Romance Reviews: LUCY ON THE WILD SIDE & LIZZIE BLAKE’S BEST MISTAKE

September 19, 2022/18 Comments/by Suzanne

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Mine was super busy as my son is turning 15 this week and we started the celebration this weekend. Hard to believe he’s almost old enough to drive, but here we are! Anyway, I’m back today with a couple of fun romance novels I read and enjoyed recently.

Romance Reviews: LUCY ON THE WILD SIDE & LIZZIE BLAKE’S BEST MISTAKE

Lucy on the Wild Side Goodreads

Author: Kerry Rea

Publication Date: September 13, 2022

Publisher: Berkley Books

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Kerry Rea’s latest novel, Lucy on the Wild Side, follows Lucy Rourke, a primatologist who works closely with a troop of gorillas at the zoo where she works. Lucy is passionate about caring for these gorillas, thinks of them as family, and would love nothing more than to be promoted from junior keeper to a senior keeper position. She’s well on her way to that promotion until an unexpected obstacle lands in her path in the form of a popular wildlife-themed reality TV show and its sexy and charismatic host, Kai Bridges.

Lucy is heading a program where an infant gorilla who lost its entire troop to disease is now being introduced to Lucy’s gorillas in hopes of finding a surrogate mother and being accepted as a new member of their troop. It’s a difficult and delicate operation and Kai has decided he wants to follow Lucy and document the infant gorilla’s journey. There are just two problems: 1) Lucy vomits at even the thought of appearing on camera, and 2) after a contentious run-in with Kai as soon as he arrives at the zoo, Lucy decides she hates him and wants nothing to do with him. With her boss dangling that promotion over her head and telling her she needs to step out of her comfort zone, Lucy caves and agrees to work with Kai.

I adored everything about Lucy. I loved her passion and sense of devotion when it came to caring for the gorillas and I admired her determination with respect to achieving her career goals. I also loved how awkward she could be in social situations because it just made her all the more relatable, not to mention that some of the things she blurts out when she’s nervous are laugh out loud hilarious. I also felt tremendous sympathy for her though, especially when we learn that her celebrity mother wasn’t interested in being a parent and left Lucy to live with her grandmother. Being abandoned like that really did a number on Lucy’s emotions so she’s quite vulnerable and reluctant to let anyone get too close to her.

Even though Lucy hates him from the moment she meets him, Kai is a sweetheart. It’s clear that he is just as passionate about the animals he works with as Lucy is about her gorillas. The more Lucy sees him in action, the more she has to admit to herself that she might have misjudged him. It was so much fun watching Lucy and Kai work together, from those initial super awkward moments to more heartfelt moments as the two of them bond while observing the infant gorilla trying to find her place in this new family. I really loved watching their relationship change and grow, especially as Kai reveals that he has also been dealing with family baggage that has scarred him emotionally. I was rooting for them so hard to find in each other the love, support, and happiness they both deserved so much. And not only did Kai and Lucy have my heart, but so did those gorillas. They made me laugh, they made me cry, and it was easy to see why Lucy loved them so much.

I devoured Kerry Rea’s debut novel The Wedding Ringer in a day when I read it last year and loved every page of it, and I just had the same incredible reading experience with Lucy on the Wild Side. I opened it Saturday morning and by Saturday evening, I was crying happy tears and wishing I had another Rea novel to dive into. What else can I say except that Kerry Rea just flat out writes the kind of books I want to read. 5 STARS

Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake (A Brush with Love, #2) Goodreads

Author: Mazey Eddings

Publication Date: September 6, 2022

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I adored Mazey Eddings debut novel A Brush with Love so when I heard that Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake was coming out, I couldn’t resist requesting it for review. Lizzie was a fun secondary character in A Brush with Love so I was excited to learn more about her.

When we first meet Lizzie, her life comes across as a chaotic mess. She’s chronically late for her job at a local bakery and once she finally gets there, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether she’ll make it through the day without setting the kitchen on fire. What she lacks in organization, however, she makes up for with her big heart. Lizzie has this bubbly personality and you can’t help but fall in love with her. I adored her from the moment we meet her and I also felt tremendous sympathy for her when she is fired from her job, because it’s clear that her daily struggles are due to ADHD and that she is working to try to control it. The ADHD representation, particularly those day-to-day struggles Lizzie experiences, also felt very realistic and I appreciated how well written it was. My sympathy and love for Lizzie only continued to grow as we learn that her family has never given her the support she needs and that this has led to her feeling that no one will ever love her because she’s just too chaotic and over the top.

Along comes Rake, the sexy Australian businessman Lizzie meets one night at a bar. Lizzie is only looking for a one-night stand but can’t deny that she’s attracted to Rake. Rake, who has also been burned in the love department, is only looking for a good time as well before he heads back to Australia, although he freely admits that he is captivated by Lizzie’s bubbly personality and everything about the way she sees the world around her. Their one night stand turns into two nights, and then thanks to an expired condom, soon after Rake leaves the country, Lizzie realizes she is pregnant. Rake is an easy character to love anyway, but my heart fully melted when Lizzie tells him about the pregnancy and he uproots his entire life to move to America and be a part of this baby’s life and help Lizzie in any way he can. Neither of them wants a relationship but they agree to live together so that they can co-parent.

I just loved everything about Lizzie and Rake together. Their attempts to keep things platonic were amusing, particularly when a popped air mattress awkwardly leads to them having to share a bed. The more they interact with one another and the more they work together to get things ready for the baby, the more it becomes clear how perfect they are for one another, whether they want to be in a relationship or not. And for those who like their romances steamy, Eddings definitely knows how to bring the heat so there are some steamy scenes as well.

