Fiction | Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

LOVE AND OTHER WORDS by Christina Lauren

April 11, 2018

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This is a lovely book that moves back and forth in time. Macy Sorensen was a young girl when her mother died of cancer. She left behind letters and instructions for her husband, to help him raise their daughter, and Macy and her dad are very close.

One of the things her mother suggests is that they get a vacation home, and they find a small house not too far away in the wine country area where they can spend weekends and vacations. Macy is a big reader, a girl after my own heart, and one of the reasons they buy the house is because the closet off of her bedroom is large enough to create a library, and they do. But the day they move in, Macy finds a boy her own age, Elliot Petropoulos, reading in the closet. They quickly become friends, then best friends, and eventually more.

Macy in present day is a pediatric resident in a Berkeley hospital, working crazy hours. She lives with a man, an artist, and his daughter. They don’t see each other much but it is a comfortable relationship for both of them. In fact, they are engaged.

We know something catastrophic happens with Elliot, because they haven’t seen each other for eleven years. As the story unfurls, we learn more about each of them and their relationship until the back and forth catches up to present day.

I loved this book. I loved getting to know these characters and cared about what happened and why. A terrific, heartwarming read!

3/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

LOVE AND OTHER WORDS by Christina Lauren. Gallery Books (April 10, 2018). ISBN 978-1501128011. 432p.

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AFTER ANNA by Lisa Scottoline

April 10, 2018

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In this new standalone thriller, there are two sides of a heartwrenching story alternating chapter by chapter, and in a truly unique way, one is moving forward and the other is moving backward. Scottoline has the mad writing skills to pull it off and do it really well.

Dr. Noah Alderman is on trial for murdering Anna, and his story starts as he is in court, awaiting the verdict. Then his chapters move backwards in time, the closing argument, the last witness, etc.

Maggie Ippolitti is Noah’s second wife, stepmother to Caleb, Noah’s ten year old boy with a speech disorder. They are a very happy family. But Maggie has a past – she also was married before and had a daughter, Anna. She suffered from postpartum psychosis, and basically turned herself in to get help before she harmed her daughter. While she was hospitalized, her husband divorced her, had her declared unfit, and got custody, after which he took Anna to France, where his family lived. Shortly after that, he sold his startup company for many millions of dollars and dumped his daughter in one boarding school after another and Maggie hasn’t seen Anna since she was 6 months old.

By now, Anna is a senior in high school and when her father is killed in a plane crash, she contacts her mother. Maggie is beyond thrilled, and when Anna says she is unhappy in school, Maggie immediately invites her to live at home with her. Very quickly things start going badly. Anna seems uncomfortable with Noah, and accuses him of trying to molest her. She takes him to court, and Maggie gets her to settle by forcing Noah to move out. And then Anna turns up dead on Noah’s front porch.

I was reading away, completely engrossed with this family and their saga when suddenly the story took a hard turn and starting moving at breakneck speed to a really shocking ending. I stayed up late to finish it, then stayed up even later thinking about it. I love when that happens – don’t miss it!

4/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

AFTER ANNA by Lisa Scottoline. St. Martin’s Press (April 10, 2018). ISBN: 978-1250099655. 400p.

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2 Comments | Book Reviews, Crime Fiction | Tagged: Thriller | Permalink
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SUMMER ON WILLOW LAKE by Susan Wiggs

April 9, 2018

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The Lakeshore Chronicles, Book 1

From what I can tell, this book originally came out in 2006 and has been reissued many times over the years, the most recent was last year. I enjoy Susan Wiggs and hadn’t read any of this series, so decided to start at the beginning.

First off, I loved the setting. Willow Lake was the childhood camp where Olivia, then called Lolly, spent every summer. Her grandparents owned and ran the camp, and all the family was expected to attend and eventually work there. Lolly never really fit in, but made one really good friend – Connor. He was her friend, but also her first love and she never really got over him.

Eventually the camp closed, but her grandparents want to spend their fiftieth anniversary there and renew their vows. They ask Olivia to fix up the place. It’s been deserted for years and is very run down. They give her a healthy budget and off she goes. First up, find a contractor.

The only contractor in town is, you guessed it, Connor. The book alternates between then, the camp days, and now, the fixing up the camp days and it’s a joyous ride. Some of my best childhood memories are of going to camp, so I really enjoyed that aspect of it. Plus it’s a great romance. I am planning on working my way through the rest of the series.

4/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

SUMMER ON WILLOW LAKE by Susan Wiggs. MIRA; Reissue edition (October 11, 2016). ISBN 978-0778330073. 464p.

