Stacy Alesi

Spotlight Review: THE HIGHLANDERS WILD FLAME by Heather McCollum

July 23, 2024

Brotherhood of Solway Moss, Book 1

From the publisher:

The only thing more dangerous than his sword is the flame-haired enemy who’s stolen his heart…in this gripping Highland romance from USA Today bestselling author Heather McCollum.

Fearsome Highland warrior Rory MacLeod has sacrificed for his clan. But taken as prisoner―in place of his older brother, who’s meant to be laird―is more than any man should bear. So when the chance for escape presents itself, Rory risks everything for freedom. But instead of returning to the welcoming warmth of home, Rory steps into a blazing trap…

Despite her betrothal to their laird, Lady Sara Macdonald has no love for the MacLeod clan. But when her treacherous father locks the entire MacLeod wedding party into the church and sets fire to it, she cannot stand by and watch the slaughter. Saving them means turning traitor to her clan and becoming an enemy to her own blood…left to the mercy of her greatest enemy.

Now her intended husband lies somewhere between life and death, and Sara’s only ally is his younger brother: the fierce MacLeod warrior she’s forbidden to want. And as hunger blazes to life between Rory and Sara―unbidden, untamed, and hotter than the fires of Beltane―they quickly find themselves caught between honor and a love that will turn blood against blood.
https://amzn.to/4bShCG2

This new series is set in the aftermath of the battle of Solway Moss, in which the English soundly defeated the Scots. Four Highlanders from different clans have been imprisoned, and their families have chosen not to pay for their release for a variety of reasons. These four men form a brotherhood and eventually escape their prison with the help of hidden tools delivered in blankets. We never learn who sent the tools and we only learn about two of these four men, Rory MacLeod, second son to the Laird of his clan, and Kenan Macdonald, first son and heir to his clan.

The clan chiefs have arranged a marriage between Rory’s older brother and heir to the clan chiefdom, and Kenan’s sister, Seraphina, who prefers to be called Sara. Told that this will forge peace between the clans, both agree to the match. But Sara feels like something is off while in the church for the ceremony, and sure enough, her father and his men lock everyone else into the church and set it on fire. Sara escapes and leads the rest of the MacLeod’s out of danger, enraging her father. And a new clan war has begun.

The man she was to marry is as crazed as her own father, and has a mistress who is not taking well to his marriage. He is near death from the fire, and since the marriage was not consummated and was entered into under false pretenses, the priest agrees to an annulment. Good thing, too, because Sara is strongly attracted to Rory, and it seems to be mutual.

A few years earlier, Rory was in love with another woman who turned out to be a spy for the Macdonald clan, and his father slit her throat in front of Rory. He has serious trust issues, to say the least, and the fact that Sara is a Macdonald makes him very uncomfortable. But the more time they spend together, the more confused Rory gets. He is really falling for her but is also afraid of what it could mean for their clans. Rory is ruled by his head over his heart, and that means pain for Sara. But eventually, they find their happily ever after and the next book is set up as well.

I really enjoy McCollum’s books. I started reading them while waiting impatiently for the next Diana Gabaldon book. Her Outlander series is a favorite, but the books are enormous (usually at least 700 pages or more) and several years elapse from one book to the next. McCollum’s books are set a couple of hundred years earlier than the Outlander series, and I find the history and especially how people lived in the 1500s fascinating. This is a terrific start to a new series.

7/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE HIGHLANDERS WILD FLAME by Heather McCollum. Entangled: Amara (July 23, 2024). ISBN:‎ 978-1649376497. 384p.

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THE EX VOWS by Jessica Joyce

July 19, 2024

From the publisher:

Estranged exes must stick close together to save their best friend’s wedding after a string of disasters in this swoony and steamy second-chance romance from the USA Today bestselling author of You, with a View.

Georgia Woodward lives by her lists, none more so than the one about her ex, Eli Mora. It’s full of the ironclad dos and don’ts they’ve been following since she returned to the Bay Area after their cataclysmic breakup five years ago.

With the wedding of their mutual best friend, Adam, looming, and them about to step into their roles as best woman and man, Georgia’s never needed it more. She refuses to threaten their tight-knit friend group with her messy—and still very present—feelings. The rules on that list will keep her cool, calm, and compartmentalized.

What’s not on her list? Eli arriving from New York with a new rule-breaking attitude or the all-inclusive venue burning to the ground, leaving the bride and groom in dire straits. Nor does she anticipate Adam asking her and Eli to help him make a miracle happen. Together.

As Georgia and Eli rush up to Napa Valley to pull off the perfect wedding, their old chemistry comes back in technicolor. Somewhere between cake tastings gone wrong, disastrous DJ auditions, and Eli’s heated attention, Georgia starts recognizing the man she fell in love with before. And if she lets herself break her rules, she might find what they’re building isn’t the something old that ruined them—it’s a chance at something new.

“Touching, full of complicated emotions, and expertly written, romance fans will thoroughly enjoy this latest from Joyce.”—Library Journal (starred review)
https://amzn.to/3YbhTAC

Scroll down to read an excerpt!

This is the very definition of a swoony romance! Georgia, Adam, and Eli grew up together as best friends. They all had difficult childhoods but were always there for one another. When Adam meets “the one” his friends become his best man and best woman, so when the wedding venue burns to the ground a couple of weeks before the event, Eli and Georgia spring into action.

