Monday Reading Check-In: What’s in My Coffee Cup & on My TBR ☕📚

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Monday Reading Check-In:
What’s in My Coffee Cup & on My TBR ☕📚


Happy Monday, Coffee Club!

There’s no book review today because I haven’t finished my current read—and we do not rush books around here! Instead, I thought this would be the perfect time for a little Monday reading check-in.

Let’s talk about what I’m currently reading, what’s in my coffee cup, and the three new books that just joined my TBR!

Currently Reading 📖

Bonfire and Bliss Bookstore by Brittanée Nicole

I’m currently about 20% into Bonfire and Bliss Bookstore, the second book in the Hope Harbor series.

This cozy fall romance follows Penny Darling, the owner of Bonfire & Bliss Bookstore, and Jake “Monty” Montgomery, her high school best friend and a struggling author. Monty needs Penny’s help learning how to write the perfect book boyfriend, while Penny needs him to pretend to be her real boyfriend and keep Hope Harbor’s busybodies out of her love life.

Fake dating, friends to lovers, a cozy bookstore, an apple orchard, and plenty of fall atmosphere? Yes, please!

I’m really enjoying it so far. It feels like a cute, cozy fall Hallmark movie in book form, which is exactly the kind of vibe I want right now.

Unfortunately, I left my Kindle at work, so I can’t continue reading until tomorrow—but that’s okay! Penny, Monty, and Hope Harbor will be waiting for me when I get back.

What’s in My Coffee Cup? 🎃☕

Pumpkin everything! DUH.

Today’s coffee is a hot pumpkin spice coffee from Dunkin’. Obviously it had to be hot—if you know me, you know iced coffee was never an option!

A pumpkin coffee paired with a cozy fall bookstore romance feels like the perfect seasonal combination. I’m officially ready for leaves, sweaters, bookstores, and all the fall romance books.

Three New Books Just Joined My TBR 📚

I picked up three new books yesterday, and I’m so excited about every single one!

Brain Damage by Freida McFadden

Dr. Charly McKenna seemingly had the perfect life—until she was shot in the head and woke up in a rehabilitation hospital unable to walk, speak, or remember who she was.

As pieces of her memory begin returning, Charly has to uncover who tried to kill her—and whether the person responsible might be someone she once trusted.

This is absolutely going to be my next read. I love me some Freida McFadden, and a psychological thriller involving memory loss, secrets, and attempted murder sounds like exactly the kind of twisty chaos I want!

Summer in the City by Alex Aster

This NYC romance follows Elle, a screenwriter struggling to finish a screenplay, and Parker, the billionaire tech CEO living next door—who also happens to be her former hookup and current enemy.

They agree to help each other: Elle needs inspiration for her screenplay, and Parker needs a fake relationship. Add forced proximity, lovers to enemies to lovers, NYC adventures, and a billionaire romance, and this definitely sounds like my kind of book.

The special edition also has the cutest yellow taxi sprayed edges! As a New Yorker, how was I supposed to resist that?

The Love Wager by Lynn Painter

Hallie and Jack meet again on a dating app after an awkward previous encounter and decide they are absolutely not interested in each other. Instead, they become wing people and make a wager to see who can find true love first.

Of course, things become complicated when they attend a wedding together as fake dates and the lines between friendship and romance begin to blur.

This one has dating-app disasters, fake dating, tacos, a wedding, and two people who clearly don’t realize that what they’re searching for might already be right in front of them.

Plus, it’s Lynn Painter. That alone was enough to get it onto my TBR!

What Am I Reading Next? 👀

I’m excited about all three books, but Brain Damage is 10,000% my next read.

I love Freida McFadden, and I already know she’s going to have me questioning every character, creating completely incorrect theories, and staring at the final twist like I should have seen it coming.

After I finish Bonfire and Bliss Bookstore, I’m ready to temporarily trade the cozy fall vibes for something much darker!

Your Turn! ☕💬

What are you currently reading, and what’s in your coffee cup today?

Also, which of my three newest books would you read first: Brain Damage, Summer in the City, or The Love Wager?

Until next time, keep your coffee strong and your books swoony.

—Erica
Romance in the Coffee Rings

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