Fiction | Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

Spotlight Review: THE NIGHT WE MET by Abby Jimenez

March 31, 2026

Say You’ll Remember Me, Book 2

From the publisher:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Say You’ll Remember Me comes a beautiful, compelling novel that revels in laughter, friendship, and the messy choices life can throw our way.

In everyone’s life, there’s a split-second decision that can change everything …

For Larissa, it came when choosing who to ride home with after a concert. That night, she had no idea she’d met the perfect man. She and Chris are great friends, co-parenting a slightly unhinged rescue Yorkie, sharing their favorite books, and judging bread (pumpernickel for the win!). For the first time amid all her side hustles to scrape by, things finally feel easy.

But she didn’t choose Chris to drive her home all those months ago—she went with his best friend, and he became her boyfriend. All Chris wants is for Larissa to be happy. Standing by on the sidelines is slowly killing him, but making a move would destroy someone else.

How can something that feels so right be absolutely impossible?

Publishers Weekly Top 10 Romance Releases for Spring 2026

“In turns heart-wrenching and humorous, tear-jerking and laughter-inducing, Jimenez’s latest is unputdownable until the inevitable, but seemingly impossible, HEA.” ―Library Journal, starred review

“A compulsively readable slow-burn romance full of grown-up worries and plenty of pining.”
―Kirkus, starred review

“The palpable yearning and slow-burning sexual tension keep the pages flying.”―Publishers Weekly

“Jimenez once again demonstrates a rare flair for love and laughter in this radiantly rewarding romance.”―Booklist
https://amzn.to/4sIrNX2

Chris and Mike have been inseparable since childhood. One night at a concert, they meet Larissa, a young woman who needs a ride home. Both men offer, but she chooses Mike—and that single decision sparks a relationship. Mike falls fast and hard, while Larissa, slower to trust, prefers to take things one careful step at a time.

Larissa carries a heavy load. Her father stole her mother’s identity, racked up debt, and then did the same to her, leaving her with a wrecked credit score and bills she can barely manage. She works as a diner waitress—grateful the menu is nut‑free because of her severe allergies—and picks up any side job she can, from mystery shopping to selling homemade nut‑free snacks. She lives with her mother because she can’t afford her own place, but despite everything, she stays upbeat and determined to claw her way out of poverty.

One morning, Mike wakes Chris in a panic. Mike was supposed to drive Larissa and her mother to the hospital for her mother’s surgery, but he’s so hungover he can barely stand. He lies to Larissa about having a migraine and sends Chris in his place. That day becomes a turning point: Chris and Larissa finally connect. When they find an abandoned dog, Chris takes it to the vet and ends up keeping it because every shelter is full. The dog isn’t housebroken, so Larissa offers to help—and their bond deepens. The little Yorkie also adds some welcome humor to the story.

As Larissa spends more time with Chris, she grows close to him but sees him as a good friend, unaware that he has quietly fallen for her. Meanwhile, Chris is constantly covering for Mike, who hides his drinking from Larissa. Chris is the one digging out her car after a snowstorm, checking restaurants for nut safety, quietly smoothing every rough edge in her life. But Larissa assumes Mike is the one doing all these thoughtful things, and Chris never corrects her.

Everything comes to a head when Larissa mother decides to move to another state with a man Larissa doesn’t care for. Feeling trapped, she finally acquiesces and moves in with Mike. But she arrives a day early, and everything Mike has been hiding comes to light. The whole friend group spends Christmas at a family cabin, and the tension between Larissa and Mike is impossible to ignore. This isn’t a dramatic third‑act breakup—it’s a reckoning. And once again, Chris is the one who shows up for her. By now, Larissa is starting to see the truth: every kindness she attributed to Mike was really Chris.

But Chris has no family beyond this friend group, and he’s convinced that pursuing Larissa would destroy the only community he has. So they remain “just friends,” aching for each other in a way that feels almost unbearable.

It’s a gorgeous, heartfelt story—full of longing, quiet devotion, and the kind of love that grows in the spaces between grand gestures. And yes, there is a happy ending. Don’t skip the author’s note; it’s incredibly moving. This might be Jimenez’s best book yet – don’t miss it.

3/2026 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE NIGHT WE MET by Abby Jimenez. Forever (March 24, 2026). ISBN: 978-1538759226. 400p.