There’s only one little hitch; Eli and Georgia had fallen in love, and even lived together in New York. But Eli’s financial insecurities had him working 24/7 and eventually, Georgia couldn’t take it anymore and moved back to the west coast. They never really broke up or fought, she just left and he let her. Eventually, Eli gets help and now that Georgia can barely look at him without feeling so much pain, he’s showing up.

As they plan a whole new wedding, their old feelings are constantly simmering below the surface until they can’t stop themselves. Georgia is trying very hard to guard her heart, but she doesn’t know how Eli feels and he is afraid of hurting her again. Things get really intense, but have no fear, a happy ending is guaranteed, and I loved it.

On a more personal note, I think this story moved me so much because I, too, had my wedding venue burn to the ground – metaphorically, at least. My husband and I had to plan a new wedding in less than two weeks. We had no venue, no music, no photographer, no money, nothing. Our parents were in Florida, we were in New York, and we were so young and didn’t know anything. Luckily, my mother had some really great friends, one of whom took us in and helped us plan the whole thing. She had planned her daughter’s bat mitzvah that year, so she took us in hand and saved our wedding. Another of my mom’s friends gave us piles of cash to pay for everything until our parents could get there. This book brought back a lot of those memories, and I’m happy to say that my husband and I recently celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary!

7/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE EX VOWS by Jessica Joyce. Berkley (July 16, 2024). ISBN:‎ 978-0593548424. 400p.

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Excerpt:

This wedding is cursed

“Not again,” I mutter.

To the untrained eye, this text probably looks like a joke, or the beginning of one of those chain emails our elders get duped into forwarding to twenty of their nearest and dearest, lest they inherit multigenerational bad luck.

In actuality, it’s been Adam’s mantra for the past eight months.

Adam is the brother I never had and I’m truly honored to be along for the ride on his wedding journey. But had sixth-grade Georgia anticipated I’d be fielding forty-seven daily texts from my more-unhinged-by-the-minute best friend, I would’ve thought twice about complimenting his Hannah Montana shirt the day we met.

My Spidey senses tingle with this text, though. It hasn’t been delivered in aggressive caps lock, nor is it accompanied by a chaotic menagerie of GIFs (my kingdom for a Michael Scott alternative). Whatever has happened now might actually be an emergency.

Then again, the wedding is ten days away. At this point, anything that isn’t objectively awesome is a disaster.

I pluck my phone off my desk, typing, What’s the damage?

A bubble immediately pops up, disappears, reappears, then stops again.

“Great sign.”

It’s nearly four p.m. on Wednesday, the day before my week-long PTO for the wedding starts, and I still have half a page of unchecked boxes on my to-do list, plus a detailed While I’m Away email to draft for my boss. I can’t leave Adam hanging in his moment of need, though. What kind of best woman would I be?

No better than the largely absent best man? comes the uncharitable punchline. I slam the door on that thought. It’s not like I’ve minded executing most of the best-people activities; it’s been a godsend for multiple reasons. It’s just so typical of him to-

I catch my own eye in the computer’s reflection, delivering a silent message with the downward slash of my dark eyebrows: Shut. Up. I’d rather think about curses than anything tangentially related to the subject of Eli Mora.

Not that I believe in curses at all.

Except . . . deep down, I do worry that Adam’s been hounded by bad vibes since he proposed to his fiancée, Grace Song, on New Year’s Eve. Their plans have involved a comedy of errors that have escalated from bummer to oh shit: the wrong wedding dress ordered by the bridal salon, names misspelled on their printed wedding invitations twice, and-the one that nearly got me to believe-their wedding planner quit three months ago because his Bernedoodle had amassed such a following on social media that he was making triple his salary as her manager.

For Adam, whose natural temperament hovers somewhere near live wire, it’s been a constant test of his sanity. Even Grace, who’s brutally chill, the perfect emotional foil for Adam, has been fraying.

But then, she would’ve been fine eloping. Every new disaster probably only further solidifies the urge to book it to Vegas.

Adam’s texts tumble over one another:

Georgia

Our fucking DJ

BROKE THEIR HIP

LINE DANCING AT A BACHELORETTE PARTY

IN NASHVILLE

I need to know what I’ve done in my 28 years on this dying earth that is causing this to happen

I start to type, but he beats me to it.

That was rhetorical, Woodward, DON’T

Clearly Adam’s shifting out of his panic fugue, so I shift into fix-it mode. It’s the reason he came to me out of everyone-he knows I’ll step up without hesitation.

Deep breath. Nothing’s burned to the ground, right? I text back. This is problematic but not fatal. We’ll come up with a new list.

The bubbles of doom pop up again and I wait. Again.

I wish I could say my eagerness to jump into this shitstorm is fully altruistic, but since I got back from a six-month work stint in Seattle three months ago, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen Adam, all wedding-related. This has been the only way to reliably stay in his orbit.

For now, anyway.

Excerpted from The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce Copyright © 2024 by Jessica Joyce. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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THE DESIGN OF US by Sajni Patel

July 19, 2024

From the publisher:

One impulsive lie leads to a weeklong adventure of fake dating for two bickering coworkers in this swoony destination wedding rom-com by Sajni Patel, author of The Trouble with Hating You.

