Review: A Highlander in a Pickup by Laura Trentham

A Highlander in a Pickup
(Highland, Georgia #2)
Laura Trentham
Release: February 25, 2020
Goodreads Amazon
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

A Highlander in a Pickup is the second book in award-winning author Laura Trentham's romantic comedy Highland Georgia series, full of love, laughs...and highlanders!

When a gorgeous new man—in a kilt—comes to town, life in Highland, Georgia will never be the same…

Iain Connors is the poster boy for the strong and silent type. Growing up a loner at Cairndow Castle in Scotland with only the cliffs and moors for company, it’s understood Iain will assume the mantle of Cairndow groundskeeper when his father is ready to relinquish it. But his stint in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces has opened up a whole new world—and now, rather than settle down, he accepts an invitation to travel to the States to take charge of the Highland Games. After all, he’s led men into battle, how hard can planning a party be?

Anna Maitland is ready to step up for her best friend Isabel Blackmoor, who can’t run the Games in their hometown this year. Surely Anna, a dance instructor with boundless energy, spirit, and charm, is up for the challenge? What she doesn’t anticipate is a man in a kilt who turns up claiming he’s the one in charge. What’s worse about this Iain? He’s so infuriatingly handsome that she can’t help but fantasize about him whispering sweet-nothings in her ear in his rumbly, sexy brogue. . .

Review:

I loved the first Highland, Georgia novel, A Highlander Walks Into a Bar, with its small town kitch and dueling accents. I was really looking forward to more fluffy Hallmark movie vibes from book two, but that's not exactly what I got.

However, I did love Anna. Her tendency to do everything herself and her ambition to do something more meaningful were incredibly relatable. Iain, on the other hand, was just okay for me. Also, it's a slow burn romance, which led to a very rushed ending. I would have liked to see an epilogue about Anna and Iain's future rather than one setting up Holt's book. I assume there will be room to check in on them in that book as well though.

What I loved most about A Highlander Walks Into a Bar was the over the top "themeyness" of the town of Highland. That's still there, but I didn't feel like I learned anything new in this second book in the series. The most prominent new location is the dance studio, which was certainly important to Anna's development but didn't build on the Scottish theme.

A Highlander in a Pickup is billed as a romcom and while it certainly does have its funny moments, I found it surprisingly introspective. Both main characters, Anna and Iain, are lonely but are so used to being that way that it's only when they recognize it in each other that they realize how lonely they've been. Even the main supporting character, Holt, who also featured prominently in the previous book, was profoundly lonely. I felt like I cried as much as I laughed when reading this one, which was unexpected. And not entirely welcome.

In short, I just didn't get the warm fuzzies from A Highlander in a Pickup that I did from book one. So while I enjoyed it, I was also a little bit disappointed.

   1/2 

3.5  stars

My reviews of other books in this series:
A Highlander Walks Into a Bar

February Reading Challenge Recap

We're two months into the year so it's a good time to remind you all that we're doing something different with our monthly wrap-ups in 2020. Instead of one large post, we're doing a few small ones including a monthly reading challenge recap at the end of the month to keep you all updated on our progress with our challenges. Wish us luck! 

The Weres did awesome at their reading challenges this month despite February being a short month! This is how we did this month:

Romanceopoly

Gretl

Completed:
✔️Rainbow Row - F/F romance
Moontangled by Stephanie Burgis
✔️Fang Alley - PNR featuring a magic user who is not a vampire or shifter
Even Tree Nymphs Get the Blues by Molly Harper
✔️The Vault - PNR by New to You Author
Touch of the Mage by D.D. Chance

✔️Lover’s Lane - LGBT set in college
Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Coming Up:
➖City Lane - UF published in the last 5 years
➖Beau Blvd - YA by new to you author

➖Killer Crescent - Thriller with detective or PI MC
➖Outer Space - SciFi set on an alien planet or ship

Rose Red

Completed:
✔️Amour Avenue - Read a Second Chance Romance
Stay Lucky by Leta Blake
✔️Library #2 - Read Any Book
A Pale Light in the Black by K.B. Wagers
✔️The Gym - Read a Book that has a Gorgeously Dressed Person on the Cover
From London, With Love by Bec McMaster

