Kimberly's Updates en-US Sat, 26 Apr 2025 21:19:09 -0700 60 Kimberly's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg UserQuote93017099 Sat, 26 Apr 2025 21:19:09 -0700 <![CDATA[Kimberly liked a quote by Jillian Meadows]]> /quotes/11779016
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� Strength isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s a quiet power that isn’t so obvious to the world. � � Jillian Meadows
]]> Review7467362796 Sat, 26 Apr 2025 20:13:59 -0700 <![CDATA[Kimberly added 'Hardly a Gentleman']]> /review/show/7467362796 Hardly a Gentleman by Eloisa James Kimberly gave 4 stars to Hardly a Gentleman (Accidental Brides, #2) by Eloisa James
bookshelves: historical, review, romance, read-2025
Reviewed for

After a scandal erupts when she fends off a lecherous member of the royal family, Clara Vetry is effectively banished from society. With a fair amount of freedom for the first time, what does she do? Run from her mother’s plan for her, take a carriage meant for a housekeeper, and travel to a castle in the Scottish Highlands of course. But neither Castle CaerLaven nor its owner are what Clara expect. The ridiculously handsome laird is a rough-around-the-edges widower and the castle itself is in desperate need of care. Clara isn’t sure what to do, but she’s determined to be adventurous and tackle the challenge in front of her. She’s got books and spirit, so nothing could go wrong. Unless her true identity is revealed, that is�

Hardly a Gentleman is a fun romance with characters who aren’t afraid to be earthy, messy, and honest. Clara and Caelan are delightful and their romance is bright and engaging.

Clara is a bookworm who knows what she wants and takes things in stride when she comes to CaerLaven and things aren’t what she expected. Caelan is the opposite of the refined men she’s been told she should like. He’s kind of a hot mess at first but he’s kind and takes care of his people, which makes him instantly endearing. He and Clara have excellent chemistry, and I liked that this story was different because both of them were kinda messy. Caelan is a widower and though he loved his wife, she wasn’t the match for him. Unfortunately for him, most of the village believes he’s still deeply in mourning. Clara, while attracted to Caelan, doesn’t want to be second to someone whose heart belongs to another. What follows is a love story that is sprightly, fairly low drama, and features a host of delightful secondary characters who help our hero and heroine get where they need to be.

Hardly a Gentleman is the second book in Eloisa James’s Accidental Brides series but you don’t have to have read Viscount in Love in order to enjoy this story. All in all, Caelan and Clara’s story is a delightful romp with zany, bookish characters and a romance that makes the pages of the story fly by.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ]]> Review7502619934 Sun, 20 Apr 2025 19:14:16 -0700 <![CDATA[Kimberly added 'Archangel's Ascension']]> /review/show/7502619934 Archangel's Ascension by Nalini Singh Kimberly gave 5 stars to Archangel's Ascension (Guild Hunter, #17) by Nalini Singh
bookshelves: paranormal, read-2025, review, romance, urban-fantasy, futuristic, favorites, lgbtqia
Reviewed for

Archangel’s Ascension is a breathtakingly romantic story of friends who have become lovers who are now becoming something even more, something that will stand strong and true through millennia. Nalini Singh completes Aodhan and Illium’s love story in a romance that is tender and achingly beautiful.

Archangel’s Ascension picks up where Archange’s Light - the beginning of Adi and Blue’s romance � left off. Singh takes readers back and forth from the present into the far future as the two men’s lives change and grow together. That Bluebell and Sparkle were made for each other, are meant to be best friends and partners, is never in question. But Illium still has fears he needs to confront, buried wounds from abandonment both intentional and not from those he holds close. And Aodhan…artist, warrior, and survivor, still bears scars from his imprisonment and assault. A case he and Illium take on brings those memories to the forefront and helps Aodhan move his healing forward. What makes this story special to me is how tender and open Illium and Aodhan are with each other. There are so many layers to their love that it makes scenes with them captivating. There are countless romantic moments but also ones of brightness and fun, showing the lightness between the two that comes from their centuries of causing mischief together.

Adi and Blue are the heart of this story, but their hearts contain so many others beloved by fans of the Guild Hunter series. I loved seeing their relationships with their loved ones, from Raphael and the rest of the Seven to the vampires, angels, and mortals who have made this series so wonderful. There’s so much depth to the world and that’s in large part to the connections between all the characters. What the future brings I don’t want to spoil, though the title and everything leading up to this book do tell readers what they’re in for. But uncovering when and how things happen and what goes into it was such a joy that I’m going to avoid spoiling the experience. Suffice it to say that Singh makes the journey a rewarding one and I was enthralled every step of the way. And while this book would make the perfect end chapter the Guild Hunter series, never fear that we’re saying goodbye to the characters we love. Singh has written that the series will continue and I very much look forward to more of this world.

