Romance Review – THE FAKE MATE by Lana Ferguson @berkleyromance

December 4, 2023/15 Comments/by Suzanne

The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson

Published by BERKLEY on December 5, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Paranormal, Romance
Pages: 400
Source: Netgalley
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
Goodreads

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

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for the free e-copy of The Fake Mate and to Kristin Cipolla for the invitation to take part in the blog tour for this book!

I had never read a shifter romance prior to The Fake Mate, but after reading and loving Lana Ferguson’s spicy debut, The Nanny, I knew I wanted my first experience reading about shifters to be written by her. I made the right decision too. Not only is it a shifter romance, but it also features two of my favorite tropes, fake dating and grumpy-sunshine so I was definitely in my happy place reading this one.

The story follows Mackenzie (Mack) Carter and Noah Taylor, two wolf shifters who also happen to be doctors working at the same hospital. After a long string of disastrous dates, Mack has decided she is done with men for a while but is constantly having to dodge her grandmother, who is determined to find Mack a husband. As much as Mack loves her grandmother, she can’t take it anymore and during one particularly awkward conversation with her, blurts out that she is seeing Noah Taylor, the first man who happens to walk by while she is talking and absolutely the last man she would actually want to date. Desperate times call for desperate measures though, right?

Noah is dealing with a similarly sticky situation. He has hidden the fact that he is an Alpha male for years because of the stigma that surrounds that designation. When someone sends an anonymous tip to the hospital board, Noah has to either come clean to the board and risk his future or else convince them that he is nothing to worry about because he has a mate. When Mack approaches him to see if he would be willing to help her out, Noah, although shocked, reluctantly agrees since it sounds like this arrangement could solve both of their problems.

This was such a fun romance to read! Ferguson does a fabulous job with both the grumpy-sunshine and the fake dating tropes. I loved the initial snarky banter between the two of them and thoroughly enjoyed watching them get under each other’s skin. My favorite part of a fake dating relationship is when those fake feelings give way to something real and Ferguson handled this aspect so well. I adored watching Mack and Noah really start to open up to one another. That bond of trust that starts to build up between them is everything and I just ate it up!

The Fake Mate is full of humor and heart, as well as a heavy dose of spicy shifter love. It was everything I hoped my first time reading a shifter romance would be and more!

About Lana Ferguson

Lana Ferguson is a sex-positive nerd whose works never shy from spice or sass.

When she isn’t writing—you can find her randomly singing show tunes, arguing over which Batman is superior, and subjecting her friends to the extended editions of Lord of the Rings.

Lana lives mostly in her own head, but can sometimes be found chasing her corgi through the coppice of the great American outdoors.

Lana hopes to give the world all sorts of sexy stories between two dummies sharing a single brain cell—but until then: practice safe text, use commas.

Lana is represented by actual angel and anxiety-wrangling aficionado, Jessica Watterson at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.

Lana’s profile art was designed by mooncrabdesigns.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

Romance Reviews: Enemies-to-Lovers Edition

December 1, 2023/15 Comments/by Suzanne

Happy Friday everyone! The work week after a holiday always feel extremely long to me but thankfully it’s finally over. We also just made it through our last big work deadline of the year so I’m looking forward to having some downtime between now and the end of the year. Even though I’ve been busy, I’ve still been reading as much as possible and this past week, I dove into some of my most anticipated enemies-to-lovers romance reads. I’m sharing my thoughts on them today and hope you’ll come away with some new books to add to your TBR. 🙂

Next-Door Nemesis Goodreads

Author: Alexa Martin

Publication Date: November 14, 2023

Publisher: Berkley

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

I always know I’m in for a good time when I pick up one of Alexa Martin’s novels and that was definitely the case with her latest, Next-Door Nemesis. Who knew a romance between rival candidates for a homeowner’s association presidency could be so entertaining? Not me, but man, did I laugh my way all the way through this book!

Collins Carter is a television writer who is going through a rough patch and has moved back in with her parents for a while so that she can regroup. She’s not thrilled about being back in the neighborhood she couldn’t wait to get away from, especially since she keeps running into Nate, her archnemesis from high school, who is now also running for president of her parent’s neighborhood HOA and the culprit behind a recent unjustified complaint her parents received. Collins, who I loved because she’s so sassy and strong-willed, isn’t having it and decides to run against Nate.

All Nate Adams wants is a quiet life in his nice neighborhood. He figures the best way to make that happen is to become President of his neighborhood’s HOA. He is not excited to learn that obnoxious Collins has come back to town and he is furious when she announces that she is running against him. Needless to say, the gloves come off!

Both Collins and Nate are ultra-competitive and it is hilarious watching the two of them go after this presidency so hard. There are endless over-the-top antics and shenanigans along the way, until they finally start to catch feelings for one another. Martin’s dialogue in these scenes is just so smart and fun, and I actually live in a neighborhood that has an HOA so I found the antics and the drama all the more relatable and entertaining.

If you’re looking for a romantic read that is pure fun from start to finish, be sure to check out Next-Door Nemesis. 4.5 STARS

Do Your Worst Goodreads

Author: Rosie Danan

Publication Date: November 14, 2023

Publisher: Berkley

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

I was drawn to Rosie Danan’s new romance Do Your Worst because it features a fun and unexpected enemies-to-lovers pairing, an occult expert and an archaeologist. Danan is such a great storyteller and I couldn’t wait to see what she was going to do with these characters. I was not disappointed either!

