THE NEWCOMER by Mary Kay Andrews

May 5, 2021

From the publisher:

Mary Kay Andrews, the New York Times bestselling author and Queen of the Beach Reads delivers her next page-turner for the summer with The Newcomer.

In trouble and on the run…

After she discovers her sister Tanya dead on the floor of her fashionable New York City townhouse, Letty Carnahan is certain she knows who did it: Tanya’s ex; sleazy real estate entrepreneur Evan Wingfield. Even in the grip of grief and panic Letty heeds her late sister’s warnings: “If anything bad happens to me―it’s Evan. Promise me you’ll take Maya and run. Promise me.”

With a trunkful of emotional baggage…

So Letty grabs her sister’s Mercedes and hits the road with her wailing four-year-old niece Maya. Letty is determined to out-run Evan and the law, but run to where? Tanya, a woman with a past shrouded in secrets, left behind a “go-bag” of cash and a big honking diamond ring―but only one clue: a faded magazine story about a sleepy mom-and-pop motel in a Florida beach town with the improbable name of Treasure Island. She sheds her old life and checks into an uncertain future at The Murmuring Surf Motel.

The No Vacancy sign is flashing & the sharks are circling…

And that’s the good news. Because The Surf, as the regulars call it, is the winter home of a close-knit flock of retirees and snowbirds who regard this odd-duck newcomer with suspicion and down-right hostility. As Letty settles into the motel’s former storage room, she tries to heal Maya’s heartache and unravel the key to her sister’s shady past, all while dodging the attention of the owner’s dangerously attractive son Joe, who just happens to be a local police detective. Can Letty find romance as well as a room at the inn―or will Joe betray her secrets and put her behind bars? With danger closing in, it’s a race to find the truth and right the wrongs of the past.

Forget the calendar; for me, summer officially begins with Mary Kay Andrews. In her early career, she wrote mysteries, then switched to contemporary romance. A few books ago, she starting combining those so the past few books have been romantic suspense, as is this one.

Set in the tiny hamlet of Treasure Island, Florida on the west coast, the story revolves around an old Florida motel, the Murmuring Surf Motel. This is more of a long term, seasonal rental type situation, where snowbirds come down for the season. Most of the guests at the motel are regulars, having stayed there season after season for decades.

The owner, Ava, lives on site with her teenage daughter who is getting ready to graduate high school. Her son Joe is a police detective, lives nearby helps out whenever he is needed at the motel. Joe is the one who finds Letty asleep in her car in the parking lot of the motel.

Even though the sign says “no vacancy”, Letty is hopeful that someone will be checking out. She really needs to stay there. Letty is on the lam; she found her murdered sister, Tanya, on the floor of her home. Letty grabbed her 4 year old niece, Maya, her sister’s “go bag” and hit the road. Tanya had warned Letty that if anything happened to her, it was Evan, her millionaire boyfriend and Maya’s baby daddy. She begged Letty to take the go bag and get Maya as far away as possible. An old magazine article was stuffed in the go bag, with the Murmuring Surf circled, so Letty heads down to Florida.

That’s where the story starts, and it gets a bit more complicated and dangerous as it progresses. Ava thinks Letty is good people, and Maya is adorable so she decides to help them out. She gives them an efficiency apartment that is being used as storage, and hires Letty to help out in the office. And detective Joe keeps sniffing around. His cop sense tells him something is up with this woman, but he is also attracted to her – an interesting dichotomy that luckily works out for the best.

This is a real page turner filled with quirky old folks, an interesting setting, and a sweet romance. I read it in one night. The perfect way to start my summer – bring on the rest of the beach reads!

5/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE NEWCOMER by Mary Kay Andrews. St. Martin’s Press (May 4, 2021). ISBN 978-1250256966. 448 pages.

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IT HAD TO BE YOU by Georgia Clark

May 4, 2021

BLOG TOUR!

From the publisher:

The author of the “emotional, hilarious, and thought-provoking” (People) novel The Bucket List returns with a witty and heartfelt romantic comedy featuring a wedding planner, her unexpected business partner, and their coworkers in a series of linked love stories—perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Casey McQuiston.

