Stacy Alesi

BookBitch Diary: June 1, 2025

June 1, 2025

With all the turmoil in this country, I’ve been avoiding the news as much as possible. I still subscribe to a couple of newspapers, but just read the headlines, for the most part. My husband and I used to watch MSNBC quite a bit, but it upsets me, so we are not watching that much anymore. Considering their devastatingly low ratings, we are not the only ones.

Instead of the news, we are watching baseball.

My husband and I both grew up on Long Island, New York, and were Mets fans. When Florida got the Marlins baseball team, we switched allegiance to our local team. We went to many games, opening days, and my husband even got to go to game seven of the first World Series they won in 1997. After that win, the owner of the team sold off the players piecemeal, and they basically had to start rebuilding after that. They did, and they won another World Series in 2003. But then the same thing happened, and thoroughly disgusted, we gave up on the Marlins.

We didn’t watch any baseball for years. Then last year, we started watching as the Mets made it to the playoffs. Long-time Mets fans have been long-suffering Mets fans, but we grew up with the Miracle Mets! My husband even snuck into their first World Series winning game. He was a kid, and a bunch of them cut school, and some guy helped lift them over the fence – the olden days, way before security got so tight. They didn’t have seats, so they wandered the stadium, and it is one of his most cherished memories.

Because we haven’t watched baseball in so long, we didn’t realize how difficult, or rather expensive, it is to watch. Even the local team isn’t available on any local channels, unlike football, which televises all local games on local TV channels, Fox, or CBS. But baseball has streaming services, at least for the Marlins and the Mets. They are different services, so you get your local streaming service to watch the home team.

Being that we are in Florida and not in NY, and we didn’t care about the Marlins but very much cared about the Mets, we tried to find ways to watch. After a lot of research, I found about 8 games that we could watch without subscribing to another streaming service. But it was frustrating, so I finally talked my husband into signing up for the MLB app. It’s expensive, but not much more than a nice dinner out! He caved, and we’ve been watching almost every night – they play a lot of games in baseball! It makes me happy.

We even went up to Port St. Lucie for a couple of pre-season games, and that was a lot of fun. I much prefer pre-season and minor league games. It’s more relaxed, the stadiums are much smaller and more intimate, and it’s way less expensive. We had a nice weekend, saw the Mets beat the Nationals and the Marlins, and hope to go again next year.

We’ve also been watching the Florida Panthers – they are fighting their way back to hopefully another Stanley Cup, but Toronto wasn’t making it easy on them, until their last game. On the other hand, the Carolina Hurricanes did make it look easy for the Panthers, at least until game 4. Now it is looking good for the Panthers, and luckily those games are televised on stations we can watch; TBS, TNT, and ESPN so far. Stanley Cup is up next! Can they do it again??

I grew up an Islanders fan. They built the stadium when I was a kid, and one of my friends even babysat for one of the players! My stepmother’s brother had season tickets, and I got to go to a couple of games that way. My father-in-law worked security at Madison Square Garden, home of the Rangers, and my husband got to go to many games and sit in the press box. Things would get tense around my house when the Rangers and Islanders played each other! I always kid around and say the Florida Panthers saved my marriage – we became Panthers fans when they started that franchise, and while we both still root for our NY home teams, we rally around the Panthers when they are playing. We’ve gone to many games over the years, but the better they play, the more expensive the tickets become, so we’ve just been watching on TV for the past couple of years. We’re hoping they go all the way again this year.

Book News

Food News

If you are not familiar with Marcella Hazan, think of her as the Italian Julia Child. Her recipes are wonderful, especially her basic tomato sauce (3 ingredients – canned tomatoes, butter, onion) and her Bolognese sauce, which takes many hours and is incredibly rich and delicious, and especially good in lasagna. She became well known back in the 1980s with her “Engagement Chicken” recipe, which my chicken-hating husband calls “Divorce Chicken”! Anyway, I loved this article about her by Pete Wells (and can’t wait to see the new documentary about her!)

How Italian Home Cooks Make Their Pasta Taste So Good

TL;DR: It’s not necessarily the pasta water. It’s the marriage of starch, cheese and water, Eric Kim writes.

Good News

An 81-year-old waitress said she couldn’t retire, so a stranger raised over $300K for her

PSA

I thought there was some really great advice in this article, and wanted to share. Hope you find it as useful as I did.

Other News

I was so happy to go to New York for Memorial Day weekend! I haven’t seen my grandchildren in far too long, and honestly, it just kills me that we are so far away. Unless we win the lottery, we will never be able to afford to live near them in Brooklyn, NY, or anywhere close enough to make a difference. This was the first time in years that we all got to go – me, my husband, and my daughter.

