Rachel Noble – A Noble Home

20 books to read this summer

May 11, 2021

There are sooooo many good books coming out this summer! I have personally ordered 12 of these (so far.. I’m a big reader haha) so expect full reviews over the next few months. Most of these are new releases but some are classics from years past. So pull out your sunglasses, grab a seat by the pool or in your backyard, have your favourite summer drink ready and start reading!

Have you read any of these books yet? Which ones do you want to read? Let me know in the comments! You can also follow my ‘bookstagram’ account on instagram at @anoblelibrary.

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Lifestyle & Family

All the books I read in March and my reviews

April 28, 2021

I decided to get rid of the star ratings from my reviews on here. It was just too much pressure to sum up and compare all books in a simple 1- 5 star category. Instead my hope in these reviews is to introduce you to new titles, provide you with a bit of information about them and their plots and give you my personal thoughts and I hope you can find some titles to add to your reading list. 🙂

If you’ve read my previous reviews, you may have noticed that I tend to read a lot of romantic comedies. Now that’s not to say that’s all I read but if you are looking for recommendations on some good love stories, you’ve definitely come to the right place.

Say You Still Love Me – K.A. Tucker

After I read the Wild Series by this author last month (see this post for that review) I really wanted to read more of her books.

This story is told in alternating timelines – shifting back and forth between present day and a summer 13 years in the past. In doing so, the story of Piper Calloway and Kyle Miller slowly unfolds. She’s a wealthy girl who is sent to summer camp as a counselor to gain some perspective on her otherwise privileged life and ends up falling madly in love with the bad boy. A story you may think you’ve heard 100 times before but you certainly have not heard this one. I loved this story. It’s definitely steamy and a story of first loves and second chances. It also hits topics like family secrets, traumatic mistakes with a touch of women’s empowerment.

My one critique or note is that a lot of the steamy scenes take part in the flashbacks – ie. when the characters are just 16. This made me feel a bit uncomfortable at times so keep that in mind if it might bother you. Overall I really like K.A. Tuckers writing and will be reading more of her books.

Detour to Love – Amanda Radley

This is the first book by Amanda Radley that I have read. It has received a plethora of praise and great reviews online but for me I just couldn’t get really into this book. I love a good love story with passion and heat and this book just didn’t have that. This is an LGBTQ love story which I was excited to read but it is very slow to develop, in fact by the time I had read 90% of it, I didn’t even know if the main characters were even that into each other. There is also a very large age gap between the two female main characters – which is accentuated by the fact the Celia (the older of the two characters) keeps paying for things which in turn, for most of the book, gave me more of a maternal vibe than a love interest vibe with her. The character development is great but for me it just wasn’t a passionate enough love story – and I don’t mean that in a steamy way (though it didn’t have that either).

At First Sight – Hannah Sunderland

“Nell and Charlie feel a spark when they meet by chance in a cafe. But they don’t trade numbers, or surnames, so there’s no way they’ll meet again. But the next day, Nell’s phone rings at work. Somehow, impossibly, Charlie is on the other end. And he needs her help. Nell is about to save a life, fall in love … and risk everything for a perfect stranger.”

I could tell instantly that I liked this writers style and approach to story telling. I thought this book would be a lighthearted rom com but it was so much deeper than that. This book beautifully described first loves, second chances, second loves, and fate while also delving into issues like grief, spousal loss, and suicide. This book is unlike anything I’ve ever read, especially for a love story. When I finished the book I literally uttered the word ‘wow’. It was truly a heart breakingly beautiful story about love. I couldn’t put it down.

Across the Aisle – Stephanie Vance

This story centers around two DC lobbyists – Dallas McGrath and Grant Pierce – who are forced to work together to create a legislative compromise on a bill and issue they both feel passionate about. Neither one is willing or allowed to compromise but that all changes as they get to know each other.

