Some Like It Scot by Pepper Basham

 

First line:  I'd love to say I became famous because of my excellent writing skills.

Setting:  Isle of Mull, Scotland

The plot:  Katie Campbell is a popular travel writer known for her misadventures. Everywhere she goes something goes wrong. But she somehow always manages to turn it into something humorous and positive. But while she's happy traveling the world, there's something she's missing:  Home.  "Sometimes it's a place. Sometimes it's a person. Sometimes it's both."  So when Katie meets Graeme MacKerrow, and the tall Scot not only rescues her more than once, but makes her feel seen, she starts to wonder if she's finally found it. But she's afraid...of falling, of failing, of not being enough. And of Graeme not loving her back.

Favorite quote:  "Love is always an act of faith because we cannae see the future...But love gives you the strength to leap, and faith gives you the vision to believe that the one you love will be on the other side to catch you."

My thoughts:  I love this book! More than a simple lighthearted romance, this is an engaging novel about finding family, finding home, taking chances and believing in oneself. Basham truly knows how to craft a story with layers and humor, depth, hope, faith and love. And her characters are so delightful. I loved Katie and Graeme and their journey. And I loved the picturesque setting. This book made me want to travel to the Isle of Mull. (And maybe meet my own handome Scot.) I found it captivating. And the ending made me smile. 

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Top Ten Tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme:  10 BOOKS I'D LIKE TO REREAD.

Which sent me on a journey perusing my bookshelves to find some favorite books that I would really love to reread this year:  

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

The Time of the Twins by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

Precinct 13 by Tate Hallaway

Wreckers by George Ellis

The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander

Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Do you like to reread favorite books? If so, which ones?

Happy Reading!

Exposure by Ramona Emerson

 

The plot:  Rita Todacheene is a forensic photographer with the Albuquerque police department. She can also see the ghosts of murder victims. And since her last case, when she almost died, the ghosts won't leave her alone. It's making her sick. She heads to her grandmother's house in Tohatchi hoping to find some healing on the Navajo reservation. But she gets drawn back into a murder investigation in Gallup, where a detective suspects that a serial killer is stalking and killing indigent Native Americans.

My thoughts:  I loved Emerson's first novel about Rita Todacheene; Shutter was a magical mix of Navajo myth and culture, mystery, suspense and ghostly hauntings. Rita is a fascinating character. This novel picks up where Shutter left off. It's more character-driven, with chapters alternating between Rita with all her current struggles and the serial killer's own story, which was more sad than creepy/scary. It also focuses on the plight of Native Americans in places like Gallup. It's both heartbreaking and enraging. This was a different mystery than what I was expecting, but it's a compelling read and I continue to be a fan of Rita Todacheene.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

That's Not My Name by Megan Lally

 

The GIRL:  "I think I might be dead."  She wakes up in a ditch by the side of the road, bruised and bloodied. And unable to remember who she is or how she got there. The police find her, and so does a man claiming to be her father. He says her name is Mary Boone. And he has photos of her, an old school ID, and her birth certificate. He must be telling the truth. So why does nothing about him feel familiar?

DREW:  "Life really goes to shit when everyone thinks you killed your girlfriend."  Drew's girlfriend, Lola, went missing five weeks ago, and everyone in their small Oregon town blames him, including the police. They keep trying to get him to confess. But Drew knows he didn't hurt her; he thinks someone may have taken her. And he's determined to do everything he can to find her. 

My thoughts:  What a fun summer thriller! Lally does a great job of building a sense of dread and unease as she alternates between Mary's and Drew's POV.  Mary's fears grow as she notices inconsistencies in her father's story; and Drew's desperate search for Lola is equally compelling. These two characters are both believeable and easy to root for. The story itself has suspense and tension and a good twist at the end. I really liked it. 4.5/5 stars.

Top Ten Tuesday...

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme: FREEBIE.

So, in honor of it being the week of July 4th, which is one of my favorite holidays, I decided to go with 10 BOOKS WITH FIREWORKS ON THE COVER.

I haven't read any of these, have you?

Happy Reading!

On the Slopes of Tahoe by J.A. Forde

 

There's so much I loved about this captivating romance! Here's just some of the things:

* Single dad Breck Kylie and all of his sweet and loving interactions with his seven-year-old daughter, Willow.

*Rory falling in love with her older brother's best friend...and with his cute daughter, too.

*That picturesque Lake Tahoe setting (and because it's winter that means there are fun scenes including snowboarding lessons, ice skating, sledding, and a snowstorm that strands Rory at Breck's and Willow's condo overnight).

*Found family.

*Swoony kisses. (I also appreciated that this is a fade to black romance with no explicit sex scenes.)

*That flirty spark between Breck and Rory and how their friendship deepened into love.

*Rory's dream of starting her own photography business and how Breck totally supports her.

*How Rory helps Breck and Willow heal.

*Her grand gesture!

*A fireworks proposal.... and a very happy ending for everyone. 

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Random scenes from my morning walks...

•  Ants. Swarms of them. So many it felt like I was walking into an Antapocalypse. What's up with that?
• Baby robins hopping after their mother in search of breakfast.
• The cutest dog, tail wagging, happily carrying his own red frisbee on his walk to the park with his owner.
• Lovely white yucca blossoms. So many of them. Everywhere except in my own yard. For some unknown reason, my yucca plants refuse to bloom. 
• Three chattering squirrels running along the top of a fence then leaping onto a branch of the tree right above my head. For a moment I was afraid I was about to be centerstage in a viral video called "When Squirrels Attack!"
• A sign in someone's flowerbed that read:  Garden of Weeden. (It made me laugh.)
• And my favorite thing of all--this quote that my neighbor posted in his front yard:  "You believed in the tooth fairy for years; you can believe in yourself for five minutes."

Have a great day!

P.S.  I think my comments are falling into spam limbo again; I don't know why, but it happens periodically. So if you haven't heard from me for awhile on your blog, check your spam folder. My comments might all be there.