Where I Left Off

Reading Recap 9 - Rachel Gillig, Emily Henry, & More!

• Kristen Bahls • Season 3 • Episode 4

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Welcome & Season Update

SPEAKER_00

Welcome back. I'm Kristen Balls, and you are listening to Where I Left Off, a Bookish Podcast. And today, this is a reading recap, and this is the first one of season three. And on this reading recap, I actually have a variety of genres for you. It has been a second since I've done one of these, so I do have a decent amount of books. But first, as always, I have to talk to you about some random stuff first. So I actually have some kind of cool author news, okay, really cool author news. Here's what's going on. So, uh in the spring, I have some signings coming up. So if you are in any of these areas, if you're local to any of them, then feel free to come and visit me if you would like. So, first one, this signing is pretty cool. I'm obviously excited about both of them. They yeah, they're awesome. Anyway, so this spring I am doing some signings. Uh, first up, I have Barnes and Noble, and this is the Barnes Noble in Rockwell, Texas. This is in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and it is March 14th from 1 to 3. So I will be there. And a little bit more about it, um, it is a signing. My table will be in the front of the store, and I will be signing books. Of course, if you already had a book, you could bring it and I would happily sign it. And of course, I'll have, you know, bookmarks, character art, the works. And the cool thing is that if um if all of the books do not sell out uh at that signing, then they will be signed and stocked on the shelves. So I will most likely be stocked at Barnes and Noble. I don't know, either way is great. Selling out the signing is great, having my books on the shelves at Barnes and Noble is great. I either way, I I win a little bit. So uh I am very excited about that one. Again, that is March 14th from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Rockwell, Texas Barnes Noble. Then I have another signing, and this signing, I again, I'm just I'm a little bit, I didn't think that I was gonna be having so many signings this spring. So that's kind of why I'm a little bit uh still frazzled, shocked. I don't know what emotion I want to say. But this next one um is in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and this is at Pearls Bookstore. Pearls is an independent bookstore, and this one will be on June 7th. It's a Sunday signing from one to three. And I will be bringing copies of my book to this one, so I definitely will bring enough, so I will not sell out. I will have enough copies. So if you did want to get a copy there, feel free. I'll have a bunch. And that is at Pearl's Books, which I have visited before. And if you didn't know or didn't remember, in my book series, it does take place um in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Again, it's a cozy mystery with romance called A Flair for Trouble. And it is the first book in the Teachable Cozy Mystery series. And when the teachers are solving crimes, they can't be around their students. Their students are very nosy. They even have an Instagram account where they've shipped them, and they're basically kind of like the paparazzi for them at school. So they need to get away, away from teenage ears and eyes. And so they decide to go to a local bookstore called in my book, The Plot Thickens. But The Plot Thickens is actually based on Pearls in Fayetteville. And when, um, funny kind of story, whenever I did my character art, I actually looked up pictures of the bookshelf, hot pearls, and I went ahead and sent that to the character artist. So my character art is the shelves at Pearls, and I will be at Pearls with character art in my hands. So that is kind of crazy to think about. Um, but they are super nice and they are hosting me for a Sunday signing on June 7th from one to three. And then there is one more additional event um in May, but I cannot talk about it yet because I can't apply until six weeks in advance. But I am really hoping to get there, and it is a book fair. So I am really hoping to be able to participate in that book fair, and I will let you know. And of course, on both of those, I will remind you closer to time, but I am very excited. Also, my book was chosen as the book club pick for the month for Jess, also known as Book Club with the Kindle. It is her kit, and it's like a book club, a virtual book club where you get an e-arc and then you get some really cool like Kindle accessories and different things that come in the box. And you will get an e an ebook of my book. So I will link that down below. And also, one more author thing before I move on. Um, I've been busy if you can't tell. Um, I did want to go ahead and link an article uh that I was featured in on romancelandia.com. So that was pretty cool. And I got to talk about my book and my writing process and answer all of Stacy's burning questions. So I will be linking that in the show notes as well. So speaking of author events, I did recently, somewhat recently, get to go to Sarah Adams. If you know me, if you've been listening to this podcast, you know that Sarah Adams is one of my favorite authors. I love her. Her books are like a hug in a book. Uh, they are traditionally closed door, but several of her books lately have been open door. So if you're not sure where she stands, she has both closed and open door romance novels. Um, her romances are not very spicy at all. I would say that again, I have not read the latest book In Your Dreams yet, because I am determined to savor it. I think I've said that several times on several different episodes. I feel kind of like I keep saying the same things on episodes because uh yeah, I don't know. Somehow I keep getting in like the same conversations about like Emily Henry and Sarah Adams and all that stuff. So anyway, um, I have not read In Your Dreams, but based on her other books, the spice level tends to be maybe a little bit more than an Emily Henry, maybe kind of like in the middle of Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez. So a very mild spice level, um, all things considering. And she also, if you did not know, um, even like any of her open door books, they have closed door modifications in the author's note and they tell you what chapters to skip. So always keep that in mind. Even though she has transitioned to open door books, she does always have those modifications listed in the author's note. Just had to call that out. But I got to meet Sarah again. This is actually the second time I've met her. She was supposed to be talking with Alexa Martin, who I also love, the next door nemesis, just pointing that out. You're probably like, oh my gosh, I've heard you talk about that book so many times. Yes, yes, you have. Um, I have another friend borrowing it at the moment, so I don't even have my copy. But Alexa actually ended up um having to back out. And so Sarah talked with her cousin, which was really cool and really different. I was very bummed because I did actually bring an Alexa Martin book to get signed, uh, but it was so cool getting to hear her talk to her cousin. And they already had, of course, a great camaraderie together, and they're very close. So it was really fun to hear everything kind of from her perspective. And her cousin is a huge fan of her work, which is so sweet, and it was so fun and just like wholesome to get to hear their