At 47, newly divorced makeup artist Lela Bennett is dreading her next steps. Dating. Meeting people. Not letting herself go. But then she runs into Donovan James and tries something different-sleeping with her sexy crush from college. Unfortunately, in a post-orgasm stupor, Lela confesses she was in love with Donovan all those years ago. He responds by leaving while she sleeps. The next morning, her gray hairs are practically taunting her. She knows she has to get it together. Forget men. Embrace her age. Own her gray.
Donovan James is a marketing genius, but his ex-wives will tell you-nothing freaks him out like feelings. Three years after his one-night stand with Lela, he’s focused on his daughter’s lifestyle company, but unprepared to meet the face of their new beauty brand. It’s Lela. With stunning silver locks and new confidence, she’s no longer swayed by his charms. When business starts booming, the universe seems intent on throwing them together time and again. And suddenly, two people convinced that romance was behind them are wondering if love could be what’s next.
This was such a cute premise, and as someone who has been covering the gray for more years than I care to think about, I was ready to love this. But I didn’t.
I liked that Lela embraced her silver hair, which sounds much prettier than gray. I must admit I have one friend who embraced her gray and I thought it aged her terribly. Some women look fantastic, but not all do.
Lela has been in love with Donovan since their college days. They were great friends, but once he got engaged, his fiancée felt threatened by Lela, and it turns out she had good reason. Donovan has been married a few times and they lost touch over the years, but follow one another on social media. Until they bump into each other in NYC. They end up reminiscing and sleeping together, but during the night Lela admits she was in love with him. Once she falls asleep, he panics and leaves.
That night gives Lela the impetus to change her life. She embraces her gray hair and decides to take her makeup artistry into a new direction – her own line of cosmetics. Business is doing well and then she is bought out by a conglomerate. She still is running her company but within the behemoth.
Donovan has one daughter, a brilliant young woman who is running her own beauty company. She, too, is bought out and then the conglomerate folds Lela’s company under hers. Oh, and Donovan is a semi-retired successful entrepreneur who is working for his daughter now. So Lela and Donovan have to work together as well.
You can guess what happens as the book is entirely predictable. The characters are likeable but there just isn’t enough tension or drama here to make it a real page turner. As a matter of fact, since I read on my Kindle I had no idea how many pages this book was and I was shocked that it was under 300 pages, it felt much longer. I think this book would have been helped by a good editor. I liked seeing a 40something woman as protagonist in a love story and wish there were more books like that. Romance isn’t only for the young!
2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
GRAY HAIR DON’T CARE by Karen Booth. Karen Booth (February 2, 2021). ISBN: 978-0578826288. 276p.
It’s not just the motion of the ocean, ladies. It’s definitely the SIZE of the boat too. And I’ve got both firing on all cylinders. In fact, I have ALL the right assets. Looks, brains, my own money, and a big c&$k.
You might think I’m an as%*$le. I sound like one, don’t I? I’m hot as sin, rich as heaven, smart as hell and hung like a horse. Guess what? You haven’t heard my story before.
Sure, I might be a playboy, like the NY gossip rags call me. But I’m the playboy who’s actually a great guy. Which makes me one of a kind. The only trouble is, my dad needs me to cool it for a bit. With conservative investors in town wanting to buy his flagship Fifth Avenue jewelry store, he needs me not only to zip it up, but to look the part of the committed guy. Fine. I can do this for Dad. After all, I’ve got him to thank for the family jewels.
So I ask my best friend and business partner to be my fiancée for the next week. Charlotte’s up for it. She has her own reasons for saying yes to wearing this big rock. And pretty soon all this playing pretend in public leads to no pretending whatsoever in the bedroom, because she just can’t fake the kind of toe-curling, window-shattering orgasmic cries she makes as I take her to new heights between the sheets. But I can’t seem to fake that I might be feeling something real for her.
What the hell have I gotten myself into with this…big rock?
This is a super sexy, super fun fake engagement romance. Blakely always delivers and truly rises to the top of the self published pack. This book has an arrogant protagonist that grows and changes and enough drama and laughs to keep the pages turning.
