Stacy Alesi

THE STOPOVER by T L Swan

October 19, 2021

The Miles High Club, Book 1

From the publisher:

A memorable night of passion refuses to stay just a memory in this sizzling and scandalous romance from bestselling author T L Swan.

I was upgraded to first class on a flight from London to New York.

The food, champagne, and service were impeccable.

The blue-eyed man sitting next to me, even better.

He was suave and intelligent.

We talked and laughed, and something clicked.

Fate took over and the plane was grounded, and we had an unexpected stopover for the night.

With no plans, we made our own.

We danced and laughed our way around Boston and had a night of crazy passion that no woman would ever forget.

That was twelve months ago, and I haven’t heard from him―until today.

I started a new job and met the CEO. You can imagine my surprise to see those naughty blue eyes dance with delight when he saw me across the mahogany desk.

But I’m not that carefree girl anymore. My life has changed, I have responsibilities.

I just got an email.

He wants to see me in his office for a private meeting at 8:00 a.m.

Naughty blue eyes have no place in the workplace.

What kind of private meeting does he have in mind?

I read the third book in this series, The Casanova, first, and immediately went and purchased the first two books in the series. Being that there are four Miles brothers, I’m hoping for one more.

Emily Foster is having a horrible day, topped off by being assaulted at the airport. But that does seem to turn things around for her; the airline upgrades her to first class. Sitting beside her is the sexiest man she’s ever seen. He introduces himself as Jim, and they flirt like crazy for the whole flight from London to New York. Except their flight is rerouted to Boston due to weather, and they end up spending the night together. A steamy, sexy night. But he doesn’t ask her for her phone number, and she shrugs it off. She can’t forget him though.

Emily finally lands her dream job at Miles Media and on her first day is given a tour of the offices. There she meets the CEO, Jameson Miles, who turns out to be none other than her former flying seatmate, Jim. The chemistry between them is palpable, and she cannot believe the man she has been fantasizing about ever since their night together is now her boss.

Billionaire bad boy Jameson has never forgotten Emily, either. Known as the Casanova for the obvious reasons, he has never really felt the need to see a woman once the fling ends. Except for Emily. She doesn’t want to jeopardize her job, but finds it impossible to say no for very long. They end up in a relationship that neither of them planned or thought they wanted, and it is scorching. But more than just heat, there is love and caring and a happily every after.

This is a really fun read with some humor, interesting characters and situations, and a lot of sexy scenes. I was shocked to see this book is over 500 pages, because those pages just flew by. I loved it and The Takeover, book 2 in the series, is up next for me.

10/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE STOPOVER by T L Swan. Montlake Romance (October 29, 2019). ISBN: 978-1542015875. 523 pages.

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THE LILAC HOUSE by Barbara Josselsohn

October 18, 2021

From the publisher:

Can one summer house bring two broken hearts together?

Summer escapes to Lilac House have always been a source of comfort for Anna Harris. Though things will never be the same since her husband’s death, she knows that it is there, nestled in Lake Summers in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains, that she and her children Zac and Evie can begin to build a new life.

The house is just as beautiful as Anna remembers, and caught up in the rhythm of small town life, helping her Aunt Hope run the little shop on Main Street, Anna begins to feel a sense of herself she hasn’t felt in years. Then she meets Aidan. Handsome, strong and quiet, he also knows what it’s like to lose someone. In each other they recognise something they’ve both been missing and they feel a spark.

But Aidan’s past holds a different set of complications. He’s hiding a secret about why he came to Lake Summers. And just as the Lilac House finally starts to feel like home, Anna learns something devastating about Greg’s death that makes her question everything…

The summer might have brought Anna and Aidan together, but can Anna finally let go of the past now she really has the chance for a new beginning?

A beautiful story about moving on and finding yourself, The Lilac House will restore your faith in love and teach you that it’s never too late the find the person who will change your life. For fans of Carolyn Brown, Jenny Hale and Mary Alice Monroe.

Josselsohn (The Lily Garden) starts the Lake Summers series in a small summer resort town in New York’s Adirondack Mountains that holds special memories for recently widowed Anna Harris and her family. The whole family is grieving, but there are so many special memories in the Lilac House, where they summered every year of their marriage.

