Well punch me right in my heart book. Jeez. I've been looking for some books to help my six-year old understand sadness, grief, and death because her beloved grandpa and my dad died way too soon from a horrible and incurable brain tumor.

This one was a little over her head and hard for her to conceptualize, but it really really struck home for me, the grownup. I think the inclusion of a male presenting character (to me a grandpa) who has a beloved chair (just like my dad), and an adoring little girl who loved to share her wonder with him just really hit home for me.

I too feel like my heart is in a bottle right now. I present like I'm okay, but really I'm guarding myself. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for me.

Julia meets a sexy stranger during her going away party. Thinking she'll never see him again once she moves to New Orleans to take a private nursing job for a rich family, she agrees to take him up to her apartment for a one night stand, something the recent divorcee has never done before.

The night doesn't turn out exactly as Julia expected, as the guy leaves after giving her a very satisfying orgasm.

Turns out Julia's sexy stranger is essentially her boss, one of the brothers who hired her on to take care of a family member in their ginormous estate, an estate that may just be haunted.

Entering a dangerous world of family secrets, extreme wealth, and maybe even...ghosts!!, Julia needs to decide if Lucian is for real, or just out to use her.

This was...interesting. It felt like a cross between a V.C. Andrews novel (INCEST), a romance, and a mystery/suspense. I wanted a little more story, but everything felt a bit rushed, especially the ending. Armentrout was definitely setting up more story lines for future books.

I also didn't entirely enjoy or believe Julia's relationship with Lucian, as a I had a hard time believing she would be okay with his initial lie and the extreme power imbalance between them (employer/employee). She reminded me a bit too much of Anna Steele from 50 Shades of Grey. I appreciated the attempt to make her "curvy," but found Lucian to basically be a sexy man-baby out to get what he wanted.

A fun start to a series, I'm interested to know more!

Thank you to Avon for the ARC!

Sheriff Hale is the town's golden boy who all the women want. Piper is the town's pariah. Her brother's in jail, she waitresses at the local strip joint, and no matter how hard she works she just can't seem to get ahead.

So, when her little sister is picked up by the sheriff, Piper is sure the sheriff is about to hand her a world of problems. Instead, it sparks an intense attraction shocking to both of them.

A series of misfortune events starting with Piper's first official lap dance (given to Hale) leads to Piper losing her job. Hale wants to jump to her rescue, but Piper's past makes her question his motives. Plus, her brother may be wrongly imprisoned for a murder that Piper has something to do with.

Overall SUPER sexy, but I'm not the biggest fan of the "works in a strip club but isn't like that" trope but at least this book ultimately made me think a bit differently. What kept me from loving the book was I didn't quite buy the love between Hale and Piper, it seemed to come a bit too quickly, and the mystery was a bit of an add-on

Anne, a junior professor desperate for tenor, finds out her ex-fiancee is the new president at her university. Between her old feelings returning for Adam, the kind of wild and totally sexy famous author she is dating, her best friend dating a closeted actor, her looming contract deadline, and her ill father, Anne's life is a whirlwind.

While a pleasant read, there was far too much going on in this story which led to a severe lack of development in the main romance. Obviously we are supposed to root for Anne and Adam, who's young romance we see in flashbacks and is totally endearing, but for me there wasn't enough in the present to make me think they would actually get back together.

Plus, as we find out, Adam could have one simple conversation with Anne which would have stopped all the ensuing conflict with the other guy. The plots about her best friend Larry were fun, but not really necessary, and adding on the family drama with her father just kind of made me sad.

My favorite bits were Anne's struggles as a young professor in a harsh world, and I wish this could have been the focus. The inclusion of many literary references were also fun, but this wasn't the best Austen retelling I've read recently.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

For a book with such a lurid, sensational title, this was actually a bit of a snore. The writing was quite dry and focused on description. Lots of architecture details, lots of legalese, and quite a few moments of great, so you researched that but wow you really didn't need to include it here (see photo of Evelyn Nesbit with bird hat).

That said, a timely true crime tale for the #MeToo moment, but not one that actually focuses on the girl on the swing (and WTF is up with the fucking swing Stanford White?!). Instead, we get more of the trial of Evelyn Nesbit's husband for shooting her rapist in cold blood many years after the rape was committed, long before Evelyn had even met her husband Harry Thaw. I was grateful that the author acknowledge Evelyn's pawn status in this entire affair, but wasn't super pleased he decided to include a post-epilogue note that questioned the veracity of her account of the rape. Of course we can't really know whether it occurred. Can we just believe her?

The husband/murderer Thaw, a disturbed rich boy, was not super fun to read about. I was appalled by the descriptions of the "asylums" of the early 1900s, 1910s, and 1920s.

I read this to check off my 2018 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge "read a True Crime story."

Star soccer player Peyton's boyfriend Reed shoves her down concrete stairs after she confronts about the steroids she found in his gym bag. The fall causes a bad injury to Peyton's knee, requiring a trip to the ER, surgery, and a chance she may never play soccer again. No one but Peyton's mother believes her normally loving, protective boyfriend could do such a thing.

