Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Loved With Romance and School/Education

- - - Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme, created at The Broke and The Bookish but now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl, where a new topic is given for a top ten book-related list - - -

I meant to post this yesterday but of course my plan fell through. Let's pretend it's still Tuesday anyway! This week's prompt was "School Freebie" in honor of school starting up soon. We're to come up with a topic that somehow ties to school/education. Even though I've graduated and left academia almost two years ago, I still get very excited around this time because of school supplies and stationery! I was very tempted to show you my emotional support stack of untouched notebooks. Instead I've decided to split my list into two parts with the overarching theme being romance (of course). All of the books on this list are ones that I have read and enjoyed~

Waiting on Wednesday (23)

Waiting on Wednesday was a weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine, 

for sharing upcoming releases we're highly anticipating.
Now, Tressa at Wishful Endings hosts Can't Wait Wednesday that is based off of WoW to continue the fun!

Dual Review: THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN + A CROWN OF WISHES

I am so far behind the Roshani Chokshi bandwagon but I am determined to catch up. I picked up book one back in 2016 when it first streaked across my book socials. Then being the collector that I am, of course I picked up book two despite having not read the first book yet. I mean, would you LOOK at these covers? Gorgeous! Stunning! *insert other synonyms of Beautiful* I had a terrible habit of getting books of a series without knowing whether I would like it or not. I have since then (6 hard years later) gained better control. In the case of The Star-Touched Queen duology, what you see is exactly what you get! Magic in words and imagery. I was swept away by the poetic narrative and mystical setting from the first few chapters.

Lit Love - May Box (PART OF YOUR WORLD)

Hello! I fell down a rabbit hole of book box subscriptions last month and came across another that I absolutely had to check out. Lit Love Book Box is a fairly new monthly book subscription, based out of Calgary, Alberta (soon to be British Columbia—wooot love supporting our fellow Canadian businesses) where you get to pick the book. Each month Lit Love will reveal 1-3 book titles in addition to one surprise option. How brilliant is that?! I feel that this is especially great for readers who may already be subscribed to another box or don't want to have doubles of a book. Lit Love works at curating high quality items including home decor, snacks, beverages and bookish goodies. When Lit Love announced their May box would be heavy on the snacks, you know your girl here HAD to jump on the opportunity to get one! I selected Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez for my box.

Hushbug - April Box (Eco)

Hello, hello! This month I came across a new-to-me book box subscription on my IG feed and I treated myself to a one-time box to check out. Hushbug Book Box is a monthly subscription box that features a newly released RomCom book, a treat/snack, and 3-5 curated items that follow the theme/book. The book box only recently started this year and wow, Kat (the face behind Hushbug Book Box) is doing amazing putting these together~ What really stood out to me as I was researching this book subscription was the inclusion of Canadian businesses and artisans. Two of my favourite things: romance books and supporting Canadian shops! It was a done deal. April's theme was Eco.

Review: RACHEL, OUT OF OFFICE by Christina Hovland

Title: Rachel, Out of Office

Author: Christina Hovland

Mommy Wars #1
Publisher: Entangled Amara
Publication Date: January 25, 2021

| +Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo | iBooks |

Single mom Rachel Gibson seriously needs a break. Between an absent ex-husband, rowdy twin boys, and running her own work-from-home business, her candle isn't just burning at both ends, it's a full-blown puddle of wax. She's the go-to girl for other entrepreneurs, handling all the tasks they dread. Social media posts? She's got it. Website updates? She's on it. Light bookkeeping? She loves it.

Thank goodness Rachel's about to get a reprieve, as her former in-laws plan to whisk her boys away for a summer of fun at the family lake house. But when her ex backs out at the last minute, she finds herself in a pickle. Even though she's drowning in to-dos, she's horrible at saying no—especially when it comes to providing some stability for her kids.

Once Rachel arrives at the lake house, she struggles to keep up with work and balance the demands of family, all the while fending off pesky new feelings for her ex-brother-in-law. Which makers her wonder... is falling for her ex-husband's brother just one more messy complication added to the dumpster fire of her life? Or is anything possible when she's out of office...?

"Limits don't mean you're weak... They actually mean you're strong enough to 

recognize the importance of the other things in your life."

Where do I start?? I loved this book very much! It's one of my favourite reads of 2021. Rachel, Out of Office featured many of my favourite tropes including single parent, second chances, close proximity and the biggie "you picked the right sibling this time" (does this count as a trope? anywho..). More so than the romance which was so darn sweet, I greatly enjoyed and related to Rachel's character development. You go, Rachel! I'm rooting for all the people struggling to balance work and family (and self-care). We are in the same boat.

Waiting on Wednesday (22)

Waiting on Wednesday was a weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine, 

for sharing upcoming releases we're highly anticipating.
Now, Tressa at Wishful Endings hosts Can't Wait Wednesday that is based off of WoW to continue the fun!

Hello, New Year: My 2021 in Review

2021 was a year of great losses and great gains. We've had a number of deaths in our community but my greatest loss last year was the passing of my bestpup Tidus. Anyone who knows me or speaks to me on socials know Tidus was the king of our household. He was my IG book model and lone audience of my singing serenades. He had a huge and calming presence in our home. It's been a hard year adjusting to his absence but I'm fortunate to have so many memories, photos and videos of him to reminisce over. You are forever in our hearts, Tidus!

The rest of the year flew by after that. My days consisted of working, reading, eating and sleeping. You know... the basics. When I mentioned great gains, I meant that I gained a boatload of work experience and confidence in my nursing capabilities. Many of my seniors have commented that they've noticed how I've grown professionally. I take the praise with such gratitude for my team's guidance and support in my first year working as an RN. Shout-out to the ACE Team woo~ Honestly, to every single person just trying to get through to the next day during this pandemic... I applaud you and am cheering for you. May 2022 be a better and healthier year for us all.