conversation. So that was great. And the art print that we got was a map of Rome, Kentucky, and this is the last book of the series in your dreams. So I knew that I had to see Sarah for that Rome, Kentucky series. Practice makes perfect is just one of my favorite books of all time. I love it so much. I think I've reread it like three times, and I do not reread books, just throwing that out there. Um, that is technically the second book in the series, but they're all interconnected standalone. So technically you could read them in any order. But of course, if you start with Win and Rome, then Practice Makes Perfect, then Beg, Borrow, or Steal, and finish it out within your dreams, then of course uh you're getting a little bit more of the sibling story. It's each of the Walker siblings and their love stories. Okay, I can't wait to read that book. Of course, when I get there, you'll know, you'll know. I'll tell you, I'll tell you my thoughts when I get there. Also, I did want to point out so Peyton Corinne, I went on this whole tangent on, I think it was the last reading recap about how I thought that book four was going to be this love triangle and was it why choose and what was it gonna be? She actually confirmed on her Instagram since then that it's not a love triangle. So I'm very excited and I can read this because I don't have to worry about why choose, I don't think, if it's not a love triangle. So I'm interested, I'm even more interested to see where she goes from this. So the the spice level is not too spicy yet. Um, I don't think. Again, don't know, just guessing on what I read on our social media, but I think I will be able to read this one, so I'm stoked because I did want to continue this series. Also, a one last thing, um, and then I'll get into it. And okay. So faking Christmas by Cindy Steele. Again, another one that you're like, stop talking about this book. Well, I was rereading it over Christmas, you already know that, but it a, it was so enjoyable. It was just as good. I felt so vindicated because I love that book, and I kind of thought, am I hyping this up so much? Like, do I really love it this much? Yes, yes, I do. I enjoyed every second of my reread of it, and I got to reread that special edition. That was amazing. Anyway, um, I just wanted to point out that I realized Fakin Christmas reminds me of the movie Anyone But You with Sydney Sweeney and Glenn Powell. That's what it reminded me of. So if you liked that movie, add Fake and Christmas to next year's Christmas TBR or heck, you can read it now. There's nothing that says that you can't read a Christmas book in whatever month we're in, um, you know, in the middle of the year. Like, who cares? It does not matter. Literally does not matter. You can read what you want when you want. You don't have to read seasonally appropriate books at the exact time. That's kind of stressful when you have to read all your fall books in fall. No, no, I don't do that. I will read a book at any point in the year. Actually, I'm kind of horrible about reading the books at the correct time of year. Like right now, I would probably just pick up a beach read and read that. And then whenever it gets to summer, I'm reading a winter or a fall book. Like I am the absolute worst at timing the season to the book. I do not like having to choose that way, so I just read whatever the heck I want. Okay, starting with the first book, the this it's it's literary fiction. This is that lip book. Um, I'm giving you my thoughts. This is the first one that I have read for book club and the first lipfic I've read in a really long time. So the book is called Time of the Child by Niall Williams. And again, this is lipfic slash, okay, Google said it was like litfic slash historical fiction slash Irish literature. Um, so it's kind of a mashup of those, which I could definitely see. But I I liked it. I did, I actually liked it. So this book is about a small Irish town called Faha in the 60s. And that is literally my book synopsis that I'm going to tell you. Um, I feel like if I end up telling you more, then I'm just going to spoil something because every seemingly innocuous thing in this book, it just comes back around. You think it's just a tiny detail. Nope, it means something, and you're gonna find out later. So I don't want to ruin the book, and I don't trust myself to not ruin it. So that's what it's about. Okay, this is actually written in third person close, and it does switch viewpoints of the characters throughout. So you you get some switching up. The backstory behind this book, I've kind of said it, I've kind of like hinted at it and talked about it a little bit on other episodes, but let me just give you the whole lowdown on this. So, okay, backstory. Um, I told you I was reading this for book club and Litvick book club. So I joined uh the book club at a local bookstore because basically I've again I'm so sorry, I'm repeating myself, but just giving you the whole scoop. So their thriller book club is on hiatus for now. Uh the person that was running it moved, and so I decided to try their other book clubs, and I really ultimately my goal was to just broaden my reading horizons. Um, and also I do know myself. And the only way that I'm gonna commit to a litfic novel uh right now is if I have a deadline because I just have so much like required reading to do for the podcast and books that I want to read for fun. So I know that to read Litfic, I really just need like an actual deadline. So uh I, you know, something about me is that I I can't do something halfway. Like I cannot do something halfway. So instead of joining one book club, I decided to try multiple book clubs. Um, and I have some that range from casual to formal and they have all different styles, but I'll talk a little bit more about that in a second. But I did just want to say that um before I get into like my thoughts, that with this particular book club, the Lit Fick Book Club, after having a discussion about the book, I really feel like I gained a whole new perspective and I have a deeper appreciation for the story, and also like everyone was so nice, and I'm now officially in it for the long haul. Um, so I will most likely be talking about one lip fic book a month from now on. I am definitely joining the book club. Um, everyone was really great, they had fantastic opinions, they're very smart, and I learned a lot, and yeah, so this is kind of like a PSA to join a book club around you. I know, I know it's like, oh, I don't want to have to read a specific book, but I mean, there are so many different types of book clubs that you could do. Like some book clubs are traditional and I read a specific book for them, right? Like I'm in a romantic book club, I'm in a litfic book club, um, and oh, I'm in a book to screen adaptation book club. So for those, I do have like traditional book homework. We read a book a month and we talk about it. Then for um other book clubs that I'm in, we actually have like genres, and each month we have a genre like, you know, October's normally horror and February is normally romance, and you know, everything in between. And we will talk about different uh book recommendations that we have in that specific genre each month, so we don't have actual book homework. Uh, there are also silent book clubs, which I don't know which episode's airing which at the moment on this, but Paige and I talk about silent book clubs. She's a part of one. It's where you basically you go in there, they