Cassie DeNisco

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American Royals Reign Book Review!

A new year means new reading goals for me! I kicked off the year by finally reading American Royals Reign which is the last book in this series! I really loved this series as it gave a look into what America would look like with a royal family.

It had all the drama of the British royals set in an American landscape! This review contains an affiliate link so I make a small commission if you choose to purchase the book through my link!!

American Royals Reign by Katharine McGee

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American royals reign

This final book of the American Royal Series follows the siblings after Queen Beatrice’s accident. She’s in a coma for the beginning of the book and then seeks to regain her lost memory while navigating a tough political climate.

I will say I was a little underwhelmed with her story line. I had really hoped that her and her bodyguard from the previous books would rekindle or just have more of a moment than they did. There was a lot of buildup from the other books that it just left me hanging.

As for the other siblings though, I feel like I really enjoyed their story lines and the wrap up to their characters. Nina, the family friend and Prince Jefferson finally have their moment in the end of the book and sister Samantha is able to figure out what she really wants in life.

I loved this series because it’s just such a fun thought about what the American royals would be like if we had any! This fictional series is just a light read that keeps you turning the pages!

You can check out my to other review of this series here! I hope you’ll give this American Royals Reign book a read! I am so excited for another year of reading and hope you’ll follow along with me!

Let me know in the comments below your must reads for this year!

The Four Winds Review by Kristin Hannah

My November book pick is dedicated to another great book by Krisitin Hannah, The Four Winds review! I instantly fell in love with her book The Great Alone and this one I love too! Kristin Hannah’s ability to write historical fiction is so mesmerizing and she really does great research on the time period.

This post contains an affiliate link to purchase the book but there’s no pressure to purchase! If you’re still needing something for your 2023 reading challenge, I highly suggest checking this one out!

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

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the four winds review

Before we hop into the review, I want to mention that even though Kristin Hannah’s books always seem daunting due to page length they are always compelling and quick reads!

The Four Winds initially takes place in Texas specifically the Great Plains during the Great Depression. We follow the life of Elsa who is originally from a wealthy family but finds herself pregnant by an Italian farmer. Her family obviously kicks her out and she’s then sent to the farm with his family.

Life on the farm only gets harder as the weather just gets harsher. The depression makes it even more complicated with little money for food when the land is no longer able to provide. Her husband ends up leaving her and she’s left to deal with his parents and their kids on a failing farm.

One unique aspect of Kristin Hannah’s books is that they usually go back and forth between 2 timelines. In this case, we fast forward to Elsa and the kids moving to California in search of more work. I can’t begin to tell you how resilient Elsa is through all she’s been through.

The book takes a twist at the end once Elsa finds steady work but is thrown into a labor union dispute. I won’t ruin the ending but Elsa is a character that you just hope to be. You can feel her love for her kids and her hope that everything will work out.

I hope you liked The Four Winds review! Be sure to check back next month when I do my full book recap for the year!!

Best Books to Read for 2023!!

I LOVE writing this post every year! I take a look back at my Good Reads for the year and share some of my favorite books I’ve read!! These best books to read for 2023 are truly the books I fell in love with this year!

Some of my best performing posts for the year were my book reviews and it was such a fun year to share what I read with you! We’ve read everything from mysteries to romance and some Colleen Hoovers in between. I even met my Good Reads goal of 50 books in 2022 so I’ve definitely read my fair share of books this year! Here are some of my favorites!!

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

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books to read for 2023

Talk about a transformative book! This love story is epic and will absolutely set the tone for your summer if you read it in June! The writing was fantastic and I just really appreciated the cozy small town vibes. It’s based around these summer houses and kids who fall in love when they’re young but reconnect as they get older. You cannot go through Summer 2023 without reading this book!

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

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books to read 2023

Luckily I was able to read all 3 of these books before the Prime series came out! I fell in love with these books and the show only added to that. Another summer read but honestly I feel like these characters and what they go through is relatable. This leans more on the young adult side so it was a quick read for me but I really recommend it if you love the show!

It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover

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This is the sequel to It Ends With Us by Co Ho so definitely read that first. This book really gives more layers to the characters and continues the story laid out in the first book. I love this series for so many reason but this book solidified for me this story. Essentially at the heart it’s a love story that two people get reconnected in. It’s so good and this book really did it for me after reading the first one!

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

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I originally read the Guest List by Lucy Foley and really loved the thriller vibes so I knew this would be the same. The books aren’t connected but this author just has a way of writing that instantly grabs you and makes you read. I got through this in one sitting because it was a true page turner that kept you on your toes!!

The Confidence of Wildflowers by Micalea Smeltzer

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This had been on my good reads for quite sometime! I finally got around to reading it this year and I really loved it. I’m starting to see a theme that I like books about neighbors but oh well lol!! This book deals with loss and grief but also just has this amazing story to it that I really appreciate. The writing was so good and I’m just mad I didn’t pick this up sooner!

Here are my other book reviews from this year!

January– It Happened One Summer

February– The Light We Lost

March– Death by Disseration

April– Reminders of Him

May– The Most Beautiful Girl In Cuba

June– The Christie Affair

July– The Northern Spy

August– Reputation

September– American Royals

October– Ugly Love

November– The Last Thing He Told Me

I hope this book wrap up really helped you find some good books to read for 2023 !! I am looking so forward to continuing these posts so be sure to subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss a post!!

It Happened One Summer- Book Review!

I am so excited to be launching this new series on the blog for a book of the month! Reading is one of my favorite things. I know a lot of you have found me because of my book recommendations. I thought I would share one book I read from the previous month as a way for us to form our own book club!

To chronicle this book journey, I made a separate Instagram @bookchatswithcass to not only share these books in real time but keep myself accountable as I read! I hope you’ll give it a follow as we start this new series together!

For the first month of the year, I decided that I was going to share one of my favorite books from December, It Happened One Summer. This is a funny rom com style book that was such a light and easy read that I got through it in one night. You can shop for it here through my affiliate link.

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

it happened one summer

I have read I think one or two other books by Tessa Bailey but this one seriously was so great. It had me laughing out loud and almost made me feel like I was watching a TV show. The characters she wrote were people that you could really feel what they were feeling.

The review on the back said it is like Schitt’s Creek which is so funny. This was not disappointing because it really was just that.

The main character is a rich girl who gets sent away after partying too hard. She finds herself in small fishing town that is connected to her late father. Through fixing up her family’s old bar and falling in love with an average fishing captain, she realizes the life she was living wasn’t at all what she needed.

I so appreciated the humor and little bit of spice🌶 from this book. This one is great when you’re in the mood to finish a book in one night. Once you pick this up, you can’t put it down until it’s done. Another great part of this book is it is actually the first in the series so you get to meet characters from later books.

This series is so exciting to have on my blog and once a month you’ll get a bonus post, like this one, where I’ll recomend a book! You can read it and leave your thoughts in the comments below! If you’re just here for the review, I hope you’ll give this funny rom com a try!

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