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Audiobook Sunday: FALLING FOR TROUBLE by Carly Phillips

March 29, 2026

Narration by Verla Bond & Charlie Fog

Dare to Fall Series, Book 1

From the publisher:

He’s the bad boy my family warned me about—and the one man I can’t have.

I just landed the job of my dreams—planning the Miami Thunder football team’s 50th-anniversary celebration—and I can’t afford distractions. Especially not tattooed billionaire and reformed troublemaker Lucas Carras. He exudes alpha-hero intensity, and he’s been off limits for as long as I’ve known him.

But the kickoff party is happening at the nightclub he co-owns with my brother…and with my sibling out of town, I’m stuck working with Lucas.

Forced proximity ignites the desire we’ve both been pretending doesn’t exist. From bedrooms to storage rooms, the scorching tension causes us to cross every line we swore we wouldn’t. On paper, we’re complete opposites. In reality, the chemistry is undeniable.

This party is everything I’ve worked for—my moment to prove myself. Until the sabotage starts.

Orders vanish. Vendors back out. Someone is determined to ruin the anniversary…and my reputation along with it.

Suddenly Lucas isn’t just a distraction. He’s my protector, my anchor, and the only man I trust to stand by my side.

But when my brother finds out about us, family drama explodes. And I’m torn between being the good girl who plays by the rules…and falling for trouble.

Perfect for fans of Carly Phillips and high-heat sports romance, Falling for Trouble features a possessive hero, high-stakes suspense, and a guaranteed HEA.

https://amzn.to/3PqGGP2

Rainey Dare’s father is presumably a billionaire — he owns a professional football team in Miami — but she’s determined to make it on her own. Sort of. I found this plot point genuinely annoying. She’s a party planner in Miami, competing for the contract to plan her father’s anniversary party for the team. No nepotism here, though. She wins the gig on the merits of her sterling presentation, because surely no one would hand it to her just to curry favor with dear old dad. Did I mention how much this bothered me?

Problems begin almost immediately: missing shipments, changed orders, the works. The culprit is telegraphed early on, making the whodunit drama feel over-the-top; the real mystery was more about how and why it happened than who did it.

Rainey wants to host the party at her brother’s nightclub. Again, no nepotism here. Conveniently, her brother is out of town, leaving her to work with his partner, the gorgeous billionaire Lucas. Their chemistry is off the charts, though Rainey is determined to keep things professional. That resolve lasts about five minutes.

Lucas turns out to be genuinely helpful, and his money is only a small part of it. As they spend more time together, their relationship deepens, and the “bro code” between Lucas and Rainey’s brother quietly goes out the window.

Plot holes aside — and there are enough to drive a train through — I still enjoyed this one. The narrators were new to me, but they did a great job bringing the characters to life and keeping me engaged. I always enjoy Carly Phillips books, and while this isn’t her best, it’s still an entertaining read.

Just wanted to add that I’m really loving that Netgalley is offering early copies of audiobooks in addition to egalleys, and I’m taking full advantage!

3/2026 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

FALLING FOR TROUBLE by Carly Phillips. Narrators: Verla Bond & Charlie Fog. Dreamscape Media (March 17, 2026). ASIN: B0GDS2YL2G. Listening Length: 6 hours and 15 minutes.

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JETT by Lily Zante

March 27, 2026

Knight Empire, Book 1

From the author:

She’s been in love with her grumpy billionaire boss for years. Quitting should be easy. So why can’t she walk away?

Cari’s done. Three years of running Jett Knight’s life—dodging his moods, cleaning up his messes, and watching him date women who aren’t her—has finally pushed her over the edge. She’s handing in her resignation.

But Jett Knight doesn’t take orders. He gives them. And there’s no way in hell he’s letting Cari go.

He needs her—more than he’ll ever admit. His billion-dollar empire runs smoother when she’s by his side. His five-year-old daughter adores her. And the thought of Cari walking away? Unacceptable.

So he makes her an offer. One she should refuse.

But resisting Jett? That’s never been Cari’s strong suit…

JETT is an age gap, single dad, steamy billionaire boss romance. It’s the first book in a scorching billionaire series featuring six powerful brothers, a ruthless family empire, and the cold, calculating father who rules it all.

https://amzn.to/485rCMX

This is a self-published book, and my first read by this author.