Sunshine incarnate Bhanu brings big UX energy to whatever she does, including going for the promotion where her only serious competition is her work nemesis, AKA Sunny, the grump with the Denzel voice. She expected to get a reprieve from him while visiting her family in Hawai’i, but the universe has other plans. When Bhanu runs into Sunny at the hotel and witnesses his ex criticizing him about being single, Bhanu does the first thing that comes to mind: she impetuously claims to be Sunny’s girlfriend just to get some peace and quiet. Except Sunny is on island for a friend’s wedding and his ex has already texted the entire wedding party about this mysterious girlfriend.

Bhanu truly is the bane of Sunny’s existence. But the last thing he wants to do is cause tension during his friend’s wedding festivities, much less be the object of their pity. He has no choice except to play along, if only he and Bhanu can put aside their quarreling and act like a real couple.Between Bhanu’s hilariously meddling family and Sunny’s ecstatic friends, the two are pushed closer together, even as stress mounts over the impending promotion.

They say what happens on island, stays on island. But as Sunny and Bhanu let their guards down, will either of them be able to resist this romantic getaway without crossing the line?

“Patel (Isha, Unscripted) makes computer coding sexy in this winning enemies-to-lovers romance…. The supporting cast of Indian aunties charms, and the saltiness between the protagonists loses none of its oomph when it turns into sweetness. Readers will cheer for these two to find their well-deserved happily ever after.”—Publishers Weekly

“Patel (Isha, Unscripted) expertly designs a modern beach read and a sassy rom-com filled with fun tropes and a gratifying slow burn.”—Library Journal

“The lushly detailed Hawaiian setting provides a vivid backdrop to their delicious slow-burn romance.”—Booklist
https://amzn.to/465psdY

This was a very enjoyable read as I’ve come to expect from this author, and she never disappoints. I know less than nothing about computer coding and UX (luckily, an explanation is woven seamlessly into the story) yet it didn’t matter. Those are just jobs, and this is a romance!

This story encompasses some of my favorite romance tropes – enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and fake dating all rolled up into one good read. Sunny and Bhanu only know each other from all the online work calls they have together. They work in different departments but on the same projects, and their antagonism towards one another has led to betting pools among their co-workers. Bhanu’s sister lives in Hawaii and is the general manager of a large, luxurious resort where she gets amazing discounts. Bhanu flies out to spend a couple of weeks with her sister, but her peace is disturbed when Sunny shows up in the bar, his ex-girlfriend just ragging on him something awful.

As much as she dislikes Sunny and is very sorry he has shown up in the same hotel during her vacation, nonetheless, she can’t let this woman ruin her afternoon, so she takes her down a peg, claiming to be Sunny’s new girlfriend. Sunny and his ex are there for a mutual friend’s destination wedding, and the next thing you know, Bhanu is now part of the pre-wedding fun. Of course the more time they spend together, the more they realize everything they have in common and how much they actually like one another.

There is a job promotion waiting for one of them, lending another layer to their toxicity, but that resolved pretty much as I thought it might. This was a terrific beach read with some heat and some laughs, and I highly recommend it!

7/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE DESIGN OF US by Sajni Patel. Berkley (July 16, 2024). ISBN:‎ 978-0593547854. 368p.

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Spotlight Review: THE CLIFFS by J. Courtney Sullivan

July 16, 2024

From the publisher:

On a secluded bluff overlooking the ocean sits a Victorian house, lavender with gingerbread trim, a home that contains a century’s worth of secrets. By the time Jane Flanagan discovers the house as a teenager, it has long been abandoned. The place is an irresistible mystery to Jane. There are still clothes in the closets, marbles rolling across the floors, and dishes in the cupboards, even though no one has set foot there in decades. The house becomes a hideaway for Jane, a place to escape her volatile mother.

Twenty years later, now a Harvard archivist, she returns home to Maine following a terrible mistake that threatens both her career and her marriage. Jane is horrified to find the Victorian is now barely recognizable. The new owner, Genevieve, a summer person from Beacon Hill, has gutted it, transforming the house into a glossy white monstrosity straight out of a shelter magazine. Strangely, Genevieve is convinced that the house is haunted—perhaps the product of something troubling Genevieve herself has done. She hires Jane to research the history of the place and the women who lived there. The story Jane uncovers—of lovers lost at sea, romantic longing, shattering loss, artistic awakening, historical artifacts stolen and sold, and the long shadow of colonialism—is even older than Maine itself.

Enthralling, richly imagined, filled with psychic mediums and charlatans, spirits and past lives, mothers, marriage, and the legacy of alcoholism, this is a deeply moving novel about the land we inhabit, the women who came before us, and the ways in which none of us will ever truly leave this earth.
https://amzn.to/47l5yuF

This highly anticipated novel from J. Courtney Sullivan (Friends and Strangers) was worth the wait. Our protagonist, Jane, is a Harvard archivist who is also an alcoholic, like her mother and sister. After getting blackout drunk at a work event, she finds her job in jeopardy, as well as her marriage, making this the perfect time to escape from all her troubles. She heads up to Maine to settle her mother’s estate, which is complicated by the fact that her mother was a hoarder.

As a teenager, Jane found an old abandoned Victorian house up high on a cliff nearby, which became her refuge. As an adult, she is surprised to learn that a wealthy young family has bought the house and turned it into a typical beach McMansion. The owner hires Jane to research the house’s history, as she fears the house is haunted, possibly due to some unsavory work she had done. That research is at the heart of this novel that spans generations, Colonialism, Native American history, spiritualism, the Shakers, and so much more.

