Can't Wait for Cast in Firelight

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.

Cast in Firelight (Wickery, # 1)

By: Dana Swift

Expected Publication: January 19th 2021 by Delacorte Press

448 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

( 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--The first book in an epic, heart-pounding fantasy duology about two royal heirs betrothed to be married, but whose loyalties are torn, and a ruthless enemy who threatens their world, perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Hafsah Faizal, and Renée Ahdieh.

Adraa is the royal heir of Belwar, a talented witch on the cusp of taking her royal ceremony test, and a girl who just wants to prove her worth to her people.

Jatin is the royal heir to Naupure, a competitive wizard who's mastered all nine colors of magic, and a boy anxious to return home for the first time since he was a child.

Together, their arranged marriage will unite two of Wickery's most powerful kingdoms. But after years of rivalry from afar, Adraa and Jatin only agree on one thing: their reunion will be anything but sweet.

Only, destiny has other plans and with the criminal underbelly of Belwar suddenly making a move for control, their paths cross...and neither realizes who the other is, adopting separate secret identities instead.

Between dodging deathly spells and keeping their true selves hidden, the pair must learn to put their trust in the other if either is to uncover the real threat. Now Wickery's fate is in the hands of rivals..? Fiancées..? Partners..? Whatever they are, it's complicated and bound for greatness or destruction.

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

The Knockout - Review

The Knockout

By: Sajni Patel

Publication: January 26th 2021 by Flux

360 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (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--A rising star in Muay Thai figures out what (and who) is worth fighting for in this #ownvoices YA debut full of heart.

If seventeen-year-old Kareena Thakkar is going to alienate herself from the entire Indian community, she might as well do it gloriously. She’s landed the chance of a lifetime, an invitation to the US Muay Thai Open, which could lead to a spot on the first-ever Olympic team. If only her sport wasn’t seen as something too rough for girls, something she’s afraid to share with anyone outside of her family. Despite pleasing her parents, exceling at school, and making plans to get her family out of debt, Kareena’s never felt quite Indian enough, and her training is only making it worse.

Which is inconvenient, since she’s starting to fall for Amit Patel, who just might be the world’s most perfect Indian. Admitting her feelings for Amit will cost Kareena more than just her pride–she’ll have to face his parents’ disapproval, battle her own insecurities, and remain focused for the big fight. Kareena’s bid for the Olympics could very well make history–if she has the courage to go for it.

I read The Trouble With Hating You by Sajni Patel in the spring and knew that I wanted to check out more by her. I was honestly on the fence about The Knockout at first though. I took martial arts in high school and would love to continue if I had time, but it just wasn't a priority for me. But even still, I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy a book where Muy Thai took such a prominent place in the story. And being an Olympic hopeful just added to my indecision. I'm always torn between wanting the characters to shoot for the stars and aim for the best (Ivy league schools are another example) and knowing how very few people make it to these levels. It's a balancing act between wanting the characters to aim high and also wanting a character that is relatable. And to be frank, sometimes overachievers are unlikeable. Anyway, I decided to pick it up, and I really enjoyed it.

Kareena has a lot on her plate. She's been accepted to the US Muy Thai Open which leads to other opportunities if she does well. This is a high-level performance. I don't think I could handle the pressure personally. Her family fully supports her, but her father is struggling with health problems. He's bordering on kidney failure, and the medical bills to take care of him have been stacking up. Kareena isn't sure how she's going to pay for the fees and equipment needed for the Open. She's also dealing with high school drama. She and a friend are on the outs over a boy they both liked. Another "friend" is talking trash about her. And she's got a boy showing her attention that she just can't deny even though she shouldn't have time to focus on a relationship, and she's not allowed to date anyway. I liked her. She's fighting to allow her opinion of herself to come out on top of the opinions others have of her.

Amit seems to have had a crush on Kareena for a while. He needs tutoring in programming and Kareena is chosen to help him out. Only he doesn't really need help considering he's pretty much a programming genius and has been working for his uncle's company on some top-secret program that will change the entire medical field. I wish what his program was intended to do was spelled out a little more just for curiosity's sake, but it wasn't necessary to know the details for the story's purposes. Amit isn't allowed to date either, and his parents don't exactly approve of Kareena's choice of extracurricular activity--Muy Thai.

I liked that Kareena and Amit kept their relationship clean. These days teenagers seem to be racing toward sexual experience. Obviously, that makes The Knockout much more YA (which it's labeled as) than The Trouble with Hating You (which is an adult book with adult situations and content). But I always appreciate clean romances personally. I also appreciated a further dive into the cultural aspects of The Knockout.

The Knockout gets 4 Stars. Have you read The Knockout? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday Post & Stacking the Shelves - 1/10/21

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.