I highly recommend Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake to anyone who enjoys romance novels that are filled with humor, heart and heat, and that feature lovable characters who will tug at your heartstrings. 4 STARS

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Curfew & Watch Out for Her

September 15, 2022/14 Comments/by Sharon

Sharon here with another edition of Thriller Thursday. I hope everyone is having a great week. This week I am reviewing The Curfew by T.M. Logan and Watch Out for Her by Samantha M. Bailey. Both were very good reads.

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Curfew & Watch Out for Her

The Curfew Goodreads

Author: T.M. Logan

Publication Date: March 17, 2022

Publisher: Zaffre

I have enjoyed every book I have read by T.M. Logan and The Curfew was no different. The story follows the Boyd family, Andy, Laura and their children, sixteen-year-old Connor and twelve-year-old Harriet and explores the lengths any parent would go to keep their children safe.

Andy and Laura’s son Connor is a good kid. He gets good grades, has never been in trouble and is always home by curfew, which is why when Connor texted them at midnight on a Saturday night in June that he was home, they didn’t think to check his room and make sure. But Connor was not home. He had gone to the woods to party with four friends. Five teenagers went into the woods, but only four came out. When the police questioned Connor the next day about the missing teen, Connor clammed up and his parents lied and told the police that he was home at midnight. And so sets off the mystery of what happened in the woods and where is the missing teenager.

I loved the mystery of this book. My sleuth brain went right to work trying to figure out what happened. As bits of information were revealed, my suspect pool increased. I did not trust any one and kept flip flopping on what I thought happened and who I thought did it. The book is told from the POV of Andy as he tries to piece together what happened and help his son Connor, who is at the top of the police suspect list. In addition to Andy’s POV, we also get chapters from each of the teenagers that were in the woods that night. I liked having those chapters thrown in, as they gave more information of what was going on and also added to the mystery of what happened.

I loved how realistic Logan wrote the teenagers in this book. They were not all goody two shoes; they each were dealing with things that teenagers do. At first, I was so frustrated with Connor because he would not tell the police or his parents anything and would just get closed off and grumpy and retreat to his bedroom when they tried to push him for answers. But then I thought, that is exactly how a teenager would act.

My favorite character in the book was Harriet. She is on the autism spectrum and even though her parents tried to not get her involved in what was going on, she made sure she was. She loves her brother and wants to do whatever she can to keep him out of trouble. She is an IT expert, and she uses that knowledge to gather information to help Connor. I loved her determination.

The Curfew kept me guessing throughout. T.M. Logan did a great job of slowly increasing the tension and suspense, to an ending that I did not see coming and had me on the edge of my seat. 4 Stars

Watch Out for Her Goodreads

Author: Samantha M. Bailey

Publication Date: April 26, 2022

Publisher: Simon Schuster

While Samantha M. Bailey’s latest novel, Watch Out for Her, is a great psychological thriller, it is also a story about trust and wanting to belong to a family.

The story follows Sarah Goldman and Holly Monroe. Sarah and her husband Daniel hire twenty two-year old Holly to watch their six-year-old son Jacob for the summer. Jacob adores Holly, so Sarah now has the free time to take up photography again, which she loves but had put on hold when Jacob was born. Holly lost her mother when she was a baby, and in Sarah she has found the mother figure she has always longed for. What starts out as a perfect arrangement soon turns into a nightmare that has Sarah, Daniel and Jacob leaving their home in Vancouver and moving to Toronto. Sarah just wants to put the summer behind her and start new. But as soon as they move into their new home, Sarah finds hidden cameras placed all over the house and then she starts getting threatening text messages from an unknown number. Sarah thinks she knows who is behind all this and she will do whatever she has to to keep her family safe.

This book is told in a dual timeline. We get Sarah’s POV in the present as she and her family are trying to settle into their new home in Toronto. Sarah has never been one to trust easily, and after the incident of the past summer, it is even harder for her to trust anyone. Given her trust issues, it also made me not trust anyone. I was suspicious of her overly friendly next-door neighbor and the creepy neighbor across the street. This timeline had me on the edge of my seat.

The second timeline is from the past summer and is told from Holly’s POV. To me this timeline was more laid back as we get the backstory on Holly and the events that lead up to what happened to force Sarah and her family to flee Vancouver. I really did like Holly and had great sympathy for her. Holly only ever wanted to feel like she belonged to a family. Her father and stepmother used her to get wealthy men to back her father’s pharmaceutical company. So when she bonded with Sarah, it felt like the mother she has always wanted and decided she would do anything to keep her found family together.

I liked having the different atmospheres in each timeline. When I was reading Sarah’s timeline I was on high alert and could feel the tension and suspense. And then when I was reading Holly’s timeline, I was able to relax a bit. Yes, there was still suspense but just not as intense.

As the book progressed the tension increased to an ending that had me on the edge of my seat. I did have one thing figured out, but there were a couple of twists that caught me off guard. 3 ½ stars

Thriller Reviews: DAISY DARKER & STAY AWAKE

September 9, 2022/12 Comments/by Suzanne

Hey everyone! I know I’m late for Thriller Thursday and that I’m not Sharon, but it would appear that I have finally started to get back to my pre-pandemic eclectic reading preferences so I actually have thriller reviews to share with you this week. I’m still romance heavy of course, but I am glad that I’m finally at a point where I no longer feel like shying away from some darker reads. These are good ones too. If you’re looking for some new thrillers to add to your spooky season TBR, be sure to check these out.

Thriller Reviews: DAISY DARKER & STAY AWAKE

Daisy Darker Goodreads

Author: Alice Feeney

Publication Date: August 30, 2022

Publisher: Flatiron Books

FTC Disclosure: None needed. I purchased my own copy of this book.

I love a good locked door mystery and Alice Feeney really delivers with her latest novel Daisy Darker. As the synopsis hints, Daisy Darker is a nod to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, and I was 100% here for revisiting my favorite Agatha Christie thriller.