Anna’s Aunt Hope has opened a ballet school and store in town, so Anna gets to spend some time with her only relative. Her kids start camp, and she starts helping out in the store, which doesn’t seem to be doing all that well. The town has hired a business consultant, Aidan, and he is happy to help; Aidan is a widower, so he also knows grief, but there is more to his story. Aidan and Anna enjoy spending time together, but they are both apprehensive about getting too involved because of their situations; Anna isn’t sure she’s staying, and Aidan has a mysterious, troubling past.

More women’s fiction than romance; this is a sweet, small-town story that deals with some serious issues but is ultimately uplifting. Sure to please fans of Jodi Picoult or Carolyn Brown, and anyone who once enjoyed ballet lessons.

NOTE: This book is being reissued by Grand Central Publishing on Dec. 14, 2021. https://amzn.to/30ChITj

10/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE LILAC HOUSE by Barbara Josselsohn. Bookouture (March 10, 2020). ISBN: 978-1838881580. 280 pages.

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Cover Reveal! THE HOMEWRECKERS by Mary Kay Andrews

October 14, 2021

Summer begins with MKA, in this delightful summer read about flipping houses, and finding true love! From the New York Times bestselling author and Queen of the Beach Reads!

Hattie Kavanaugh went to work helping clean up restored homes for Kavanaugh & Son Restorations at eighteen; married the boss’s son at twenty; and was only twenty-five when her husband, Hank, was killed in a motorcycle accident.

Broken hearted, but determined to continue the business of their dreams, she takes the life insurance money, buys a small house in a gentrifying neighborhood, flips it, then puts the money into her next project. But that house is a disaster and a money-loser, which rocks her confidence for years to come. Then, Hattie gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: star in a beach house renovation reality show called “The Homewreckers,” cast against a male lead who may be a love interest, or may be the ultimate antagonist. It’s a question of who will flip, and who will flop, and will Hattie ever get her happily-ever-after.

Filled with Mary Kay Andrews’s trademark wit, warmth, junking trips, and house porn, The Homewreckers is a summer beach delight.

I can’t wait!

Pre-order the hardcover

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Me & MKA circa 2016; it’s been way too long!

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NO ORDINARY CHRISTMAS by Belle Calhoune

October 13, 2021

From the publisher:

Mistletoe, Maine, is buzzing and not just because Christmas is around the corner! Dante West, local cutie-turned-Hollywood hunk, is returning home to make his next movie. Everyone in town is excited . . . except librarian Lucy Marshall. When Dante took off for LA without warning—or even a goodbye—he broke Lucy’s heart. She swore not to spend one more minute thinking about her ex, but Dante makes an offer Lucy’s struggling library can’t refuse: a major donation to film on-site.

Dante is thrilled to help boost his hometown’s economy and finally begin making amends to the people he hurt years ago when he left, starting with Lucy. But seeing his former best friend on set every day feels a lot less like closure and more like a fresh start. It’s one thing for Dante to fall for Lucy all over again, quite another for a famous movie star and a small-town librarian to find lasting romance. Can the magic of the holiday season give Lucy and Dante’s first love a second chance?

The holiday romances are upon us. In fact, this one is from last month and I’m just catching up! This is a sweet, small town romance. Dante and Lucy were best friends since elementary school and in high school, started dating. Things got pretty serious and they made a lot of plans for their future. But one night Dante just took off, and Lucy didn’t hear from him for several months. By then, he was in California, chasing his dream of acting. He broke Lucy’s heart and now it is almost nine years later and she really hasn’t recovered. She is still in love with him.

Dante becomes a huge movie star, and the tiny town of Mistletoe, Maine becomes his next project. He’s written a script, a love story, about him and Lucy, and returns to his hometown to film the movie. They throw him a parade, but Lucy is in shock. When she does run into him, she lets him have it and storms off.

Dante wants to film part of the movie in the library where Lucy is the manager. He talks her into it by promising her a big donation, which the library desperately needs. She knows if she turns him down, the library will suffer, not to mention the mayor would overrule her anyway. The next thing you know they are spending some time together.

Lucy finds herself falling in love with Dante all over again. She tries to fight it at first, but eventually gives in. What she doesn’t realize is that when he left, Dante’s heart was also broken and he’s never stopped loving her. There are many hurdles for them to reach their happily ever after, and it is a lot of fun to get there.

This author was new to me, but I will certainly read anything else she writes. I really enjoyed this holiday romance – it was a gift!