Verdict: A beautifully written, expansive novel sure to please readers who enjoyed North Woods by Daniel Mason, or books by Kate Morton or Susanna Kearsley.

©Library Journal, 2024

7/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE CLIFFS by J. Courtney Sullivan. Knopf (July 16, 2024). ISBN:‎ 978-0593319154. 384p.

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THE MISTRESS EXPERIENCE by Scarlett Peckham

July 12, 2024

Society of Sirens, Book III

From the publisher:

The scandalous women of the USA Today bestselling author Scarlett Peckham’s Society of Sirens are back with the final stage in their fight for female rights—and this time the battle is to be waged in bed…

She’s the most infamous harlot in London…and she’s up for auction.

Thaïs Magadalene is a legend. The nation’s most notorious courtesan, she sells herself once a week, for one night only, and never to the same patron twice. Until now. To raise money for the cause of women’s rights, she has auctioned herself off for one month as mistress to the highest bidder.

But the winner is not who he seems.

Lord Alastair Eden is an earl, a radical politician, and a perfectionist in all things—except one. His confidence belies an unexpected secret: he doesn’t know how to please a woman in bed. He’s determined to change that before he marries. And who could be better than the most skilled lover in the country to teach him?

And love is never for sale.

Thaïs dreams of finding a man who will love her unconditionally, never mind her past and reputation. Eden dreams of finding a perfectly bred young lady to be his wife and helpmeet. But when a steamy month in the countryside breeds a connection both in and out of the bedchamber, the two of them must decide how much can be sacrificed for love—one’s dreams, or one’s reputation.

“This plot is a perfect match for Peckham’s mastery of erotic writing, providing multiple opportunities for breathtakingly intimate scenes and providing rich emotional development alongside the steam. Readers who like their historical romances big, bawdy, and over the top will be thrilled by the conclusion to Peckham’s Society of Sirens series, especially as it ties up some loose ends from the first two books. A scorching and compelling historical romance.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Peckham pairs polar opposites in a sexy, bawdy, fun, and yet deeply compassionate romance. A fitting end (after The Portrait of a Duchess) to the “Society of Sirens” series.” — Library Journal (starred review)
https://amzn.to/3XWRvu7

After reading Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle, I wanted to try one of this author’s historical romances, written as Scarlett Peckham. I’m not sure which is her real name (and I’m not feeling well or I’d be doing a bit of research on that.) This book got rave reviews, so I gave it a try. It reminded me why I started reading historical romances back in the 1970’s – the sex! And lots of it.

Thaïs Magadalene is a renowned prostitute who has a complicated backstory. She is involved with a group of women who are determined to help other women by giving them options besides marriage or whoredom. They want to educate them, train them, and get them jobs, not an easy feat by any means in Regency England. They have raised a lot of money, and Thaïs decides that she will help put them over the top.

Thaïs has strict rules – she never sees a man more than once, and they are not allowed to spend the night. Her plan is to auction herself off as a mistress for one month to the highest bidder. Luckily, a man she knows wins the bidding for a hefty sum, and sends his carriage to take her to the country for their month together. Except when she arrives, it is at a tiny cottage, not an English country manor. And the man waiting for her is Lord Eden, not the man who won her. Eden explains that his friend did the bidding for him to keep his identity secret. Eden has a plan; he is almost 40 years old and has decided it is time to marry. But he has very little sexual experience, and what he had wasn’t great. Determined to be a perfect lover for his wife-to-be, he enlists Thaïs’s help.

Thaïs is touched and amused and agrees to help. Things start off slowly as Eden needs to feel somewhat comfortable with Thaïs before taking her to bed. Eventually, they get there and Thaïs teaches him everything he needs to know and more. The only problem is that she feels herself getting attached, a definite no-no in her line of work. Eden is also getting attached, but a whore is not suitable marriage material for an Earl.

You can guess where this goes but it is so much fun getting there. As we get to know these characters, we can’t help but want a happily ever after for them. This is a very spicy novel, so if that is not your thing, look elsewhere. I loved it.

7/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE MISTRESS EXPERIENCE by Scarlett Peckham. Avon (June 25, 2024). ISBN: 978-0062935656. 368p.

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Spotlight Review: TANGLED UP IN YOU by Christina Lauren

July 9, 2024

Meant To Be, Book 4

From the publisher:

A witty and deeply romantic modern reimagining of Disney’s Tangled, by the New York Times bestselling author duo Christina Lauren, part of the acclaimed and bestselling Meant to Be collection.

She has a dream. He has a plan. Together they’ll take a leap of faith.

Ren has never held an iPhone, googled the answer to a question, or followed a crush on social media. What she has done: Read a book or two, or three (okay, hundreds). Taught herself to paint. Built a working wind power system from scratch. But for all the books she’s read, Ren has never found one that’s taught a woman raised on a homestead and off the grid for most of her twenty-two years how to live in the real world. So when she finally achieves her lifelong dream of attending Corona College, it feels like her life is finally beginning.

Fitz has the rest of his life mapped out: Graduate from Corona at the top of his class, get his criminal record wiped clean, and pass himself off as the rich, handsome player everyone thinks he is. He’s a few short months from checking off step one of his plans when Ren Gylden, with her cascading blonde hair and encyclopedic brain, crashes into his life, and for the first time Fitz’s plan is in jeopardy.

