Tips for Tuesday - Books: Ship Happens, Cards on the Table & Girls Who Beat the Odds

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Books: Ship Happens, Cards on the Table & Girls Who Beat the Odds 

Me - Ship Happens by Mason Deaver follows exes Owen and Jacob as they are forced to spend a week together on a cruise with their mutual friends and finally reconcile their feelings for each other one year after their breakup.

I've read and loved most of Mason Deaver's previous books, and this one was no different. Owen and Jacob were such endearing, realistic characters and complemented each other so well! 

I often struggle with Second Chance romances because I find they're either too focused on the couple's history and not enough on their present (or vice versa), or I find it difficult to believe that a couple who’s already broken up once is going to last. However, neither of those issues was the case here. Most of the story occurred in the present. There were just enough flashback scenes included to provide readers with a strong understanding of how Owen and Jacob fell in love–and then fell apart– originally, while also showing the reignition of those feelings. Additionally, the nature of their breakup combined with their conversations and interactions in the present day made it easy to believe their relationship would absolutely last this second time around. On top of all that, the chemistry and banter between the two of them were great, making for an overall really enjoyable romance!

As usual in Deaver’s books, the story included great themes of friendship, and I liked the dynamics between the various members of Owen and Jacob's friend group. I also appreciated that when drama and tension arose between them, they still maintained their love and care for each other while also holding each other accountable for their missteps and allowing themselves to feel angry about being mistreated.

Mom - Today I am recommending Cards on the Table by Lana Harper and Jilly Gagnon. Sister witches Cassie and Tori are on the brink of homelessness when they receive a too-good-to-be-true offer to spend a season as "witches in residence" to Rose, an elderly widow. Rose's greedy family members only seem concerned with getting their hands on her money. But when something happens to Rose and the money disappears, it seems someone is setting Cassie and Tori up to take the fall.

While this novel touches on the occult, it doesn't really go deep enough to lose the attention of those not particularly interested in the subject. Plus, even being witches, the main characters are more relatable than you would think. Their strong sisterly vibes and their protectiveness of one another are both quite relatable and extremely touching

Some aspects of the story were fairly standard, like the characterizations of some of Rose's relatives and the rude way they behaved. Others could be refreshingly surprising, making the story enjoyably unpredictable at times. The ending was both surprising and satisfying. 

Mom- Today I am also recommending The Girls Who Beat the Odds by Maj, Gen. Mari K. Eder. This book, like the recent See It Be It by Billie Jean King, which you can read about here, is about trailblazers in women's sports. However, while that book focuses entirely on particular women, this one covers more women in more sports. 

At the beginning, each chapter covers a specific woman involved with a specific sport. Many of these women are unlikely to be familiar to most people since their achievements occurred before the ubiquitous televising of sports. However, as the book goes on, chapters cover more women in more sports and trace how things changed for women (and how they didn't) after the advent of Title IX. It is fascinating and informative to learn about these trailblazing women. It is also kind of infuriating to learn that even with all the advances in women's sports, we still have a long way to go to achieve true equity.

And that's our view. Ship Happens was published on August 18, 2026. Cards on the Table was published today. Girls Who Beat the Odds will be published next Tuesday, September 8, 2026.

Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.

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