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I am thankfully feeling better this week. I still have a cough that is lingering on and making it hard to sleep as it seems worse at night. I think because my throat dries out. My husband was successful in finding a used car. It is a Volvo which I had a Volvo station wagon years ago and I loved it, so I am hoping for another good run with this one. Happy Belated Valentine's Day to those who celebrate! I have to admit the holiday snuck up on me maybe because it was on a Tuesday? My husband and I decided to celebrate this weekend. We don't really go all out on this holiday, but we do exchange cards. I love a heartfelt well written card. I hope you are having a great Wednesday!

This week I read 1 romance, 1 cozy mystery, 1 YA fantasy, and 1 sci-fi romance:

Sweet Talk by Cara Bastone
It’s officially booty o’clock, I’m alone again in my kitchen choking down a slice of terrible chocolate cake…and I’m pretty sure I just got drunk texted by the man I have a ginormous crush on. I’ve been daydreaming about Eliot Hoffman’s dimples for two months, and even though I’m sure this was a mistake on his end, it doesn’t mean it’s not an opportunity on mine. It’s the middle of the night, and I just wanna talk to him. So I text him back. And then somehow, we keep talking…ALL NIGHT. We’re both insomniacs, so talking all night soon turns into talking EVERY night. ~Goodreads Description
This was another great entry in the Love Lines series. I have loved all three of these stories. Sweet Talk was so well written, and I loved the narration. Both Eliot and Jessie are total sweethearts. I loved that Jessie knew who Eliot was, but Eliot had no idea who Jessie was, but they still had such great conversations. The story was both joyful and heartfelt. This was a delightful tale that made me wish for more in this series.

Agent of Change by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
This is my first foray into the Liaden verse, according to the author's website, there are a couple of different places where you can jump into this series. Even though technically this is the 9th book in the series it is the first book in the Agent of Change Arc which consists of four books. Agent of Change is a fun romp through space with an ex-mercenary named Miri, and a spy named Val Con, as they take turns saving each other's lives from the various people who are trying to kill them. I enjoyed this book. I loved the journey the two of them go on as they go from strangers who barely trust each other to friends and more. I also enjoyed the author's ability to write about various alien species all with unique characteristics and cultures. All in all, a good book and I will continue on in the series.

Kingdom of Sea and Stone (#2 in Crown of Coral and Pearl) by Mara Rutherford
Crown of Coral and Pearl is a duology, but I honestly think it would have been better as a standalone. And I say this as someone who loves fantasy duologies, usually, they are just the right amount of story for my attention span. The problem with Kingdom of Sea and Stone is that it wasn't as good as the first book and made me wish the author had wrapped Nor's story in the last book rather than dragging it out in this one. This book just felt so unnecessary. For example, a bunch of new characters were introduced, some were rather interesting but then nothing really happened with them, so it was a waste of time. Also, the conclusion of the book felt so anticlimactic. Overall, I was just disappointed.

Mega Gnarly Wipeout by Melrose McFadden
This is the second in the Major Bummer Murders series, and I have to say I did end up liking it fairly amount. I am still charmed by the setting and all the 80's references. Also, I enjoyed the mystery much more in this book than in the first. I was genuinely curious about whodunnit. One of my only critiques is that sometimes in Tiffany's rush to solve the mystery, she makes some really odd jumps in logic that really make no sense. Other than that, this was a fun cozy mystery, and I wouldn't mind continuing on in the series. (Also, I saw this listed as a historical mystery and gasped out loud. lol)

Reading Challenges 2023:
Mount TBR: Mega Gnarly Wipeout
Cloak & Dagger Challenge: Mega Gnarly Wipeout
50 State Challenge: N/A
Read the Quote 2021: Kingdom of Sea and Stone, Agent of Change, Sweet Talk, Mega Gnarly WipeoutHow's your week going?