Sunday Post - 05/01/22

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.

I've been getting a lot of painting done at the house during Baby Boy's naps this week. On Tuesday, Little Boy told me his ear was hurting and he couldn't hear well. After having the flu last week, I figured that was the perfect storm for an ear infection. Baby Boy had a wellness check up scheduled for Thursday so I called the doctor to see if I could bring Little Boy in at the same time and they said yes. So Thursday we ran to the doctor. Both boys have ear infections. Baby Boy's was lingering from before so we switched antibiotics. He's in the top 3% for height and is average for weight. I stopped by the pharmacy on the way home to drop off their prescriptions. Then got good behavior treats and gas in my car. When I got home my parents were right behind us. We'd gotten our windows replaced last week so my dad was coming by to get back to work on our house. My mom ended up watching the kids for me so I could go to field day for Little Girl. That's the first event I've been able to go to for her class. I dropped her off at the house and ran back to the pharmacy to pick up the medicine. Friday I ran to get groceries after taking the kids to school, and my dad came back to work on the house. He got the big window in our living room framed out. It looks so good. Saturday, we went to my niece's wedding. And then came home and crashed. I finally got a little reading done without falling asleep. I'm just so tired these days.

THE PAST WEEK:

Monday: 2022 Series Enders Reading Challenge - April Wrap Up
Thursday: Review of Manor for Sale, Baron Included by Esther Hatch (4.5 Stars)

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: April EOM Wrap Up
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday?
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday
Saturday: Review of Games in a Ballroom by Jentry Flint

Don’t forget to link up for the 2022 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15th, 2022 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!

Manor for Sale, Baron Included - Review

Manor for Sale, Baron Included (A Romance of Rank, # 1)

By: Esther Hatch

Publication: February 25th 2021

247 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( 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--She has everything Lord Farnsworth wants, including his manor.

Lord Farnsworth would rather rot in debtor’s prison than sell the one place that feels like home to him—his mother’s manor. That is, until he meets the woman who wants to buy it. Sally Duncan is beautiful, intelligent, and as rich as a baron—a rich baron, not a cash-strapped one like Lord Farnsworth. She’s the solution to every one of his financial problems and is bewitching to boot. All he needs to do is sell her his beloved manor and then charm her to the altar, and the manor will be his again. Simple, right?

But nothing is simple when Sally starts tearing apart his ancestral home and renovating it in a way no one would consider tasteful. She is wreaking havoc on everything, but he cannot give up on owning his mother’s estate again, nor can he imagine anyone but Sally as his wife.

And so he sticks with his plan.

What a horrible mistake.

I have really become a fan of Esther Hatch. I didn't remember until going back to re-read some of my reviews from 2021 that A Proper Scoundrel made me laugh. That was one of the best things about Manor for Sale, Baron Included. I mean who sells a house and a Baron comes along with it. What's really happening is that Lord Farnsworth just can't bear to let go of the home where he spent the most time with his mother. But the finances he inherited from his father have him in the red and something has got to go. He hatches a scheme to sell the manor and get the lady who buys it to agree to marry him so that he can once again possess the home.

Bless her! Who wouldn't be upset when buying a home and the former owner just won't leave. Sally has her mind set on one thing. She wants to establish a home where her sister Victoria can flourish, unlike the stuffy townhome they all lived in back in London. Victoria is in a wheelchair, so the home Sally purchased will need some renovations to make it accessible for Victoria. Only the former owner just won't go away. Sally taunts him with the changes she plans to make and the two exchange a series of funny gifts.

Johnathan was intrigued by Sally upon their first meeting. Of course, Sally had something that he wanted--his house--but more than that he caught a glimpse of someone he might share his life with. And he goes about pursuing her and that end with fervor. Sally doesn't even see Johnathan as anything but a nuisance until she witnesses his interactions with her sister. And even then, he's still not consciously on her radar romantically. It takes some winning over for her to see otherwise.

This book was funny, but it was deeper and more complex than I expected. Each character has a developed backstory that lends depth to them. Sally is independent. She was chosen by her grandfather to be his heir, a decision her father didn't understand. She wasn't a boy. She doesn't want to be in a position of having her husband disappointed if she only provides daughters instead of heirs. And she wants to see her sister settled and taken care of. Johnathan grew up in a family where his parents were mostly separated after he was born. And he essentially only saw his mother in the winter of each year. He has inherited the barony but it's bleeding money, and he needs to find a way to lower the rent for his tenant farmers, not raise it.

My favorite quotes mostly revolved around the squirrel (IYKYK), but I'll only include two of those:

-And he still hadn't been offered any tea. He had brought her a perfectly good squirrel; the least she could do was offer him some tea.

-The squirrel had been a mistake. Never bring a young woman a squirrel. Young ladies liked flowers and sweetmeats, not wild game.

Manor for Sale, Baron Included was exactly what I've come to expect from Esther Hatch. Delicious. I loved the well-developed characters--even the secondary characters. I rooted for the relationship. I devoured the pages. I laughed and smiled like a lunatic. And I can't wait for more. Manor for Sale, Baron Included gets 4.5 Stars. Have you read Manor for Sale, Baron Included? What did you think? Let me know!

2022 Series Enders Reading Challenge - April Wrap Up

Time for our Monthly Wrap Up for the 2022 Series Enders Reading Challenge hosted by Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know and Holly @ Words Fueled by Love!

Neither Sandy nor Holly has finished any series enders this month.

Which series enders did you finish? Link the up below. Don't forget to include the title, your name, & your blog name (Ex: Requiem - Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know) Also, the April giveaway runs from April 25th - May 25th. On May 25th we will use random.org and the linky entries to pull a grand prize winner.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Sunday Post - 04/24/22

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.

So much has happened this month. We finally moved home Friday the 8th from my parent's house. Husband also scheduled months ago for his friend from Japan to come visit on the same day and spend the weekend with us. It was terrible timing as far as not having a nice cozy place for him to come visit. He ended up sleeping on an air mattress in Husband's office. The kids swarmed him and pulled him into all kinds of games and outdoor play over the weekend. Bless him, he rolled with all of it. He even helped my dad install our barn doors on the following Monday. Unfortunately, my dad also hurt his back that same day. I'm so thankful that he didn't hurt it worse. He's gone to the chiropractor several times over the last two weeks and that has helped a lot. His chiropractor told him that he was very near rupturing a disc. And I'm so thankful it didn't get that far. Needless to say, he's taken a break from working on our house, which is just fine as much of the remaining work is painting and cosmetic. My daughter had an e-Learning day on Good Friday and Husband had off work. So we'd scheduled months ago a trip to visit my sister in Gulf Shores. We went down Friday and spent the night and returned home Saturday in time to eat a quick dinner and go dye Easter eggs at Grammy's house (a tradition). That same Friday Baby Boy woke up with a runny nose. He was clingy all weekend. I started to feel crummy on Sunday as well. But we went to church and had Easter lunch with Grammy. It was raining outside so the kids had to hunt eggs inside. Sunday evening, Little Girl started running a fever. She stayed home from school on Monday and ran fever off and on all day. We kept her home Tuesday even though she wasn't running a fever. Little Boy started up running a fever and barely got out of bed all day. I took Baby Boy and Little Boy to the doctor on Wednesday. Baby Boy has another ear infection (or likely his prior one never fully healed) and an upper respiratory infection. Little Boy tested positive for Flu A. That's probably what Little Girl had too but she was well enough to go to school Wednesday which worked out because she had a field trip to the zoo on Wednesday. I was sad because I was planning to take the boys and meet her at the zoo, but that didn't work out. I haven't gotten to go on any of her school field trips, but I remind myself that if she'd started kindergarden last year then she likely wouldn't have had any field trips at all. Thursday Little Girl came home from school coughing a ton and running a fever again so I think she might have gone back a little too soon. I decided to keep both big kids out of school on Friday. Saturday, Little Girl had a softball tournament. Her team lost both of their games so they got kicked out of the tournament pretty early. But she finally got a base hit in a game after a streak of striking out. And I literally cried because I knew how much she's been wanting to get a good hit.

THE PAST THREE WEEKS:

Monday 4/4: Review of Always Jane by Jenn Bennett (3.5 Stars)
Wednesday 4/5: Can't Wait for Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
Monday 4/11: Review of Enchanting the Heiress (Hearts on the Heath, # 3) by Kristi Ann Hunter (4 Stars)
Thursday 4/21: Review of My Sister's Big Fat Indian Wedding by Sajni Patel (4 Stars)

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: 2022 Series Enders Reading Challenge - April Wrap Up
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday?
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday
Saturday: April EOM Wrap Up

Don’t forget to link up for the 2022 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15th, 2022 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:

Edward and Amelia

By: Karen Thornell

Expected Publication: June 6th 2022 by Covenant Communications

? pages

Genre: 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--The last thing Amelia Kennington wants is to participate in the London Season. But the daughter of a duke is not afforded such opinions. She must put forth a subdued facade, but beneath it is a well-hidden fire that surfaces only when provoked—such as when an overly familiar gentleman startles her and she falls into the Serpentine.

