Thursday, December 12, 2019

Bookish Mewsings: Well Met by Jen DeLuca & Pretty Guilty Women by Gina LaManna



Along with my mini reviews, I am linking to both Book Beginnings, a meme in which readers share the first sentence of a book they are reading, hosted by Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader and Friday 56 hosted by Freda of Freda's Voice, in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading.


This has been a long week. The adrenaline that propelled me through these last couple weeks of show preparation and the performances this past weekend, has died off, leaving me feeling exhausted and extra tired. I have barely gotten any reading done, and I have not had any time to get online. Hopefully life can return to some semblance of normality--at least until the holidays. In the meantime, I wanted to share a couple of my fall reads with you as I continue to catch up on posting my reviews before the year is out. 



Well Met (Well Met, #1) by Jen DeLuca
Berkley, 2019
Romance; 336 pgs
Source: NetGalley

Book Beginnings:
I didn't choose the wench life. The wench life chose me.
Friday 56 (excerpt from 56%):
When had my daydreams drifted away from the beefcake in a kilt and toward the slim pirate in black leather, with dark moods and perplexing smiles? 

My thoughts:
The opportunity to help her sister and her teenaged niece after her sister’s accident, could not have come at a better time for Emily whose own life is in transition. She did not anticipate having to volunteer at the local Renaissance Faire with her niece, however. It doesn’t seem like it will be so bad at first. At least not until she meets Simon, the man in charge of the volunteers. Simon takes the Renaissance Faire very seriously. It is his brother’s legacy after all. Simon and Emily butt heads right from the start. He seems uptight and she is more lighthearted. While the two do not seem to care for each other in their real life personas, once Simon dons his costume, it is as if he is a different person—and Emily cannot help but flirt back. Still, she wonders which persona is real. Is it all an act or is there something growing between them?

This was such a fun read, and I loved every minute of it. This enemy to lovers romance is swoon-worthy and charming, as well as smart and funny. Emily has been through a lot as has Simon. Both are well-developed characters whom I fell in love with myself. I wanted so much for them to have their happy ending. I enjoyed their Shakespeare banter and playful teasing. I cried with them, both in sadness and joy, laughed with them, and wish I could jump right into a Renaissance Faire myself (I think there is one nearby in the spring . . . ). Well Met is one of those novels that left me with a silly grin on my face at the end.

Have you read Well Met? If so, what did you think? If you haven't, does it sound like something you would want to read? 


Pretty Guilty Women by Gina LaManna
Sourcebooks Landmark, 2019
Crime Fiction/Thriller; 336 pgs
Source: NetGalley

Book Beginnings:
"Hush, little baby, don't say a word. . ."
Friday 56 (excerpt from 56%):
If only she'd started her hangover routine sooner.

My thoughts:
This was a fun one as well, but for different reasons. The tag line for the novel describes it well: “Four Women. Four Confessions. One Murder.” Written from the perspectives of all four women, the reader gets an intimate look into their lives, both in the present and through flashbacks into their pasts. Emily is a lost soul, losing herself in alcohol and meaningless sex; Kate has money—but it can’t buy everything; Ginger feels like her family is falling apart, certainly her relationship with her daughter, and this holiday she saved so hard for isn’t turning out as well as she hoped; and then there is Lulu who dearly loves her husband, but is afraid he may be straying. Emily, Kate and Ginger were college roommates of the bride’s and are both looking forward to and dreading their reunion. Lulu is a family member of the groom’s. Right from the start, the reader knows someone was murdered. Exactly who died and why is the ultimate question, along with by whose hand.

Pretty Guilty Women is one of those books that once you start, it is hard to stop reading. I needed to know what was going to happen next. I liked the glimpses the author gave us into her character’s lives. It was impossible not to feel for all of them to some degree, although Kate was perhaps the hardest for me to relate to. They are all at low places in their lives.  Each of the characters (mostly) grows in this novel, including coming closer together, adding hope to their despair. I thought the mystery itself was well played out and thoroughly entertaining.

Have you read Pretty Guilty Women? If so, what did you think? If you haven't, does it sound like something you might like? 


I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!

© 2019, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

28 comments:

  1. Well Met is one of the best books I read this year. I loved it. Enjoy your current read!

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    1. Breana - It was one of my favorites this year as well. :-) Thank you for visiting!

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  2. Pretty Guilty Women is giving me Big Little Lies vibes, which is great! And I can see why Well Matched left you with a smile, it sounds like a lovely read. I'm nto quite sure I could choose between a broody pirate and a hunky highlander... I hope you have a lovely weekend and do drop by my Friday Post if you have the time! - Juli @ A Universe in Words

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    1. Juli - It's compared a lot to Big Little Lies. I haven't read Moriarty's book, but hopefully one day. Thank you for visiting. I hope you have a great week!

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  3. I've read Pretty Guilty Women and didn't think the characters were well developed so it was just okay for me. Well Met sounds cute.

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    1. Kathy - I thought Pretty Guilty Women was good, but I didn't love it. Thank you for stopping by!

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  4. They both sound good but that first book, you had me with that opening line! Happy Friday the 13th weekend!

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    1. Freda - I loved Well Met! I hope you have a great week. Thank you for visiting!

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    1. Anne - No, one doesn't. :-) It was a fun read. Thank you for stopping by.

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  6. Well Met does sound like something I would like! :D

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    1. Lark - I think you'd enjoy it. :-) Thank you for visiting.

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  7. A friend of mine read Well Met just recently and recommended it to me. I'm not usually a lover of cute romances but this one deals with a Renaissance Faire (I love these events IRL). Thanks for sharing your thoughts on these.

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    1. Cleo - If you do read Well Met, I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for stopping by.

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  8. I've got Pretty Guilty Women in my queue. I've heard good things about it.

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    1. Catherine - I hope you enjoy Pretty Guilty Women when you get to it! Thank you for visiting.

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  9. Well, heck, the beginning to Well Met definitely catches my attention, especially since we use "wench" all the time in my house as a joke. It definitely sounds like a super cute read!

    Here's my Friday post.

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    1. Sammie - It is a lot of fun. I hope you get a chance to read it! Thank you for stopping by.

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  10. Well Met sounds like such a fun read! Those snippets definitely captured my attention and your review has me adding it to my wishlist. Thanks for sharing! Hope you have a great rest of the weekend! :)

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    1. Ashley - I hope you enjoy Well Met if you give it a try! Thank you for visiting!

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  11. Pretty Guilty Woman sounds interesting, thanks for sharing!! I'll keep an eye out for it.

    Hope you have a great weekend!

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    1. Eustacia - If you read it, I hope you will like it. I hope you are enjoying your week! Thank you for stopping by.

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  12. Well Met sounds like a fun read and Pretty Guilty Women seems intriguing. Hope you've a good week and that you get some rest, Wendy.

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    1. Melody - They were both good, although Well Met is a definite favorite! Thank you for your kind well wishes. Thank you for visiting!

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  13. Hoping you get some down time before the festive season starts in earnest.

    Well Met sounds like a fun read that I'd enjoy. I'm not so sure about Pretty Quilty Woman though.

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    1. Felicity - Thank you! Down time would be nice. Thank you for stopping by!

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  14. I definitely want to read Well Met - those snippets sound good. :O)

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    1. Lauren - I hope you enjoy it when you read it. I loved it. Thank you for visiting!

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