I'm cleaning out my...BOOKSHELF! Prepare for BLOGAPALOOZA!

HI guys and gals!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.





Today is being renamed.
It is no longer Wednesday.
Today is now BLOGAPALOOZA...
...or maybe REVIEW-APALOOZA...
...oh heck, pick whichever one you like, but it boils down to me being overworked (still), stressed out beyond belief (thank you Hurricane Michael and all the "fun" after effects!), and having WAY TO LITTLE time to do the things I love like reading and reviewing, and the desire to clean out the GIANT tote I'm carrying around with books that need to be reviewed. So...

...welcome to TOTAL REVIEW-ALATION!

*giggle*

Instead of SEVERAL posts, I'm going to do one BIG post with A LOT of books for you to peruse, consider, and possibly add to your future reading list.  Props will be given to writers, publishers, and the lot, and links will be supplied for further click-age should you so desire, while the actual review itself will be kept to a minimum...and don't smirk at me like that, I can TOTALLY keep it short...maybe, possibly...I'll try. 

Ready?  Set?  Here we go!

Our Stop

by

Laura Jane Williams

9780008320539

Avon Books

Released:  June 13th, 2019

While overall sweetly intended, I can honestly say I enjoyed the start, felt my heart become fully involved at the stop, but the so called ride left something to be desired.  The meet cute was adorable, as was the back and forth conversation playing out through Missed Connections posts, but the length of time it took for what would be to be, and the number of times in between that connections were missed drove me a bit batty.

The Undoing of Thistle Tate

by

Katelyn Detweiler

9780823442393

Margaret Ferguson Books

Released:  July 23rd, 2019

I was swallowed whole by this one...thinking it was a light, fluffy YA read with a slightly obvious turn of events to come...but it wasn't in the least! There were hidden secrets, and darker corners, plus hidden depths of the heart explored, as well as more than one way for someone to be undone.  (Don't you just LOVE when a title can be interpreted several ways?)  I really appreciated Thistle's dilemma, respected her loyalty to her family, and cheered for her newfound respect for herself when things truly looked grim.  All in all, it's a book that seriously makes you stop and think...what WOULD you do for those you love?

Sweet Summer Sunset

Coldwater Texas, Book 3

by

Delores Fossen

9781335041067

HQN

Released:  June 25th, 2019

Having read the previous release in the series, I thought I knew what I was stepping into...a cowboy flavored Contemporary Romance sure to leave you with a pep in your step and a heart warmed through.  This one was a bit STEAMIER than the last, considering our leading lady's online venture - the Naughty Cowgirl - is a relationship and s*x advice blog, but as much as the conversations were at times scintillating, there was SO MUCH HEART you could only have fun with it and move on.  I mean, who doesn't like a good friends-to-lovers story, am I right?  Ooh and that jacka** of an ex TOTALLY deserves what he got and THEN SOME!  Honestly, the nerve of some people!

Things You Save in a Fire

by

Katherine Center

9781250047328

St. Martin's Press

RELEASE DATE:  August 13th, 2019

Once I started this one, I couldn't put it down.  It's not that it was action packed, or edge of your seat, but it was so relatable, putting it aside was out of the question.  I was so rooting for our leading lady when "the incident" happened. I mean, I know, what happened was unprofessional as heck and "image is everything" but he deserved that and FAR worse. The fallout though...just wow.  I couldn't believe they were asking that of her, and yet I could...which make me OH SO SAD for the world, but my respect for her grew ten fold.  Now, as for those rules of caution when changing stations, my mind was blown. In today's world...still?! That's insane!  I couldn't fathom having to change pretty much everything about yourself in order to me yourself to a certain degree.  In the end, I was stunned by some things that happened, shell shocked by others, and warmed to my soul still by other moments that I'm glad I was there for. It reminds us that progress has been made in areas formerly forbidden, but there's always room for growth. Oh and more importantly still, love is most definitely the right answer, every time. ♥

Montauk

by

Nicola Harrison

9781250200112

St. Martin's Press

Released:  June 4th, 2019

This is one of those moving, beautiful stories that was able to whisk me away to another time, another place, and yet has its footholds firmly in a reality that might have been.  It shows us something in which we can really get to know the characters, their lives, and what may or may not be happening behind the scenes, but still instilled humor, hardship, and heart with every page.  As the story progress, suspicions about some thing proved true several times over, my initial love of the locals was tampered when they couldn't take Bea at face value, and connections from the past were finally revealed. By book's end, I was totally wrecked! It was just THAT GOOD!  A most unexpected twist happens towards book's end, well technically a few twists, but I was SO on the edge of my seat as I was swept away by the beauty, the drama, the tragedy, and magnificence that was this story.

Home for Erring and Outcast Girls

by

Julie Kibler

9780451499332
Crown
Released:  July 23rd, 2019


This was an ARC I won via Shelf Awareness. It was most definitely a great example of what historical fiction can be.  While the story flits between past and present, the author keeps us firmly rooted in the moment no matter what time period we may be in. You won't soon forget this cast of characters (past nor present), the home that helped them become a family with bonds that run far deeper than mere bloodlines, their stories anchored in truth yet embellished to more fully form a complete portrait, nor how it feels to be part of a whole.

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Special thanks to the publishers listed above for the review copies received both in tree and "e" form.  (THANKS!)  For more information on any of the titles mentioned, feel free to click through the links provided above.  Stay tuned for another BLOGAPALOOZA post coming soon!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!