For the past few years, we couldn’t leave our aging kitty home alone. He wasn’t dealing well with strangers, or even friends and family he’d known for years, and we didn’t want to stress him out. We used to leave him alone for up to 3 days with plenty of food and water, and he was content, if not happy. But the last time we tried that, he was miserable (we have cameras). He clung to me for days afterwards, and we knew that it was no longer an option.

Since Loki passed away in February, this is the first trip we’ve all taken together. Originally, my daughter and I were going to go, and my husband was going to stay home with Loki. But after he passed, I checked and miraculously, there were still seats available on our flight, and he ended up paying about $10 less than I did! I was even able to get three seats together. I figured the universe owed us that, and I was most grateful it worked out. I’m sorry to say my granddaughter was fighting a bad summer cold and wanted no part of us. On our last day there, her fever broke, and she started feeling more like herself, so we got to see Sylvie in action! I read my grandson all the books I’ve gotten for him this past year, and kudos to my son and daughter-in-law for letting him know that I did. He’s four years old now, and loves playing games – he exhausted all of us playing hide-and-seek! As always, it was too short a trip, but I’m so happy I got to see my family again!

*Highly recommend The Café at the Edge of the Woods by Mikey Please*!

As always, thanks for reading, and stay safe.

Thanks to The New York Times for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.

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THE LOVE HATERS by Katherine Center

May 30, 2025

From the publisher:

It’s a thin line between love and love-hating in the newest laugh out loud, all the feels rom-com by New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center.

Katie Vaughn has been burned by love in the past—now she may be lighting her career on fire. She has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim—but pretends that she can.

Plus, Cole and Hutch are brothers. And they don’t get along. Next stop: paradise! But paradise is messier than it seems. As Katie gets entangled with Hutch (the most scientifically good-looking man she has ever seen . . . but maybe a bit of a love hater), along with his colorful aunt Rue and his rescue Great Dane, she gets trapped in a lie. Or two. Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue—along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last.

“A documentary unites two people who are jaded about love in the sparkling latest from bestseller Center . . . Striking a perfect balance of comedic moments and emotional authenticity, this may be Center’s best yet.” —Publishers Weekly

https://amzn.to/43mcckl

Katie works for a small documentary production company. When her boss, Cole, assigns her to profile Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson—a Coast Guard rescue swimmer based in Key West—she’s told the project is a recruitment video for the Coast Guard. What Katie doesn’t know is that Cole’s motives aren’t entirely professional: looming layoffs mean he’s hoping to keep her on staff, but more importantly, Hutch is his estranged brother. And they have a complicated history.

Katie has only one hesitation: the job seems to require swimming skills she doesn’t actually have. Not wanting to lose the opportunity, she fibs and says she can swim, figuring she’ll deal with it later.

Upon arriving in Key West, Katie learns she’ll be staying with Hutch’s Aunt Rue, who owns a cluster of seaside cottages. Rue also rents to a circle of lively, divorced and widowed friends—the “gals”—who quickly take Katie under their wing and become invested in both her assignment and her personal life.

When Katie meets Hutch, she’s floored—he’s the most attractive man she’s ever seen. Struggling with body image issues and lacking even a bathing suit, she’s relieved when Aunt Rue, who also owns a boutique, steps in to outfit her… though Rue’s idea of what Katie needs is a bit different from Katie’s own.

Hutch ends up tasked with teaching Katie to swim, and as they spend more time together, sparks begin to fly. Hutch’s lovable rescue Great Dane, George Bailey, also takes an instant liking to Katie, adding some heartwarming humor to the mix.

But Hutch, like Cole, has his own baggage when it comes to relationships. Eventually, the simmering tension between the brothers boils over in a dramatic confrontation, leaving Katie caught in the middle. Yet through the chaos, they all manage to navigate their personal struggles and find their way to a happy ending.

This was a fun, breezy read—maybe not quite up to the level of Center’s earlier novels, but still a cut above the average romcom, warm, funny, and full of heart. Maybe not Center’s best, but definitely a feel-good romcom worth curling up with for the weekend.

5/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE LOVE HATERS by Katherine Center. St. Martin’s Press. ISBN: 978-1250283825. 320p.

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HAZARDOUS TO A DUKE’S HEART by Sabrina Jeffries

May 30, 2025

Lords of Hazard, Book 1

From the publisher:

Intriguing twists and sparkling wit entwine in this stunning new historical romance from the New York Times bestselling Sabrina Jeffries, as a once-captive patriot returns home to a changed world in the wake of the Napoleonic War…

Napoleon’s war has ended, and English captives detained for years in a French fortress are finally released. Returning to a London he no longer recognizes, and facing astonishing changes in his own family, Lord Jonathan Leighton learns he has inherited a dukedom. But the new nobleman carries the guilt of having wronged his late mentor. Now, he vows to fulfill his promise to find a suitable match for the man’s daughter, Victoria—even if it takes offering a nonexistent dowry to spark her interest in matrimony.