2 Comments | Book Reviews, Fiction, Romance | Tagged: Contemporary | Permalink
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THE TROUBLE WITH TRUE LOVE by Laura Lee Guhrke

April 7, 2018

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Dear Lady Truelove, Book 2

Clara Deverill must be the best sister in the world, for as her sister leaves town, Clara is left with the unenviable task of running the family newspaper and answering the lovelorn letters column. She is woefully inexperienced with both, but she is excellent at eavesdropping. When she overhears Rex Galbraith, a local rake, explaining to his friend how to keep from making a commitment and still keep his woman, she takes notes and uses that advice in her column.

Rex is not too happy to see his words in print, and when his friend’s lady reads the column, it all blows up. Rex ends up in a rather odd arrangement with Clara, and they both learn quite a bit about how the heart works. The hate-at-first-sight slowly turns to love, and it is fun to watch.

Another excellent addition to the genre – witty, intelligent and pure escapism.

4/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE TROUBLE WITH TRUE LOVE by Laura Lee Guhrke. Avon; Reissue edition (January 30, 2018). ISBN 978-0062469878. 384p.

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THE COLOR OF LOVE by Sharon Sala

April 6, 2018

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A Blessings, Georgia Novel, Book 5

Blessings is a small, Southern town that runs primarily on gossip. Ruby Dye is receiving gifts from a secret admirer, and that is a hot topic. She’s not sure who they are from, only who she wishes they were from, “Peanut” Butterman, the town lawyer (with parents with a sense of humor) and Ruby’s friend.

Then Ruby gets kidnapped, and the whole town comes together to try and find her, including Peanut. This is a sweet romance, veering just barely on the right side of corny without going quite that far.

If you like your romances with a dash of suspense and a lot of sugar, this is the book for you. Sometimes that is all you need.

4/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE COLOR OF LOVE by Sharon Sala. Sourcebooks Casablanca (February 6, 2018). ISBN 978-1492646051. 320p.

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I HAVE LOST MY WAY by Gayle Forman

April 5, 2018

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Gayle Forman is one of those authors that I will read anything she writes, and I can’t say that about too many authors, especially those who write books for young adults. She’s just a great storyteller, and if you haven’t read her, or read a young adult bool before, try this one. It’s short, only 272 pages, and it moves. The writing is beautiful, the characters interesting and believable, and the story spans out over the course of one day. It explores themes of friendship and empathy, love and kindness and family.

Freya is supposed to be the next big thing, a young singing sensation. She and her sister started out creating their own YouTube videos, but were discovered by a “star maker” who quickly ditched the sister and took over Freya’s life. For two years he’s been building up her reputation and now she is poised to become “it.” Except for one tiny detail; she’s apparently lost her voice while recording her first album. Not simply a case of laryngitis, but something more primal and psychological is at play here.

To avoid being fired, Freya takes off for a walk through Central Park where she accidentally stumbles off the edge of a bridge, landing on a young man below. His name is Nathaniel, and he is recently arrived in the city with some scary plans of his own. Nathaniel has been knocked unconscious, and Freya grabs hold of another young man, Harun, who was walking by at that moment.

Harun recognizes her at once; his boyfriend was a huge fan. Or ex-boyfriend, as the case may be. Harun is hurting. James was his first boyfriend, and he fears that his parents, immigrants, would not understand or approve of his homosexuality, so he is keeping it secret and the secret is killing him.

These three teenagers have all lost their way in life, and at their age that is a scary thing indeed. They end up spending the day together and doing a lot of growing up. I don’t want to give away anything else, just know that I fell in love with these people and read their story in one afternoon. I loved it.

4/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

I HAVE LOST MY WAY by Gayle Forman. Viking Books for Young Readers (March 27, 2018). ISBN 978-0425290774. 272p.

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THE ORACLE YEAR by Charles Soule

April 4, 2018

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Suppose you woke up one morning and find 108 predictions of future events had come to roost in your head. Than suppose you tested a few out and found that they come true. Now how can you capitalize on this once in a billion occurrence which apparently came only to you.

Soule’s novel is about this nice problem presenting itself to a bassist named Will Dando, who is a resident of Manhattan in New York City. Will quickly comes to the decision that he must protect his anonymity, calling himself the Oracle, and establishing a heavily guarded website with the help of a good friend who is conveniently computer literate.

Very quickly he establishes an enviable reputation with huge companies and wealthy persons who offer him tons of money to present them with predictions. He also gains a like number of enemies that want nothing better than to stop him. These include the President of the United States, a well known televangelist, a power hungry African warlord and the cutest little old grandma who turns out to be a paid killer. He also meets a very beautiful reporter scoring an interview with him and also becoming his love.

