Stacy Alesi

THE ROOMMATE by Rosie Danan

November 14, 2020

From the publisher:

A LibraryReads Pick

House Rules:
Do your own dishes
Knock before entering the bathroom
Never look up your roommate online

The Wheatons are infamous among the east coast elite for their lack of impulse control, except for their daughter Clara. She’s the consummate socialite: over-achieving, well-mannered, predictable. But every Wheaton has their weakness. When Clara’s childhood crush invites her to move cross-country, the offer is too tempting to resist. Unfortunately, it’s also too good to be true.

After a bait-and-switch, Clara finds herself sharing a lease with a charming stranger. Josh might be a bit too perceptive—not to mention handsome—for comfort, but there’s a good chance he and Clara could have survived sharing a summer sublet if she hadn’t looked him up on the Internet…

Once she learns how Josh has made a name for himself, Clara realizes living with him might make her the Wheaton’s most scandalous story yet. His professional prowess inspires her to take tackling the stigma against female desire into her own hands. They may not agree on much, but Josh and Clara both believe women deserve better sex. What they decide to do about it will change both of their lives, and if they’re lucky, they’ll help everyone else get lucky too.

This was a first for me. I don’t recall ever reading a romance where the protagonist is a porn star. Male escorts show up now and again but that is an entirely different kettle of fish. You don’t get to look them up online and watch them perform. But that’s what happens to Clara after she throws caution to the wind and moves cross-country to share an apartment with the guy she’s had a crush on forever.

But when she gets there, he tells her he’s hitting the road for a while and has sublet his room to another guy. All she knows is his name is Josh and he is really cute. Clara is disappointed but too ashamed to crawl back home so she decides to make the best of it. Fairly quickly she finds out he works in the porn industry and is a star. And when they find they can no longer resist the sexual tension, everything changes.

Josh, who has always viewed sex as a job, is not sure what to do about his feelings. He’s just not used to having any. Clara is also facing a dilemma. Her family is known for their shocking scandals, but she’s always been the good girl of the family. Until now – this one will top them all.

Can a socialite and a porn star form a meaningful relationship? Of course they can, but not without a lot of angst and laughter along the way. I also appreciated the glimpse into the sex worker industry, the inherent problems with that field of work, and how some performers manage it.

This book will not be for everyone, but if you like terrific characters, an interesting storyline, real conflict, a strong feminist agenda, and well-written sex scenes as much as I do, then you won’t want to miss it. I highly recommend this debut novel, and can’t wait for Danan’s next book, The Intimacy Experiment, which comes out in the spring.

11/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE ROOMMATE by Rosie Danan. Berkley (September 15, 2020). ISBN 978-0593101605. 336 pages.

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GOOD & EVIL by Giacometti & Ravenne

November 13, 2020

The war is far from over

From the publisher:

OUT NOW: the second volume in the bestselling, exhilarating WWII treasure-hunt thriller series for fans of Dan Brown

November 1941. Germany is about to win the war. Only one thing still separates the Nazis from a certain victory: they must find the three remaining all-powerful swastikas and reunite them with a fourth that is safely hidden away in Himmler’s mountain stronghold.

Churchill has no choice but to mobilize his best man, double agent Tristan Marcas, and employ the most risky techniques to beat them to it. It all comes to a showdown at a ball in Venice…

This is volume 2 of a planned 3 book series dealing with the possibility that Adolf Hitler, along with some of his high echelon officers, were firm believers in certain symbols that had the power to influence major events. They were purported to plan both military and political actions based on what they perceived were the influences of symbols. The novels concern four Swastikas that are sought by both the Nazis and the British with the belief that the balance of the war being fought by them would be affected by the possession of these symbols. The first book ends with each side having one of the Swastikas and both after the other two.

The authors are writing the novels so that they all have to be read in order and it is certainly the case that a fair amount of what is occurring in book two has a grounding in the first book. If the reader has read the first book the events and sequencing will be logical. If not, the story and its treatment by the authors make it very worthwhile to try and do so.

The novel opens in late 1941 with the probability that Germany will win the war. Hitler feels he must find the remaining Swastikas and unite them with the one currently being held in a vault in Himmler’s mountain stronghold. Winston Churchill knows that he must prevent this and mobilizes his best man: Tristan Marcas to organize a counter search keeping the remaining Swastikas out of the hands of the Nazis. The point-counterpoint of both sides is a completely mesmerizing study of constant action with Tristan’s group in constant danger of being caught and executed.

Ian Fleming, later author of the James Bond series of novels, is depicted as taking part in the story as head of the British group seeking contact with and aiding Marcas’ search. A neat touch by the authors is to suggest that Fleming was influenced by this action to create his character as well as coming up with the designation 007 for Bond.

The authors set up a background scenario revolving around Hitler, his boyhood, his service in the trenches of World War One, and methods of seeking and obtaining power over a Germany fed up with being blamed for starting WWI, and in the midst of a crippling depression. Undoubtedly based on solid research, it is an interesting sideline to the book and perhaps to arrive at an understanding of why a minority of Germany’s population were able to take over the country and allow itself to be steered into a world war.

11/2020 Paul Lane

GOOD & EVIL by Giacometti & Ravenne. Hodder (February 23, 2021). ISBN: 978-1529359428. 384 pages.

Kindle: available now!

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CORONAVIRUS DIARY: November 12, 2020

November 12, 2020

Since my last diary post was basically a rant against the current president and administration, and a plea to vote for Biden and Harris, it seems only fitting that I mention the results. Biden & Harris won after several days of agonizing over the count. Larry broke out the champagne at 11:30 Saturday morning when it was finally announced, and we celebrated!

I just realized that it is only 2 weeks until Thanksgiving. I am very grateful for the election results. I am grateful that my family is all safe and healthy. I am grateful for my job and my boss and my co-workers. I am grateful that my husband got a promotion during this pandemic and finally has a boss who appreciates him.

This is always a difficult holiday for me. It was my mom’s favorite, and I miss her. This year it will just be me, my husband, and daughter – possibly a friend as well. A couple of years ago I started inviting friends, but this year, well, it just doesn’t seem like the safest idea. Maybe one though – I have a largish dining room table and if we spread out, I think it will be okay. Maybe. The latest numbers are so scary though.

Regular readers know I like to cook and bake, but I don’t think I’ve ever shared a recipe here. So here is a Thanksgiving gift from me to you.

Gravy. Everyone loves it but not everyone makes it well. It can send people into a panic despite the fact that there are a million recipes online. Here’s one more, and trust me when I say it is the only gravy recipe you will ever use again. I’ve been making this gravy for over 30 years now!

I’m going to make a bold claim, but I stand by it. This recipe is great because you can make it up to three days in advance. It makes a lot of gravy, at least a quart. You can freeze leftover gravy and just reheat it when needed. Best of all, it is so delicious you will wish you could have it on everything. And did I mention you can make it in advance?!!!

Best Turkey Gravy Ever!

INGREDIENTS

Turkey neck & giblets
6 C. chicken stock
1 C. dry white wine or dry vermouth
2 large onions, sliced
1 C. sliced carrots
1/2 C. celery leaves & stems

6 Tbs. butter
3/4 C. Flour

Up to 2 cups turkey drippings
Salt & pepper to taste

UP TO 3 DAYS AHEAD:

Take butter out and leave on the counter to soften.

Cut neck and heart in half. Put liver in a small covered dish in the refrigerator. Combine neck, heart, gizzard, onions, carrots, celery leaves, stock, and wine in a stockpot and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered 1 1/2 hours. Add the liver and cook 30 minutes more.

NOTE: If your turkey doesn’t have giblets or is missing the neck, substitute a turkey wing. Don’t cut it off your turkey, just buy one!

NOTE: For celery leaves, cut off the tops of the stalks, celery and all, and chop it all up.

INSTANT POT? You can combine all the ingredients, including the liver, and cook in an Instant Pot for 20 minutes, high pressure, natural release. You can also skip the wine and just use an extra cup of stock or water if you prefer.

Let cool then strain into large measuring cup, pressing out as much liquid as possible. Add water if needed to make 6 cups.

NOTE: When I make this on the stove, I almost always have to add a bit of water. With the Instant Pot, I end up with more than I need. Don’t toss any extra! Add it to the bottom of the pan when you put your turkey in. Or use it to baste the turkey when you run out of butter (I’ve heard that happens to some people.) Or use it to moisten your stuffing and/or dressing. It’s good stuff; you will be happy you have it Thanksgiving day.