Edward Drayton, the Earl of Norwich, has gained a reputation as Society’s most decorated rake. And while there are benefits to such a reputation, it no longer gives him the satisfaction it once did. This Season, he plans to find a wife—except she seems to find him instead. And she is nothing like he expected.

Scandal is inevitable following Edward and Amelia’s ill-conceived meeting, forcing them to marry. Amelia’s disdain for this man she hardly knows is more than clear, and Edward’s pride is wounded before their marriage has even truly begun. Yet, against all odds, the two slowly let their guard down, discovering the truth of who they married. But when Society gossip, a sister’s jealousy, and long-held secrets threaten their budding relationship, the unlikely couple must determine if their unconventional love is strong enough to withstand the opposition they face.

Beyond Boundaries: Learning to Trust Again in Relationships

By: John Townsend

Publication: October 31st 2012 by Zondervan (first published September 25th 2011)

272 pages

Genre: Non-fiction, Self-Help, Christian

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( 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--For when your trust has been broken: discover how to set firm boundaries again, how to connect deeply without being hurt, and how to safely grow your most intimate relationships.

Painful relationships violate our trust, causing us to close our hearts. But to experience the freedom and love God designed us for, we eventually have to take another risk.

In this breakthrough book, bestselling author Dr. John Townsend takes you beyond the pain of the past to discover how to re-enter a life of intimate relationships. Whether you're trying to restore a current relationship or begin a new one, Townsend gives practical tools for establishing trust and finding the intimacy you long for.

Beyond Boundaries will help you:

Reinstate closeness appropriately with someone who broke your trust
Discern when true change has occurred
Reestablish appropriate connections in strained relationships
Create a safe environment that helps you trust
Restore former relationships to a healthy dynamic
Learn to engage and be vulnerable in a new relationship as well
You can move past relational pain to trust again. Beyond Boundaries will show you how.

Plus, dig even deeper into relational healing with the coordinating video study and study guide. Spanish edition also available.

Never Rescue a Rogue (The Merriwell Sisters, # 2)

By: Virginia Heath

Expected Publication: November 8th 2022 by St. Martin's Griffin

368 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Regency, Romance

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--Virginia Heath’s Never Rescue a Rogue, the next book in the Merriwell Sisters series, is filled with whip-smart banter, swoony romance, hilarious mishaps, and twisty reveals that will make you gasp and laugh in delight.

Diana Merriwell and Giles Sinclair only tolerate one another for the sake of their nearest and dearest. Everyone believes that the two of them are meant to be together, but Diana and Giles know that their constant pithy barbs come from a shared disdain—not a hidden attraction. Diana loves the freedom of working at the newspaper too much to give it up for marriage, and Giles is happily married to his bachelor lifestyle. But they do have one thing in common—the secrets they can’t risk escaping.

When Giles’ father, the curmudgeonly Duke of Harpenden unexpectedly turns up his toes, it’s only a matter of time before someone comes crawling out of the woodwork who knows the true circumstances of his only son's birth. As the threat of blackmail becomes real, Giles must uncover the truth of his parentage first, or else he and all those who depend upon him will be ruined—and dogged bloodhound Diana is his best hope at sniffing out the truth. As Giles and Diana dive into his family’s past, the attraction that the two of them insisted wasn’t there proves impossible to ignore. Soon, the future of the Sinclair estate isn’t the only thing on the line…

Crescent City (House of Earth and Blood, # 1)

By: Sarah J Maas

Publication: March 3rd 2020 by Bloomsbury Publishing

648 pages

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy

Source: Borrowed from the e-Library

( 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--Half-Fae, half-human Bryce Quinlan loves her life. By day, she works for an antiquities dealer, selling barely legal magical artifacts, and by night, she parties with her friends, savouring every pleasure Lunathion—otherwise known as Crescent City— has to offer. But it all comes crumbling down when a ruthless murder shakes the very foundations of the city—and Bryce’s world.