Jett, 33, is the eldest of the Knight brothers. His personal assistant, Cari, is 24 years old, and he treats her abominably. Somehow, she has a massive crush on him, despite him sending her out to buy gifts for his girlfriend of the month, pick up his dry cleaning, and so forth. His only redeeming quality is his five-year-old daughter. Cari feels stuck in her job because she is taking care of her mother, who is ill, but when she passes, her priorities change. She finally summons up the courage to turn in her resignation. Unfortunately, Jett doesn’t even see it in the pile of mail he is neglecting.

When Jett’s nanny refuses to cut her vacation short because he forgot about a business trip, he fires her. Then he finds Cari’s letter of resignation and talks her into staying on for just a few weeks and working as his temporary nanny. She acquiesces, and they fly off on a business trip/vacation to Bermuda. Meanwhile, Jett’s father has arranged a marriage for him with a business deal in mind, but Jett is appalled and refuses to even consider it. His father, however, isn’t taking no for an answer.

Cari enjoys spending time with her young charge, even though the people she has to deal with at various social events for the kids are incredibly rude and unkind, even to the child. When Jett sees how Cari stands up for his daughter, he is truly touched.

Eventually, Jett starts falling for Cari, and their relationship takes a steamy turn. While there is a happy ending, it’s more of a happy for now than forever – at least until the next book unfolds. I dislike romance books with ambiguous endings, and the push-pull between the main characters eventually got old. Not my favorite, and I won’t be searching out the rest of this series.

3/2026 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

JETT by C. Self-published. ( February 25, 2025). ASIN: B0DTJ88NF6. 462p.

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LUCKY COWBOY by Heatherly Bell

March 27, 2026

The Cowboys of Stone Ridge, Book 1

From the author:

In a small Texas town where cowboys outnumber women, one rule keeps the peace: Don’t fall for your best friend’s sister.

He’s the grumpy one—the steady, hard-working cowboy who keeps his head down and his feelings locked tight. She’s the one woman he’s never been allowed to want. Off-limits. Untouchable. Completely wrong.

In a town where everyone knows everyone’s business, temptation is everywhere—and so are the consequences.

Breaking the rule could cost him his best friend.

Following his heart could cost him everything else.

Because in a place this small, secrets don’t stay hidden…and love has a way of rewriting every rule.

A slow-burn, small-town cowboy romance featuring a grumpy hero, forbidden feelings, forced proximity, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

https://amzn.to/4lu01KO

This is a self-published ebook I got through BookBub. I don’t review many self-published books, but they are a huge part of the book market now, and the numbers keep growing. There are a few self-published authors I review regularly (Piper Rayne and Amy Dawes spring to mind), and many of them are being picked up by mainstream publishers as well, with the authors often keeping the digital rights and selling print rights, like Lucy Score. It’s all changing rapidly, not to mention the influx of AI into the publishing realm, especially in romance. But I’ll leave those thoughts for another day.

Stone Ridge, Texas—still clinging to its Old West roots—has one big problem: men outnumber women five to one. It’s a close-knit community where everyone knows everyone’s business and has an opinion about it.

Sadie Stephens, the town’s new schoolteacher, has loved her older brother’s best friend, Lincoln Carver, since she was sixteen, but to him she was always just her brother Beau’s little sister. Back then, he barely noticed her. Lincoln grew up fast after his mother walked out on the family, leaving him to raise his younger siblings and teaching him not to trust love or permanence. Sadie, meanwhile, left Stone Ridge for college, only to have her confidence shattered by a cheating boyfriend. Now she’s back home, wary of men and trying to rebuild her life.

Her best friend, Eve, once engaged to Lincoln’s younger brother Jackson, fled on their wedding day. The Carver family blamed Sadie for not talking Eve out of it, and the fallout cracked something between the two families that never fully healed. Eve has since become a veterinarian and carries her own scars, including partial hearing loss and unresolved feelings for Jackson. But that’s a story for another book.

Sadie’s return to Stone Ridge isn’t smooth. She’s back, teaching at a start-up school for the town’s youngest children, so they won’t have to ride a bus halfway across the county. On her first day, a student pushes her to the brink of exasperation, and her frustrated stomp sends her foot straight through the rotting floorboards. Repairs are needed immediately, and in a town full of men eager to help, Lincoln is one of the first to step up. A rancher and former rodeo star, he’s respected, capable, and determined to keep his distance from anything resembling emotional entanglement—especially with Sadie.

But everything shifts when Sadie invites him to speak to her students about rodeo life. The kids convince him to demonstrate his lasso skills, and in the chaos, Sadie—true to her klutzy nature—trips, hits her head, and ends up with a concussion. Lincoln feels responsible and refuses to leave her alone when she declines a hospital visit. Dinner and a reluctant checkup follow, giving them their first real chance to see each other clearly.