Coming Up:
➖ Farmer's Market- Read a Romance Where the H/H is a Chef or Works in the Food Industry, Owns a Bakery/Restaurant/Food Establishment
➖Post Office- Read an Epistolary Romance
➖Action Avenue- Read an Urban Fantasy with a Kick Ass Heroine on the Cover

Beat the Backlist

Gretl

I’m playing Beat the Backlist Bingo and filled 7 squares this month:
Title words begin with same letter - Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren
Plants on the cover - Even Tree Nymphs Get the Blues by Molly Harper
Indie Book - Beast by Holley Trent
4th+ Book in a Series - Untraveled by Anna Hackett
Released in the 2010’s - Disturbing His Peace by Tessa Bailey
Story involves a heist - Unfathomed by Anna Hackett
LGBT rep - Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Rose Red

I was able to complete two of the squares on my Bingo board this month.

Beat the Backlist Bingo
Book That Shares Your Zodiac Sign- Owned by Fate by Sean Michael
Author That Writes Multiple Genres- All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Non-Bingo Backlist Books
Stay Lucky by Leta Blake
Branded by Flames by Sean Michael
Seduced by the Tide by Sean Michael
Bound by Thorns by Sean Michael
Born of Air by Sean Michael
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

Library Love Challenge

Gretl

My goal for the year is 36 library books. I'm at 7 so far.

This month I read:
Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren
Untraveled by Anna Hackett
Unfathomed by Anna Hackett
Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Tackle My TBR 2020

Rose Red

My goal for the year is 12 Books I Own for the Safety level but I'm going to aim to hit the First Down (25-36) level. Three books down; a lot more to go.

This month I read:
The Pale Light in the Black by K.B. Wagers (also counted for the monthly challenge prompt Diverse Read)

How did you all do with your reading challenges in February?

 and

We Love Lists: Kindle Unlimited Recs 3

I wasn't sure how long I was going to keep my KU subscription, but I continue to find good stuff there. Sometimes I feel like I have to search through a lot of other stuff to find it though. Here are some of my recent favorites:


Strange Love by Ann Aguirre
I haven't actually read Strange Love yet, though it's on my Kindle. It's getting so many raves that I feel confident in including it in my rec post anyway.


Blood & Ash by Deborah Wild
This new UF series gives me Kim Harrison vibes. Book 2 is out in March.
Check out my review of Blood & Ash.


The Audacity of Demons by Trina M. Lee
Part of the recent paranormal "academy" trend but not YA or NA like most of the others. I really liked this one. I also started Lee's Rebel Heart series which is set in the same world and features half-demon rock stars.


The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai
I don't know why some books get included in KU, but it's a great time to try it. Rai is one of my faves!
Check out my review of The Right Swipe.


Disturbing His Peace by Tessa Bailey
A lot of people are just discovering Tessa Bailey with the popularity of Fix Her Up but I've been a fan of her dirty talking alpha heroes for a few years now. And a lot of her backlist is in KU. It’s not always complete series, like this book 3, but they stand alone well.


Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertelli
This is another book that I was surprised to see in KU. I haven't read it yet, but enjoyed the movie.
Check out Rose Red's review of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.

Our other KU rec posts:
(Look before you click. Some of these titles may have left KU since the post was published.)
Kindle Unlimited Book Recs
Kindle Unlimited Recs 2

What have you discovered in Kindle Unlimited?

Early Review: While You Were Spying by Stina Lindenblatt

While You Were Spying
(Love Undercover #1)
Stina Lindenblatt
Release: February 20, 2020
Goodreads Amazon
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

She needs a fake husband. He needs to protect his best friend...

Ever since I caught my boyfriend getting hot and steamy with another woman, I’ve thrown myself into my career. But now I’m ready to move from being the super-efficient office manager to an operative with Quade Security and Investigation.

Just as soon as I prove to my boss that I’m kick-ass enough to do the job.

