Fat Stack Friday September 12, 2025

 

Happy Friday! Check out all the goodies I got this week.

Kindle:

Wild Card (Rose Hill #4) by Elsie Silver

I love me some Elsie Silver. This series has been a toss up for me so I hope I love this story.

People Watching by Hannah Bonam-Young

Do I know what it's about? Not really. Do I care? Again, not really because it's Bonam-Young and I really like her stories!

What did you get?

Most Anticipated Releases Tuesday September 9, 2025

Here are the books I'm most excited about releasing this week!

Wild Card (Rose Hill #4) by Elsie Silver

Super excited for this next installation in the Rose Hill series. I can't wait to see what Silver gives me this time!

People Watching by Hannah Bonam-Young

I love Hannah's stories and I'm really looking forward to this new one. I tried to get an early copy but it wasn't in the cards!

Pitcher Perfect (Big Shots #4) by Tessa Bailey

I love me some Bailey. She just has a way of writing stories that make me happy. This one was no different as I got to read it early. You can see my thoughts HERE.

What are you excited about this week?

 

Fat Stack Friday March 7, 2025

Happy Friday! Let's see what I go this week!

In the mail:

The Lost Queen by Aimee Phan

Came in the mail for me. I hadn't heard of it prior. Sounds good!

The Odds of Getting Even by Amanda Sellet

I won this one from Goodreads. That was exciting as I have rarely won books from them. Looks like this is a second book in a connected series.

On my Kindle:

Wild Side (Rose Hill #3) by Elsie Silver

I love me some Silver. Excited to read this installment. I don't love this series as much as her Chestnut Springs series but they do hit my cowboy kink nerve!

The Ragpicker King (The Chronicles of Castellane #2)

Have I read the first book in this series? No. Do I care? No. I love Clare and will buy and read anything she writes!

From NetGalley/Edelweiss:

Thorn Season (Thorn Season #1) by Kiera Azar

I really liked the blurb for this one. And it was READ NOW so I just could not resist downloading it. 

What did you get this week?

 

Most Anticipated Releases Tuesday March 4, 2025

Here are the books releasing this week I'm excited about! So many great books released today!

Wild Side (Rose Hill #3) By Elsie Silver

Downloaded and ready on my Kindle. I love me some Elsie Silver cowboy romance!

The Ragpicker King (The Chronicles of Castellane #2) by Casandra Clare

I love anything by Clare. I haven't started this series yet, waiting for more books to be available, but I'm excited she's writing!

Fable For The End of the World by Ava Reid

I really like Reid's writing. A Study in Drowning was a favorite read of mine last year. I'm sure this one will be great!

I Am Made of Death by Kelly Andrew

I had the privilege of reading this one early. It was fantastic. I highly recommend it. You can see my review HERE.

The Encanto's Curse (The Encanto's Daughter #2) by Melissa de la Cruz

I haven't started this series yet but I'm totally intrigued by the Filipino lore aspect of it!

What's releasing this week that you're excited about?

 

Fat Stack Friday Novenber 29, 2024

 

Here's what I got this week (and some from previous weeks as I didn't get a chance to take pictures or post because of the holiday).

For review:

Netgalley/Edeweiss

Pole Position by Rebecca Caffery

I actually have a Kindle copy of this but wanted to listen to the audio, as well. Hoping to do a read along with this one!

Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer

I loved this author's other book, Four Weekends and a Funeral. I'm hoping this one is just as good!

Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander

I love any book about BOOKS! There's another book that is quite similar on NetGalley that I'm also hoping to get by Ali Brady and I love her.

It's a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan

I love Monaghan and have read all her books. This one was at the top of my list to read early and I'm so excited to have gotten an early copy!

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

Another author whose books I have read all of. I just love her so much. The Rom-Commers was just so fabulous. I cannot wait to dive into this one!

In the mail:

Lies On the Serpent's Tongue (Bittersweet in the Hollow #2) by Kate Pearsall

I had the first book in this series sent to me by the publisher. So when I saw it on NetGalley, I requested it and was approved. I had no idea they would send me a copy in the mail! I'm about halfway through and I'm liking is just as much as the first one.