have about a lot of cafes, at least around me, and you go in there, you get to read whatever book you already wanted to read, and you walk in, and I think the first like 30 minutes are you like getting coffee, getting food, talking to people, chatting, and then you guys are silent, I think for normally about an hour, and you read silently, and then after that, I think the next hour, next 30 minutes, or whatever of it is where you can talk, or you can read silently. So you kind of have options. So, anyway, there are silent book clubs, there are a bunch of different kinds. Uh, you can really find something that fits you, but I implore you if you have not already, it is so fun to get to talk to book people, and I have had the best conversations with everyone in all of these book clubs that I've joined recently. Um, I have literally like stopped and talked to people for 30 minutes, so and it's at a local bookstore, and they let us shop the bookstore after after hours, so it's kind of cool to get to like walk around and browse as well. So, anyway, it is um, it's really just like a great, I don't know, it's just a really great atmosphere. So I would highly recommend joining a book club if you have not already. Okay, that is the whole like backstory behind how I got here. Okay, um, a little bit more about the book. So, like I said, it was Irish fiction, and anyway, um, again, when talking, when having our discussion, there were several of the members that have actually been to Ireland uh where this story takes place, and they really said that the slow pacing and the constant conversations between members of the town and really just the overall feel of the book was consistent with the pacing and the lifestyle of the area, which I never would have thought about at all. And um, oh, also on this, Niles Pros are very like flowery and you have to really pay attention. I struggled on the audiobook. I did so much better and retained a lot more uh when I was reading the physical book. So I would recommend that format personally if you're not super used to reading a lot of lip pick like I am, try to get back into it. Anyway, that actually got us into like this whole discussion about how like Americanized our reading is and how we want to be like hooked instantaneously on page one instead of enjoying like a cozy, slower-paced story. So if you wanted to challenge yourself, try this slower-paced, try lip fick, uh, then I would definitely add this book to your TBR. And the only reason that I personally didn't put it in the Loved It category was because I do think that a couple parts of it could have been edited down or adjusted like overall for clarity. Um, but overall, in when reading the book, I laughed, I gasped, I teared up in parts, and there were so many lines where okay, there were some parts where it would lull a little bit, but then there would just be the standout line, and I would think, like, wow, either that feels exactly like that, whatever he's describing, or just dang, that's really good writing. So the writing was really strong in this one, of course. Um, and Patchett blurped it. So you know, you know that it's gonna be good. Anyway, um, I enjoyed it. I do feel like it helped me as a writer and a reader to read something different, and I'm glad that I joined the book club. So there you go. Uh oh, the last thing I did want to point out about just the genre in general so far um in lipfic is that, and again, this is because I'm not used to reading it right now, but I never know what to expect, which honestly kind of stressed me out. So here's what I mean: like in a romance, I know that there's gonna be an HEA Happily Ever After, and they'll get together. And like in a mystery thriller, I know that the puzzle is most likely going to get solved, and the characters are always gonna pick like whatever option is going to get them into the most trouble. But with Lit Vic, it could literally go either way, um, which is gonna be an adjustment as I read more. And there's something that is not answered in this book. And we were talking about it in book club, they're like, yeah, it's not important to the story. And I was like, I know, but I'm nosy and I really wanted an answer, and I didn't get an answer to it. So that's something that I'm gonna have to come to terms with uh when reading more lip fick, because I I'm just used to it being completely tied up with a bow, and I know that this genre is not always tied up with a bow. It literally depends. And the next month's pick is Slaughterhouse 5, which is happening soon. I will already say that I did not get to finish it. I got about, I didn't get about halfway through. I maybe got like 25 or 30% through. The weather was really bad around here. I was not able to go to book club, and now I already have to read for the next month's picks, so I am not there yet. But Slaughterhouse 5 is our next one, so that's definitely a good one to uh work on if you wanted something and you don't have a book club around your area. But yeah, I didn't get to hear the Slaughterhouse 5 discussion, which is very sad. But I will hear the next month's discussion, and I will talk about that more in my currently reading on deck books. So, next up we have a contemporary romance, my genre. This is a groom of one's own by Emma St. Clair, and this is closed door, so this is closed door hockey, um, and I liked it. So I still think that book one, Just Don't Fall, in the Appy series is my favorite. Again, this is book three in the Appy series, but I did really enjoy this one, and I feel like kind of like Sarah Adams, these books are just like a warm hug. They're so fun, and they are just a treat to read. They're so fluffy, they're so fun, they're great, but the writing is really sharp too, so it's not as if it's like just pointless fluff. It is fluff with a purpose, and I love it. So this is marriage of convenience. And basically what happens is Eli's about to be deported uh once his visa expires, and he really needs to find a wife fast. So enter Bailey, a vet tech who works at the animal shelter that he visits often. And that that was your synopsis. You're gonna have to read to find out to see uh to see if that marriage starts to feel a little bit more real, as marriage of convenience typically does as a trope. So the only Reason that I didn't absolutely love it and put it in the loved it category was because I felt like the whole angle was that they were going to get a green card by getting married, right? And they wanted immigration to believe them. But then as soon as they were like really, you know, like as soon as dang it, I almost spoiled it. Uh, but then as soon as feelings turned slightly real. I mean, it's an HEA, you know that they're gonna fall in love, whatever. As soon as they do, it just felt like it disappeared. Like that angle and that side of it disappeared, and I don't think we really got a follow-up. And maybe I just missed that in the audiobook, and maybe I didn't hear it, but I I don't think I did. Um, so that that is the only, my only little nitpick with it, but it was really fun, it was cute. Um, Eli was he was he was such a golden retriever, and I just I love that type of book boyfriend. So I I was in for it. Um he's really sweet and he really cares about Bailey, and he does a lot of things to just make like everyday special, and he has a lot of really cute ideas of like where they would go on for dates and stuff that were just kind of random and fun and silly and just very, very