Mash softened butter and flour with a fork until well blended to a paste. Divide into 4 chunks. Return strained broth to a 3 qt. saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Whisk in the flour mixture one chunk at a time until well blended. Keep stirring with the whisk until thick and boiling for three minutes. Press plastic wrap or parchment paper onto the surface of the hot gravy and refrigerate up to 3 days. Then…

Thanksgiving Day!

Remove plastic wrap and heat on medium-low, whisking occasionally. Whisk in up to 2 cups turkey drippings (skim off the fat if possible). Cook until hot, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2 Comments | Ramblings | Tagged: Gravy, Recipe, Thanksgiving, Turkey | Permalink
Posted by Stacy Alesi

MIRACLES AND MENORAHS by Stacey Agdern

November 11, 2020

Friendships and Festival, Book 1

From the publisher:

Sarah Goldman loves Hanukkah, and she’s thrilled to be appointed as vice chair of the Hollowville Hanukkah Festival. So when the festival is threatened with cancellation, she comes up with an idea: a new slogan and advertising campaign topped off with a metal menorah large enough to fill the center of town. But even though her heart and dreams are large, the committee’s budget constraints threaten to stop her grand plans right in their tracks.

Famous metal sculptor Isaac Lieberman also loves Hanukkah. But his vision of a perfect Hanukkah isn’t a commercial community event—it’s spending time with family, following age-old traditions. He’s not interested in the festival, no matter how many times his grandmother, his bubbe, asks him to contribute one of his sculptures.

Then Sarah comes tumbling into his life…can she change his mind about more than just the holidays?

It feels like I have been waiting forever for a Hanukkah romance. Last year, the Hallmark Channel teased that they had not one, but two Hanukkah romances, “Double Holiday” and “Holiday Date. ” The Lifetime channel announced they had a Hanukkah romance, too; “Mistletoe And Menorahs.” They both lied. They had Christmas romances with a tiny, itty-bitty bit of Hanukkah, but still mostly Christmas. And insulting, too, like with characters who celebrate Hanukkah never having seen a Christmas tree before. Have they been living under a rock???

The Washington Post did a couple of good articles on these films: Hallmark’s Hanukkah movies are really Christmas movies; “all of which involve plans for a Christmas celebration that go off the rails when a character is revealed to be Jewish, which, yikes.” And this: Hallmark’s making some Hanukkah movies; “These holiday specials are really Christmas movies with Jewish characters, and they draw on old, dangerous tropes.” NPR discussed it on “All Things Considered”: A Look At The Hanukkah Movies On The Hallmark And Lifetime Channels. You can listen or read the transcript.

Anyway, I like Christmas romances; I read them, I am glued to the Hallmark Channel all fall, although I have noticed I’m losing patience with some of them. I record a few every week and lately, I’ve only watched maybe one all the way through. They are getting repetitive, I think. And sometimes just silly.

I was very excited when I saw this book, a Hanukkah romance, on Netgalley and immediately requested it. It looked like it would actually be about Hanukkah, and it was. There was a tiny touch of Christmas in the form of a town leader determined to do away with the unusual Hanukkah festival that this small town has been celebrating for ten years, and replace it with a Christmas festival like every other small town in America.

I liked the premise of the story, and I liked all the characters. That said, it wasn’t a great book. I didn’t feel like I really knew these characters other than just on the surface. There wasn’t enough story here, this really should have been a novella. Or even a short story.

The few Jewish expressions used were used ad nauseam; it felt like every other page had either a “soofi” latte, a “tatala” and/or a “bubbe,” all Yiddish and/or Hebrew words. “Soofi” is short for sufganiyot, (the preferred spelling of) an Israeli donut eaten at Hanukkah. How they make a latte donut flavored is beyond me, although raspberry syrup was mentioned, which just sounds gross but I’m the last one to judge. I basically drink a candy bar in a cup when I hit Starbucks. “Bubbe” is a grandma, and “tatala” is a term of endearment, usually for a baby or small child. But Bubbe’s can call their grown-up grandsons tatala, too.

I wasn’t sure how religious these people were. Judaism comes in several sects, from Reform (me) to Conservative (probably what they were,) Orthodox, Modern Orthodox, Chasidic, and I don’t know what else. So an Orthodox romance would be akin to an Amish or Christian romance as far as family, community, and sex go. (Try The Saturday Wife by Naomi Ragen, she’s one of my favorite authors and this book is as close to a Jewish romance as I have gotten.) This book has an occasional mention of prayer and Shabbat, no sex, a couple of kisses in the last part of the book, and that wasn’t quite enough for me to figure out the religious angle. So I’m guessing Conservative.