For the past twenty years, Liv and Eliot Goldenhorn have run In Love in New York, Brooklyn’s beloved wedding-planning business. When Eliot dies unexpectedly, he even more unexpectedly leaves half of the business to his younger, blonder girlfriend, Savannah.

Liv and Savannah are not a match made in heaven, to say the least. But what starts as a personal and professional nightmare transforms into something even savvy, cynical Liv Goldenhorn couldn’t begin to imagine.

It Had to Be You cleverly unites Liv, Savannah, and couples as diverse and unique as New York City itself, in a joyous Love-Actually-style braided narrative. The result is a smart, modern love story that truly speaks to our times. Second chances, secret romance, and steamy soul mates are front and center in this sexy, tender, and utterly charming rom-com.

When a book is compared to one of my favorite movies, “Love Actually,” I have to read it. Plus I love Georgia Clark, and I know I always like books from the Emily Bestler imprint at Simon & Schuster, so this was a win-win-win for me!

Liv is the center of this story. Married for years to Eliot, they have a young son who took years to conceive. The last few years of their marriage haven’t been great. They are business partners/wedding planners and while they work together well, they have definitely drifted apart in their private life. Then Eliot dies suddenly, and a young woman shows up with a new will. Eliot had been having an affair and left his half of the business to his girlfriend, Savannah.

To make matters worse, the day he died, they were running a wedding that turned into a disaster. The bride takes them to task on social media, and Liv just decides to hide in her house for a while. But eventually life pushes its way in, starting with Savannah who has promised free wedding planning to a social media influencer.

Liv and Savannah need to learn to work together. They also have vendors they work with – the florist, the caterer, a waitress, and the musicians. Lucky for us, all these characters embark on romances, and despite the number of characters and storylines, it was easy to follow. Clark is really great at character development, which is no easy feat with this many romances going on. But it works, and it works well. I really liked all these characters, and their stories were engaging and sexy and fun.

This is a terrific romcom, and I hated turning the last page. Don’t miss it!

5/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

IT HAD TO BE YOU by Georgia Clark. Atria/Emily Bestler Books (May 4, 2021). ISBN: 978-1982133191. 384 pages.

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NORTHERN SPY by Flynn Berry

May 3, 2021

From the publisher:

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK

“If you love a mystery, then you’ll devour [Northern Spy] . . . I loved this thrill ride of a book.”—Reese Witherspoon

“A chilling, gorgeously written tale…Berry keeps the tension almost unbearably high.” –The New York Times Book Review

The acclaimed author of Under the Harrow and A Double Life returns with her most riveting novel to date: the story of two sisters who become entangled with the IRA

A producer at the BBC and mother to a new baby, Tessa is at work in Belfast one day when the news of another raid comes on the air. The IRA may have gone underground in the two decades since the Good Friday Agreement, but they never really went away, and lately bomb threats, security checkpoints, and helicopters floating ominously over the city have become features of everyday life. As the news reporter requests the public’s help in locating those responsible for the robbery, security footage reveals Tessa’s sister, Marian, pulling a black ski mask over her face.

The police believe Marian has joined the IRA, but Tessa is convinced she must have been abducted or coerced; the sisters have always opposed the violence enacted in the name of uniting Ireland. And besides, Marian is vacationing on the north coast. Tessa just spoke to her yesterday.

When the truth about Marian comes to light, Tessa is faced with impossible choices that will test the limits of her ideals, the bonds of her family, her notions of right and wrong, and her identity as a sister and a mother. Walking an increasingly perilous road, she wants nothing more than to protect the one person she loves more fiercely than her sister: her infant son, Finn.

Riveting, atmospheric, and exquisitely written, Northern Spy is at once a heart-pounding story of the contemporary IRA and a moving portrait of sister- and motherhood, and of life in a deeply divided society.

A novel set in Northern Ireland during a period of violent action by the IRA in their attempts to force England out of their country and allow for home rule. Tessa and her sister Marian are women experiencing the constant danger of literally living in a war zone. Tessa is a producer for the BBC: Belfast branch, a single mother while her sister works as a paramedic.