This book came out a few years ago, and I actually read book 7 in this series first (what else is new!) If my library has the rest of the series, I’m all in. If you want something fun, fast, and steamy, this is your book. Pure entertainment!
2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
BIG ROCK by Lauren Blakely. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (January 6, 2016). ISBN: 978-1984354075. 254p.
Book 2Book 3Book 4Book 5Book 6Book 7Book 8Book 9Book 10
I started reading this series in the middle, as I often do, back in 2018. The first book I read was SURRENDER TO THE HIGHLANDER, and I wasn’t thrilled with it. I picked it up during a Droughtlander (the years between the books in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series and/or the eponymous TV series.) But when the next book, THE HIGHLANDER’S PROMISE, came out, I read it and liked it a lot. I read the next couple, then somehow forgot about this series.
The most recent book is HIGHLAND WOLF, which I read a few weeks ago and really enjoyed. So I started looking around at the series and realized what I had done, reading those four books in the middle. I found the rest of the series through my library. I received egalleys, advanced review copies, from the publisher for the other books in the series that I read.
These books are historical romance but also romantic suspense. There is some element of danger in all of them, and there is graphic sex in all of them as well. Mostly the same sex scenes, in fact. Only the names are changed, or at least that’s how it appeared to me. I probably wouldn’t have noticed except I read five books over the past week, one after another, so it was quite obvious. There are some gruesome descriptions of torture and murder in some of the books as well, but not overly long and usually just once in each book, if that.
These do not have to be read in order. Like many romance series, each book centers on two characters, at least one of whom we have met or heard about in a previous book. So if you haven’t read the books in order, you may not get the reference but it makes no difference to the plot or understanding the characters, who are all well developed. The later books have a few more references to previous ones, but again, not that you’d notice if you haven’t read them. All that said, they are probably best read in order.
There aren’t a whole lot of historical references other than the fact that Edward III is on the British throne, which puts these books in the 1300’s, and the English and Scots hate each other. Oh, if you didn’t get it from the titles or the book covers, these are all Scottish romances set in the Highlands of Scotland, with occasional forays into England. Amazon calls them “Medieval romances” and I guess that’s true. I did learn a lot about how people lived in that time period: what they ate, how they dressed, how they shopped, their morals and beliefs, all of which I found fascinating.
I really enjoyed this series and I’m sorry I didn’t read them in order. But I am very glad I read them all. And I hope there are more books coming!
Finally, I wanted to add that I read the first four books on Hoopla, and book 9 on Cloud Library, apps that are available through libraries. If your library doesn’t offer these options, ask for them! I don’t love reading in these apps, it’s not nearly as seamless as my Kindle but it works and I read these all on my iPad. Hoopla offers ebooks, audiobooks, comics (graphic novels,) movies, TV series, and music; pretty much any kind of streaming material. Cloud Library has ebooks and streaming audiobooks. My library allows patrons to borrow twenty items per month from Hoopla and seven items from Cloud Library, but your mileage may vary. Oh, just FYI, Hoopla changes their content at their whim; libraries have no say in it beyond making suggestions. So just because I found all these books there now, they may not be there next month or next year. What I like best about Hoopla is that whatever they have is always available. If you are used to borrowing ebooks through Cloud Library or Overdrive, you know you have to reserve popular items and wait. That doesn’t happen on Hoopla – what you see is what you get. All of these books are also available as audiobooks.
From New York Times bestselling author of The Husband Hunt, The Heiress, and other beloved historical romances, comes Lynsay Sands’s An English Bride in Scotland, the first book in a new series set in the wilds of the Highlands.
Annabel had planned to become a nun. But when her mother arrives at the Abbey to bring her home to marry a Scottish laird—her runaway sister’s intended husband—her life takes a decidedly different turn.
And though Annabel isn’t the wife he’d planned for, strong, sexy Ross McKay is taken with his shy, sweet bride.
Annabel knows nothing about being a wife, running a castle—or the marriage bed. But her handsome new husband makes her want to learn. When Annabel’s life is threatened, Ross vows to move the highlands itself to save her and preserve the passion that’s only beginning to bloom.