The romance was slow building, and I didn’t know these characters well enough to be invested. I also had trouble with the major conflict in the story; if Sarah can’t get a big, beautiful, expensive metal sculpture of a menorah to put in the town square, the Hanukkah festival would be over. Maybe the time crunch would have been more believable if it wasn’t the 10th year of the festival! I couldn’t understand why that wasn’t the first thing they bought when they started the whole thing. But that’s nitpicky, I guess.

The bottom line is I liked the book and was happy to find it, but I wish it was better.

11/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

MIRACLES AND MENORAHS by Stacey Agdern. Tule Publishing Group (October 12, 2020). ISBN 978-1952560033. 326 pages.

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THE LAW OF INNOCENCE by Michael Connelly

November 10, 2020

A Lincoln Lawyer Novel, Book 6

An Amazon Best Book of November 2020

From the publisher:

Lincoln Lawyer Mickey Haller must defend himself against murder charges in the heart-stopping new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly.

On the night he celebrates a big win, defense attorney Mickey Haller is pulled over by police, who find the body of a former client in the trunk of his Lincoln. Haller is immediately charged with murder but can’t post the exorbitant $5 million bail slapped on him by a vindictive judge.

Mickey elects to represent himself and is forced to mount his defense from his jail cell in the Twin Towers Correctional Center in downtown Los Angeles. All the while he needs to look over his shoulder—as an officer of the court he is an instant target, and he makes few friends when he reveals a corruption plot within the jail.

But the bigger plot is the one against him. Haller knows he’s been framed, whether by a new enemy or an old one. As his trusted team, including his half-brother, Harry Bosch, investigates, Haller must use all his skills in the courtroom to counter the damning evidence against him.

Even if he can obtain a not-guilty verdict, Mickey understands that it won’t be enough. In order to be truly exonerated, he must find out who really committed the murder and why. That is the law of innocence.

In his highest stakes case yet, the Lincoln Lawyer fights for his life and proves again why he is “a worthy colleague of Atticus Finch… in the front of the pack in the legal thriller game” (Los Angeles Times).

The Lincoln Lawyer is back! No worries, Harry Bosch makes a few appearances as well, but this is Mickey Haller’s story. And it is personal.

Haller is pulled over by a cop for a missing rear license plate. When the cop approaches, he sees what looks like blood dripping from the trunk of the car. He puts Haller in the back of his squad car and opens the trunk to find a dead man dripping blood from gunshot wounds.

Haller is arrested and bail set for $5 million so he remains in prison, separated from the other prisoners. He decides to defend himself and his partner, ex-wives/girlfriend, private investigator Cisco, and Harry Bosch step up to help. His daughter, Maddie, is also around. Now a law student, she takes some time off to learn from her dad, and of course to support him.

Haller knows he’s been framed but the evidence is all pointing his way and he has no idea who would have done it. Luckily, he is shrewd and smart and fighting for his life, with a team equally committed to securing his freedom. He wants the “NG”, not guilty verdict but more than that, he wants to be proved innocent. Interestingly, there is no law of innocence, but Haller knows finding the actual murderer will go a long way towards proving his innocence.

The ins and outs of a murder case are illustrated in the most interesting way as we are invested in Haller’s innocence. He has a formidable opponent in the D.A. but feels a kinship for the judge, a former defense attorney. Lots of legal action here and with the twists and turns of the case, the pages fly by.

This was a one night read for me as I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Connelly keeps getting better, and I didn’t really think that was possible. If you haven’t read him, you can easily start here. Don’t miss it.

NOTE: This is the first book I’ve read that has touched on the pandemic. It is set in the fall of 2019 through the end of February 2020, just as we were starting to understand that the coronavirus was going to be a major problem. I wouldn’t call it a plotline, but rather it lurks insidiously in the background, just as it did while we were living it. I’m mentioning it because I believe it means Connelly went back to his manuscript to update it. Most books are turned in about a year prior to publication, which would put the finished manuscript submitted to the publisher in late 2019. Kudos to Connelly and Little, Brown for being flexible enough to make these changes. I really think it added to the tension, probably more for the reader than the characters. It was incredibly well done.

