Thursday, August 20, 2020

Book Review: Dating Makes Perfect by Pintip Dunn

Dating Makes Perfect
By: Pintip Dunn
Published: August 18, 2020
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Add to Goodreads
Source: eARC from the publisher in exchange for a honest review
Book Summary:

The Tech sisters don’t date in high school. Not because they’re not asked. Not because they’re not interested. Not even because no one can pronounce their long, Thai last name—hence the shortened, awkward moniker. But simply because they’re not allowed. 

Until now. 

In a move that other Asian American girls know all too well, six months after the older Tech twins got to college, their parents asked, “Why aren’t you engaged yet?” The sisters retaliated by vowing that they won’t marry for ten (maybe even twenty!) years, not until they’ve had lots of the dating practice that they didn’t get in high school. 

In a shocking war on the status quo, her parents now insist that their youngest daughter, Orrawin (aka “Winnie”), must practice fake dating in high school. Under their watchful eyes, of course—and organized based on their favorite rom-coms. ’Cause that won’t end in disaster. 

The first candidate? The son of their longtime friends, Mat Songsomboon—arrogant, infuriating, and way too good-looking. Winnie’s known him since they were toddlers throwing sticky rice balls at each other. And her parents love him. 

If only he weren’t her sworn enemy.


My Thoughts:


Dating Makes Perfect was the first book I've read by Pintip Dunn, but it won't be my last!  This story was a colorful, fun, feel-good #OwnVoices romance, that delighted me from beginning to end.  

There were so many things I loved about this story!  The descriptions of Taiwanese culture, as well as the customs, traditions, and cuisine were exquisite!  I loved reading about the various Thai dishes, and could see how food was such an integral aspect of the culture.  The cuisine sounded so delicious that I could picture everything, and wished I could hop through the pages and try the various foods. 

The Tech sisters had an unnbreakable bond.  I loved the twins Ari and Bunny, and of course Winnie was absolutely wonderful.  These girls shared everything with each other, and always supported one another.  They were more than sisters; they were best friends. Anyone who reads this story will love this trio.  I enjoyed time spent with Winnie's parents as well.  They brought a lot of levity and humor to the story.

The romance between Matt and Winnie was a blast!  These two had so much fiery chemistry!  I loved their interactions and fake dates.  I was rooting for them from the start, and wanted to know what could have broken up such a strong friendship. Their journey from enemies to friends/crushes was a fun one filled with the passion and excitement of first love, humor, heartbreak, life lessons, and an abundance of feels!

In case you can't tell, I loved Dating Makes Perfect, and highly recommend it!






Purchase At:




About the Author:

Pintip Dunn is a New York Times bestselling author of young adult fiction. She graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B., and received her J.D. at Yale Law School. 

Her novel FORGET TOMORROW won the 2016 RWA RITA® for Best First Book, and SEIZE TODAY won the 2018 RITA for Best Young Adult Romance. Her books have been translated into four languages, and they have been nominated for the following awards: the Grand Prix del'Imaginaire; the Japanese Sakura Medal; the MASL Truman Award; the TomeSociety It list; and the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award. 

Her other titles include REMEMBER YESTERDAY, THE DARKEST LIE, GIRL ON THE VERGE, STAR-CROSSED, and MALICE. 

She lives with her husband and children in Maryland.



Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Blog Tour: Wicked Princess (Royal Hearts Academy #3) by A. Jade



Wicked Princess
Royal Hearts Academy #3

By:
Ashley Jade

Release Date:
August 18, 2020

Add to:
Goodreads
Source:
eARC from Candi Kane PR in exchange for a honest review

Book Summary:


Welcome to their kingdom.

They call me a heartless b*tch.
An evil manipulator.
A wicked princess who enjoys hurting people.

They tell me terrible things happened.
Things that changed my life forever.

Only problem is...

I can't remember any of it.


This is book 3 in the Royal Hearts Academy series. Please note: Although this is Bianca's book, Cruel Prince (Jace and Dylan’s book) and Ruthless Knight (Cole and Sawyer's book) should be read first for a better understanding of the family dynamic.


WARNING: 


Royal Hearts Academy is a New Adult/High School series of standalones filled with drama, a touch of angst, and boys who are bad to the bone. The characters are flawed. If you're looking for a safe, sweet romance with nice heroes and heroines who are perfect all the time, this series is NOT for you.



Royal Hearts Academy Series:
My Review

My Review



My Thoughts:

I've been struggling with reading lately.  With health issues, a jam packed schedule from my daughter's virtual schooling, I haven't been able to read as much as I usually do.  I've attempted a few books, and haven't been able to stick with any of them.

Imagine my excitement when Wicked Princess landed on my kindle.  I love this series, and hoped that this would be the book to pull me out of my reading slump.  The moment I began reading, I was completely engrossed, and could not stop reading.  I finished Wicked Princess in one sitting, and it blew me away.  There were lots of tears, surprises, excitement, and a rollercoaster of emotions as I consumed Bianca's story.  