adorable. So this was a really fun one to read, and unfortunately, due to the weather, I'm gonna have to wait to see Emma St. Clair until the spring. Um, but I am still making my way through the Abbey series for sure, and I'll just have a couple more books read by the time I get to meet her. Okay, next up we have Romanticy. You know that this is not a normal genre of mine, but uh for Romantasy Book Club, I read One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig. And this is technically what I would consider by romance standards open door. Uh, there's very minimal spice in book one, but it would technically be classified as open door, and I loved it. So I, okay, I was trying to put my finger on what set this book apart from the other romanticy books, because you know that I haven't really loved a lot of other romanticy books, and I think I may have figured it out. So in One Dark Window, Rachel, she's not trying to make it like a romanticy with that like standard checklist of Morley Gray boyfriend, this, they do this, they have this kind of banter, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I've read the same story 50 times. I know this sounds rich coming for me, but contemporary romance doesn't feel the same, and I can mix up the tropes, but I don't know. Romanticy kind of feels very similar a lot of the time, and I get tired of it really quickly. Whereas this one, I didn't get tired of because it's like the banter, it just felt really natural. And the characters, like, it's not that they didn't have some good quips here and there, but they weren't just so like every other line was quippy to the point that it seemed fake and like no one could talk like that or be that witty, you know, like it it wasn't overkill, it was really well done. And also, so they don't fall in love at first sight, and there's some real like character development as they learn to trust each other, and I really appreciated that. And Rachel Gillig, so her pros, they aren't super flowery, and I would say that overall they're kind of more on the succinct side, but it there's just something like in her sentence structure that really makes those like standout lines pop. And she definitely had some standout lines that I was I was again reading the physical copy. I started on the audiobook, and it's weird because a lot of the people that listened on the audiobook didn't retain as much and didn't like it as much, but I read the physical copy for both, so I would recommend uh reading the physical copy on this one. I don't know, I don't know if it's just it's easier to keep up. Um, also, it is changing points of view, so maybe that's why it's easier to keep up on physical book versus audio, but I really, really loved it um reading the physical book. But anyway, there were some standout lines that were just fun to be able to read and go, wow, that's good. So I really do appreciate Rachel Gillig's writing style and I do lean towards that a little bit. What is the book about? Elsbeth is caught in illness uh when she was younger that resulted in a monster called the Nightmare taking up space inside her mind. And in an effort to not get caught as an infected for fear of sudden execution, she spent her life away from most people other than her aunt, her uncle, and her cousin. When she decides to accompany her family to solstice at the castle, this chain of events happens and it makes it impossible for her to continue to live the life the way she was. When someone discovers her secret and she learns that honestly, she may not be as alone as she once thought. So can she collect all of the cards and help restore the kingdom? You're gonna have to read to find out. Just an FYI on this. So this is a duology, and it's called the Shepherd King Duology. This is book one, One Dark Window, and this is on Kindle Unlimited, also, just throwing that out there. So this book ends on a pretty hefty cliffhanger. So you might want to have the second book in the Shepherd King Duology close by, and I read them. I mean, I did for Book Club because we actually read both books in one month. Um, but I read both of them back to back, and it was very easy to retain it. And obviously, I wanted to do that after getting to the cliffhanger at the end of this book. That I'm like, oh my gosh, that's where you're ending it. So I'm very glad that both books are out because that, oh man, that would have been a lot. So I think, and again, clearly I have a certain romanticy style, because I feel like a lot of people liked it, but I I don't know. I don't know that a lot of other people loved it as much as I did. Uh, but I think that this may be like one of my favorite romanticies I've ever read. Um, yeah, I think that this and Play to Prisoner are two of my favorites. And I know that those aren't like they're they're both loved, but I don't I don't know that they're as like heavily favored as some of the other romanticies. So um if Play to Prisoner was more your style, if you didn't love Quicksilver, if you know Acatar was fine, then you may be more on my side of romantic. I don't know. I don't tend to read it a whole lot. So I did really enjoy this one. Then I get to talk about Two Twisted Crowns, which is the second book in the Shepherd King duology, and I feel like I'm kind of in between, liked it and loved it. I would say I'm I'm edging more on the side of loved it. So I'm gonna go with loved it. Um, this is also open door, and again, it is relatively mild. There are only like two short scenes, but they would definitely classify as open door, and it is a little bit more like this book in general is a little bit more romance heavy-ish, I feel like, than book one, or at least it just felt like it. Maybe it just felt like it to me, honestly. I don't know. So I had actually heard pretty mixed reviews about this book in the duology and just kind of how overall how it ends. So I and honestly, I'm fine if there isn't a ton of romance um in my fantasy. I'm totally cool with that. Like I said, there was a I'm trying not to spoil this. I'm trying to think of how to say it because I just sound like I'm contradicting myself, but I'm actually not. So I thought that the way that this book was laid out made sense for the story and the plot. So ultimately, I didn't mind how everything shook out in the end. I understand where people might be frustrated, but it matches the story, it continues it, it propels it, and it was done with purpose. So I can't, I can't really um nitpick that, you know? And anyway, I feel like this duology as a whole is maybe okay. I mean, like it's romantic, and there are some romance parts in it, but I didn't feel like it was super heavy on the romance. To me, I felt like it was a little bit more kind of like cruel prince leaning, where it was fantasy with some romance instead of like romance with the side of fantasy, you know? Um, so yeah, I just I kind of felt like it was more cruel prince because it was like, yeah, there's a romance going on, but like also we need to collect the cards, we need to try to take away the mist, we need to solve the infection thing, like we need to not degenerate that that was at the heart of the story, and that was the most important piece. And that's not giving anything away from the first one. That's uh the same issue. I didn't, I did not talk about the spoiler at all. So just throwing that out there. So anyway, um, I mean it did have romance in it, but it just it wasn't like super, super heavy romance. Like it wasn't super, super