Gifted and Talented by Olivie Blake

I haven't read any books by this author but I have a few friends who really like her Atlas Six series, which I really want to read. I'm excited because I love me some urban fantasy!

From Libby (Audio):

Twisted Love (Twisted #1) by Ana Huang

I'd heard good things about this series. I enjoyed this one enough to want to read the next one. Or at least listen to the audio!

The Hook Up (Game On #1) by Kristen Callihan

I read this book a long time ago and remember really liking it. I've seen there are new versions coming out and it made me want to read it again. I'm just over halfway through it and now I know why I liked it so much!

Off To The Races (Gold Rush Ranch #1) by Elsie Silver

The Chestnut Springs series was one of my favorites I read last year. I really enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. And I've read the first two books in her new spin off series of that one. i know this series is also connected through one of the characters so I wanted to check it out. I already listened to this and really enjoyed it. Looking forward to reading the others but I don't see them on audio through my library so I will have to get them on Kindle!

For my Kindle:

Guys Round Up, Girls Round Down by Emmy Chase

I'm taking a chance with this one. I saw it in my books groups and I love the blurb. BUT the ratings on Goodreads are not particularly high, so I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised by it and not agree with those who have rated it so rfar.

Out of the Gate (Gold Rush Ranch #1.5) by Elsie Silver

I'm excited about this novella because it's the father's story! I love a good novella and I'm sure Silver will have done this one justice.

What did you get this week?

October 2024 Wrap Up

 

Check out my wrap up for October. It was a mediocre month for me, to be honest. Lots of 3 stars reads. My two 5 star ratings fell to Ali Hazelwood, no shocker there. But both were shorts. I hope next month gives me some better reads!

A few ARCs in there with the links next to my rating if you'd like to take a look at my thoughts.

October Wrap

How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn (Kindle ARC) ⭐️⭐️⭐️ REVIEW

Somewhere Beyond The Sea (Cerulean Chronicles #2) by TJ Klune (Audio) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood (Audio) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wild Eye (Rose Hill #2) by Elsie Silver (Kindle) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Hurricane Wars (The Hurricane Wars #1) by Thea Guanzon (Kindle/Print/Audio) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden (Kindle) ⭐️⭐️

Take Me Home by Melanie Sweeney (Audio) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Under the Mistletoe Collection (Kindle ARC) REVIEW

            All by My Elf by Olivia Dade ⭐️⭐️⭐️

    Cruel Winter With You by Ali Hazelwood ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey ⭐️⭐️⭐️

    Merriment and Mayhem by Alexandria Bellefleur ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    Only Santas In the Buidlng by Alexis Daria ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What You Wish For by Katherine Center (Audio) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Get Lucky by Katherine Center (Audio)⭐️⭐️⭐️

Eleven Houses by Colleen Oakes (Print ARC) ⭐️⭐️✨ REVIEW

With Any Luck by Ashley Poston (Kindle) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Real Valentine by Sariah Wilson (Kindle) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Puck and Prejudice by Lia Riley (Kindle ARC) ⭐️⭐️⭐️ REVIEW

Stranger Skies (Drowned Gods #2) by Pascale Lacelle (Kindle/Print ARC) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ REVIEW

Monstrous Nights (The Witch’s Compendium of Monsters) by Genoveva Dimova (Audio ARC) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ REVIEW

The Guy At The Wedding by Katherine Center (Audio) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Everyone Is Beautiful by Katherine Center (Audio) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heist Royale (Thieves’ Gambit #2) by Kayvion Lewis (Kindle ARC) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ REVIEW

The Lost Husband by Katherine Center (Audio) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Have you read any of these? What did you think? What was your favorite read this month?

Most Anticipated Releases Tuesday September 3 2024

Happy Tuesday September 3, 2024 release day! 

So many new releases that I need in my life today!

The Games Gods Play (The Crucible #1) by Abigail Owens

I like Owens writing. Plus, this sounds really interesting. AND the book is absolutely beautiful. I may or may not have pre-ordered it because of the edes!