But a simple assignment in their immunology seminar changes the course of both their lives, and suddenly they’re thrown out of the frying pan and into the fire on a road trip that will lead them in the most unexpected directions. Out on the open road, the world somehow shifts, and the unlikely pair realize that, maybe, the key to the dreams they’ve both been chasing have been sitting next to them the whole time.

“I dare you to not fall wildly in love with Ren and Fitz! Christina Lauren as a writing duo is a national treasure.” — Jesse Q. Sutanto

“This is a delight.” –Publishers Weekly
https://amzn.to/3VI4gWE

I was surprised to see a new Christina Lauren book a month after the publication of The Paradise Problem. Then I realized that this new book is part of an unusual series, Meant to Be. It’s unusual in that each book in the series has been written by a different author. I’ve read three out of the four so far, and I’ve enjoyed them all. They are based on various Disney movies; this one is based on Tangled (which I must admit I haven’t seen, but probably should – my grandson is really into all the Disney movies now!)

Ren has grown up on a homestead; a farm where they worked and raised all their food, and she was homeschooled as well. But she is incredibly bright, fluent in several languages (all self taught) so when she decides to go to college, she isn’t sure how her parents are going to react. They agree that she can go, but she is under the same strict rules she had at home. She is not allowed to go off campus, use the internet or computers for anything other than classwork, and her parents will pick her up every Friday afternoon and bring her back on Sunday night. She has to continue to do all her chores on the farm, and Ren is happy to go along with it. Until her science professor asks them all to do a DNA test.

Fitz is the fair-haired boy of Corona College; an athlete, top of his class, good-looking, and rich. Except everything is not as it seems. When Ren shows up, he realizes she may edge him out as the top student, and without that, he won’t get his criminal record expunged. His childhood was not the idyllic upbringing that most people assume.

Ren returns to the lab late one night to double-check that her DNA test results are accurate. There is a match for paternity, but she knows there is no way her father would have ever done such a test. Flummoxed, she does a bit of research and finds out this paternal match lives in Atlanta, Georgia, clear across the country. When she catches Fitz in unsavory circumstances, she blackmails him into driving her to Nashville, where he is headed for spring break. Aggrieved, he can’t see a way out of it. That road trip leads to a lot of feelings that they both try to push away.

I have to say I figured out what was happening fairly early on, not that I was looking, but it didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the story. It’s a fast-paced, sweet romance with some serious family drama. Christina Lauren for the win!

7/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

TANGLED UP IN YOU by Christina Lauren. Hyperion Avenue (June 25, 2024). ISBN:‎ 978-1368100649. 320p.

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JUST SOME STUPID LOVE STORY by Katelyn Doyle

July 5, 2024

From the publisher:

For fans of Emily Henry, a debut about a rom-com screenwriter who doesn’t believe in love and a divorce attorney who does, forced together at their high school reunion fifteen years after their breakup

Molly Marks writes Hollywood rom-coms for a living—which is how she knows “romance” is a racket. The one and only time she was naive enough to fall in love was with her high school boyfriend, Seth—who she ghosted on the eve of graduation and hasn’t seen in fifteen years.

Seth Rubinstein believes in love, the grand, fated kind, despite his job as, well…one of Chicago’s most successful divorce attorneys. Over the last decade, he’s sought “the one” in countless bad dates and rushed relationships. He knows his soulmate is out there. But so far, no one can compare to Molly Marks, the first girl who broke his heart.

When Molly’s friends drag her to Florida for their fifteenth high school reunion, it is poetic justice that she’s forced to sit with Seth. Too many martinis and a drunken hookup later, they decide to make a whoever can predict the fate of five couples before the next reunion must declare that the other is right about true love. The catch? The fifth couple is the two of them.

Molly assures Seth they are a tale of timeless heartbreak. Seth promises she’ll end up hopelessly in love with him. She thinks he’s delusional. He has five years to prove her wrong.

Wickedly funny, sexy, and brimming with laughs and heart like the best romantic comedies, Just Some Stupid Love Story is for everyone who believes in soulmates—even if they would never admit it.

“A flirty, sexy read…Fresh and fun as hell―Katelyn Doyle is absolutely an author to watch.” ―People Magazine

“Refreshing…A joy to read…Much like When Harry Met Sally but with way more angst (and sex). Doyle creates a strong, winning chemistry between Molly and Seth…A smart, slightly meta romance that plays out like the best movies.” ―Kirkus (starred review)

“Doyle, who writes historical romance as Scarlett Peckham (“Society of Sirens” series), pens her first contemporary, a unique, sizzling second-chance rom-com with an HEA that will leave readers cheering.” ―Library Journal

And this is fun – “Featuring bright purple sprayed edges!” on the hardcover edition.
https://amzn.to/4ck9YoZ

This is the author’s first contemporary romance, and as far as I’m concerned, she hit it out of the park. The timeline is occasionally bouncy, but it was done in a way that made it very clear, which is not always accomplished in fiction. The story takes place over five years, with a glimpse back fifteen years earlier when Molly and Seth were inseparable, and in love. But Molly dumps Seth with no explanation and ghosts him for the next fifteen years.