Riley Rhodes comes from a long line of curse breakers and while most of her family has shied away from their talent for dealing with the supernatural, Riley decides to turn it into a legitimate business. When she is hired to break a curse on an infamous Scottish castle, she expects that she’ll be flying solo the entire trip and is pleasantly surprised when she meets Clark, a handsome archaeologist at a pub soon after her arrival. They hit it off quite well until Clark learns who she is and why she is in Scotland. It turns out that Clark is actually surveying the same site. He is reeling from a professional scandal that has tanked his reputation and feels this new job is his one shot at redemption. When he learns that Riley is a curse breaker, he assumes that she is running some kind of scam and tries to get her fired. Needless to say, sparks fly!

I love a good enemies-to-lovers story and had a really good time with this one, especially since the cursed castle seems to have a mind of its own when it comes to Riley and Clark. Somehow no matter how much the two of them try to stay far away from one another, they keep ending up together and can’t understand why. The snarky banter between them was hilarious, and oh boy, the steam once they finally stop trying to resist one another was off the charts! I also really loved the book’s setting. It doesn’t get much more atmospheric than a Scottish castle with paranormal vibes!

Do Your Worst is the perfect choice for readers who enjoy stories that are full of adventure, spice, snark, and a dash of the paranormal. 4 STARS

Woke Up Like This Goodreads

Author: Amy Lea

Publication Date: September 5, 2023

Publisher: Mindy’s Book Studio

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

Imagine being 17 years old and planning for your senior prom one minute and waking up to find that you’re 30 years old and about to marry your high school archnemesis. That’s the premise of Amy Lea’s latest book Woke Up Like This, and boy is it a good time!

I’m a huge enemies to lovers fan and have also been loving time loop romances lately, so this book really called to me. I’ve not read one before where both main characters ended up traveling through time together so I really appreciated Lea’s unique approach to an otherwise familiar concept. I also really enjoyed the way these characters are portrayed. Even though they supposedly cannot stand each other, Charlotte and J.T. are forced to rely on one another since they are each other’s only constant as they navigate their future lives. It was a lot of fun watching them try to puzzle out how in the world they could have possibly ended up engaged to be married at the age of 30 based on the hostile nature of the relationship between their 17-year-old selves. And of course, it’s just chef’s kiss watching their feelings for one another start to change the more they are forced to hang out together.

There’s definitely a theme in this story about the importance of slowing down to appreciate all of life’s moments versus just always speeding ahead to the next milestone. Even with that message though, I’d still say Woke Up Like This is a great choice if you’re looking for a fun and light read that you can breeze through in a few hours. 4 STARS

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Stranger Upstairs & Christmas Presents

November 30, 2023/7 Comments/by Sharon

Hi, Sharon back with another edition of Thriller Thursday. I hope those who celebrated Thanksgiving had a great day. And even though it is now the festive holiday season, in my heart it is always spooky season. 😀 This week I have Lisa M. Matlin’s debut novel, The Stranger Upstairs and Lisa Unger’s, Christmas Presents (see incorporating festive and spooky in my readings LOL).

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The Stranger Upstairs & Christmas Presents

The Stranger Upstairs Goodreads

Author: Lisa M. Matlin

Publication Date: September 26, 2023

Publisher: Bantam

The Stranger Upstairs is Lisa M. Matlin’s debut novel and what a debut it was. The Stranger Upstairs was a creepy thriller that had an Amityville Horror vibe. I borrowed this book from the library, but I am definitely going to be buying a copy to have in my collection.

Forty years ago, Black Wood House was the scene of a brutal murder/suicide. Bill Campbell bludgeoned his wife Susan to death with a hammer. He then went to kill his daughter Janet, but she was able to run from the house and escape. Bill then committed suicide. No one knows where Janet is, as she has not been seen in forty years. Black Wood House has sat decaying all this time, until social media influencer Sarah Slade buys the house and plans to fix it up and then resell it. Not long after she and her husband move in, strange things start to happen. The new wallpaper they put up in the bedroom just falls off, Sarah is hearing footsteps in the attic, and she has started receiving threatening notes. With each day, Sarah’s life spirals out of control, and she becomes convinced that someone is trying to kill her. But who? Her husband, her neighbors, or the house itself?

WOW! I don’t even know how to explain how good and creepy this book was without giving anything away. I think Matlin did an amazing job of bringing Black Wood House to life. At times I actually felt like it was another character in the book. The more that Sarah spiraled out of reality, the more she thought the house was talking to her and feeding off her anger. And I was convinced as well. I got chills so many times while I was reading this book.

Sarah was a very complex character, and she had a lot of secrets. I liked her, but then again, I didn’t like her. LOL! As her secrets were revealed I moved to the “didn’t like her” end, but then when I learned more about her childhood, I moved to the “I like her” end. When things started progressing in the book and Sarah started going off the deep end, I had no idea what to believe. I have to say I loved Sarah’s cat, Reaper. What a cool name. Reaper can feel the vibes the house is giving off. When Reaper gets sick, Sarah is positive one of her neighbor’s poisoned him. But then Sarah starts getting sick as well. Is it the house or is someone breaking in and torturing her?

