i got arcs and i'm placing preorders!

I promise I am reading! Susan Elizabeth Phillips is actively ruining my life and my TBR. More later on what her absolutely unhinged Chicago Stars series involves but for now, my favorite bookstore is doing a preorder sale with extra funds going to Our Justice. Also someone at Netgalley or maybe at Berkley, has decided I am worthy of a few choice ARCS…yay for me! My husband acted like this was the greatest honor I have ever been bestowed and truly an impressive monumental human achievement. I WILL TAKE IT.

ARCS I enjoyed:

• The Heartbreak Hotel - Unclear why I decided to request this ARC or where I saw it mentioned. Goodreads includes a glowing review from Anita Kelly so sold. If I had seen a content warning for this book about the loss of a child, I would not have read it but instead I went in blind. However, this book is so so good at handling the grief at the center of it. The little details of it that break your heart and the moments that can make you feel a bit better, how different that is person to person. Yes, almost all contemporary includes grief now and so much of it feels like an afterthought. Grief is the center of this plot and so beautifully handled. Our hero is gruff and surly. Our heroine is earnest but lost. This is an adult romance debut from a typically YA author and I am excited to see what she writes next.

• Love is War Song - Danica won me over with The Truth According to Ember and I had fun with this Miley Cyrus movie but make it indigenous book. I was glad the cowboy trend was going a little less Yellowstone and a little more authentic. We’re in Oklahoma! There is a scene involving stick ball and a tooth injury that truly made me laugh out loud. Also tornado danger bang. (Twisters robbed us, don’t forget).

• How to Sell A Romance - I am an Alexa Martin stan. She always makes me laugh and her voice feels familiar to me. This is about a woman who gets sucked into an MLM (multi level marketing) while balancing being a public school teacher and a hot reporter on the MLM’s trail. There are several ethical violations but I don’t care! There is too much of the evil MLM ex wife but I don’t care! It is really smart, under the silliness, about the insidious white girl boss and the predatory nature of MLM structures.

Books I am preordering:

• Crash Test - Make the two F1 drivers kiss!!

• These Summer Storms - Sarah Maclean fan for life but also weird Succession style family shenanigans.

• Scotch on the Rocks - Loved book one by this Scottish author and hello, the cover is so hot.

• Soulgazer - I am burnt out on romantasy a bit but pirate romantasy? The well runs deep.

• If Not for My Baby - I don’t really know that much about Hozier if I am honest…but my favorite Tropes & Trifles employee loved this book.

• Zomromcom - 28 Days Later is one of my favorite movies of all time. I will always say yes to zombies. I think there is also a vampire in this?

• The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold - Wrote about book one not too long ago! I have been waiting to see what is up with the super mean competent twin sister.

• Love at First Sighting - Marlowe is doing fun stuff with cryptids. There is a spaceship on the cover for god’s sake!

• Road Trip with a Rogue - A text I received about this book: “Oh he won’t touch her without gloves because he can’t handle it. YESSSSSS.” Derek Craven coded.

This doesn’t even cover the truly bananas amount of books coming out in August and September. There will be new Isabel Cañas, Eva Leigh, Ruby Dixon, Rebecca Ross, and many many more. I can only preorder so close to the sun before both my family and my USPS lady riot.

talk soon,

Britt