New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands returns to the Highlands of Scotland in her hottest new historical romance yet!
Highlander Campbell Sinclair is no stranger to battle, so when he sees a lad attacked by bandits, he jumps into the fray. He didn’t count on being stabbed. Grateful to the boy for nursing him back to health, Cam offers to accompany Jo safely to his destination. But when he accidentally comes across the lad bathing in the river, Cam discovers that Jo is actually Joan . . . with the most sinful of curves.
Joan promised her mother that she would deliver a scroll to the clan MacKay. But traveling alone is dangerous, even disguised as a boy. When a Scottish warrior lends his aid, she is more than relieved . . . until he surprises her with lingering kisses and caresses that prove her disguise hasn’t fooled him. As their passion ignites, will the secrets of the scroll force a wedding . . . and lead to a love she’s never known?
A bold, seductive laird meets his passionate match in a scintillating Highland romance from New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands
Sword fighting, swearing, and riding astride come naturally to Saidh Buchanan. Simpering and holding her tongue— definitely not. Raised alongside seven boisterous brothers, Saidh has little interest in saddling herself with a husband . . . until she glimpses the new Laird MacDonnell bathing naked in the loch. Though she’s far from a proper lady, the brawny Highlander makes Saidh feel every inch a woman.
She has an angel’s looks, a warrior’s temper, and seeks out his kisses with wanton eagerness. Little wonder that Greer is intrigued by his comely guest. When reckless desire overtakes them, he’s more than willing to make an honest woman of her. But Saidh is the target of a hidden enemy, and Greer faces the battle of his life to safeguard the woman he wants above all others.
New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands welcomes readers back to the Scottish Highlands, where a gallant warrior vows to protect a beautiful runaway . . .
Lady Murine Carmichael has known her share of bad luck. But when her debt-ridden half brother tries to sell her off in exchange for a few Scottish horses, it’s the final straw. If keeping her freedom means escaping through harsh countryside alone, so be it. She has barely begun her journey when she lands an unlikely escort—the brawny Highlander who just refused to buy her virtue.
Dougall Buchanan was disgusted by Lord Danvries’ shameful offer, but Murine tempts him beyond measure. Even bedraggled and dusty, the lass glows with beauty and bravery. Dougall wants to do more than just help her flee. He wants to protect her—with his life and his heart—if she’ll only let him. For Murine may be pursued by a powerful foe, but nothing compares to the fiery courage of a Highlander in love.
In New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands’ captivating romance, a lass targeted by an unknown foe is saved—and seduced—by a bold Highlander
Edith Drummond owes her life to Niels Buchanan and his brothers. Waking after an illness to a castle overrun by rugged Highlanders is disconcerting, but so is learning that she’s slowly being poisoned. Niels insists on staying by her side, and Edith soon discovers that even more dangerous is her wild attraction to the fierce warrior.
Niels has never met a more courageous—or enticing—woman than Lady Edith. The idea of such a bonny lass being forced to enter a nunnery is more than any red-blooded Scotsman could bear. He’ll gladly marry her himself. But while sweeping her off her feet is easy, it’ll take all his skill to defeat her family’s relentless enemies, and convince her to surrender to his sweet embrace. . . .
In a spellbinding new Highlands story from New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands, the laird of the Buchanans finds the one woman who is his equal in passion and courage
Aulay Buchanan has retreated to his clan’s hunting lodge for a few days of relaxation. But the raven-haired beauty he pulls from the ocean puts an end to any chance of rest. Though he christens her Jetta, she knows nothing of her real identity, save that someone is trying to kill her. As she recovers, it will not be easy for Aulay to protect her and keep her honor intact when she mistakenly believes they are man and wife…
Jetta sees beyond Aulay’s scars to the brave, loyal warrior she’s proud to call her own. But as the attempts on her life grow more brazen, Jetta realizes that not all is as she believes. And if Aulay is not her husband, can she trust the desire flaring in his eyes, or his promise to defend her with his life?
A laird’s daughter kidnaps a Highlander—and loses her heart… in New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands’ new historical romance
Lady Evina Maclean has heard much about Rory Buchanan’s skill as a healer. What she hasn’t heard is how good the brawny Highlander looks bathing in a waterfall. But Evina can’t afford the distraction, for her ailing father urgently needs care. Only when she’s rendered Buchanan unconscious and dragged him back to her family’s castle does the truth emerge—it’s not Rory she’s kidnapped but his brother Conran.
Other ladies try to ensnare Conran with flattery. Evina hits him over the head with the hilt of her sword to save her kin—and Conran likes the spirited redhead all the more for it. He’s learned enough from his brother to heal Evina’s father, but there are other dangers swirling around the Maclean clan. And while the beautiful, independent lady has sworn not to marry, this wrong Highlander may be just the right man for her.
Four Buchanan brothers have found their brides…only three more to go in this scintillating romance from New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands…
Lady Dwyn Innes feels utterly out of place among the eligible women who’ve descended on Buchanan Keep, vying for the attention of the last unmarried brothers. She isn’t long-legged and slender like her sisters, or flirtatious and wily like other lasses. Since her betrothed died, Dwyn has resigned herself to becoming an old maid. Yet a chance encounter with a stranger in the orchard awakens her to a new world of sensation and possibility…
After weeks away, Geordie Buchanan returns to find his home swarming with potential brides, thanks to his loving but interfering family. But one lass in particular draws his attention from the moment he spies her climbing a tree. Lady Dwyn is not nearly as plain as she thinks. Her lush figure and eager kisses delight him, as does her honesty. But the real test lies ahead: eliminating a hidden enemy, so that he and Dwyn can seal their Highland passion with a vow.
A Buchanan brother finds a love to treasure in this scintillating historical romance from New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands…
After escaping from the English soldiers who attacked her home and imprisoned her in a dungeon, Lady Elysande de Valance is grateful for the rugged Scots who are escorting her to safety in the Highlands. Even with danger dogging their every step, she hadn’t expected to welcome the strong comforting embrace of their leader, Rory Buchanan. They say he’s a healer, but she finds the heat of his touch does so much more…
Let his brothers get married—Rory is too busy tending to the sick to be bothered with wooing a bride. But when he is tasked with accompanying a family friend’s “treasure” to the Highlands, he is surprised to learn the treasure is a beautiful woman on the run—and even more surprised to discover bruises hidden by her veil. Rory makes it his mission to tend to her injuries and protect her, but the thought of losing her makes him realize that perhaps it is his heart that is most in need of healing…
New York Times Bestselling Author Lynsay Sands delivers another sexy historical romance set in the wilds of the Highlands
In all her daydreams about her wedding day, Lady Claray MacFarlane never once imagined being dragged to the altar by her greedy uncle and forced to marry a man she didn’t know. But that’s what happened, or would have, had a Highland warrior not snatched her up at the last minute and ridden off with her in his arms.
They call him the Wolf. The mercenary’s courage and prowess in battle are known throughout the Highlands, and with his handsome face and black-as-sin hair, he is as intelligent and deadly as the wolf he was named for…
But the Wolf is also Claray’s betrothed. Thought to have been killed as a child, he’s been in hiding all these years. Now he’s determined to earn enough coin to rebuild his home, reclaim his birthright, and honor his marriage contract to Claray. For he’s fallen for the tender-hearted lass…and he will do anything to protect her and their future together.
Falling in love is the ultimate payback in this delightful, breezy romcom about an interior designer who teams up with an enigmatic architect at her firm to get revenge on her ex the only way she knows how: by building a spite house next door
They say living well is the best revenge. But sometimes, spreading the misery seems a whole lot more satisfying. That’s interior designer Dani Porter’s justification for buying the vacant lot next to her ex-fiancé’s house…the house they were supposed to live in together, before he cheated on her with their Realtor. Dani plans to build a vacation rental that will a) mess with his view and his peace of mind and b) prove that Dani is not someone to be stepped on. Welcome to project Spite House.
They say living well is the best revenge. But sometimes, spreading the misery seems a whole lot more satisfying. That’s interior designer Dani Porter’s justification for buying the vacant lot next to her ex-fiancé’s house…the house they were supposed to live in together, before he cheated on her with their Realtor. Dani plans to build a vacation rental that will a) mess with his view and his peace of mind and b) prove that Dani is not someone to be stepped on. Welcome to project Spite House.
That plan quickly becomes complicated when Dani is forced to team up with Wyatt Montego, the handsome, haughty architect at her firm, and the only person available to draw up blueprints. Wyatt is terse and stern, the kind of man who eats his sandwich with a knife and fork. But as they spend time together on- and off-site, Dani glimpses something deeper beneath that hard veneer, something surprising, vulnerable, and real. And the closer she gets to her goal, the more she wonders if winning revenge could mean losing something infinitely sweeter…
I just read another HGTV-style romance – HOW TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR by Sophie Sullivan – I guess it’s a popular plotline. I poked around my website for other HGTV romances and wasn’t surprised to find several more pop up. And those are only the ones I’ve read and reviewed. It is a fun idea, and it works here for sure.
Dani and her ex-fiancé were supposed to buy a house together, but somehow he bought it on his own. She also wanted to purchase the small lot next door for a studio for her work, and that was ignored completely. When she catches him banging the realtor, she ends things but is still really pissed. She figures out that since her money never went into the house, she can afford the lot next door and determines to build a tiny “spite” house that will block his view. And be annoying in general what with all the construction.
Money is tight but she works for an architecture firm so figures someone will help her, but Wyatt is the last person she would expect to help her out. Known as the office grumpy know-it-all, he is supremely talented and she is reluctant to look a gift horse in the mouth. He tells her he needs her help with his grandmother’s window treatments, so it’s a fair deal.
Dani never mentions that her ex lives next door to their project, but Wyatt isn’t stupid and starts suspecting something is up. Meanwhile, working together is going way better than Dani ever expected. Turns out Wyatt is a genuinely nice guy and they start falling in love. Until he realizes that she’s been lying to him about the house the whole time.
This is a romance so they find their happily ever after, but not before a lot of crazy stuff goes down; the garden gnomes and crazy mailbox are funny but the fire is not. Spite is never a good motivator; seems like there are always repercussions, as is the case here.
This was a fun and light-hearted read, sure to please HGTV-romance fans like me. If the Hallmark Channel and HGTV had a baby, it would be this book!
2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
LOVE AT FIRST SPITE by Anna E. Collins. Graydon House; Original edition (January 4, 2022). ISBN: 978-1525899799. 320p.
New York Times Bestselling Author Lynsay Sands delivers another sexy historical romance set in the wilds of the Highlands
In all her daydreams about her wedding day, Lady Claray MacFarlane never once imagined being dragged to the altar by her greedy uncle and forced to marry a man she didn’t know. But that’s what happened, or would have, had a Highland warrior not snatched her up at the last minute and ridden off with her in his arms. . .
They call him the Wolf. The mercenary’s courage and prowess in battle are known throughout the Highlands, and with his handsome face and black-as-sin hair, he is as intelligent and deadly as the wolf he was named for…
But the Wolf is also Claray’s betrothed. Thought to have been killed as a child, he’s been in hiding all these years. Now he’s determined to earn enough coin to rebuild his home, reclaim his birthright, and honor his marriage contract to Claray. For he’s fallen for the tender-hearted lass…and he will do anything to protect her and their future together.
My reading history with this series is odd, even for me! I’ve read books 6, 7, & 8 and now this tenth addition. I’ve liked them all a lot, so I don’t know why I haven’t read the entire series, but if my library has them, I will rectify this soonest.
Claray is being forced into a marriage she doesn’t want, and at the last second, the Highland warrior known as The Wolf rescues her and takes her away. No one really knows who he is, but he is well respected and Claray is thrilled to be free of her impending marriage. They head towards her home, several days away, and along the way she gets to know the Wolf, and they are strongly attracted to one another. She also picks up some stray animals that need some help, aggravating the Wolf but also adding to his attraction to the sweet, caring woman.
It turns out this couple was meant to be, but it won’t be easy. Too many people are trying to kill the Wolf and Claray, or at least marry her for her property. But love will prevail, with some nice twists in the storyline to keep things interesting.
This was another good addition to this series. I love anything set in Scotland, and the Highlands in particular. The history and culture is always interesting, as it was here. I used to read Scottish romances as sort of place holders for the Outlander series, but it’s gone beyond that now. I enjoy them for themselves, if that makes sense. I am off to hunt down the earlier books in the series. Men in kilts are just too much fun!
Enemies-to-lovers meets HGTV in this frothy, effervescent romantic comedy from Sophie Sullivan, author of Ten Rules for Faking It.
Interior Design School? Check. Cute house to fix up? Check.
Sexy, grumpy neighbor who is going to get in the way of your plans? Check. Unfortunately.
Grace Travis has it all figured out. In between finishing school and working a million odd jobs, she’ll get her degree and her dream job. Most importantly, she’ll have a place to belong, something her harsh mother could never make. When an opportunity to fix up―and live in―a little house on the beach comes along, Grace is all in. Until her biggest roadblock moves in next door.
Noah Jansen knows how to make a deal. As a real estate developer, he knows when he’s found something special. Something he could even call home. Provided he can expand by taking over the house next door–the house with the combative and beautiful woman living in it.
With the rules for being neighborly going out the window, Grace and Noah are in an all-out feud. But sometimes, your nemesis can show you that home is always where the heart is.
When her long estranged grandmother dies and Grace inherits her beach house, she is thrilled. She longs for a connection to family; her mother is wrapped up in herself and whatever money she can squeeze out of Grace, but the house means something. Except her next door neighbor, Noah, assumes he can just buy it out from under her. He wants the land to put in a pool to complete his dream house on the beach, but Grace is not interested in selling. Not that he gives up that easily.
Grace is also steps away from completing her interior design degree so she relishes the chance to fix up the long neglected cottage. On the other hand, Noah is busy hiring people to fix up his home, and there is a national magazine interested in featuring it. Except they want a bit more than a photo spread; they want to do a video series showcasing the house as the work is done, and they want the up-and-coming designer, Grace, to take over the project. The chemistry between Noah and Grace is obvious to everyone, and eventually they find a way to get together.
Grace is all hands on; Noah is all about the money. Until Grace puts a paintbrush in his hand. Opposites do attract here!
If you enjoy all those fixer-upper type TV shows as much as I do, then this is the book for you. It’s a lot of fun and an easy, thoroughly enjoyable read.
2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
HOW TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR by Sophie Sullivan. Griffin (January 18, 2022). ISBN: 978-1250624185. 352p.
From Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead―the hilarious and heart-pounding follow-up to Finlay Donovan is Killing It.
Finlay Donovan is―once again―struggling to finish her next novel and keep her head above water as a single mother of two. On the bright side, she has her live-in nanny and confidant Vero to rely on, and the only dead body she’s dealt with lately is that of her daughter’s pet goldfish.
On the not-so-bright side, someone out there wants her ex-husband, Steven, out of the picture. Permanently. Whatever else Steven may be, he’s a good father, but saving him will send her down a rabbit hole of hit-women disguised as soccer moms, and a little bit more involvement with the Russian mob than she’d like.
Meanwhile, Vero’s keeping secrets, and Detective Nick Anthony seems determined to get back into her life. He may be a hot cop, but Finlay’s first priority is preventing her family from sleeping with the fishes… and if that means bending a few laws then so be it.
With her next book’s deadline looming and an ex-husband to keep alive, Finlay is quickly coming to the end of her rope. She can only hope there isn’t a noose at the end of it…
This is the sequel to Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, and a worthy sequel it is. It may even be better than the first book!
Finlay has published a bestseller and now her second book is coming due. Once again, Finlay is struggling with it. She thought she was done with the Russian mob but nope, they are back and badder than ever. The women’s forum has a new hit advertised and victim-to-be is none other than Steven, Finlay’s ex. Now she is not his biggest fan by far, but he is a good dad and she doesn’t want to see her kids fatherless, but if she is reading the code right, someone has taken the hit job for some big bucks.
Being a single mom of two preschoolers is no joke. Finlay’s best pal/nanny/accountant, Vero, is happy to help keep Steven alive, as much as she personally wouldn’t mind him dead. Julian, the hot young law school student is still a good friend with benefits, and the smoking hot detective Nick is still trying to worm his way into her heart, and her bed, not necessarily in that order. Finlay has her hands full for sure.
There are a lot of laughs here, but also some gruesome body parts and some scary Russian mobsters, all adding up to another unputdownable read. I’m just sad I’m going to have to wait until 2023 for the next book in the series. If you like fast paced mysteries with a lot of laughs, then add this to your to-be-read pile. I loved it.
2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
FINLAY DONOVAN KNOCKS ‘EM DEAD by Elle Cosimano. Minotaur Books (February 1, 2022). ISBN: 978-1250242181. 368p.
“Getting the job done” for one single mom takes on a whole new meaning in Finlay Donovan is Killing It.
Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she’s really not. She’s a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: the new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.
When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet . . . Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.
Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moment, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a brilliant new series from YA Edgar Award nominee Elle Cosimano.
This was such a fun read! This book came out last year and I promptly lost it somewhere on my Kindle. The sequel came out a couple of weeks ago, so I dug this one up so I could start reading the series in order. Yes, I do that on occasion! The NY Times review said, “Cosimano skillfully combines suspense and laughs in the manner of Janet Evanovich’s early (and best) novels” so I was all in. That was one of my favorite series, at least the first dozen or so books. So I was hopeful here and it did not disappoint.
Finlay Donovan is a mess. She’s recently divorced and fighting with Steven, her ex, about the kids, ages two and four. He left her for a realtor, and is trying to gain full custody. Finlay writes romantic suspense books for a living, but she’s not making much, to say the least. Her bills are piling up, her minivan is breaking down, and she can’t afford a good lawyer to defend her. When Steven decides to fire the nanny since Finlay works from home, she loses it. When she finally gets hold of the nanny, Vero, she learns that the real reason she was fired was because she didn’t want to have sex with Steven. Vero and Finlay bond. become besties and eventually partners in crime. Sort of.
Meanwhile, her agent is breathing down her neck about her next book. The deadline has come and gone and they arrange to meet at Panera. As they are discussing the murders at the heart of her books, a woman sitting nearby keeps giving her strange looks. Turns out she thinks Finlay is a hit man (hit woman? Hit-mom!) and wants to hire her to kill her husband. He is a bad guy for sure, but Finlay isn’t that desperate. At least she doesn’t think she is. But the woman won’t take no for an answer so Finlay decides to check the guy out at least.
Turns out he is worse than she even thought. She meets up with him in a bar at a networking event, where she witnesses him putting drugs into his date’s drink while she is in the restroom. That’s date, not wife. Incensed, Finlay pretends they met at a previous party, gets him close enough to her that she can switch the drinks behind his back. She manages to get him out the back door of the bar and into the back of her minivan as he passes out. She heads home, not sure what to do with him. After contacting his wife, she is given the password to his phone and she realizes that this is his MO; he drugs married women, takes a bunch of pictures of them in very compromising positions and is apparently blackmailing them.
He ends up dead by accident, and the wife tells a friend about Finlay and her new career is born. Sort of. Meanwhile, she had met this very cute bartender/law student, Julian, at the event and even though he is a few years younger than she is, there is some serious chemistry. And her sister, Georgia, is a cop who is trying to set her up with a very hot detective, Nick, and there is chemistry there as well.
Oline Cogdill of the Sun Sentinel neatly sums it up: “Part screwball comedy, part morality tale, the amusing Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is also a tale about parenting, bad divorces, reinventing oneself, rising above misery and, well, becoming a hit woman. It’s a solid, thoughtful and funny yet poignant mystery that never once becomes a one-note story.” This is no cozy mystery though; this borders on thriller with an appropriate amount of gore. It’s a terrific read, and I no sooner turned the last page when I started the second book in the series, Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead. Don’t miss it!
2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT by Elle Cosimano. Minotaur (January 4, 2022). ISBN: 978-1250830449. 384p.
An absolutely hilarious romantic comedy set in Ireland…
A newly single girl. A tall dark handsome stranger. What could go wrong?
It’s 7 a.m. on a Monday morning and Abby Reynolds isn’t where she wants to be. She wants to be in her beautiful loft apartment in Manhattan, drinking a coffee with her fiancé.
Instead, she’s heading back to the childhood home in rural Ireland she swore she’d never return to, with some big old secrets. Namely that she’s suddenly found herself unemployed, homeless, and absolutely 100% single.
She’s feeling all out of luck. Until the first person she meets after she touches down is an absurdly hot guy called Luke, who offers her a lift home. Gazing deep into his sparkling emerald-green eyes, Abby knows instantly that he’s exactly what she needs to take her mind off everything. The perfect rebound.
It’s a flawless plan. Until the next day, when Abby realizes who he actually is. Not just a stranger. He is, in fact, Luke Bailey, aka the boy next door. Luke Bailey who—so help her God—she’s pretty sure she once shared baths with, back when they were kids. Not that she can allow herself to imagine him in a bath now, not without blushing from head to foot.
And judging by the smirk on his face, the same Luke Bailey who’s known exactly who she was the whole time… And who, like everyone in the village, still thinks she’s a high-flying New Yorker… who’s getting married next year.
Abby is certain getting under Luke will help her get over her ex. But the truth is stopping her. Can she admit to everyone back home that she’s single and has lost everything? Because, if she wants the boy next door, she may just have to…
The perfect feel-good romantic comedy that will make you laugh until you cry and fall completely in love. Fans of Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, and Emily Henry won’t be able to put this down!
Abby has been dumped. Her fiancé has decided that he doesn’t want to get married. Luckily, the mega financial company she works for has some apartments, generally used for new hires, available so at least she has a place to live.
Abby has always been driven, leaving the small town of Clonard, Ireland for college and never looking back. She loves the Manhattan lifestyle afforded her by her years with the company, and has all her funds tied up with them. So when they go under, she and thousands of others find themselves out of work and broke. Plus she’s now homeless as well. The only solution she sees is to go home to Ireland.
Abby’s sister is living in their family home and while they don’t really get along – she is a strong environmentalist/activist while Abby is working for the epitome of corporate greed, she knows her sister will take her in. But she’s embarrassed to admit she is no longer engaged on top of everything else.
Luke gives Abby a ride home when she is stranded at the airport. He remembers her well – he always had a crush on her. Abby flirts the whole way home without realizing that this hot man is actually the neighbor she grew up with. Once she figures it out, and he figures out she is engaged, things get complicated between them in spite of their growing attraction.
There are a lot of laughs and some angst before they reach their happy ending. Abby is a strong woman and Luke is an honorable, honest man, and I really liked them both. The setting and secondary characters were quirky and fun, and altogether this was a terrific, heart warming read.
2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE REBOUND by Catherine Walsh. Bookouture (February 9, 2022). ISBN: 978-1800195677. 324p.
This is publicized as a “two hour read” but I it only took me half that time. It went by so fast because it’s only 99 pages. That means there is no character development or back story and not much plot to speak of either. It is a very steamy romance, but I felt unsettled after reading it. I need more book in my book, I guess.
This was the first time I’ve read this author. I don’t read a lot of self published books because they are not often available to reviewers. I got this one through Black’s publicist – yes, she has one. And I’m pretty sure she has an editor, too, and that is not always the case with either self published writers or some bestselling, traditionally published authors – I wouldn’t swear to it but I don’t think that last Stephen King novel ever saw an editor. But I digress.
I liked this book but wanted more. Black is a very popular author and I can certainly see why. I am not a fan of novellas no matter how well done they are, and this is well done for what it is. If you like sexy romances and don’t want to invest too much time, then this is your book.
2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
TEMPTED BY THE BILLIONAIRE by Shayla Black. Self published (February 8, 2022). ASIN: 978-1957573007. 99p.
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