By the end of the book, I could not read fast enough. I just had to find out what was really going on and how this would end. I thought the book was going one way, but then Matlin threw in some twists and took it in a direction I so did not anticipate. If you are looking for a creepy thriller that will give you goose bumps and make you look over your shoulder, then I recommend Lisa M. Matlin’s, The Stranger Upstairs. 4 stars

Christmas Presents Goodreads

Author: Lisa Unger

Publication Date: October 24, 2023

Publisher: Mysterious Press

I love Lisa Unger’s books, so when I saw her new book, Christmas Presents, I knew I had to read it. What better way to kick off the holiday season than with a mystery that takes place around Christmas.

Ten years ago, just before Christmas, Madeline Martin was attacked by her boyfriend, Evan Handy. Madeline survived, but her best friend Steph did not. Also, on that night two of Madeline’s other friends, sisters Ainsley and Sam Wallace went missing. Evan was convicted of killing Steph and has always been suspected in the disappearance of Ainsley and Sam. Madeline’s father, Sherrif James Martin, has been obsessed with finding the girls right up until he had a stroke a few months ago. Madeline now owns a local bookstore, The Next Chapter Bookshop, and while she has tried to move on with her life, this time of year always brings back the memories of that night. When Harley Granger, a true-crime podcaster, comes into the bookstore one night just before Christmas, he tells Madeline he is doing a podcast on the cold case of missing Ainsley and Sam. Madeline wants nothing to do with the podcast, that is until Harley tells her that in the past ten years, three other woman have gone missing in the area, most recently a young exotic dancer named Lolly. With Evan in jail, who has taken these women and are they connected to Ainsley and Sam’s disappearance?

The story is told from the POV of Madeline, both in the present and we also get snippets of her remembering the events that lead up to the night Evan killed Step and attacked her. We also get the POV of Harley as he works on the podcast and tries to find clues that will lead to finding out what happened to the missing women. And we get the POV of Lolly, the last woman that went missing. I loved how Lisa Unger set the story this way. Each chapter and POV just added to the mystery of what was going on.

Unger did a great job in creating the characters in this story. I really liked Madeline. She was such a strong character. She harbors a lot of guilt over Steph’s death and is just trying to get on with her life. But when she finds out that other women have gone missing and they could be connected to Ainsley and Sam, she works with her childhood friend Badger and together they use sheriff Martin’s files to try and figure out who is responsible for these disappearances.

Harley Granger was a character I loved to hate. He was not a bad guy per se, but his approach on his podcast just shed him in a sort of bad light for me. I really liked getting Lolly’s chapters. Those just gave me the chills, knowing she is being held captive, but not knowing what her fate is going to be.

If you are looking for a Christmas themed mystery with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat, then check out Lisa Unger’s Christmas Presents. 4 stars

Reviews: THE GOOD PART & THE PREDICTABLE HEARTBREAKS OF IMOGEN FINCH

November 20, 2023/7 Comments/by Suzanne

Happy Monday everyone! Apologies for the lack of posts last week. I did not realize that when my copy of Iron Flame arrived, it would take over my reading life for nearly two weeks. I’ll have my review for that up next week and will be playing catch up this week on all of the books I should have been reading and reviewing instead. For those who are celebrating Thanksgiving this week, I hope you have a wonderful holiday and for everyone else, I hope you have a great week. Today I’m sharing my thoughts on two authors that have consistently turned out excellent reading experiences for me. I’ve loved everything I’ve read because they write about characters I can relate to and themes that really hit home.

The Good Part Goodreads

Author: Sophie Cousens

Publication Date: November 7, 2023

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from G.P. Putnam’s Sons via Netgalley and a complimentary ALC from Penguin Random House Audio. All opinions are my own.

I always enjoy Sophie Cousens’ novels because they are heartwarming stories with themes that tend to really resonate with me. With its theme of “be careful what you wish for,” Cousens’ latest novel The Good Part is my favorite yet.

Lucy Young is 26 years old and is already just over how her life is going. She dreams of a career in television but so far has spent most of her time at the station where she works fetching coffee for others, even after earning a promotion to Junior Researcher. To add insult to injury, the job doesn’t even really pay enough for her to live on. Her personal life is just as much of a letdown as her professional one, and after another particularly bad date leaves her stranded near a tiny shop that happens to have a wishing machine in it, Lucy makes a desperate wish to please let her skip to the good part of her life. When she wakes up the next morning, Lucy is suddenly a forty-something year old married woman with children, and she also has her dream job. Has she skipped to the good part or has she simply missed out on most of her life?

I loved this story in part because it reminded me of several of my favorite movies like Big with Tom Hanks and It’s a Wonderful Life, which both feature that similar glimpse into what an alternate life could be like as well as that theme of be careful what you wish for. I also loved that this is a story that really makes you think about your own life and whether or not you’ve made it to the good part or would wish to skip over certain parts to, in theory, get to something better.

One of my absolute favorite parts of The Good Part though is watching Lucy’s journey as she navigates this new life she has found herself in. She has no idea if she’ll ever get back to her own life, or if she even wants to, so she decides to embrace where she is and try to make a go of it. There are of course plenty of humorous missteps along the way, particularly as Lucy adjust to technological advances and such, but it is just so lovely watching her get to know her husband Sam and their children. There is a bit of a romantic element as Lucy begins to really see how her future self could fall for Sam, but that is definitely secondary to Lucy’s journey to find herself.

