GJ's Review of Olivia Dade's Ship Wrecked

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon publishing for giving me a copy of Ship Wrecked! This review is my own thoughts and opinions

Wow, this really snuck up on me. It feels a bit strange to say this as this is the third book in this series, especially one that I'm already a huge fan of (And pre-ordered) but the deft character work Dade does in this book is just outstanding to me.

GJ's Review of Bet On It by Jodie Slaughter

 

Here's my review of Bet On It, which was given to me by NetGalley and St. Martins in exchange for an honest review. These are all my own thoughts and opinions.

First off, Jodie Slaughter, you're an evil genius and I love you.  I will sit here and wait patiently for your next book while complaining about how talented you are.  As a plus-sized Black woman with anxiety in the south (TN to be specific), this book hits so close to home on a lot of fronts. I can't begin to list the number of times I put the book down because I read something that just resonated so much. It also nails the pros and cons of living in a small community.

WBC on Twitter: 7/27/22

It's like the Justice League cartoon & Better Off Ted had a baby. I loved nearly everyone in the book (Including the murderous henchmen, Best Friend Squad). It's just a fun read with a competent & quirky cast. I'll definitely be reading the sequels soon. 2/

— WednesdayBookClub (@NinersBookClub) July 27, 2022

I loved the book but alas, slow burn isn't my thing & it's indeed a slow burn. A really good one but still.

This week, I'm gonna try to finish Bet On It and get started on All The Feels sequel, Shipwrecked, which I'm super excited for. TWO FAT LEADS!! 4/

— WednesdayBookClub (@NinersBookClub) July 27, 2022

Finally, I just wanna give a brief shoutout to audiobooks. They've been a big help this year because my focus has been wonky & now I can do more self-care stuff like using my fancy coloring books or knitting again. They're neat!

Okay, that's it for me. Time to tag everyone 6/7

— WednesdayBookClub (@NinersBookClub) July 27, 2022

WBC on Twitter: 7/20/22

 

A little too angsty for my taste. Plus Sibling's Best Friend isn't my favorite trope so that hampered the reading experience for me. Still, I loved the leads & the writing was good so I'll probably pick up another Devon book in the future.

I'm now on to ARC 2, Bet On It 2/

— WednesdayBookClub (@NinersBookClub) July 20, 2022

Slaughter does a great job at portraying anxiety/panic attacks. I can't speak aboUT the PTSD stuff but there are conversations in this book that I've totally had & made me stare off in the distance. Also, the FMC is a fat Black girl in the south & wow, I have been seen! 4/ pic.twitter.com/UGBJOWb9SQ

— WednesdayBookClub (@NinersBookClub) July 20, 2022

I'll get started on that closer to August but today, I'm going back to Andrea Vernon because I was enjoying that before I got distracted by all of the shiny new stuff.

Okay, I think that's it for me so onto you all? Anything good 6/

— WednesdayBookClub (@NinersBookClub) July 20, 2022

Also, The Duke's Accidental Bride has a scene where our leads are talking about men taking women & kissing them passionately & our FMC straight up asks "That sounds like fun. Can a woman do that to a man?" to his great confusion, LMBO. Jack is great. It comes out August 1!

— WednesdayBookClub (@NinersBookClub) July 20, 2022

GJ's Review of The Duke's Accidental Bride by Eva Devon

 Editor's note: This Review has been posted on my GoodReads and StoryGraph accounts. I was given this ARC by NetGalley and Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review.   

This was my first Eva Devon book and wow, she really impressed me. Within the first few pages, we have a clear picture of what our leads are like and the draw they feel.  I also admire how simple but 3-dimensional Jacqueline and James are. (BTW, I'm not using "Simple" as an insult. Swords are simple but they still take a lot of work and are really cool). I enjoyed their moments together and the comfortable back and forth in their dialog. You could feel their chemistry and you understand why they're drawn to each other.

WBC on Twitter: 7/13/22

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get rejected & I don't wanna deal with that particular fall-out so I've been putting it off. I'm gonna do it but blegh.

So my reading has been slower than my usual glacial speed. In lighter news, I got approved for 2 ARCs so I'm reading one now! 2/

— WednesdayBookClub (@NinersBookClub) July 13, 2022

I'm not enjoying it as much as I hoped but it's a me thing. It's more angsty than my usual fare. I'm about 60 through so I'm gonna try to be done with it and move on to the next ARC and back to Andrea Vernon.

Okay, I gotta clean because I'm manic and made some mess! 3/4

— WednesdayBookClub (@NinersBookClub) July 13, 2022

Also, I might give up on my book reading goal because it's no longer bringing me joy and in this economy, who can afford that? Certainly, not I!

I'll decide at the end of the month. I'm on a decision-making moratorium until next Wednesday at the earliest 5/4.

— WednesdayBookClub (@NinersBookClub) July 13, 2022

WBC on Twitter: 7/6/22

This past week, I read Man With One of Those Faces by Caimh McDonnell. It was a lot of fun with moments that are way darker upon further thinking. I loved the characters & how the mystery kinda took a backseat to the characters. Not that the mystery wasn't important 2/

— WednesdayBookClub (@NinersBookClub) July 6, 2022

I really like it! I feel like this is the Superhero movie/show that people have been trying to make but to no avail. I love how so far the book is just us watching Andrea being competent at her job, it's just that the job has a lot of superheroes & a giant alien egg around it 4/

— WednesdayBookClub (@NinersBookClub) July 6, 2022

It's pretty episodic so far (Although, we still have the blossoming relationship between Andrea and The Big Axe as well as the big alien egg to deal with) but it's fun and I'm actively rooting for our peeps.

As for any other reads, I'm gonna try to finish Fastest Way to Fall 6/

— WednesdayBookClub (@NinersBookClub) July 6, 2022

& Slow Burn & possibly get started on Angelmaker. I can't promise how this will go but I'm gonna try!

Oh, & if you want a read similar to Man With One o Those Faces, I recommend Agnes and the Hitman. It's set in the south & has a bigger focus on romance but it's hilarious 7/8

— WednesdayBookClub (@NinersBookClub) July 6, 2022