11/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

From Paul Lane:

This novel featuring “Lincoln Lawyer” Mickey Haller is the prolific Michael Connelly’s 31st published book. Similarly, to his previous works, it incorporates his gifted sense of plot, and his ability to frame events in a manner that keeps his readers glued to the pages unable to put the book down until finished.

Mickey has just successfully concluded a trial and has joined his staff and friends in a celebration of the win at a local club. He pays the tab and leaves by himself to drive home. On the trip home (in one of his three Lincolns of course) he is stopped by a police officer who checks his documents and then gets him to open the trunk of the car. In a totally unexpected occurrence, a body is found in the trunk; a man that has been shot to death. The police begin an investigation and proceed in charging Mickey with murder.

The main part of the novel is devoted to the trial and Mickey’s defense. For a good part of the time, he is incarcerated when he is not in court and has to work with his associates with the disadvantage of not being able to meet during the evening or weekends.

The machinations of the prosecution working to convict Mickey are well documented as are the defense rebuttals and strategy. Connelly brings out the psychology of a trial, the attempts to color any evidence based on who is presenting it, and on the other side who is in opposition to it. Mickey has elected to use his right to demand a speedy trial. He knows that he not only must convince a jury to exonerate him but even more important has to get a clear not-guilty verdict to forever remove any cloud accruing to him and clear his reputation as a defense attorney in order to continue trying cases.

As in any real-life situation, the court action is always accompanied by personal events occurring outside of the trial. In Mickey’s case his daughter, a law student, comes to court to cheer her father on. His partner in his law firm experiences her father passing away and must leave to attend his funeral. One of his two ex-wives arrives to help out in the trial by taking over for his partner and Mickey finds that he still is in love with her.
Engrossing, yes, an all-nighter, of course. The only question is how soon can we have the pleasure of getting Connelly’s next book.

THE LAW OF INNOCENCE by Michael Connelly. Little, Brown and Company (November 10, 2020). ISBN 978-0316485623. 432 pages.

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LOATHE AT FIRST SIGHT by Suzanne Park

November 9, 2020

From the publisher:

In a debut perfect for fans of Jasmine Guillory and Sally Thorne, a junior video game producer finds herself getting closer and closer to the one person she hates most after a mass troll attack online almost ruins her life.

Melody Joo is thrilled to land her dream job as a video game producer, but her new position comes with challenges: an insufferable CEO; sexist male coworkers; and an infuriating—yet distractingly handsome—intern, Nolan MacKenzie, aka “the guy who got hired because his uncle is the boss.”

Just when Melody thinks she’s made the worst career move of her life, her luck changes. While joking with a friend, she creates a mobile game that has male strippers fighting for survival in a post-apocalyptic world. Suddenly Melody’s “joke” is her studio’s most high-profile project—and Melody’s running the show.

When Nolan is assigned to Melody’s team, she’s sure he’ll be useless. But as they grow closer, she realizes he’s smart and sexy, which makes Melody want to forget he’s her intern. As their attraction deepens, she knows it’s time to pump the brakes, even with her Korean parents breathing down her neck to hurry up and find a man.

With her project about to launch, Melody suddenly faces a slew of complications, including a devastating trolling scandal. Could the man she’s falling hard for help her play the game to win—in work and in love?

This was such a fun read! If you didn’t know, there aren’t a lot of women in the video game industry, and sexism is rampant. So right off the bat, I loved the setting and the characters.

Melody Joo is torn between her passion for her work as a video game developer and her love and respect for her parents. All they want is for Melody to marry a nice Korean boy but she has other plans.

As a joke, she dreams up this ultra-feminist shooter game, which if it exists at all, is not a bestseller by any means. But her boss overhears her talking about it and decides it is just what the company needs to fight the old boys network stereotype. He saddles her with an intern, who everyone believes got the job because of nepotism, so she isn’t thrilled. But he is really cute, and when he starts proving his worth she’s in a real dilemma. It’s not cool to have a thing with someone she’s supervising, which means lots of sexual tension. There are a lot of laughs and many a bump in the road until the happy ending is reached.

NOTE: I was curious about women in the video game industry and about women who play video games, so my first stop was with my daughter. She is 28 and a fairly serious gamer. I did some research and found that “in 2020, it was calculated that women accounted for nearly 41 percent of all gamers in the United States” and I asked her how that was possible.

