The brand new funny and heartwarming romantic comedy!
It only takes one night to fall in love…
Within days of wishing she could change her life, Fran Cooper is acting assistant to a celebrity, on a yacht in the Mediterranean, and en route to a tiny Italian island and the glittering Crystal Ball, along with the world’s rich and famous.
When she – quite literally – bumps into a handsome American called Evan, a man able to keep his cool in the face of chaos, the magic really begins.
Evan makes her a promise: no last names, no life stories, just one unforgettable night. Yet Evan belongs at the Crystal Ball and Fran is a gatecrasher. They may be soulmates, but their homes are an ocean apart, and their lives a world apart. They’ll never meet again – unless, on a night like this, everything can change forever…
Fran is engaged to Stew and they recently moved into his grandmother’s house in a small town far outside of London. She doesn’t love the house and Stew is starting to get on her nerves, too. He doesn’t want her leaving the small town but she needs a job. She’s been working temp jobs as an assistant and she loves it, but there isn’t any work in this tiny town and the holidays are looming. She calls a contact with a temp agency she’s used many times.
Until she signs an NDA, she can’t even learn who she will be assisting. All she knows is that she needs the money and after a strange interview, Fran is hired. It turns out she will be working for a world famous singer, Juliette. She is scheduled to perform at the Crystal Ball, the world’s most excusive party. They will be taking a yacht to the party, and on the way Fran and Juliette form a strange sort of friendship, mostly based in alcohol, but it works for them. Until Juliette strands her new pal in Sicily.
Fran is stuck but at least she has the fancy hotel suite to stay in. When the makeup artist arrives and Juliette isn’t there, she convinces Fran to dress up and go to the party. She sneaks her in and Fran is determined to have a good time. She quickly meets a gorgeous man, Evan, and the sparks fly. They spend a crazy evening together and then…the happy ending you can’t help but wish for them.
This was a very funny book and a sweet romance. It is a true feel-good read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS by Lindsey Kelk.HarperCollins (January 18, 2022). ISBN: 978-0008496753. 352p.
Sex trafficking is currently a hot news topic, but it is not a new problem or just a problem in “other” countries. Every year, an estimated 300,000 American children are at risk of being lured into the sex trade, some as young as eight years old. It is thought that up to 90 percent of victims are never rescued.
Stolen is the true story of one survivor who escaped–more than once. First recruited while staying with her family at a hotel in Miami Beach, Katariina Rosenblatt was already a lonely and abused young girl who was yearning to be loved. She fell into the hands of a confident young woman who pretended friendship but slowly lured her into a child prostitution ring. For years afterward, a cycle of false friendship, threats, drugs, and violence kept her trapped.
As Kat shares her harrowing experiences, readers will quickly realize the frightening truth that these terrible things could have happened to any child–a neighbor, a niece, a friend, a sister, a daughter. But beyond that, they will see that there is real hope for the victims of sex trafficking. Stolen is more than a warning. It is a celebration of survival that will inspire.
This was one of the worst books I’ve ever read. What should have been an important message about sex trafficking in the U.S. is instead an homage to Christianity. The only reason I finished it was because I was asked to do a book talk/discussion for the Social Impact Series at Lynn University, where I work. The Impact Series addresses various topics each month, and part of the series is a book discussion on a book relevant to that topic. The January topic was Sex Trafficking, and this book was selected because the author is local and it was suggested she might be available to participate. It was then decided that we don’t get enough of a turnout to warrant inviting the author, so that was that and I was stuck reading this book.
This book is Kat’s story. She did an interview with CNN several years ago for a series they did on sex trafficking in the US: https://youtu.be/5XhOI_nite8 Watching this short video is preferable to reading this book.
When people think of sex trafficking, they often think of it as something that happens to other people. We think it can’t possibly happen in our town or neighborhood; it’s a problem in big cities or across the border or internationally. We want to feel that the young people we know – our children, our friends’ children, the kids in our neighborhood – can’t possibly be at risk. We are wrong.
It is partially true that sex trafficking does occur across our borders and internationally, but it also occurs here in these United States. Every day. Ohio leads the nation in sex trafficking, followed by Florida, where I live and where this book is set.
The book is divided into three sections. The first is Katariina Rosenblatt’s personal story–her abuse, how her loneliness attracted a recruiter in the hotel she lived in, and how she was groomed step-by-step into slavery by traffickers, her escape and recapture numerous times. In the second part, Kat had escaped and is married, but is in an abusive marriage. The third part of the book deals with how she got involved in saving children from traffickers. She has her own foundation which is promoted heavily here.
The other major theme in this book is an exploration of Kat’s Christianity. The author talks about accepting Christ as her Savior at a Billy Graham crusade when she was 12 years old, a year before the first time she was trafficked. Burned into her mind and heart from that night was Mr. Graham saying, “Remember this: God will never leave you or forsake you.” This was repeated throughout the book, usually when she did not know what to do or where to turn. The Church plays an important role in her life, but lead me to question some of what she talks about.
I had some issues, for instance, with these quotes:
“They’re less likely to go back if people like us can help them break that invisible bondage and provide a mentoring relationship with a safe, Christian adult.”
To me, this sounds like it is useless to help if that safe mentor isn’t a Christian. That’s just some flat out bullshit.
“When I first began visiting strip clubs, I went as part of a group. One night, eight girls came to the Lord through our efforts. That night God seemed to have infiltrated the whole building with his love. We had gone out to the floor and talked with the manager, and we had the privilege of leading him to Jesus Christ while a girl was dancing. We also gave tracts to most of the customers, and they accepted them. Tears flowed as Jesus broke off the shackles of bondage from all sorts of people, from the managers to the girls and even to some of their clientele.”
This was way over the top to me. Not every woman who works in a strip club wants to be “saved” nor do the customers. I found this bizarre.
A bigger problem, however, is her underlying belief that homosexuality is something that can be prayed away. In the chapter “Wedded Bliss”, she talks about her husband’s stepsister:
“The woman was a lesbian, and her girlfriend was involved in Santeria, a religion that is a mixture of African and Caribbean witchcraft and Roman Catholicism…Joel & I prayed regularly for them … ‘I know you’ve been praying for me. Thank you,’ she said. ‘I’m not in that lifestyle anymore.'”
Yep, Kat prayed away the gay. Ugh.
The writing is quite simple and often repetitive. This book was not reviewed by any authoritative journal or newspaper. I did find a “review”, and I use the term loosely, in a Christian women’s magazine that praised her finding Jesus rather than critiquing the book. Most of the reviews on Amazon and Goodreads were from Christian women who were given a free copy of the book for review from the Christian publisher. ‘Nuff said.
2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
STOLEN by Katariina Rosenblatt & Cecil Murphey. Revell; First Edition (October 7, 2014). ISBN: 978-0800723453. 240p.
Don’t think about your birthday tomorrow. Or debt, your crappy apartment, and nonexistent social life.
Re-stock wine and ice cream because that’s coming.
Die in a raging blaze of humiliation when the super-hot and very delicious fireman waiting in your office is not in fact the strip-o-gram birthday present you suspected.
Reschedule the fire safety inspection you 100 percent failed because of said humiliation.
Figure out how you, in fact, agreed to fake dating Mr. Not a Strip-O-Gram Fireman to help him with a bet.
Oh yeah, and do not fall for this guy. Seriously, they call him One Night O’Neil. Red flags all over the place.
Remember, this is fake dating, even though his very talented, very real lips are doing some sexy things you definitely like.
Realize bending one tiny rule can’t be that bad, can it?
Except bend too far, and something breaks. Something you can’t get back.
Lexi is one of those selfless angels – she works in a center that keeps kids off the street. Money is super tight so when the man she thinks is a stripper turns out to be a fire inspector and the center fails the inspection, things are not good. They don’t have the money to hire anyone to make the necessary fixes, and the kids really can’t afford for the center to close, plus there is the added humiliation of thinking the gorgeous firefighter is a stripper. Not one of her best days!
