Where I Left Off

Reading Recap 5 - Hannah Bonam-Young, Katie Bailey, Leah Brunner, and more!

• Kristen Bahls • Season 2 • Episode 51

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Thanks for listening to another Reading Recap.

Come see me at Ink and Indie! October 3rd-5th in Chestertown, Maryland. 

Books mentioned in this episode:


For links to the books discussed in this episode, click the link here to take you to the Google Doc to view the list.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome back. I'm Kristen Balls and you're listening to when I Left Off a bookish podcast and today on the podcast I am sharing what I've been reading recently. Yep, I had to come in and tell you again what I have been reading lately and I'm gonna be honest here. I've kind of been in the world's like biggest reading slump. But to be fair, I did publish my book in the month of August, so I've been doing a lot of promo for that and I've been doing some in-person author signings and it has basically just left me with absolutely no time to read. And I think I've said this before, but I've actually had a couple more people tell me that they love listening when I talk about romance. So I have one thriller at the top of this episode and then the rest of what I've been recently reading is all romance. So you're welcome.

Speaker 1:

I'm really leaning into my roots here. I'm going with what I know and you know, at the end of the day, when I'm tired and I've been doing stuff for my own book, the only thing I want to do is just read a romance novel, like I I don't know, I don't have the attention span right now for anything else and I can just like dive headfirst and get completely sucked into a romance and I am for some reason I can pay attention to that but give me, like an intense fantasy or, you know, a thriller and I don't know. I've been struggling, whereas I'm way better with romance right now. So that's kind of what I've been going to Before I get in to all of that. And I will tell you what I'm currently reading right now, because it is an absolute knockout and I feel that I simply must recommend it to you. But I'm not done with it yet, so I can't technically put it in this episode, but of course I'm still going to tell you anyway.

Speaker 1:

Anywho, before I get into that, I did want to talk about my book for a second. Basically, it is officially out now and it will be linked in the show notes. I will only link my book in the show notes of like reading recs episodes or episodes where it's just like me and a friend talking. I will never link my book in an episode with an author interview. That feels weird to me. I don't want to do that. It is about the author, it is not about me.

Speaker 1:

So, with that being said, it is called A Flare for Trouble. It is available on bookshoporg, barnes and Noble Online, amazon, and it is on Kindle Unlimited, so you can get it at any of those places if you want to check it out. It is a cozy mystery with romance about two high school teachers who become amateur sleuths when a parent is murdered at an after-school event and I don't know that. I've really said this before on the podcast, but there is actually a group of students that ships them and they do this via an anonymous Instagram account, but the killer may or may not be also monitoring said Instagram account. So there, there you go. That's my little pitch for my own book, and I do have some events coming up. I have Ink and Indie, which is in Maryland, and it's through the Romancelandia bookstore, so I will link it down below, but you can always get tickets from Romancelandia.

Speaker 1:

But with that, on Friday October 3rd, I am actually doing a live podcast recording and that is going to be with authors Harriet Ashford, molly Goines and a special guest that I cannot reveal yet. That will be on the panel with us. So we will be doing a panel podcast live interview and of course, you will get to hear it, because once I record it there, I'm going to come back and edit it and post it, post it where I normally do, so you'll be able to listen to that episode as well. But if you want to see it live, that is October 3rd and then October 4th. On that Saturday I will be a signing author and it's from 10 to 12 or two to four. You either get the morning slot or the afternoon slot and it's a bunch of awesome, amazing authors and I've started reading some of their books and it is going to be the hardest thing ever for me to go there and not buy a bunch of books because I'm going to have to bring stuff back in my suitcase, and not buy a bunch of books because I'm going to have to bring stuff back in my suitcase. So that is going to be probably the hardest part of this for me to not buy something from everyone because there is absolutely no way I can fit that in my suitcase.