Their chemistry is undeniable, but both carry deep‑rooted fears. Sadie doesn’t trust easily anymore. Lincoln doesn’t trust love at all. Her mother has opinions about cowboys and financial futures. The road to their happy ending takes more than a few wrong turns — but in a town like Stone Ridge, the community has a way of closing ranks around the people who need it most. Through missteps, misunderstandings, and a few emotional detours, Sadie and Lincoln slowly learn to let go of old wounds and take a chance on something real.

3/2026 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

LUCKY COWBOY by Heatherly Bell. Heatherly Bell Books. (April 6, 2021). ASIN: B08L1HMYM4. 318p.

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Spotlight Review: HOW TO WRITE A LOVE STORY by Catherine Walsh

March 24, 2026

From the publisher:

One writer, one editor, one hot summer . . . Will this be a romance for the books?

Ciara Sheridan’s father has left her with three things: a sprawling and distinctly ramshackle estate on the Irish coast, the outline for the finale to his bestselling epic fantasy series that he wanted her to finish—and writer’s block.

Enter Sam Avery: Frank Sheridan fanboy and hotshot editor, sent from the New York publishing house direct to Ciara’s doorstep—red pen ready.

At first, Ciara and Sam butt heads with crackling energy. But with the deadline looming, Ciara and Sam have just a few weeks to stop bickering, write this novel, and secure Frank’s legacy.

As the summer heats up, so, too, does the tension between them. Will their own love story be the plot twist neither of them see coming?
https://amzn.to/3NrhRBP

Famous fantasy author Frank Sheridan (think Tolkien or Rowling) wrote the Ravian series of nine books. He never got to write the tenth and final book in the series as he passed away, leaving his notes and his estate to his daughter, Ciera. A mystery writer under a pseudonym, Ciera stopped writing when her real name was outed, followed by the typical online hate.

Sheridan’s publisher offers Ciera a contract to write the last book, but she is experiencing severe writer’s block and hasn’t turned in a single page. As her deadline nears, the publisher decides to send their top editor, Sam, over to Ireland to help her out. Sam is a lifelong Ravian fan, and no one knows the series or the characters better.

Frank’s house is almost as famous as his books, and fans have been trying to find it for years. They show up occasionally, but Ciera has no patience for them. It’s in a tiny hamlet in Ireland, where she grew up, so the locals are protective of her. Sam arranges to stay in the only “inn” in town. It’s a tiny room above the local pub, but it will suffice. The pub owner refuses to give him directions to Ciera’s house, so he sets off on foot, figuring he’ll find it eventually. He does, and talks her into getting to work.

They work together, and eventually she starts churning out pages, and things are going well. Sam tries to stay professional, but Ciera is pushing all his buttons, and eventually they fall into a friendship and then more. But when word leaks out that the final book is being written, all hell breaks loose. It is up to Sam to protect Ciera and help her get to the finish line, but it becomes increasingly difficult, and eventually, Sam has to go back to New York to deal with the fallout.

This was a slow-burn romance, emphasis on the slow. I’m not sure if it is the start of a new series; Ciara’s best friend, Maddie, seems ripe for a book of her own, but only time will tell. Walsh delivers a solid romance, but I expected more.

3/2026 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

HOW TO WRITE A LOVE STORY by Catherine Walsh. Dutton (March 10, 2026). ISBN: 979-8217043781. 352p.

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Audiobook Sunday: THE SLOW BURN by Ali Rosen

March 22, 2026

Narration by Dominique Salvacion

From the publisher:

From the bestselling author of Unlikely Story comes a warm, witty novel about a chef whose unexpected summer in Italy turns messier and richer than any recipe she ever would’ve planned.

Between a breakup and a burned-down restaurant, there’s nothing left in New York for Kit Roth except the ashes of her success.

Needing distance and distraction, she agrees to work for her best friend’s pasta-making nonna in the Italian countryside. But instead of providing a quiet sabbatical to eat up time while her kitchen is rebuilt, the small town of Manciano keeps pulling Kit into its rituals and rhythms. And before long, it shows her everything she’s been missing. Simpler cooking, community…and Nico Ruspoli, an olive oil producer with his own scorched past. But with Kit determined to leave after three months, and Nico rooted to his grove, their growing chemistry is at odds with what they both want for their future.