The firefighter, Dyson, also turns out to be an angel. He is single and his loving but nosy sisters have been trying hard to set him up. He comes up with the perfect solution: he will do the fixes for the center but Lexi has to pretend to date him to get his sisters off his back. I love the fake dating trope – not sure why because I have never heard of anyone in real life ever being in a fake dating (or fake marriage!) situation, but it makes for a fun plot point. As soon as all parties agree to this scheme, you know what is going to happen. But it is so much fun to get there.
Lexi and Dyson have plenty of ups and downs before they reach their happy ending, and there are a lot of laugh out loud moments along the way. I loved the family relationships and how Lexi and Dyson become friends before they have a physical relationship, makes it more believable. I didn’t read the first book in this series and didn’t feel like I missed anything, so it stands alone perfectly well. That said, I enjoyed this so much I wanted to read the first book. Unfortunately, my library only has the audiobook so that’s a no for me. I’ll just hope it shows up as a freebie on Book Bub! (With several hundred unread books on my Kindle, I cannot justify buying a book. I just can’t.) But read this one!
2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE DATING DILEMMA by Mariah Ankenman.Entangled: Amara (January 24, 2022). ASIN: B09MBRG4CY. 286p.
Sadie wasn’t looking for love until it landed on her doorstep.
After getting passed over for an overdue—and much-needed—promotion, Sadie Green is in desperate need of three things: a stiff drink, a new place to live, and a one-night stand. But when an accidental mix-up lands her on the doorstep of Jack Thomas’s gorgeous Brooklyn brownstone, it’s too bad Sadie is more attracted to the impressive real estate than she is to the man himself.
Jack, still grieving the unexpected death of his parents, has learned to find comfort in video games and movie marathons instead of friends. So while he doesn’t know just what to make of the vivaciously verbose Sadie, he’s willing to offer her his spare bedroom while she gets back on her feet. And with the rent unbeatably low, Sadie can finally pursue her floristry side hustle full-time. The two are polar opposites, but as Sadie’s presence begins to turn the brownstone into a home, they both start to realize they may have just made the deal of a lifetime.
This story really stretches the boundaries of suspension of disbelief, but it was worth it just for the scene where Sadie loses her job – one of my favorite scenes, ever! She says what anyone in that position would think but probably never say and I loved it. The rest of the story was good, too, just a little bit over the top.
Finding a beautiful brownstone in the trendiest section of Brooklyn with a room to rent for some ridiculously cheap rent – no. But it was important to the story so I pretended to believe it. Maybe if there was some sort of explanation about why Jack was willing to rent it so cheap I would have understood it better, but nope. Anyway, it doesn’t really matter except that these decisions set the story in motion.
Jack lost his parents several years earlier and has had a very hard time dealing with it. Sadie loses her job and with the cheap rent she is now paying, she can afford to pursue her dream of starting her own floral business. All that aside, it is the relationship that grows between the mysterious, close mouthed Jack and the outgoing social butterfly, Sadie, that is at the heart of this story. Everything else doesn’t really matter.
This was a very enjoyable read and a sweet romance. I loved these characters and the setting and highly recommend!
2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
LEASE ON LOVE by Falon Ballard. G.P. Putnam’s Sons (February 1, 2022). ISBN: 978-0593419915. 352p.
A blizzard leaves Erin stranded and at the mercy of her childhood nemesis. Trapped, with no electricity or dry clothes, things heat up when two frienemies are forced to share a bed.
From bestselling and award winning author, Lydia Michaels, comes a second-chance bully romance about love and redemption that will touch readers’ hearts!
Giovanni Mosconi has returned to Jasper Falls after years of touring as a standup comedian. When Erin Montgomery, his childhood enemy, heckles his performance at O’Malley’s Pub, he holds nothing back and roasts her in front of the whole town. Emotions run wild and secrets are exposed when hate turns to lust and lines begin to blur.
Can trust form where betrayal began? Or should some secrets go to the grave?
This was a difficult read, and may be triggering for some readers.