Deciding not to press charges after Reed somehow passes a urinalysis test, Peyton's mother sends her to live with her uncle and twin cousins when Reed's scary, stalking behavior continues to increase.

A new school means Peyton can hopefully focus on rehabbing her knee without telling anyone about how it actually happened. Too bad she has the awfully distracting Owen, a super hot MMA fighter and fellow student at her new school, helping with her rehab.

Owen also has a secret, and while they try their best to be "just friends," their irresistible attraction leads to major drama.

I at turns loved this story and got mad at it. I loved Peyton's immediate break up with Reed, her insistence on keeping Reed away from her, and her mother's loyalty. A lot of readers apparently found Peyton whiny and childish, but I found her relatable and even mature beyond her years (for a teen). I was fine with her conflict over desiring Owen's hot body (and come one, his personality) but also of not getting involved with another fighter.

Owen toed the line between being perfect and 'unbelievable,' often crossing more into unbelievable territory. I wish there was a little more exploration of his character and backstory, but. But, hubba hubba, I'd want to be with him too.

My irritation with this story was the CONSTANT fighting throughout the story. Between Peyton's twin football playing, giant cousins, Owen, Reed, and the other testosterone-filled boys, hell even Peyton threatening a female rival, there was at least the rumbling of a fight every chapter. I found Peyton's "annoyance" with the fighting a bit trite, especially for someone who had just been massively injured by a "fight." I appreciated Owen's moral code, which was explained early on, but found his decision at the end a bit maddening.

That said, this is a riveting read and one that does address the domestic violence in an otherwise sensitive way. There is a great author's note at the end detailing Garcia's own experiences and a list of resources for those who need them, or just want to know about their options. You are not in this alone.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC!

After years of torture and abuse, Millie turns her serial killer mother in to the police. As she awaits the trial of the now notorious "Peter Pan Killer" Millie is sent to live with a foster family and to try and live a "normal" life.

But, Millie is worried she will become her mother. She still hears her voice. She still hears the voices of the nine little somebodies her mother killed. Her foster sister is a horrible bully that brings out the worst in Millie.

Will the good wolf or the bad wolf inside of Millie win? Depends on which one she feeds...

Super horrific and compelling premise, but the ending was such a disappointment! The narrator was most excellent, so still worth a listen.

The title really says it all. A decadant romp through Asia's wealthy, elite society, and the characters who get sucked up into the vortex. An excellently narrated audio book that is so over the top it veers into parody, but a fun romp.

Economics professor Rachel Chu had no idea her boyfriend Nicholas Young is from Singaporean family worth billions. Blind-sided by his glittering world, she tries to navigate the perilous world of match-making mamas, private jets, and multi-million dollar weddings.

Nick, obvious to his girlfriend's massive discomfort, believes his family is coming to adore her as much as he does. Nick's mother, Eleanore Young, is determined to end this relationship once and for all especially after she finds out a juicy bit of bad info on Rachel.

Other characters enter the story, including Nick's cousin Astrid, a beautiful socialite worth millions who's concerned her sexy (poor) husband is having an affair.

The ending is a bit abrupt, but definitely will leave you wanting to pick up book 2. I'm also excited to see the movie, because it will translate well to screen. The MASSIVE amounts of descriptions of objects, clothes, and homes will be a delight to the eyes, but was overwhelming while listening. I often felt like fast-forwarding through them.

Molly has a secret career as an erotic romance author. She's come home to Tumble Creek to get away from a creepy ex and to find new inspiration for her next novel.

Molly's original inspiration, the uber sexy police chief Ben Lawson, is dying to know what Molly's job is, especially since he is desperately attracted to the funny, adorable, and outgoing minx. Molly's afraid to get involved, but their mutual attraction leads to some awesome sexy times and love.

Putting a bit of a damper on their fun is the kind of scary things happening to Molly. She hopes it isn't her ex and just when she's about to come clean to Ben, the truth hits like a truck.

Super fun, great banter, hot sex, and a characters who both have flaws but don't lie to one another. Molly is forthright about why she won't share her career with Ben and is honest when she does. Ben, for his part, is a sexy, stoic lawman with a decidedly hot streak and a fun spirit.

Dahl did a great job making a creepy ex (a police negotiator) who convinces everyone around Molly that she is the crazy one. Super real, super scary. I loved that Ben didn't buy it.

Charming and gentle book by a lady who's self-admittedly between 80-100 years old, has moved house over eleven times, and after having to "death-clean" for her beloved husband, her mother, her MIL and herself, has lots of great advice and wisdom to share.

Magnusson, through her own stories, shares her beliefs that one shouldn't leave a mess for their loved ones if at all possible and the experience of tidying up can lead to a life that is far less cluttered and in your control.

While ostensibly aimed at those who are aware of their own mortality and/or going through a process of downsizing, as a 30-something who is currently helping with her father's death cleaning, there are many poignant and great take-aways.

Things are not the person. Something that was useful and or beautiful to the person may not be so to anyone else, and that is okay. Realize your children may not want many of your possessions, and start giving them away or selling them now. Have frank conversations with your family members and make your intentions clear.

Would be a great gift book to those who's parents are down-sizing.