heavy. So don't get too attached. Um I'm trying not to spoil it. I'm trying to figure out how to say this. So, okay, here's how I think I can say it without saying it. So if Akatar or Caraval, Caraval, Caraval, I don't know, I've heard 50 different pronunciations of it. If those made you mad because they put a focus on other characters instead of the principal characters, then you might be slightly upset. There we go. So like I said, it sounds like a flip-flopping, because in one moment I'm like, it is more romancy, but then I'm like, but it's not that romancy. Like it it's romancy, but it's not between the principal characters. So take that for what you will. Um, but yeah, that is that is the whole thing. Anyway, so I enjoyed the Shepherd King duology and I liked it. I would recommend it. I thought it was great. I thought it was really well written. I will definitely be reading more Rachel Gillick books. I'm now concerned. I was gonna read The Knight and the Moth full stop, but I heard that it was gonna be a nine book series. I don't know that I want to sign up for a nine-book series. I don't know that I like any fantasy series enough for it to be a nine book series, so I'm slightly concerned. And I may wait until a couple more of those books come out to start the series. So love Rachel, love her writing, not sure I'm ready to dive into that extensive of a fantasy series. I have not been converted to that much of a romanticy reader yet. Keyword yet. So, next book. I'm jumping back into contemporary romance. So this one is different. Okay, this is Folaless by Usie Silver, and this is contemporary romance, specifically in the niche of cowboy romance, and this is open door, very, very open door. So I'm I liked it. I think I'm pretty sure. I'm going with I liked it. Uh, okay. This is book one in the Chestnut Spring series. I think that Wild Side, or is it Wild Eyes, the orange one? It's my favorite. Still my favorite. But I started in Rose Hill that series. Technically, in publishing order, Elsie Silver wrote Chestnut Springs and then she wrote Rose Hill. So I have some friends that agree that Rose Hill works as a standalone, then they've just randomly read a Rose Hill book, like at their library and stuff, just like I did, and they've been fine and they're like, totally could be a standalone. However, some of my other friends, they begged me to start at Chestnut Springs and go from the beginning, and they said that it was really important for me to read the two series in publishing order and that I would get a lot more out of it if I started with Chestnut Springs and then went to Rose Hill. So that is uh that's kind of what I'm doing. I've I can't, I can't read them all at once. They're really spicy, okay? I need a breather in between them. I can't read them all like back to back to back. So um I will slowly be making my way through the series. Also, I think I've heard some rumblings of some things that Elsie's done that I don't love. So again, I'm not like super motivated to just start the series now um and finish it completely. It's mainly just I already own the books and I'm trying to read the books on my bookshelf. It's kind of really where I'm coming at it from this. But anyway, here is a little bit more. So basically what ended up happening was I have been putting off the series forever. Because it was just if you give me a big series, like I was just talking about that nine book romantic series, if you give me a big series, I instantly don't want to read it, I get overwhelmed, and I I don't, I don't, I don't want to read it. I don't, uh-uh. I lose all motivation. So that's just me. Uh that's why I read standalones out of order based on what looks good. Like you can't, you can't tell me that I have to read a book in order. If there is uh interconnected standalone in a romance series that looks good, I'm just gonna read it. I don't care. It's not that serious. I promise it's not. So, unless the author says you cannot read it as an interconnected standalone. But if you put the words interconnected standalone in there, I'm gonna read it out of order because I just don't care. So, uh yeah, I had been putting off the series because it was just such a big series, and then I mean, like, this is a lot, and then Rose Hill's a lot, and I just didn't want to have to read a prerequisite series to get into the other. That's why it took me so long to read like El Kennedy and some of the others, because like just big series with a lot of spin-offs. I don't know. I get overwhelmed um by that thought process. Cause again, I don't feel like most romance books are that serious. Most. Um, I again I haven't read this series, so maybe I will totally change my mind by the time I get done, and I'll be like, yes, I definitely should have read the entire series in an order and all that. I don't know. But anyway, so with this, um, basically what ended up happening, what made me decide to start it now, was that Elsie and Bloom, her publisher, they just pulled some kind of magic lever, and basically they allowed libraries to be able to purchase their books on hoopla. And so now they my library has bought Elsie Silver's like entire backlist on hoopla. So I can now listen to them on audiobooks. So really it was kind of a match made in heaven of like, hey, I already have this physical book, but now I can also listen to the audiobook so I can start listening to it. Um, because half of my book club books, I am reading the physical book to retain it, just like even better. So I needed an audiobook. So that is where this came in. So that's why I decided to start flawless. So anyway, I listened to a majority of an audiobook, but I did pick up the physical um at certain points and the chapters matched, which, yay, chapters matching. Uh, if you did not know, the chapters, the way they're edited on audiobooks, do not always match the chapters in the physical book. So sometimes you have to like fast forward and rewind to try to find your spot. But with this one, they did match up pretty well. So that was very nice to be able to just switch back and forth between the physical and the audiobook. So, what is Flawless about? Flawless is about Rhett, who is a famous bull writer who has this bad PR stunt. It's absolutely ridiculous in the funniest way. But anyway, Summer is the daughter of his agent Kip, and she has a job with her with his company. She's been like an intern and she's hired on full-time. And her first real assignment as like a full-timer is basically to babysit him through the rest of the season to make sure he doesn't screw up and have another PR stunt. So the two have a pretty rocky start, but can they change their opinions of each other the more that they spend time together on the rodeo circuit? You will have to read to find out. So I would first like to rant a little bit about Rhett. The dude is a jerk. And I am saying jerk because I am trying to avoid turning on the explicit reading on this episode, but I have some choice words for him in the beginning. Keyword in the beginning. So while I'm on this soapbox and I'm gonna do this larger, this France, I just wanted to kind of zoom out a little bit and talk about book male main characters or MMCs in general. And I'm positive that I'm gonna be in the minority on this. Um I feel like lately a lot of my opinions have probably been in the minority, but that's okay. We all have our own book taste and our own book opinions. So here, here I go. I'm just ranting. It is totally okay