Fiction | Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

CRUSH IN THE CASCADES by Lisa S. Gayle

July 1, 2022

From the author:

Reality TV, riches, and a race for romance! What’s not to like?
For Easton Cooper, everything—except a chance at one million dollars. Desperate for cash, he’ll even compete on an outrageous action-adventure reality show, and he hates reality TV. As luck would have it, he’s thrust into his element, a series of outdoor challenges in the Oregon Cascade Mountains. But there’s a catch—he’s staring across the meadow at his partner—a tan, hot, out-of-place California girl, wearing heels and a formal dress in the middle of freaking nowhere—and she will not bring him down! Even if he has to drag her across the finish line.
Amity Rose wants an adventure. No one told her that “dress accordingly” meant deck out in hardcore mountain gear. So she wore strappy heels and a fancy dress to the opening scene. So she hates bugs, cold air, tents, campfires—must she go on? Now all the contestants think she’s a pampered princess—and to add to her bad luck, her partner is the worst—a gangly, overconfident, know-it-all mountain trail guide. Did the directors just add a romantic twist to the drama? Sure, why not? Maybe she’ll leave the race with something more valuable than money. Just not with him!
Crush in the Cascades is a full-length contemporary romance that can be read as a standalone. It features an emotionally-charged, enemies-to-lovers romance weaved into an action-packed, fast-moving plot.
https://amzn.to/3I2qg7F

Even though I’m not a fan of reality TV (aside from Top Chef,) I still found a lot to like here. Easton & Amity meet as contestants on a “Survivor” type reality TV show. Or maybe it’s more like that race one, what do I know. Basically the contestants have to team up as boy/girl couples for challenges. Is that really a thing in reality TV? The ones who come in last are out, and the couple that wins gets an advantage. It’s set in the Cascade Mountains in Oregon (I’m assuming that’s real, but what does this geographically challenged east coast girl know?) The challenges are things like chopping wood, racing on a trail, starting a fire, etc. Outdoorsy stuff.

Easton has a big advantage here – he is a mountain climbing tour guide from Aspen, Colorado. On the other hand, Amity shows up in designer duds and high heels, earning her a few not-so-nice nicknames. Easton is here for the money; his best friend and business partner has some sort of rare heart disease that can be treated, but not through insurance. So Easton wants to win the money to save his friend’s life.

Amity isn’t as bad as she seems. Turns out she is a runner, and that gives her a leg up more than once. She’s also good at doing puzzles, another plus for her, and her balance is nothing short of amazing – but her true skill is that she is terrific at thinking outside the box. She is here because she lost her father, and he always wanted her to travel and go on adventures. So she is here for the adventure.

Amity is a beautiful girl, and somehow she gets under Easton’s skin, despite her lack of skills. This is a sort of enemies to lovers trope; they start off hating one another and eventually fall in love. But there are many hurdles (no pun intended) to get through before they find their happily ever after. There is a super cute ending as well, which hopefully will lead to another book, making this a series? We shall see.

All in all, this was a fun read, especially I imagine, if you love those outdoorsy sort of reality TV shows. It’s light, funny, and sweet, making this a winner and a terrific escape. And since these past couple of weeks have been just brutal, it was much appreciated.

7/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

CRUSH IN THE CASCADES by Lisa S. Gayle. ASIN:‎ B09Z9LBHHS. 324p.

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Spotlight Review: THE ACCIDENTAL NEWLYWED GAME by Jaci Burton

June 28, 2022

Boots and Bouquets, Book 3

From the publisher:

What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas, when one night out turns into a wedding that neither newlywed can remember, from New York Times bestselling author Jaci Burton.
Wedding planner Honor Bellini is in Las Vegas for a work convention when she runs into her sister’s ex-fiancé, Owen Stone, who’s also in town for his craft brewery business. They’re both glad to see a familiar face from home…until a night of drinking leads to waking up in bed together—and a marriage certificate from a wedding that neither of them can recall.
Horrified, Owen suggests an immediate annulment. Honor agrees, but when they spend the day together, their chemistry is overwhelming. Plus, Honor has a flash of memory of their steamy wedding night, and she definitely likes what she remembers. They decide to wait before cancelling the whole marriage thing, though they both head back to Oklahoma determined not to tell anyone at home what happened in Vegas.
The problem is, Honor and Owen can’t seem to stay away from each other—or keep their hands off one another. The longer they keep their secret, the harder it gets to deny how they really feel. Even worse, this huge secret has the potential to hurt someone they both care about. They need to get an annulment before this accidental marriage turns into love.
https://amzn.to/3u49BKT

This is my first foray in this series, but I want to read the earlier books now! I must admit, the drunk-and-married-in-Vegas plotline is not my favorite. I just find it almost impossible to believe, but I like Jaci Burton as a rule so I went with it. It is a popular device in romance, so I can’t fault anyone for using it, plus the “accidental marriage” is a favorite plot device for a lot of romance readers.