10/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

NO ORDINARY CHRISTMAS by Belle Calhoune. Forever (September 28, 2021). ISBN: 978-1538735985. 336 pages.

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LOCK ‘N’ LOAD by Tee O’Fallon

October 12, 2021

Federal K-9, Book 1

From the author:

Crack CIA analyst Trista Gold is a whiz with the computer, but not so much with people. She hides behind her job, analyzing Top Secret code and making recommendations on national security. She doesn’t need a man in her life. But she will, very soon…

CIA K-9 officer Sgt. Matt Connors suspects that beneath Trista’s uptight appearance, there’s a sexy woman itching to cut loose. But he doesn’t dare act on his attraction. He’s a loner and always will be. Keeping away from Trista is a must-do directive. Until he doesn’t have a choice…

During a routine assignment, Trista stumbles across a cryptic exchange. She doesn’t think much of it…until someone tries to murder her—twice. Both times, Matt had been there to save her. But now she has to hide. And her new bodyguard, Matt, and his K-9 are the only hope she has against the powerful forces that want her dead.

I was on Twitter and stumbled across an offer for a free book, and this was it. This is a very fast paced romantic suspense with some heat.

Trista is brilliant, except socially, she is inept. She grew up being teased as the “brainiac” and never really had any friends or dated. Now she has her dream job with the CIA and she manages to track a Russian spy on the black net. But unbeknownst to her, she is discovered and two attempts on her life make things difficult, to say the least. This is a woman who works on computers all day long, she doesn’t know how to deal with people trying to kill her.

Luckily, CIA K-9 officer Matt just happened to be around the first time, and he saved her. Then he learns about the possibility of a second attempt, and saves her again. She is forced to stay in a safe location and is not happy about it, even though Matt is the best looking man she’s ever seen.

There is a lot of action and suspense here, especially towards the end. But it is the romance that is at the heart of this book. Matt lost his best friend when he was a teen, and he has been punishing himself ever since. He opens up to Trista more than any woman before, but she realizes she can’t help him; he needs professional help.

Meanwhile, Trista is staying at Matt’s house, and they grow closer every day. But then the FBI insists on moving her to one of their safe houses, and she can’t bear to stay another day with Matt when he won’t get help, so off she goes. Until Matt has to rescue her again.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting, and I especially loved Sheba, the K-9 cop. If you like animals, that is just an added bonus here. This was a fun read.

10/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

LOCK ‘N’ LOAD by Tee O’Fallon. Entangled: Amara (May 28, 2018). ASIN: B07CWRYKPV. 370 pages.

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NOT SEEKING MR. RIGHT by Natasha Moore

October 11, 2021

From the author:

Ginny Colburn can’t believe she’s been dumped by her wedding date.

And everybody knows it.

So when a cute, younger man serving champagne to the guests flirts with her, she decides to really give the guests something to talk about and flirts back.

But the incredible one-night stand gives her more than great memories.

A few weeks later, she’s got a positive pregnancy test and the task of having to tell a guy half her age, “Congratulations, you’re a dad.”

Only he doesn’t react the way she thinks he will at all…

It was a really nice ass.
Firm. Totally bare. Sticking out the back door of a dented yellow Mini Cooper parked in the far corner of the Lakeside Country Club lot. Ginny Colburn wandered over to get a better look. The long legs were muscular with just the right amount of hair. The gravel in this back section of the parking lot had to be hurting his feet.
Opening text, Not Seeking Mr. Right

This was my first read from this author and that opening immediately caught my attention. Ginny is dumped when her boyfriend decides to get back together with his ex-wife, but that happens before the wedding they were going to attend together. Instead, Ginny goes with her two best friends. But when she gets there, she sees a man’s naked backside sticking out of a Mini Cooper. It’s a nice ass, so she decides to investigate. Once he realizes he is being looked at, he dresses quickly. Josh is a bartender/server at this wedding. He thinks the woman eyeing him is beautiful, and they do a bit of flirting out in the parking lot but he has to get to work, and she has to attend her cousin’s wedding.

Her ex is there with his no-longer-an-ex, and her friends try to protect Ginny. But as Josh finishes his shift, he sees her looking very uncomfortable while talking to the man. He decides to ask her to dance, and one thing leads to another. Ginny is 40 years old and has decided she is done with men. They don’t treat her well, and she is too old to be bothered anymore. She decides she will just have one night stands from now on, starting with Josh. He’s all in, and they spend a glorious night together.