The kids spent the night with my mom Sunday night and Monday night. Husband and I had a date night Sunday night. Then Monday I went into nesting mode big time. I got the Christmas tree down and put away along with any last remaining decorations. I got the high chair, bouncer, and diaper genie out of storage and cleaned them up. I washed all the laundry including all of our old swaddles, burp cloths, and 0-3 months clothing. I went through my son's closet to reorganize and pull out anything that would be useful for a newborn. I cleaned my daughter's room. Put all of the toys and books back where they go. Tuesday, I cleaned bathrooms and vacuumed the whole house. I also photographed a good bit of clothes and things to list on PoshMark and eBay and worked on listing those. Emptied the basket for the pool and worked on some computer stuff. Tuesday night the kids were back home, and Wednesday was back to school. Thursday I had a doctor's appointment so we went to my mom's to spend the day. Friday while the kids were at school we met with our builder and architect to discuss the changes we're looking at making to the house. And Saturday was a lazy kind of day. Our temperatures were down in the high 30s and low 40s so we didn't venture outside. I did have to run to the grocery store and post office though. I can't believe we only have 11 days left until # 3 gets here (unless he decides to come sooner). I'm trying to read where and when I can because I know my reading and blogging time will slow down soon. Also, I'm planning to take a break for the entire month of February. I do have some post scheduled for January even though I will have given birth before the end, but I probably won't be active at all during that time.

THE PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of You Have a Match by Emma Lord (4 Stars)
Tuesday: Top Ten Most Anticipated Books of Q1/Q2 2021
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Shipped by Angie Hockman
Thursday: Review of Cowboy for Keeps (Colorado Cowboys, # 1) by Jody Hedlund
Friday: 2021 Series Enders Reading Challenge - Goals

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of The Knockout by Sajni Patel
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday?
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday
Thursday: Review of Dreams of Savannah by Roseanna M White
Friday: 2020 EOY Book Survey

Don’t forget to link up for the 2021 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15th, 2021 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!

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Isabelle and Alexander

By: Rebecca Anderson

Expected Publication: May 4th 2021 by Shadow Mountain

368 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--London, 1850

Isabelle Rackham knows she will not marry for love. Though arranged marriages have fallen out of fashion, hers has been settled for some time to combine the upper-middle-class wealth of her father’s coal mines with Alexander Osgood’s prospering Northern country textile mills. Though not a man prone to romantic gestures, Alexander is well-known as an eligible bachelor. His good looks have turned more than one head, so Isabelle is content to think of herself as Alexander’s wife.

However, her marriage is not what she expected. Northern England is nothing like her home farther west in the lake country. Cold, dreary, and dark, the soot from the textile mills creates a gray hue that seems to cling to everything in the city of Manchester. Alexander is distant and aloof, preferring to spend his time at the mill rather than with her at home. Their few conversations are brief, polite, and lacking any emotion, leaving Isabelle lonely and desperately homesick.

Sensing his wife’s unhappiness, Alexander suggests a trip to his country estate. Isabelle hopes this will be an opportunity to get to know her new husband without the distractions of his business. But the change of scenery doesn’t bring them any closer. While riding together on horses, Alexander is thrown from his and becomes paralyzed. Tragedy or destiny? The help and care that Alexander now needs is Isabelle’s opportunity to forge a connection and create a deep and romantic love where nothing else could.

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!

2021 Series Enders Reading Challenge - Goals

This challenge is for all of you series readers who are scared to death of that last book in the series. You anxiously await it. You stalk it. You get your hands on it as soon as possible. But then…you put off reading it for fear that it might not be everything you thought it would be. Or, maybe you just have a backlog of series started and you need to finish that last book.

Join us in knocking out those pesky last books in a series. This is your chance. Here’s your motivation. Better than that, we have prizes!

Levels: (how many series enders you are planning to read)

Level 1: 1 – 5
Level 2: 5 – 10
Level 3: 10 – 15
Level 4: 15+

Check out the the sign up post to join!

This challenge is hosted by Somewhere Only We Know and Words Fueled by Love.

