Top Ten Tuesday/ Need To Be Read Books

You know what the silver lining of spending days without electricity is? I managed to read two books with my own two eyeballs (I had no other way); if I read on my phone, I was risking of not having a way to communicate in case of an emergency. So, I could read until it got dark, making it hard to manage pain, so I’m glad it’s over, hopefully. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl, who has a new weekly topic.

July 28: Books I HAD to Have Immediately but Still Haven’t Read (this is a throwback topic from 2022)

Goodreads Blurb:

London, 1811
Chained below deck, 18-year-old James Tedder listens to the sobs of his fellow prisoners. Putting his hand over his nose to filter the vile smells, James wonders how life on the other side of the world could ever the worth living.
London, 1812
Sarah Blay watches the convict ship Indefatigable begin its voyage to the other side of the world with her husband, and his friend James Tedder, on board. 
One year later, Sarah bundles up her three small sons and says a final goodbye to her mother, and follows her husband to Van Diemen’s Land on a dangerous journey that will take fourteen long months.
Will Sarah regret her decision… and will any of them survive?

Goodreads Blurb:

Set against the turbulent backdrop of World War II, “Whispers of the Forgotten” follows the intertwined lives of Amelia König and Jonathan Hughes, two individuals from opposite sides of the conflict whose fates are sealed by the secrets of war, forbidden love, and the haunting mystery of a stolen child. The novel captures the devastation of war, not just through battles fought on fields but through the battles fought within, where love, loss, and identity collide. As they face unimaginable heartbreak, they must find the courage to uncover hidden truths and embrace the past to reshape their futures.

Goodreads Blurb:

Meet Matilda Schmidt, Paranormal Psychologist…UnlovableWhen Cupid gets stupid…It isn’t every day a sexy demigod throws a pissed-off Cupid onto psychologist Matilda Schmidt’s couch and informs her the fate of the world depends on her ability to get him off his diapered ass and back to helping people fall in love. But first, she’ll need to convince a seductive hit man he’s snatched the wrong woman before he convinces her he might be the right man—for a night. UnluckyWhen luck runs out…Accused of stealing gold from an infamous Irish street gang, Paranormal Psychologist Matilda Schmidt will die in exactly five days if she doesn’t cough it up—guilty or not. With minutes ticking away and her office overrun by a leprechaun who’s loopier than he is lucky, Matilda makes a deal with a demigod—give him one night in her bed and he’ll help her locate the missing gold. UnhoppyWhen there’s not a hop in hell…The day is going to hell in a hurry for Paranormal Psychologist Matilda Schmidt, and that’s before a suicidal Easter bunny shows up for treatment. Hunted by two jealous goddesses who would gladly use her intestines to lace up their strappy sandals—and with her full-time hit man sometimes lover nowhere to be found—Matilda will have to save herself, or the world will be up River Styx without a paddle.

Goodreads Blurb:

She witnessed an execution sanctioned by the state.Now her only shield is a man the state has branded a traitor.

Forensic accountant Eva Morales has a gift for finding patterns in numbers. But when she uncovers a “Ghost Load” on the northern border, she stumbles into a secret worth killing for. After witnessing a cold-blooded execution by a high-ranking official, Eva plunges into a sub-zero wilderness with nothing but the clothes on her back and a target on her name.

Caleb North is the lead handler for the elite North Star K-9 Unit. A man of silence and stone, he’s haunted by a failure he can’t outrun and bonded to a Belgian Malinois who trusts no one. So when Bane breaks every rule of his training to protect the half-frozen woman Cal pulls from a ravine, Cal knows two she’s telling the truth, and his own agency wants her dead.

Trapped in a remote outpost as the blizzard of the century closes in, Cal and Eva are forced into an intimacy neither of them wanted. He’s built walls no one has breached in years. She’s learned that trusting authority is a death sentence. But as the Pipeline’s shadow network tightens its grip and the heat between them becomes more dangerous than the frostbite at the door, Cal faces an impossible follow orders, or follow his heart.