Speaker 1:

Anyway, I'm really excited about Ink and Indie. It's kind of funny because me and Stacey and Harriet we actually have like a group chat with our friend Sarah, who also you've heard you've heard all of them They've been on the podcast. That's kind of how we met. We connected kind of through that and we have this whole group chat going and we actually get to meet each other for the first time in person at Ink and Indie. So we are pretty stoked for that. So, anyway, that will be super cool. But that is what I'm doing in person, so what I have been reading lately.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I am so excited to tell you about this book because it's so good. I'm only I'm only like on chapter seven, I think. I'm only on chapter seven and I can just already tell that this is going to be a five-star read. Oh man, it's so good. I originally saw the blurb for this on Instagram, I think, and then I knew I wanted it. It was kind of like one of the other books in this episode, like you know how sometimes you just you see a blurb on social media and you're like I know that I must read this book when it comes out. That was definitely the way that I was with Well, actually, and I was dying to read it. It sounded so unique and so different. And then some of my Bookstagram friends that I really trust their opinions. They were loving it and so that gave me like a lot of hope going into it and my expectations were kind of high, but it is surpassing them.

Speaker 1:

It is so good and I haven't read Maisie Eddings before, I don't know why. Um, I just I haven't gotten there. Well, I mean, you know we can't read like all the authors all the time, so hopefully, also by doing this podcast, I hope you narrow it down to decide who you're gonna read next, because there are just so many authors Like it's, it's just so hard to be able to read everything that I wish I could read. So I am listening on audiobook because Jessica Joyce said that it was really good on audiobook, so I decided to try listening there. I do have a physical copy that I got from a local independent bookstore, so I do need to read that, but I was just starting it on audio because I knew that I could start it quicker. So Well, actually, by Maisie Eddings is so, so good.

Speaker 1:

It's obviously inspired by Chicken Shop Date and they have this like show called Sausage Talk, where the main character she talks to like B and C celebrities and interviews them over hot dogs, and so, anyway, what ends up happening is she gets drunk one night, she makes this video and she calls out her ex-boyfriend for ghosting her, who just happens to be a famous influencer, and her network wants to do damage control, and so they invite him on the show and then he makes the proposition on the show that he wants to make it up to her and wants them to like go on dates and they'll record them and all that stuff and do recaps. So that is pretty much where I've gotten, but it is so funny, it's so hilariously funny, and I think that raunchy is not the right word. I would say it's a little bit more crass, of like humor, but it's very funny. It's very funny. It's very different.

Speaker 1:

If you like have barely read or do not read romance novels because you think that they are going to be cheesy, this is perfect for you. It is not cheesy. Every single sentence, almost, is just dripping in sarcasm. It is so funny, it is so well done. The pacing, the thought process, just the writing is fantastic and I have been so thoroughly entertained from reading this book so I cannot wait to finish. Well, actually, but I am absolutely loving it so far and I am anticipating to continue loving it along the way.

Speaker 1:

So that's yeah, that's where I think I'm at with it, but it is so good and I had to talk about it for a second. I had to give it a little bit of airtime because I feel like by the time I do another reading recap, it might've already been like super popular and I'm reading it closer to it's pub day. So, yeah, it definitely caught my attention and I have a lot of really good romance books on my TBR. I have a lot of good books in general on my TBR. I haven't read the new Riley Sager yet, but of course I have it.

Speaker 1:

I do have a lot to catch up on, but for now I'm going to give you some recommendations just to kind of tell you a little bit more about what I've recently read. I do have my new rating scale, remember it's loved it, liked it and not for me, so that instead of stars because I was driving myself crazy with the whole like star numbering system thing I just go with loved it, liked it, not for me, and even something that's not for me I would recommend to the right person. So again, everything is so personal, especially reading, so I do understand that. So that's why I kind of like to go in depth about the books, so that way you can see what you liked and did not like. Okay, do not forget, I will have all of the books as chapters so you can skip around if you're only wanting to hear me talk about a specific book, or you can be along for the ride for the whole thing.

Speaker 1:

So the first book like I said, I'm starting with the thriller, and then everything after this is going to be romance, but starting with the thriller. So I actually read this for my book club and it was the Silent Patient by Alex Michaelettis I hope I'm pronouncing his last name right. This is a thriller, a very popular thriller, and I liked it. I liked it really well and, like I said, this was my book club pick. I'm actually in several book clubs not surprising and this was from a new one that I joined at a local bookstore and it was a thriller book club.