if you don't agree with me at all. Uh, none of my friends would almost none of my friends would agree with me at all. So anyway, what is it with the whole bad boy thing? Okay, it just it drives me crazy. Again, you're just gonna have to add Rhett to the list of like beloved bad boys that I am famously not a huge fan of, such as Garrett Graham from The Deal. Um, then we have Prince Cardin from Cruel Prince, too mean, too mean. Then we have Kingfisher from Quicksilver, also too mean, too mean, and really the list, it just goes on and on. I'm just not a fan of the whole bad boy thing. Now there is like a caveat to that of, you know, if they have a really good heart. Um, not saying that any of those that I just listed don't, but like if they have a good heart from the beginning and you can tell and they're acting out of what they think is for the female main character's best interest, like Aaron Warner for Shatter Me, I can get behind Aaron Warner. I can get behind some, you know, bad-ish boys, but more like bad boys with the heart of gold. Like that's I can uh uh I can maybe be swayed on that. But I just the bad boy thing drives me crazy. And especially in this book, he rhett is a bad boy bull rider mixed with being he's also a player or former player. But you know, it's you'll see. Anyway, that angle is very annoying for me personally to read. But I did want to point out that in this particular book, Summer, who is the female main character, aka the FMC, she is luckily not an idiot, and she hesitates to like him because of his reputation and the fact that he's the client for the agency her father owns, and she feels like it wouldn't be professional if she dated him. So I did really appreciate that part of it, and that she wasn't just like, oh my gosh, I love him, like right away. That that would have, oh no, I might have had to DNF it. Also, I did appreciate that overall this book started out as more of a slow burn, and I feel like for this particular storyline, it made it a lot more believable. If it would have been InstaLove and they would have both just been like enamored with each other from the start, then I probably would have DNF'd it in this situation because I'm like But it it did kind of work, it did kind of work. So, like I said, I liked it. Like I I liked it, but okay, my other gripe with this okay. The I'm trying not to sigh a lot, but it's hard. The MMC Rhett, he calls Summer the same nickname that her dad calls her, which was just super weird. I don't want the love interest to call her the same name that her dad calls her, and he calls her princess, which I don't I don't know. Princess is just not my favorite, not my favorite. I don't know. And I'm not opposed to a pet name or a nickname. And again, you're not gonna appease everyone. So some people may be like, princess, I love that, but I don't know. It did not work for me. Like I said, it was just kind of weird when the dad's calling her princess and then he's calling her princess. I'm like, why are they all calling her that? I don't know. I just made me a little bit uncomfortable. Anyway, um, yeah, so that I mean, you know, to each their own. I guess you can have your own pet name slash like nickname, but that was not my fave. Anyway, um, overall, I mean, like, I appreciate Elsie's writing for the most part. Like, I do like it. And it's kind of like Allie Hazelwood, like she keeps me wanting to keep reading and wanting to keep turning pages. Um, and she does tend to have a really strong like found family in her books. And of course, as I get later into the series, it's gonna be even more found family because I'm gonna know all the other characters that they're talking about. But overall, I have to touch on this if I'm talking about Elsie Silver. Uh, her books, whoa, this one, I don't know if it's gonna be all of Chestnut Springs, I don't know if it was just flawless, I don't know yet. But wow. Um, I mean, I had already read one of her books and I thought that it was somewhat spicy, but this one, it was very crude and very spicy. And again, if that's her style and you don't mind it, then that's great. I feel like there there are a subset, there's really a romance novel for anyone. And of course, this is cowboy romance and generally cowboy romance and most of the time sports, especially hockey romance, is normally gonna be a little bit spicier. Not always, but normally it is, and this was definitely the case. So this is definitely um, this is on that like very crude and very spicy sec subset of romance novels. So if that is your taste, this is perfect for you. If that's not your taste, I don't know that you're gonna like it. It was pretty crude. Basically, I, you know, I modify books for my friends that are closed door, and I didn't feel like I could really modify this book because I just thought that overall it was like pretty crude without. Even when the characters are not doing anything, it's just like the way that they are described. It was a lot. Um I would say uh so far, the deal for L. Kennedy that that was kind of on the cruder side. I think actually most of L Kennedy's books I've read are kind of do tend to lean on the more crude side in the MMC's perspective. Um, I'm trying to think of other examples. Uh I am literally now blanking. Uh oh, oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Uh from what I've read of Collide by Balcabra, um, it does kind of have like that, that kind of like crudeness um in there. Like those are kind of crude uh in the male main character's perspective. So so I I would say kind of more on that side. So if you liked those books, then this one will definitely be for you. So anyway, I am just giving you a heads up. Um it got to the point for me where I had to skim and skip pages. So I'm just letting you know if you like uh books at my spice level, then this might be too spicy for you. If you like books that are spicier than me, then this would be perfect for you. So she's kind of similar for me um to Chelsea Kirto in the fact that I am planning on keeping to continue this series, but like with Chelsea's, Chelsea's are really honestly too spicy for me uh now, and I I am just reading. So this is typically like more spice than I would prefer for a typical book. And again, I'm just telling you to kind of give you a litmus uh based on what I normally read. So yeah. Chelsea's are too spicy for me. Um honestly Allie Hazelwood is kind of spice, she might spice me out soon. Um her books are just getting progressively spicier, and I'm I'm almost out of well, I am really out of what I would prefer on her on her spice level, but I love her writing so much that I end up, I end up reading them anyway. So kind of like Chelsea. So anyway, this kind of falls into that, that category. So just throwing that out there as well, so you know. Okay, last up, you know, we just talked about a really spicy book, and then I'm switching it up. So this is People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. I know I feel like I've talked about this in several conversations, but I haven't like gone in depth about what it's about and what I liked and what I didn't like and all that. So here you go. You're getting uh more Emily Henry. And again, this was for that page two screen adaptation book club. So here we go. People we meet on vacation by Emily Henry. This is technically open door, but it is very mild open door. That being said, I think if I remember correctly, it's a little bit spicier than Funny Story, uh, but it's still relatively mild. It's just it was a little bit spicy for Emily Henry and what she normally writes, but it was nothing uh wild or crazy. It was still pretty mild. So I think I liked it. I'm kind of on I again, I'm kind of teetering on liked it slash not for me. I can't decide. I can't decide. I thought the more that I thought about this book, I could really form an opinion, but I don't know that I have yet. So this is about Poppy who works at a travel magazine, and she basically gets to go on vacations on the company's dime and write about them. And she's feeling really burnt out and stuck, and she cannot figure out why. And with the help of some good-natured prodding from her friend, she realizes that she misses the budget trips that she used to blog about and go on with her best friend Alex. So the two of them have kind of been estranged for the past two years, past two years, past few years, and maybe two, but I've I'm gonna say few because I can't remember all the way. Um, after some kind of incident that you will find out about but you don't know about yet. She ends up manufacturing a trip as an excuse to spend some time with him. Can they mint their friendship and will it turn into something more? You are gonna have to read to find out. So, okay, I think I had an epiphany, and I think I figured out why I generally struggle to get into Emily Henry's books in the beginning. And I think that sometimes Emily, whenever I'm reading her books, I just get this feeling of dread and hear me out. So I'm no stranger to an FMC having like a rough start at the beginning of the book or like having hit rock bottom at the beginning of the book. I'm literally thinking of Next Door Nemesis and You with a View, and you know that those are like two of my favorite books. And oh, and kind of The Bodyguard by Catherine Center, like the uh and kind of Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center. All of those books in the beginning, the FMCs are not winning it life, they're not having a great time. Um, and they're able to pull themselves out of it. But I think the difference with M Hin books is that I like I feel the sense of dread, and I just wonder how they're gonna be able to dig themselves out of whatever hole they've gotten themselves into. They somehow find a way to get themselves into the weirdest situations, and I'm not invested enough or don't know them well enough to know if they can get it, get themselves out. Like in those other books I described uh that I love, I feel like I can feel like their gumption from the start, and I know that they can dig themselves out of the hole that they've gotten themselves in. But like with Emily Henry books, I don't always, I don't always know on her FMCs. I'm not sure. And it takes a little while for the books to get started. So I, yeah, I have to kind of sit with that feeling for a second and I don't love it. So anyway, um, for example, I'm I'm just like saying, here's some of the situations that characters have gotten into. Like one of the characters might say something like, I'm still in love with my fiance, even though he broke up, or even though we broke up and we can't tell our friends. So we have to pretend to still be engaged. Um, or another one of her books, that main character was like, My fiance left me for another woman when I moved my whole entire life here, and now I have to share this apartment with his ex, etc. Like there are all these crazy scenarios like that. And I'm like, wow, that is just really heavy. Like, that is a lot. It's a lot. So, and they just they sit with it a little bit longer than most books before it kind of starts to turn around. Um, and I just I really have to be in the mood for that. I think that's my deal. But I do think that I've heard that some of the other um Emily Henry books aren't quite like that. Like I think I've read a lot of the ones that break the mold um of her normals. So when I read Book Lovers and uh Beach Reed, I think I might like those better. But of course, you know I love funny story. Anyway, neither here nor there. So for me, I'm like, I either want all of the angst, like I want to be crying, or I want all of the fluff. But these are kind of like a middle ground where you get a little bit of both, and sometimes I don't know what to do with that. Like I don't I don't know what to do with that. So I think that's kind of what throws me um overall about her writing. So, but I did want to say that it's not as if I hated this book by any means. I did laugh at several points, and um I could see it translating well on screen, but now I've watched the movie, so I know how it translates on screen. Um yeah, I so there's dual timelines in this, which are not my favorite, uh, so that may also be clouding my opinion. And I didn't love seeing that on screen, and I didn't love reading so many dual timeline chapters. So I do wish that there were a couple less, but I understand that for the purpose of the book, you do kind of sort of need it. So anyway, um, this is a slight Emily Henry spoiler based on the books I've read. A lot of people have probably won up to me and read like her whole backlist already, but just in case you haven't, um I'll just put the little spoiler warning. It's really nothing big, but I just I don't I don't want to spoil something for you. I hate when stuff gets spoiled for me. So I feel like with Emily Henry, I understand that third act breakups are a part of the plot structure, and they are literally called The Dark Knight of the Soul, where the characters reckon with themselves before coming to terms with what they want and finding a resolution and honestly who they want. And okay, every book of hers so far, keep in mind, again, have not read a lot of her backlist. It's just had some really gnarly third act breakups. Like they're a lot. And it kind of almost takes the fun out of it because I'm I'm now at this point, I'm like, I know it's coming. I'm expecting a third act breakup. And sometimes I'm like, oh, is that their breakup? No, no, no, no, no, no, no. They're about to get into a very, very intense third act breakup. So I don't know. It's a lot. And I kind of wish that she would like switch it up and try a third act breakup one time, and then no third act breakup another time. And then I never know which way she's gonna go, and then I'm like, I don't know. So yeah, that would be my preference. But again, I am just one reader. She has her own style. Clearly, clearly, she is super successful and she's found a formula that works for her so she can do whatever she wants. More power to her for sticking to her formula. It's just kind of food for thought of like when authors always have third act breakups or always don't have third act breakups, then it almost takes some of the fun out of it because I never know what to expect. Like, are we heading for a third act breakup? Are we not? Are we? Are we not? I don't know. Like, I kind of want to be surprised. But anyway, that's just a random thought for me. So I did want to say that I did love um how this book started off in a pitch meeting. Since Poppy, uh, she works at a travel magazine, so she's a journalist. And gosh, I just miss pitch meetings so much. And it was very nostalgic for me. I'm like, oh, I could just see this in my brain being back in a pitch meeting. So anyway, that was really fun. Um, Alex and Poppy as a couple, I'm unsure. I'm unsure. They're pretty rocky. They're pretty rocky. They do figure it out, they do talk a lot, they