Sharp-witted Victoria would just as soon sculpt the Greek god who has come to take charge of her future. In fact, she has her sights set on founding a school for women artists. As Jonathan matches wits with the talented beauty, revelations from his past—and their connection to her father’s demise—threaten to unveil both of their closely held secrets and thrust them into a danger they can only escape together.

“Jeffries (Accidentally His) presents the first installment in the new “Lords of Hazard” series, a character-driven historical romance full of humor and heart . . . will appeal to readers seeking a steamy Regency romance with a spirited leading lady and lively banter.”—Library Journal

“The sparkling Lords of Hazard series starter from Jeffries (the Designing Debutantes series) draws inspiration from the true stories of Englishmen detained in France during the Napoleonic War . . . The result is a page-turning romance complete with a wounded hero it’s easy to crush on and an intelligent, fiercely independent heroine it’s easy to root for. This is a delight.” —Publishers Weekly

“This new series kickoff hits all the notes of an old-school romance, with historical richness, delicious pining, and a lack of communication and trust keeping the pair apart. Secondary characters function as plot devices, but the leads are appealing. There are short references to atrocities Jon and others faced while in France, but the story never goes too deep, maintaining a light tone instead . . . The unique historical specificity adds interest to this serviceable romance.”—Kirkus Reviews

https://amzn.to/4iZCoqS

Lord Jonathan Leighton, the third son of the Duke of Falconridge, was on his grand tour when he, along with thousands of other British civilians, was detained and sent to a French internment camp, and then a prison. I had never encountered this piece of history before, so I found it particularly fascinating. After spending several years imprisoned with no hope of release, Jon, two friends, and his appointed guardian, Isaac Morris, attempt a daring escape. The attempt fails, and Morris suffers a severe leg injury that ultimately proves fatal. Before dying, Morris extracts a promise from Jon to look after his daughter, Victoria (Tory), and ensure she marries well.

After eleven long years, Jon and his companions are finally freed and return to England. Jon is shocked to discover that both of his elder brothers have died, leaving him to inherit the dukedom. He also learns that Tory is now employed as his sister’s governess. However, with his sister in the marriage mart herself, Tory’s services as governess are no longer required, and she is considered more a companion. Wanting to fulfill his promise, Jon tells Tory that her father left her a generous dowry, though in reality, Jon plans to provide the funds himself to help her secure a good marriage.

To Jon’s surprise, Tory reveals she has no interest in marriage. Instead, she dreams of using the money to open an art school for women. An artist herself, Tory is passionate about sharing her craft. After some negotiation, they strike a deal: Jon will sponsor Tory for the social season, ensuring she has all the necessary attire and opportunities to meet eligible suitors, while Tory, in turn, will teach Jon sculpting, an art form he has little interest in but agrees to as part of their bargain. If Tory remains unmarried by the end of the season, Jon promises to fund her art school.

Jon is haunted by guilt over Morris’s death, feeling responsible for the tragedy. As their art lessons progress, Jon finds himself increasingly drawn to Tory, though he believes she could never forgive him for her father’s fate. Meanwhile, Tory develops feelings for Jon but is acutely aware of the social divide that makes a match with a duke seem impossible. She also harbors a secret that could upend all of Jon’s plans for her.

As their mutual attraction grows, they find themselves teetering on the edge of scandal. Yet before they can find happiness together, they must confront their personal demons and unresolved issues. The novel touches on the harrowing experiences Jon endured during his imprisonment, which can be unsettling at times, but the witty banter and evolving relationship between Jon and Tory bring warmth and levity to the story. This unique historical backdrop and premise make for a compelling and engaging romance. If you enjoy historical romance with a fresh twist, this book is well worth a read.

5/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

HAZARDOUS TO A DUKE’S HEART by Sabrina Jeffries. Kensington (April 29, 2025). ISBN: 978-1496751027. 288p.

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Spotlight Review: WHAT WILL PEOPLE THINK? by Sara Hamdan

May 27, 2025

From the publisher:

Mia’s secret comedy career, forbidden office crush, and a long-guarded family secret take center stage, threatening her newfound confidence and her one shot at fame in this hilarious, heartfelt coming-of-age story perfect for fans of Curtis Sittenfeld and Etaf Rum.