Yet with each passing week, Kit finds herself measuring less and tasting more. And when it’s time to go back to her life in New York, she doesn’t know what—or who—she’s willing to leave behind.

https://amzn.to/3Pjg9my

I visited Italy many years ago and have longed to go back. It was glorious! So any time I can read a book that takes me back, I’m all in.

Kit is a chef who doesn’t just love her job — she is her job. So when the restaurant she helms catches fire, she’s completely devastated. Her breakup with her boyfriend — who is also her business partner, and yes, they were sleeping together — barely registers by comparison. What matters is that she can’t cook.

Panicking, Kit’s best friend steps in with a solution: go to Italy and stage at her grandmother’s restaurant in the tiny town of Manciano.

And so Kit lands in Tuscany, in an entirely different world. Nonna’s restaurant lives and dies by pasta, and Nonna is no pushover. She refuses to let this celebrated visiting chef anywhere near the flour — for weeks, Kit is stuck doing scut work. But she’s in a kitchen, and that makes her happy.

Next door lies an olive grove, tended by Nico — producer of the finest olive oil in the region and, not incidentally, very easy on the eyes. He’s also genuinely kind. Kit starts spending time with him, a friendship takes root, and the slow burn begins. Very slow. Glacially slow, really. Eventually they move toward something deeper, though a complication looms: Kit has a newly refurbished restaurant waiting in New York and no shortage of other opportunities, while Nico has olive trees rooted firmly in Tuscan soil. They find a way to bridge the distance — in a manner most readers will see coming long before they get there.

What elevates this one for me is the setting. Italy does a lot of heavy lifting, and I’m happy to let it. I don’t mind a slow burn in principle, but this one tests the limits. There is a bit of steam that frankly, helps. The ending, though, is telegraphed so clearly that the drama leading up to it feels overwrought.

That said, if you love Italy and Italian food as much as I do, it’s an enjoyable read. The narrator handles the material well, and I’d gladly listen to her again. Viva Italia!

3/2026 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE SLOW BURN by Ali Rosen. Narrator: Dominique Salvacion. Brilliance Audio (January 27, 2026). ASIN: B0FNRYSVCK. Listening Length: 9 hours and 16 minutes.

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THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans

March 20, 2026

From the publisher:

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Discover the word-of-mouth hit hailed by Ann Patchett as “A cause for celebration”—an intimate novel about the transformative power of the written word and the beauty of slowing down to reconnect with the people we love.

“The Correspondent is this year’s breakout novel no one saw coming.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Imagine, the letters one has sent out into the world, the letters received back in turn, are like the pieces of a magnificent puzzle. . . . Isn’t there something wonderful in that, to think that a story of one’s life is preserved in some way, that this very letter may one day mean something, even if it is a very small thing, to someone?”

Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime.

Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.

Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has—a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.

Sybil Van Antwerp’s life of letters might be “a very small thing,” but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.

LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE, THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL, AND THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Elle, Christian Science Monitor, She Reads

https://amzn.to/3PfWVy7

Well. Where to start. A letter!

Dear reader,

This remarkable debut novel came out last year, and I kept putting it off until I forgot about it entirely. My mistake — don’t make the same one. This is a book not to be missed, and now that I’ve finally read it, I know I’ll never forget it.

It’s an epistolary novel — a novel told entirely through letters. I love this format, though I know not everyone does. Set aside any reservations and give it a chance. One of my all-time favorite books is also epistolary: Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger. If you haven’t read it, find a copy and thank me later. I read it more than twenty years ago and could still discuss it in detail today — which, given how much my memory has faded and how many books I’ve consumed in the interim, says everything.

But I digress.

Our heroine/letter writer is Sybil Van Antwerp, a septuagenarian from Maryland who has spent her life writing letters. She writes to her brother in France, her best friend in Connecticut, and her children, who rarely write back. She corresponds with the troubled but brilliant young son of a judge who is a family friend, and with authors you may recognize — Ann Patchett (who blurbed this book) and Joan Didion, among others. We come to know everyone in Sybil’s world through her letters and the ones she receives.

Through those letters, we learn that Sybil lost a child when he was very young, a loss that shaped the entire course of her life. We learn about her divorce, her career in law, and the way she sees the world and the people in it. Once someone enters her orbit, they become a friend — whether they intend to or not. We also learn, with quiet heartbreak, that Sybil has been diagnosed with a rare disease that will eventually cost her her sight. She is slowly going blind.