Two years later, her job has become a dead end, and she now seeks only blissful oblivion in the city’s most notorious nightclubs. But when the murderer attacks again, Bryce finds herself dragged into the investigation and paired with an infamous Fallen angel whose own brutal past haunts his every step.

Hunt Athalar, personal assassin for the Archangels, wants nothing to do with Bryce Quinlan, despite being ordered to protect her. She stands for everything he once rebelled against and seems more interested in partying than solving the murder, no matter how close to home it might hit. But Hunt soon realizes there’s far more to Bryce than meets the eye—and that he’s going to have to find a way to work with her if they want to solve this case.

As Bryce and Hunt race to untangle the mystery, they have no way of knowing the threads they tug ripple through the underbelly of the city, across warring continents, and down to the darkest levels of Hel, where things that have been sleeping for millennia are beginning to stir...

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!

My Sister's Big Fat Indian Wedding - Review

My Sister's Big Fat Indian Wedding

By: Sajni Patel

Publication: April 19th 2022 by Amulet Books

304 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

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--A fresh, witty rom-com romp set against the backdrop of a high-profile music competition and a riotous Indian wedding

Zurika Damani is a naturally gifted violinist with a particular love for hip hop beats. But when you’re part of a big Indian family, everyone has expectations, and those certainly don’t include hip hop violin. After being rejected by Juilliard, Zuri's last hope is a contest judged by a panel of top tier college scouts. The only problem? This coveted competition happens to take place during Zuri’s sister’s extravagant wedding week. And Zuri has already been warned, repeatedly, that she is not to miss a single moment.

In the midst of the chaos, Zuri’s mom is in matchmaking mode with the groom’s South African cousin Naveen—who just happens to be a cocky vocalist set on stealing Zuri’s spotlight at the scouting competition. Luckily Zuri has a crew of loud and loyal female cousins cheering her on. Now, all she has to do is to wow the judges for a top spot, evade getting caught by her parents, resist Naveen’s charms, and, oh yeah . . . not mess up her sister’s big fat Indian wedding. What could possibly go wrong?

The description above pretty much covers most of what's going on in this book. There is so much culture packed into this one book. And honestly, most of it went over my head. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. I have become increasingly interested in Indian culture through contemporary books focused on Indian characters. And My Sister's Big Fat Indian Wedding was super immersive into all of the things I find fascinating about the culture.

Zurika is struggling. Because her heart is in music. Music (any form of the arts really) isn't considered a worthy career pursuit by her family or culture. She didn't apply to colleges that she had any hope of getting into, and so Zurika's future feels like it is very much hanging on whether or not she can get a music scholarship from a competition that just so happens to be held the same week as her sister's big wedding. Zurika has been repeatedly warned not to mess with any of the wedding events. Anything going wrong during one of these events is a bad forecast for the couple's future. Yet Zurika's cousins are determined to help her reach her goals. Or at least have the opportunity.

Naveen is a cousin of the groom. He lives in South Africa but also dreams of pursuing music in college and for his career. And he's in competition with Zurika for the scholarship. While the two could have easily been rivals, they quickly strike a deal to help the other. They practice together and begin to develop an interest in the other. Zurika is hesitant because if Naveen can't move to the states, the distance between America and South Africa is vast. And even if he does come to the US for college, that is still months away. Yet Naveen wasn't hesitant at all to know that he wants to get to know Zurika better.

Had I written my review for this book when I finished it instead of waiting until I'd read FOUR other books, I probably could have written a better review than this one. But if you're enjoying Indian culture, then My Sister's Big Fat Indian Wedding should be right up your alley. It was right up mine. I did wish for a little more romance since I always prefer the romance to drive the relationship, but honestly, what occurred felt genuine and not forced.

Favorite quote:

-If I were in my eighties and had spent nearly twenty hours on a flight from India to Atlanta, I'd be the walking dead, too.

Nice, subtle pop culture reference to The Walking Dead which takes place and was filmed in Atlanta and surrounding suburbs.

The other pieces I highlighted were grammatical issues that I'm sure were corrected in the final copy.

My Sister's Big Fat Indian Wedding was an immersive look into Indian/Hindu wedding culture and I loved it. It wasn't without romance, although I wouldn't have minded a little more. These wedding events sound like a total mix between exhausting and a huge party. I enjoyed every minute of My Sister's Big Fan Indian Wedding and Sajni Patel hasn't let me down yet. This book gets 4 Stars. Have you read My Sister's Big Fat Indian Wedding? What did you think? Let me know!