Mia Almas has a secret. By day, she works at a respectable job as a media fact checker―a position her conservative, Arab grandparents approve of―and, by night, she takes to the stages of New York City comedy clubs. She holds herself back in a lot of ways, especially in the romance department, but being on stage lights her up and makes being a wallflower the rest of the time more bearable. That is, until Phaedra, her stylish and bold new neighbor, inspires Mia to take a few risks.

As Mia pursues a forbidden romance with her boss, her standup gets better and bolder, leading to a surprise spotlight that exposes her secret gig. Horrified and worried that her rebellious act could mean big consequences for her reserved Palestinian-American family, Mia frantically dives into damage control. But all of her efforts to pull back from the spotlight expose a family scandal from the 1940s that could change everything…

Equal parts funny and tender, What Will People Think? is a heart-bursting exploration of what it means to discover and embrace the hidden parts of yourself, and how love in all forms can make you whole.
https://amzn.to/3OiELYI

This beautifully written debut novel tackles some serious issues like immigration, bigotry, and cultural identity, using standup comedy as the frame. Mia is a second-generation Palestinian-American and has lived with her very traditional grandparents since she lost her parents. She shared a love of standup comedy with her father and has been working on her own comedy act in secret, not wanting to disappoint her grandparents. Her heritage is great fodder for her comedy, but it’s her day job as a magazine fact checker that helps pay the bills. She has had a crush on her boss since he hired her, and when a reporting job opens up, he urges her to submit something. Instead, her best friend submits a piece about Mia’s standup, along with some video, and it goes viral. Mia’s grandparents are in the US illegally, and she is terrified that her success may lead to their deportation. When a new Arab neighbor moves into their building, she mentions knowing a family with the same last name that owned some very successful jewelry stores in Dubai. Mia’s grandmother refuses to talk about her family and ends up giving Mia a journal to read to gain some insight. The journal creates a second storyline that starts in the 1940s in Palestine, and both stories are woven together until all the family secrets are revealed.

Verdict: This compelling read should make for an interesting discussion, like James McBride’s The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store or Evil Eye by Etaf Rum.

©Library Journal, 2025

5/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

WHAT WILL PEOPLE THINK? by Sara Hamdan. Henry Holt and Co. (May 20, 2025). ISBN: 978-1250329813. 336p.

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Audiobook Sunday: SALTY, SPICED, AND A LITTLE BIT NICE by Cynthia Timoti

May 25, 2025

Read by Eunice Wong

From the publisher:

“Crazy Rich Asians” meets “Always Be My Maybe” in this deliciously sugar-free rom-com from debut author Cynthia Timoti.

Ellie Pang has had enough of her controlling family who has been micromanaging her life since her type 1 diabetes diagnosis. When her parents orchestrate a public proposal from their business partner’s son, a proposal that goes humiliatingly viral, Ellie escapes to the other side of the country to put her dream of opening a sugar-free bakery into action. After all, she’d done her research. How hard can it be?

She hits a snag when her storefront turns out to be a dump and in need of major renovations. Worse, the only person who can help her turn things around is Alec Mackenzie, her brother’s best friend and the man responsible for crushing her teenage heart ten years ago.

But Alec has a proposal of his own: he needs a pretend girlfriend in order to cement a business deal. All they need to do is feign love and affection, while trying not to maim each other. But when the thin line between hate and fake-madly-in-love starts to blur, and buried secrets resurface, Ellie must learn to trust her heart, and choose between love and family.

“Timoti skillfully blends romance with meaningful discussions about family expectations, chronic illness, and cultural identity in her strong debut.”—Library Journal

“A woman finds the courage to rebuild her life in Timoti’s touching debut . . . Though there are perhaps one too many plot contrivances easing the way of their enemies-to-lovers relationship, the push and pull between the leads feels both authentic and electric, and it’s a joy to witness Ellie come into her own. Timoti is an exciting new voice in romance.”—Publishers Weekly

https://amzn.to/4m4EsAB

Ellie has always been a devoted daughter to her wealthy, traditional Chinese-Indonesian parents—but her mother is driving her to the brink. Determined to unite their fortunes, her mother pressures Ellie into dating the son of a business associate, one of the country’s most eligible bachelors. But when he proposes just a few months into their relationship—on New Year’s Eve, no less—Ellie turns him down. He’s kind, but she doesn’t love him. A video of the proposal goes viral, and the fallout is swift.

Furious, Ellie’s mother retaliates by bribing Ellie’s boss to fire her, hoping to force her into joining the family business. But Ellie longs for independence and is chafing under her mother’s dictatorial thumb. She decides to pursue her true dream: opening a bakery that specializes in sugar-free, low-carb treats. As a Type 1 diabetic, Ellie has a personal connection to the concept—diagnosed after a childhood hospitalization, she’s managed her condition well, despite the challenges.

Seeing her job loss as an opportunity, Ellie researches small towns and finds one on the west coast that seems like the perfect place for her bakery. She rents a shop online, sight unseen, packs up her car, and drives cross-country. When she arrives, the location is everything she hoped for—except for one major issue: a fallen tree has damaged the roof, and the necessary repairs will strain her budget.

Enter Alec—her brother’s best friend, her childhood crush, and the guy who once broke her heart. He now owns a local construction business and offers to renovate the bakery and let Ellie live in his guest bedroom in exchange for a favor: Ellie must pretend to be his girlfriend. Alec is on the verge of forming a partnership with a large national firm, but the woman behind the deal seems more interested in him than his business, and he wants to make his boundaries clear.

Though Ellie has resented Alec for the past decade—ever since he rejected her, saying he could never see her as more than his best friend’s little sister—she reluctantly agrees. With no other contractors available for months, and no way to legally or safely live in the damaged shop, she has little choice.

Their relationship is complicated, marked by past wounds, family pressures, business entanglements, and Ellie’s health. But as they navigate these obstacles, they begin to rediscover each other, and what started as a pretend romance slowly turns into something real.

The narrator does a wonderful job bringing the story to life. While Ellie’s tendency to catastrophize can be a bit much at times, it fits her character: young, sheltered, and thrust into unfamiliar territory. The portrayal of chronic illness is both realistic and respectful. Overall, this is an impressive debut from a promising storyteller, and I’m excited to see what comes next.

5/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

SALTY, SPICED, AND A LITTLE BIT NICE by Cynthia Timoti. Narrator: Eunice Wong. Spotify Audiobooks: May 06, 2025. Listening Length: 10 hours and 36 minutes.

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SONGS OF SUMMER by Jane L. Rosen

May 23, 2025

From the publisher:

A young woman crashes the wedding of the summer on Fire Island in search of her birth mother—and gets a whole lot more than she bargained for—in this warm, heart-stopping getaway from Jane L. Rosen

Maggie May Wheeler is living her best life—at thirty, she has big plans for her vintage record shop and is about to be engaged to her childhood best friend. But when she stumbles across a letter she wrote to her future self when she was thirteen, she realizes it may not be enough. The letter ignites a desire to find her birth mother and discover where she really belongs.

Her search takes her to dreamy Fire Island, where her birth mother is a guest at a wedding. As Maggie spies on her biological family, she’s caught between diving into their chaotic lives and returning to her comfortable world. Things heat up when a charming local makes her an offer to crash the wedding as his date.

Is it the island’s magic, the whirlwind of the weekend, or the thrill of a fake beau that has her rethinking everything? Swept away by every love song she hears, Maggie must figure out where her heart truly lies.
https://amzn.to/3Wue7Rf

Rosen (Seven Summer Weekends) returns to Fire Island, weaving a compelling narrative centered on an adoptee’s quest for her birth mother. Maggie May Wheeler has known she was adopted since she was nine years old. Now an adult and orphaned by her adoptive parents, Maggie inherits their record shop but finds herself at a crossroads when her best friend, Jason, proposes marriage. Driven by a desire to uncover her past before committing to her future, a DNA search leads her to Fire Island. There, she unexpectedly witnesses her birth mother engaged in a heated altercation, prompting her to reconsider her decision. Fortuitously, she meets Matt, a Rolling Stone reporter who is her mother’s neighbor, and he offers to help keep her secret while she discreetly observes her mother, and also discovers an extended family network. Matt invites Maggie as his date to a family wedding where her birth mother is the maid of honor, serving both her covert mission and his need to deflect familial matchmaking attempts. Their burgeoning connection challenges Maggie’s existing relationship with Jason, adding a layer of complexity to her emotional journey. The novel employs multiple perspectives to narrate the story, infusing a sense of lightness into Maggie’s profound familial exploration. A unique feature of the book is its chapter titles, each named after a song, complemented by an accompanying Spotify playlist that enhances the reader’s experience.

Verdict: Rosen skillfully balances elements of romance with a nuanced exploration of family dynamics and self-discovery. Recommend to readers who enjoy Elizabeth Berg, Adriana Trigiani, or Nancy Thayer.

©Library Journal, 2025

5/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

SONGS OF SUMMER by Jane L. Rosen. Berkley (May 20, 2025). ISBN: 978-0593818794. 336p.

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WILD AND WRANGLED by Lyla Sage

May 23, 2025

Rebel Blue Ranch, Book 4

From the publisher:

She’s the one that got away. He’s the one that never let her go.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author of Done and Dusted and Swift and Saddled, the next book in the Rebel Blue Ranch series, a small-town romance in which past lovers get a second chance to rediscover what they lost.

Camille Ashwood had always loved a plan. Her latest was her best yet. She was going to get married so she could secure her daughter’s future, get her overbearing parents off her back, and finally start building her own life in small-town Meadowlark, Wyoming. Easy, right?

But when her groom doesn’t show up to the wedding, Cam’s life is turned upside down—she doesn’t even have a place to live. That is until she finds out the house she’s loved since high school is available to rent. There’s only one problem: the neighbor.

Dusty Tucker has spent nearly all of his adult life running. Running from what, though? More like who: Cam Ashwood. But ever since he returned home last year, the girl who was his first, well, everything has become a woman seemingly determined to keep him at arm’s length. And he was okay with that—at least, that’s what he kept telling himself. She was getting married, after all. But now she’s single and living next door. Dusty wants to show her that they can be friends, and that he can stay put.

Despite her best attempts to stay far away from Dusty Tucker, Cam realizes that being close to him is like slipping into her favorite jeans. Easy. Comfortable. That is until past wounds start to open and feelings—both old and new—wreak havoc. Nearly ten years after they first met, Dusty and Cam begin to wonder if their first love can also be their last. And this time, will it be forever?

“Nearly 10 years after being each other’s first everything, Cam and Dusty have a second chance—but adult baggage complicates their romance. This series finale returns to the Wyoming mountains with a Yellowstone-esque slow burn that leads to the perfect happy ending.”—People

https://amzn.to/44XL7q0

This was my first read by this author, but this is the last book in a series, although it stands alone beautifully. Judging by a lot of the reviews, people loved this series and were seriously bummed that it ended, and since I really enjoyed this, I will be going back to find the earlier books.

Single mom Cam gets stood up at the altar, not an auspicious beginning to the rest of her life. But she’s strong enough to just move on by moving herself and her young daughter out of the house she shared with her former fiancé. She is thrilled to find that the house she’s always loved in town is now available for rent, and she snatches it up. She soon finds out that her neighbor is the man who broke her heart back in high school, Dusty. Dusty has been avoiding any kind of commitment for a long time, but seeing Cam stirs up the old feelings. She is not having it, though, and tries to keep her distance.

Cam is a real people pleaser, longing for perfectionism and satisfying everyone else at the cost of her own happiness. Dusty is finally able to admit to himself that he wants to put down roots, wants to feel tled down for the first time in his adult life. Dusty has never forgotten Cam, in fact, his heartbreaking yearning for her shows up in spades. They slowly find their way back to each other and realize why their timing was not right 15 years earlier.

This book hits a lot of the most popular romance tropes: childhood friends to lovers, second chance romance, slow burn, single mom, small town, and a new one for me – love letters. This was such a compelling story with characters that I really cared about, despite not having read the earlier books. Can’t wait to get started on those!

The series in order:

5/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

WILD AND WRANGLED by Lyla Sage. Dial Press Trade Paperback (April 15, 2025). ISBN: 978-0593732472. 368p.

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Spotlight Review: NIGHTSHADE by Michael Connelly

May 20, 2025

From the publisher:

Introducing Detective Stilwell: a cop relentlessly following his mission in the seemingly idyllic setting of Catalina Island.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detective Stilwell has been “exiled” to a low-key post policing rustic Catalina Island, after department politics drove him off a homicide desk on the mainland. But while following up the usual drunk-and-disorderlies and petty thefts that come with his new territory, Detective Stilwell gets a report of a body found weighed down at the bottom of the harbor—a Jane Doe identifiable at first only by a streak of purple dye in her hair. At the same time, a report of poaching on a protected reserve turns into a case fraught with violence and danger as Stilwell digs into the shady past of an island bigwig.

Crossing all lines of protocol and jurisdiction, Stilwell doggedly works both cases. Though hampered by an old beef with an ex-colleague determined to thwart him at every turn, he is convinced he is the only one who can bring justice to the woman known as “Nightshade.” Soon, his investigation uncovers closely guarded secrets and a dark heart to the serene island that was meant to be his escape from the evils of the big city.

Propulsive and atmospheric, Nightshade launches a brand new character into the Connelly universe, and proves without question that Michael Connelly is “the undisputed master of the modern crime novel” (Real Book Spy).

“Connelly’s compulsively readable, best-selling crime fiction is propelled by justice-seekers committed to their calling, no matter the risks…With an intriguingly low-key but skilled and principled hero, his significant other, a pesky if useful reporter, a conniving mayor, and a crime boss known as Baby Head, Nightshade is a gripping and promising start to crime virtuoso Connelly’s new series.”―Booklist (starred review)

“In this winning series launch, L.A. noir maestro Connelly proves small-town policing can be just as high stakes as crime solving in the big city . . . The claustrophobic setting and layered plotting evoke the crime novels of John D. MacDonald, and Stilwell makes for an intriguing hero, with enough biographical gaps for Connelly to sketch him in further in subsequent installments. The author’s fans will be thrilled to find him working in a new register.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Idyllic Catalina Island turns out to be just as crime infested as the rest of Los Angeles County in the latest series launch by the creator of Harry Bosch, Renée Ballard, and the Lincoln Lawyer . . . Connelly handles his hero’s obligatory romance with assistant harbormaster Tash Dano and his increasingly wary alliance with assistant D.A. Monika Juarez with equal professionalism, and if the wrap-up leaves some loose ends dangling, well, that’s what franchises are for.”―Kirkus Reviews
https://amzn.to/3F8rjpo

This is Michael Connelly’s first new series since introducing Renée Ballard, but at least in this debut installment, there’s no crossover with Mickey Haller, Harry Bosch, or Ballard herself. So, if you haven’t read those series yet (and seriously, why not?), you can jump in here with a clean slate. That said, the story is set on Catalina Island, just off Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department does play a role—so who knows where Connelly might take things next? Either way, this is a gripping, compulsively readable book and a stellar launch to what promises to be a terrific series.

Our protagonist, Detective Sergeant Stilwell, commands the local police substation on Catalina, a refuge for misfit officers who’ve been banished from the mainland after various career mishaps. Stilwell himself landed there after a homicide investigation went sideways—partly due to fellow detective Ahearn, who cut corners rather than doing the work. While Ahearn got a slap on the wrist, Stilwell got exiled. But as it turns out, the island suits him just fine.

Stilwell is also navigating a new relationship with Tasha, the island’s harbormaster. His deputies are mostly inept, providing rare moments of lightness in an otherwise tense environment. The story opens with a bizarre crime: one of the island’s protected animals, a buffalo, has been decapitated. But what seems like an odd local incident soon snowballs into something much more serious.

There’s also a high-stakes theft at the exclusive Black Marlin Yacht Club, whose membership is limited to 100 original families and their heirs—openings occur only when a member dies without descendants. The club makes rare honorary exceptions for the judge who visits the island weekly and the mayor. When the club’s manager reports that the priceless black jade marlin statue, a fixture in the lobby for over a century, has vanished, Stilwell learns that the front entrance—where the statue sat—is rarely used. Members typically dock their yachts and enter from the water side. With no security system or cameras inside the club, Stilwell must rely on footage from the harbormaster’s cameras that point to the dock.

But the stakes escalate dramatically when a body in a bag is discovered submerged beneath a boat, tied to an anchor. LAPD Homicide steps in, and Stilwell is initially content to hand over the case—until he learns that Ahearn, his nemesis, is leading the investigation. Ordered to cooperate, Stilwell and Ahearn are forced into an uneasy alliance. Distrust simmers between them, and when Ahearn once again takes the path of least resistance, jumping to an easy conclusion without doing the legwork, Stilwell defies orders, digging deeper on his own. Eventually, he manages to convince his superiors that the case is far more complex than it seems.

Connelly layers the story with enough red herrings and misdirection to keep you hooked from start to finish. I found the new characters engaging, and I’m excited to see how they develop as the series continues. As far as I’m concerned, Connelly remains the king of crime fiction, the unparalleled master of the police procedural, and the virtuoso of Los Angeles noir. Don’t miss it.

5/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

NIGHTSHADE by Michael Connelly. Little, Brown and Company (May 20, 2025). ISBN: 978-1250329813. 352p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

Audiobook Sunday: BOLD MOVES by Emma Barry

May 18, 2025

Read by Savannah Peachwood & Jeremy York

From the publisher:

From the author of Bad Reputation comes a smart and sexy second-chance romance, where exes reunite to adapt a memoir, only to discover that after a decade apart, they might finally be ready for more.

Working with your ex isn’t that bad an idea—not with artistic integrity on the line. Jaime Croft is determined to prove his directorial range, and Scarlett Arbuthnot’s biography is the perfect project. He once thought Scarlett was his perfect match too, but it’s been seventeen years. Surely he’s over it by now.

Or maybe not.

Scarlett is a grand master taking the chess world by storm. If she can handle that pressure, she can handle Jaime Croft. Even if that means working together in close quarters…and constant reminders of how she broke his heart. She didn’t do it without reason, but if he knew the details, he would despise her even more.

As Jaime and Scarlett pore over her memoir, they unlock their own memories, and old feelings rise to the surface. But giving in means abandoning the walls they’ve built to protect themselves, and that’s a move neither one seems ready to make.

https://amzn.to/4ib9PX5

Scarlett Arbutnot is at the top of her chess game—both literally and figuratively. She’s breaking barriers in a historically male-dominated field, working tirelessly to carve out her own legacy while also advocating for greater diversity and inclusion, particularly for women and the LGBTQIA+ community. Her journey is a solo one, navigating the isolation that often comes with standing out. In a bold move against the powers that be in the competitive chess world, she releases a tell-all biography.

When Jaime Croft, an old high school flame turned award-winning documentarian, approaches her with the idea of adapting the book into a TV series, she agrees. As they collaborate closely on the project, old memories and unresolved feelings resurface. Their shared history is complex: their previous relationship ended abruptly when Scarlett left to pursue her chess ambitions, leaving emotional scars on both sides.

There was little depth to their connection beyond physical attraction, and that shallowness came through clearly in both characters’ points of view. At no point during the story did I feel that they were genuinely in love or that they truly belonged together. And isn’t that the point of a romance?

I also expected a more in-depth look into the chess world, especially given Scarlett’s status and the premise of her biography. I was hoping for insight into her mindset during matches, her preparation strategies, or even detailed accounts of her most pivotal games. Unfortunately, the book only briefly touched on a few matches. I loved the Netflix show, “The Queen’s Gambit,” and was hoping for something similar here, so it was very disappointing.

In the end, this book didn’t make the bold move I was hoping for. It was a struggle to get through it. That said, the narrators did a fine job with the material they were given – it was the actual story, the writing, that was the issue for me.

5/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

BOLD MOVES by Emma Barry. Narrators: Savannah Peachwood & Jeremy York. Brilliance Audio; April 22, 2025. Listening Length: 10 hours and 40 minutes.

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JILTED by Vi Keeland

May 16, 2025

From the publisher:

From #1 New York Times bestseller Vi Keeland comes a brand new slow burn, swooning romance where 27 Dresses meets The Hating Game.

Weddings. I spend every working minute talking and writing about them, when just the thought of one makes me want to scream. After my fiancé abandoned me at the altar last year, my dream job at Bride magazine has turned into a reoccurring nightmare.

To add insult to injury, the bridezilla at my latest assignment somehow roped me into filling in for a missing bridesmaid. Of course, I had to get paired with the most gorgeous groomsman. Wilder Hayes is perfect―except when he opens his mouth and we end up bickering all evening. That is, until the coat closet incident.

At least I’ll never have to see him again. Or so I think… Until I walk into work on Monday and find out Wilder isn’t just a jerk, he’s also my boss’s son. And I’ll be spending the rest of the season working with him at every single wedding I cover this year.

It’s a match made in heaven…or hell. Only time will tell.

DELUXE EDITION–a gorgeous paperback edition featuring bright turquoise sprayed edges!

https://amzn.to/4jEtoIa

Jilted is a charming, feel-good romance that’s equal parts fun and heartwarming. It’s one of those stories where you quickly become invested in the characters’ journeys and can’t help but smile along the way.

Sloane, our heroine, is obsessed with weddings—she works for a wedding magazine and hosts her own wedding-themed podcast. But after being left at the altar, her personal and professional worlds collide in the worst way. Despite the heartbreak, she has to keep doing her job, which means immersing herself in all things love and marriage. When her latest assignment unexpectedly places her in a wedding party, she’s paired with a man who has mesmerizing eyes—and an attitude that quickly kills the vibe. Still, a few drinks and a night of dancing might be exactly what Sloane needs to start rediscovering herself.

Wilder, the handsome, cocky playboy, isn’t exactly looking for commitment—but Sloane changes something in him. He finds himself drawn to her in a way he’s never experienced. Determined to spend more time with her, he devises a plan to keep her close by involving her in the weddings of his friends. Sloane, still nursing her wounds, has sworn off men for the time being. But Wilder might be the one person who can convince her to take a chance again.

Told in dual point of view, we get insight into both Wilder and Sloane’s perspectives, which adds depth to their connection. Their banter is witty, their chemistry undeniable, and their emotional growth genuine. Wilder, despite his past, shows a surprising level of patience and attentiveness, proving he’s more than just a smooth talker. Sloane, on the other hand, slowly lets her guard down and begins to find healing through their unexpected bond.

What makes this story stand out is the natural progression of their relationship. There’s no rush, no forced drama—just two people getting to know each other and slowly falling in love. Supporting characters like Sloane’s family and Wilder’s brother and friends enrich the story and add warmth and humor to the narrative.

Jilted is a character-driven romance that highlights the power of communication, personal growth, and second chances. It’s a light, engaging read with a perfect happily ever after. Don’t miss it!

5/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

JILTED by Vi Keeland. Bramble; Deluxe edition (May 6, 2025). ISBN: 978-1250359858. 272p.