Daisy Darker was born with a heart problem and told she would not live very long. By the time she was 13, Daisy had already died and been resuscitated several times. Because of her delicate health, Daisy was not allowed to go to school and therefore grew up very lonely. The only time Daisy ever had any freedom was in the summer when she would visit her Nana. Daisy and her Nana have a wonderful relationship and are very close, so Daisy loves coming to spend time with her at Seaglass, the Gothic mansion Nana calls home. It is at Seaglass where the bulk of this story unfolds.

Daisy’s family has spent many years avoiding one another but when Nana is about to turn 80, she summons the entire family out to Seaglass for a reunion of sorts. Seaglass, which is now crumbling and rundown, is situated on a small island and is only accessible at low tide so once the tide comes in, no one can leave until the next low tide eight hours later. As each member of the family arrives, it becomes pretty clear that they are all uncomfortable to be there and they all also appear to be keeping secrets. It’s a very awkward situation that becomes even more awkward when Nana decides to share the contents of her will. Events take a deadly turn when the clock strikes midnight, Nana is found dead, and a strange and super creepy poem about the members of the family is found written on the wall in what appears to be Nana’s handwriting. Are Daisy and the rest of the Darker family trapped on the island with a murderer in their midst? Oh boy, it’s going to be a long eight hours!

I don’t want to say anything else about the plot because of spoilers and if you’re familiar with And Then There Were None, you should have a basic idea of how the story will play out. But, that said, boy does Alice Feeney take her readers on a wild ride of intricate plot twists. She kept me guessing every step of the way, had me flying through the pages to see what would happen next, and even had me shedding a few tears at one point. I loved the atmospheric quality of her writing, particularly the whole Gothic vibe of the mansion and the creepy, foreboding, and downright taunting vibe of the graffitied poem. I did not see the ending coming at all, and for me, that’s the mark of a well crafted mystery. Daisy Darker is my new favorite book from Alice Feeney, and I can’t wait to read more from her. 4.5 STARS

Stay Awake Goodreads

Author: Megan Goldin

Publication Date: August 9, 2022

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Wow, what a wild ride this book was! Megan Goldin is fast becoming one of my favorite authors when it comes to thrillers. Her books are always an adrenaline rush and just an overall mind-blowing experience and her latest novel Stay Awake may be her best yet!

The story follows a young woman named Liv Reese, who has just woken up in the back of a cab, with no memory of how she got there or where she was heading. Disoriented, Liv heads to the apartment in Brooklyn that she shares with her best friend Amy, only to get there and learn that there are two strangers living there instead. Liv is even more confused when the woman who now lives there yells at Liv and tells her that she needs to stop showing up at their place. Apparently, she has done this before. Liv then reaches into her pocket for her cell phone to try to find help, and, instead of her phone, she finds a bloody knife and notices that her hands are covered in black ink, scribbled messages everywhere telling her to STAY AWAKE. Liv has no idea what is going on, but she knows she needs to figure it out.

In addition to following Liv, the story also follows Detective Darcy Halliday. Darcy and her partner Jack Lavelle are called to the scene of a homicide. When they arrive on the scene and begin to investigate, it’s clear that the killer has not left behind many clues for them. The biggest and most unusual clue is that the message STAY AWAKE has been written in the victim’s blood backwards on the windows so that it can be read by anyone standing outside the building. Undeterred by the lack of evidence, Darcy and Jack set out to catch a killer. When they release key information about the murder, including the STAY AWAKE message, to the public, Liv sees it and realizes that she is somehow connected to this murder even though she remembers nothing about it.

I really enjoyed the way the author has the story unfold. We alternate between Liv’s perspective and Darcy’s so we get clues about how Liv has ended up in the predicament she is in, and then we start to get clues about the murder as Darcy and Jack start to piece together what has happened. I liked that I felt like I was piecing everything together right alongside the characters.

Liv’s whole situation fascinated me because it is such an original use of the amnesia trope. Earlier on in the book, it becomes clear that every time Liv falls asleep, she forgets all her memories going back two years, including several tragic events that probably led to her amnesia in the first place. Every day Liv is stuck in the worst kind of Groundhog’s Day imaginable, and it makes her incredibly vulnerable, especially since she has no idea how she is connected to this murder. She has no idea who she can trust, if anyone, and because of the amnesia, she also has no idea that the real murderer is out there looking for her too. It becomes a game of cat and mouse where every time the mouse falls asleep, she forgets about the cat. It makes for a wild and twisty ride and I was afraid for Liv every time I turned the page and praying the detectives would figure out who the killer was in time to save Liv.

Stay Awake is an intense thriller filled with tension and suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I kept trying to guess who the murderer was and I was wrong every time. I love it when a thriller is so well plotted and unpredictable that it keeps me guessing until the reveal, and Megan Goldin’s Stay Awake was a winner for me. 4 STARS

Reviews: SOPHIE GO’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB & DO YOU TAKE THIS MAN

September 5, 2022/19 Comments/by Suzanne

Happy Monday to all and Happy Labor Day to those who are celebrating today! I have today off but don’t really have any special plans for the day, mainly just hoping to get caught up on reviews I need to write and to get some reading done. Today I’m sharing my thoughts on two fun reads. The Denise Williams book was one of my most anticipated romance reads of the year, and the Roselle Lim book is one I was really looking forward to after enjoying her last book so much. Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club is already out in the world, and Do You Take This Man is available starting tomorrow, 9/6.

Reviews: SOPHIE GO’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB & DO YOU TAKE THIS MAN

Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club Goodreads

Author: Roselle Lim

Publication Date: August 16, 2022

Publisher: Berkley

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club is a whimsical and heartwarming story about overcoming loneliness and finding your place in this world. While it does contain a bit of romance, it is secondary to the main character’s journey to become who she was meant to be.