Action begins when Tessa sees a picture of her sister apparently taking part in a robbery of a gas station. Her first reaction is that it is not real – Marian was away on a diving holiday not mixed up in a crime. But sadly it is the truth when her sister contacts her and confesses that she has joined the IRA and has been active in it for several years.

In a very well set up plot, Berry brings to life the lives of two independent women living in an area subject to the constant threat of war. Tessa is raising a son on the heels of a breakup from the boy’s father. She also holds a responsible job that must be worked at while her sister’s job forces her to attend horrific situations caring for grievously wounded people. The author’s handling of the events of the novel builds up in a crescendo taking the reader along on an ever accelerating pace towards the end of the book.

I found myself wondering how can a normal life be possible for people involved in the background of an active revolution. The real answer is it can’t, but circumstances, as outlined in Berry’s novel can and certainly do force the two sisters to adapt to what they are caught up in. Their mother also lives in the area and while independent is a source of worry for Tessa and Marian.

Flynn Berry’s first novel won the Edgar award for best first novel propelling her into the top tier of her profession. “Northern Spy” does continue evidencing her keen sense of how to set up a mesmerizing plot using a gift for language that is the hallmark of good writers. Join me in awaiting her forthcoming books and spending some very pleasant sleepless nights wrapped up in her novels.

5/2021 Paul Lane

NORTHERN SPY by Flynn Berry. Viking (April 6, 2021). ISBN: 978-0735224995. 288 pages.

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A WICKED BARGAIN FOR THE DUKE by Megan Frampton

May 2, 2021

Hazards of Dukes, Book 3

From the publisher:

The author of the “sparkling” and “steamy” (Entertainment Weekly) Never Kiss a Duke returns with the delightful third book in the Hazards of Dukes series as a rigid duke enters into marriage with a rebellious lady.

Thaddeus, the new Duke of Hasford, holds his new title reluctantly, but his sense of duty is strong. Task number one: find a wife and secure an heir. He thinks he’s found the perfect choice in Lady Jane Capel—until her sister Lavinia bursts onto the scene. Vivacious, rebellious, and strikingly beautiful, Lavinia is determined to keep him away from her shy, sweet sister. And she’s also determined not to think so much about his broad chest and strong thighs.

When Lady Lavinia and Thaddeus end up in the most compromising position, witnessed by Lavinia’s mother and nearly everyone at a party, they’re forced to get married to protect their reputations. With no love between them, but with an heir to conceive, they strike a bargain in bed. Only Lavinia demands passion, and Thaddeus complies, with both of them realizing this marriage of convenience may turn into much more…

The forced marriage is a popular trope in historical romances, especially among Dukes. They have to do the right thing, and Thaddeus knows he has no way out of it. While Lavinia realizes she is physically attracted to the Duke, he just finds her loud and too flamboyant to be a duchess, but he is also physically attracted to her. While her sister Jane might have been more what he was looking for, Lavinia wasn’t going to let that happen anyway. And turns out she was right.

There is a lot of passion between Lavinia and Thaddeus, but shockingly for any romance book, the sex isn’t perfect right out of the gate. Lavinia is a bit disappointed but thinks she can get what she wants by asking for it. So she does. Thaddeus is actually thrilled that she cares enough to ask for what she needs, and their sex life goes off like fireworks once he starts listening.

This was a very sexy book, but there are also some laughs along the way. Lavinia and Thaddeus have a lot of hurdles to overcome to get to their happily ever after, and the journey is a real page turner. If you like fun, sexy romances, don’t miss this one!

5/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

A WICKED BARGAIN FOR THE DUKE by Megan Frampton. Avon (April 27, 2021). ISBN: 978-0063023086. 400 pages.

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CORONAVIRUS DIARY: May 1, 2021

May 1, 2021

The End.

I wish it really were the end, but it is the end of my Coronavirus Diary. Fourteen months of fear and sickness and political shenanigans. I’m vaccinated, and I’m done.

Remember when it was impossible to buy toilet paper? Paper towels? Hand sanitizer? Disinfectant wipes? When the frozen food aisle was decimated? When bread was a treasure to be found? I do.

Remember when the (previous) president told us to drink bleach? To inject disinfectant? That it would be gone by Easter 2020? That the flu killed more people? Several news organizations put together the biggest lies about the pandemic, directly from the president’s mouth/Twitter account. These are a few that really pissed me off:

“It’s going to disappear. One day it’s like a miracle – it will disappear” (not so much)
“Anyone who wants a test can get one” (again, not so much until lately)
“I don’t think it’s hoarding, I think it’s maybe worse than hoarding.” (on hospitals needing PPE and respirators)
“The US was the ‘most prepared country in the world'” (maybe if you were living under a rock for the past year you would agree with this)

If I sound angry, it’s only because I am. Over half a million Americans are dead, over 3 million dead worldwide. Millions more Americans refuse to get the vaccine, ensuring that herd immunity will not happen. I personally only know one person who said they were not getting the vaccine, and I am very happy that she recently changed her mind. On the other hand, seeing Darwinism in action should be interesting. The anti-vaxxers and the people who refuse to wear masks? I hope they survive.

During the pandemic, I baked. A lot. I gained a ton of weight from all the baking and cooking and not moving. I still have my sourdough starter even though I decided I don’t like sourdough bread anymore, but I just can’t bring myself to kill it. Privileged white lady that I am, I was able to use my stimulus money to buy new kitchen appliances, and I donated some money as well. It was my greatest pleasure to massively over tip my delivery people, from Instacart to GrubHub.

I was basically a hermit for the pandemic. I rarely shopped in person. I only left my house for work two mornings a week, and for the most important doctor and dentist appointments. I cooked all our meals until fairly recently, when we started getting takeout on occasion. I’ve been masked anytime I left my house or when I had a delivery. I utilized curbside pickup whenever possible – thanks, Target! I haven’t set foot in a Target for well over a year. Remarkable to think about.

My son and daughter-in-law bought their first home and had a baby. They’ve only been married two years this June, but being cooped up 24/7 for over a year is like marriage on steroids. It either exacerbates any issues, or in their case, brought them even closer.

Interestingly, at the beginning of the pandemic there was an uptick in divorces: “By April, the interest in divorce had already increased by 34% in the US, with newer couples being the most likely to file for divorce. In fact, a full 20% of couples who had been married for five months or less sought divorce during this time period” (The National Law Review.)

The NY Times reports, “Some divorce lawyers and relationship experts said that the uncertainty of the pandemic and financial concerns are two reasons couples are staying together.” Yes, the divorce rate is now lower. According to the Institute for Family Studies, “the U.S. divorce rate has hit a 50-year low” and that was in 2019. The IFS is a conservative think tank whose goal is to strengthen family and marriage, so this statistic makes them look like they are reaching their goal. While I am no expert on statistics, there is an old expression that I learned in college – statistics don’t lie, but statisticians do. So while I am sure that all the news reports of the lowering divorce rate are probably true, I’m not really buying the 50 year low.

My husband and I qualified for the Moderna vaccine given by Publix because we paid our doctor to fill out the form stating we are medically vulnerable, which we both are. The first vaccine went off without a hitch. We both had sore arms for a few days but that was it. The second vaccine was a bit more difficult. My husband was just super tired for a day or so. He napped, and was fine. On the other hand, the next morning I went to work thinking I was fine, just a bit tired. By 10:00 I was feeling like crap. My body ached everywhere, and I started getting the chills. My boss offered to come in early so I could go home, but I stuck it out for the last hour. I drove home with the heat blasting in my car and shivered the whole way. I got home, put on my warmest pajamas and crawled into bed. My husband got me a couple of blankets, which helped, and I fell asleep. I slept off and on for 24 hours. The chills went away after the first day, and the exhaustion took another day. I started feeling somewhat normal two days after the vaccine, so I decided to take a shower and change the bedding. But by the time I got out of the shower, I was exhausted and had to lay down again. Crazy tired. I sort of dragged my butt for another day but then I was fine. And you know what? WORTH IT! I am finally starting to feel like life is going to get somewhat back to normal.