The scene of the action taking place is the entire world. There is enough clever tongue-in-cheek comments to allow the reader to completely enjoy a good book and also pick up on the criticisms leveled at customs and mores of modern society.

Soule is a well known comic book franchise writer and strangely enough has waited until now to come out with his first novel. There have just got to be more from an author with this wit and charm in his writing.

4/18 Paul Lane

THE ORACLE YEAR by Charles Soule. Harper Perennial (April 3, 2018). ISBN 978-0062686633. 416p.

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A NANTUCKET WEDDING by Nancy Thayer

April 3, 2018

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Need a beach vacation? Escape to Nantucket with this latest charmer from Nancy Thayer.

Alison had one of those rare, really good marriages so when her husband died, she never thought she’d marry again. And then she met David, who was pretty much in the same boat. But at their age, they knew pretty quickly that what they had was special and decide to get married on Nantucket, where he has a beautiful home on the beach.

Alison invites her daughters up to Nantucket for the weekend to meet her fiancé. Felicity is married with two children and her husband is working his tail off to get his green food startup running and successful. Jane is a lawyer married to another lawyer and both are completely focused on their careers. The two sisters have never been close, but a weekend alone makes them realize their similarities are stronger than their differences.

David also has children, his son is a big flirt and surprisingly to the prettier Felicity, he goes after Jane. There’s also Poppy, mother of two and being groomed to take over her father’s mega-successful business. Poppy is not too thrilled with the idea of her father remarrying but for the most part, the kids all get along. But as it gets closer to the wedding date, all sorts of obstacles arise.

This is a lovely family saga and a wonderful way to kick off my beach reading…especially considering what kind of winter it’s been! A most enjoyable read.

4/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

A NANTUCKET WEDDING by Nancy Thayer. Ballantine Books (April 3, 2018). ISBN 978-1101967102. 320p.

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COUNTING ON A COUNTESS by Eva Leigh

April 2, 2018

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London Underground,Book 2

The Earl of Blakemere, Christopher “Kit” Ellingsworth, was awarded his title for meritorious service during the war. His mentor has also bequeathed him his estate, with one stipulation; he must be married by the end of the month.

Tamsyn Pearce is one of the most unusual heroines I’ve ever read about in a historical romance. She is a smuggler, and is in London to sell her bounty. Tamsyn’s father died, leaving the estate to her brother, who is entirely self serving. The estate supported the surrounding community, and without his help, they are all in desperate straights. Tamsyn to the rescue – the whole town helps her with the smuggling and she helps them keep food on the table.

While in London, she meets the Earl and his offer of a quick marriage really suits her. With his new income, she can help the people back home and repair her family home. Things really look up when, after the wedding, it is revealed that there is another stipulation to the funds – the wife is to be in charge of the money. Of course, falling in love really complicates things, but that is the fun of it all.

This was a good read, charming and witty, occasionally steamy, but always entertaining.

4/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

COUNTING ON A COUNTESS by Eva Leigh. Avon; Reissue edition (March 27, 2018). ISBN 978-0062499431. 384p.

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3/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

COUNTING ON THE COUNTESS by Eva Leigh. Avon; Reissue edition (March 27, 2018). ISBN 978-0062499431. 384p.

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THE SECRET OF FLIRTING by Sabrina Jeffries

March 31, 2018

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The Sinful Suitors, Book 5

Monique Servais is an actress performing in London. Baron Fulkham is a political spy, working in the government but earning his way to the top by knowing as much as possible about everyone. A friend takes him to the theater and insists they must meet the actress in the lead role. Fulkham goes along and is quite taken with her, but basically insults her. She is also attracted to him but fights it, she takes care of her ailing grandmother and has no time for romance.

A few years later, Belgium is set to become a country and there is to be a meeting in London of all the interested parties to select a ruler. Princess Aurore of Chanay is in the running but right before the historic meeting, falls deathly ill. Monique is approached by her uncle to impersonate her cousin, Aurore, they look very much alike, until she can hopefully ascend the throne.

When Fulkham sees her, he instantly knows her as Monique but she is denying it. They spend quite a bit of time together, especially after an attempt is made on her life, and they both realize they have feelings for one another but for various reasons, cannot act upon them.

This was an interesting story, but I wish it had held more closely to the truth about the beginnings of Belgium. But then it wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun.

3/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE SECRET OF FLIRTING by Sabrina Jeffries. Pocket Books (March 27, 2018). ISBN 978-1501144486. 416p.