Goodreads Blurb:

𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗜𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗜’𝗺 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮.𝗸.𝗮 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱’𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿.
Oops. 𝘍𝘢𝘬𝘦 dating.
Long story short, my longtime crush, Karl, came back from a mission abroad with a fiancée at his arm when I thought he was about to declare his love to me.
Humiliating, right?
Well, that’s why I grabbed the first guy in the airport and introduced him as my boyfriend.
Surprisingly, he went along with the charade.
Even more so, he showed up at my door days later asking me to keep it going.
Dating a footballer, even if its fake, is the last thing I want to do while I’m nursing a broken heart. But when he said I could use this relationship to make Karl jealous, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 win the feature contest at work, I signed on the three dotted lines and scored myself a fake boyfriend.
𝗔 𝗳𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁?

Goodreads Blurb:

A fresh start, a twist of fate, and a whole lot of unexpected drama.

Freshly divorced Rosi Laruee—named Rosisophia Doroche after her mother’s beloved Golden Girls—is ready for a quiet, stress-free reset at the Tucson Valley Retirement Community. What she doesn’t expect? Tripping (literally) into a murder mystery. But when local troublemaker Salem Mansfield turns up dead, Rosi’s peaceful retreat turns into a full-blown investigation.

With nothing but her rusty reporter instincts, a mischievous Golden Retriever puppy (who’s more trouble than she bargained for), and a lovable crew of nosy seniors who think they’re the real detectives, Rosi is all in—whether she likes it or not. Add in a suspiciously handsome landscaper, a less-than-helpful police officer, a raucous karaoke night, and more juicy secrets than you can keep up with at a bingo night, and Rosi finds herself knee-deep in a case that’s equal parts puzzling, hilarious, and heartwarming.

Goodreads Blurb:

Oscar has spent a great deal of time reading romance books in order to be able to criticize them on his website. Everything seems to be going well for him, since he´s got a large number of followers who support him, make reading recommendations and are delighted with his way of attacking unoriginal works.
But what would happen if Oscar suddenly transmigrated into one of those novels he criticized?
What if he landed right into the worst of them all?
No, more than that… What would happen if he was reincarnated as the cannon fodder destined to die by the hands of the villain?

Goodreads Blurb:

Luke McCullough’s promising future as an athlete is shattered by injury, and he must return to his small-town roots, a shadow of his former self. Battling his demons, Luke crosses paths with Tristan Hughes, a gentle yet strong lumberjack with secrets of his own.

Tristan Hughes came to Center County to escape his past and start anew. Nothing prepared him for a man like Luke McCullough. Intrigued by his intensity, Tristan cautiously gets to know this formidable man and falls head over heels for the vulnerable soul he hides beneath all that muscle, intensity, and drive.

Goodreads Blurb:

She’s mastered the heart’s anatomy, just not its emotions.

Doctor Lainey Carmichael doesn’t have time for relationships. She’s too focused on finishing her
prestigious cardiothoracic surgery fellowship and landing her dream job. Besides, all the men she knows
are doctors, and she’s sworn never to date anyone from work (again). But an unexpected confession
from her quiet, burly, kind-of-boss, Dr. Samuel Reese, makes her take notice of something other than
her scalpel.

While Sam’s covert attraction to Lainey has only grown over the years, she hardly noticed he existed.
Now, as he captures her attention again and again, he might have a chance to prove he’s more than just
another attending.

The good news? They’ve got more chemistry than a pharmaceuticals lab. The bad news? Lainey, herself,
might be the biggest obstacle to her own happiness.

Goodreads Blurb:

Two guarded hearts. One chance to heal.
Bette Cooper’s life went from upper-class comfort to rock bottom overnight. After twenty years of marriage, her wife left her for someone half her age, pushed her out of the business they built together, and, to add insult to injury, she had to move back in with her mother. Forced to rebuild her life, Bette takes the first steps toward starting over by accepting a job that she once would have thought was beneath her, causing her pride to take a hit. It doesn’t help that her new coworker is a woman made completely out of ice and unwelcoming.
Addiction counselor Kerrie Matthews is no stranger to burying her emotions. Maintaining her long-term sobriety and control is how she copes—keeping everything tightly managed so nothing spirals out of reach. When her twin brother with special needs faces a health setback, it frightens her into tightening her hold on things she can control around her. She channels all her energy into caring for him and immersing herself in her work, convinced that relying on others is a risk she can’t afford. So when her boss assigns a new assistant to help, Kerrie meets the offer with guarded skepticism rather than gratitude, unwilling to trust someone else with the things she believes only she can handle, even at risk to her own health.
As these two women face new beginnings, one question can the unexpected connection between them help them heal, or will their past struggles and fears make it too difficult to trust again?