She pointed out that I played video games, but I don’t think of them like that. I play games online like the NYT crossword, Candy Crush, solitaire, backgammon, Scrabble, etc. I was thinking of shooter type games, but that 41% includes all kinds of games, even the ones I play. I did a little digging (sorry, I am a librarian; researching everything is an occupational hazard!) and found a few articles that shed some light on the subject for me. There are a lot more, but if you are curious, these should get you going.

For more information:

U.S. computer and video gamers from 2006-2020, by gender.Statista

The Effect of Women in Gaming. GameDesigning.org

‘I was always told I was unusual’: why so few women design video games. The Guardian

11/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

LOATHE AT FIRST SIGHT by Suzanne Park. Avon (August 18, 2020). ISBN 978-0062990693. 368 pages.

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WAITING ON A COWBOY by Jennifer Ryan

November 8, 2020

McGrath Series, Book 1

From the publisher:

Meet New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ryan’s McGraths: a family as untamed as the land they call home.

Tate McGrath just didn’t get it. Why was Liz Scott, his best friend—and the person he relied on and trusted most—suddenly avoiding him! When he finally tracks her down, he finds her with a man he knows nothing about and she’s been dating for weeks. Suddenly, he can’t make himself ignore her tempting curves and deep green eyes, and all he wants to do is keep her all to himself. What was going on? Could he possibly be…jealous?

Liz had made the decision: stop carrying a torch for Tate and find a guy who wants to be her everything. Tate had always seen her as honest, dependable, smart, kind…Best friend, not girlfriend! And she needed to give up the dream of marrying the man she’d loved since preschool and move on.

But when Liz’s boyfriend turns dangerous, Tate steps up to help and soon realizes he’s the cowboy hero she’s been waiting for him to be all along.

Ryan writes some of the best cowboy romances, so I was very happy to see a new series in the works. Look at me, starting with the first book! There is some connection to her Wild Rose series, but you don’t have to have read that series to enjoy this book. It is a really good series though!

This story revolves around lifelong friends Liz and Tate. Liz knew she was in love with Tate when she was pretty young, but Tate is a player who has kept Liz firmly in the friend zone. She finally decides to give up and see who else is out there for her.

Liz meets Clint, who seems like a really good guy and she is determined to try and make the relationship work. But fairly quickly his true colors start to show. He becomes abusive and controlling, and Liz is troubled.

Tate slowly realizes that he hasn’t seen Liz in a while. Then he hears she has a boyfriend but he knows nothing about it. They are best friends, and he can’t figure out why Liz is avoiding him. But when Tate sees what’s going on with Clint, it is the wake up call he needed. His protective side rears up, and he starts to realize that he is also feeling jealous. He eventually figures out that Liz is the love of his life.

Meanwhile, there is a lot of suspense and tension around Clint and his stalker tendencies, which helped make the pages fly by. I really liked how serious problems are addressed here, but no worries, the happily ever after is guaranteed. A great start to a new series!

Just a personal note: I actually read this book back in the summer. Right now I have a list of about 15 books I’ve read that need reviewing. If you didn’t notice, great, but I was having a hard time updating my website for a month or two. Not for any real reason other than the stress of life. I was also having a hard time reading, I couldn’t focus. 2020 can’t be over soon enough for me. So thanks for sticking around anyway, and lots more reviews to come.

11/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

TOUGH TALKING COWBOY by Jennifer Ryan. Avon (August 18, 2020). ISBN 978-0062851932. 384p.

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KILL KITCHENER by Andrew Joseph Blasco

November 7, 2020

From the publisher:

In 1899, Fritz Duquesne, an aristocratic South African, is sent to England for his formal education. During his time there, tensions rise between the British and his homeland as the age of African colonialism peaks. A boiling point is reached between Fritz and his adopted brethren when he is sent back home–this time as a commissioned British army officer.

Simultaneously, the screams for freedom are still being heard just on the other side of the Irish Sea. There John MacBride does anything to join the revolutionary Irish Brotherhood and end the British occupation of his island once and for all. With funding running low for their cause, MacBride is forced to seek financial backing from overseas. This leads him to South Africa where the recent discovery of gold has drawn the attention of everyone looking to exploit the newfound riches, including the ever-hungry British Empire.

This is the author’s first published book and a highly successful one in presenting the world of the late 1800s to early 1900s in England and South Africa. The lead protagonist, Fritz Duquesne, was a man that actually lived during that period and is thought to have interacted with many of the key figures portrayed in the book.

Fritz is an individual born into a high-level family with his father and uncle holding leadership positions in the emerging government of South Africa. He is sent to England by his father as he comes of age and enrolled in Oxford University where he is to complete a liberal arts education to properly fit him for a leadership role in the land of his birth. By chance, Fritz meets another young man on his arrival in England, of noble birth, and also destined to attend Oxford University. The two become great friends with Fritz being invited to Jack’s home many times, meeting his parents and his sister. The sister develops a love for Fritz and his father considers him a second son, and an eventual husband for his daughter.

Jack’s father, a lord of the realm, is a man that is involved at high levels in the policy making of the British government. He is in favor of sending troops to South Africa to militarily annex the country and begins to think of Fritz as assuming an important position in the government that will be set up. To bolster his plan he arranges for both his son Jack and Fritz to be enrolled in the British military academy, earning commissions and be available to help set policy based on England’s directives for the area.

Blasco also portrays a second group of foreign colonists for high level interaction in South Africa. These are men and women from Ireland fleeing a land with limited opportunity due to adverse economic conditions, and taking an active part in events in Africa. John MacBride was forced to flee Ireland after he became involved with an assassination attempt there. He realizes the need to finance any revolutionary movement and ends up in the gold fields of Africa as a means of obtaining funds to help the revolutionary movement in Ireland.

The novel culminates in the conflict known as the Boer War, in which the residents of South Africa fight a guerilla action against what was a highly mechanized and disciplined army protecting an empire upon which the sun never sets. Sir Herbert Kitchener is second in command of the British army involved in the fighting. He has attained fame and fast promotion mainly due to his conquest of the Sudan for England and the author depicts him as a martinet with little people skills but a natural soldier quite at home in commanding men involved in battle. A possible tie in which is not brought out in the book is the sinking of a ship Kitchener was on going to attend a meeting in Russia during the first world war. Kitchener was killed and of the many rumors involved in his death was the mention, in real life, of Fritz Duquesne’s name as fomenting the assassination.

The novel is easily an all-nighter, with the reader brought headlong into a tumultuous period in world events. I would certainly be first on line to pick up succeeding books by Blasco, enjoying the work of a fast-emerging author at the top of his game.

11/2020 Paul Lane

KILL KITCHENER by Andrew Joseph Blasco. Hansen Publishing Group, LLC (October 1, 2020). ISBN: 978-1601822680. 356 pages.

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SPOILER ALERT by Olivia Dade

November 6, 2020

From the publisher:

Olivia Dade bursts onto the scene in this delightfully fun romantic comedy set in the world of fanfiction, in which a devoted fan goes on an unexpected date with her celebrity crush, who’s secretly posting fanfiction of his own.

Marcus Caster-Rupp has a secret. The world may know him as Aeneas, star of the biggest show on television, but fanfiction readers call him something else: Book!AeneasWouldNever. Marcus gets out his frustrations with the show through anonymous stories about the internet’s favorite couple, Aeneas and Lavinia. But if anyone discovered his online persona, he’d be finished in Hollywood.

April Whittier has secrets of her own. A hardcore Lavinia fan, she’s long hidden her fanfic and cosplay hobbies from her “real life”—but not anymore. When she dares to post her latest costume creation on Twitter, her plus-size take goes viral. And when Marcus asks her out to spite her internet critics, truth officially becomes stranger than fanfiction.

On their date, Marcus quickly realizes he wants more from April than a one-time publicity stunt. But when he discovers she’s Unapologetic Lavinia Stan, his closest fandom friend, he has one more huge secret to keep from her.

With love and Marcus’s career on the line, can the two of them stop hiding once and for all, or will a match made in fandom end up prematurely cancelled?

This book had a lot of buzz, especially for a first novel, but I had a hard time getting into it. The chapters are a mix of story, scenes from the TV series, occasional texts, and fanfiction making this very much a 21st century epistolary novel. The TV series is a fantasy along the lines of Game of Thrones, especially the much maligned last season. I read Game of Thrones, the first book, when it came out so a very long time ago. I rarely read fantasy anymore, and I didn’t watch the show, but I know enough about popular culture to definitely see the similarities.