If you’re in the mood for a heartwarming, humorous story that will leave you with plenty of food for thought about your own life, I highly recommend The Good Part. I alternated between the e-book and the audio and thought both versions were excellent. Kerry Gilbert narrates the audiobook and does a beautiful job capturing all of Lucy’s emotions and really making me all the more invested in her journey. 4.5 STARS

The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch Goodreads

Author: Jacqueline Firkins

Publication Date: October 31, 2023

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

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

I’m a sucker for a good second chance romance and Jacqueline Firkins’ new novel The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch is one of the sweetest ones I’ve read in a long time.

When Imogen was younger, her mother tells her that she is cursed to never take first place in anything she does, including in her love life. Her mom’s prophecies tend to come true, so Imogen isn’t surprised when she loses every sport she plays, every art contest she enters, and she isn’t even surprised when every guy she dates eventually tells her that he has met someone better. She has come to accept the curse for what it is and to just live with it. That is, until Eliot, Imogen’s secret crush from high school, unexpectedly returns to town and appears to take an interest in her. Imogen suddenly finds herself motivated to see if there is a way to break this curse once and for all.

Imogen is an immensely likeable character. She has a huge heart and is always looking out for others, so everything about the curse just broke my heart and made me so angry on her behalf. As soon as I saw how much she clearly still had feelings for Eliot, I was rooting so hard for the two of them to find their way to each other.

I also really liked Eliot and that he is Imogen’s biggest cheerleader when it comes to trying to break the curse. He believes that if she can just score one win, in absolutely anything, that everything will change for Imogen and so he makes it his mission to take her around town trying out any possible game and contest from trivia games to corn-shucking contests to try to score that elusive first place. I loved his determination and I especially enjoyed that it led to so many cute moments between them. Eliot’s nomadic lifestyle had me a little concerned and angsty that a happily ever after might not be an option, but that did not stop me from hoping.

The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch is a moving story with a hint of magic that while sometimes sad, is ultimately heartwarming and uplifting. Give it a read and I’m sure Imogen and Eliot will capture your heart just like they did mine. 4 STARS.

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The House Beyond the Dunes & My Darling Girl

November 9, 2023/4 Comments/by Sharon

Hi Everyone, Sharon here wishing you all happy Thriller Thursday! This week I am so excited to share my thoughts on two amazing books I read. Mary Burton’s awesome psychological thriller, The House Beyond the Dunes and Jennifer McMahon’s great supernatural thriller, My Darling Girl.

Thriller Thursday Reviews: The House Beyond the Dunes & My Darling Girl

The House Beyond the Dunes Goodreads

Author: Mary Burton

Publication Date: September 5, 2023

Publisher: Montlake

I have never read anything by Mary Burton, but when Goodreads suggested The House Beyond the Dunes as a book I may like, I decided to give it a read and now I want to check out more of Mary Burton’s books, because Goodreads was on the mark in suggesting this book.

Kyle Iverson brought his new girlfriend, Lane McCord to his secluded beach house to spend the New Year’s weekend and bring their relationship to the next level, but a romantic weekend this was not. An hour after they arrive, both Kyle and Lane fall down a flight of stairs. Lane wakes up in a hospital with multiple bruises, but Kyle died. As Lane tries to make sense of what happened, she is confronted by Detective Becker, who is not so sure that Kyle’s death was an accident. Detective Becker is also investigating the disappearance of two women from nearby Nags Head, both of whom went missing around the July fourth holiday. Lane returns to the beach house to retrieve her belongings and try to understand what happened to make her and Kyle fall, but she learns things about Kyle and realizes she did not know him as well as she thought. Lane is also getting texts messages with copies of a journal from one of the missing women, Stevie Palmer. Who is Stevie Palmer and why is someone sending her journal to Lane? And what really happened at the beach house?

OMG! Guys, I loved this book so much. The story was told from Lane’s POV as well as Stevie’s journal. I loved getting the story this way. I was equally invested in both POV’s. I also loved both Lane and Stevie. They were both strong and determined women.

With Lane’s POV, we follow her as she goes back to the beach house and tries to unravel what happened, as well as trying to figure out who Stevie is and what happened to her. The more she learned about Kyle the more confusing things became. She kept things she learned to herself because she was not sure who to trust. And I was right there with her on that one. Detective Becker came across as very shady to me, so he immediately was on my radar. As was, Reece, the neighbor that called the police after the accident and Devon, the caretaker of the house.

I loved reading Stevie’s journal. Stevie worked as a bartender at a local pub in Nags Head. It is here that she meets the other woman, Nicki, that went missing. Stevie actually took it upon herself to investigate Nicki’s disappearance and I loved that about her. She didn’t really know Nicki, but as she said, “If I don’t look for her, who will?” The further along we got in Stevie’s journal the more things started to come together on how Stevie, Nicki, Kyle, and Lane were all connected. There was one final connection at the end of the book that took me totally by surprise. It actually brought tears to my eyes.

The House Beyond the Dunes is an amazing psychological thriller. Mary Burton did a great job of creating this story. I was so caught up in the mystery of what happened at the beach house, as well as what happened to Stevie and Nicki, that by the end of the book I was on the edge of my seat. 4 ½ stars

Trigger warning: This book does deal with rape. Mary Burton does not get into the details, but it is there.