Archangel’s Ascension is a gorgeous story that filled my heart with joy. The completion of Aodhan and Illium’s romance was worth the wait and their love story is one I can’t wait to be swept away by again and again.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ]]> Review7260033525 Sat, 19 Apr 2025 11:38:55 -0700 <![CDATA[Kimberly added 'Give Me Butterflies']]> /review/show/7260033525 Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows Kimberly gave 4 stars to Give Me Butterflies (Oaks Sisters, #1) by Jillian Meadows
bookshelves: contemporary, read-2025, review, stem-heroines, romance
4.25 stars - Reviewed for

Give Me Butterflies is an absolutely charming romance. Millie and Finn are sweet, smart, and absolutely made for other which makes it easy to root for their happily ever after.

Millie was once mentally battered down by an abusive boyfriend but now she’s standing strong and isn’t letting anyone mess with her sunny disposition. She’s a successful entomologist and is up for a director position at her museum � her dream job. But on the day of her first interview, she runs into the head of the astronomy department and things do not go well. Finn is grumpy, glowering, and her total opposite…or so she thinks. Finn may seem like a thundercloud at first, but actually he’s just a guy going through a really difficult time. He lost his sister and is now guardian to his nieces, who he loves with all his heart but is afraid of falling short as their new parent.

Jillian Meadows makes it easy to adore Millie, Finn, and the twins, Eloise and Avery. All of them are kind and loving people doing their best. The girls are absolutely sweet as can be and I loved how quickly Millie established a relationship with them separate from hers with Finn. For all that Give Me Butterflies deals with some heavy themes, Meadows makes the book feel light and airy. It’s a low-drama romance as Millie and Finn go from friends to lovers and sometimes you just need a solid love story without false drama in the third act. There’s tension, of course, but Meadows keeps things mostly organic as the story goes on.

Give Me Butterflies is the first book in the Oaks Sisters series and I cannot wait to see more of Millie’s family. I loved the Oaks and Millie’s friends, enjoyed how they welcomed Finn and the girls into their circle with open arms and hearts. All in all, Finn and Millie’s romance was a delight and I am very much looking forward to the next Oaks Sisters tale.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ]]> ReadStatus9308415966 Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:54:05 -0700 <![CDATA[Kimberly is currently reading 'An Art Lover's Guide to Paris and Murder']]> /review/show/7488264893 An Art Lover's Guide to Paris and Murder by Dianne Freeman Kimberly is currently reading An Art Lover's Guide to Paris and Murder by Dianne Freeman
]]> Review7468715083 Sun, 13 Apr 2025 18:57:50 -0700 <![CDATA[Kimberly added 'A Newlywed’s Guide to Fortune and Murder']]> /review/show/7468715083 A Newlywed’s Guide to Fortune and Murder by Dianne Freeman Kimberly gave 4 stars to A Newlywed’s Guide to Fortune and Murder (Countess of Harleigh #6) by Dianne Freeman
bookshelves: cozy-mystery, historical, read-2025
]]> ReadStatus9278077289 Sun, 06 Apr 2025 11:02:47 -0700 <![CDATA[Kimberly is currently reading 'Hardly a Gentleman']]> /review/show/7467362796 Hardly a Gentleman by Eloisa James Kimberly is currently reading Hardly a Gentleman by Eloisa James
]]> Review7451507410 Fri, 04 Apr 2025 22:13:41 -0700 <![CDATA[Kimberly added 'A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder']]> /review/show/7451507410 A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder by Dianne Freeman Kimberly gave 4 stars to A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder (Countess of Harleigh Mystery #5) by Dianne Freeman
bookshelves: cozy-mystery, historical, read-2025
]]> ReadStatus9255515579 Mon, 31 Mar 2025 15:03:46 -0700 <![CDATA[Kimberly is currently reading 'A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder']]> /review/show/7451507410 A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder by Dianne Freeman Kimberly is currently reading A Bride’s Guide to Marriage and Murder by Dianne Freeman
]]> Review7401323097 Sun, 30 Mar 2025 20:37:27 -0700 <![CDATA[Kimberly added 'A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder']]> /review/show/7401323097 A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder by Dianne Freeman Kimberly gave 4 stars to A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder (Countess of Harleigh Mystery #4) by Dianne Freeman
bookshelves: cozy-mystery, historical, read-2025
4.25 stars ]]>