I particularly loved her reflections on why she writes by hand. There are some emails in the mix, but most of the correspondence is written at her desk — a form of communication that has become, if not already obsolete, then rapidly fading. (To be clear, the book itself is printed in a normal font; I only mean that the characters write by hand.) What letters do, especially in this novelist’s hands, is create an extraordinary sense of intimacy. Reading them feels like peering directly into someone’s thoughts. The reader becomes almost complicit — a quiet witness to a private world.

I loved this book. It moves quickly, as epistolary novels tend to, but it lingers long after the last page. I’ve read two books since finishing it, and I’m still thinking about Sybil — her voice, her letters, the way they made me laugh, bristle, and ache by turns. I spent the final chapters dreading the end, even as it became inevitable. It will absolutely appear on my best-of-the-year list.

One of the reasons I started this blog back in the 1990’s was because when I find a book that I love, I want everyone to read it. I hope I’ve convinced you to read it. If I have, please come back and tell me what you think.

Thanks for reading.

Warmest wishes,
Stacy

PS: I found this little review online and wished I had written it!

“I don’t say this lightly: this book is perfect. A staggering achievement of voice and character, of layered empathy and honest appraisal about all the ways we fail and recover as humans. Just so so good. I read it in a day, but will think about it for years.” Michael Smith, Goodreads

3/2026 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans. Crown. (April 29, 2025). ISBN: 978-0593798430. 304p.

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TAKE A NUMBER by Amy Daws

March 20, 2026

Wait With Me, Book 4

From the author:

A brand new standalone romantic comedy from Amazon Top 13 bestseller, Amy Daws!

Norah is certain that fake dating the cocky silent investor of her bakery could be messy…but that’s what aprons are for.

Norah Donahue wants to run bakeries not have babies, but her matchmaking mother won’t stop trying to play Cupid. She has her hands full getting her new business off the ground while dealing with her frustratingly flirty financial partner, Dean.

Dean Moser is a cocky stock market savant whose friends are all settling down, leaving Boulder’s infamous ladies’ man all alone. Recently he’s set his sights on Norah, who brushes off his advances like flour from her apron.

But when Norah needs a fake date for her parents’ anniversary party, her new silent investor might be just the guy for the job. He’s charismatic, successful, and too much of a playboy to take it seriously. It seems like a foolproof plan…

That is, until Norah decides to break her biggest rule and lock lips with Dean in the middle of the party.

Turns out that Dean and Norah’s chemistry is sizzling hot, but mixing business with pleasure could turn out to be a recipe for disaster.

Or maybe they can have their cake and eat it too.

Take A Number is a 92,000 word full-length rom com best enjoyed with lots of pastries.

https://amzn.to/4lu01KO

Norah Donahue grew up learning to bake at her mother’s side, and the moment she sold her first box of homemade cookies, she knew she’d found her calling. Culinary school sharpened her instincts, and her creativity led her to invent her own croissant–donut hybrid—distinct from the famous Cronut—which helped launch her thriving bakery, Rise and Shine. Now she’s opening a second location in Denver with franchise ambitions on the horizon.

Norah is driven, hilarious, and fiercely independent, though she undersells herself — she doesn’t see how remarkable she is. What should be a triumphant moment is complicated by her mother, who dismisses Norah’s success and focuses instead on her lack of a husband and children. Norah has poured everything into her business and has zero interest in dating, convinced her work is enough.

Dean Moser is a charming, flirtatious hedge fund guy who has coasted on casual hookups since his two best friends, Kate and Lynsey, paired off and left him behind. Lately, though, the easy lifestyle feels hollow. The one constant brightening his days is his morning ritual at Rise and she decides to expand to a second shop in Denver, he becomes her silent partner—partly because it’s a smart business move, partly because he can’t resist helping her succeed.

When Norah’s mother tries to set her up with an old flame at an upcoming family anniversary party, she goes into a panic. Dean needs a credible date for a friend’s wedding, and the solution is obvious: a fake relationship, complete with Norah’s carefully drafted list of rules.

What follows is the classic slow burn — two people with real reasons to avoid love who find that their chemistry and connection keep undermining their best intentions. Dean won’t risk becoming his emotionally damaging father; Norah won’t sacrifice her empire for anyone.

As their fake dating arrangement blurs into something real, both must confront the emotional baggage holding them back. Dean’s missteps can be maddening, but his heart is genuine. Norah’s growth—from list‑making perfectionist to someone willing to take emotional risks—is both funny and inspiring.

Take a Number blends humor, heat, and heart as Norah and Dean navigate meddling friends, overbearing parents, and their own fears. It’s a swoony, sexy rom‑com with surprising depth, a hero you’ll want to shake and hug in equal measure, and a heroine who discovers she can build an empire and open herself to love.

3/2026 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

TAKE A NUMBER by Amy Daws. Stars Hollow Publishing. (October 8, 2020). ISBN: 978-1944565336. 300p.

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Spotlight Review: BETTER THAN A DUKE by Suzanne Enoch

March 17, 2026

Story Lake, Book 2

From the publisher:

It takes more than Cupid to arrange a marriage in this sparkling Regency romcom from New York Times best-selling author Suzanne Enoch, where The Parent Trap crashes into Bridgerton as two precocious children decide to play matchmaker for their unsuspecting single parents.

Beckett Raines, the Marquis of Hentrose, needs a wife, and he’s resigned to participating in the Season to search for a suitable mother for his young daughter Rebecca. Beckett is determined to wed for practicality rather than love―and he thinks he’s found the perfect, proper woman for the job.

Instead, he’s stunned when his new next door neighbor Iris Silbern bursts into his London home in pursuit of her mischievous son Edmund. Her ferocity, sharp wit, and humor charm him, but she is by no means proper. Meanwhile, Iris’ relations are trying to set up a match with a wealthy, elderly duke―an answer to her financial troubles, if not her resistant heart.

Rebecca and Edmund have no interest in practical plans, not when the perfect father and mother are right in front of them. With only one Season to summon Cupid, they scheme to bring their parents together. But will Beckett realize how perfect a messy life can be? And will Iris open her heart to a man who may not be a duke, but something even better?

“Bestseller Suzanne Enoch puts a Regency spin on The Parent Trap in this sparkling romp…. Historical romance fans won’t want to miss this one.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

“Keeps one-upping its own hijinks as it goes along, culminating in an ending that would be ridiculously over-the-top if it wasn’t so satisfying… A lively Regency romance that brings two lovable families together.” —Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW

“A charming play on The Parent Trap, moved to Regency London.” —Library Journal
https://amzn.to/4sIJwNw

I haven’t read Enoch in years, and I’m not sure why. This standalone historical romance was terrific – don’t let the horrible cover put you off. (That is one of the blessings of reading advance digital galleys, I rarely even see the cover because frankly, this one is off-putting.)

Iris Silbern has moved to London to stay, at least temporarily, with her aunt and uncle. A widow for years, she has been thrown out of her home by the new title holder, who wants to convert it into a hunting lodge. With her bright young son, Edmund, and his tutor in tow, Iris hopes to persuade her uncle to loan her the money to buy a small country house that she can convert into a boarding house and run as a business.

Next door lives the Marquis of Hentrose, Beckett Raines, along with his precocious daughter, Rebecca. Rebecca’s mother died in childbirth, and Beckett has received little help from his own mother, who firmly believes children belong in the nursery with a nanny and should be visited only occasionally. Having disliked that distant upbringing himself, Beckett is determined to be a more attentive parent and spends as much time with Rebecca as he can. But as she approaches ten years old, he realizes she will soon need a mother figure to guide her through society. So when his mother claims to have found the perfect woman for him to marry, he is willing to listen.

Her choice is Lady Pauline, the granddaughter of a duke who has spent six seasons without securing a husband. To Beckett, that is not necessarily a drawback. Having married very young the first time—to a wife who was little more than a schoolgirl—he now wants a more mature and practical arrangement. He has no interest in a grand romance; in fact, he would prefer to keep emotions out of it altogether. What he wants is a sensible, well-connected woman who can be a proper stepmother to Rebecca and provide him with an heir. Lady Pauline appears to fit the requirements, though Beckett has no intention of rushing into anything after being burned once before.

Meanwhile, Edmund and Rebecca quickly become inseparable friends. Beckett finds himself liking Iris as well, though he considers her somewhat ill-mannered and too quick-tempered to be the sort of role model he wants for Rebecca. Because the children spend so much time together, however, Iris and Beckett inevitably develop a friendly rapport of their own.

Things begin to unravel when Beckett invites Lady Pauline to lunch so she can meet Rebecca. When Beckett is called away, Pauline dismisses the servants from the room, and the encounter takes an ugly turn. Rebecca is left terrified that her father will marry this dreadful woman, who will surely send her off to boarding school at the first opportunity. At the same time, Iris’s aunt introduces her to the Duke of Trent—a man more than twice her age who has already buried five wives and is apparently looking for a sixth. Iris wants nothing to do with him, but she also knows that if she hopes to secure Edmund’s future, her options may be limited.

Determined to prevent these disastrous marriages, Edmund and Rebecca hatch a plan to bring their parents together instead. Their schemes grow increasingly elaborate, eventually drawing the household staff into the conspiracy. It takes time—and quite a few mischievous pranks—before Iris and Beckett finally see what is right in front of them and find their way to a well-earned happy ending.

This was a delightful, thoroughly entertaining read, and I highly recommend it. I’ll definitely be moving Suzanne Enoch to the top tier of my historical romance authors list.

3/2026 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

BETTER THAN A DUKE by Suzanne Enoch. Bramble (March 3, 2026). ISBN: 978-1250331205. 352p.

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Audiobook Sunday: IN THE WEEDS by B.K. Borison

March 15, 2026

Narration by Pippa Jayne & Dane Anderson

Lovelight, Book 2

From the publisher:

One incredible weekend in Maine, and Beckett Porter is officially a distracted man. He’s not unfamiliar with hot and heavy flings. He knows how it goes. But Evie wove some sort of magic over him during their tumble in the sheets. He can’t stop thinking about her laugh, her hand pressed flat against his chest, her smiling mouth at his neck, her eyes, her legs.

So when she suddenly appears on his farm as part of a social media contest, he is confused. He had no idea that the sweet and sexy woman he met at a bar is actually a global phenomenon: social media influencer Evelyn St. James. When she disappears again, Beckett resolves to finally forget her and move on.

But Evelyn St. James has a problem.

Feeling disconnected from her work and increasingly unhappy, she’s trying to find her way back to something real. She returns to the last place she was happy, Lovelight Farms and the tiny town of Inglewild.

It has absolutely nothing to do with the hot farmer she spent two incredible nights with—nothing at all.

In the Weeds is a sweet and steamy second-chance romance about finding your happiness. It features a grumpy farmer, a no-nonsense social media influencer, a small town of busybodies, and four very cute kittens. This is the second book in a series of interconnected standalones following the three Lovelight owners.

Read an excerpt: https://amzn.to/4b8tWEZ

Beckett has everything he loves — his farm, his cats, his quiet life — and yet he’s lonely. A brief, exhilarating fling with Evelyn St. James in Maine was the most fun he’s had in years, but she ghosted him, and he can’t stop thinking about her.

When Evie turns up at Lovelight Farms as part of a social media contest, Beckett is understandably bewildered. Evie had just as good a time with Beckett, but didn’t think anything would ever come of it.

When the contest ends, and Evie goes back to her real life, she’s deeply unhappy — restless in a way she can’t quite figure out. What she does know is that she felt genuinely happy at Lovelight Farms, so that’s where she needs to be. She has bigger questions to sort out, too: Is she done with social media? What does she actually want from life? It’s worth noting that Evie defies the influencer stereotype entirely — she’s kind, gentle, and thoughtful, which makes her easy to root for.

When Evie comes back to the farm, to the small town of Inglewild, to the last place she remembers feeling like herself, she’s very clear that it has absolutely nothing to do with the hot farmer she spent two nights with. Nothing at all. Beckett reluctantly agrees to let her stay in the Airstream on his farm and tries hard to keep his distance. He fails miserably – his feelings for Evie are impossible to deny, as are hers for him.

Their relationship strikes a satisfying balance between tension and angst, with genuinely sweet moments and plenty of spice. Watching them find their way to each other was a pleasure and a welcome escape. Yes, there’s a third-act breakup, and yes, there’s way more miscommunication than two grown-ass adults really have any excuse for — but both are standard romance fodder, and neither derailed my enjoyment.

I enjoyed the dual narration. Both readers brought a lot to these characters and to the story. Bottom line: likable characters, a charming small town, and a fast, fun read. Working through Borison’s backlist, I can say her growth as a writer is clear in her later work. This isn’t her best, but I’d recommend it without hesitation.

3/2026 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

IN THE WEEDS by B.K. Borison. Narrators: Pippa Jayne & Dane Anderson. Dreamscape Media (September 20, 2022). ASIN: B0B61YZCD8. Listening Length: 10 hours and 46 minutes.