Molly has left Florida for the spoils of California; she has become a screenwriter, writing romcoms and hoping to the the new Nora Ephron. She has some success, but is sort of stuck lately. Her oldest friends convince her to attend their 15 year high school reunion, and she reluctantly agrees. Her doubts about this adventure come home to roost when she ends up sitting next to her ex.

Seth moved to Chicago and became a very successful family lawyer, AKA a divorce lawyer. Molly’s parents had divorced when she was a kid and he knew how devastating that was for her, so she is shocked to learn he is practicing in that area. So we have the woman who writes happily every afters, but who doesn’t believe in them, and the divorce lawyer who actually does.

Seth has dated a lot – he tends to rush his relationships to the next level in hopes of finding his soulmate. It never works out for him, maybe because he believes deep in heart and subconscious that you only get one soulmate, and Molly was his.

Molly and Seth end up having a very hot one night stand during the reunion weekend, and make a bet about the outcome of five couples currently in relationships. They are one of the couples. The next five years are a rollercoaster ride for both of them, and just when I was convinced that there was no way for this couple to ever get together and move forwards. the author takes me there.

This was a bit of an emotional read for me; my parents also divorced when I was a kid, and I still have issues with it. But it was also a fun and funny romcom – I wouldn’t mind seeing this on the big screen! I don’t think I’ve read her historical romances (written by Scarlett Peckham,) but I will be seeking those out.

7/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

JUST SOME STUPID LOVE STORY by Katelyn Doyle. Flatiron Books (June 4, 2024). ISBN:‎ 978-1250328090. 336p.

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1 Comment | Book Reviews, Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction | Tagged: Beach Read | Permalink
Posted by Stacy Alesi

RESORTING TO ROMANCE by Jennifer Shirk

July 5, 2024

From the Publisher:

Love checks in―even if it’s an unwelcome guest―in this delightful smalltown romance from USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Shirk…

It was supposed to be L.A. attorney Loni Wingate’s perfect day. Instead, she got only chaos and heartbreak. Her fiancé stole her promotion and ended their engagement, leaving her career and her future dangling by a thread. Then when Loni tries to go to her safe place, her family’s quaint North Carolina resort, she finds it’s up for sale.

But Loni didn’t get to where she is without a fight. So if a developer is coming by to assess the property, the place she feels most connected to her long-gone Mama…well, Loni and her sisters will serve up a taste of Southern hospitality he’ll never forget.

Ian Hollowell hasn’t experienced “Southern hospitality” firsthand, but he’s pretty sure this is not it. Between the storage room accommodation, the all-sugar sweet tea, and a lethally hot pepper omelet, he’s getting the sense his welcome is anything but. Still, he didn’t get his ruthless reputation by quitting when the game gets interesting.

And Loni is one adversary Ian can’t resist… especially when family revelations start pushing Loni to question her loyalties.

Now a round of “keep your enemies close” might be flipped on its head in bestselling author Jennifer Shirk’s sparkling and stirring story about reconsidering the past in order to shape the future. Because sometimes it takes one last resort to find the place―and people―that truly feel like home.

https://amzn.to/4eLmNKK

I liked the premise of this story about a family owned resort being put up for sale by the family patriarch. There are three sisters whose mother died several years earlier, and now their father is engaged to be married and none of them have met their step-mother-to-be. And to make things even worse, the sisters are convinced he wants to sell their beloved resort to pay for his wedding, for some reason. There is some confusion about everything that is happening in this book, but it all plays out with good results in the end.

The story focuses on Loni, the middle daughter, who is the only one who left the resort. She became an attorney and is up for partner at her Los Angeles law firm. She is engaged as well, so life is looking good for her. But when she heads into the partnership meeting, it does not go as she was expecting. She is accused of emailing a client a half finished contract, making the firm look incompetent. She doesn’t remember sending it, but has been working so many hours she thinks that maybe she did. This plot point really irked me – would a bright attorney not even look into the allegation? Check her email? See when it was sent? To make matters even worse, her finance is offered the partnership, and he dumps her. Loni goes home to North Carolina to help her sisters with the resort and see what is happening with the possible sale.

Ian is known as “the predator” for both his business dealings and I think for the way he treats women. As his business partner points out, he has never passed seven dates with any woman. He has been befriended by the girls father, who asks him to take a look at the resort and see if he would want to buy it. Ian arrives and the girls basically torture him with horrible food, drink, and accommodations. But Ian is a go-with-the-flow kind of guy, and he is able to keep his eye on the prize. Until he meets Loni.

Lots of family issues need to be resolved here. Ian and Loni form an uneasy relationship based on mistrust, but this is a romance so something has to work out. I obviously had some issues with some of the plotlines here, but I liked the characters enough to stick with it until the happy ending. There were some laughs along the way, which always helps, and some real emotional drama. In the end, I did enjoy this story.

7/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

RESORTING TO ROMANCE by Jennifer Shirk. Entangled: Amara (July 2, 2024). ISBN: 978-1649376503. 352p.

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Spotlight Review: A HAPPIER LIFE by Kristy Woodson Harvey

July 2, 2024

From the publisher:

“New York Times bestselling author and southern sensation Kristy Woodson Harvey” (Good Morning America) presents a touching novel about eternal love and the places we call home.

The historic houses in the seaside town of Beaufort, North Carolina, have held the secrets of their inhabitants for centuries. One of the most enduring refuses to be washed away by the tide: What happened to Rebecca and Townsend Saint James on that fateful night of their disappearance in 1976?