Speaker 1:

So here is kind of the general plot synopsis. So a woman's accused of murdering her husband and has remained mute ever since. She's currently in a psych ward where she meets our other main character who wants to become her therapist and is convinced that he can get through to her. It's very much like I'm not like other psychologists and I think that I can get her to talk, even though, like everyone has already tried, his boss warns him that she can be more vindictive than she seems. But his ego gets in the way and he's determined to get her to make a breakthrough. And that's really all I can tell you. You're gonna have to read to find out the rest, to see if he can do it or not.

Speaker 1:

And okay, this seemed a little bit at first, at first, like it was a spin on the whole, like FBI agent with a troubled past is determined to get inside the head of a serial killer, kind of plot line, just like, with a slightly different flavor. But the whole psychologist and patient thing and this is not, this is not a critique, this is just me pointing it out. Uh, whether that's good or bad is up to you, I'm just simply pointing it out. But you can really tell that this book was written by a man, and maybe that's because I have been reading some thrillers written by women lately. Um, I I don't know why, but well, I do know why. But this book, just you can tell that it was written by a man, which, again, is not a diss or a compliment. I'm just simply telling you whether you like or do not like that writing style, that it just has a certain flair where you can tell you can tell.

Speaker 1:

So I was very entertained and I listened to this on audiobook. And being entertained like I can't say that for all the thrillers, because lately I feel like they've still been very hit or miss for me I've kind of gotten out of that reading something kind of got back in it and I don't know. It's just been like in and out, in and out on thrillers. So this was a really compelling story and I wanted to keep listening, which is our definite bonus points in its category. So overall I would say it was a really fun thriller and definitely a wild ride. And the characters to me they seemed a little bit caricature-y, but that could be accurate for mental health institutions I'm not sure I don't work in that field, so it may be completely spot on.

Speaker 1:

I just don't have any experience to be able to say yes or no, but I was able to guess two, two of the three major plot twists and this podcast Is really one of the only places I can brag about that and you can actually understand the triumph that comes with Guessing the plot twist. I love to guess the plot twist To things. I am constantly trying to figure something out Through a thriller or mystery and that's why I need my full attention on both of those to really focus, because I am always trying to figure that out as I go. But feel free to DM me on Instagram if you want to talk about it further in actual specifics of like how I guessed and what I guessed and all that kind of stuff. But I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I will not give you any clues. Feel free to always DM me on Instagram to talk about books.

Speaker 1:

I chit chat with everyone about books, so feel free. It's always linked in in the show notes and we have fun. I have a whole there are a whole group of us that just like to chit chat about books and give each other recommendations. Bookstagram is really the best and a lot of the people are very nice. Anyway, random aside, but all in all, like I said, entertaining. It was good and I would recommend it if you want like a twisty kind of thriller that's going to keep you guessing, and it was an enjoyable. It was an enjoyable book, so I would say that I think you would probably like it the next two months of thrillers from my book club if you wanted to follow along.

Speaker 1:

Because why not this month? September is the seven and a half deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, and then October is the woman in suite 11, which I had actually already checked out from the library before I even knew what the book was. So that was kind of funny. And that one is a follow-up to the Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware, and I absolutely loved the Woman in Cabin 10. And it got me into Ruth Ware in the first place. So I am stoked to read the follow-up. I can't wait. So anyway, that is where my Thriller Book Club is going. I need to get on the book for this month because I haven't even started it yet, but I need to. I checked it out from the library and I'll probably end up listening to it on audiobook because I tend to listen to. I tend to listen to any book club book on audiobook because I can get through it so much faster on an audiobook book.

Speaker 1:

Next up is Fighting Spirit by Anna Harrison. This is romance, it is open door and I loved it. So this one. Originally, actually, I think it was Allie Hazelwood that posted about this book I saw the cover, I really liked the cover and it intrigued me. Then I went and looked up the blurb and I was sold on the blurb and I'm so glad that I read this book.