Sophie is a Chinese Canadian woman who has recently returned home to Toronto after studying to become a matchmaker in Shanghai. She is trying to establish herself as a professional matchmaker in her community but is carrying around a secret – due to circumstances beyond her control, she didn’t actually graduate from the matchmaker program. When Sophie attends a community event in hope of introducing herself and handing out her card to drum up business, her mother of all people outs Sophie as a fraud and seriously impairs her ability to secure clients. Sophie fears that all hope of becoming a matchmaker is lost until she stumbles upon a secret group called the Old Ducks. This group of elderly gentlemen has all but given up on love and have formed this group so they won’t be alone. After talking to Sophie, the Old Ducks agree to be her first clients.

Sophie’s growing bond with these Old Ducks are what really made this book a special read for me. One of the author’s biggest strengths is her ability to write vibrant and realistic characters and that strength really shines through in this book with Sophie and with the Old Ducks. As she gets to know each one of them, she becomes so invested in finding them a perfect match. I loved Sophie for her big heart and was touched by how much she wanted these men to find love again. On the flip side, I also adored the old men for the same reason because as they each got to know her, they began to treat her like family and became invested in her success and in her happiness. I loved this for Sophie, especially since her own family was not only lacking in support but her mother actually bordered on being verbally abusive.

While the characters are definitely the highlight of this story, I also loved the touch of magical realism the author gives us with respect to the matchmaking. As a matchmaker, Sophie is able to see red threads attached to people’s hearts. Matchmakers like Sophie read the movement of those threads in order to gauge whether or not her potential matches are meant to be together or not. I just loved this added touch of whimsy.

Lastly, I cannot leave off without mentioning the author’s ability to write the most delicious descriptions of food. Lim’s books always make me so hungry and this book was no exception, especially because Sophie has a major sweet tooth and is always looking for delicious sweet treats to satisfy her cravings.

Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club is an all around delight. Highly recommend to fans of women’s fiction, found families, and the healing power of friendship and love. 4 STARS.

Do You Take This Man Goodreads

Author: Denise Williams

Publication Date: September 6, 2022

Publisher: Berkley

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I loved Denise Williams’ first two books, How to Fail at Flirting and The Fastest Way to Fall because Williams writes such smart, vibrant, and relatable characters. She also excels at writing snappy dialogue and at bringing the heat during those steamy scenes when her characters finally connect. I’m thrilled to report that Williams has another winner on her hands with her latest novel, Do You Take This Man.

The story follows RJ, an up and coming divorce attorney who also, oddly enough, officiates weddings in her spare time. When we meet RJ, she is running late for a wedding, and in her haste to get there, she accidentally crashes into a handsome stranger and ends up in a heap on the pavement. What could have been a meet-cute instead becomes a hostile encounter as RJ gives this guy a piece of her mind. Their conversation ends with him telling her she should smile more. Instead of murdering him like she would love to, she hurries to get to her wedding. Things take a turn for the awkward when it turns out this guy, whose name is Lear, is the cousin of the event planner RJ always works with and Lear is filling in for his cousin for the foreseeable future. So RJ finds herself stuck working with this “dude bro”, as she has dubbed him.

I love a good enemies to lovers romance and was totally on board with this story from the moment I knew RJ and Lear were going to have to work together so closely. The tension was pouring off them in those opening scenes so I knew I was in for one heck of a ride!

Burned by her ex, RJ has no interest at all in a romance for herself and instead buries herself in her work. I really loved RJ. She’s smart, independent, headstrong, and she knows what she wants and what she doesn’t. Well, at least she did before Lear came into her life. His presence shakes her up in ways she did not anticipate and really throws her off kilter to the point where she can’t decide what she wants from one moment to the next. It’s frustrating for Lear, but I just loved how realistic and messy RJ was in this situation. I was also tickled that RJ turns out to be the best friend of Britta from The Fastest Way to Fall and it was so much fun to watch RJ go to Britta for advice.

Like RJ, I’ll admit that I wanted to smack Lear upside the head the first couple of times he and RJ interact. He kept interrupting her, overstepping when it came to overseeing the wedding ceremony, and even tried to mansplain her at one point. RJ puts him in his place, and thankfully Lear is a man that learns from his mistakes so I quickly grew to like him, especially as we learn more about him and the heartbreaking circumstances that have led him to leave his life in L.A. and come all the way home to NC.

I very much enjoyed the progression of RJ and Lear’s relationship, both their working one and their personal one. There’s of course lots of cute and flirty banter and some sexy, steamy scenes, but what I especially loved about this relationship is how real it felt. RJ and Lear’s journey to that coveted happily ever after ending is a rocky one. They are both dealing with baggage from previous relationships, and RJ has such a tough outer shell, but it’s clear that underneath, she’s pretty vulnerable as well. It takes a lot of work to break down her walls and really get to know her, as Lear finds out. RJ thinks that she is hard to love, so I was thrilled that Lear seemed determined to try to prove her wrong.

Denise Williams just never disappoints. I love her dynamic characters and their relatable journeys, and Do You Take This Man is no exception. I highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys enemies to lovers romances, headstrong female protagonists, witty banter, and sexy, steamy love scenes. 4.5 STARS

Reviews: THE VERY SECRET SOCIETY OF IRREGULAR WITCHES & THE LOST TICKET

September 2, 2022/14 Comments/by Suzanne

Happy Friday! How in the world is it September already? I have to admit I’m ready for fall though. Bring on the sweater weather! Anyway, I’m back today with reviews for two brand-new releases that share a common theme – found families. I’m a sucker for a good found family story so I’m thrilled to share my thoughts on both of these with you.

Reviews: THE VERY SECRET SOCIETY OF IRREGULAR WITCHES & THE LOST TICKET

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Goodreads

Author: Sangu Mandanna

Publication Date: August 23, 2022

Publisher: Berkley

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

If there was a literary genre called cozy fantasy, that’s where The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna would be. This book is pure magic in every sense of the word – it’s whimsical, full of heart, and it has a found family vibe that reminds me of TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea.

The story follows Mika Moon, a young orphaned witch who has been raised to hide her magic from others and to stay away from other witches so as not to draw the attention of non-witches. Mika therefore is used to living a lonely life, but when an opportunity arises for her to move to a place called Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic, Mika jumps at the chance, having no idea how much her life is about to change.

Mika is an easy character to fall in love with. I felt tremendous sympathy for her knowing what an isolated life she had been living for so many years. Mika also has a huge heart, as we quickly see once she arrives at Nowhere House and starts working with the children. There’s an almost Mary Poppins-like quality to her that I especially enjoyed. It was fun to watch her interact with the children and to watch her get under the skin of Jamie, the grumpy but sexy librarian who happens to be the children’s guardian.

Mika’s scenes with the children, Rosette, Altimira, and Terracotta were my favorites from the book. Rosette is the quintessential good girl, polite, sweet-natured, and eager to please. Altimira is hilarious. She says whatever comes to mind, no matter how inappropriate, no filter whatsoever, and provides many laugh out loud moments. Terracota is the most challenging of the group, basically introducing herself to Mika by asking her how she would prefer to die. Such a lovely child, haha. I adored each of the children in their own way and loved watching Mika bond with each of them.

The found family vibe I mentioned earlier is truly what makes this book such a special read because at Nowhere House, Mika finds the family she never had but has always wanted. The characters who live at Nowhere House, from the retired stage actor and his spouse who are the house’s caretakers, to the grumpy librarian and his three witchy charges, are quite the quirky bunch, yet they have somehow managed to form a close-knit group and are eager to welcome Mika in with open arms. Jamie and Terracotta obviously take some work but it’s fun watching Mika win them over.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a magical story about love, family, and about becoming the person you were meant to be. If you’re in the mood for a cozy, uplifting witchy read, this is definitely the book for you. 4.5 STARS

The Lost Ticket Goodreads

Author: Freya Sampson

Publication Date: August 30, 2022

Publisher: Berkley

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson is the most heartwarming, feel good book I’ve read all year. The story follows what happens when strangers on a bus come together to try to help an elderly man find the love of his life. Reading it felt like I was being given a warm hug and I just loved every page of it.

Libby Nichols moves to London after being dumped by her boyfriend. Her heart is broken and her life is a mess, and she could really use a distraction from her misery. While riding the number 88 bus one day, she meets a friendly elderly gentleman named Frank. Frank tells Libby that back in 1962, he met a young red haired woman on the same bus. He and this young woman really connected during the journey and made plans to go out together. The woman wrote her number on a bus ticket and gave it to Frank, but by the time he got home, Frank realized he had lost the ticket. Frank confides to Libby that he is still riding the number 88 all these years later in hopes of finding her. Libby is so moved by Frank’s story that she feels compelled to help him try to find the mystery woman.

I absolutely adored Frank. He’s such a sweet old man, and as soon as you hear his story, you can’t help but cheer him on and hope that he finds this woman. It’s especially poignant because Frank is in the early stages of dementia and is well aware that he could very easily forget all about her before he has ever had a chance to see her again. I also loved that even though this quest starts out as a distraction for Libby, she quickly becomes very invested in Frank and thinks of him as practically family. It was really sweet to watch the two of them bond.

Libby is just as likable as Frank is. I felt so much sympathy for her after her break up. Her ex made her feel so bad about herself, and then her own family doesn’t do much to make her feel any better. Instead, they just pile on and make her feel worse. I loved that she found Frank because he was just such a breath of fresh air and exactly what Libby needed to start feeling better about herself and her life.

While the friendship between Libby and Frank is a highlight, it becomes even more special when their connection expands to include Dylan, who is Frank’s caregiver, and Esme, who is Dylan’s friend. Dylan and Esme, as well as another passenger from the bus, all join in the efforts to find Frank’s mystery woman. There are some bumps in the road between Libby and Dylan, who are clearly attracted to one another, but they all end up very close, the found family that Libby needs since her own family isn’t being overly supportive. I just love the idea that a chance meeting has the potential to be such a life-changing experience for so many people.

I don’t feel like I’m doing The Lost Ticket justice with anything I’m writing because it just has this special quality that is hard to explain and it was the ultimate comfort read for me. If you’re in the mood for an uplifting and poignant read, this is the book you’re looking for. 5 STARS

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Last to Vanish & The Patient’s Secret

September 1, 2022/19 Comments/by Sharon

It’s Thriller Thursday with Sharon. I cannot believe it is September already. And with September comes spooky season, well for me spooky season is year round. LOL! This week I am happy to share my thoughts on Megan Miranda’s new book, The Last to Vanish and Loreth Anne White’s new book The Patient’s Secret. I enjoyed both of these books very much.

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Last to Vanish & The Patient’s Secret

The Last to Vanish Goodreads

Author: Megan Miranda

Publication Date: July 26, 2022

Publisher: Scribner / Marysue Rucci Books

I have loved all the books I have read by Megan Miranda and her latest book, The Last to Vanish is no exception. The book is set in a small North Carolina mountain town called Cutter’s Pass. Cutter’s Pass is known for its outdoor activities, especially hiking, with access to the Appalachian Trail. Cutter’s Pass is also known for the mysterious disappearance of seven people spread out over twenty-five years. In June 1997, a group of four men known as the Fraternity Four went missing while hiking in the mountains. Alice Kelly went missing in September 2012, last seen at a tavern in town. Farrah Jordan was last seen as she was entering the hiking trail in January 2019. And the last to vanish was Landon West, who was last seen at The Passage Inn in April 2022.

The book follows Abby Lovett, who moved to Cutter’s Pass ten years ago and is the manager of The Passage Inn. Though she sometimes feels like she is still an outsider, Abby loves Cutter’s Pass. This small town is a very close-knit community that looks out for each other. When Landon’s brother, Trey, comes into town looking for answers on what happened to his brother, he stirs up a hornet’s nest of secrets that the town has been keeping. Abby and Trey work together to try and find answers on what happened to Landon, but when they start uncovering evidence that leads them closer to the truth, Abby realizes that she does not really know her neighbors in town and all the secrets they are trying to keep hidden.

I really liked Abby. She came to town just after Alice Kelly went missing but was there when Farrah Jordan and Landon West disappeared. She took the investigation and outcome at face value. But when she started working with Trey and uncovered secrets, she kept pushing forward even if she didn’t like the direction it was taking. She wanted to be able to give answers to the families of the missing people. I really liked her determination.

I loved the setting of the book as well. Aside from people disappearing, Cutter’s Pass sounded like a great vacation spot. Megan Miranda did a great job of describing the town, that I could visualize the mountains and hiking trails. She made me want to jump in my car and go.

I also like how the book was rolled out. It is broken up into five parts, and with each part we get a look into when each of the people went missing, starting with Landon West, and working backwards. And then in the last part, we get a look into what brought Abby to Cutter’s Pass and her connection to the town.

The Last to Vanish is a great mystery with lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. 4 stars

The Patient's Secret Goodreads

Author: Loreth Anne White

Publication Date: March 8, 2022

Publisher: Montlake

Loreth Anne White’s newest thriller, The Patient’s Secret, is set in a close-knit community of Story Cove and follows the investigation into the death of a female jogger found at the bottom of a cliff. Was it an accident or murder? As the investigation evolves, it is clear that everyone in this community has secrets.

Lily Bradley and her husband, Tom, seem to have the perfect life. They have 2 children, twelve-year-old Phoebe, and eight-year-old Matthew. Lily is a psychotherapist and Tom is a professor at the local university. Lately though, Lily has been on edge. She cannot get over the feeling that she is being watched and she thinks that the terrible secret she has been keeping is about to be exposed and destroy her life as well as the lives of her children. Tom has also been keeping secrets from Lily and those secrets could very well land him in jail for the murder of the jogger.

Free-spirited Arwen Harper and her sixteen-year-old son Joe have recently moved into town. Arwen knows what Lily’s secret is and she is determined to expose it. Arwen does not care who gets hurt in the process. While I didn’t really like Arwen and her method to expose Lily, once I found out the secret I did sympathize with her a bit.

Detective Rue Duval is leading the investigation into the death of the jogger. But Rue is hiding secrets of her own, and these secrets could alter the outcome of the investigation. I felt Rue should have recused herself from the investigation since the secrets she was hiding were a conflict of interest. She set her sights on Tom instead of following all the evidence no matter where it led.

My favorite character was Lily and Tom’s son, Matthew. He was such a cutie. Matthew loves to take photographs. One day he wants to either be a crime photographer or photojournalist. His bedroom is in the attic, so he secretly photographs people as they go about their day. It is Matthew’s photos that actually help crack the case. I just loved watching him sneak around taking pictures of everyone and putting them into his “case” files.

This book is told from many POV’s as well as dual timelines, but White does a great job of keeping the flow of the book from getting confusing. We also get some chapters that are excerpts from a true crime story regarding the brutal murder of a family that took place in 1989. I will warn you though, these chapters are graphic and do involve the brutal murder of an eight-year-old boy.

There is not a lot I can say about what actually happens in this book because any thing I say would be a spoiler. But I will say that The Patient’s Secret was full of lots of twists and turns and shocking secret reveals that kept me turning the pages. 3 ½ stars

Review: CARRIE SOTO IS BACK by Taylor Jenkins Reid

August 29, 2022/16 Comments/by Suzanne

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Also by this author: One True Loves, Daisy Jones & The Six

Published by Ballantine Books on August 30, 2022
Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction
Pages: 384
Source: Netgalley
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Bookshop
Goodreads

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the master of creating flawed characters that will capture your heart. She did it with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, she did it with Daisy Jones & the Six, and she has done it yet again with Carrie Soto is Back.

When an injury forced her into retirement at the age of 32, Carrie Soto had cemented her reputation as the best female tennis player in the world. She had broken numerous records and had won an incredible 20 Grand Slam titles. Becoming that great of a player has come with a cost for Carrie though. Not only did she completely isolate herself from anyone she could have possibly formed a relationship with (friendship or romantic), but she was also cold and pretty arrogant when it came to speaking to the media and even to her opponents on the WTA tour, earning herself the nicknames “The Battle Axe” and “The B*tch.”

Tennis is everything to Carrie and so when, five years after her retirement, another player is threatening to beat her 20 Grand Slams, Carrie becomes obsessed with making a comeback to defend her record. She decides to come out of retirement for one season to play the Grand Slam tournaments, and she asks her beloved father, who had coached her for much of her career, to coach her one last time.

I’m a sucker for an underdog story anyway, but there’s just something even more special about a legendary player trying to make a comeback and rise from the bottom back to the top. What especially got me about this story is with the way Carrie behaves, so cold and arrogant at times, she should have been completely unlikeable as a protagonist. But instead of hating her, I just loved her all the more. There was just so much more to Carrie than what she showed the world, as well as a well hidden vulnerability, and it really surprised me how invested I became in watching her take this journey and watching TJR peel back the layers of Carrie’s personality and let us in.

The tennis matches we witness are all adrenaline rushes that made for riveting reading, but I also think readers will fall in love with this story whether they are tennis fans or not. While Carrie’s comeback in the world of professional tennis is obviously front and center, Carrie Soto is Back is about so much more than tennis. It’s a story about never giving up but also about accepting yourself as you are, and it’s also about love and the importance of letting people into your life. My favorite scenes in the book are the ones between Carrie and her father as they train. We get to see those both in the past when Carrie was first rising to the top, and then again through her comeback, and it’s clear they have a special bond. Those scenes were incredibly moving and I adored her dad because of all the good he tried to instill in her and how he always believed in her no matter what. I found myself tearing up a few times as he was talking to Carrie. She was his world and it showed in every word and action.

I devoured Carrie Soto is Back in less than a day, and there is no doubt in my mind that this is going to be a book and a protagonist that will stick with me for years to come.

About Taylor Jenkins Reid

TAYLOR JENKINS REID lives in Los Angeles and is the acclaimed author of One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. Her most recent novel, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, came out June 13, 2017. Her novels have been named best books of summer by People, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, InStyle, PopSugar, BuzzFeed, Goodreads, and others.

In addition to her novels, Taylor’s essays have appeared in places such as the Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post, and Money Magazine.

Review: BEND TOWARD THE SUN by Jen Devon

August 26, 2022/10 Comments/by Suzanne

Bend Toward the Sun by Jen Devon

Published by Griffin, St. Martin's Griffin on August 9, 2022
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Pages: 384
Source: Netgalley
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Bookshop
Goodreads

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Bend Toward the Sun by Jen Devon is one of the most beautiful love stories I’ve read in a long time. It’s a moving story about two people, both of whom have been broken by events from their pasts, who unexpectedly connect with one another.

Rowan McKinnon is a botanist who doesn’t believe in love. Rowan finds solace in plants and in academia, and has no interest in emotional entanglements of any kind. She’s a one-night stand girl all the way. Little does she know, but Harry Brady is about to try to change that. Harry is a doctor who has taken a leave of absence from his job. His self-confidence is shattered after losing a patient, and he has come home to work on his family’s new vineyard and to hopefully heal and recover his self-confidence. A surprisingly intense encounter with Rowan at a family game of hide and seek turns Harry’s world upside down.

I was fully invested in Rowan and Harry from that intense first encounter. The sparks between them were insane and it was clear they were attracted to one another in spite of themselves. The sexual tension between them only continues to grow when Rowan accepts a job at the vineyard and spends months there getting the grounds into shape. I’m a sucker for watching two people grow closer after they’ve gotten off to an initial rocky start, so I just soaked up every scene that brought Rowan and Harry together since it was so obvious that they really needed each other. Rowan, in particular, has built walls around herself, and I loved watching Harry try to break them down. It was truly an emotional tug of war between them at times.

Watching to see what would happen between Rowan and Harry was captivating on its own, but I also just absolutely loved the author’s writing style. Every sentence is lush and beautiful without feeling overdone, and I loved how vividly she brings the setting to life. I could practically smell the grapes and reach out and touch the vines, and that sensation just immersed me in the story all the more.

Equal parts heart-wrenching and heartwarming, Bend Toward the Sun is an intensely emotional story about love, family, grief, and healing that will ultimately leave you with a smile on your face. This one’s a gem that romance fans won’t want to miss! 5 STARS

About Jen Devon

Jen Devon writes steamy, cinematic contemporary romances about imperfect people finding their perfect match. A former ecology academic and university lecturer, she currently works in the tech industry and dreams of writing full-time. She’s an avid gardener, photographer, and boardgamer, a thrift store enthusiast and unapologetic nerd. She’s a mom of five (three kids, two rescue mutts) and lives in central Ohio with her engineer husband.

Her debut novel BEND TOWARD THE SUN will be available from St. Martin’s / Griffin on August 9, 2022, wherever books are sold.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Review: LOVE ON THE BRAIN by Ali Hazelwood

August 22, 2022/21 Comments/by Suzanne

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
Also by this author: The Love Hypothesis

Published by Berkley Books on August 23, 2022
Genres: Chick Lit, Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction
Pages: 368
Source: Netgalley
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Bookshop
Goodreads

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Ali Hazelwood’s debut novel The Love Hypothesis was one of my favorite reads from last year, and I’m happy to report that her latest “STEMinist” rom-com, Love on the Brain is just as hilarious and steamy as its predecessor. I devoured the book in less than a day and closed it with a satisfied smile on my face.

Love on the Brain follows Bee Königswasser, an up-and-coming neuroscientist whose hero is Marie Curie, the mother of modern physics. When NASA offers Bee the chance of a lifetime, to lead a huge neuroengineering project, she of course says yes, without hesitation. But then she learns who she will be working with – her archnemesis from grad school, Levi Ward. After years of loathing Levi and knowing he feels the same way, Bee can’t imagine a worst case scenario than being stuck working with him for three months. But at the same time, it’s her dream project so she reluctantly packs her bags and heads to NASA Headquarters in Houston.

I absolutely adored Bee. She’s brilliant, quirky, and just flat out hilarious. She’s also tough and independent, which I loved, but at the same time, there’s a vulnerability to her that made her especially appealing and relatable. Her parents died when she was very young, and she and her twin sister were bounced around from one extended family member to another throughout their childhood. Bee never stayed in one place and has grown up craving stability and a place where she can put down roots. A horrible fiancé who left her at the altar has also put her off romance of any kind.

Levi was also a wonderful character, even though I kind of wanted to punch him in the face when Bee recounts her horribly awkward first encounter with him when they were in grad school and how it became the start of their mutual hatred of one another. As we get to know Levi though, it becomes clear that while he may be the King of Awkward when it comes to Bee, it is not his hatred of Bee that makes him act so cold and aloof around her.

I’m not sure if I would call this enemies-to-lovers or more of a miscommunication trope, but either way, I was here for it. I loved watching Bee and Levi slowly get to know each other better, and especially for Bee to realize that her initial perception of Levi was completely wrong. They work together well professionally, the banter between them is hilarious and flirty, and the sexual chemistry between them is off the charts. I flew through the pages just waiting for the moment when they finally couldn’t resist each other any longer.

