#ericka waller review

[loopstagirl]

#icymi #books #review #book review #dog days #dog days review #ericka waller #ericka waller review #dog days by ericka waller #dog days by ericka waller review #book blog #book blogger #original writing #loopstagirl

[gadgetgirl71]

March 2021 Round Up

Well I’m still lagging behind with reviews and reading my books. I really could do with some sort of boost to get me out of this slump!! Dose anyone have any ideas as I’d be grateful if you could share them with me.

I seem to be adding to my Signed Edition books as I’ve gathered another two signed books this month, which I’m so happy about.

One bit of good news I had my first Covid Vaccine the other week, as I’m classed as a vulnerable person with my Asthma and ME/CFS. I’m so thankful that I’ve had it, in my area of the UK we really seem to be getting people vaccinated very quickly. So maybe by June the restrictions will ease and I can meet my friends for a coffee or a meal. As facetime and house-party really aren’t the same.

February Reviews:

Book One.

Pink Bits (Awkward #1) by J B Heller

Pages: 134, Publication Date: 26 March 2019, My Rating:

MY REVIEW

Book Two.

Dog Days by Ericka Waller

Pages: 368, Publication Date: 11 March 2021, My Rating:

MY REVIEW

Books Read This Month:

Dangerous Love (Agis Alpha Team #1) by Sidney Bristol

Pink Bits (Awkward #1) by J B Heller

While Paris Slept by Ruth Druart

Dead Radiance by T G Ayer

Meet Me In Hawaii by Georgia Toffolo

These Violent Nights by Rebecca Crunden

The Best Things by Mel Giedroyc

Girl In The Walls by A J Gnuse

Recently Acquired Books This Month:

Pre-Ordered Books:

Non this month

Amazon First Read:

The Secret Stealers by Jane Healey

Amazon Purchases:

Flame (Men of Inked: Heatwave#1) by Chelle Bliss

Trusting Taylor (Silverstone #2) by Susan Stoker

Heartbreak Bay (Stillhouse Lake #5) by Rachel Caine

The Big Five O by Jane Wenham-Jones

The Fall of Koli (The Rampart Trilogy #3) M R Carey

Hardback Purchases:

Captain Tom’s Life Lessons by Captain Tom Moore

NetGalley:

Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson

Girl In The Walls by A J Gnuse

No Such Thing as Perfect by Emma Hughes

BookBub Free Books:

For a list of all the FREE books Via BookBub please go to Books Acquired Via BookBub March 2021 Post.

Book Blitz Posted This Month:

We Have Till Monday by Cara Dee

Gabriel’s Album by Sian Ceinwen

Four Letters by Lasaitiona Bardot

Seducing Mattie by Sahara Roberts

Stryker (Salvations Bane MC #6) by Marteeka Karland

She Feel’s Like Home by Lisa Hughey

Relentless by Jade West

Book Blitz Cover Reveals This Month:

The Virgin and the Viscount by Robyn DeHart

Brutal Winter by Quirah Casey

Jagged Line Paradise by Brynn Ford

February’s Favourite Book Blitz Cover

Goddesses Inc by Autum Bardot

I chose this cover for two reasons. 1. The title & 2. The cover is so simple yet it caught my eye.

February’s Favourite BookBub Cover

Tragic (Root & Ronin #1) by J A Huss

No I didn’t choose this cover only because of the hunk on the cover I also chose it because I like the colours and the flowers as they stood out to me before I looked at the hunk.

March’s Favourite Cover Reveal

Brutal Winter by Quirah Casey

I loved this cover as soon as I saw it. There aren’t enough book covers with people of colour on them. The woman on the cover is stunning.

March’s Favourite Hardback Cover

Captain Tom’s Life Lessons by Captain Sir Tom Moore

I couldn’t not choose this book cover, Captain Sir Tom Moore has taken a place in most people hearts in the UK. Showing us the old fashioned values of life.

March’s Favourite NetGalley Cover

Girl in the Walls by A J Gnuse

I think that this is quite an intriguing book cover and it captures the essence of the book completely.

#arc #bookblogger #bookbub #bookreviews #books #bookshelf #edelweiss #goodreads #march2021 #marchroundup #NetGalley #netgalleyUK #ngew2021 #reading challenge #waterstones

[littlemosbookrecs]

Title: Dog Days

Author: Ericka Waller

I enjoyed reading this book, and I loved how these three strangers’ lives slowly began to intermingle throughout the story.

I had a lot of mixed feelings while reading this book, especially in regards to George. To be honest, he seemed like a real jerk. Even when people around him just wanted help and show him that they cared, he always found a way to push them away with his nasty attitude. Don’t get me wrong, I know he’d just lost his wife, but it made me wonder what he was like before his wife died. I can’t imagine it was much better. And it broke my heart that he didn’t want to take care of the dog. Thank god Betty showed up when she did! Now her I liked! She too had lost her husband, but she seemed determined to help George get out of his slump and come back to the land of the living.

Dan was an interesting character because even though he was a therapist, he seemed to have a lot of his own problems that needed to be addressed. His patient, Atticus, seemed like he’s be quite a handful, but I think he helped Dan come out of his shell and become more comfortable with being open about his sexuality.

Lizzie was the biggest surprise because she really had me fooled (as well as everyone else around her. I wasn’t surprised when those who found out the truth were so upset with her because it was a pretty shitty thing twist around and make it seem as though she were the victim.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, even though at times it was pretty depressing. But I absolutely loved the end and how it showed that dogs can help teach us a lot about ourselves and help bring people together. Definitely recommending this one!

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5 stars)

https://amzn.to/3we6M8Q

#booklover #booknerd #bookworm #books #ebooks #paperbacks #reader #reviewer #bookrecs #bookreviews #somanybookssolittletime

[loopstagirl]

#books #review #book review #dog days #dog days review #ericka waller #ericka waller review #dog days by ericka waller #dog days by ericka waller review #book blog #book blogger #original writing #loopstagirl

[gadgetgirl71]

Book Review:  Dog Days by Ericka Waller.

This is a funny and quirky book, with some really great characters not forgetting their dogs. I admit I wasn’t sure about this book until I’d finished the second chapter and then I was hooked. I also have a favourite pair which is George and his little dog Poppy. George also has some great one lines that had me laughing out loud. There should also be a warning with the book as unfortunately there is a suicide which could be a trigger for some people.

George and Poppy his young dachshund. George isn’t in a good place. His wife brought home the little dog, then she passed away. His wife got the dog as she knew she was dying and that he would need something to help him get out and about in hopes that he wouldn’t stop living.

Betty and her rescue dog Lucky. Who George keeps calling unlucky due to all the knitted jumpers Betty knits for him.

Lizzie and Maud. Maud belongs to the woman who runs the women’s shelter where Lizzie and her son Lenny are staying.

Dan and Fits. Dan is a Therapist who is struggling with feeling like a fake therapist. Along with things he’s keeping from his best friend/cousin Luke. Who is actually more like a brother along with his dog Wolfie.

All of these people’s lives end up intermingling. Like Betty and George, George has no idea that Betty received a letter from his dying wife asking her to keep an eye one him. While Lizzie meets Luke by chance while walking Maud. Luke turns out to be her son’s teacher. He tries to take them both under his wing, but not all is right with Lizzie. Then Dan starts to become obsessed with one of his patients Atticus. Who is constantly tempting Dan to cross the lines of Doctor, Patient.

Everything starts to unravel in these characters lives and they all end up crossing paths with each other. Will everything come out in the wash? Will they be able to forgive and move forward as the friends they became?

Pages: 368. Publication Date: 11 March 2021, My Rating: 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

#adult fiction #animals #arc #bookblogger #bookreview #contemporary #contemporary fiction #dogdays #dogs #edelweiss #erickerwaller #fiction #funny #goodreads #NetGalley #netgalleyUK #ngew2021

[gadgetgirl71]

February 2021 Reading List

Just a little reminder that this year I’m going to do things slightly differently, as last year most of my reading lists were full of ARC’s and I felt as though I was ignoring books from my favourite authors. So this year every month I will list two or three ARC’s and two books from my TBR List along with the Random Book of the Month.

I also hope that in doing things this way, that I will actually end up reading more books instead of finding it a chore, as reading is for enjoyment and escape.

Unfortunately last month I didn’t read as many books as I had hoped so I have included the unread books from last month on to this months reading list.

January ARC Books

Madam by Phoebe Wynne, Pages: 400, Publication Date: 18 February 2021

While Paris Slept by Ruth Druart, Pages: 464, Publication Date: 4 March 2021

Dog Days by Ericka Waller, Pages: 129, Publication Date: 11 March 2021

January TBR Books

Dangerous in Love (Ageis Group Alpha Team #1) by Sidney Bristol, Pages: 230, Publication Date: 22 August 2017

Pink Bits (Awkward #1) by J B Heller, Pages: 134, Publication Date: 26 March 2019

Synopsis: Light a fire they can’t put out… For 150 years, above the Scottish cliffs, Caldonbrae Hall has sat as a beacon of excellence in the ancestral castle of Lord William Hope. A boarding school for girls, it promises a future where its pupils will emerge ‘resilient and ready to serve society’. Rose Christie, a 26-year-old Classics teacher, is the first new hire for the school in over a decade. At first, Rose feels overwhelmed in the face of this elite establishment, but soon after her arrival she begins to understand that she may have more to fear than her own ineptitude. When Rose stumbles across the secret circumstances surrounding the abrupt departure of her predecessor – a woman whose ghost lingers over everything and who no one will discuss – she realises that there is much more to this institution than she has been led to believe. As she uncovers the darkness that beats at the heart of Caldonbrae, Rose becomes embroiled in a battle that will threaten her sanity as well as her safety…

A brooding, mesmeric novel with a feminist kick, perfect for fans of Naomi Alderman, Madeleine Miller and Margaret Atwood.