Owen was engaged to Honor’s sister, but that was a while ago and now her sister is happily married. He basically dumped her right before the wedding when he was diagnosed with cancer. It’s been a couple of years though, and he is living his best life. Honor always thought Owen was cute and they’ve always been friends, so when she spies him across the lobby in her hotel in Vegas, she texts him and he joins her for lunch. One tequila leads to another and the next thing you know, they are waking up in bed together, married.

Annulment immediately springs to mind but Honor sort of remembers having sex with Owen, but doesn’t remember if they used protection. They decide to go home to Oklahoma and wait to see if she is pregnant. That takes weeks, and meanwhile they are secretly dating. Honor doesn’t want to upset her sister. The three sisters and their mom run a wedding venue at the family vineyard, and they are all very close, so Honor is very uncomfortable keeping her relationship a secret.

There is so much chemistry between Owen and Honor, I don’t know how her family didn’t notice for so long. Without giving too much away, let’s say a friendship plus steamy sex makes for a marriage that works. This was pure escapism, so if, like me, you don’t want to deal with the real world right now, try escaping with Honor and Owen.

The series in order:

.5 – The Matchmaker’s Mistletoe Mission (a prequel novella, Kindle only)

1- The Café By the Sea

2 – The Engagement Arrangement

3 – The Accidental Newlywed Game

6/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE ACCIDENTAL NEWLYWED GAME by Jaci Burton. Berkley (June 28, 2022). ISBN: 978-0593439630. 336p.

Kindle

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MY DOUBLE LIFE by Angela Pearse

June 24, 2022

From the publisher:

A witty, entertaining rom-com about an introverted librarian with a wild side
Emma McTavish likes nothing better than curling up with a good book. But sometimes she just wants to be a little bit naughty…
Struggling to make ends meet, librarian Emma McTavish takes on a side gig as a life model to earn some extra cash. Knowing her straitlaced realtor boyfriend won’t approve, she keeps it quiet.
But her spur-of-the-moment decision starts making life complicated. Suddenly she’s juggling her job, her boyfriend, her sexy new flatmate, and posing nude for a bunch of strangers. Then, one night, she accidentally overhears a conversation that changes everything.
As her life begins to fall apart in spectacular fashion, Emma realises that giving her alter ego the reins isn’t such a bad idea. Actually, it could be the perfect way to get out of the mess she’s in.
A high-spirited heroine who can’t help getting into trouble. Expect shocking secrets, hilarious mix-ups and a heartfelt romance!
https://amzn.to/3bl7trR

I really enjoyed this contemporary romance set in Edinburgh, Scotland. I feel like most of the romances I read that are set in Scotland are historical, so this was a nice change. And having a heroine who is a librarian is just the icing on the cake.

Emma has been in a relationship with Callum for two years. They met when she went to his real estate office to find an apartment. He got her a great apartment in an upscale neighborhood, and they’ve been seeing each other ever since. But the relationship is tepid at best; their sex life has morphed into quickies a few times a week, leaving Emma deeply unsatisfied. It seems like they are just staying together out of habit more than anything.

When Emma’s rent goes up and she is turned down for a promotion yet again, Callum decides she should take on a roommate and arranges meetings with several women. Emma’s closest friend at the library knows someone who needs a place to stay, but he’s a guy and Callum would never approve. Emma decides to meet him anyway, and he is by far the best of the lot of possible roommates. Plus he is hot and there seems to be instant chemistry there. Emma decides to intimate to Callum that Nathan is probably gay, and he goes along with it to an extreme.

Meanwhile, Emma decides to become a “life model” which I believe we call a nude model here in the states. She poses nude for art classes and makes good money doing it. But she knows Callum would never approve so she keeps it from him. It turns out Callum has some secrets of his own, leading the way to a breakup and new relationship with Nathan.

Emma starts off as a wishy-washy type character to me, but she grows and becomes stronger and more independent. Her relationship with Callum was doomed from the start, but I liked that way the story flowed and that Nathan had his own issues as well. There were some very steamy scenes, a lot of witty banter, and some truly funny moments, making this a fast read and a fun one.

6/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MY DOUBLE LIFE by Angela Pearse. Clamp Ltd (May 4, 2022). ISBN:‎ 978-1914531941. 379p.

Kindle

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SOMETHING WILDER by Christina Lauren

June 24, 2022

From the publisher:

The “reigning romance queens” (PopSugar) and New York Times bestselling authors of The Soulmate Equation and The Unhoneymooners present a charming and laugh-out-loud funny novel filled with adventure, treasure, and, of course, love.
Growing up the daughter of notorious treasure hunter and absentee father Duke Wilder left Lily without much patience for the profession…or much money in the bank. But Lily is resourceful, and now uses Duke’s coveted hand-drawn maps to guide tourists on fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of Utah. It pays the bills but doesn’t leave enough to fulfill her dream of buying back the beloved ranch her father sold years ago, and definitely not enough to deal with the sight of the man she once loved walking back into her life with a motley crew of friends ready to hit the trails. Frankly, Lily would like to take him out into the wilderness and leave him there.
Leo Grady knew mirages were a thing in the desert, but they’d barely left civilization when the silhouette of his greatest regret comes into focus in the flickering light of the campfire. Ready to leave the past behind him, Leo wants nothing more than to reconnect with his first and only love. Unfortunately, Lily Wilder is all business, drawing a clear line in the sand: it’s never going to happen.
But when the trip goes horribly and hilariously wrong, the group wonders if maybe the legend of the hidden treasure wasn’t a gimmick after all. There’s a chance to right the wrongs—of Duke’s past and their own—but only if Leo and Lily can confront their history and work together. Alone under the stars in the isolated and dangerous mazes of the Canyonlands, Leo and Lily must decide whether they’ll risk their lives and hearts on the adventure of a lifetime.
From the author of the “heartfelt and funny” (Publishers Weekly) sensation The Unhoneymooners, this page-turning adventure full of second chances, complicated relationships, and the breathtaking beauty of the American Southwest will take fans on one wild ride.
“Writing duo Lauren Billings and Christina Hobbs strike gold again in this thrilling contemporary romance set in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park. Equal parts exhilarating puzzle-filled adventure and steamy second-chance romance, this cinematic wild-west rom-com is a must-have.” —Booklist (starred review)
“Fans of Christina Lauren, known for their delightful rom-coms, may be surprised by this shift into the world of adventure romance. It should be a pleasant surprise, though, given that the story is fast-paced, exciting, and still full of that classic Christina Lauren swoon (in between the danger, occasional violence, and plot twists). Lily and Leo’s romance is plenty steamy, but the real star is the landscape, which is described in sweltering, dusty detail. A vivid escape that’s perfect for romantic thrill-seekers.” —Kirkus (starred review)
https://amzn.to/3zJZRJM

I’ve included two quotes from starred reviews in authoritative journals because I didn’t love this book. I don’t always agree with other reviewers, so I think it only fair to show another point of view.

This was no rom-com, the subgenre of romance that these authors generally write, despite what Kirkus said. A rom-com is light and frothy and most of all, funny – the “com” in rom-com stands for comedy. This was also labeled as “adventure romance,” a subgenre I’m not familiar with at all. To me it was romantic suspense, which I enjoy now and then. The suspense is definitely there; it is enough to keep the pages turning for sure.

My issue with this book is the romance and the main characters. There is very little in the way of character development. We learn that Leo and Lily spent a couple of months together ten years earlier, and somehow they are still madly in love. They’ve not been in touch nor seen one another in that time, so I just found it very hard to believe. This is a second chance love story, and usually I like those, but I didn’t buy their story and I didn’t feel especially drawn to these characters. If I’m not invested in the characters, I’m not invested in their story.

I did like the setting a lot. The basic plot is Lily is eking out a living by taking tour groups on a treasure hunting adventure through the Utah desert. Her father, Duke Wilder, was a world renowned treasure hunter, and Lily has all his maps and uses them to help her tourists find “treasure.” When Leo shows up with his friends, he is just as shocked to see Lily as she is to see him.

The premise of the book is that Butch Cassidy hid much of his bank robbery earnings throughout the Utah desert, and Duke supposedly knows where, so people want to come on these tours. However, the group with Leo’s friends are sketchy at best, and that’s where the suspense comes in. Unfortunately, the characters are very one dimensional including Leo and Lily.

I put this book down several times – I think I read four other books while reading this one because I just couldn’t get into it. It probably would have been a DNF for me if it wasn’t by Christina Lauren – I have loved all their books until this one. I understand they wanted to try something new, but for me it was a disappointment. Please see starred reviews above for a different point of view!

6/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

SOMETHING WILDER by Christina Lauren. Gallery Books (May 17, 2022). ISBN:‎ 978-1982173401. 384p.

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TINKERING WITH LOVE by Aliyah Burke

June 24, 2022

From the publisher:

Dawson Shay could never be accused of being a bubbly ray of sunshine. Like, not ever. But her outlook on life has only gotten worse since she moved across the country for her dream job rebuilding motorcycles…only to lose the job to someone else. Now her run of bad luck includes a wilderness retreat with the entire company—including the asshat who stole her job. Fortunately, Tully Faulkner’s bearded, tattooed hotness is pretty much the perfect distraction.
Except, Tully isn’t just Mr. Hometown Hero, he’s also said asshat who stole her job. And if he thinks he can win her over with his ability to charm the pants off everybody else, he’s got another thing coming. But Dawson can’t avoid him forever… or the seriously hot sparks between them. Somewhere between the breathtaking northern lights and teaming up to win their company’s scavenger hunt, Dawson starts to think that Tully’s magic touch might be just what she’s been missing.
But even sexy gearheads have their secrets. And Dawson’s about to discover that falling for the too-perfect-to-be-true Tully might just backfire on her completely…
https://amzn.to/3bdW50P

Dawson is not your typical heroine. She’s a bad ass, motorcycle gear head with a troubled family past. She is offered the job of managing a motorcycle shop, so she packs up and moves from California to the east coast. But when she arrives, she finds out the apartment she was supposed to be renting has burned to the ground. And the job she was promised was given to someone else; Tully, one of the locals. They offer her a job of managing the car side of the business and she not-too-happily takes it. To pile on to the misery, her new bosses are mandating everyone attend a week long team building exercise, camping in the mountains and doing all those forced “fun” activities designed to get everyone on the same page.

It’s a good premise for an always fun enemies-to-lovers romance, except there are a lot of rough edges here. I kept thinking a good editor could have turned this book from a pretty good read to an outstanding one, (but no one asked me!) I liked these characters, and their banter is a lot of fun to read. There are some steamy scenes as well, for those who need to know that. I loved how the author dealt with body issues as well, it was reminiscent of early Jennifer Weiner, which is high praise indeed.

This was a fun, funny romance and a quick read that was most enjoyable. Perfect summer fodder!

6/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

TINKERING WITH LOVE by Aliyah Burke. Entangled: Amara (June 20, 2022). ASIN: ‎B0B1BV4MR7. 269p.

Paperback

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Spotlight Review: AN ISLAND WEDDING by Jenny Colgan

June 21, 2022

Mure series, Book 5

From the publisher:

New York Times best-selling author Jenny Colgan brings us a delightful summer novel that will sweep you away to the remote Scottish island of Mure, where two very different weddings are about to take place….
On the little Scottish island of Mure – halfway between Scotland and Norway – Flora MacKenzie and her fiancé, Joel, are planning the smallest of “sweetheart weddings”, a high summer celebration surrounded only by those very dearest to them.
Not everyone on the island is happy about being excluded, though. The temperature rises even further when beautiful Olivia MacDonald – who left Mure 10 years ago for bigger and brighter things – returns with a wedding planner in tow. Her fiancé has oodles of family money, and Olivia is determined to throw the biggest, most extravagant, most Instagrammable wedding possible. And she wants to do it at Flora’s hotel, the same weekend as Flora’s carefully planned micro-wedding.
As the summer solstice approaches, can Flora handle everyone else’s happy-every-afters – and still get her own?
https://amzn.to/3hyL4XR

This is the fifth novel in Colgan’s popular series set on the fictional island of Mure in northern Scotland. The story centers around Flora and Joel’s upcoming wedding, a secret romance between her best friend Lorna and Saif, a Syrian immigrant and father of two boys, and the recently engaged Olivia, a gorgeous islander who became a model and social media influencer. Olivia is planning her own Mure wedding extravaganza for the same day as Flora’s, while Flora is dismayed to learn that Joel wants a “sweetheart wedding” with only the immediate family present. Meanwhile, Saif finds out his wife, who was fighting in Syria, has moved on, and there are immigration legalities and racism at play here. The insanity of Olivia’s Instagrammable wedding and the teasing Flora and Joel get about their baby’s walking skills add humor and lighten the story. This is a slow paced, very descriptive sweet romance, but be forewarned, not all these characters get their happily ever after.

