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drops_everything_and_reads's Reviews (1.2k)
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
I received an eARC from @onemorechapter; all opinions are my own
If you’re looking for an adventure action mystery romance book with humour and spice, may I recommend Digging Dr Jones by Olivia Jackson?
This debut is a romp of a book, and perhaps may inspire you to plan a trip to the jungles of Colombia - or maybe a wine bar… or a museum…. Or a resort where you can relax without having to deal with a bracelet that won’t come off, a quest to find a lost treasure, and a villain who is following your every move.
Dr. Andrew Jones and Adriana Jones (same last name, no relation!) cross paths when Adriana accidentally puts on a bracelet Andrew was meant to receive - it was an honest mistake! This results in Adriana traveling with Andrew - with her delightfully entertaining brother William in tow - to remote villages, jungles, and waterfalls on a mission to find and protect an ancient treasure.
Toss in some major attraction between Andrew and Adriana, some forced proximity, and a meddling brother and of course it’s gonna get interesting!
This is a fun, quick and light read. Perfect for when you’re sitting by the pool or at the beach and you just want to relax and have fun.
Olivia is a delight of a person and her charm and humour shines through her words. I’m excited for her forthcoming books!!
Thanks to Berkley for the eARC; all opinions are my own.
Etta's first book, The Kiss Countdown, was one of my faves in 2024, so I was very excited to find out that her second book, The Love Simulation, was going to be in the same universe, with one of Vincent's sisters, Brianna, as the FMC, AND have a space-related theme! woohoo!
Brianna felt so relatable to me: am ambitious woman trying to find her path and purpose in life, trying different ways to get there, wanting to do right for her students and community, and also loves reading. YES PLEASE.
Roman provided a great MMC as well as a counterfoil to Brianna. He challenges her, supports her, but she still has her suspicions given his father is the principal of the school and doesn't really care for Brianna. There were a few things Roman did that made me go "umm... no. don't do that" but I liked that over the book, he acknowledged his wrongdoing, took accountability, apologized, and did better.
But honestly, I was NOT prepared for the scene when Brianna boots Roman. OH MY GOODNESS. That was a surprise to me. I understood where she was coming from and yeah, Roman kinda deserved it. At the same time, it showed that Brianna still had a lot of work to do to be vulnerable, ask for help, and realize she doesn't have to do everything on her own.
A great book and I am excited to read more by Etta!
Etta's first book, The Kiss Countdown, was one of my faves in 2024, so I was very excited to find out that her second book, The Love Simulation, was going to be in the same universe, with one of Vincent's sisters, Brianna, as the FMC, AND have a space-related theme! woohoo!
Brianna felt so relatable to me: am ambitious woman trying to find her path and purpose in life, trying different ways to get there, wanting to do right for her students and community, and also loves reading. YES PLEASE.
Roman provided a great MMC as well as a counterfoil to Brianna. He challenges her, supports her, but she still has her suspicions given his father is the principal of the school and doesn't really care for Brianna. There were a few things Roman did that made me go "umm... no. don't do that" but I liked that over the book, he acknowledged his wrongdoing, took accountability, apologized, and did better.
But honestly, I was NOT prepared for the scene when Brianna boots Roman. OH MY GOODNESS. That was a surprise to me. I understood where she was coming from and yeah, Roman kinda deserved it. At the same time, it showed that Brianna still had a lot of work to do to be vulnerable, ask for help, and realize she doesn't have to do everything on her own.
A great book and I am excited to read more by Etta!
Thanks to Atria books for the eARC; all opinions are my own.
I have read a few books by Laura Wood before, so I was very excited to read this eARC of Under Your Spell and it was so much fun! I love the "is it? is it not?" magical realism component (I lead towards it is not), the closeness of the three half sisters AND their mothers.
The meet-cute was delightful, as Clementine had no idea who she was talking to, and then to later find out he's a rock star (like her dad) she definitely has some skepticism but also desperately needs a job. I think it's because of her father that she just didn't care much about Theo's rockstar status as much as most other women would.
Loved the forced proximity, caretaking, the banter and everything.
Excited to read more books from Laura!
I have read a few books by Laura Wood before, so I was very excited to read this eARC of Under Your Spell and it was so much fun! I love the "is it? is it not?" magical realism component (I lead towards it is not), the closeness of the three half sisters AND their mothers.
The meet-cute was delightful, as Clementine had no idea who she was talking to, and then to later find out he's a rock star (like her dad) she definitely has some skepticism but also desperately needs a job. I think it's because of her father that she just didn't care much about Theo's rockstar status as much as most other women would.
Loved the forced proximity, caretaking, the banter and everything.
Excited to read more books from Laura!
Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for the eARC; all opinions are my own.
I love a murder mystery and so was excited to start this book, the first in a series from C.L. Miller. I admit I almost put it down after a few chapters because there are multiple POVs and that sometimes confuses my brain when trying to keep track. But I stuck it out, because it was clear there was one MC (used first person POV for her, and third person for the others) which provided a clear through line that I could follow.
I was captivated by the mystery and the idea that Freya's former mentor knew what was going to happen to him and set out all these clues for her and her aunt to follow. It was so much fun to follow them as they tried to figure out who was a suspect, who was an ally, and how to figure out who killed Arthur and why.
Fantastic book. So much fun. I'm excited for more!
I love a murder mystery and so was excited to start this book, the first in a series from C.L. Miller. I admit I almost put it down after a few chapters because there are multiple POVs and that sometimes confuses my brain when trying to keep track. But I stuck it out, because it was clear there was one MC (used first person POV for her, and third person for the others) which provided a clear through line that I could follow.
I was captivated by the mystery and the idea that Freya's former mentor knew what was going to happen to him and set out all these clues for her and her aunt to follow. It was so much fun to follow them as they tried to figure out who was a suspect, who was an ally, and how to figure out who killed Arthur and why.
Fantastic book. So much fun. I'm excited for more!
Really enjoyed this one! I'm a sucker for a historical romance with a mystery and this one was a great spin on it, with the FMC being from a MUCH different economic class than the MMC. It showed a different side of life in England and London in particular.
I look forward to more books from this author!
Thanks to Storm Publishing for the eARC; all opinions are my own.
I look forward to more books from this author!
Thanks to Storm Publishing for the eARC; all opinions are my own.
This was a fun read and made me think that I, too, could make my garden look absolutely amazing and win a gardening competition. And then I remembered that I do not have a green thumb and I should leave the fancy, complicated gardening to the people who absolutely love it and I'll stick with the basics.
I always enjoy a small-town setting in a romance book, with neighbours popping in and out, where everyone has an opinion, and your business certainly isn't your own.
I wasn't always keen on Noah acting out of spite, at times, but I think the characters held each other accountable, challenged each other, and their love felt real.
I dual read this as an e-book and audiobook and also enjoyed the narration of the book.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the ebook; all opinions are my own.
I always enjoy a small-town setting in a romance book, with neighbours popping in and out, where everyone has an opinion, and your business certainly isn't your own.
I wasn't always keen on Noah acting out of spite, at times, but I think the characters held each other accountable, challenged each other, and their love felt real.
I dual read this as an e-book and audiobook and also enjoyed the narration of the book.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the ebook; all opinions are my own.
Unfortunately, the author's writing style is not for me. I've tried a few of his books and I just can't get into a rhythm reading them. I really enjoy the premise of the book and I know others who really liked it, which is great! Just not for me.
Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC; all opinions are my own.
Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC; all opinions are my own.
This book was a DNF for me at around 20%. I just didn't vibe with the writing style and didn't feel invested in the characters. The banter just wasn't for me and I just didn't feel pulled in by the characters.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the eARC; all opinions are my own.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the eARC; all opinions are my own.
I read Celeste Connally’s book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord this weekend and it did NOT disappoint!