<a href="https://sandyfarmer.blogspot.com/2020/12/2021-series-enders-reading-challenge.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKdSWwt222EgHdMO5lwLMyAUUmFmf-MQs5ly53mkc1U0qHxhbyv-k72Ebj5ew4vmfwanDSKQRCU6AmCPeXoQH-6vK7SQru47QdhpyEjK7HIBpay5u5lMNKP-zBuwJePqNKc2Pkbua2TSWU/s320/2021SeriesEndersChallenge.png" height="225" width="225" /></a>

My Goals:

1. Finale (Hush, Hush, # 4) by Becca Fitzpatrick
2. Unforgiven (Fallen, # 4) by Lauren Kate
3. Ruin & Rising (The Grisha, # 3) by Leigh Bardugo
4. Brave (Contours of the Heart, # 4) by Tammara Webber
5. End of Days (Penryn & the End of Days, # 3) by Susan Ee
6. Inspiring You (Unraveling You, # 4) by Jessica Sorensen
7. Emerald Green (The Ruby Red Trilogy, # 3) by Kerstin Gier
8. Sempre: Redemption (Sempre, # 2) by JM Darhower
9. Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass, # 7) by Sarah J Maas
10. Almost a Bride (The Bride Ships, # 4) by Jody Hedlund
11. Game Changer (The Field Party, # 6) by Abbi Glines
12. The Prince of Spies (Hope and Glory, # 3) by Elizabeth Camden
13. The Indebted Earl (Serendipity & Secrets, # 3) by Erica Vetsch
14. A Proper Scoundrel (Proper, # 3) by Esther Hatch

Of course, I likely won't get to some of these (a few of them have been on my goals list for the last seven years), or I'll come across a new/new-to-me series that I read the entire series during 2021. My real goal is level 2. These are just the enders on my radar right now.

A Cowboy for Keeps - Review

A Cowboy for Keeps (Colorado Cowboys, # 1)

By: Jody Hedlund

Publication: January 5th 2021 by Bethany House Publishers

384 pages

Genre: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adult

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--Greta Nilsson's trip west to save her ailing little sister, Astrid, could not have gone more wrong. First, bandits hold up her stagecoach, stealing all her money. Then, upon arriving in Fairplay, Colorado, she learns the man she was betrothed to as a mail-order bride has died. Homeless, penniless, and jobless, Greta and her sister are worse off than when they started.

Wyatt McQuaid is struggling to get his new ranch up and running and is in town to purchase cattle when the mayor proposes the most unlikely of bargains. He'll invest in a herd of cattle for Wyatt's ranch if Wyatt agrees to help the town become more respectable by marrying and starting a family. And the mayor, who has promised to try to help Greta, has just the candidate in mind for Wyatt to marry.

I just love marriages of convenience. I can't seem to get enough of them. I love seeing two characters make a decision to commit to something before feelings are involved and then work towards finding a way to develop those feelings. Logic usually ties the two together in the beginning, something they both get out of the agreement, and then the process of them working together towards a common goal and learning about each other brings about the feelings and emotions one would hope to be involved in marriage. Well A Cowboy for Keeps was right up my alley.

Greta is the only one left to take care of her little sister. Her mother and father have both passed away, and her brothers have married and have families of their own. Astrid suffers from consumption and her medical needs have become a burden to her brothers' families. Greta is encouraged to marry and take Astrid with her when she does. That being said, Greta has heard that the mountain air out in Colorado is good for consumption, and she accepts a mail order bride offer from a nice middle-aged man in Colorado. The only problem is, when she shows up in the town he's from, it appears he's died leaving her in a worse position than she was in before. The mining town offers nothing for a single woman except work that Greta isn't willing to take.

Wyatt left his family in hopes of striking gold, but when mining didn't turn up much luck for him, he switched to ranching. His goal is to bring his mother and siblings to his ranch once he gets it established to get them away from his abusive stepfather. The only problem is that Wyatt is struggling and using every spare penny to invest back into the ranch. He needs an investor and finds the potential for one in the town mayor. The only trouble is, the Mayor needs to convince his city-wife that the town is turning from a manly-mining town into a civilized, family-oriented place. So the Mayor seizes the opportunity of Greta being a single woman in need of a husband and Wyatt needing an investor and himself needing a family town to make an agreement. Wyatt will marry Greta and get his cattle.

Of course, things aren't all that simple. Wyatt gives Greta a three-month window for them to get to know each other before they decide whether to continue their arrangement or to split ways. Astrid isn't getting better. And the entire purpose of coming to Colorado was to help Astrid. Wyatt has an enemy in a neighbor and fellow cattle rancher. The nature of their arrangement hasn't been fully spelled out to Greta (even though she would have accepted it either way). And more issues that would be spoilers to mention.

I've read Jody Hedlund before and enjoyed her books and this one was no different. I finished it basically within a day, and I was left wanting more. The last chapter gives you an idea of the direction for the other books in the series, and I am certainly interested in them and will be stalking her to find out information on future releases. A Cowboy for Keeps had characters I liked and was happy to root for, a conflict that was a little predictable but not in a bad way, and a relationship of convenience which I happen to love. A Cowboy for Keeps gets 4 Stars. Have you read A Cowboy for Keeps? What did you think? Let me know!