Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• The heat is terrible again. I’m not a fan at all…

• I’m in a weird reading rut. I’ve read some decent books lately but nothing has really grabbed me.

• Multiple field trips in one week has drained my energy levels.

• I’m a bit nervous for the first week of coop. I have my lesson prepped, but as it’s the first coop meeting, I’m unsure of how this is going to go.

• Closing in on completing the plan for our family road trip. Very excited about our possibilities for this fall!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Neanderthal Marries Human by Penny Reid

Title: Neanderthal Marries Human (Knitting in the City #1.5

Author: Penny Reid

Publisher: Cipher-Naught 2014

Genre: Romance

Pages: 392

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

There are three things you should know about Quinn Sullivan:
1) He is madly in love with Janie Morris,
2) He’s not above playing dirty to get what (or who) he wants, and
3) He doesn’t know how to knit.

After just five months of dating Janie, Quinn—former Wendell and unapologetic autocrat—is ready to propose marriage. In fact, he’s more than ready. If it were up to Quinn, he would efficiently propose, marry, and beget Janie with child all in the same day—thereby avoiding the drama and angst that accompanies the four stages of pre-matrimony: engagement, meeting the parents, bachelor/bachelorette party, and overblown, superfluous wedding day traditions. But Janie, much to Quinn’s dismay, tosses a wrench in his efficacious endeavors and challenges him to prove his devotion by going through the matrimonial motions, no matter how minute and mundane.

Will Quinn last until the wedding day? Or will he yield to his tyrant impulses?

After a miss in this series (I really did not like Greg and Fiona’s storyline), we are back to good contemporary romance fun. Janie and Quinn aren’t my absolute favorite, but their story is delightful to read. And we finally get to learn more about Quinn’s past and family. Thank goodness! He’s not just a man of mystery anymore. The entire scene in Vegas is worth the entire book. I was so very excited to see Nico and Elizabeth’s wedding! They are my favorite couple so far. It was nice to see how Janie and Quinn got to the next stage in their relationship. I’m excited to dive back into this series.

Knitting in the City

• #1 Neanderthal Seeks Human

• #1.5 Neanderthal Marries Human

• #2 Friends Without Benefits

• #3 Love Hacked

• #4 Beauty and the Mustache

• #4.75 Ninja at First Sight

• #5 Happily Ever Ninja

• #6 Dating-ish

• #7 Marriage of Inconvenience

• #8 Neanderthal Seeks Extra Yarns

Next up on the TBR pile:

Something is Killing the Children Vol. 3

Title: Something is Killing the Children Vol. 2

Author: James Tynion IV, Werther Dell’Edera

Publisher: BOOM 2021

Genre: Comics

Pages: 144

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

As the House of Slaughter arrives to clean up the situation by any means necessary, Erica will find that the true threat to those around her isn’t who - or what - she ever expected. And the cost of saving the day may be too high for anyone to pay...

NOT ALL MONSTERS HIDE IN THE DARK.

Archer’s Peak is in lockdown, as Erica Slaughter has lost control of the situation and news of the killings has spread outside the town. But as the House of Slaughter arrives to clean up the situation by any means necessary, Erica will find that the true threat to those around her isn’t who - or what - she ever expected. And the cost of saving the day may be too high for anyone to pay...

A fitting conclusion to this storyline. I love horror comics and this one did not disappoint. We get a fascinating world full of monsters and monster hunters. Erica is very entertaining, but I loved the inclusion of other members of the House of Slaughter. I’m glad that this storyline wrapped up with this volume, but left the world open for more stories.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #6

Reading: Wintering by Katherine May… I’ve been taking this book slowly and definitely need to own it to reread every few years.

Watching: We’re still working through Hustle. Up to Season 4 now.

Listening: The kids are not doing well this month and have been spending a lot of time bickering. I think it’s a combination of quarantine months, the heat, and non-routine days. I’m hoping August will be better for all of us.

Making: I’m currently working on a variety of coop lessons for the fall. I have our Math in Nature lessons prepped, but need to finish Birds, Mammals, Dinosaurs, and a few others.

Feeling: After a brief cool down, we’re back to temperatures in the upper 90s. I’m so very hot and tired.

Planning: Before we start our next year of homeschooling, I have a few more field trips scheduled. Today we are heading to Morrill Hall in Lincoln. Later we will take another trip to Lincoln for a zoo visit and a few more zoo visits.

Loving: We had bulgogi last night from a new-to-us Korean restaurant. It was just what I wanted!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Savage After Midnight "Remedy"

A featured song on Octane that I’m really digging.

Life Right Now #22

As I look outside my window: The rain from yesterday has cleared up. It’s not super hot right now, but very clear and bright.

Right now I am: Making my coffee to go sit on the deck and read a book.

On my bedside table: Something is Killing the Children Vol. 3; Beauty and the Mustache by Penny Reid

On my tv this week: We finished S1 of Loki and I’m so incredibly sad that it’s over. I need more Loki in my life. We also continued with our usual shows and started Schmigadoon.

Listening to: My usual politics podcasts. Nothing that exciting really.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Honey and Line Jalapeno Chicken

• Tuesday - Green Chile Enchilada Soup

• Wednesday - Baked Cod with Fennel and Lemon

• Thursday - Leftovers

• Friday - Crab and Asparagus Soup

• Saturday - Hawaiian Pulled Pork Nachos

• Sunday - Prawn and Sweet Potato Jamaican Curry

On my to do list: Mostly a lot of prep work for August. We have so many things happening this fall. I need to get a jump on a lot of them.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Mahoney State Park Visit

• Tuesday - Lincoln Adventure Day

• Wednesday - Grocery and Library

• Thursday - Park Playdate

• Friday - Home Day

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: So many piles! Working on our first couple of weeks of school and making lesson plans.

My simple pleasures: Mid-afternoon rain storms, putt putt fun, ice cream

Looking around the house: Better than it was yesterday. We cleaned the playroom and it made me feel so much better!

From the camera: The boys got new Dog Man books and immediately sat down and started reading. Love it!

Shoulder Season by Christina Clancy

Title: Shoulder Season

Author: Christina Clancy

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press 2021

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 336

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

The small town of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is an unlikely location for a Playboy Resort, and nineteen-year old Sherri Taylor is an unlikely bunny. Growing up in neighboring East Troy, Sherri plays the organ at the local church and has never felt comfortable in her own skin. But when her parents die in quick succession, she leaves the only home she’s ever known for the chance to be part of a glamorous slice of history. In the winter of 1981, in a costume two sizes too small, her toes pinched by stilettos, Sherri joins the daughters of dairy farmers and factory workers for the defining experience of her life.

Living in the “bunny hutch”—Playboy’s version of a college dorm—Sherri gets her education in the joys of sisterhood, the thrill of financial independence, the magic of first love, and the heady effects of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. But as spring gives way to summer, Sherri finds herself caught in a romantic triangle—and the tragedy that ensues will haunt her for the next forty years.

From the Midwestern prairie to the California desert, from Wisconsin lakes to the Pacific Ocean, this is a story of what happens when small town life is sprinkled with stardust, and what we lose—and gain—when we leave home. With a heroine to root for and a narrative to get lost in, Christina Clancy's Shoulder Season is a sexy, evocative tale, drenched in longing and desire, that captures a fleeting moment in American history with nostalgia and heart.

Ugh! We picked this as a fun summer read for book club, but it definitely was not that. The cover is extremely deceiving and the even the summary makes this book sound like it’s going to be a story of a woman growing and finding herself. But! I just didn’t see the growth. For starters, Sherri is not a great person. She’s not in a great place when the story begins, and I totally understand that. However, I was expecting Sherri to grow throughout the novel. She got worse. She became a not great person. Most of the book highlighted just how awful humans can be toward each other. I was alternately angry with the characters and bored with the storyline. I just didn’t care at all about what happened.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Happily Ever Ninja by Penny Reid

Title: Happily Ever Ninja (Knitting in the City #5)

Author: Penny Reid

Publisher: Cipher-Naught 2016

Genre: Romance

Pages: 312

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

There are three things you need to know about Fiona Archer… I would tell you what they are, but then I’d have to kill you.

But I can tell you that Fiona’s husband, the always irrepressible and often cantankerous Greg Archer, is desperately in love with his wife. Yet as the years pass, Greg has begun to suspect that Fiona is a ninja. A ninja mom. A ninja wife. A ninja friend. After fourteen years of marriage, Greg is trying not to panic. Because Fiona’s talent for blending in is starting to resemble fading away. However, when unexpected events mean Fiona must take center stage to keep her family safe, her response stuns everyone—Greg most of all. It seems like Greg’s wish has come true. Except… not.

Due to the library randomness, I ended up reading #5 before reading #4 in the series. While I usually read series in order, this one wasn’t terrible to read slightly out of order. I was very intrigued by Fiona and Greg and we very excited to read a romance centered on a married couple. Usually we get the beginnings of a relationship, so I was excited to see the middle of one. Unfortunately, this one really did not land for me. My biggest problem with this story is that the two characters did not actually resolve the core issues in their relationship. A silly twist at the end of the book brushed those issues under the rug. I was not happy at all. I wanted to see a healthy relationship come out of the book, but it was not resolved in any way that made me happy. This volume really fell flat for me. I really hope the rest of the series works better.

Knitting in the City

• #1 Neanderthal Seeks Human

• #1.5 Neanderthal Marries Human

• #2 Friends Without Benefits

• #3 Love Hacked

• #4 Beauty and the Mustache

• #4.75 Ninja at First Sight

• #5 Happily Ever Ninja

• #6 Dating-ish

• #7 Marriage of Inconvenience

• #8 Neanderthal Seeks Extra Yarns

Next up on the TBR pile:

Summer Break Videos

Quirky apocalyptic comedy? I’m there!

Not usually one for thrillers, but this looks good.

Most definitely, we need to see this…

This looks very strange. I must see it.

Haha yep. Very accurate!

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Title: People We Meet on Vacation

Author: Emily Henry

Publisher: Berkley 2021

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 382

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Modern Mrs. Darcy; Seasonal TBR

Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.

Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven't spoken since.

Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.

Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?

I’ve seen so many mixed reviews of this book. As in, if you liked Emily Henry’s first book Beach Read, you won’t like this one and vice versa. Somehow I fall into the very tiny camp of really really loving both of them. At first glance, we get a straight up romantic comedy with flawed but lovable characters and a slightly exaggerated plot. Seems on par with the rest of them. But then Henry really infuses her characters with very real insecurities and problems. We see two people who, on paper, shouldn’t be together and yet we know that they should. We see them struggle with events and people from their past. We see them attempt to communicate, but often do it wrong or make some missteps that lead to more obstacles. And finally, we know that their story will have a resolution. It may not be a HEA, but I don’t always need those anyway. We get some kind of understanding with the characters. I read my fluffy romances that I know will end in a HEA. But I also really love these real romances where we everything (well, almost everything) could happen in our world. Emily Henry is definitely going on my must-read list.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Love Hacked by Penny Reid

Title: Love Hacked (Knitting in the City #3)

Author: Penny Reid

Publisher: Cipher-Naught 2014

Genre: Romance

Pages: 402

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

There are three things you need to know about Sandra Fielding:
1) She makes all her first dates cry,
2) She hasn't been kissed in over two years, and
3) She knows how to knit.

Sandra has difficulty removing her psychotherapist hat. Of her last 30 dates, 29 have ended the same way: the man sobbing uncontrollably. After one such disaster, Sandra gives in to a seemingly harmless encounter with her hot waiter, Alex. Argumentative, secretive, and hostile Alex may be the opposite of everything Sandra knows is right for her. But now, the girl who has spent all her life helping others change for the better, must find a way to cope with falling for someone who refuses to change at all.

I am still very much enjoying Penny Reid’s writing and her characters. This book gives us Sandra’s story. Overall I really enjoyed Sandra and Alex’s romance. I loved their interactions at the restaurant and the ending. The bit in the middle got a tad annoying with Sandra’s constant referrals to Alex’s age. Like I get that he’s a bit younger, but he is legal (as he points out repeatedly). It seemed odd to focus on that and not the “I can’t tell you about why the government wants me in a jail cell.” But, I just kept reminding myself that this series has fun, if a bit outlandish, romantic comedy plots. Just go with it! I can’t wait to see what happens next. (P.S. Elizabeth and Nico is still my favorite.)

Knitting in the City

• #1 Neanderthal Seeks Human

• #1.5 Neanderthal Marries Human

• #2 Friends Without Benefits

• #3 Love Hacked

• #4 Beauty and the Mustache

• #4.75 Ninja at First Sight

• #5 Happily Ever Ninja

• #6 Dating-ish

• #7 Marriage of Inconvenience

• #8 Neanderthal Seeks Extra Yarns

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Pierce the Veil "Caraphernelia"

Old song, but every time it pops up on The Emo Project, I get really excited.

Life Right Now #21

As I look outside my window: The storms have cleared up leaving much cooler temperatures. Perfect for sitting on the deck.

Right now I am: Outside reading my book. I’m deep into People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry and I love it! I might just finish it this morning.

Thinking and pondering: Why are people so hesitant to commit to little things? I am really getting annoyed by the wishy-washy comments from people in regards to my homeschool coop. Seriously, just join or don’t. Stop telling me that you are “unsure” of your plans for August.

On my bedside table: Something is Killing the Children Vol. 3; Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

On my tv this week: We’ve watched a few movies this week (The Tomorrow War; Black Widow; Inside) and continued with Star Trek: Voyager and Hustle.

Listening to: The usual podcasts. Nothing new or special.

On the menu for this week: Oh goodness. I have no idea what we’re having for dinner this week. Guess I know what my big task is today.

On my to do list: First thing I need to do is update my big to-do list. Beyond that, I’m sure I should work on the road trip planning, reading retreat planning, and homeschool lesson plans.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Grocery trip

• Tuesday - Lake Beach Visit; Disney Villain Trivia

• Wednesday - Park Playdate

• Thursday - Home Day

• Friday - Pirate Putt; Lunch Out; Ice Cream

• Saturday - Normal Day

• Sunday - Normal Day

What I am creating: Math in Nature lesson plans for our STEAM coop in August.

My simple pleasures: Chocolate Chip Cookies, gentle rain at night (not the high winds thunderstorm we had), watching the bunnies in our yard

From the camera: Pizza and beer outside for book club this week…

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Ruin and Rising (Shadow and Bone #3)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Henry Holt 2014

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 465

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Soldier. Summoner. Saint. The nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

The Darkling rules from his shadow throne while a weakened Alina Starkov recovers from their battle under the dubious protection of the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Now her hopes lie with the magic of a long-vanished ancient creature and the chance that an outlaw prince still survives.

As her allies and enemies race toward war, only Alina stands between her country and a rising tide of darkness that could destroy the world. To win this fight, she must seize a legend’s power—but claiming the firebird may be her ruin.

The trilogy has been finished! I would not say that this series has been my favorite YA fantasy series, but I do think that it redeemed itself with the last book. Ultimately, I really did end up liking the storyline and I’m still very much in love with the magic system. I’m still annoyed by Alina and Mal’s relationship and don’t feel like Mal quite earned his place by her side. I was satisfied with the ending between Alina and the Darlking, but wish we could have seen his vulnerable side a little more and a little earlier in the books. (Seems like he ended up being a bit of unused character in the second and third books.) I’m okay with the entire resolution to the series. I’m more excited to read the companion duology and watch the television show.

Shadow and Bone

• #1 Shadow and Bone

• #2 Siege and Storm

• #3 Ruin and Rising

Next up on the TBR pile:

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Siege and Storm (Shadow and Bone #2)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Square Fish 2013

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 435

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Alina Starkov’s power has grown, but not without a price. She is the Sun Summoner—hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Shadow Fold. But she and Mal can’t outrun their enemies for long.

The Darkling is more determined than ever to claim Alina’s magic and use it to take the Ravkan throne. With nowhere else to turn, Alina enlists the help of an infamous privateer and sets out to lead the Grisha army.

But as the truth of Alina's destiny unfolds, she slips deeper into the Darkling’s deadly game of forbidden magic, and further away from her humanity. To save her country, Alina will have to choose between her power and the love she thought would always be her shelter. No victory can come without sacrifice—and only she can face the oncoming storm.

Can Mal get eaten by a volcra now? Seriously, I so disliked him as a character and kept wanting him to die so Alina could move on. Alas, it did not happen and we get way too many pages in this book where Mal gaslights and abuses Alina. I just cannot get behind their relationship at all. Their back and forth crap is the biggest reason why this book only gets 3 stars from me. Strip that crap out or change it into a more healthy relationship and I would have given it 4 stars. I really do love the magical elements in this series. I love exploring the evolution of both Alina’s and the Darkling’s powers. I want more and more of that. So sad that the Darkling only has a small part in this book. I wanted more of him. Thankfully we do get introduced to another mysterious character that had been in his side immediately. I wanted more Nikolai. Specifically, I wanted Nikolai and Alina to form a deeper bond. I’m still going to finish this series (reading the third book right now in fact), but I am very disappointed by the central “romance” to the series.

Shadow and Bone

• #1 Shadow and Bone

• #2 Siege and Storm

• #3 Ruin and Rising

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Took the boys to a movie yesterday. It’s been almost 18 months since we were in a theater. It was a nice excursion. We took advantage of the $2 second run kid’s movie for a cheap morning.

• Time blocking is going well… just need to keep up the routine.

• Day 1 of our fall road trip is planned (well, except for booking the hotel). Making progress!

• Sad that Q broke my pretty beaded bookmark. I can probably fix it, but it’s going to take some ingenuity.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Title: Malibu Rising

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Publisher: Ballantine Books 2021

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: MMD; Seasonal TBR

Malibu: August 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time for him to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come rising to the surface.

I dove into this book really hoping for another Daisy Jones and the Six or The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. With this book, we get a really good story, but it didn’t quite hit the 5 star mark for me. Right away, I was drawn into the world of early 1980s (and then 1950-60s) Malibu. I wanted to learn more about the Riva children and how they came to be at the places they were in their lives. I wanted to really submerse myself in the atmosphere of Malibu at the various time periods. We get some of that. In flashbacks, we get to see what happened with Mick and June and the snippets throughout the children’s lives. And we get one big final confrontation between Mick and his children. Unfortunately, the book the left me wanting more. When we get to the last chapter, I was just a bit taken aback at the abruptness of the ending. I felt like we were just getting into the meat of the various characters. I wanted to sit with them longer. Ultimately, I felt like nothing had really been resolved and I wanted more. I cannot deny that Reid writes a propulsive story with interesting characters. I just wanted more.

My two side annoyances:

• I really disliked how they dealt with Kit’s big identity revelation. Or really, how they didn’t deal with it. I felt like it was thrown to give a “complication” to her character, but was really a cheap afterthought.

• From the very first page, I thought the fire would figure more prominently into the story. I kept waiting and waiting and it didn’t come into fruition until the last chapter.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #5

Reading: Continuing the Shadow and Bone trilogy with Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo. I needed something a bit more light after finishing Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Watching: Wednesdays are blocked out for Loki watching! Oh I am all in knots after last week’s episode. So incredibly good!

Listening: No big music this week, but I have been trying to catch up on some podcasts. Currently Reading is always a must-listen for the week!

Making: Our meal plan has gotten very much out of hand. I need to take some time this week and get everything under control. I also need to schedule some more 52 Desserts and Snacks to catch up a bit.

Feeling: The above 90 degrees days are really wearing on me. I am tired and hot almost all of the time…

Planning: I have so many fall projects on the horizon (book retreat, family road trip, kids’ birthday party) and the start of our second year of homeschooling. Plus all the usual house things. I’ve resorted to time blocking through July to get a jump on planning and organization for those. Once we hit August, I will be very busy so I’m taking advantage of my time this month.

Loving: I’ve been taking my book and coffee out to the back deck in the mornings and it’s been lovely. Thankfully the deck is shaded in the mornings and I can enjoy myself without feeling like I’m on the surface of the sun.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - New Years Day "Kill or Be Killed"

An older song, but I keep rediscovering it.

Friends without Benefits by Penny Reid

Title: Friends without Benefits (Knitting in the City #2)

Author: Penny Reid

Publisher: Cipher-Naught 2014

Genre: Romance

Pages: 406

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

There are three things you need to know about Elizabeth Finney: 1) She suffers from severe sarcastic syndrome, especially when she's unnerved, 2) No one unnerves her like Nico Manganiello, and 3) She knows how to knit.

Elizabeth Finney is almost always right about everything: the musical merits of boy bands are undervalued by society, “benefits” with human Ken dolls are better without friendship, and the sun has set on her once-in-a-lifetime chance for true love. But when Elizabeth’s plans for benefits without friendship are disarmed by the irritatingly charismatic and chauvinistic Nico Manganiello—her former nemesis—she finds herself struggling to maintain the electric fence around her heart while avoiding a Nico charisma-electrocution or, worse, falling in love.

I finally got around to reading the second in this contemporary romance series. It was such a delight and I sped through it in two days. Elizabeth is such a taciturn character in the first book and I was glad to see her soft side in this novel. Right away, I absolutely fell for Elizabeth and Nico and especially those two together. There is a lot of angst in this novel, but I really did love the conversations. My biggest complaint was that there was only one steamy scene. I love the pre-steamy scenes, but I need more post-steamy scenes.

Knitting in the City

• #1 Neanderthal Seeks Human

• #1.5 Neanderthal Marries Human

• #2 Friends Without Benefits

• #3 Love Hacked

• #4 Beauty and the Mustache

• #4.75 Ninja at First Sight

• #5 Happily Ever Ninja

• #6 Dating-ish

• #7 Marriage of Inconvenience

• #8 Neanderthal Seeks Extra Yarns

Next up on the TBR pile: