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.

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UNDONE BY YOU by Kate Meador

March 30, 2018

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The Chicago Rebels Series, Book 3

I am really enjoying this series – ice hockey, hot sex and terrific romance all work for me. This book, the third in the series, is actually a novella, not as long as the other books. And it sort of runs side by side with book 2, it doesn’t move the time line any further along.

The other big change is this book is a gay romance. The team manager, the very hot Dante Morelli, is the first NHL manager to come out as gay. The team is fine with it, except for one player – there always has to be a jerk on any team. I once had a manager at Borders who kept on this really awful employee for way longer than he should have, he called him our”Germany'” – that bad employee let everyone else on staff band together and form a more cohesive team in the face of a common enemy, so to speak. There is a character here that performs that purpose as well. He is always mouthing off about the gay manager, the Russian player, the women owners of the team, etc. Needless to say, he is not the most popular player on the team.

Dante is new in town, and ends up at a very private, invitation only gay club. To his shock, he sees one of his players there, Cade, the player that he has been crushing on since he moved to Chicago. Nonplussed by seeing Cade, Dante drags him out of the club and Cade is quite happy to go along. He has had a crush on Dante since he was a teenager and Dante was a professional hockey player – he even had his poster hung up in his room. In fact the only reason he was at that club was because he had heard Dante might show up.

Dante realizes that anyone could out Cade, and he wants to have a plan ready for that to minimize any kind of public relations nightmare that could evolve. Meanwhile, there is so much heat between these two that it is apparent where they will end up. But Dante is concerned about the power relationship, he is Cade’s boss after all, not to mention the twelve year age difference.

Dante also had been in a long term relationship with a man who hadn’t come out, and he didn’t want to be in that position again. I have to say I really empathized with Dante. I have a very good friend who, years ago, was in a similar relationship, with a partner that wasn’t out, and it was painful at times. I am very happy to report that he has found love and happiness since.

With all these hurdles, this relationship seems doomed but we all know that true love will always win out and it certainly does here. There is a lot of graphic sex, as there is in all the Meador books I’ve read, and I learned a few things.

Dare I say this is another Meador romance that is so hot the ice can’t cool it off? It really is!

Just a note about the NHL – I know as sure as I’m typing here that there are gay men playing for and managing hockey teams. As far as I know, none of them have been open about it. It just seems silly to me, like Adam Rippon being the first openly gay Olympic skater. Why on earth did it take so long? But what do I know.

3/18  Stacy Alesi AKA the BookBitch™

UNDONE BY YOU by Kate Meador. Pocket Star (March 5, 2018). ASIN: B074ZRHPGC. 147p.

 

 

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FLASH POINTS by David Hagberg

March 28, 2018

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A Kirk McGarvey Novel, Book 22

The principal character in this novel is Kirk McGarvey, a man who was previously an assassin for the CIA. In addition, he was the head of the CIA for a short time. The story opens as Kirk is getting ready to enjoy a vacation with his girl friend but walks out to his car and suffers a grave accident. One of McGarvey’s enemies has had a bomb placed in the vehicle in order to do away with him.

McGarvey’s sixth sense jumps into play and he exits the car moving off to the rear. This action saves his life but causes a whole host of internal and external injuries including the loss of his leg just below the knee. None of this stops Kirk from puzzling out why he was singled out for assassination and leads to the inescapable conclusion that he knows something and must be silenced because of that.

A new president has just been elected and members of his military senior staff deem him a danger to the country because of his policies. They set up a series of attacks at several points in the country with the object of embarrassing the new president. It is assumed that the president will not be able to handle the three emergencies at once causing the American public to demand his impeachment. But before this action occurs it is necessary to eliminate McGarvey who is the one person to be able to figure out what is happening and intercede with the plot against the president.

In spite of his many wounds and the loss of most of one leg, Kirk soldiers on to foil the plotters and save the day. He is admirably helped by his girlfriend, who incidentally is a member of the CIA and does want the vacation promised.

The story is the pure adventure that David Hagberg always delivers in his novels. It is a fast read, keeps the reader glued to the book and following the continually developing plot. Future novels featuring McGarvey are a given and surely to be looked for.

3/18 Paul Lane

FLASH POINTS by David Hagberg. Forge Books (March 27, 2018).  ISBN 978-0765384881. 320p.

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SOCIABLE by Rebecca Harrington

March 27, 2018

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The premise of this sophomore novel by Harrington (Penelope) is that journalism is dying and millennials will save it. To do that they will have to fit some work in between parties, fighting with friends, romance, and in this case, surviving a bad breakup.

Our heroine is Elinor Tomlinson, a vapid, immature twenty-something working as a nanny. Her boyfriend’s mother, a well respected journalist, recommends her for an opening at a second tier online news magazine. Elinor stumbles through the interview spouting generic nonsense and gets the job, creating viral content for the web. She is probably better at her job than the two men who want to mentor her, yet she doesn’t seem to like her job very much. Her boyfriend dumps her, and she just wallows in self pity.

Readers may be able to empathize with the breakup if they can slog through the changeable points of view, the too-brief attempts at humor, hash tags and even comments addressed directly to the reader. ©Library Journal, 2018

This book sounded so good from the publisher:

The Assistants meets The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. in this exuberant comedy of manners set in the world of Internet media, a brilliantly irreverent novel about what it means to be young, broke, dumped, and scarily good at creating viral content.

Um…not so much. Very disappointing read.

3/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

SOCIABLE by Rebecca Harrington. Doubleday (March 27, 2018). ISBN 978-0385542821. 256p.

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THE OCTOBER MEN by David Impey

March 25, 2018

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Hindsight Can Be Deadly

Impey begins an intricate and mesmerizing story during the early days of WWI with a company of soldiers moving up to the front lines. He than goes forward describing other seemingly non-related events, including the later attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. A series of color photos which appear to be beyond the range of photography during the periods covered by these photos calls attention to what is going on.

The novel goes on describing other events and bringing into the picture a young Oxford physicist, Otto Parsons, who has been conducting experiments in quantum physics, attempting to create zero gravity without going into outer space. His work yields totally unexpected results which serve to tie together the various events described in the story.

A group of scientists attempt to tie Parson’s experiment together by producing a historical TV series that attempts to uncover the truth behind such isolated instances as the Roswell incident and the assassination of president John F. Kennedy. The show unfortunately attracts the attention of a group of international criminals who use the equipment developed by Parsons to take advantage of both the financial and art markets.

A very interesting plot and a narrative that will definitely capture and keep the reader’s attention.

3/18 Paul Lane

THE OCTOBER MEN by David Impey.  BigBear Communications Ltd (March 20, 2018).  ISBN 978-1912145799. 340p.

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THE TERMINAL LIST by Jack Carr

March 24, 2018

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The phrase,”revenge is a dish best served cold,” is a piece of advice with roots in literature possibly stemming from the time of William Shakespeare. Carr’s powerful novel resoundingly takes a different track.

Lt. Commander James Reece is in charge of a group of Navy Seals and certainly a warrior’s warrior. He is sent on a mission to Afghanistan and his entire team is killed and then the group of rangers sent to extract his squad also lose their lives in the attempt.

Sent back to the states, Reece is astonished to learn that another member of the team has committed suicide. With these deaths weighing heavily, a medical exam ordered for him due to unexplained headaches finds that there is a tumor on his brain. The only thing now buoying him up is the expectation that he is going home to his wife and daughter. The final horror hitting him is the discovery that both his wife and daughter were killed in an attack on his house.

Reece must hold himself together in order to avenge the deaths of his men and wife and daughter which he soon finds are related. The action to find and kill those that were responsible comprises most of the novel. He is livid and not knowing if the brain tumor that he has will kill him shortly, moves as quickly as possible with the help of a few friends. One is a young reporter who is aware that there is definitely malfeasance involved in the actions of the upper level military command, a pilot whose life he once saved, and the boss of a Mexican Mafia group.

There is nothing cold involved in Commander Reece’s actions. He is livid, he just wants revenge and expects to die when it is exacted in order to join his wife and family. The descriptions of the manner Reece handles the actions against those on his list of persons to be punished is, to say the least, gruesome and certainly done in hot blood.

One of the obvious opinions Carr brought out in the book is the low opinion he has of the juggernaut of our Federal government. He obviously feels that it has grown too large and become too cumbersome to properly provide good government, and the system of rules and regulations obstruct rather than help the growth of the economy. People are hindered by regulations which serve to basically interfere with their every day lives. Whether or not the novel was written to postulate Carr’s opinions or not it still is an extremely well written and captivating book about the professional military. It is one that the reader will not be able to easily put down until finished.

3/18 Paul Lane

THE TERMINAL LIST by Jack Carr. Atria/Emily Bestler Books (March 6, 2018).  ISBN 978-1501180811. 416p.

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STILL ME by Jojo Moyes

March 23, 2018

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This is the third book in what I guess is the Louisa Clark series, although not advertised as such. But if you haven’t read Me Before You and After You, don’t start here.

Louisa Clark is back and this time she’s heading for New York City. She’s gotten a job as the personal assistant to a very wealthy second/trophy wife, Agnes Gopnik. They live on the upper East side and while Louisa’s room is tiny, it’s all hers. Agnes is an interesting woman, and they get along pretty well other than the  lack of free time for Louisa. Her boyfriend, Ambulance Sam, is still back in the UK, and they are trying to make the long distance thing work.

Then Louisa meets Joshua Ryan, who bears a startling resemblance to Will Traynor. (This is why you need to have read the first two books, none of this will make sense otherwise.) She also finds a vintage clothing store where she feels right at home.

The long distance thing is working, sort of, and the Josh Ryan thing is also sort of working – without giving anything away, Louisa is somewhat torn between the two, and then the fates conspire to make things even more complicated.

This is another terrific read, full of charm, humor and just enough pathos to make it all worthwhile. Moyes’ fans will be thrilled to spend more time with Louisa – I certainly was.

3/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

STILL ME by Jojo Moyes.  Pamela Dorman Books (January 30, 2018). ISBN:  978-0399562457. 400p.

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THE RECIPE BOX by Viola Shipman

March 22, 2018

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Sam Mullins grew up on the northern shore of Michigan on her family’s orchard, and couldn’t wait to leave and make her own mark on the world. She went to culinary school in New York and landed a much coveted job – baking for a television celebrity chef in his restaurant/bakery. Except he’s a jerk and can’t even cook, and when the head chef quits, Sam is picked to create something wonderful for the Good Morning America team that will be filming in the bakery that morning. She does, and everyone loves it but her boss – he trashes her grandmother’s beloved slab pie and orders her to make something else. Finally growing a spine, she, too, quits.

Sam heads home to the family orchard and bake shop where her grandmother and mother rule supreme. They are delighted she has shown up for a visit but she doesn’t tell them why she’s suddenly home, at least not for a while.

The recipe box is a family tradition. On each daughter’s 13th birthday, they are given a wooden recipe box filled with family recipes going back generations. The key to the box is worn on a chain around the neck, close to the heart. When Sam went off to culinary school, she left her recipe box at home but now she is feeling the pull of family and all that means.

In a side story, there is a produce delivery man she has been chatting with every morning of her working life in New York City. After turning down several invitations to date him, they remain friends. After she gets home, he tells her he’s taking a few days off and wants to see the Michigan she loves. This romance adds a bit more story to the story, as it were.

Every chapter is named after a recipe and the recipes are all included. Most are desserts but there is at least one savory dish as well.

The book held my attention but it verged on being sickeningly sweet, if you’ll pardon the pun. It actually felt smarmy at times and way too heavy handed and I just don’t like being manipulated. The story was good, I didn’t need to be hit over the head about the importance of family and tradition and love on every page. All that said, it moved me to tears more than once and I couldn’t put it down, so I guess it was compelling smarminess, if you will. If you like reading stories about food and families, and don’t mind emotional minefields, this is the book for you.

I am planning on making that slab pie for sure, and probably a few of the other recipes as well.

3/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE RECIPE BOX by Viola Shipman. Thomas Dunne Books (March 20, 2018). ISBN 978-1250146779. 336p.

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