I am also not a fan of fanfiction; in fact, I’ve never really read any, and I can’t think of a TV show or movie that I would want to explore in that genre. My daughter writes fanfiction, not that she’d even tell me what kind or where she posts it, but she was my translator for some of the terminology that I wasn’t familiar with, like “pegging” and “OTP”. (Even this Beginner’s Guide to Fanfiction Terminology didn’t have pegging!) But I kept hearing good things about this book, so I finally sat down and just read it.

I admit to skimming most of the fanfiction/TV series stuff, but I got the gist of it. I did like the rest of the story once I got into it. The main character, April, is fat. She is quite clear about that. She is also confident but has been hurt before. Her best friend is an online fanfic writer and reader, and they critique each other’s work. Then she decides to post a picture online of her in costume, but her body is now out there for everyone to see.

The Twitter trolls go after her, but the star of her favorite show asks her out. Most people, including April, assume it is a publicity stunt. But when they meet, there is definitely an attraction. They both have a lot of baggage and issues like fat-shaming, dyslexia, family/parent emotional abuse issues and more made this a surprisingly powerful read at times. It also made me smile, a lot. There is also some hot sex!

This is a storyline similar to the movie, You’ve Got Mail, where the male protagonist, Marcus, knows April’s online persona, but she is not aware of who he is. Deceptions abound but thankfully, there is a happy ending.

If you love You’ve Got Mail (and I do) and/or Rainbow Rowell (and I do) this book is definitely in your wheelhouse. It is an auspicious start for a new writer, and there were some hints dropped throughout that there might be a sequel in the works. I’m looking forward to it.

11/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

SPOILER ALERT by Olivia Dade. Avon (October 6, 2020). ISBN 978-0063005549. 416 pages.

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DOUBLE AGENT by Tom Bradby

November 5, 2020

From the publisher:

Kate Henderson Thrillers, Book 2

Kidnapped in Venice by a Russian defector, Kate knows she’s in trouble. But when he offers her conclusive evidence that the British Prime Minister is a live agent working for Moscow, Kate’s holiday quickly becomes the start of her next mission.

The defector has proof of the PM involved in a sordid scandal―a video supposedly used to blackmail him into Russian service decades prior―and a financial paper trail that undeniably links him to the Russians, but his motives are anything but clear. Riddled with doubt that the evidence she is presented with may not in fact be as bulletproof as it seems, Kate reopens the investigation into the PM. As she works through the case, Kate runs up against key people at the heart of the British Establishment who refuse to acknowledge the reality in front of them. And, more worryingly, clear signs that there’s still a mole in her department.

But Kate had already identified and eradicated the mole, codenamed Viper. Could she have been mistaken? And could this horrifying video be a fake, produced by the Russians to sabotage British democracy?

These questions plague Kate as she tries to keep it together for her children and ailing mother, steadily losing sleep and, she fears, her sanity. This mission will push Kate dangerously close to the edge as she continues her relentless fight for the truth.

The second Kate Henderson novel is a continuation of the exploits of people high up in the organization of MI6 with all the good points of the previous book. A kidnapping of Kate in Venice leads her into a situation in which the British Prime Minister might be a traitor working for the Russians. She is presented with a teaser indicating his guilt and promised all of the file if the individual presenting it is granted asylum in Great Britain. Her working through the facts of the allegations spreads through the highest echelons of the government as well as bringing her into a secret trip into Russia to interview the individual presenting the file.

The characters portrayed in Bradby’s book have personal pictures of them showing normal situations and private problems that do sometimes conflict with their work. In Kate’s place, she has two teenage children with their normal motivations living with her since she is divorced from her husband. Her feelings about the rupture with her husband are shown as complex as those of any individual’s emotions would be in a similar situation.

Additionally, the normal politicking present in any organization affects the thoughts and actions of the people involved. For example, one of her fellow executives is going through the personal trauma of his wife dying from inoperable cancer and having to face that while going through the problem of giving asylum or not to the people demanding it in order to release the information of the Prime Minister’s guilt.

Kate’s group is also obviously caught up in the possibility that the file of the PM’s guilt might not really be anything but a misinformation campaign by Russia. The novel is an interesting read and while not a red hot all night draw is certainly a book that will cause the reader to seek out future Bradby’s works and enjoy them.

11/2020 Paul Lane

DOUBLE AGENT by Tom Bradby. Atlantic Monthly Press (November 3, 2020). ISBN: 978-0802157645. 368 pages.