Speaker 1:

Ruth is the mascot at her college and she loves every minute of it. And a nearby rival team's rookies are told to kidnap the frog as a prank. Yes, she is a frog. The seniors meant like the actual animal, but the rookies grabbed the mascot, aka Ruth, instead thinking they meant frog mascot, not frog the actual animal. So she's terrified and she's very kidnapped and she becomes Rowan's problem. And Rowan recently graduated and basically accepted a job as a coach, and so that's how they met. Will they be able to get over their rocky start? You are just going to have to read and find out.

Speaker 1:

I don't want to tell you more than that because then I'm just going to start getting into spoilers, but I will say that this book is unlike anything else that I've ever read before. I was thinking I was just going into like a football sports romance, and that is so not what I got. It was very different. So the blurb was super inventive. Like I said, I thought I was just going into like sports romance, but there was so much angst and there was so much emotional depth. That really kept me in the story and I absolutely tore through this one. Fyi, I read it so quick. It was really, really unique and I appreciate that, because sometimes, you know, you just kind of feel like you keep reading the same plot over and over and over again, and that is not the case with this one. I think I already said it, but I don't think it's like anything else I've ever read before. I also don't know that I've ever felt so bad for a main character before, but man, she was going through it and there's this plot twist that I really did not expect that it had me in tears. It was wild. Again, I'm not going to like spoil it for you or give you any hints, but it was a lot and it was a really, really interesting book. So basically, if you need a good cry or you want something different, but still in the romance genre, I really implore you to read this book. It is also on Kindle Unlimited and it was really great, really unique, and I appreciate authors like Anna Harrison for not just regurgitating the same sports romance, but I I, of course, love the same kind of sports romance, but this one was really different and inventive and unique and I loved it. So I would highly recommend it and I will definitely be on the lookout for her other books as she releases them. And I will definitely be on the lookout for her other books as she releases them.

Speaker 1:

Okay, up next we have Rookie Season by Katie Bailey and Leah Bruner. This is romance and this is new adults, but it is closed door-ish. So when I say closed door-ish, I mean it is technically closed door, 100% technically closed door, but I would put this at more of like a practice makes perfect by Sarah Adams level of closed door, where it is definitely closed door but it's just maybe I don't know how to describe it Like it's just a little bit, like it's a little bit more intense for closed door. So, but it is definitely still totally counts. Like I said, I loved it.

Speaker 1:

If you've been listening to this podcast for any length of time, you know that I love Leah Bruner. I have talked about her books so much and she has been on the show, so you can go back and listen to her episode as well. But I can't remember if I've really talked about it that much on the podcast, but I've also torn through almost all of Katie Bailey's backlist. I love her backlist as well and if you love Sarah Adams, she has a very complimentary writing style to Sarah, so I would highly recommend checking out her books. They are awesome. I loved them and, as funny as it is, my library actually carries all of Leah and Katie's audiobooks, so I've listened to a majority of them on audio, but they're all also on KU as well and of course you could get a physical copy.

Speaker 1:

Anyway, on to the actual book. So Leah took Noah from Desire or Defense, which is my favorite closed-door hockey series, and Katie took Allegra, aka Legs that's her nickname from I Think he Knows. And now this is their story, now that they're all grown up, they're kids in those original novels and now years have passed, time jump and this is their romance. So kind of almost more of like an L Kennedy legacy moment is happening here. But you get cameos from several of the DC Eagles players, of course. You're going to get Andy and Mitch, of course, and you even get a little bit of Slater from Katie's season schemings. So ultimate verdict is you don't have to read any of those books to be able to enjoy this series, but I had so much fun running into all the characters that I already know and love from all the other books, like I said, big fan of both of their works. So that's how I was like oh that's Slater, oh that's Andy, that's Mitch. You know like I instantly clocked whenever a character would have a cameo in the book.