It’s a small town, so they run into each other now and then. He would like more, but he respects her wishes so he is surprised when she asks him to come over to talk. Turns out she’s pregnant, and he immediately asks her to marry him. She laughs at him and says that is not necessary. She is quite prepared to be a single mother, but thought he had the right to know.

They decide to be friends. Josh would like more but she is firm on the matter. He wants to be involved with his child but he is young, only 25 years old, and is recently graduated from college. He is working multiple odd jobs while he interviews for his dream job as a landscape architect. While he is waiting for his dream job, he is up front with Ginny that he will be leaving the small upstate New York town of Lakeside soon.

But while he’s still around, he wants to spend time with her. He teaches her to grocery shop and cook, instead of depending on takeout for every meal. He convinces her to try yoga because his pregnant sister swears it helps with morning sickness and delivering the baby. He cares for her and shows her that in every way.

They fall in love, and he asks her to marry him again. And again. But she refuses to admit that she’s in love with him when really she is refusing to stand in the way of his dreams, without ever giving him the option of deciding what he wants for himself.

There is a lot of foreshadowing in this story that makes it pretty obvious what will happen, but somehow, when he finds his dream job and moves away, I found myself crying. And crying again when they reach their happy ending. There is a lot of humor here, too, and I found myself smiling a lot and even laughing out loud a few times. As the kids say, this book has all the feels. I loved the older woman/younger man trope, the small town feel, and these characters. Ginny is a strong woman, and Josh is much more mature than most 25 year olds, probably due to his background. They are a great match, despite all the naysayers and gossip in their little village.

This book was self published but Entangled Publishing is publishing the ebook, which is how I read it. I hope they will publish more of her work; this is an author to watch.

10/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

NOT SEEKING MR. RIGHT by Natasha Moore. Independently published (October 7, 2021). ISBN: 979-8491232246. 320 pages.

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HEART AND SEOUL by Jen Frederick

October 10, 2021

From the publisher:

One woman learns that the price of belonging is often steeper than expected in this heart-wrenching yet hopeful romantic novel and first in the Seoul duology by USA Today bestselling author Jen Frederick.

As a Korean adoptee, Hara Wilson doesn’t need anyone telling her she looks different from her white parents. She knows. Every time Hara looks in the mirror, she’s reminded that she doesn’t look like anyone else in her family—not her loving mother, Ellen; not her jerk of a father, Pat; and certainly not like Pat’s new wife and new “real” son.

At the age of twenty-five, she thought she had come to terms with it all, but when her father suddenly dies, an offhand comment at his funeral triggers an identity crisis that has her running off to Seoul in search of her roots.

What Hara finds there has all the makings of a classic K-drama: a tall, mysterious stranger who greets her at the airport, spontaneous adventures across the city, and a mess of familial ties, along with a red string of destiny that winds its way around her, heart and soul. Hara goes to Korea looking for answers, but what she gets instead is love—a forbidden love that will either welcome Hara home…or destroy her chance of finding one.

This book is part family story, part romance, and part travelogue to Seoul in South Korea. Hara was adopted when she was a baby after her biological mother abandoned her on the streets of Seoul. Her adoptive parents live in the Midwest, and there are no other Asian kids in her school. Hara grows up always feeling like an outsider, despite her mother trying to help her learn about her heritage. Hara pushes those efforts away.

Her parents divorce and her father eventually remarries and has a son. When he suddenly dies, she learns he left his money to his “real” child. Hara and her dad had a difficult relationship, but she is very close to her mom. A few months after the funeral, Hara receives an email from the DNA adoption matching service with her birth father’s name and address, in Seoul. Hara decides to go meet him, and hopes to also find her birth mother.

Hara doesn’t plan much; this is a spur of the moment decision. She doesn’t speak Korean but a newish friend does, and her friend will be in Korea at the same time. Hara is sure it will all work out. But of course, there are hurdles.

Her friend arranged for a car and driver, but Hara mistakenly gets a ride with a young, gorgeous man that she originally thinks is her driver. He thinks she is beautiful, doesn’t dissuade her and gives her a ride. Luckily, he speaks perfect English, and tells her he was educated in the U.S. He also admits he is not a driver. She is so jet lagged and he is so good looking, she just goes along with it.

Hara spends two weeks in Seoul, finding her father, her mother, and love. But, and this is a big but and the cause for a lot of negative reviews – there is no happy ending here. However, the sequel, Seoulmates, comes out early next year.

The story is slow moving, and Hara isn’t an especially likeable character. But I like my happy endings, so I will be reading the sequel in hopes of finding it. Frankly, the publisher should have known better than to market this as a romance; one of the defining characteristics of the romance genre is the happy ending. It is women’s fiction with some romance, but it is really a story about Hara learning about her background and her culture. I like learning those sorts of things, too, so it worked for me.

NOTE: Coincidentally, as I finished reading this book I came across this article in the New York Times*:

The Myth of Asian American Identity: We’re the fastest-growing demographic group in the U.S. But when it comes to the nation’s racial and ethnic divisions, where do we fit in? [This article is adapted from “The Loneliest Americans,” by Jay Caspian Kang, to be published by Crown in October.]

10/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

HEART AND SEOUL by Jen Frederick. Berkley (May 25, 2021). ISBN: 978-0593100141. 352 pages.

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**Thanks to the New York Times for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to this article, a lovely perk for subscribers.*

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DEFINITELY YES by Ella Miles

October 8, 2021

Maybe, Definitely

From the author:

Disgusted with my love life, I join a dating app under a fake name. I start chatting to a man named Edgar.

One question from an ex-lover.

One text message from a complete stranger.

The same answer to both…Yes.

Scarlett Bell has found a way to move beyond a dark past that threatened to take her best friend, Kinsley, from her. Now ten years later Scarlett has everything. A multi-billion dollar fashion and beauty empire. A fabulous New York apartment filled with everything a girl could need. And an awesome best friend. What more could she want? Love, marriage, and a baby. Everything her best friend has.

One ex-boyfriend could give her everything she thinks she wants. Even if he is a little too nice…One dark stranger could give her everything she never knew she wanted. But he could destroy her life…Two men. Two choices. One answer to both: Definitely Yes.

It looks like this series is divided into two parts; Maybe, and Definitely. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I definitely (see what I did there? HA!) felt like I was missing backstory. It looks like the first three books of this series are Maybe, and this appears to be the first book of the Definitely part of the series. A tiny bit confusing, but no matter. I still enjoyed this book.

Scarlett knows what she wants, but she is afraid to go after it. The anonymous man she calls Beast definitely knows how she wants to be treated – in bed, that is. But she hasn’t even seen his face. And her ex is suddenly available, but he may just be too nice for her.

Scarlett’s best friend Kinsley is pregnant and Scarlett feels like maybe she is missing out. Beast is very mysterious, but will he come through for her and give her what she wants? Or should she settle for the nice guy?

The suspense is light, the sex is hot, and the story moves. Not sure I care enough to go back and read the earlier books, not to mention that being they are self published, my library isn’t carrying these. I got this book free from Amazon through BookBub and if they offer up anymore freebies, I’d read them. So who knows.

10/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

DEFINITELY YES by Ella Miles. Independently published (May 20, 2019). ISBN: 978-1099478321. 258 pages.

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MY TIME AMONG THE WHITES by Jennine Capó Crucet

October 7, 2021

Notes from an Unfinished Education

From the author of Make Your Home Among Strangers, essays on being an “accidental” American―an incisive look at the edges of identity for a woman of color in a society centered on whiteness

In this sharp and candid collection of essays, critically acclaimed writer and first-generation American Jennine Capó Crucet explores the condition of finding herself a stranger in the country where she was born. Raised in Miami and the daughter of Cuban refugees, Crucet examines the political and personal contours of American identity and the physical places where those contours find themselves smashed: be it a rodeo town in Nebraska, a university campus in upstate New York, or Disney World in Florida. Crucet illuminates how she came to see her exclusion from aspects of the theoretical American Dream, despite her family’s attempts to fit in with white American culture―beginning with their ill-fated plan to name her after the winner of the Miss America pageant.

In prose that is both fearless and slyly humorous, My Time Among the Whites examines the sometimes hopeful, sometimes deeply flawed ways in which many Americans have learned to adapt, exist, and―in the face of all signals saying otherwise―perhaps even thrive in a country that never imagined them here.