Erin was an abused child. Her father beat her mother until she left. He beat his kids on the regular, and when Erin’s older brother makes his escape, that leaves Erin to take the brunt of his never ending anger. At one point she leaves, and I wasn’t quite clear on why she goes back to that situation. I suspect it is more psychological than anything and frankly, I don’t really understand it. Michaels does a good job describing Erin’s life growing up, and it is heartbreaking. But I don’t understand a woman who would leave her children with an abuser. I don’t understand why victims go back. I would live in my car with my children before I allowed their father to hurt them. Or me. But I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve never had to deal with physical abuse like that. I think we try and relate in some way to what we read, even if it is outside our scope of knowledge or understanding. At least I do.
Due to her bruises and injuries, Erin misses a lot of school. School is the one place she feels safe, even though the other kids make fun of her. She develops a very hard shell and in this small town, has no friends other than Finn. They have been best friends since elementary school but in high school, their relationship develops more intimacy, and that is something Erin can’t handle. She knows Finn wants more than she can give him, and when he decides to go into his family’s business, she ends things between them. She wants to escape and knows if he works there, he will never leave.
Erin’s father owns a hardware store in town and is beloved by everyone except his family, who are the only ones who know the truth of his abuse. She has returned to this town and works for her father, increasing her abuse as she spends more time with him. She has zero self esteem, no self confidence, and is quite sure she has never been loved in her life – other than maybe Finn. She knows that anyone who gets to know her will leave her, just like her mother and brother did.
One night Finn convinces her to meet up with him, his wife and family at the local bar. His cousin Giovanni, a comedian, is working that night. Grudgingly she agrees, but when she makes a nasty comment during his set, Giovanni eviscerates her. She runs out into a snowstorm and ends up in a ditch. Giovanni is passing by and sees the car so he stops to try and help. He is shocked to find Erin barely conscious. He gets her out of the car and they walk up the road to the motel where he is staying. The power is out, and they use body heat to stay warm.
They have sex, and Giovanni is surprised by his attraction to the hard, bitter woman. But as they spend time together, he begins to see beneath her shell. There are several steamy sex scenes here, but it is the emotional connection that has Erin so scared. Giovanni is the first man to be truly kind to her, and they do get a happy ending, but it is a very bumpy road to get there. This is not a romcom nor a light, frothy Valentine’s Day read, so if that is what you are looking for, look elsewhere. It is an interesting story but very dark, especially for a romance.
2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
MY FUNNY VALENTINE by Lydia Michaels. Bailey Brown Publishing (January 31, 2022). ISBN: 978-1957573007. 262p.
New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey returns with a sexy and hilarious series about three hotshot rookie cops in the NYPD police academy.
You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone…
Police academy cadet Charlie Burns can’t believe his luck when the gorgeous blonde he meets in a bar murmurs those magic words: “Nothing serious, ’kay?” Mind-blowing, no-strings sex with Ever Carmichael—it’s the holy grail of hookups for a guy who’s too busy following in his law enforcement family’s footsteps to think about getting serious. Charlie’s all about casual…that is, until Ever calls it quits and his world tilts on its axis.
Ever knows that when you control the relationship game, you can’t get played. But for the first time, she wants more than short-term satisfaction. Step one: end her fling with commitment-phobic Charlie. Step two: sacrifice herself to the ruthless NYC dating scene. Yet everywhere she turns, there’s Charlie, being his ridiculously charming self. No online match or blind date compares to the criminally hot cop-in-training, but they’re over. Aren’t they?
If love is a four-letter-word, why does the idea of Ever seeing someone else tie Charlie up in knots? Now he’s desperate to win her back…and a little date sabotage never hurt anyone, right?
This romance is HOT, HOT, HOT! What starts out as a one night stand quickly evolves into a month’s worth of sexual satisfaction. There isn’t much in the way of talking, but when the month ends and Ever tries to enforce her 30 days and it’s over rule, Charlie is surprised. It’s not that he’s looking for a relationship, he swears he isn’t, but the sex is so crazy good he doesn’t want it to end. Plus there is something about Ever that has crawled into his heart, and try as he might, he can’t escape his feelings.
Ever was taught by her mother to keep her heart safe. Her mother only dates married men, but Ever can’t bring herself to do that. She sticks to single guys but doesn’t do relationships. At all. But then her mother tells her she was wrong, so Ever decides she will try dating for real. But Charlie can’t handle that and unbeknownst to Ever, starts interfering in her life.
Ever really likes Charlie but he has made his feelings about avoiding relationships perfectly clear. But no other man can seem to measure up, especially once Charlie gets in the way.
This was a sexy romance with a lot of humor and heart and I really enjoyed it. Can’t wait for the next one in this series!
One cupid, two calamities, four uproarious lovers. Insta-love meets insta-disaster in these laugh-out-loud Valentine’s day novellas.
Animal Attraction by Evie Alexander: Overworked, underpaid, and perpetually single, Laurie is stuck in a rut. A birthday on Valentine’s day is bad enough, but when her insensitive colleagues drag her to a secret Safari dining experience, her day hits rock bottom – she’s terrified of animals. Workaholic Ben has just swapped the States for Somerset. He’s on track to fulfil a childhood dream, and the only date he wants on Valentine’s day is a business one. But when his fantasy woman approaches with an offer he can’t refuse, his priorities start to change. Laurie and Ben have an instant connection and their chemistry is wild. Unfortunately so are the animals. When the menagerie goes into meltdown they’re thrown into a Darwinian Hunger Games, fighting for their lives as well as love. Can Businessman Ben unleash his inner Tarzan and save Laurie? Or has this survival of the fittest reached the point of no return?
Stupid Cupid by Kelly Kay: Resourceful Sabrina always puts others’ needs first. She never thought she’d be abandoning a blind date to run off with a stranger. But now she’s got the chance to face her demons and choose happiness – even if it’s just for one night. Charmer Patrick can make any situation work in his favor. But snark and humor won’t be enough to win Sabrina’s heart. He’s got to dig deep, open up, and take on fate as well as New York City. Armed with a fire extinguisher, a cobbler’s hammer, and an EpiPen, can Patrick and Sabrina survive the worst-best date of their lives and find true love? Or will they lose each other as well as the plot?
Evie and Kelly’s Holiday Disasters are a series of hot and hilarious romantic comedies with interconnected characters, focusing on one holiday and one trope at a time. No cheating, no cliff-hangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after (HEA).
I don’t usually love novellas, but this was such a fun read! Plus there are two novellas, so twice the fun, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Because these are so short, there is not a whole lot of character development or back story, but it doesn’t seem to matter. I was immediately drawn in to both of these stories. They are both set on Valentine’s Day, one a blind date gone sideways, the other a disastrous dinner with friends. I don’t want to give anything away, so bear with me.
The disastrous dinner is set in a restaurant that has wild animals roaming around, including chimpanzees, a talking bird, and an elephant. It is a bit over the top, but the meet-cute is heroic, and the romance is fun.
The blind date goes sideways when Patrick and Sabrina lay eyes on each other. They are each at this restaurant to meet someone else, blind dates, but their attraction is instantaneous and strong. Their rejected dates are not happy about the situation, to say the least. Patrick and Sabrina take off and encounter one problem after another, making this the date from hell that brings them impossibly close in one night.
This is the first book of a series set around holidays. This is the light, frothy, fun read I wanted for Valentine’s Day. It made me laugh out loud several times, which is always a plus. Even though it is two novellas, it is still a very short book (less than 200 pages) and a very easy read. Enjoy!
2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
CUPID CALAMITY by Kelly Kay & Evie Alexander. Emlin Press (January 10, 2022). ISBN: 978-1914473098. 172p.
A Logical Man’s Guide to Dangerous Women Novel, Book 3
From the publisher:
New York Times bestselling author Cathy Maxwell’s delicious Logical Man’s Guide to Dangerous Women series continues with this provocative romance between a reprobate earl and a sensible spinster who agree to marry under scandalous circumstances. Perfect for fans of Sophie Jordan and Sabrina Jeffries.
Lesson #1: A man, even titled and handsome, cannot be careless forever.
The Earl of Marsden—better known as Mars to all—has lived his life by his own rules…until he is presented with a very big problem in a very tiny package—a baby girl, his daughter cast off by his ex-mistress. Mars won’t let his child be cast adrift, except he doesn’t know the first thing about babies.
Panicking, he turns to a woman for help. Not just any woman, but Clarissa Taylor, village spinster, matron-in-training, and Mars’s greatest critic. Still, who better to tend a motherless child than a woman who was abandoned as a babe herself?
Lesson #2: Life always plays the upper hand—especially when it comes to love.
Clarissa desperately wishes to not to be beholden to anyone. She has spent a lifetime being pitied by the village. Her plan is simple—to use what the intolerable earl will pay her to become her own woman. It all sounds so straightforward until the threat of scandal sends her and the one man she can’t abide toward . . . marriage?
Mars and Clarissa are about to learn the greatest lesson of all—that sparks always fly when the iron is hot.
I haven’t read Maxwell in a few years, so I missed the first two books of this series. That said, I kind of knew there were stories before it (I thought just one) but it didn’t really matter. I didn’t feel like there were any holes in the story or that I was missing some crucial plot point. It stands alone beautifully – but now I want to read the first two books in this series!
Mars is local royalty in this small town and his nemesis has been a foundling raised by the village cleric and his wife, Clarissa. They just rub each other the wrong way. But when an ex-paramour dumps a baby in his lap and takes off, he falls in love instantly but quickly realizes he is in over his head. While the baby isn’t a newborn, she is well under a year old and he has zero experience with babies. He turns to the town matrons, who immediately push Clarissa to take care of the babe.
Clarissa can’t stand Mars, but as an abandoned baby herself, she can’t bear the thought of this little girl growing up unloved, so she reluctantly agrees to help out. Fairly quickly Mars realizes that he needs a wife and mother for his daughter, and somehow manages to convince Clarissa to take on the role. There is some family drama going on that adds some hurdles to their happily ever after, but that is the fun of a romance!
I really enjoyed this book. I like learning how babies were fed and cared for when they didn’t have a mother to nurse them, for instance. Mars and Clarissa both had interesting back stories and I liked getting to know them. I couldn’t help but root for them to find their happily ever after, and there was some real chemistry between them – along with some hot bedroom scenes. This was a terrific Regency romance, so if you enjoy those, don’t miss this one.
A Logical Man’s Guide to Dangerous Women, books in order:
Welcome back to the pandemic that never ends! Ever hopeful, last June I changed the name of this monthly journal from “Coronavirus Diary” to “Cerebration,” meaning to use the mind, to think. Plus it sounds like “celebration” which I thought we could do because, no more Covid. It seemed like the worst of it was over. There were vaccines available everywhere. I was so naïve. Here we are almost two years in and the experts still can’t agree on anything except the novel coronavirus is here to stay, in all its variant glory. I give up; my Coronavirus Diary is also here to stay.
A couple of weeks ago, I was reading the “On Parenting” newsletter written by Jessica Grose for the New York Times. I have a grandson now and things have changed a lot since my kids were infants, and I like to keep up on what’s new, so I subscribed. Anyway, Grose mentioned how her 9-year-old daughter was wondering if the pandemic would still be around when she was ready for college, and she goes on to say she wasn’t “quite ready to break down the difference between ‘pandemic’ and ‘endemic.’” That was in the newsletter I received, but she also wrote an op-ed, Your Kid’s Existential Dread Is Normal. that touches on parenting during this pandemic that parents may find helpful.