It has so many of the things I like in a mystery:
📖 historical
📖 Strong female lead
📖 great friends
📖 a love interest
📖 an intriguing mystery with a satisfying conclusion
And this one has DOGS!!! 🐕
Lady Petra is a great character. Her fiancé passed away suddenly and she announced that she would not get married and would be a spinster. Of course, it’s the Regency period so this is BIG NEWS. How dare a young woman not hand over her money, property, body and souls to a man?!?!?! Thankfully, Petra has people who support her.
Except there are some in Society who don’t like Petra and they don’t like other women who dare to be independent and they keep disappearing, with friends told that the woman has died.
Petra takes it upon herself to start investigating when she learns that a dear friend may not actually be dead and she is helped with her bestie and her estranged friend, Duncan Shawcross.
If you like the Veronica Speedwell series, the Wrexford and Sloane series, and other historicals with a mystery, try this book. I hope you like it!
It has so many of the things I like in a mystery:
📖 historical
📖 Strong female lead
📖 great friends
📖 a love interest
📖 an intriguing mystery with a satisfying conclusion
And this one has DOGS!!! 🐕
Lady Petra is a great character. Her fiancé passed away suddenly and she announced that she would not get married and would be a spinster. Of course, it’s the Regency period so this is BIG NEWS. How dare a young woman not hand over her money, property, body and souls to a man?!?!?! Thankfully, Petra has people who support her.
Except there are some in Society who don’t like Petra and they don’t like other women who dare to be independent and they keep disappearing, with friends told that the woman has died.
Petra takes it upon herself to start investigating when she learns that a dear friend may not actually be dead and she is helped with her bestie and her estranged friend, Duncan Shawcross.
If you like the Veronica Speedwell series, the Wrexford and Sloane series, and other historicals with a mystery, try this book. I hope you like it!
From the first page, I was HOOKED and I barely put the book down while I read it.
The third in a series, I've really enjoyed that each book has taken us, the readers, to very different locations in England. It allows us to see the MCs, Dora and Jacob, in different environments, interacting with different people, leveraging their strengths, and keeps things interesting.
I also enjoy how the book fuses together a fictional mystery with people who did exist; in this case, William Wordsworth.
The mystery for this one was intriguing as it started off with a few different things happening, in different parts of England, and slowly, over the investigation, it all came together to a clear, satisfying conclusion. At the same time, Dora and Jacob had to deal with Jacob's older brother, the new Viscount, coming for a visit and his attempts to break up the couple and matchmake Jacob to, in the Viscount's eyes, a more suitable partner.
The side characters in the book were a delight, especially the two young boys who provided valuable information in the course of the investigation and had key roles in the conclusion. It was also fun to read about the influence (even if fictional) of Wordsworth and other romantic poets on society, how it influenced young writers, men, etc.
This series has become one of my favourites and I look forward to the next instalment!
Thanks to Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter for the eARC; all opinions are my own.
The third in a series, I've really enjoyed that each book has taken us, the readers, to very different locations in England. It allows us to see the MCs, Dora and Jacob, in different environments, interacting with different people, leveraging their strengths, and keeps things interesting.
I also enjoy how the book fuses together a fictional mystery with people who did exist; in this case, William Wordsworth.
The mystery for this one was intriguing as it started off with a few different things happening, in different parts of England, and slowly, over the investigation, it all came together to a clear, satisfying conclusion. At the same time, Dora and Jacob had to deal with Jacob's older brother, the new Viscount, coming for a visit and his attempts to break up the couple and matchmake Jacob to, in the Viscount's eyes, a more suitable partner.
The side characters in the book were a delight, especially the two young boys who provided valuable information in the course of the investigation and had key roles in the conclusion. It was also fun to read about the influence (even if fictional) of Wordsworth and other romantic poets on society, how it influenced young writers, men, etc.
This series has become one of my favourites and I look forward to the next instalment!
Thanks to Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter for the eARC; all opinions are my own.