My Darling Girl Goodreads

Author: Jennifer McMahon

Publication Date: October 3, 2023

Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press

I love Jennifer McMahon’s books and how they deal with the supernatural. So, what better time to read her latest book, My Darling Girl, than spooky season. This book is set around Christmas, so I got all my holiday vibes in one reading. LOL!

Alison O’Connor lives in Vermont with her husband, Mark, and their two children, sixteen-year-old Izzy, and six-year-old Olivia. Alison is estranged from her mother Mavis. Alison and her brother suffered abuse from their mother when they were children. Alison has put her past behind her, but then she gets a call from Mavis’ assistant that will turn her life upside down. Mavis is in the hospital with cancer and only has a few weeks left to live, and she wants to move in with Alison and spend her last few weeks with her and her family. Alison is reluctant at first, but after talking it over with Mark, who knows the whole story of her childhood, they agree to take Mavis in. But not long after Mavis moves in, things start to happen and Alison is forced to revisit her childhood and she discovers that her mother is not who she seems to be and their family’s happy Christmas season is turned into a nightmare. How far will Alison go to keep her family safe?

Not long after Mavis moves in strange things start to happen, but they only seem to happen when Alison is around. Mavis is sweet as pie when anyone else is around, but when she is alone with Alison her demeanor changes. And Mavis knows things that Alison did as a child that no one should know. Alison starts to wonder if her mother is possessed by an evil entity. I was right there with Alison, especially when their dog Moxie would not go into Mavis’ room. He would just look inside and growl. To me if a dog does not like you then something is wrong. After Mavis’ assistant dies in a car accident, Alison is forced to return to her childhood home to retrieve important documents and it is here that Alison finds her mother’s journal and she knows that something has a hold on Mavis and once Mavis dies this evil being will want a new host. Alison is now in a race against time to figure out how to keep this evil being from destroying her family.

I loved all the characters in this book. I loved how Alison was willing to do anything to protect her family. Even when her husband thought she was going over the deep end and wouldn’t believe Mavis was possessed, she still pushed forward and confronted her past. Little Olivia was such a cutie pie and she loved getting to know her grandmother, which scared me and Alison.

WOW! My Darling Girl was an awesome read. While not super scary, it had that underlining creepiness to it, and I loved that. McMahon did a great job of bringing the eeriness and supernatural forces to life. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading. And the end! OMG! I did not expect that ending. Well done Jennifer McMahon, well done! 4 ½ stars

Reviews: LOVE INTEREST & FRIENDS DON’T FALL IN LOVE

November 6, 2023/8 Comments/by Suzanne

Happy Monday everyone! Knock on wood, but I think I finally have the commenting issue resolved on the blog. Some research and hours of troubleshooting eventually revealed the issue to be a bad update to a plugin I was using and as soon as I deactivated it, the comments started flowing in again. I’m not a tech savvy person so it was very frustrating to say the least, as I would have much rather been spending all of that time visiting your blogs instead of trying to figure out why mine was trying to implode, lol. Anyway, I’m back in business now and I’m also back with two reviews I meant to post last week. Both of these books are out in the wild now, so if you like the sound of them, you can grab copies today!

Love Interest Goodreads

Author: Clare Gilmore

Publication Date: October 10, 2023

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

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

Set in Manhattan at a magazine publishing firm, Clare Gilmore’s debut novel Love Interest follows Casey Maitland, a 24 year old finance expert who has decided to spread her wings and apply for a project manager position at her company. Her aspirations for this new career path are dashed, however, when she is passed over and the job is given to Alex Harrison, who happens to be the Chairman of the Board’s son and who also happens to be the mysterious hot guy Casey had an adorable meet cute with before she realized they were vying for the same position. Alex is well educated, charming, and is immediately well liked by everyone at the company, except for Casey, that is, who can’t stand him. Everything changes, however, when the two of them are forced to work on a project together.

I really enjoyed Love Interest. Gilmore’s writing is wonderful, and I especially enjoyed her character development as Casey and Alex slowly begin to open up to one another about their dreams and aspirations. I loved how open and trusting they became with one another, and I especially liked the growth we see in Casey as she realized she has unfairly misjudged Alex, who turns out to be serious book boyfriend material! Some of the workplace scenes weren’t the most entertaining, but the chemistry Gilmore creates between Casey and Alex nicely balances that out and keeps the story flowing smoothly.

Love Interest is a delightful workplace romance that is sure to please fans of the rivals-to-lovers and forced proximity tropes. 4 STARS

Friends Don't Fall in Love Goodreads

Author: Erin Hahn

Publication Date: October 17, 2023

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

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

Erin Hahn’s latest novel Friends Don’t Fall in Love is a friends-to-lovers romance set against the backdrop of the country music industry in Nashville. I enjoyed Hahn’s book Built to Last so much that I requested this one for review without reading the synopsis, so it was a wonderful surprise to realize we were going to revisit my favorite characters from Built to Last.

This story follows Lorelai Jones, a country music superstar who fell from grace when she performed a protest song in support of gun control at a concert. Five years later she decides to mount a comeback and reaches out to the one man who has always been in her corner, her best friend Craig (or Huck as she calls him), who also happens to be a successful music producer.

Huck has issues of his own that he’s dealing with, including a former bandmate who refuses to give him credit for songs that Huck wrote for him. But no matter what Huck is dealing with, he has never been able to say no to Lorelai. In fact, he has been quietly in love with her for years. It is this complicated dynamic between Lorelai and Huck that really made this an excellent read for me. Hahn presents their relationship through both present-day scenes and flashbacks to show just how layered and complicated things are between them and I loved watching their relationship unfold this way and seeing Lorelai slowly wake up to what has been right in front of her all along.