We keep thinking this will end at some point, this life with masks and vaccines and incredibly selfish people who use neither. But what if we are wrong. What if, without our even realizing it, this pandemic has evolved into an endemic. And why do we never hear “epidemic,” which seems most like what we are experiencing? I looked to the internet and Merriam Webster for answers.
epidemic: an outbreak of disease that spreads quickly and affects many individuals at the same time : an outbreak of epidemic disease
pandemic: an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area (such as multiple countries or continents) and typically affects a significant proportion of the population : a pandemic outbreak of a disease, i.e. a global pandemic
endemic: 2: restricted or peculiar to a locality or region, i.e. endemic diseases. Used in a sentence:
The reality is that the virus will eventually become endemic, like many other pathogens that humanity lives with.— The Editorial Board, WSJ, 21 Dec. 2021
It turns out that a lot of people are talking about an endemic, with the general consensus being the Covid pandemic will evolve into an endemic in 2022. This year. Pretty much any day now. And that is a good thing, believe it or not.
We are on track for Covid to evolve and be treated more like the flu. It’s only taken two years since the defeated former president “admitted to Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward in early February that he knew the coronavirus was “more deadly than even your strenuous flu,” but the [defeated former] president continued to compare Covid-19 to the flu for weeks following his conversation with Woodward, claiming he “wanted to always play it down.” Forbes, All The Times Trump Compared Covid-19 To The Flu, Even After He Knew Covid-19 Was Far More Deadly
Life goes on, with any luck. I am double masking at work. I start every day with a smile, as soon as I look at a picture of my grandson. I further escape into books. And cooking/baking.
What’s Cooking
Here’s the best thing I made in January: Short Rib Onion Soup from Smitten Kitchen.
It is not a last minute dinner decision, a thirty-minute meal, or a sheet pan dinner, but you know what? Not everything has to be! It’s not made from pantry ingredients, either. I had to go shopping and buy short ribs and more onions and fresh thyme (my herb garden is dead) and a leek. On the plus side, I had some beef stock in the freezer that was going on six months old and needed to be used immediately, if not sooner. (Please don’t tell me we are all going to die because it was too old or whatever; I used it, we ate it, it was delicious, we lived.)
It took me a good part of the day to make this, but I didn’t mind a bit. First of all, it smells amazing every step of the way, from heavily browning the short ribs to braising them in the oven to caramelizing the onions to broiling the cheese toasts. You can make the short ribs a day ahead, if that helps. My husband and my daughter kept wandering in to see what was cooking, so that was fun.
By the time it was all ready, the incredible smells that had permeated the house all day had us so crazed and hungry we scarfed it down like we hadn’t eaten in a week. (Seriously, which means I didn’t get a picture, so I borrowed this one from Deb Perelman. Thanks, Deb!) Everyone loved it, and if you enjoy an occasional day of slow cooking, I promise you won’t be sorry you made this. (Other than the expense – short ribs are $$$) But I have enough left over for another dinner, and that will take less than thirty minutes. And something to look forward to – a new Smitten Kitchen Cookbook is coming in fall 2022!
F.B.I. Arrests Man Accused of Stealing Unpublished Book Manuscripts* The New York Times reported that Filippo Bernardini, an Italian citizen who worked in publishing, was charged with wire fraud and identity theft for a scheme that prosecutors said affected hundreds of people over five or more years.
A Library the Internet Can’t Get Enough Of* Why does this image keep resurfacing on social media? The New York Times investigates this viral photo of an incredible home library.
Finally, I can’t not mention Wordle. Back in December, I discovered this game (from my son? from an article? I don’t remember!) and I fell in love. In case you aren’t on social media, don’t listen to podcasts, or read the news, it is the latest fad to hit the pandemic. It’s an old school word game that you play on a bare bones website. No app. No ads. No sucking you in and playing all day because <gasp> there is only one puzzle to solve each day. It takes me anywhere from five to fifteen minutes to play and it is one of the most satisfying five to fifteen minutes of my day. There has only been one puzzle so far that I couldn’t solve (WHACK) and once I had a twofer – solved it in two guesses (MOUNT). If you want to try it, best hurry – the New York Times just bought it and will be (I’m sure) rolling it into their games app. Although they did say it will be free initially, so kudos NYT on that, for however long it lasts. And honestly, kudos to them for buying it, they could have created their own version. There have been several copycat versions with a twist, like Lewdle, Queerdle, and an archived version, and some wiseasses stole the game, turned it into an app, then tweeted about how they were monetizing it. Apple removed those apps from the App Store (and I’m assuming other app providers did as well, but I don’t know for sure.)
I think one of the most fun things about it is how easy it is to share on social media. You can show your score and it doesn’t give anything away. There’s a Facebook group, (probably several by now, but that’s the one I joined back when there were only a few hundred members – today there are 22,000!) It seems to be mostly on Twitter though, or at least it started out that way. It’s just the spot of fun that we all sometimes need in our day. I’ll write about my other word game obsession, the New York Times Spelling Bee, another day!
*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.
From the bestselling author of the Angel Falls series, two enemies say “I do” in the first irresistible book about Blossom Glen.
Pastry chef Tessa Montgomery knows what everyone in the teeny town of Blossom Glen says about her. Spinster. Ice Queen. Such a shame. It’s enough to make a woman bake her troubles away, dreaming of Parisian delicacies while she makes bread at her mother’s struggling boulangerie. That is until Tessa’s mortal enemy―deliciously handsome (if arrogant) chef Leo Castorini, who owns the restaurant next door―proposes a business plan…to get married.
Leo knows that the Castorinis and the Montgomerys hate each other, but a marriage might just force these stubborn families to work together and blend their businesses for success. The deal is simple: Tessa and Leo marry, live together for six months, and then go their separate ways. Easy peasy.
It’s a sweetheart deal where everyone gets what they want―until feelings between the faux newlyweds start seriously complicating the mix. Have they discovered the perfect recipe for success…or is disaster on the way?
This was such a fun read! And look at me, starting a series with the first book. I will definitely be looking for the next.
Tessa and Leo have some history, and their families do as well. In fact, the feud between the Montgomerys and the Castorinis goes back almost a hundred years. Tessa and Leo have been competitive since high school, when Leo beat out Tessa for a coveted college scholarship that allowed him to escape their small town and go to school in New York City. He graduated and worked in the financial market there for ten years, while Tessa stayed, working in her family’s boulangerie but dreaming of owning her own pastry shop. For those of you who didn’t have Mlle. Levitt for French class, (she of the love affair with all French food,) or you were smarter than me and took Spanish, a boulangerie is a bakery that only sells bread. A patisserie sells pastry, cake, cookies, etc., and never the twain shall meet under the same roof. In France. In America, it’s a rare bakery that narrows itself that much, but I digress.
Leo and Tessa have more in common than a lifelong rivalry. He lost his mother when he was young; Tessa lost her father. Their family businesses are next door neighbors, which only increases the friction. Now that Leo has returned from New York, he wants to help his father save the family business, an Italian restaurant that has been in decline since his mother died. But his father isn’t interested in Leo’s ideas or trying anything new. All he wants is for Leo to get married. Leo soon realizes that the only way he will be able to help save the restaurant is if he gets married, but Leo has been a player for years, not interested in any kind of relationship. Until now.
Tessa’s family business is also on the skids. They lost their biggest account, a small grocery chain that was swallowed by a bigger one. Her mother will not allow her to sell any pastries in the shop, and is also stuck in the mindset of it used to work just fine this way and it will again. But will they have the time to find that out?
Leo proposes a marriage of convenience to Tessa; they will work together to save both family businesses, then in six months or so, divorce. It takes some persuading but Tessa finally caves. The fake marriage, a variation of the fake dating trope, is always fun and it is here. Do I have to tell you that Tessa and Leo fall in love? That they have a major falling out that threatens everything? And that they find their way back to one another?
I loved these characters and their stubbornness. I loved how they both caved, dragging their families out of the Romeo & Juliet feud into a happy ending. There is a lot of humor here, and a lot of heart in this sweet romance. The only thing that could have made this book better would have been recipes! I can’t wait for the next book in this series, The Sweetheart Fix. Sadly, it will be a bit of a wait.
1/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE SWEETHEART DEAL by Miranda Liasson. Montlake (January 18, 2022). ISBN: 978-1649370273. 330p.
Posted by Stacy Alesi 
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