On the Way to the Wedding: Bridgerton (Bridgertons Book 8) by Julia Quinn

Kindle Edition

I read the last two Bridgerton books out of order. I thought they went in alpha order with Hyacinth being last, but turns out Gregory's was last. Oh well. I still loved it.

I started this book on February 15 and finished it on February 21. As with all of the other Julia Quinn books, this was a quick read. And, as with books 3-8, I can't wait for them to be added to the Netflix series. Hurry up already, Netflix!

This book follows Gregory in his love journey. Like all of the others, there are twists and turns, follies and missteps.

I can't remember all of the details now (I'm writing this on April 28 though finished the book back in February). I can remember that I liked the book, it was entertaining, and a quick read.

If you've invested in all of these books to this point, you should finish it out.

I can say that I have loved the 2nd epilogues that have been in all of the kindle books. They offer a glimpse of "what's next" for the characters that we love.

 Post written on April 28. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

American Royals: Inheritance (A Prequel Novella) by Katharine McGee

 

Kindle Edition

What if... America lost the revolution and had a monarchy? That's the premise of this book series by Katharine McGee.

I started this on February 12 and finished it 2 short days later on February 14th. Talk about a fast read.

This book started to offer insights into how things came to be in the first book in the series. There's a king of America with three children - Beatrice, Samantha, and Jefferson. All with different (and sometimes) intertwining drama they call their own.

I don't want to give too much away, though read any of the reviews of this book and you'll get them anyway. This is a light-hearted, easy read. It's fun to imagine how things would be different if America was... different. A monarchy. What do you think it would be like? Take a look at some of the other royal families around the world, and you'll have a good idea. 

Navigating, avoiding, and managing the prying eyes of the press. Dealing with competing and often unscrupulous actions of "friends", family members, and random people. Trying to have a private life in the public eye. Living with family knowing you are either the "heir" or "spare", and the list goes on and on - see "Spare" by Prince Harry. Except this is the fictional version.

If you like "Royal" things, you'll like this series.

 Post written on May 3. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.

Firefly Lane: A Novel by Kristin Hannah (Book 1 / part 1)

Kindle Edition

In mid-January my hairdresser told me about the Firefly Lane series on Netflix (had never heard about it) and The Husband and I binged it in about 3 or 4 days. It is SOOOO GOOD! I didn't know when we began the series that it was based on 2 books.

I requested the Kindle book from Libby / my public library and started it on February 1 and reluctantly had to put it down on February 12. Not because I finished it. Not because it was bad. But because the first book continues beyond where the series ended. 

It was a major conundrum - finish the book before the series? Or finish the series before the books? Ultimately, I put the book down and wanted to finish the series first. Bummer because we didn't know how long we'd have to wait for the series to come back. 

As I'm writing this months after I finished the book, I can tell you that the series came back in late April and we finished it. So, I'm ready to finish book 1 and now can't get it from the library for a few months. Ugh.

So, the story. It's great. It follows two girls from when they met in middle-ish school throughout their lives. In the series, the adult main characters are played by Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke and their younger selves are played by Alissa Skovbye and Roan Curtis. That's neither here nor there in book-land though. 

The girls grow up in a suburb of Seattle called Snohomish in the late 1960s. They go through the typical things that kids go through - like boys, parent & family drama, school drama, first kisses, first jobs, college, heartache, and more. We see their relationship bloom, ebb, flow, fight, and make up.

The characters are deep and believable, and the story is easy to follow and relatable. It's funny. It's sad. It's deep. It's shallow. Good characters. Good writing. It may have helped that I watched the series first so had visuals to go along with what I was reading in the book. There are some differences between the book and the series. Let's be honest, when isn't there? The differences, so far, aren't that much and aren't detracting from the reading or watching experience.

The cutoff in the series was heart-wrenching. And the series ended satisfactorily. I can't say more.

I'm really looking forward to finishing the first book and reading the second.

The series is worth a watch - just decide if you want to watch or read first. 

 Post written on May 8. Publication date reflects date I finished the book.