Huck is an absolute cinnamon roll and I adored him, and I’ll always root for an underdog so Lorelai and her comeback story really appealed to me as well. The presence of the gun control debate and the cancel culture that surrounds it was right on the edge of being too much for me since I read romance to escape things like that, but thankfully Lorelai and Huck’s personal journey was enough to keep the story enjoyable for me. I also really appreciated the behind-the-scenes look at the country music industry.

If slow-burn, friends to lovers romances are your vibe, you’re going to want to pick up a copy of Friends Don’t Fall in Love. 4 STARS

Review – JANE AND THE FINAL MYSTERY by Stephanie Barron

October 30, 2023/6 Comments/by Suzanne

Jane and the Final Mystery by Stephanie Barron

Series: Being a Jane Austen Mystery Book #15
Published by Soho Crime on October 24, 2023
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 312
Source: the Publisher
Goodreads

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

MY REVIEW:

Jane and the Final Mystery is the fifteenth and final installment of Stephanie Barron’s entertaining Jane Austen Mysteries series. As an Austen fan, I was surprised that I hadn’t come across this series before, particularly since the first book was published in 1996, but somehow it flew under my radar and I’m therefore just now beginning my experience with it. I’m actually quite excited about that though because not only does Jane and the Final Mystery work well as a standalone, but it’s a gem of a book that has me looking forward to checking out the other fourteen books.

I absolutely love that the premise of the series is that Austen is an amateur sleuth. At first the idea might seem farfetched, but if you’ve ever read her novels or any of her letters, you know that Austen was clever and especially astute when it came to reading people and situations. While those qualities made her a phenomenal author, I think those same qualities would make her well suited to detective work as well.

This story is set in 1817, and if you are familiar with Austen, you know that’s the year she died. Her struggles with her health are accurately portrayed here, but she cannot resist getting involved with one final case, particularly since the case involves her best friend’s son being accused of murder. I don’t want to give away any spoilers since it is a murder mystery, but I will say that the mystery is well constructed, with plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing.

While I found the mystery very engrossing, what I enjoyed most about this book was the obvious care Barron has taken to portray Austen as authentically as possible. As I mentioned, I read many of Austen’s personal letters when I studied her in college, and this portrayal of Austen is just so well done. Barron has clearly done her research when it comes to Jane, and she has perfectly captured Austen’s way of speaking as well as her cleverness and her wry sense of humor. Barron’s passion for Austen, as well as for the time period she lived in, comes shining through in every page, making this series a treat for any Jane Austen fan.

While I’m sure Jane and the Final Mystery will be a satisfying series finale for those who have been fans of the series from the beginning, it has also made for a wonderful first experience for me and I look forward to continuing my journey with Jane Austen Mysteries.

Thanks so much to the author and Soho Crime for the gifted review copy and to Laurel Ann Nattress from Austenprose for inviting me to take part in this tour.

PRAISE FOR JANE AUSTEN AND THE FINAL MYSTERY:

“Poignant . . . Elicits deep emotion out of Jane’s struggles against her own mortality. This is a fitting send-off for a beautifully realized series.”— Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“Barron developed Jane’s narrative voice by reading Austen’s collected and published letters, and it is neither spoiler nor surprise to say that series readers will be sorry to say goodbye to Jane Austen, amateur sleuth.”— Booklist
“[Barron] has brilliantly combined authentic historical and biographical details with skillful plotting and a credible evocation of Austen’s wry, distinctive voice. She brings the English author’s final investigation to a poignant, unforgettable close. Fans of this historical series will not be disappointed.”— First Clue

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | PUBLISHER | GOODREADS | BOOKSHOP

About Stephanie Barron

Stephanie Barron is a graduate of Princeton and Stanford, where she received her
Masters in History as an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow in the Humanities. Her novel, THAT CHURCHILL WOMAN (Ballantine, January 22, 2019) traces the turbulent career of Jennie Jerome, Winston Churchill’s captivating American mother. Barron is perhaps best known for the critically acclaimed Jane Austen Mystery Series, in which the intrepid and witty author of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE details her secret detective career in Regency England. A former intelligence analyst for the CIA, Stephanie—who also writes under the name Francine Mathews—drew on her experience in the field of espionage for such novels as JACK 1939, which The New Yorker described as “the most deliciously high-concept thriller imaginable.” She lives and works in Denver, CO.

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Review: GUY’S GIRL by Emma Noyes

October 27, 2023/1 Comment/by Suzanne

Guy's Girl by Emma Noyes

Published by BERKLEY on October 24, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Pages: 384
Source: Netgalley
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
Goodreads

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

Thank you so much to Berkley for the free copy of Guy’s Girl and to Yasmine Hassan for the opportunity to take part in the blog tour for this book!

Guy’s Girl is Emma Noyes’ adult debut novel and wow, does it pack an emotional punch! I was sold on the book as soon as I read the first line of the synopsis: “The boy who couldn’t love and the girl who wouldn’t.” I felt myself getting invested in the characters as soon as I read that line and knew I had to find out more about Ginny and Adrian. I became all the more invested when I read the author’s note and learned just how much of her own personal experience was the basis for Ginny’s journey. While I’ve not personally struggled with an eating disorder, I’ve known a few people who have and appreciated that this book gave me a little more insight into what my friends might have been going through on their path to recovery.