Two weeks after my vaccine, I made a hair appointment and a manicure/pedicure appointment. I hadn’t been to either shop since February, 2020. I was nervous about it, but double masked and hoped for the best. I’ve been coloring my hair myself because I can’t stand the gray, but it was a real pleasure to get it done professionally again. And to get it cut! And styled! My hands have been a mess. I loved the Color Street stick on polish, it was easy for me to do, but I hate having short nails. A pedicure seems like pure luxury at this point.

I am so happy to look like me again! It’s the little things in life that tend to make me the happiest. Meeting my vaccinated friends that I haven’t seen for over a year for coffee in the park. For dinner outside (I’m not ready to eat inside a restaurant yet.) I would love to have friends over for dinner, maybe on the patio?

Two and a half weeks after our 2nd vaccine, my husband and I went to Jeep Beach in Daytona Beach. We’ve gone every year for the last 6-7 years, except of course, last year. I must admit I was expecting to see most people at the event not wearing masks. But we only saw a few people anywhere in Daytona wearing masks. That was sort of shocking to me. I complain about how some people don’t wear masks where I live, but this was like there was no pandemic. Some old lady even pointed at us and told her husband, look, they are wearing masks. We were the freaks for sure.

We had a reservation at a beautiful hotel on the beach. The Jeep Beach event is held at the Daytona Speedway, so it’s all outdoors. There are lots of restaurants with outdoor seating, especially on the beach, but we didn’t have any luck getting in to one. We ended up getting take out and eating all our meals on our balcony. The view was spectacular! It was our first vacation in over a year, and all two and a half days were perfect.

This past year taught me a few things. My husband is the best man I know. My children are smart and thoughtful and compassionate. Depression runs in my family, and while I don’t think I was depressed, I definitely suffered from what I was calling ennui. Then the NY Times told me it is actually called languishing.

Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness. It feels as if you’re muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield. And it might be the dominant emotion of 2021.

That about summed it up for me. I have also spent the last 14 months feeling somewhat agoraphobic, and I think that is going to take some time to get over. I’ve been scared of getting Covid. Even worse, scared that my husband would get it or one of my kids. Scared of leaving my house. Scared of all the idiots I see running around without masks. But my family is all vaccinated now, and that feels like the beginning of the end. Thank God.

As always, thanks for reading and stay safe!

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THE KITCHEN FRONT by Jennifer Ryan

April 30, 2021

From the publisher:

From the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir comes an unforgettable novel of a BBC-sponsored wartime cooking competition and the four women who enter for a chance to better their lives.

Two years into World War II, Britain is feeling her losses: The Nazis have won battles, the Blitz has destroyed cities, and U-boats have cut off the supply of food. In an effort to help housewives with food rationing, a BBC radio program called The Kitchen Front is holding a cooking contest—and the grand prize is a job as the program’s first-ever female co-host. For four very different women, winning the competition would present a crucial chance to change their lives.

For a young widow, it’s a chance to pay off her husband’s debts and keep a roof over her children’s heads. For a kitchen maid, it’s a chance to leave servitude and find freedom. For a lady of the manor, it’s a chance to escape her wealthy husband’s increasingly hostile behavior. And for a trained chef, it’s a chance to challenge the men at the top of her profession.

These four women are giving the competition their all—even if that sometimes means bending the rules. But with so much at stake, will the contest that aims to bring the community together only serve to break it apart?

This book is a heartwarming story about four women living in a small village a couple of years into World War II. The main character is Audrey Landon, a young woman widowed by the was and left with three small boys. After inheriting her family home, at least she has a roof over their head, crumbling though it is.

Audrey’s estranged sister, Lady Gwendoline Strickland, likes lording it over everyone in town. Always resentful of Audrey and how their mother favored her down to leaving her the house, Gwendoline deigns to loan Audrey some money so she can fix things up a bit. Gwendoline seems to have everything, a wealthy, powerful husband, a large estate, and some power herself – she is in charge of billeting displaced people into homes in the neighborhood. Including her sister’s home, where she sends a pregnant woman, Zelda Dupont.

Zelda is a chef who had an affair with her boss, but he had no interest in continuing it. He was a con man and a player, but she has to deal with the realities of her life. She tries hiding her pregnancy for as long as she can as she knows she will lose her job as head chef of the mess at the local factory, also owned by Strickland.

Nell is the young kitchen maid at the Strickland home, working under Mrs. Quince, the cook. Nell is gifted in the kitchen and Mrs. Quince becomes a mother figure to her. Orphaned at a young age, Nell grew up in an orphanage until she was sent to work at the estate.

These four women all end up competing in a cooking contest put on by the BBC (the forerunner of the Great British Bakeoff!) There was a real radio program called The Kitchen Front, and in this story the program sponsors a contest to get a professional cook to help out. The goal of the show is to help the housewives who are all struggling with rations, severe food shortages, and black market food. The radio show provides recipes and tips, like using all the vegetable scraps to make soup, and promoting canned foods like SPAM and sardines.

Audrey is more housewife than pro, but she’s been supporting her family by baking pies and things and selling them to local businesses. She also has a kitchen farm outside her door and has laying chickens, so is much better off than many others.

The competition between the women doesn’t seem very fierce, other than Lady Gwendoline’s husband is pushing her to win by any means possible. There is something going on in that marriage and it isn’t good.

Eventually, the women form friendships and as the war goes on, they find struggling together is much better than struggling alone. These characters were all likeable, even Lady Gwendoline eventually shows a more human side. The food history (and recipes) are fascinating, even if I wouldn’t make any of them. This was a different look at WWII from the perspective of England’s housewives, and a very interesting, compelling read. If you like historical fiction and food fiction, then this is your book; it certainly was mine.

4/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE KITCHEN FRONT by Jennifer Ryan. Ballantine Books (February 23, 2021). ISBN: 978-0593158807. 416 pages.

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ANIMAL INSTINCT by David Rosenfelt

April 29, 2021

K Team Novels, Book 2

From the publisher:

The K Team is back in the second installment in this spinoff series from bestselling author David Rosenfelt’s beloved Andy Carpenter mysteries.

Corey Douglas and his K-9 partner, a German shepherd named Simon Garfunkel, are recently retired police officers turned private investigators. Along with fellow former cop Laurie Collins and her investigating partner, Marcus, they call themselves the K Team, in honor of Simon.

The K Team’s latest case – a recent unsolved murder – gives Corey a chance to solve “the one that got away”. Corey knew the murder victim from his time on the force, when he was unable to protect her in a domestic dispute. Now, he is convinced the same abusive boyfriend is responsible for her murder. With some help from Laurie’s lawyer husband, Andy Carpenter, the K Team is determined to prove what the police could not, no matter the cost. What they uncover is much more sinister than they could have imagined.

Known for his dog-loving stories and addictive characters, bestselling mystery author David Rosenfelt presents Animal Instinct, the second installment in this engrossing new series about a dynamite investigative team and their canine partner.

David Rosenfelt has earned a place at the apex of the literary world through his delightfully tongue in cheek novels about the lawyer that does not want to practice law, Andy Carpenter. Andy has developed a crew that aid him in seeking justice (albeit reluctantly) in providing defense council for a wide variety of worthy clients. His crew also includes dogs which play their part in the goings on.

Rosenfelt began work on an offshoot group of books featuring the “K” team which included Andy’s wife Laurie, an ex police officer; Marcus, the very strong very silent investigator and all around dispenser of protection when needed; and Corey Douglas, a retired police detective that worked with a German Shepherd named Simon Garfunkel. Andy helped Corey take the dog into retirement with him. This book is the second novel featuring the “K” team although Andy does take a leading role in the proceedings.

Prior to his retirement, Corey interceded in a situation with a man beating up his girlfriend. Corey was not able to arrest the individual and continued to feel as if he failed the woman in that nothing would prevent her being the victim of violence in the future. The situation opens when Corey, now a civilian comes upon the woman again and finds her murdered. Evidence is found implicating him and he is brought up on charges of murder. Andy takes his case and arranges for Corey to be out on bail awaiting trial. The situation than becomes Corey with the help of the other members of the “K” team working to prove his own innocence.