have been friends forever. I don't know. I mean, and this was a question in book club, like, do you think they'd still be together? And some are like, yes, I think they couldn't quit each other. And I'm like, yeah, that's fair. And they're like, for good, for better, or for worse. I don't think they can quit each other. And I'm like, that's fair, but also, I don't know. I don't know that their relationship was that strong, but it could have built up stronger after the book. Hard to tell. So I don't know about this one. I'm I'm a little bit torn. It's not my favorite, Emily Henry, but I did not dislike it uh by any means. So I don't know. I'm on the fence. I'm a little bit on the fence. But last up, here is what I am currently reading right now. Um, I'm reading an insane amount of books as per usual. So this is what I'm reading. Uh I already told you about Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut. I started it, got about 25% through it, missed that book club, and don't have time to finish it right at this moment. But I do plan on actually possibly like buying a copy, saving my place and reading it because it's one of those things that um it is very relevant right now. And some of the lines are again very relevant right now. Um, and I do think it's kind of like Fahrenheit 451, where like is the reading experience the reading experience is not an Emily Henry book. It's not a fun little joy ride at all. But it is an important read. Like, it's an important read. I think that everyone should read Fahrenheit 451. And I I'm kind of I haven't even finished it yet, but I do think that Slaughterhouse 5 might also end up being one of those books that I think everyone should end up reading um over the course of their lifetime at some point. So I do plan on purchasing a physical copy of it and eventually getting back to it. It's just right now I am very overwhelmed with reading uh homework, reading stuff. So I yeah, I'm not quite there yet. Anyway, next up, um, okay, I did forget to say the next book for Lit Fick Book Club, so it was Time of the Childs, then Slaughterhouse 5, and then the next one is What We Can Know by Ann McEwen. That one I need, I need to get my copy of, but it is on deck. I haven't started it yet, but it's definitely on deck, and I'm gonna start it soon. Um, also the book, the next book for the romanticy book club, since we finished The Shepherd King Duology, is The Silversmith by LJ Claren. And that is the first of a series, and it's on Kindle Limited, so that one I need to start reading as well. And then the book to screen adaptation. So their next one is Wuthering Heights, um, and I even have Wuthering Heights, but I need a break from all the reading, and I have a very busy podcast month, so I had to exclude one book club, and that's the one I am for this month. Um, so instead, I'm gonna catch the next time, which will be Project Hail Mary. So Project Hail Mary is on deck. So the three books that are on deck are What We Can Know, Project Hail Mary, and The Silversmith. All those are book club picks, so those are on deck. Uh, what I'm reading right now are some books for podcast research. So I just started Stealing You by Molly Goynez. This is in the Boston Blues series, and this is book three. So stealing you is like, you know, stealing a base because it's baseball. So there you go. It is sports. It's not it kind of, you know, if you heard it out of context, I could see how you would think it's a dark romance. I don't read dark romance. Um, no, it is baseball. So it's it's full on baseball. But yeah, this is book three in the Boston Blues series. And yeah, I I think I'm about halfway through this. I'm introduced interested to see where this goes. This is Beck and Jensen, in case you are familiar. And yeah, it came out pretty recently, so I'm reading it uh pretty soon after Pub Day. And then also I am reading an arc. This is not out yet. So this is okay, it's Songbird and it's the Harmony series, book one, and this is Rebecca Wrights and SL Wrights. So she did co-write this with her husband, and uh also um on this, this is a dystopian romance, and she's an assassin, and he's a detective. So a dystopian romance. Have I read a dystopian romance? I mean, I've read like a dystopian romantic, I mean like dystopian fantasy YA series with some romance, but I don't know that I've read a straight-up dystopian romance. Maybe I have, but I'm kind of blinking. So this is a first for me. So yeah, I just started that arc as well. And then I am listening to the Charity Shop Detective Agency, and of course, why would I put the author's name? Hold on, let me look it up. Okay, this is the Charity Shop Detective Agency by Peter Boland, and it is so cute. I'm listening to it on hoopla. It is so good, and it's it's like what I want a cozy mystery to be. And of course, I'm maybe like a fourth of the way through it, I think. Yeah, I think I'm about a fourth of the way through the book. And so the FMC, well, this is not a romance. So the main character, she is retired and she volunteers in her retirement. She volunteers at a thrift store, and this charity shopslash thrift store um benefits like the local animal shelter. So it is really, really cute so far. It's very funny, it's kind of cheeky, but then you have some murder in there. So I would definitely say that it's what I assume based on the previews that I've seen. I would say it's probably kind of similar to Thursday Murder Club. Again, I'm just throwing that out there. I haven't read Thursday Murder Club yet. I have it. I have it. I do at some point want to read Richard Osman. Um, I also have his other series, We Solve Murders, but I just haven't read those yet. So I do plan to eventually get into them, but I think it's kind of more like that. It's kind of like uh The Retirement Plan by Sue Hensonberg. I feel like it's kind of similar to that. Um yeah, it's just it's nice and it's refreshing to read something with an older main character. So this does have an older main character, which is really fun. And the book is very funny so far. So anyway, I'm enjoying that cozy mystery. And yeah, those are all the books that I have um reading right now and that I have on deck. You'll hear about them when I finish, and you will know my thoughts, except for any book that I am talking to the author. I now I don't put on my reading recap um because I'm talking to them about it and it's research. So you are most likely never going to know my thoughts on those books, uh, because those are specifically research, so I can talk to the author. So they do not count in my reading recap. Of course, again, if you ever want to know, like, hey, um, you know, like was it this trope or what did you think of this or whatever? And it's not answered in the author interview, feel free to hit us the send us a text button or DM me on Instagram and ask me further follow-up questions about it. So just throwing that out there. And that is actually it for today on Where I Left Off, a bookish podcast. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. I'm the worst at reminding people to leave a review, which is why I don't have that many reviews. So if you would like to help me out, please take five minutes and write a review. Um, and if you forget, don't worry, I would probably forget to. Thank you for listening today on Where I Left Off, the Bookish Podcast. And I will see you next time on the reading recaps and all of the fun episodes with all the fun guests that I have coming up.