This story is told from the alternating perspectives of both Dallas and Grant which I love as you’re able to see both characters feelings develop but I’ll admit it did take me a bit to get into this book. There is a lot of political jargon and alot of minor characters in the beginning which made it hard to keep it all straight. As I kept reading though the story simplified and I really enjoyed the flirting and chemistry between the two main characters. It’s filled with passion, honesty, misunderstanding, and sacrifice. I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves a classic enemies to lovers style book.

Such a Fun Age – Kiley Reid

I’m sure you’ve heard of this book as it’s been such a popular book since its release and for good reason. This book sums up very briefly as “a young black woman in an upscale grocery store is accused of kidnapping the white toddler whom she babysits” and the book then tackles everything that happens afterwards. This book takes on serious issues like race, white privilege, interracial relationships, racial profiling, wealth, millennial anxiety and white saviourism.

This book lacked the dramatic punch I was expecting (based on the description of the book) but overall I definitely think it is worth a read and maybe even a google afterwards as I learned so much more from reading online discussions and reviews. This is definitely a book to talk about.

The Off Limits Rule – Sarah Adams

This is the first book by Sarah Adams that I have read and I’ll admit I’ve already purchased her other titles because I loved this one so much. If you love an easy to read romantic comedy that’s filled with flirty banter and laughable moments than this book might be for you. Lucy is a single mom who is forced to move in with her brother to get her life back on track. She meets his best friend Cooper and they hit it off but try not to act on their feelings because of their relationships with her brother. I could really relate to Lucy also being a mom and sharing many of the insecurities she has and I just loved the unique take on this love story – Lucy being a mom and Cooper being a romantic lead who doesn’t think twice about that fact.

To Love and To Loathe – Martha Waters

If you’re someone who loves a regency era story and a romantic comedy then this might be a great book for you. I enjoyed a lot of aspects about this story – the two main characters have some intense chemistry and their love to tease relationship was full of flirtatious fun. It’s also a rom-com with a good amount of steam too. I also loved the way this book delved into the topic of marriage and how it can be so many different things to women of that era – whether it grants them freedom, constrains them, whether its done for money or love, or whether its a forced fate or a dream some will never have.

(Spoiler ahead) One aspect of the book that I didn’t love came near the end of the book when one of the main characters is told something in confidence regarding the sexual orientation of another character and very quickly tells the revelation to many of her friends. I really wished this part of the story was changed or left out as sharing this sort of information should never happen or be encouraged. It really made me dislike this character when I was really liking them until then.

Aside from that part, I did enjoy the writing style of this author and the story as a whole.

Tweet Cute – Emma Lord

Everyone’s been raving about this book and they’re right … it’s totally adorable. To sum it up very simply – 2 high school students unknowingly engage in a hilarious twitter war with each other in defence of each of their family businesses. Eventually their identities are revealed to each other and… well you’ll have to read it to see what happens ;). Overall it is a super cute Young Adult contemporary romance that’s super clean (aka no steam) and just so loveable. I’m definitely team #pepperjack.

The Little Orchard on the Lane – Tilly Tennant

This is the first book by Tilly Tennant that I’ve read. The setting of the story was always beautifully described by the author and made it feel as if I too was in the countryside along with the characters. The story is slow paced which I think perfectly mimics the slower paced lifestyle of the country setting. This is a love story but it’s also a story about a girl finding her family, herself and her place in the world. There wasn’t a lot of steam to the love story but I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves a nice, slow, feel good, heart-warming story of family and love.

Have you read any of these books? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

xo,

Rachel

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This post contains affiliate links. Some of the books in this post were gifted by the publishers and Netgalley. All opinions are my own as always. Thank you for supporting my blog.

See previous book reviews here and here.

hello summer

April 22, 2021

I think we are all anxiously awaiting warm weather. It’s been quite a year and we deserve it! Even though I have pretty much lived in leggings and sweatpants this winter (hello…not going anywhere) I’m determined to wear something cute this summer… for me!