Love on the Brain is also filled with some pretty great side characters as well. I adored Bee’s research assistant, Rocio, who is just as quirky as Bee but with a darker sense of humor. Bee’s twin sister, Reike, is also a fun, free-spirited counterpoint to Bee and often brings levity to the conversation when Bee is mid existential crisis.

If you like quirky STEM heroines, witty banter, and plenty of steam in your rom-coms, you’ll definitely want to check out Love on the Brain! 4.5 STARS

About Ali Hazelwood

Ali Hazelwood is a multi-published author–alas, of peer-reviewed articles about brain science, in which no one makes out and the ever after is not always happy. Originally from Italy, she lived in Germany and Japan before moving to the U.S. to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience. She recently became a professor, which absolutely terrifies her. When Ali is not at work, she can be found running, eating cake pops, or watching sci-fi movies with her two feline overlords (and her slightly-less-feline husband).

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

Thriller Thursday Reviews: Things We Do in the Dark & Blood Sugar

August 18, 2022/6 Comments/by Sharon

Hi Everyone! Sharon here with another addition of Thriller Thursday. I hope everyone is having a good week. Last week I was on vacation. I just stayed home, but got a lot of projects done around the house that I wanted to, so it was very productive. This week I am excited to share my thoughts on Jennifer Hillier’s, Things We Do in the Dark and Sascha Rothchild’s, Blood Sugar. I loved both of these books. I especially loved the female protagonists, who are both accused of killing their husbands. 🙂

Thriller Thursday Reviews: Things We Do in the Dark & Blood Sugar

Things We Do in the Dark Goodreads

Author: Jennifer Hillier

Publication Date: July 19, 2022

Publisher: Minotaur Books

My first book by Jennifer Hillier was Little Secrets and I loved it. So I was excited for her new book, Things We Do in the Dark, and I am happy to report this book did not disappoint. This book was just as good as the previous book I read.

Paris Peralta has been arrested for killing her husband. She was found in their bathroom, covered in blood holding a straight edge razor and her husband was dead in the bathtub behind her. Paris did not kill her husband, but it is not that she has been arrested that worries her, it is the fact that her husband was a famous comedian and his death, and her arrest is going to bring media attention to her, and Paris does not want anyone from her past to recognize her and destroy the new life she has worked hard to build for herself. Twenty-five years ago, Ruby Reyes was convicted of killing her married lover. Ruby knows who Paris is and after being released from prison early, she is threatening to expose Paris. Paris has no choice but to face her dark past.

This story is told in a dual timeline. The first timeline is in the present and follows Paris as she tries to clear her name in the death of her husband, as well as trying to keep her past from being exposed. I liked Paris and hoped that she would be able to figure out a way to prove her innocence. I figured out pretty early on what were some of the secrets from her past she was running from. In this timeline we also get the POV of Drew Malcom. Drew is a journalist, who currently has a podcast called “Things We Do in the Dark” and he is currently doing a segment on Ruby Reyes. It is during his research for the podcast that Drew unintentionally uncovers the secrets that Paris is trying to hide.

The second timeline was my favorite. This timeline is told from the POV of Ruby Reyes’ daughter Joey and takes place twenty-five years ago. In this timeline we follow Joey before and after her mother was convicted of murder. I loved Joey so much and had such sympathy for her. She had a very hard life. Her mother was abusive to her. She also suffered abuse from her mother’s many boyfriends, and once her mother was in prison and she went to live with her aunt, uncle and cousins, things did not get any better. I had tears in my eyes a few times while reading.

There is so much I want to say about this book but cannot without spoiling things. I loved everything about it. Even though I figured out the connection between Paris and Joey, there were still a few twists that caught me off guard. Hillier did an amazing job of bringing this story and the characters to life. I highly recommend Things We Do in the Dark. Be forewarned though, this book is pretty graphic in the blood department, and it does deal with child abuse. 4 ½ stars

Blood Sugar Goodreads

Author: Sascha Rothchild

Publication Date: April 19, 2022

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Blood Sugar is Sascha Rothchild’s debut thriller and what a debut it was. The story follows Ruby, a respected therapist living in Miami Beach, Florida, who has been accused of killing her husband, Jason. Ruby did not kill Jason, but that is not to say she is not a murderer. Ruby has killed three people before. She is not a sociopath or serial killer though. Each person she killed has wronged Ruby or someone she loved. She also has a ten-year span in between each murder. So see, it is not like she just goes off willy-nilly killing people. LOL!

When the story opens Ruby is in a police interrogation room being accused of killing Jason. The detective that is questioning her has four pictures face down on the table. Three are pictures of the ones Ruby did kill and the last picture is of Jason. As the detective flips each picture over Ruby remembers each of the killings and what lead up to them.

I loved Ruby! Yes she has killed people, but when I learned the reason for each killing, I really did not blame her. Okay maybe the first murder, but Ruby was only five-years old and the little boy she killed had been bullying her older sister. As Ruby is remembering each killing, we get a look into her life. I love how the story unfolded this way. Ruby was actually a good person. She was very smart and loved to have her life organized. The more I got on her backstory, the more I loved Ruby.

I also really liked Ruby’s friendship with her best friend Roman. They were best friends who even though they had a falling out in college, they were still there for each other. When Roman was almost kicked out of law school, Ruby was there to save his butt. And even though they had not spoken for a long time, when Ruby called Roman to help her when she was accused of killing Jason, Roman hopped on a plane to help her.

The more I got to know and love Ruby, I was hoping that she would not be convicted of killing Jason. I was also hoping that her past murders were not going to come back and bite her and she would not go to jail for them.

So, who did Ruby kill and why? And what really happened to Jason? To get to those answers Rothchild weaves a great story that alternates between the past and present. I was glued to the pages and didn’t want this book to end. But I will say that I was very happy with how everything played out.

If you are looking for a book with a murderess protagonist, that you cannot help but love and root for, then I highly recommend, Blood Sugar. 4 ½ stars