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

Haig has been hit or miss for me. I loved The Midnight Library but only got through about 25% of How To Stop Time. I'm hoping I like this one!

Wild Eyes (Rose Hill #2) by Elsie Silver

Probably one of my most anticipated books of the year. I really like Silver. But I wasn't hugely impressed by the first book in this series. However, I am totally invested in the characters who are going to be appearing in this book and cannot wait to see how their story progresses!

What books are you anticipating the release of this week?

 

ARC Review: Hopeless (Chestnut Springs #5) by Elsie Silver

 

Beau Eaton is the town prince, a handsome military hero with a tortured past.

I’m the outcast bartender, a shy girl from the wrong side of the tracks.

He’s thirty-five and all man, and I’m twenty-two and all… virgin.

He’s also my fiancé. Correction: my fake fiancé.

We start out as a bet. He doesn’t believe that anyone holds my last name against me. So he offers me his to prove a point.

It’s win-win. He gets a break from his concerned family’s prying, and I get a chance to shed my family’s reputation while I save up to ditch this small town.

He says all I have to do is wear his ring, follow his lead, and pretend I can’t keep my hands off of him in public.

But it’s what happens between us in private that blurs all those carefully drawn lines.

It’s what transpires behind closed doors that doesn’t feel like pretending at all.

This engagement was supposed to be for show. This agreement? It has an end date.

He once told me he’d never fall in love.

And yet here I am, head over heels for my fake fiancé.

Title: Hopeless (Chestnut Springs #5)

Author: Elsie Silver

Publisher: Bloom Books

Original Publication Date: October 13, 2023

Expected Publication Date: January 30. 2024

Review:

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

BRING ON BEAU! I cannot say enough about Elsie Silver's Chestnut Springs series. I absolutely adore every character she writes, even her villains. She really gives each and every character their own spark, personality, and arc. And this was the one I was truly waiting for. The ever elusive Beau. We don't learn too much about about in the previous books, just the cursory on the surface details: he's an Eaton brother, he's Jesper's best friend, he's the middle Eaton, and he's a military guy who was injured in the line of duty and honorably discharged. So for Silver to give him his very own book was a long time coming!

I love this friends to lovers, close proximity, age gap story the author created. The way she slowly builds the relationship. How she reveals the quirks of each character and incorporates that into their personalities and their interactions with each other. The emotionally charged interactions that keep you on the edge of your seat. It all comes together for a perfect story.

Beau, oh Beau. What can I say. He's definitely got a ton of PTSD. Which Silver writes well. You get the glimpse of what his life was like on the front lines and what he was willing to do for those he was ordered to protect. This flows over into his family and others that surround him. But he holds secrets. Secrets he doesn't tell anyone and keeps close to his heart. He's not one to open up and let people know what is bothering him, what he's gone through, what he's going through. 

And Bailey she is one tough cookie. Kept down all her life because of her family name. Treated like she's less than because of it. She's just biding her time, trying her hardest to make the best of her situation until she can get the heck out of doge. She's strong and no nonsense. She doesn't take anything from anyone: her family, the townies, Beau. She's not afraid to speak her mind but she also keeps a lot close to the heart because she doesn't want to cause any trouble, or seem like she's causing trouble.

Put these two together and BOOM chemistry and so much fun. The banter between Beau and Bailey is classic Silver. She really knows how to write humor into situations. But also knows how to put that slow burn chemistry into things. The way she has Bailey caring for Beau and Beau protecting Bailey. Even in ways she knows nothing about. And the sexual tension between these two is amazing. Of course your cheering for them to finally see they are so good for each other and belong together.

Silver absolutely knows how to build a story. The world building , which I already know because of the previous books but could be understood easily if you haven't read those, as well. The character development is on point. I love a good slow reveal. And the pacing keeps you reading. I didn't want to put this one down. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I am hoping for a spin off that will include Willa's brother because he really needs a story!

Author:

Canadian author who loves a good book boyfriend and the sassy heroines who bring them to their knees. Connoisseur of charged looks and lingering touches. Big fan of witty banter. Horse girl through and through. Fully convinced that it's always wine o'clock somewhere.

ARC Review: Reckless (Chestnut Springs #4) by Elsie Silver

 

Theo Silva. Rowdy bull rider, notorious ladies' man, scorching hot trouble wrapped up in a drool-worthy package.

And he's looking at me like I might be his next meal.

I'm almost free of my toxic marriage and have sworn off men entirely. So all I see when I look at Theo is temptation served up with a heaping side of heartbreak.

The man is hard to trust-and even harder to resist.

Make that impossible. Because Theo is persistent. And no matter how hard I try to freeze him out, he melts my icy exterior and pulls apart all my defences.

Then I spend the singular hottest night of my life with him.

It was supposed to be a one-time thing.

A secret.

But that little plus sign is going to make this secret impossible to keep.

Title: Reckless (Chestnut Springs #4)

Author: Elsie Silver
Publisher: Bloom Books

Original Publication Date: June 9, 2023

Expected Publication Date: December 5, 2023

Review:

I want to thank NetGalley and Bloom Books for supplying me with an egalley of this book to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Theo Silva is young, and definitely not what Winter Hamilton needs or wants in her life. But when the two get thrown together because of their mutual family connections, the attraction is undeniable and sparks fly. But over a year later, Winter has a secret that will change Theo's life and when it's revealed, he does everything in his power to show her he's what she needs in her life.

I have truly enjoyed all the books in the Chestnut Spring series. I just love the characters Silver creates. Their personalities are fun. And the conflicts within their relationships are very real. So given the chance to read this next book in the series, I jumped on it.

Now, can you read this book without reading the others? Yes, it can definitely be a stand alone. But, in truth, I feel like it's important to read the others and learn about all the side characters. Plus, you get a glimpse of Winter in the other books that really helps you understand her in this one. And the others books are just so much fun and funny and sexy!

Her pacing is great. I flew through this book. She injects funny and sexy and emotion that keeps you wanting to turn the pages. Her writing flows well and I was never bored. As a matter of fact, I finished this within 24 hours, even with work and other life events. I honestly never thought I'd enjoy small town, horse riding, country themes but Silver has truly shown me how much fun it can be.

Theo, he's younger than her other male characters. I kind of like that about him. But despite this, he still comes off as mature. He has his flaws, for sure, which I was happy to see because, really, who wants perfect since it doesn't truly exist. But he is kind and caring and definitely wants to show Winter she's worth being worshiped and loved. Plus he's so witty and charming. He makes me laugh, and makes Winter laugh, which I love. Winter is a character we've seen before. Her name has always followed her personality: Cold. But when it comes down to it, there's a lot of heat beneath that ice. She's spent her life holding people back because she never thought she was good enough and never wanted to cause ripples. But once she separates herself from her abusive marriage and her family, she finds herself opening up and becoming so much more personable than I would have ever thought possible. I loved her growth in this book. She was like a flower that learned to open and face the sun, becoming warm and welcoming the more she let people in.

Silver really knows how to write sexy without it coming across as total smut. She weaves in the scenes to help sow the connection between Theo and Winter. And it especially shows Winter's growth because she has always been about sex not being for her. Theo shows her she can be worshiped and pleasured. And she really does come alive under his ministrations. 

I think my favorite part of Silver's books is how they focus on the family unite. For Theo, the Eaton's are a found family. While he still does have his mom, he's been mentored by one of the Eaton brothers for a few years. And this is where he has found a home. I love the gatherings Silver creates. I love how there is banter and love all around the family table. And I adore how they welcome people into their home and treat them like they belong. I saw this in Jasper's book and now it's continued to Theo's book. 

For me, Silver truly knows how to write a love story. I'm looking forward to reading more from her (and maybe even venturing into her other series to learn a little about Violet Eaton!). 

Author:

Canadian author who loves a good book boyfriend and the sassy heroines who bring them to their knees. Connoisseur of charged looks and lingering touches. Big fan of witty banter. Horse girl through and through. Fully convinced that it's always wine o'clock somewhere.