertainment. The story is immediately engaging—two fourth-grade boys who write comic books and love to pull pranks find themselves in big trouble. Mean Mr. Krupp, their principal, videotapes George and Harold setting up their stunts and threatens to expose them. The boys' luck changes when they send for a 3-D Hypno-Ring and hypnotize Krupp, turning him into Captain Underpants, their own superhero creation. Later, Pilkey includes several pages of flip-o-ramas that animate the action. The simple black-and-white illustrations on every page furnish comic-strip appeal. The cover features Captain Underpants, resplendent in white briefs, on top of a tall building. This book will fly off the shelves.

I'm trying my very best to get my 6-year-old son interested in reading. And if there's one thing I know about reading, it's that you just have to find the right book to get a reader interested. I got The Adventures of Captain Underpants on audio because I wanted to let him know that books that he will enjoy are out there. We listened to the entire book on one drive when we were headed to a field trip in another city. Both my daughter (8-years-old) and son were laughing. I do think the paperback version might have been even more interesting assuming it is written in a comic book style or has comic book style pages to reflect the comics written by the two main characters.

George and Harold are best friends. And they love to pull pranks. They also love to write and illustrate comics. But Harold and George are always getting in trouble at school. Specifically, their principal hates their comic books. When their principal catches them on video pulling a prank that will surely lead to their classmates taking revenge, they have to do whatever he says without getting in trouble at school or risk exposure. Only there's a twist, the boys find a ring that hypnotizes their principal turning him into Captain Underpants.

Obviously, this is not my personal brand of humor. But I'm willing to try almost anything--within reason--to get my son interested in reading. The Adventures of Captain Underpants is definitely right up his alley. I can see him coming back for more. The Adventures of Captain Underpants gets 4 Stars for keeping my kiddos entertained and laughing. Have you read (or listened) to The Adventures of Captain Underpants? What did you think? Let me know!