Now, the granddaughter they never knew, Keaton Smith, is desperate for a fresh start. So when her mother needs someone to put her childhood home in Beaufort on the market, she jumps at the chance to head south. But the moment she steps foot inside the abandoned house, which has been closed for nearly fifty years, she wonders if she’s bitten off more than she can chew. Wading through the detritus of her grandparents’ lives, Keaton finds herself enchanted by their southern traditions—and their great, big love. As she gets to know her charming next-door neighbor, his precocious ten-year-old son, and a flock of endearingly feisty town busybodies, Keaton begins to wonder if the stories she has been told about her grandparents are true.

Keaton’s grandmother, Rebecca “Becks” Saint James’s annual summer suppers are the stuff of legend, and locals and out-of-towners alike clamor for an invitation to her stunning historic home. But, in the summer of 1976, she’s struggling behind the facade of the woman who can do it all—and facing a problem that even she can’t solve.

As Keaton and Becks face new challenges and chapters, they are connected through time by the house on Sunset Lane, which has protected the secrets, hopes, and dreams of their family for generations.

“The novel to read this year” (Annabel Monaghan) explores the power of family, the boundless nature of love, and the idea that discovering where we came from just might lead us to A Happier Life.

“This is women’s fiction at its best.” ― Publisher’s Weekly

“Harvey delivers another beautiful and heartfelt novel filled with romance, mystery, and her signature Southern charm. A multigenerational story told through dual timelines, A Happier Life invites readers to deeply savor its pages.”—Library Journal
https://amzn.to/3RQR6pv

What a compelling read! I started reading it Sunday morning and finished it Sunday evening – and I hated turning that last page. And I’ think ‘m pretty sure I still have a load of towels in the dryer…

The dual timelines really worked here – I wish other authors had this kind of finesse. Keaton never knew her mother’s parents, they died in a car crash before she was born. She also didn’t know that they had a beautiful home in Beaufort, North Carolina, until her uncle asked her to go down there, clean it out and get it ready for sale. The house was essentially abandoned fifty years earlier. Since she just got fired from her job and simultaneously found out her ex and her boss were having a baby, it seemed like a great idea to get out of town.

This home has been in the family for generations; it is older than America, built in the 1700’s. But when Keaton arrives, she is in for a shock. The house has been left a shrine to the 1970’s – it’s as if the family went out one day and never came back. And that is exactly what happened.

Much to her surprise, Keaton is having a hard time throwing anything away. She loves learning to get to know her grandparents, especially her grandmother, Becks, through a book she left for Virginia, Keaton’s mom. The book contains life hacks and recipes, lists of dinner parties, what was served, and who attended. There are tips on conversation starters, how to pick a good mix of people for a successful dinner party, and so on.

Keaton is also getting to know the hunky single dad next door and his amazing son, as well as a group of older women who knew and loved her grandparents. The story moves between what was happening in the 1970’s with Becks, and what Keaton is learning.

I really don’t want to give anything more away except to say Keaton’s grandparents’ death is something of a mystery. The romance, while secondary to the story, adds something special as do the descriptions of the area, the historic homes, and the southern charm. As a bonus, there are a couple of recipes at the end that I can’t wait to try. This is only the second book I’ve read by Harvey, but she is most definitely on my must-read list now, and I’m seeking out her older books as well. If you love multigenerational family stories that really resonate and are filled with charm and lots of heart, you won’t want to miss this glorious read!

7/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

A HAPPIER LIFE by Kristy Woodson Harvey. Gallery Books (June 25, 2024). ISBN:‎ 978-1668012192. 384p.

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BookBitch Diary: July 1, 2024

July 1, 2024

TV & Games

When my son was two years old, a dear friend of my mom’s gave him a Nintendo gaming system that had come out a year earlier. It came with the original Super Mario Bros. game, and my son loved it. So did I. In those days, when you “died” in the game, you had to start over. There was no saving whatever level you reached. There were no cheat codes to get ahead. I know I have a touch of OCD, and that manifested in me staying up all night playing Super Mario, and for days, maybe weeks, I was like a zombie, taking care of my son during the day, and playing that game half the night. Until I beat it. And then I never played it again, not any version of it.

When I was in high school, we got the very first video game, Pong. It was too boring to be addictive though. I played other games, pre-Nintendo, when you had to play in arcades. I loved pinball and Space Invaders. I dabbled with Pacman but never got hooked. My husband loved Asteroids, but I could take it or leave it. I have never considered myself a gamer, yet looking back, I’ve been playing video games for most of my life.

Remember The Oregon Trail? I loved that game. We played it on our first home computer, the Tandy Corporation (Radio Shack) TRS-80 Model 1 (we couldn’t afford the first Apple computer!) Games and everything else were stored on cassette tapes. Beyond Space Invaders, I never got into the shooting games. I detest guns and war as much as I love reading thrillers that feature lots of gun violence and war. It’s a dichotomy I’m comfortable with. But now that we all carry computers in our pockets, there are a lot more games to choose from.

My husband and I watch TV at night, but it is rare that something I’m watching holds my complete attention. (One recent exception is a new movie on Netflix, “Hit Man,” which is excellent!) We watch a lot of news, and I usually read while it’s on. We watch some shows; right now, we are bingeing “Suits” and rewatching “Northern Exposure,” which has held up surprisingly well. We are loving the second half season of “Bridgerton”, and regularly watch Monday’s “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart, and Sunday’s “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver on Max (HBO). I watch Jeopardy daily, and read during the commercials. My husband has become addicted to YouTube, and I can read or play games through all of that.

I like to relax after work by rewatching a couple of different series – all of Aaron Sorkin, particularly “The West Wing” and “Newsroom,” plus the “Gilmore Girls” are all on permanent rotation. I also love Sorkin’s other shows, but I can’t access them for free right now. I recently had a yen to rewatch “Ally McBeal,” but it wasn’t streaming on anything I subscribe to. Lucky me, the algorithm pointed me towards “Boston Legal,” which I haven’t watched since it originally aired. It, too, has held up remarkably well, and I am loving it. Because I’ve seen all these shows multiple times, they are a comfort watch for me. I can read since I don’t need to pay all that much attention to the screen.

If I am too engrossed in a TV show, I can’t read, but I can play games on my iPad. I play Backgammon, Spite & Malice, Solitaire, Gin, Hearts, Spades, and occasionally Candy Crush, in that order (OCD, remember?!) I refuse to spend any money on Candy Crush, so it gets boring pretty quickly when I’m stuck on one level.

Every morning, I play the New York Times games and the Washington Post games. I start with WAPO, their morning newsletter, “The 7,” reaches my inbox first. I catch up on the headlines, then play their daily news quiz, On the Record, followed by a super easy word game, Keyword. But then my real fun begins. I subscribe to the NYT “The Morning” newsletter, which I love. At the end of the newsletter are links to their games.

I start every morning with the Crossword Mini, which usually takes less than a minute to complete. Then it’s on to Wordle, followed by Connections, then Strands (out of beta!) finishing up with Spelling Bee. I can generally get to Genius on my own, sometimes with a look at the grid, but have always needed hints to get to Queen Bee. If I have time, I’ll attempt the Monday and Tuesday crossword puzzles. I suck at them, and while I have attempted a Wednesday puzzle, I rarely am able to complete it on my own. The games get progressively more difficult as the week continues, with Saturday the most difficult puzzle and Sunday the largest puzzle.

I believe you need a NYT Games subscription to play all these games. I also love their Weekly News Quiz, out every Friday, and I almost forgot Flashback, a weekly history test of sorts that’s out every Saturday where you have to put eight historical events in chronological order. I’ve put them correctly in order a handful of times, but I usually miss one or two. Flashback and the News Quiz aren’t located with all the other games, so I’m not sure if it works with a Games subscription or News subscription or no subscription! If you aren’t a subscriber and can access it, please let me know. The NY Times has a few other games as well, but I rarely play them. And good news if you just want to play games, you don’t need to have a NYT subscription to subscribe to Games as they are a separate entity, as is NYT Cooking, which I highly recommend. You can subscribe to any of those alone, or bundle everything into one terrific package.

Book News

I’m very excited to tell you that you can subscribe to and read The Washington Post Book Review weekly newsletter, written by the very witty Ron Charles. It is my favorite read about books. He said,

“Remember, free features like this either grow or die, so please tell your friends who might enjoy this newsletter that they can read it every week by clicking here.

(No, they don’t have to subscribe to The Washington Post.)”

This makes me so sad! There are not that many brick-and-mortar bookstores still around, and for some people, Costco’s pricing made books affordable for them. They always had the best deals on sets of children’s books, too, and I don’t really see anyone else who can really step in to take their place. At least they’ll still sell books in the fall, leading up to Christmas.

7 ways to take your book-reading experience to the next level

(Washington Post illustration; iStock)

Critic Michael Dirda looks at the special editions, conferences and exhibitions [on Science Fiction] that offer another window into the books and authors you love.

This was so interesting! I’ve read the entire Bridgerton series and my husband and I have been watching as well. There is some divergence from the books, but in a good way, I think, especially the diversity of the cast. I also love how they take modern music and create waltzes from it. The homes are incredible, and for what they are worth, now I know. Check it out!

Food News

For a food that begins with just flour, water, or sometimes eggs, there are infinite variations of pasta. So what happens when you convene a panel of five Italian cuisine experts and ask them to determine the 25 most essential pasta dishes throughout Italy?

Croissant mashups: A (not-so-brief) history since the Cronut

Cronuts and cragels and crozels and cretzels. Croffles and croiffles and cruffins and tacros.

More than a decade ago, French pastry chef Dominique Ansel unleashed an unstoppable force upon an unsuspecting world: the Cronut, a doughnut-croissant hybrid that drew blocks-long lines to his Manhattan bakery and became an overnight international hit.

My husband and I stood in that Cronut line for well over an hour, but they ran out before we could get one. We’ve had many of the imitators, the Dunkin Donuts version was especially awful, but never the real thing. Someday!

Dr Pepper is now as popular as Pepsi. It’s still shrouded in mystery.

Does it contain prune juice? Was there an actual doctor? And more questions about the quirky soda.

Other News

Summertime and the reading is beachy! I do love me a good beach read, and they are plentiful this year. There were a couple of weeks last month where I swear, every book I read had “summer” in the title!

As always, thanks for reading, and stay safe.

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

3 Comments | Ramblings | Permalink
Posted by Stacy Alesi