I loved getting reunited with Jace, Dylan, Cole and Sawyer, as well as getting to know Bianca on a deeper level.  The ending made my heart leap right out of my chest!  I hope Ms. Jade writes book four at lightening speed, as Bianca's story is a to be continued, and I need all of the answers now!!!  

I went from a book slump to a book hangover, and boy did I miss the feeling of being completely immersed in a story, and rapidly turning pages, because I wanted to both finish and never finish the story.

The Royal Hearts Academy is one of my favorite New Adult Series, and I highly recommend it!  It is addictive, passionate, exciting, and packed full of feels!  I love the deep connection that the siblings share, as well as the alluring romances in each segment. If you've enjoyed the Fall Away Series by Penelope Douglas, you should check out this series!






Book Teaser:


Purchase At:




About the Author:

Ashley Jade loves to tackle different genres and tropes within romance. Her first loves are New Adult Romance and Romantic Suspense, but she also writes everything in between including: contemporary romance, erotica, and dark romance.

Her characters are flawed and complex, and chances are you will hate them before you fall head over heels in love with them.

She’s a die-hard lover of oxford commas, em dashes, music, coffee, and anything thought provoking…except for math.

Books make her heart beat faster and writing makes her soul come alive. She’s always read books growing up and scribbled stories in her journal, and after having a strange dream one night; she decided to just go for it and publish her first series.

It was the best decision she ever made.

If she’s not paying off student loan debt, working, or writing a novel—you can usually find her listening to music, hanging out with her readers online, and pondering the meaning of life.
Check out her amazon page and Facebook page for future novels. She recently became hip and joined Twitter, so you can find her there, too. She loves connecting with her readers—they make her world go round’.





Blog Tour Hosted By:
https://candikanepr.net/


Saturday, August 1, 2020

Stacking the Shelves &. Sunday Post (70)

Hosted by:  Tynga's Reviews
Hosted by:  Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer


This month has been a very difficult one for me.  I've been having a lot of health challenges.  I can't hold down most of my food, have been having horrible acid reflux, heartburn, and GI problems.  I've also been having really bad pain running throughout my whole body.  My doctor ordered a ton of tests, because he is concerned.  He is checking me for a compression of the spine, as well as having me to a endoscopy, and sending me to G.I,  My blood pressure has been significantly up, and I've been struggling.  I decided to start juicing again, so I'm taking vitamins, and just eating raw fruits, vegetables, salads, and smoothies right now hoping to improve my health. 

As far as reading this month, I attempted three books, and struggled with all three of them.  I DNF'd The Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth, and am going to give the other two a little more time, but might end up DNFing those as well.  I began Nightfall by Penelope Douglas, and am hoping it will be the book I need to pull me out of my book slump. I didn't blog this month, but hope to get back in to the swing of things.

My daughter starts school on Wednesday, and we will be doing distant learning.  I'm waiting for her new teacher to contact me to see how it will work, but the paperwork said 8-2 instruction via Zoom.  I'm hoping that I will be able to do independent study, because there is no way my daughter can sit in front of a computer for six hours a day.  

I got some really exciting ARC's this month and can't wait to read them.  Sadly, I was turned down for Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews, one of my most anticipated reads of the year.  

Life feels like "Groundhog Day," with the monotony of the same thing happening day after day.  I find myself losing track of what day of the week it is. Being high risk, we are staying inside for the most part, and when we go out it's just for a drive, walking while socially distancing, or picking up food through the drive-thru.  I live in Southern California, and we are one of the hardest hit states right now. 

On my mother's side, my cousin and his family caught COVID, and his wife was in her last month of pregnancy.  My cousin's wife couldn't breathe, was on oxygen, and they had to give her a c-section.  The hospital kept the baby in an incubator to keep him safe. My cousin also went to the hospital for not being able to breath and they sent him home, because there wasn't enough room in the hospital.  His mother-in-law is now on a ventilator, and his father-in-law, two sisters-in-law, 8 year old stepson, and grandfather-in-law all have COVID.  We lost my 48 year old cousin on my dad's side to an unexpected stroke, and I wonder if it was due to COVID as well.  His wife and son got it.  The wife had mild symptoms, but his son had double pneumonia, lost a lot of weight, and was very sick.  My brother-in-law also lost his uncle.  

This thing is more of a reality to me now, and most definitely here.  Another cousin has had repeated exposures because she works in a bank, and they keep having to shut down the bank to clean everything, and get employees tested.  Thankfully, she's been lucky so far.  My sister and brother-in-law, had an exposure, but were lucky thankfully.  I'm hoping we can stay healthy, but at this point I'm wondering if it's not a matter of if we'll get this virus, but when.  How are you all holding up?  I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.

Thanks to Berkley Romance, St. Martin's Press, and Entangled Teen