Same approach as in the novels featuring Andy; lots of humor, wise remarks and the inclusion of Simon Garfunkel and Andy and Laurie’s dogs going against a prosecutor in court that pursues his own brand of justice throughout the trial that is the main part of the book. The novel assumes the same place as the stories featuring Andy – rewarding to read, fun and very light.

Note from the BookBitch: What is going on with this cover??? Worst cover since the original cover of his first book, First Degree.

4/2021 Paul Lane

ANIMAL INSTINCT by David Rosenfelt. Minotaur Books; 1st edition (April 6, 2021). ISBN: 978-1250257208. 304 pages.

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JUST MY LUCK by Adele Parks

April 28, 2021

From the publisher:

Over 4 million Adele Parks books sold worldwide including LIES, LIES, LIES and I INVITED HER IN!

“Utterly engrossing and brilliant”— Lucy Foley New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List

It was supposed to be the lottery win they’d always dreamed of…

For fifteen years, Lexi and Jake have played the same six numbers with their friends. Over drinks, dinner parties and summer barbecues, the three couples have discussed the important stuff—kids, marriages, careers—and they’ve laughed off their disappointment when they failed to win anything.

But then the unthinkable happens. There’s a rift in the group. Someone is caught in a lie. And soon after, six numbers come up that change everything forever.

Lexi and Jake have a ticket worth millions. And their friends are determined to claim a share.

#1 Sunday Times bestselling author Adele Parks returns with a riveting look at the dark side of wealth in this gripping tale of friendship, money, betrayal and good luck gone bad…

Lexi and Jake and their family live in a lower middle section. They work hard to maintain their lifestyle with Lexi happy with her life and the husband she has chosen. They are friendly with two other couples whose children attend the same school that Lexi and Jake’s children go to. For 15 years the three couples have gotten together on most Saturday nights eaten together and enjoyed a pleasant evening out.

Over the years they have evolved the practice of buying a lottery ticket together after each get together using the same sequence of numbers each time they purchase a ticket. Then the other two couples announce that they feel the spending the money on a ticket is throwing out the cash and they are drawing out of the custom of buying a ticket.

Of course when Lexi buys a ticket by herself the next week using the normal numerical sequence it hits and is good for a prize of more than seventeen million pounds, a sum that insures financial independence for the recipient for the rest of their lives. Jake and Lexi try to keep the winning secret but it leaks out and human nature being what it is the other two couples demand that they receive shares in the payout and insinuate that they had rightful places due to having gone in together on the lottery tickets and even lying that they had chipped into the winning ticket as was normal.

Parks describes a situation in which receiving a large amount of money distorts the viewpoints and reactions of people. Friendship goes away and greed takes over in its presence. No one in the family is exempt from the fallout of a receipt of a large amount of cash and the interactions of both adults and children are well delineated. A pleasant reading experience is enjoyed by the reader with a surprise but logical ending to complete the book.

4/2021 Paul Lane

JUST MY LUCK by Adele Parks. MIRA; Original edition (April 6, 2021). ISBN: 978-05255394140. 352 pages.

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DIAL A FOR AUNTIES by Jesse Q. Sutanto

April 27, 2021

From the publisher:

One of PopSugar’s “42 Books Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2021”!

What happens when you mix 1 (accidental) murder with 2 thousand wedding guests, and then toss in a possible curse on 3 generations of an immigrant Chinese-Indonesian family?

You get 4 meddling Asian aunties coming to the rescue!

When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate, especially when it is inadvertently shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working at an island resort on the California coastline. It’s the biggest job yet for the family wedding business—”Don’t leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!”—and nothing, not even an unsavory corpse, will get in the way of her auntie’s perfect buttercream flowers.

But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy’s great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance amid the wedding chaos. Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life, and pull off a stunning wedding all in one weekend?

This is a top ten favorite on the April Library Reads list, and as far as I’m concerned, it should have been number one! Part mystery, part romance, part family drama, but mostly laugh-out-loud funny, this book hits it out of the park. And I’m super excited that Netflix is on board.