The story is presented across multiple timelines and I thought this was such an effective way to follow Ginny’s journey. The path to recovery is rarely ever linear and the author uses the multiple timelines to show Ginny at various points in her life and her successes and setbacks with respect to her eating disorder. Ginny also struggles with anxiety, which has only compounded the problem over the years and led to her feelings of self-doubt, as well as her feelings that no one could possibly ever love her. Ginny’s journey over the years is a heartbreaking one at times, full of raw emotion. I definitely shed a few tears watching her struggle and make frustrating choices that sometimes just didn’t make sense, but I loved Ginny and these struggles and poor choices made her feel all the more real to me, and I was fully invested in seeing her journey through to the end.

While Ginny’s journey to recovery takes center stage, I also enjoyed the exploration of her personal relationships. As the title states, Ginny is a guy’s girl. She has always found it easier to make friends with guys and loves that their friendships are usually drama free, as long as there’s no romance involved. When she meets Adrian, however, that line gets blurred because Ginny feels so much more than just friendship for him. Adrian is battling his own personal demons though and has no interest in romance. He believes it isn’t worth the heartache he witnessed his own mother experience, and therefore, refuses to let love in. While both Ginny and Adrian clearly need to work through their own issues before a healthy relationship is possible between them, I still love watching the two of them together. I would definitely consider the romance a slow burn but watching Ginny and Adrian grow to become each other’s biggest supporters is just beautiful to watch.

Guy’s Girl is a powerful story that is also beautifully written, filled with raw emotions that just felt so authentic. It’s an emotionally heavy read at times, but it’s also a story that is filled with healing, hope, and love.

About Emma Noyes

Emma Noyes told her mother she wanted to be an author when she was six. She grew up in a suburb outside Chicago and attended Harvard University, where she studied history & literature. She started her career at a beer company, but left because she wanted to write about mermaids and witches—eventually publishing her first YA fantasy series, The Sunken City. She now lives in Chicago with her Swedish boyfriend and miniature Pomeranian. Guy’s Girl is her adult debut. Learn more online at www.emmavrnoyes.com.

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Blog Tour – IRIS KELLY DOESN’T DATE by Ashley Herring Blake @berkleyromance

October 23, 2023/10 Comments/by Suzanne

Iris Kelly Doesn't Date (Bright Falls, #3) by Ashley Herring Blake
Also by this author: How to Make a Wish, Girl Made of Stars

Series: Bright Falls #3
Published by BERKLEY, Berkley Romance on October 24, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, LGBTQ, Romance
Pages: 400
Source: Netgalley
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
Goodreads

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

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for the free copy of Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date and to Kristin Cipolla for the invitation to take part in the blog tour for this book!

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date is the third installment in Ashley Herring Blake’s Bright Falls series. I have loved every book in this series and every wonderful character we’ve met along the way so I couldn’t wait to dive in and finally get to know more about Iris.

When we meet Iris in this new book, she has embarked on a new career as an author of romance novels. Her debut novel went well, but she is struggling to write her second book and her own lackluster love life might be part of the problem. While Iris is thrilled that Astrid, Delilah, and everyone else in their friend group has found love, she often finds herself the odd man out, so to speak. One night, she decides to forget all of her troubles and heads to a bar in Portland. She meets, and is immediately attracted to, a sexy stranger named Stefania, and the two of them really hit it off. Instead of the hookup Iris was hoping for, however, the night ends in disaster. What Iris doesn’t realize at the time, however, is that Stefania is about to become a very important person in her life.

Following her agent’s advice to get out there and do something to take her mind off her writer’s block, Iris decides to try out for a local play that is a gender-bent retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. When she finds out who is playing the lead, Iris can barely believe it. It’s Stefania, whose real name turns out to be Stevie, and it becomes apparent that Stevie has told everyone involved with the play that she and Iris are dating. Stevie begs Iris to go along with it, so as not to embarrass her in front of everyone, and Iris decides to play along, figuring this ought to at least spark some ideas for writing her novel.

I loved this book so much! In spite of their failed one night stand, it’s obvious that Iris and Stevie have major chemistry. Iris is a fun and confident bisexual woman, but in this book, we finally get to see a vulnerable side to her that we haven’t seen before. Stevie is a former actor who has been dealing with anxiety and panic attacks, and the two of them were just so messy and flawed and honestly just perfect together. It was wonderful watching their relationship transform from fake to real, and to see how much they grew to care for, respect and support one another. Some of their more in-depth conversations about things they have gone through just really tugged at my heartstrings because it really made their relationship feel so authentic.

It wasn’t just all heartfelt, vulnerable moments between these two characters either. There was of course plenty of steam and humor, plus several fun appearances by the other members of Iris’ friend group. It also didn’t hurt that Much Ado About Nothing is my favorite Shakespearean comedy. Watching Iris and Stevie actually act out scenes from that play was just icing on what was already a fabulous cake for me.

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date is another immensely satisfying and heartwarming installment in the Bright Falls series. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys sapphic romance, fake dating, and stories that feature fabulous friend groups/found families.