This memoir is a collection of essays and is remarkable reading. Crucet is the American born daughter of Cuban refugees, and grew up in Hialeah, a Miami haven for Cuban families. In this book, she talks about everything from moving to Nebraska to Walt Disney World to how she was named after a Miss USA – sort of. What drew me to this book was the immigrant experience being told first hand.

Crucet is the first person in her family to go to college, and she writes about that experience and the difficulties she had because she had no guidance. She applied to only two colleges, because no one told her you could get application fees waived and they were steep. She received a full ride to the University of Florida, no easy feat, but instead, she selected a school based on a brochure a secretary was throwing away. The school that looked so appealing was Cornell University, and she was accepted. She did receive financial aid, but not the free ride she could have had at UF. She decided, along with her family, that Cornell was the best place for her, even though it was a struggle.

Struggle is at the heart of the book. Crucet is Latinx, a light skinned brown person who often passes as white, living in a country where the last president called Mexicans rapists and murderers. I loved the review in the Los Angeles Review of Books; they described this book as “post-Trump Latinx literature.” The bigotry she has to deal with is at times subtle, and other times overt, but it is always there, a backdrop to every essay in this collection. This is a worthwhile read, especially now when right-wing racist groups have gained national attention. It is sometimes painful reading, sometimes funny, but always engaging, making this a difficult but excellent read.

NOTE: I am facilitating a discussion of this book at Lynn University on Friday, 10/8/2021 at noon, with college students and faculty. I am especially looking forward to hearing what the students have to say. This discussion is part of the Impact Series: in collaboration with Student Affairs and the Lynn Library, Project Civitas‘ Impact Series is a multi-departmental collaboration that seeks to immerse students, faculty and staff in holistic conversations about issues of social justice. Register here for the book discussion: https://lynn.libcal.com/event/8297620

10/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MY TIME AMONG THE WHITES by Jennine Capó Crucet. Picador (September 3, 2019). ISBN:‎ 978-1250299437. 208 pages.

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NO HOLDING BACK by Lori Foster

October 6, 2021

The McKenzies of Ridge Trail, Book 1

From the publisher:

Introducing The McKenzies of Ridge Trail, an all-new sexy contemporary romance series from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster.

Not needing him won’t stop her from wanting him…

Trucker Sterling (Star) Parson is no stranger to the challenges a woman faces, both in her industry and in life. But she can take care of herself. She’s never needed—or wanted—a man around…until she meets Cade McKenzie. The take-charge bar owner sets off all kinds of alarm bells for Sterling, but he also sets her heart racing.

Cade’s lived in Ridge Trail long enough to know trouble when he sees it, and the moment Sterling—Star—walks into his bar, he knows trouble’s come to call. Secrets run deep in the small town and Cade can tell Star’s got as many as he does, leaving him itching to uncover every last one. But finding common ground will mean trusting one another, further feeding an intense attraction that’s growing impossible to resist.

I’m glad I got to start this series with the first book because it is a complicated and worthwhile story. The McKenzie family business is vigilantism. There are two brothers, Reyes and Cade, their sister, Madison, and their father, Parrish, a former surgeon who now runs the business. Reyes owns a gym in a seedy part of town, and Cade owns a bar on the opposite side of town, giving them access to lowlifes who like to talk. And they like to listen. Madison is their tech guru, and she has some serious skills.

Star drives a big rig, but likes to stop at Cade’s bar when she’s in town. She has a habit of napping in the corner, but she’s hyper-alert, and the bar is a good place to find out what’s going on in the underworld. Star is also a bit of a vigilante, helping women who have been trafficked. She’s rescued some and helped them move on. She is self taught and doesn’t have the training or experience of the McKenzies, but she’s also very much a loner. So when Cade offers her his office to nap in, she is touched. No one has ever looked out for her, and as she gets to know him, and they start working together. feelings start to emerge.

Cade has never wanted a relationship, but there is something about Star that really draws him in, but she constantly pushes him away and he really likes her independent streak. When they do get together, their chemistry is just scorching hot. It’s not easy chasing down bad guys when you’re worried about your partner, but they work well together and Star feels respected, which is very important to her.

This is a fast read with a lot of suspense and steamy love scenes, and some violence. I can’t wait for the next book in this series, and luckily, I don’t have to – Stronger Than You Know came out in August, and the third book, Watching Over You, comes out in December.

10/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

NO HOLDING BACK by Lori Foster. HQN; Original edition (January 26, 2021). ISBN: 978-1335668509. 352 pages.