Audiobook Review: The Mistake by Elle Kennedy

 

Author: Elle Kennedy

Narrator: Lorelei Avalon & Lee Samuels

Title: The Mistake

Series: Off-Campus #2

Genre: Sports Romance, Contemporary Romance

Format: Audiobook 

Published: April 28, 2015

Where I Got It: Audible

Summary: 

He's a player in more ways than one… College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he'll be forced to walk after graduation. A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he's worth a second chance. Now he's going to need to up his game… After a less than stellar freshman year, Grace is back at Briar University, older, wiser, and so over the arrogant hockey player she nearly handed her V-card to. She's not a charity case, and she's not the quiet butterfly she was when they first hooked up. If Logan expects her to roll over and beg like all his other puck bunnies, he can think again. He wants her back? He'll have to work for it. This time around, she'll be the one in the driver's seat…and she plans on driving him wild.

Review:

Been itching to get to book 2. Originally I was waiting for it to arrive from the library, but I couldn't wait, so I used an Audible credit to get a copy asap. The wait at the library was willllllllllllllld.

We are back at Briar. This time we are with Logan, who is trying to get over his crush anyway he can. Enter in Grace. There is more than a spark between them, and Logan messes up by saying something dumb. He realizes Grace is everything he has ever wanted, so he has to get her back. 

Oh sweet, sweet Logan. You are so sweet but yet so dumb. Bless his lil heart. I'm so glad Grace made him work really hard to get her back, because she deserves the best of the best. Logan IS the best for her, but that work was good for him lolll. 

Ugh Logan's backstory kills me. I feel so bad for him and his brother. :/

That ending scene before the epilogue! Oh, my heart!

I ended up doing the audio this time around. Our male voice was great. The female voice? Ehhhhhhh not so much. I did warm up to it, but it took a while

Overall, I really, really enjoyed this one. I liked Grace, and I liked Logan. It was very sweet watching them go from just hooking up to more. I liked watching them grow and learn. I can't WAIT for Dean's story!!!!! 4 stars from me. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #30

 

Blodeuedd's Monday: The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic

Format: 322 pages, Paperback

Published: September 19, 2023 by Alcove Press

Paranormal/borrowed

The person I borrowed it from dnfed it, people on my friend list had dnfed it, and it was meh, but I wanted to see if the romance would pay out. BOOM! I got hit in the face, wtf happened? The romance part suddenly imploded. Was this not a cozy paranormal romance? Eh..ok?

Nope, now we are all about the curse because this is a family of witches. And oh no, grandma is dying and we are all doomed!

Boom! Bloody hell, that effing romance is back. I hate this romance. It sucked! What the heck was that?!

I honestly do not know what this book was meant to be. Paranormal cozy? Nope changed. Romance? Nope, changed. It was messy and it made me mad at the end.

Yes yes I should have given up, but I wanted to know.

Sadie Revelare has always believed that the curse of four heartbreaks that accompanies her magic would be worth the price. But when her grandmother is diagnosed with cancer with only weeks to live, and her first heartbreak, Jake McNealy, returns to town after a decade, her carefully structured life begins to unravel.

With the news of their grandmother's impending death, Sadie's estranged twin brother Seth returns to town, bringing with him deeply buried family secrets that threaten to tear Sadie's world apart. Their grandmother has been the backbone of the family for generations, and with her death, Sadie isn't sure she'll have the strength to keep the family, and her magic, together.

As feelings for Jake begin to rekindle, and her grandmother growing sicker by the day, Sadie faces the last of her heartbreaks, and she has to decide: is love more important than magic?

Book Review: Ink Trails by Dave and Jack Depmsey

Author: Dave Dempsey & Jack Dempsey

Title: Ink Trails: Michigan's Famous and Forgotten Authors

Genre:  Nonfiction, Biography

Format: Paperback

Pages: 199

Published: August 1, 2012

Where I got It: My shelf (Gift)

Summary: 

Long revered as the birthplace of many of the nation’s best-known authors, Michigan has also served as inspiration to countless others. In this entertaining and well-researched book—the first of its kind—the secrets, legends, and myths surrounding some of Michigan’s literary luminaries are explored. Which Michigan poet inspired a state law requiring teachers to assign at least one of his compositions to all students? Which young author emerged from the University of Michigan with a bestselling novel derided by some critics as “vulgar”? And from what Michigan city did Arthur Miller, Robert Frost, and Jane Kenyon draw vital inspiration? The answers to these questions and more are revealed in this rich literary history that highlights the diversity of those whose impact on letters has been indelible and distinctly Michiganian.

Review:

I was given this as a gift, and I was excited! You know I love a good nonfiction once in a while. Helps freshen the palate. 

In this little guy, we go over the histories of some authors who have ties to Michigan. Some born here, some raised here, and some worked here. Some...all three. 

Such a diversity of authors! It was a nice variety.

I learned a lot! There were some familiar names I had zero idea were connected to my home state. There were some names I never even heard of! 

It was a quick read, and it was refreshing for sure. 

The author(s) did a good job not weighing the reader down with dates and too much information. We got enough to get a gist of the author they were talking about. 

But yes. This was a nice and quick read. 

I'll give this 4 stars. 

Book Review: Tea and Alchemy by Sharon Lynn Fisher

Author: Sharon Lynn Fisher

Title: Tea and Alchemy

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Historical

Format: ebook

Pages: 293

Published: January 1, 2026

Where I got It: My shelf (BookBub)

Summary: 

Cornwall, 1854. The people of Roche have always whispered about the recluse in the black granite tower that looms above the moorland. But one young woman is driven to discover the truth behind the old tales.

Her life overshadowed by family tragedy, Mina Penrose escapes her lonely days by working at The Magpie, a cozy tearoom on the village’s edge. Lately she’s been seeing shapes in the sodden leaves that hint at the future. After one such omen, Mina stumbles upon a murdered man on the heath. Villagers immediately suspect Harker Tregarrick, a living, breathing mystery who never ventures beyond the bounds of his centuries-old estate.

Until the day after the murder, when the handsome and compelling recluse visits The Magpie…leading to a meeting that will change both their fates. Captivated by a man around whom danger and rumors of death swirl, Mina has never felt more alive. Can she uncover Harker’s heartbreaking history—and the truth about the murder—before tragedy strikes again?

Review:

Randomly saw this on BookBub, so why not! Love, I had zero idea that this would be a vampire tale!

Here we have Mina, who loves working at The Magpie. It allows her to escape her lonely existence after tragedy. However, she's been seeing shapes in the tea that scare her. After one omen, she stumbles upon a body. Everyone starts expecting Harker even though he never ventures beyond the bounds of his estate. The day after the murder, Harker shows up at the Magpie and will change their lives forever. 

I was shocked that we had vampires here LOL. The summary never really went over this. Did I miss something in the summary? I'm not mad, but I was shocked. 

This started off slow, and I never really and truly settled into the story. What is wrong with me? This has everything. Historical, vamps, tea, a mystery! I just couldn't connect.

The story was interesting enough that I kept reading. There were little sparks that kept me intrigued enough to keep pushing, but I just felt meh at the end. Didn't hate it or love it. Just meh.

Mina was okay, and Harker was eh. 

Again....am I the problem? Two books in a row I just couldn't connect with. I need a refresh, I think. 

In the end, that was just alright. I felt meh by the end, but I didn't hate it. It kept my interest enough to finish the book. I'll stamp this with 2.