Synopsis: A family’s love is tested when heroes-turned-criminals are forced to make the hardest decisions of their lives in this unforgettably moving story of love, resistance, and the lasting consequences of the Second World War. After. Santa Cruz, California, 1953. Jean-Luc and Charlotte Beauchamps have left their war-torn memories of Paris behind to live a quiet life in America with their son, Sam. They have a house in the suburbs, they’ve learned to speak English, and they have regular get-togethers with their outgoing American neighbors. Every minute in California erases a minute of their lives before — before the Germans invaded their French homeland and incited years of violence, hunger, and fear. But their taste of the American Dream shatters when officers from the U.N. Commission on War Crimes pull-up outside their home and bring Jean-Luc in for questioning. Before. Paris, France, 1944. Germany has occupied France for four years. Jean-Luc works at the railway station at Bobigny, where thousands of Jews travel each day to be “resettled” in Germany. But Jean-Luc and other railway employees can’t ignore the rumors or what they see on the tracks: too many people are packed into the cars, and bodies are sometimes left to be disposed of after a train departs. Jean-Luc’s unease turns into full-blown panic when a young woman with bright green eyes bursts from the train one day alongside hundreds of screaming, terrified passengers, and pushes a warm, squirming bundle into his arms. Told from alternating perspectives, While Paris Slept reflects on the power of love, loss, and the choices a mother will make to ensure the survival of her child. At once a visceral portrait of family ties and a meditation on nurture’s influence over identity, this heartbreaking debut will irreversibly take hold of your heart.

Synopsis: George is very angry. His wife has upped and died on him, and all he wants to do is sit in his underpants and shout at the cricket. The last thing he needs is his cake-baking neighbour Betty trying to rescue him. And then there’s the dog, a dachshund puppy called Poppy. George doesn’t want a dog – he wants a fight.

Dan is a counsellor with OCD who is great at helping other people – if only he were better at helping himself. His most meaningful relationship so far is with his Labrador Fitz. But then comes a therapy session that will change his life.

Lizzie is living in a women’s refuge with her son Lenny. Her body is covered in scars and she has shut herself off from everyone around her. But when she is forced to walk the refuge’s fat terrier, Maud, a new life beckons – if she can keep her secret just a while longer…

Dog Days is a novel about those small but life-changing moments that only come when we pause to let the light in. It is about three people learning to make connections and find joy in living life off the leash.

Synopsis: He follows orders: A good SEAL, Shane York values chain of command. Following the rules means staying alive. All of that is wrecked when his team is sent to Jamaica on a hostage rescue. She’s not the mission, but they leave no one behind.

She breaks the rules: Travel blogger Lacey Miles lives for today. Thanks to her unexpected rescue from certain death, she has a shot at tomorrow. She wants her mercenary captors to pay, and she has the evidence to ensure it—if she lives long enough to deliver it.

Opposites spark an unlikely romance in the heat of danger: Delivering the intel and keeping the hostages alive becomes priority one for the Aegis Group Alpha Team. The last thing Shane and Lacey have time for is love. As the team races home and bullets fly, rules fall by the wayside and lines begin to blur. With a traitor in their midst, will love be a distraction or a strength?

Synopsis: Did you know the medical term for a butt crack is intergluteal cleft?

My name is Reagan, and spouting random facts like this one at inopportune moments is my affliction. I’m chronically awkward, socially inept and completely lack a filter. Believe it or not, men do not find these attractive traits.

When my sexy-as-sin neighbour barges into my apartment at the arse crack of dawn, everything changes. For some strange reason, my brand of crazy doesn’t send him running for the hills. Instead, he settles in for a nap on my couch…

Oh, and did I mention he was completely naked?

*** Let me know if you’ve read or reviewed any of these book, and tell me what you think of them. Or just let me know what books are on your February 2021 reading list. ***

#ARC, #BookBlogger, #Books, #Bookshelf, #February, #February2021, #FebruaryReadingList, #NetGalley, #NetGalleyuk, #ReadingChallenge, #ReadingList, #TBR

[gadgetgirl71]

December Round Up

This December I managed to read 9 books and reviewed 7. I’m very pleased with the amount of books I manged to read this month. It wasn’t as impressive and November but it helped me to finish my GoodReads reading challenge and it meant I actually read 2 books over my pledged amount of 80 books.