About Ashley Herring Blake

Ashley Herring Blake is a reader, writer, and mom to two boisterous boys. She holds a Master’s degree in teaching and loves coffee, arranging her books by color, and watching Buffy over and over again on Netflix with her friends. She’s the author of the young adult novels SUFFER LOVE and HOW TO MAKE A WISH.

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Thriller Thursday Reviews: Everyone Here is Lying & The Coworker

October 19, 2023/6 Comments/by Sharon

Sharon is back for another edition of Thriller Thursday. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying spooky season. This week I have two great mystery/thrillers, Shari Lapena’s, Everyone Here is Lying and Freida McFadden’s, The Coworker. I loved both of these books and they both had twists and turns that made me go “WOW!”.

Thriller Thursday Reviews: Everyone Here is Lying & The Coworker

Everyone Here Is Lying Goodreads

Author: Shari Lapena

Publication Date: July 25, 2023

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Shari Lapena’s newest book, Everyone Here is Lying, centers around the search for missing Avery Wooler and as the title suggests not everyone in the small town of Stanhope, New York is telling the truth.

William Wooler is a respected doctor. He and his wife, Erin have two children, twelve-year-old Michael, and nine-year-old Avery who has behavioral problems and ADHD. William is having an affair with his neighbor, Nora Blanchard. Nora has just broken off the affair and William is devastated, so when he goes home expecting the house to be empty and sees Avery there, William loses his temper and strikes Avery. Filled with guilt and shame, William gets in his car and drives off, but when Michael comes home an hour later, Avery is nowhere to be found. After a frantic search, the police are called, and a roller coaster of an investigation begins. An anonymous witness calls and says that they saw Avery get into the car of Nora’s eighteen-year-old son, Ryan. Ryan denies this, but why would someone lie about that?

Wow! What a ride this book was. Shari Lapena created a very addictive read with such flawed characters, some I liked and some I hoped would never be able to recover after everything was over. William and Nora were in the latter category. I wanted to scream at them so many times. A little girl is missing and all they could think about is that they hoped their affair does not come out and when it does, all they could think about is how they were affected. Nora I could give a little slack to because her son was front and center in the investigation. But not William, it is your daughter that is missing you jerk.

I did have a lot of sympathy for Erin and Michael. Erin is beside herself with worry for Avery, naturally. I think Lapena did a great job of bringing Erin’s emotions to life. And poor Michael, he feels like he is to blame because it was him that had told Avery where the hide-a key was and if he didn’t do that then Avery would have waited for him after school that day and would be safe right now.

I also loved the detectives, Bledsoe and Gully. I liked how they did not get tunnel vision on one person and followed every lead they had. Even when the witness said that Avery got in Ryan’s car, they continued to investigate other possibilities while waiting for forensics to come back on Ryan’s car and phone. I really enjoyed following along as they worked on the investigation. I really thought I knew who took Avery, but I was so wrong.

Everyone Here is Lying had lots of twists and turns. About three quarters of the way through the book there was a twist that knocked me off my chair. I was literally like “Holy Crap!”. And the ending, well let’s just say I had another holy crap moment and so wished we had more chapters. 4 ½ stars

The Coworker Goodreads

Author: Freida McFadden

Publication Date: August 29, 2023

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

I love Freida McFadden’s writing; she always keeps me guessing. And her newest book, The Coworker, is no exception.

Natalie Farrell is a sales Representative and Dawn Schiff is an accountant at Vixed, a nutritional supplement company. Natalie is beautiful and popular, and everything seems to come so easily for her. Dawn is the complete opposite, she is socially awkward, plain looking and her only real friend is her childhood best friend, Mia. They do have one thing in common though, they both have dark secrets. When Dawn goes missing, Natalie finds herself in the middle and her perfect life is blown apart.

Dawn is always at her desk at 8:45am sharp. So, when Natalie showed up to work at 9:00 and Dawn was not at her desk, she stopped and did a double take. Where is Dawn? She is always on time and has never taken a sick day. No one else in the office is all that concerned that Dawn is not in, but Natalie cannot shake the feeling that something is wrong. When the phone on Dawn’s desk rings, Natalie answers it and the voice on the other end sounds like Dawn and she whispers, “help me”. Natalie takes it upon herself to drive to Dawn’s house and check on her. When she enters Dawn’s house through the unlocked back door, Natalie is shocked by what she sees. Dawn’s living room is covered in blood, but Dawn is nowhere to be found. When the police start their investigation, they uncover information that makes them set their sights on Natalie. Natalie is now in a cat and mouse game, and she must find out what happened to Dawn and why someone is framing her.

I cannot say too much about what happens because I think it is best to go into this book blind. But I will say I wasn’t sure who to believe or trust while I was reading. At first, I liked Natalie because she came across as such a nice person. Every year she has a charity 5K run event to help raise funds for Muscular Dystrophy, in honor of her friend she lost to the disease. Natalie also always seemed to go out of her way to be nice to Dawn, though they were not best friends, Natalie considered Dawn to be a friend. But then we get Dawn’s POV via emails she sent to her childhood best friend, Mia. In these emails Natalie comes across as a very different person, according to Dawn, Natalie was a bully. I loved getting these two sides because it made both Natalie and Dawn unreliable characters.

The Coworker was full of so many twists and turns. Just when I thought I may know what was going on, a twist would come and point me in another direction. So many times I found my jaw drop and would be like ‘What?!”. If you are looking for a twisty psychological thriller, then I definitely recommend Freida McFadden’s The Coworker. 4 stars