Can't Wait Wednesday!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I am combining CWW with Books From the Backlog hosted by Carole at Carole's Random Life in Books. This will allow me to feature some newly "rediscovered" books, which I plan on reading, alongside a new release.

This week I can't wait for

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Running Out of Air by Lilli Sutton
Published by MIRA on November 19, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction
Goodreads

What does it cost to pursue your wildest dreams?

Evelyn and Sophie, sisters and best friends, were known as one of the climbing world’s strongest teams—but that was before Evelyn had an affair with Sophie’s husband. Now they can’t even be in the same room together. That is, until they’re both offered a mountaineer’s dream: a chance to summit the eight-thousand-meter peak Yama Parvat.

Sophie has been aimless since Evelyn’s betrayal. She hasn’t summited a Himalayan mountain in nearly two years, all the joy drained from the sport for her, and this trek offers a chance to reestablish herself as a top climber before her sponsors withdraw their funding.

Evelyn has been happy with Miles since he left Sophie, but guilt continues to shadow her, clouding her judgment and the ability to move forward. Now she’s willing to gamble everything for the chance to be part of the first team to summit this as-yet-unclimbed mountain and prove herself a capable leader.

Stranded during a devastating storm on top of the world, Evelyn and Sophie are forced to climb together. Whether or not they make it off the mountain alive hinges on their trust in one another—something lost years ago—as they face down the question of how much they’re willing to sacrifice to get it all back.

I had to take a step back when I read that first part. That's quite a betrayal. I am hoping there is more that story, but it's the rest of it that really made me add this to my TBR. I am not outdoorsy, but I really enjoy these books where characters conquer extreme challenges, and gosh! I can't help wanting these sisters to work through what happened. Could they move past it? I don't know, but I can hope. 

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The Happily Ever After Bookstore by Bernadette Marie
Published by 5 Prince Publishing on June 7, 2022
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads

Sometimes love needs a little shove.

At the Happily Ever After Bookstore, happiness is always found within the pages of the books on its shelves. Its owner, Leona, revels in finding each reader just the right book to bring them joy. She also enjoys meddling just enough to bring readers together who might not know they are destined for one another.

In need of a holiday pick-me-up, Sadie seeks out Leona’s advice for a good holiday romance. While scanning the book selections, she knocks into Charlie McGowan, who is certainly out of his element. When they learn that Leona “accidentally” gave them the wrong bags at check out, Sadie and Charlie set out to find one another, only to fall for Leona’s matchmaking tactics.

When author Fiona Gable and her ex-husband Price Richter end up in the same town, leave it to Leona to put them in one another’s paths. Decades of marriage couldn’t keep them together after love and loss, but could finding one another under new circumstances change everything?

Though skilled at pairing people together, Leona’s ability to find love eluded her. Her true love was her bookstore. When the bookstore is in need of repair, Jon Ford is sent to fix it. Leona wonders if she might have finally found her happily ever after. But, as fate would have it, Jon comes with baggage—ages three and four. Does Leona have it in her to take on a store, a man, and a family just to have a happily ever after of her own?

I put this book on my TBR when I saw it as an ARC and purchased it this January. January is always packed with ARCs, so it was quickly forgotten. But you know what? November and December tend to be really light on ARCS, and this one was calling my name. I love nothing more than and HEA. Combine that with a bookstore, this should be magic for me. I love the idea of a meddling bookseller too. She finds you the perfect book and the perfect mate. And now it's her turn for love. Sounds like great fun to me. 

What are you waiting on?
Let us know in the comments!