However I didn’t manage to write up all of my book reviews for 2020 but I did manage to make a good dent in to them. So fingers crossed I’ll be up to day by February.

December Reviews:

Book One.

The Last Piece by Imogen Clark Pages: 306. Publication Date: 28 July 2020. My Rating: 2 ⭐⭐

MY REVIEW

Book Two.

The Illustrated Child by Polly Crosby Pages: 400. Publication Date: 29 October 2020. My Rating: 1 ⭐

MY REVIEW

Book Three:

Trusting Skylar (Silverstone #1) by Susan Stoker Pages: 381. Publication Date: 1 December 2020. My Rating: 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

MY REVIEW

Book Four:

The Secret of You and Me by Melissa Lenhardt Pages: 374. Publication Date: 29 October 2020. My Rating: 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

MY REVIEW

Book Five:

Late Love by Scarlett Hopper Pages: 320. Publication Date: 13 October 2020. My Rating: 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

MY REVIEW

Book Six:

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Lizzie Shane Pages: 357. Publication Date: 29 September 2020. My Rating: 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

MY REVIEW

Book Seven:

Ashes by Christophe de Vinck Pages: 352. Publication Date: 20 August 2020. My Rating: 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

MY REVIEW

Books Read This Month:

Late Love by Scarlett Hopper

Protecting Caroline (SEAL of Protection #1) by Susan Stoker

The Vine Witch (The Vine Witch #1) by Luanne G Smith

A Typical Family Christmas by Liz Davies

Influential Magic (Crescent City Fae #1) by Deanna Chase

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

The Blood Covenant (Medici Warrior #1) by Emily Bex

Sweet Pea (Burning Saints MC #4) by Jack Davenport

Confessions of a Bad Boy by J D Hawkins

Recently Acquired Books This Month:

Pre-Ordered Books:

Tomorrow will be a Good Day by Captain Tom Moore (Pre-Order Signed Edition) Hardback

Amazon First Read:

Lie, Lie Again by Stacy Wise

Amazon Purchases:

Axel (Men of Mirror Lake Mountain #1) by Penny Dee

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K Dick

The Satan’s Fury MC Collection 1-8 by L Wilder

Hardback Purchases:

The Left Hand Bookseller of London by Garth Nix (Exclusive Waterstones Edition)

Limitless Autobiography by Tim Peak (Signed Edition)

Serpentine (His Dark Materials Short Story) by Philip Pullam

NetGalley:

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

While Paris Slept by Ruth Dural

Dog Days by Ericka Waller

The Best Things by Mel Giedroyc

Madam by Phoebe Wynne

Lost Property by Helen Paris

BookBub Free Books:

For a list of all the FREE books Via BookBub please go to Books Acquired via BookBub in December 2020 Post.

Book Blitz Posted This Month:

For this Christmas Only by Caro Carson

The Pleasure House by Kitty Thomas

Little Hood and Het Wolf by Janie Marie

A Christmas to Die For by Jessica Frances

A Christmas Spirit by Alexadrea Weis

The Break Up Plan by Elle Vaughn

Order (Billionaires in Disguise: Maxence #2) by Blair Babylon

The Ahern Brothers Collection by Claudia Y Burgoa

The Art of Loving Ellie by Loren Beeson

Book Blitz Cover Reveals This Month:

The Ahern Brothers Collection by Claudia Y Burgoa

Broken Beginnings (The Moretti Crime Family #2) by C Hallman & J L Beck

December’s Favourite Book Blitz Cover

December’s Favourite NetGalley Cover

December’s Favourite Cover Reveal

December’s Favourite BookBub Cover

So the reasons for this months favourite book covers for the four different categories are:

The Art of Loving Ellie: I love this cover, as soon as I saw it I was drawn to it and I know it’s because it looks like a proper water colour painting along with the colours.

Broken Beginnings: This is just a pretty cover, that’s all I have to say about it.

Lost Property: I think that this is a clever cover in the way they have used the label, as part of the title then how they have used description part of the label to introduce the book.

Ransom: Well I guess I had to choose this book cover, the guy is just a hunk with nice eyes and tattoos.

#ARC, #BookBlogger, #BookBub, #BookReviews, #Books, #Covers, #December2020, #DecemberRoundUp, #Edelweiss, #GoodReads, #NetGalley, #NetGalleyuk, #NGWE2020, #ReadingChallenge