Housebroke by Jaci Burton

After her ex took all their money and bailed, Hazel Bristow is left broke and homeless. A friend whose home is on the market lets Hazel and her foster dogs stay there until it sells. It's the perfect setup, until her friend forgets to tell Hazel she's sold the house!

 

Linc Kennedy is shocked to find Hazel squatting in the house he just bought, but after some negotiating, he agrees she can stay while he's renovating the place. Linc tells Hazel he's an investor who renovates homes for fun-but having been burned in the past by women who have only wanted his money, he leaves out that he's also extremely wealthy...

 

Hazel's intrigued by sweet, funny Linc. But her track record with men isn't great, and trust doesn't come easy. Linc's never met anyone like the quirky beauty who puts everyone's needs before her own. But can he figure out how to tell Hazel the truth without losing her?

Publisher: Berkley |Genre: Contemporary Romance  | Source: Publisher  | Rating: 3.5

After her ex took all their money and bailed, Hazel Bristow is left broke and homeless. A friend whose home is on the market lets Hazel and her foster dogs stay there until it sells. It's the perfect setup, until her friend forgets to tell Hazel she's sold the house!

 

Linc Kennedy is shocked to find Hazel squatting in the house he just bought, but after some negotiating, he agrees she can stay while he's renovating the place. Linc tells Hazel he's an investor who renovates homes for fun-but having been burned in the past by women who have only wanted his money, he leaves out that he's also extremely wealthy...

 

Hazel's intrigued by sweet, funny Linc. But her track record with men isn't great, and trust doesn't come easy. Linc's never met anyone like the quirky beauty who puts everyone's needs before her own. But can he figure out how to tell Hazel the truth without losing her?

 

It’s been a minute since I read a Jaci Burton romance and I completely forgot how much fun I have with them. This one was cute, fast, and filled with the most adorable little rescue dogs.

 

Here’s a quick recap: Hazel’s a bit down on her luck and staying at a friend’s house while it’s on the market although unbeknownst to her, the house sold and she accosted the new owner, Linc, with a cast iron skillet. While Linc doesn’t want a houseguest, or her pups, staying with him in the house he’s fixing up he finds himself asking her to stay. While there’s an attraction, there’s also hesitation as they’ve been hurt before. Now they have to decide if it’s worth the risk.

 

Let me just tell you, the cute rescue dogs will steal your heart. Linc and Hazel do a pretty good job at that as well. I liked both Hazel and Linc. They’ve both been hurt, they have some issues they need to work through, and they need to learn to let people in instead of keeping them at arm’s length. While I liked both, they both had their trying moments. Hazel was rude at times, lashing out at Linc for no real reason. Linc held on to something that he should have shared early in their messing about.

 

I’m a little on the fence about what to rate this. I’ve been bouncing between a 3.5 and 4 since I read finished the book and, I think I’m settling on a 3.5. There were a few issues. The fact that the blowup could have been avoided if they just sat down and had a conversation. I’m not a fan of that type of catalyst for the conflict. I also wasn’t a fan of the ending. I would have liked to have had more of Linc and Hazel’s relationship on the page.

 

Overall, I did enjoy this one. Linc and Hazel made a fun pair, there was healing both personal and familial, and it was just a fun time. I highly recommend this one. 

 

2024 Reading Challenges

I wasn’t sure what reading challenges I wanted to do for 2024 but I decided I wanted to keep it simple this year with my public challenges. I decided to do the Agatha Christie Decades Challenge and the StoryGraph Onboarding Reading Challenge. There’s probably a few mini challenges I’ll join through the year but these are the only yearlong challenges I’ll be joining.

 

I tried, and failed, with the 23 books in 2023 challenge that I set for myself. I did pick up a few books from the ones I selected but I ended up DNFing the majority of those. While the challenge did help me clear my shelf, reading-wise it was a bit of a bust. My goal is still to clear off my TBR pile; I just need a more relaxed way to do it as I’m more of a mood reader.

 

2024 Agatha Christie The Decades Challenge

Host: Agatha Christie Estate

Goal: To read 12 Agatha Christie books from the themed decades.

 

Books Read

1920s

1

2

3

1930s

1

2

3

1940s-1950s

1

2

3

1950s-1960s

1

2

3

4

 

StoryGraph’s 2024 Onboarding Reading Challenge

Host: StoryGraph

Goal: Complete the 6 reading prompts before the end of 2024

1.Prompt: Read a book from the five-star section of one of your similar users.

Book Selected: Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

 

2.Prompt: Read a StoryGraph recommendation from “Out of your comfort zone…”

Book Selected: Orkney by Amy Sackville

 

3.Prompt: Reading Challenge random number game. (pick a number from 1-12, go to reading challenges, open the category that corresponds to the number, select the challenge that catches your eye, read a book that would fit the prompt)

Random Generated Number: 2

Category:  Tackle Your TBR

Challenge: Bibliophile’s Speakeasy hosted by karlsmariels

Challenge Prompt: Wine (a classic novel that you have been wanting to read for a while)

Book Selected: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

 

4. Prompt: Read a book from your To-Read Pile starting with the first letter of your name. (If you don’t have a book on your TBR beginning with the first letter of your name, go through the letters of your name until you find one. ‘A’ and ‘The’ don’t can’t.)

Name: Angela

Letter Used: E (apparently, I don’t have books added to StoryGraph that start with ‘A’, ‘N’, or ‘G’.

Book Selected: Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson

 

5.Prompt: Read a book discovered via Buddy Reads or Readalongs page.

Book Selected: The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox

 

6.Prompt: Read a book from your Up-Next Suggestions.

Book Selected: Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

 Personal Reading Challenges

Finish The Series Personal Challenge—I’m in the middle of more than few that I need to finish. I also a few that I want to start. Here’s the list I want to tackle this year.

In Progress

-The Krewe of Hunters by Heather Graham—I made a decent dent in this series last year but I still have a chunk of the series left to read.

-Shadow Hollow by Juneau Black—I have three books left to finish.

-Outlander by Diana Gabaldon—I have more than a few books to read in this series.

-The Oxford Tearoom Mysteries by HY Hanna—I have three left to read in this series, maybe four because I’m not sure if I remember what happened in The Dough Must Go On (book 9).

-Half Moon Hollow by Molly Harper—somewhere along the line I missed reading A Witch’s Handbook to Kissing and Curses.

 

Want To Start

-All Souls by Deborah Harkness—I have the three books and the prequel (I also have the companion book but I’m not sure I’m going to get it) which I want to finish before the next book, The Black Bird Oracle, is out in July.

Discovery of Witches READ

All Souls

The Book of Life

-Dangerous Damsels by India Holton

-Belladonna Series by Adalyn Grace

Belladonna READ

Foxglove READ 

Wisteria (not released yet)

-The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh 

The Beautiful

The Damned

The Righteous 

The Ruined

I have a few challenges left in The Ultimate Reading Challenge book—I received this a few years ago, started it in 2024, and it’s still not finished. I’ve set a rule for myself that the books I read for this has to be solely for this challenge. While I could have combined them with other challenges I completed, I’ve held firm to my rule, which is why the challenge is still in progress. Here’s the five remaining prompts.

 

-Read a book that features an indigenous person

-Read a book about a person with a disability

-Re-read a classic you hated in high school

-Write a letter to someone that’s influenced your reading life

-Write a quote from a beloved book and display it in your house

 

2024 Goals

Another year, another set of goals. While my goals are not that much different from the previous year, they’re a little more focused, which goes along with my main goal for this year, which is to get organized. 

Blog Goals

I want to focus more on the blog this year. I want to be consistent in posts, consistent with replying to comments, stay on top of reviews, post more creative content, and update graphics. I also want to discover more blogs and be consistent with blog visits.

Two things I need to work on this year:

Updating GoodReads—why is it so hard for me to remember to update GoodReads? This year I’m going to try to use the app to update in real time when I start and finish a book.

Social Media Update—I’m horrible at updating my own social media. I need to be more consistent with bookish posts.

 

Reading/Bookish Goals

Tackle My TBR Pile—this is an ongoing operation. I’m still in the process of decluttering and organizing my books. I’m also being a bit more selective in the physical books I’m bringing in for review.

Limit Book Purchases—while I’m not giving up book buying, I am being more selective about the books I’m adding to my collection. I plan to use KU, Audible, and Libby then decide if I want to buy the book.

Read more non-fiction—last year I read a bit more non-fiction and I’d like to continue reading more as I’ve been missing non-fiction.

Return To The Classics—it’s been a minute since I’ve picked up classics and I’m eager to return.

House

Declutter—I’m still in the process of decluttering but this is the year to get it done. I will never be a minimalist but I do want to get a bit more organized and, let’s be honest, no one needs an entire kitchen drawer of random utensils they’ll never use.   

Landscape The Front Yard—there’s a lot to do in the front yard come Spring. The yard is going to have to be dug up (it’s full of cement thanks to the contractors dumping all the extra in the yard), filled in, and new flowers planted. I’d like to add a decorative fence but I’m not sure I want to go through all the drama of filling for a permit again.

Replace Bookshelves—this has been a goal of mine for the last few years but it was a little hard to bring bookshelves into the house with the front porch under construction. Now that the porch is finished, I plan on finally getting my bookshelves.

Personal

Create a Work/Life Balance—this is my number one goal this year. Because I work from, it’s so easy for me to get caught up and work until the wee hours of the morning. For my physical and mental health, I must keep to a set schedule.

Unplug more—this is something I need to do for at least 30 minutes a day. My ultimate goal is to have a device free day once a week.

Get Out More—I need to get outside more and take more walks (weather permitting).

Remember to take my vitamins—I’ve been using the habit tracker in my Happy Planner for the last few years and it’s been working to remind me to take my vitamins.

Learn something new—I’d like to learn/do/make something new at least once a week.

Drink more water—I’ve been doing a decent job with this but I this year I aim to do better.

Be More Creative—my goal this year is to draw or paint daily. I’ve also picked up a few daily writing prompts and I plan to complete a prompt each day.

Feel free to share your goals

 so we can root each other on!