So when my grandmother asks for my help, there’s no way I can say no. Her former love has a mission for Jayden—my hot colleague and best friend—and me. What more could I want?

***
The last thing I want is for Isabelle to be is an operative. She’s my best friend, and I hate the idea of her being in danger. Unfortunately, our boss has other plans.

Isabelle and I go undercover at a resort for happily married couples. But forget moonlight walks and hanging out by the pool. To maintain our cover, we have to participate in activities that would make a nun blush.

Clothes come flying off, and we agree to temporarily be friends-with-benefits while there. No strings attached. No complications. Nothing could be simpler. Right?

Wrong—because there’s another reason we’ve been lured to the resort. A reason that will put our hearts to the test…and our lives on the line. 

Review:

While You Were Spying is quite light in tone for a series about former special ops soldiers turned private contractors. It's kind of a RomCom/Romantic Suspense hybrid. It's full of tropey goodness - friends to lovers, fake relationship, only one bed, workplace romance. I found it a fun, quick read even though it didn't blow me away.

I enjoyed the chemistry between Jayden and Isabelle and the way that everyone around them knew how they felt before they figured it out for themselves. I loved Isabelle's meddling grandmother and her friends, as well as the other Quade Security operatives.

I just felt like the mystery plot could have wrapped up more efficiently. Some of the connections could be cleaner and there's a character that didn't need to be tied in. I also didn't like the way one of the villains was handled. Still, I liked the characters and look forward to reading about the rest of the guys on the team.

Love Undercover is a spinoff from another of Lindenblatt's series. Jayden and Isabelle and Liam, the head of their agency, all appeared in previous books. This is my first book from her though and I didn't have any trouble reading it as a standalone. It was more that I kept thinking, "I bet they had their own book already" when Liam and his wife were mentioned. I may have to check out their story while I wait for the next in this series.

    1/2

3.5  stars

Release Day Review: Stormsong by C.L. Polk

Stormsong
(The Kingston Cycle #2)
C.L. Polk
Release: February 11, 2020
Goodreads Amazon

After spinning an enthralling world in Witchmark, praised as a "can't-miss debut" by Booklist, and as "thoroughly charming and deftly paced" by the New York Times, C. L. Polk continues the story in Stormsong. Magical cabals, otherworldly avengers, and impossible love affairs conspire to create a book that refuses to be put down.

Dame Grace Hensley helped her brother Miles undo the atrocity that stained her nation, but now she has to deal with the consequences. With the power out in the dead of winter and an uncontrollable sequence of winter storms on the horizon, Aeland faces disaster. Grace has the vision to guide her parents to safety, but a hostile queen and a ring of rogue mages stand in the way of her plans. There's revolution in the air, and any spark could light the powder. What's worse, upstart photojournalist Avia Jessup draws ever closer to secrets that could topple the nation, and closer to Grace's heart.

Can Aeland be saved without bloodshed? Or will Kingston die in flames, and Grace along with it?

Review:
My favorite book of 2018 was Witchmark by C.L. Polk and the first thing I did after finishing it was look up if there was going to be more books in the series. That being said, I feel like I have been waiting 84 years for this sequel instead of the year and half it's been. It was totally worth the wait!

Going into this book I wasn't sure I was going to like it. I didn't hate Grace at the end of Witchmark but I didn't love her either. She has a lot to make up for with how she treated her brother but she made a lot of headway with helping Miles and Tristan disable the aether network. I'm so happy that I can say loved Stormsong almost just as much as I did Witchmark. They are two very different books but they are perfect foils for each other and they just make you want more from this series.

While Witchmark focused more on the magic and the people of Aeland, Stormsong concentrates more on the politics and could be classified as a magical political thriller. The whole book is wonderfully thrilling, terribly romantic, and more than a bit magical. I loved that it is written from Grace’s perspective. It helps us to understand why she did some of the things she did in the first book and it lets us see a different side of Aeland. As much as I love Miles, we saw only a very small portion of Aeland from his point of view and that was mostly the soldiers he was treating and the lower social classes. He doesn’t have to think or deal with the political ramifications of his actions, while Grace does. She is always thinking about what affect her actions will have on her political career and how they could better help her country.

I didn't think it was possible for me to fall in love with Grace but C.L. Polk made me fall head over heels for her in this book. Grace is an exceedingly competent mage and political leader who is more than a bit unsure of her place and what she wants out of life and more than a little lonely. This book was a political thriller but it was also a book about relationships and becoming the person you want to be. 

At the first of this book, Grace doesn't know who she wants to be. All she knows is what she's been groomed to be and what she's expected to do to uphold the family legacy. It's also a book about her relationships. Mainly the relationships with her father, Miles, her Queen, and Avia. I loved the amount of Miles and Tristan in this story and how much we got to learn about them through Grace's eyes! But her relationship with Miles is still developing and changing from what it was before Miles ran off to join the army. Her relationships with her father and the royal family are complex and I loved how C.L. Polk approached both of them.

As for the relationship with Avia, I adored the romance between the two! Like everything in this book, it was almost the complete opposite of the romance between Miles and Tristan. While theirs was a slow-burn between two strangers who met and then fell in love, Avia and Grace have known each other for a long time even if they weren't friends. They ran in the same social circles until Avia was tossed out and disowned by her father. The mutual attraction between the two was always there, but neither ever acted on it. I loved watching them come together despite several events and secrets that tried to keep them apart!

I wholeheartedly loved this book and already know it's going to be one of my top ten books of the year. My one and only complaint is that the ending is a bit abrupt. It ends kind of on a cliffhanger in the middle of the action and I just need more! Not all of the loose ends are tied up and things have been setup for a third book which hasn't been announced to my knowledge but which I am now dying to get my hands on. I really, really need there to be a third book because if the series ends like that with no other books I will riot. I'm hoping C.L. Polk will pull a Rainbow Rowell and announce the third book around when Stormsong releases. For now, I’m going to be over here preparing myself for another long wait in between books.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

    

  5 / 5 Stars

Book #3: Winter- Read a Book with Snow on the Cover

 

My reviews of other books in this series:
Witchmark by C.L. Polk

Weres Wanna Know: When is it Okay to Let Books Go?

The end of 2019 was a doozie for me. I made some pretty major changes in my life; the biggest of which was starting a new job teaching high school. I inherited a classroom that had been occupied by the same teacher for almost 30 years. And my classroom was filled with the clutter and detritus that reflected that. I've spent the majority of the last six months trying to get it into some semblance of order and I've found that I've carried that attitude into other aspects of my life.

I've blogged several times about how stressful having a large unread physical TBR is for me but also on how I felt like I needed to have that stash of unread books. I have this total irrational fear that I'm going to run out of books to read and there will be no way I'll be able to get more if I don't get them right now. Which is kind of a messed up way to be thinking.

A couple of weeks ago I took a good look at my personal library and realized that I owned a ton of books that I was never going to read. They were taking up a lot of space. I have books I bought back in 2009 that I haven't even touched except to move them across the country four times. So I started to pull books off my shelves that very day. Every time I put a book in the donation pile, I felt guilty. I spent money on this because there was a time I was super excited to read this book. Why was I not excited any more?

I bought a lot of the older books I have on my TBR at a time where I was looking to expand what I was reading and because a lot of them were the really popular and hyped books at the time. I have no interest in most them now. My reading tastes have changed and I have a good idea now the kinds of books I want to read. It took a few pep talks and enlisting the help of my sister to help me haul them, but I culled over 135 books from my shelves and a good number of those were unread TBR books. I can honestly say now that I've gotten rid of them that I don't miss them at all. 

Part of my success in culling my shelves may be because I donated about 95% of them to the library in the high school I teach at because we're a small school with an equally small book budget. I've gotten a lot of joy from seeing the students reading and loving those books I never made the time to read. It's been nice knowing that they are in a place where they're actually wanted and needed.

Want to know the best part? I now have lots of room on my shelves for books I actually want to have on my shelves. And I'm not as stressed over the amount of unread books on my shelves. As for the ones I was kind of still interested in? I actually own the ebooks for most of them so why was I still hanging on to the physical copy? There are a few more books/series that I know I should get rid of but I can't seem to let go of them yet.

How about you? When do you feel it's okay to get rid of books you know you're not going to read? Do you have any tips to help me become more motivated to get rid of those last few books?

Release Day Review: The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

The Worst Best man
Mia Sosa
Release: February 4, 2020
Goodreads Amazon
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

Critically acclaimed author Mia Sosa delivers a sassy, steamy enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy about a woman whose new job requires her to work side-by-side with the best man who ruined her wedding: her ex-fiancé's infuriating, irritating, annoyingly handsome brother. Perfect for fans of Jasmine Guillory, Helen Hoang, and Sally Thorne!

A wedding planner left at the altar. Yeah, the irony isn’t lost on Carolina Santos, either. But despite that embarrassing blip from her past, Lina’s managed to make other people’s dreams come true as a top-tier wedding coordinator in DC. After impressing an influential guest, she’s offered an opportunity that could change her life. There’s just one hitch… she has to collaborate with the best (make that worst) man from her own failed nuptials.

Tired of living in his older brother’s shadow, marketing expert Max Hartley is determined to make his mark with a coveted hotel client looking to expand its brand. Then he learns he’ll be working with his brother’s whip-smart, stunning—absolutely off-limits—ex-fiancée. And she loathes him.

If they can survive the next few weeks and nail their presentation without killing each other, they’ll both come out ahead. Except Max has been public enemy number one ever since he encouraged his brother to jilt the bride, and Lina’s ready to dish out a little payback of her own.

But even the best laid plans can go awry, and soon Lina and Max discover animosity may not be the only emotion creating sparks between them. Still, this star-crossed couple can never be more than temporary playmates because Lina isn’t interested in falling in love and Max refuses to play runner-up to his brother ever again...

Review:

When I finished The Worst Best Man, I couldn't stop thinking about how much it reminds me of The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. Both heroines come from large, eccentric, meddling families. In Lina's case, her family is Brazilian and the elements of their culture that Sosa incorporates were interesting. Both heroines lie to a potential employer and in typical rom-com fashion, hijinks ensue. The Worst Best Man even has some fake relationship moments, though it's a smaller part of the plot.

The most obvious comparison is that both are enemies to lovers stories involving an ex's brother. Max's brother Andrew, the ex, really is awful but he's not much of a villain. The tension in the relationship comes from both characters' emotional baggage. Lina has been judged for being too emotional in the past so tries to avoid feelings at all costs. And Max can't stand the thought of being compared to his older brother in yet another way. By the end, I really wanted to smack them both for beating me the over the head with their issues.

In between all of that though, Max and Lina have great chemistry and give the reader lots of tropey goodness. Only One Bed FTW! I had fun reading The Worst Best Man so while it didn't blow my mind, it certainly fulfilled my expectations.


Recommended for fans of: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

   1/2 

3.5  stars

This Month's Most Anticipated

For the last few years we've been listing our Most Anticipated books as part of our Month in Review posts. We're trying something new for 2020 and giving them their own post. That also gives us room to talk about other things we're looking forward to each month, like upcoming Netflix movies for example.

Here's what the Weres are excited about this month:

Book Releases

Our Most Anticipated February Releases:

(Click on the covers to add them to Goodreads.)

Feb 4

All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

Belle Revolte by Linsey Miller

The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 22 by Mizuho Kusanagi

My Hero Academia, Vol. 23 by Kohei Horikoshi

Feb 11

Stormsong (Witchmark #2) by C.L. Polk

Feb 16

Meat Cute (Parasol Protectorate #0) by Gail Carriger

Feb 18

Voodoo Shanghai (Kincaid Strange #3) by Kristi Charish

Of Curses and Kisses (St. Rosetta's Academy #1) by Sandhya Menon

Feb 25

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

Imaginary Numbers (Incryptid #9) by Seanan McGuire

The Ancient Magus' Bride, Vol. 12 by Kore Yamazaki

TV/Movies

Feb 12

To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You
on Netflix

Feb 21

Clone Wars Season 7
 on Disney +

Feb 26

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising
 in Theaters