Meddy is the good girl in her family. There is a family curse where all the men leave, leaving her mom and her sisters to make up her family. Even her boy cousins have all moved away, but as much as Meddy wanted a different life, she just could not bring herself to leave her mom and her aunties, so she breaks up with the love of her life as he has been offered his dream job across the country. It just about kills Meddy, but she goes on with her life, settling into the family wedding planning business and trying not to think about the one who got away.

Her mom decides Meddy needs to meet someone so like all overly involved, well meaning moms, she sets up a fake profile for Meddy on a dating app, and pretends to be Meddy. There are red flags aplenty, but her mom, who is not a native English speaker never mind a keen reader of emojis, doesn’t realize what she’s done when she sets Meddy up on a blind date with a man she met online. It turns out he is as bad a guy as one could meet online, and Meddy accidentally kills him in self defense. I’m not spoiling anything here, this happens at the beginning of the book.

Meddy panics, dumps him in the trunk of her car, and takes him home to her mother, who calls in the aunties. These are the kind of relatives everyone should have, the kind who help you get rid of a body. But what ensues is just chaos, and it is hilarious. In between the insanity though, Meddy runs into the love of her life. Turns out he’s moved back and is now running the hotel where the family is running their biggest wedding yet.

Lots of over the top situations and slapstick humor, and it really works here. This book had me laughing out oud several times, and I I enjoyed every page. Honestly, it reminded me of the first few Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich) books only with a happy ending, and that is high praise! I also really liked learning about Chinese/Indonesian culture. This one is sure to make my best books of the year list – don’t miss it.

4/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

DIAL A FOR AUNTIES by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Berkley (April 27, 2021). ISBN: 978-0593333037. 320 pages.

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3 Comments | Book Reviews, Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction | Tagged: #ownvoices, Contemporary, multicultural, Mystery | Permalink
Posted by Stacy Alesi

THE EAGLE AND THE VIPER by Loren D. Estleman

April 26, 2021

From the publisher:

Part high-octane suspense, part dire warning, The Eagle and the Viper frommultiple-winning novelist Loren D. Estleman reveals how close our world came―at the dawn of a promising new century―to total war.

It’s a time of improvised explosive devices, terrorist training camps, international assassins, and war on civilians. It’s Christmas Eve, 1800.

This much is history: On Christmas Eve, 1800, an “infernal machine” exploded in one of the busiest streets in Paris, France, destroying buildings and killing innocent civilians. It wasn’t the first attempt on the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the newly minted Republic of France.

This much is exclusive to our story: Upon the failure of the Christmas Eve plot, the conspiracy takes a new and more diabolical turn.

Posterity knows what became of Napoleon: He led France into a series of military adventures that ended in his defeat, followed by decades of peace. But this future hung on a precarious thread. One man can make history; another can change it.

An extremely well researched book based on a little-known event in the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. The man had recently been elected as First Consul of France during the latter period of the revolution. The threat of the guillotine was still prevalent in a country that was engrossed in attempting to wipe out all traces of royalty without any clear idea of what form of government should eventually prevail. What was termed an “infernal machine,” a huge explosion, was set off on one of the busiest streets in Paris. It was exploded on Christmas Eve 1800 and construed to be an attempt to assassinate Napoleon.

Estleman describes the France of the moment, a virtual police state with the head Policeman able to assume complete power over the nation indicating that he does so in his role dictated by The First Consul for the good of the country. The author also postulates a professional assassin termed “The Viper” and hired by members of the government to kill Napoleon. The Viper’s movements to infiltrate the country and complete his mission to kill The First Consul are outlined in the novel. There was no indication of such an individual actually existing at that time, but the author presents a very readable novel detailing seizure of power and blame accruing to many places with blame on the assassination attempt. A forward does indicate that Estleman might be using his book as a vehicle to alert people to the damage that could be done if the truth is hidden and falsehoods take its place. The act is character assassination and certainly might be a weapon used in changing the image of person or persons that are deemed to be hindering the paths of others from their goals.

4/2021 Paul Lane

THE EAGLE AND THE VIPER by Loren D. Estleman. Thomas & Mercer (March 1, 2021). ISBN: 978-1542023863. 336 pages.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi