Women With Books - Victoria Schade - A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED EXPERT

A new episode of the Women With Books podcast is up!

Women With Books Podcast featuring bestselling author Victoria Schade

I already used this gif to express how I feel about Victoria Schade but it’s so accurate I have to do it again.

Victoria Schade would know exactly how to deal with these dogs.

If you love dogs, then you have to go check out Victoria’s Instagram here. And also go read her books, like Who Rescued Who, which you can hear us discuss in depth on this episode!

Press play to listen or download from your favorite podcast app.

Follow Victoria's Puppy Adventures on Instagram! For a list of the authors/ books discussed, subscribe to the Women With Books newsletter (With extra Q&A from the guests!) Buy me a coffee! Support the Podcast at www.Ko-fi.com/womenwithbookspodcast Friend me on Goodreads!   THANK YOU FOR LEAVING A REVIEW SO THAT READERS CAN FIND THIS SHOW.

Victoria Schade and I discuss the Puppy Bowl, her wise dog training advice and the things we really hate (reading our reviews!)

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!

Best Books to Read Now - August 2019

Reminder/ Caveat/ Disclaimer: This is my (hopefully) monthly list of books I’ve read and enjoyed. These are not reviews, I do not include books I didn’t enjoy because life is too short to speak badly of books!

Welcome to the Best Books to Read Now Book Club! My (hopefully) monthly blog featuring my reading list, my TBR pile and the books I think you and your best friends should be reading. 

If you’re not sure whether you’ll agree with  my recommendations, check out my blog post on My Reader Wheels and my podcast, Women With Books . Those should help you decide if you’re going to be into my recommendations.

The best book club recommendations for you and your friends!

This is kind of a mixed up month because I’m also posting my summer reading challenge books on the blog. Therefore, this might overlap and it might not with that list. Traditionally, I only put 4 or 5 books on my Best Books To Read Now post, even if I read more books that month because I’m trying to give visibility to the new releases or the ones I really want to share/ talk about. This month, just look at both lists if you’re looking for recommendations!

Sidelined by Suzanne Baltsar
Amazon || Apple Books

YOU GUYS. This book. This book is one those books that I wish I could pick up and re-read for the first time. It is sort of connected to Suzanne’s debut novel, Trouble Brewing, but it’s also a standalone. It’s about a woman football coach AND her assistant coach. It’s such a great romance and so perfect for the summer of #equalpay and Women’s World Cup excellence and Suzanne handles the battle of the sexes deftly. HIGHLY recommend.

Always accept your applause like Megan Rapinoe.

Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri
Amazon || Apple Books

THIS BOOK! I saw this recommended by Aarya of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books on Twitter and I one-clicked it. For a long time, I’ve been interested in reading more fantasy romance, but it feels like such a challenge to find ones that aren’t too out-there for a non-fantasy reader (like me) and have a female-centered gaze (which is what I prefer) AND have a guaranteed HEA (also my preference.) But Aarya guaranteed that this would be a good pick for someone with my requirements and I’m so glad I listened! This book is both a great fantasy novel, with all that entails (magic, world-building, villains) but it also has a slow-burn romance (with the HEA) and it’s loosely based on the Mughal Empire which I really enjoyed, too.

Life and Other Inconveniences by Kristan Higgins
Amazon || Apple Books

OKAY, THIS ONE TOO!
I listed this as a “comfort read” on the Women With Books Summer Reading Challenge and it is comforting, like a great multi-generational story can be. It deals with love, loss, choices, growing up, growing old, independence and how we take care of other people. I told Kristan in our Women With Books episode that this might be the best book she’s ever written. And that’s saying a lot.

Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews
Amazon || Apple Books

SIGH
Yes.

You know what I’m going to say, right?

THIS.
ONE.

It’s a well known fact that I stan Ilona Andrews. I. Love. Every. Word. They. Write.

But…. I’ll be honest. I wasn’t sure about them leaving Nevada and Connor behind and taking the Hidden Legacy series in a new direction.

That just goes to show that I’m dumb. They’re brilliant and so is this book. I can’t wait for their next one!

Me when I get a new Ilona Andrews book.

And yes, there were some books I did not love this month…. I’ll be talking more about those and why I think they didn’t connect with me in my newsletter this month.

Do you like books on sale?
Make sure you’re following me on Facebook because that’s where I post great books on sale!

And what about you?
I’d love to hear what you’ve read and loved lately or what you’re looking forward to reading next!  If you want these book recommendations (and a sneak peek at my TBR list and advanced reading copies) sent straight to your inbox, remember to sign up for my newsletter where I’ll be including all the best book club recommendations throughout 2019!

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!

Women With Books - Kristan Higgins (Who gives the BEST advice!)

A new episode of the Women With Books podcast is up!

Women With Books Podcast featuring bestselling author Kristan Higgins

Y’all.

Y’all.

Kristan Freaking Higgins. I don’t think you can tell from the episode (but maybe you can?) how nervous I was having one of my personal author superheroes on the podcast. What made it better (and worse!) is that I truly adored Kristan’s latest release, Life and Other Inconveniences and have been recommending it to everyone. I really wanted to do the book justice and show Kristan all the respectful hero worship she deserves!

Talent, beauty, grace & a hot husband, Kristan Higgins has it all.

For those who can’t get enough of Kristan’s big sisterly advice, check out her podcast with Joss Dey, Crappy Friends.

I’d love to hear what your favorite Kristan Higgins books are! Hit me up on social media or respond below!

Press play to listen or download from your favorite podcast app.

For a list of the authors/ books discussed, subscribe to the Women With Books newsletter (With extra Q&A from the guests!) Buy me a coffee! Support the Podcast at www.Ko-fi.com/womenwithbookspodcast Friend me on Goodreads! Check out the HBIC Nation Podcast!

Kristan Higgins and I chat about her book, Life and Other Inconvenience and she gives free, wise life advice.

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!

Best Books to Read Now - January 2017

Reminder/ Caveat/ Disclaimer: This is my (hopefully) monthly list of books I’ve read and enjoyed. These are not reviews, I do not include books I didn’t enjoy because life is too short to speak badly of books!

As is often the case, my reading plans for the past couple of months didn't quite go as planned. I had a stack of books I intended to curl up with over the holidays and then I found myself reading something else. Fortunately for me (and for you?) the novels I picked were totally engrossing and perfect for lazy winter sick days (Yeah, I was struck down by the Great Cruddy Cold of Christmas 2016 - anyone else?).

If You Only Knew - Kristan Higgins

When Kristan Higgins' If You Only Knew was released, readers and her fellow authors alike raised a brow. A women's fiction novel from one of the queens of contemporary romance?

I am happy to report that there's still plenty of romance in this book, but also a fascinating story about three women who try to put their lives back together after heartbreak, betrayal and loss.  There's something in this book for romance fans and women's fiction fans.

The Hating Game - Sally Thorne

Speaking of the blend of romance and women's fiction, The Hating Game was on so many "best of" lists of 2016, including NPR's. This is packaged as a women's fiction or chick lit book but in my opinion, it is a straight up romance/ romantic comedy about how hate and love are two sides of the same coin.  I couldn't put it down.

A Promise of Fire - Amanda Bouchet

I first heard about A Promise of Fire on Smart Bitches Trashy Books but then, suddenly, it was every-freaking-where.  This was another book that got a lot of end-of-year accolades and for good reason.  It's a totally unique fantasy romance and I didn't really know what I was reading for the first 20 pages. It was a pseudo-Greek mythological world. People have magic, there are lands and kingdoms, Game of Thrones-style and a romance that sort of reminded me of Curran and Kate in Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series (one of my all-time faves.)

I will make one caveat/ warning that I've noticed in a lot of the reviews. For a good portion of the book, the heroine is literally tied to the hero after being kidnapped by him. Yes, it's a magic rope. Yes, he's a benevolent captor. Yes, she can make herself invisible. Still, if such things would bother you, I wanted you to be aware.

Now is a good time to grab this because Breath of Fire (The Kingmaker Chronicles), Book 2 has just been released  and the third book is supposed to be released later this year, I believe.

A Lady Awakened - Cecilia Grant

This is another book that someone mentioned in a SBTB podcast (I think? I can't remember and I can't find the episode) and I kept seeing it on people's "OMG Favorite Historical Romance" lists. To continue my trend of atypical historical romances, this is a tale of a widow who essentially hires a playboy neighbor to try to impregnate her so that she can inherit her late husband's estate and save it from her late husband's brother's evil clutches... got that?  Even though the plot sounds bananas and over the top, I can't remember the last time a romance  felt so intimate and so small.  The hero and heroine truly develop and mature through the book. There are (gasp!) conversations, there are real feelings and true, sweet intimacy.  If you're tired of wham, bam thank you ma'am stories this one might be a breath of fresh air for you.

So... as always, I'd love to hear what you've read or are reading. Throw those suggestions at me down below or keep in touch on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.  And are you subscribed to my newsletter?

If not, WHY NOT?  My newsletter subscribers get all the news about new books, sales and contests, FIRST - sign up here and keep in touch in 2017!