I’m gravitating towards small floral prints, soft pinks, tie shoulder straps and anything woven. I’m also a sucker for anything with a daisy print – how cute is that hair scrunchie! Everything is comfy and easy to throw on – so you can chase your kids around in the sun and would pair so well with a cute knit sweater or denim jacket on cooler days.

I also included a few summer books that are on my radar and some gorgeous woven glassware and flower pot for all the gardening I cannot wait to do.

hello summer… you are calling my name!

blue romper / hat / white dress / pink dress

daisy scrunchie / white sandals / kisses book / sun kissed book

denim shorts / pitcher and cup / planter

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Fashion & Beauty, Home Decor

Spring time vibes – what’s I’m obsessing over for spring.

March 12, 2021

The weather lately has been so mild and warm where I am and it’s making me crave spring so much. I’m finding myself cleaning more, opening all my windows to let the crisp cool air in and thinking about spring time decor more and more. I know green toned items seem to be everywhere this year but my heart will always belong to soft blues. Below are a few of the items that I’m eyeing right now for my home (and for me :)) that are giving me all the spring time vibes.

throw pillow | tissue box | heart necklace | denim overalls

faux tulips | laundry sign | platter | floral headband

scallop stand | bunny waffle maker | leopard print sandals

xo,

Rachel

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Lifestyle & Family

ALL THE BOOKS I READ IN FEBRUARY AND MY REVIEWS.

March 2, 2021

Being February I read a lot of romance books this month – it is the month of love right?! Not that I need an excuse to add a few more romances to my list… I love a good romance any month of the year. I also apparently read quite a few books with sequels again too… haha. But without further ado, here are all the books I read in February and remember these are just my opinions.

The Lone City Series – Amy Ewing

The Jewel | The White Rose | The Black Key – all 7.5/10

This is a YA dystopian fiction book series (apparently I’m a fan of them as I read one last month too haha). These books are set in a world where society is divided into classes (literally… there are walls dividing them). The royalty in these books are no longer capable of giving birth to their own healthy children and rely on special girls from the lowest caste system to use as surrogates. It’s a little handmaids tale-ish but for teens. The story centres around Violet, Lot 197 as the royals call her, who gets auctioned off and bought by one of the royal families and gets embroiled in a plan to take down the system while learning who and what she truly is… and also maybe falling in love along the way. I really enjoyed this series and found myself eager to read the next book. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA novels and dystopian based stories.

The Wild Series (3 books) – K.A. Tucker

The Simple Wild 8.5/10 | Wild At Heart 9.5/10 | Forever Wild 10/10

This series was recommended to me by a friend and it had me hooked when I read it was a love story with an Alaskan Pilot haha. I knocked a few stars off the first book only because at the beginning of this book I found the main character a bit too predictable which annoyed me a tad. She’s a city girl with brand name clothes and the typical cliches often used to signify that she is high maintenance – nail appointments and hair appointments etc. She goes to Alaska to visit her estranged ailing father and of course meets a guy she can’t stand… at first. There was a bit too much “he’s so annoying and I could never see myself liking him” for me – because clearly we know she’s gonna like him and be with him soon enough so stop trying to convince me otherwise. Once I was past that part of the book though, I actually really, really liked the rest of the first book and the entire series. I don’t want to give too much away but the 3 books follow the love story of Calla and Jonah and how they struggle to adjust to their new found life together in Alaska without repeating the mistakes of Calla’s parents. Heavy on the teasing and flirting (I love when books are) and pretty steamy too. I highly recommend this series and it’s written by a Canadian Author and set partly in Toronto which is a bonus for me!

99 Percent Mine – Sally Thorne

7/10

Darcy has had a crush on her brothers best friend since she was 8 years old. But Tom has always been 99% her brothers. When Darcy and her brother Jamie inherit their grandmothers old home, they decide to renovate it before they sell it and hire Tom to do the work. Darcy is used to flying away, escaping and leaving everything behind but when her passport goes missing, she ends up being forced to stay and help her childhood crush… who apparently also likes her back but doesn’t necessarily trust that she’s being honest and that she isn’t going to fly away again. I got this book thinking it would be a cute easy read and it was; I enjoyed the book. There is heavy flirting and a few steamy scenes. I enjoyed the banter between the two lead characters and I like the way the author writes as well, I found it flirty and funny and it kept my interest. I’m so excited to read her previous book The Hating Game because I’ve heard such good things about that one.

One Day In December – Josie Silver

9/10

One day in December (hence the title haha) Laurie is sitting on a bus when she looks down and sees a man sitting at the bus stop. Their eyes meet and she instantly feels like he’s the one. But the bus pulls away and they are separated before they can even speak. She spends the next year looking for him everywhere she turns but never finds him… until (tiny spoiler) he shows up at her apartment one day…. as the boyfriend of her best friend. The book then follows these characters for 10 years as they experience love, heartbreak and missed opportunities. I really enjoyed this book and found myself rooting for these characters (even when I probably should not have been at times). There is not a lot of steam in this book if you like that in a love story but if you are a believer in love at first sight, then you need to read this book.

99 Days / 9 Days and 9 Nights (Sequel)

99 days 5/10 | 9 days and 9 nights 7/10

This one is a tough one for me. I actually enjoyed reading this book but the characters were kind of awful. A bit of a spoiler ahead be warned.

Aside from the mother (what mother writes a book about her daughters teenage love life for all the world to read?! with seemingly no regret) the other characters were hard to love too. I really wanted to like the main character Molly and I was rooting for her in the beginning but she makes some pretty dumb choices which make it hard to support her. Then the two brothers/ love interests end up treating her more like a prize to hold over the other than actually loving he (though I think they actually love her too… it just becomes very messy). Then just sort of ends and they go off to college.

I read the sequel in hopes it would redeem the characters a bit from the first novel and it actually did. In the sequel Molly runs into Gabe (her ex and one of the brothers from the first novel) while vacationing in Europe with her new boyfriend. They end up having to tour around all together (plus Gabe’s new girlfriend) for 9 days and finally hash out all that they left unsaid at the end of the first novel. I found I enjoyed the sequel a lot more than the first novel and the main character Molly actually matured and became a better person. I’m glad I read the sequel.

Accidentally Engaged – Farah Heron

8/10

I want to thank Netgalley, Farah Heron and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for sending me an advance digital copy of this book. All opinions will remain my own as always.

If you weren’t one of the thousands of people who had a sourdough starter during 2020… you will be by the end of this book. It’s described by the publisher as “a delightful romantic comedy featuring a Muslim woman who fakes an engagement to the boy next door in the hopes of winning a couples cooking contest” but it’s so much more than that. It’s a cute contemporary romance that celebrates diversity that’s written by a Canadian author and is set in Toronto (I love finding local and Canadian writers). I loved the meddling parents and protective friends but most of all I loved the cute banter between the two main characters (I actually laughed out loud at parts – spoiler: the head lice… the 16 new sourdough starters!). They’re two loveable characters who struggle to appease their families while finding themselves and their true feelings for each other… while also trying to win a cooking contest and eating lots and lots of bread. Overall it was a really cute love story that also sheds light on topics like family dynamics, pressures of life in your 30’s, mental illness and family secrets. If you want to grab your copy it hits shelves today – March 2 , 2021. Also maybe grab some bread to eat while reading 😉

Love at First

8/10

I also want to thank Netgalley, Kate Clayborn and Kensington Books for the ARC of this book as well. All opinions will remain my own, as always.

Sometimes moments in your life, however seemingly minuscule, stick with you forever. That’s what happened to Will when he was standing on his uncle’s apartment’s balcony as a teenager and the girl on the balcony above drops tomatoes on him. Fast forward 16 years to the present day and he finds he’s inherited his estranged uncle’s apartment which he plans to turn it into a rental unit. But this building isn’t like most buildings, its filled with adorable neighbours who are more like family and who definitely do not want a rental unit and strangers coming and going in their building. Nora (the girl, now a woman, who dropped those tomatoes) heads up the neighbourhood counsel and takes charge in fighting against his proposal in some adorably quirky ways… but her and Will quickly go from opponents to something more. I liked this little story as told in the alternating perspectives of both Nora and Will and how their opposing past experiences in this building contrast and compliment their growing love story. Being a true fan of love stories where people meet more than once in their lives and find themselves with second chances, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a quintessential love story.

Click here to see Januarys books.

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Home Decor

A review of the Brynn Swivel Chair by World Market

February 24, 2021

I have a second living room in my home that up until recently was fairly empty but I have big dreams for this room. I picture it as a formal living room, a room where I can curl up with a coffee and a book and read. A room where I can have family or friends over (when we’re allowed to do that again) and chat and laugh. I’m hoping to create a space that’s welcoming (since it is the first room in our house you see when you walk in the front door) and cozy while also being sophisticated.

I picture four armchairs all facing each other to create a relaxing and cozy sitting room. These are a few of my inspiration photos:

image via the lettered cottage

image via Pure Salt Interiors

image via My Domaine

I recently adding book shelves to this room and I talked about them in this post (click on the link to read about them). I also have a hutch in this room in a beautiful light wood finish and I just added the first of four armchairs to the room. After a bit of research I ordered the Brynn Swivel Chair by World Market. I decided to order one to start to make sure I liked it since I was ordering it without seeing it in person (Canadian problems ha).

Here is my review:

According to World Markets website this chair is:

Crafted of pine solid wood frame with polyester-nylon performance upholstery, feather filling and swivel base
180-degree swivel
Removable and reversible cushions
Comes fully assembled
Spot clean only
World Market exclusive

Overall: 32″W x 36″D x 35″H, 54 lbs.
Seat: 25″W x 28″D

There was no assembly required. It arrived in a cardboard box, inside the box the bottom of the chair was wrapped in plastic wrap and the entire chair had a thin fabric bag over it to protect the fabric. The dimensions are a little off from the website description in terms of height. Since the back cushion is higher than the chair, the total chair with cushion is actually closer to 37″ high.

During my research, I noticed the seat cushion of this chair tends to get a bit flattened but the cushion cover is zippered so I figure I can always add more stuffing over time if this becomes a problem for me.

The details.

I love the shape of this chair and how the back cushion is taller than the back of the chair. I feel like it creates a modern and cozy feel to the chair.

The fabric on this chair is incredible. It’s a creamy colour (not a bright white but definitely not a beige) and it’s so soft. Almost so soft I do wonder if it will pill easily. I’ll be sure to update if that happens but right now it is super cozy to curl up in. The fabric also has a nice texture to it, almost like a linen weave and the chair has a nice skirted bottom with polished looking pleats in the corners. Although it looks fully slipcovered, World Market claims you need to spot clean it.

One criticism of this chair it that it’s often out of stock! I had to check regularly for a restock (don’t merely rely on the email notification because I found it in stock and did not get an email that time). So when it does come back grab it fast!

How did I get it in Canada?

If you are a Canadian reader you may be wondering how I got it here since there are no World Market locations in Canada and they don’t ship to Canada.

Whenever I order anything from a US store I always use a service called Cross Border Pickups. They basically give you an address to ship your items to and then they go and pick it up and bring it to Canada for you, where you can either pick it up from them or they can deliver it to your home (for an additional fee). You still pay applicable duties and taxes and a small service fee but I do find this to be the most economical way to order items and sometimes the only way if the store won’t ship directly to Canada. I myself have never had an issue with this service. I will warn you the fees added up on this purchase though since it was a larger and more expensive item.

I’ll be sure to update this post after a few months to let you know how the chair is holding up. As of right now… I highly recommend this chair. Stay tuned for more updates on how this room comes together.

xo,

Rachel

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