Speaker 1:

In this book, allegra drops out of college and she's in search of a fresh start and she finds a job at a dance studio. And Noah is entering his rookie year in the NHL, so he's got a lot to prove. He is determined to focus on the team hockey and definitely not get distracted by anything or anyone. You can totally see where I'm going with this here, right? Yeah, well, allegra and cat which I think his name is Harry Styles III, if I remember correctly have other plans as she fills the roommate slot, and by roommate slot there are four of them. Yeah, there are four of them living together. So three hockey players and Allegra, and both Noah and Allegra are very closed off and they really find each other when they need someone most, and that's really all I can tell you without spoilers. Like I said, closed-ish, closed door. It is closed door, but kind of more on the closed-ish side. There you go. That's what I was trying to say, oh my gosh. Anyway, as per usual, not shocking, having read their work the found Family there's an amazing group chat that is hilarious and it had me laughing 99% of the time. And the pacing, the overall pacing of the book is just packed with all the usual Katie and Leah magic, but it's them put together and I just loved it.

Speaker 1:

And for this I forgot to say I did break my self-imposed ARC ban. I cannot be trusted with ARCs anymore because I just have too many books to read. But I decided to join the ARC team for this one, so booked with the Emilys and Katie and Leah. They they did give me an ARC copy for being on the ARC team of this one, so I did read an advanced reader's copy of this book. But you know, like I said, I love these books so much. So this was not a hard. This was not a hard book to be on the ARC team for.

Speaker 1:

But all I'm saying is that if you listen to any of my recommendations, like at all I'm saying is that if you listen to any of my recommendations, like at all, I'm just begging you to pick up one of their books. It could literally be any of their books, not even Rookie Season, but I really enjoyed Rookie Season. But you could honestly pick up any of their books and I call them like a hug in a book. That's what they are. That's what they are and I always find myself like giggling and enjoying just every minute. And this is on audio and you know that books don't always translate to audio, but these are great about translating both to the physical book and to audio and I feel like it should be worth noting that when I finished Rookie Season, I was so sad that I almost did an immediate reread directly after finishing and I do not reread books, but I just had so much fun in this world and anyway, all clothes was saying you know, I love the book and I'm definitely going to be following the rest of this series Because this was book one in that new spinoff series With the same fanfare.

Speaker 1:

I am here for anything that Katie and Leah want to write. I'm definitely going to read it. They're both auto-bu, especially together. They are a dream team for me and I'm loving their books. Then we have Battle of the Bookstores by Allie Brady. Allie Brady is actually it's kind of like Katie Bailey and Leah Bruder. It's well, technically it's more like a Christina Lauren, like they have one pen name, but it's two different authors, um, and so anyway, this is an open door and I, I liked it, I really, really liked it. I'm on the fence between liked it and loved it, um, but I wanted to go ahead and say liked it for this one, but it's a very strong liked it and anyway, this has been inspired by. You've got mail.

Speaker 1:

This was another one kind of like. Well, actually that I saw the blurb, I read it ahead of time and I was like I have got to read this book. When it comes out like I simply must read it. And I did and it was great. So Ryan and Josie, they are rival bookstore owners and he has a romance bookstore and she runs a serious like literature store and the owner basically of both of their shops buys everything and then makes them compete until one remains, because he basically plans on opening up like one big general bookstore that can obviously only have one manager, and so one person's going to literally lose their job and then one is going to be manager of this new like general bookstore that will have all the genres and not be so niched down. Let me just tell you though Well, that's all I can tell you about the plot, because otherwise, yeah, I'm going to ruin it but Ryan is my like, one of my favorite MMCs. He was amazing. He was absolutely amazing.

Speaker 1:

And one of the other things that I liked about this book a lot was how many book references there were. I mean, they're kind of like book slash reader slash bookworm references like in general, but there are a lot, especially in the romance genre. So if you are a romance reader, you are going to really like this and you're going to laugh. You're going to laugh a lot at a lot of bookish terms that pop up in this book. So it was really fun. I thought it was really well done, because, you know, I feel like sometimes writing a bookish book is hard, but they did a great job um on on this one and it was just overall. It was such a fun element that really added to the story for me. So I will say the only reason that I didn't love it was because this did the same thing for me that First Time Caller did, and I know that this is an unpopular opinion and I still really enjoyed First Time Caller but if we're on my scale of loved it to liked it. The only reason really on both of those books that I didn't just completely love it was they spoke like.

Speaker 1:

This one started out so strong and I was in it. I was so in it. But lately I've been noticing this trend with Berkeley romances where they're making them longer, like they used to be, kind of more in the 360 to like 380 page range and I feel like that is the sweet spot for like pacing. But lately they've extended it a little bit and now the romance novels are like 400 pages or like in the 400 to like 420 range and I don't know why. But those few extra pages just really kind of cuts into the pacing for me and it had a couple lulls in the middle that I feel like the books that were 360 to 380-ish pages didn't have and I think it's something changing in their structure because it's happened with a lot of new Berkeley releases. So I really think it's something that the publisher is having the authors do.

Speaker 1:

But again, I don't know that for sure, I'm just speculating here, but it just had a couple lulls in the middle. That's the only reason that I didn't put it at, loved it, but I still really enjoyed the book and I think it's so much fun. And again, if you're looking for all of these okay, all of the romance books in this episode just felt really different for me. It didn't feel like I was just reading the same plot over and over again. They had some kind of aspect or element or banter characters or something that just made it feel really fresh, and I would definitely say that was the case with this one. I was very entertained, except for those couple lulls. But again, I think that really ultimately kind of has more to do with the publisher than the actual authors.

Speaker 1:

And this book, battle of the Bookstores, has 400 pages and First Time Caller had 420. So just throwing that out there, it's just a trend that I've noticed. I don't know why they're doing that, I don't know the purpose of it. But also, you know, the price of paperbacks has increased. So I kind of wonder if it's maybe I don't know a way to increase the price of the paperbacks from a business standpoint. I have no idea. Again, not my area of expertise at all, but I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was very different and as soon as I saw that it was inspired by You've Got Mail, which is literally one of my favorite movies of all time. I was sold, definitely sold, so I really enjoyed Battle of the Bookstores. It was great. Would recommend it.

Speaker 1:

And, rounding out, our episode is Out of the Woods by Hannah Bottom Young, and this one. So I am actually going to get to meet Hannah Bottom Young this week, the week that I'm recording this episode. So I am absolutely stoked and in preparation. I checked Out of the Woods out of my life from my library and I was so happy that I did. This was my first Hannah Bonham Young, oh, and this book is Open Door and I absolutely loved it.

Speaker 1:

And yes, I know that I read the series out of order. I know I'm a monster. I love to read things out of order. I've read Elsie Silver out of order, I've read Lila Sage out of order and now I'm reading Hannah Bottom Young out of order. Let's just say like I don't really care If it's an interconnected standalone like romance series. I will read whatever book sounds most interesting to me, regardless of what order it's in, I do not care. So I started with Out of the Woods, having not read Out on a Limb and I'm definitely going to go back and read Out on a Limb, but I love this.

Speaker 1:

So Sarah and Caleb, they attend a marriage counseling retreat in the middle of the woods, even though neither one of them is outdoorsy, and they're doing this obviously in an effort to save their marriage, as Sarah's just been feeling a little bit kind of stuck lately, um, as she's grown, because you know, they got married really young and so now it's a little bit later and she's just trying to kind of figure out her place in life and if Caleb fits into that and that, that again all I can tell you without giving you some spoilers. So I, I typically don't love Marriage in Crisis as a trope. I don't hate it or anything, but it's not like my first favorite trope by any means, and so I don't know. Know, I wasn't really sure, but I'd never read A Hand on Bottom Young before and this was available in my library so I grabbed it and I was so glad I did. I, like I said, I absolutely loved this one. So kudos to A Hand on Bottom Young for taking a trope that I was a little bit unsure about and doing it so well that I I came away with it like this.

Speaker 1:

This was a great book, absolutely enjoyed. The emotional depth in this was there and it's dual timeline, so it has one timeline is their relationship in high school versus now, as they're at this like marriage retreat and I laughed a lot. It was very funny. I really enjoy her writing style, but I also teared up at other moments too, because there is so much emotional depth here. It's very raw. There's a lot of grief. The main character