Verdict: Fans of the series will undoubtedly enjoy this latest addition, but other readers may want to start with the first book. Readalikes include books by Felicity Hayes-McCoy, Katie Fforde, and Sophie Kinsella.

The series in order (U.S. versions):

©Library Journal, 2022

6/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

AN ISLAND WEDDING by Jenny Colgan. Avon (June 21, 2022). ISBN: 978-0063141889. 400p.

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EVERY SUMMER AFTER by Carley Fortune

June 17, 2022

From the publisher:

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.
They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.
Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek—the man she never thought she’d have to live without.
For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family’s restaurant and curling up together with books—medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her—Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart.
When Percy returns to the lake for Sam’s mother’s funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she’s spent punishing herself for them, they’ll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.
Told over the course of six years and one weekend, Every Summer After is a big, sweeping nostalgic story of love and the people and choices that mark us forever.
Named One of the Hottest Reads of Summer 2022 by Today ∙ Parade ∙ PopSugar ∙ USA Today ∙ SheReads ∙ BuzzFeed ∙ BookBub ∙ Bustle ∙and more!
https://amzn.to/3zJZRJM

This is a second chance romance, and a really good one. In fact, I haven’t read this good a debut novel since Lyssa Kay Adams’ Bromance Book Club. While this isn’t the most original plot, the writing is superb and the story builds beautifully.

Written in chapters that alternate from Percy and Sam’s meeting as children and every summer they spent together to the current timeline makes this a slow building romance with quite a bit of tension underlying it all. We know something happened to break them up many years earlier, but first we have to see how their romance developed over those summers spent at the lake. While Sam’s family lived in their cottage year round, Percy’s family used their cottage for summers and occasional holidays. Teen romances rarely make it through adulthood, (my own is an exception – our 41st anniversary is this month!) so it’s not really a surprise that they broke up. But it is fun watching the romance develop as they grow up, and then wondering how it all fell apart.

Percy is a one night stand or short relationships sort of girl. Her latest was her longest and it was only a few months before she was dumped – for good reason. She doesn’t let anyone in; she zealously guards her heart.

The story really starts to unfold when Charlie, Sam’s older brother, calls her to say that their mother has passed away. Percy loved her like a second mother, but hadn’t known she was sick since they’d been out of touch for so long. She hasn’t seen Sam for ten years, but it doesn’t take much convincing for her to pack up and go to the lake. The funeral isn’t for a few days, but she wants to be there for the brothers. And even though it’s been such a long time, Percy is still heartsick when she meets Sam’s knockout of a girlfriend of over two years.

This is a sweet story with a bit of heat now and then, and I was totally invested in these characters and their story. I was torn between wanting to keep turning the pages, but knowing as I kept going that I also didn’t want it to end. There are many funny moments, but also some that had me crying – this is an emotional rollercoaster of a read, and I loved it. My favorite book of the summer so far!

6/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

EVERY SUMMER AFTER by Carley Fortune. Penguin Publishing Group (May 10, 2022). ISBN:‎ 978-0593438534. 320p.

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THE BRIDESMAIDS UNION by Jonathan Vatner

June 17, 2022

From the publisher:

From the author of Carnegie Hill, comes Jonathan Vatner’s The Bridesmaids Union, a captivating novel of family, Facebook groups, and bridesmaids gone rogue.
Iris Hagarty has just about had it with weddings. After witnessing one too many meltdowns over flower arrangements, she takes to the internet to vent about the trials and tribulations of being a bridesmaid to demanding and ungrateful brides. She finds she is not alone, and soon becomes the moderator of a Facebook group full of other bridesmaids, eager to share their own horror stories.
Enter Iris’s sister Jasmine, the golden child and their parents’ obvious favorite, newly engaged and wanting none other than Iris to be her maid of honor. Knowing full well that Jasmine doesn’t need a wedding to bring out her spoiled side, Iris buckles in for a bumpy ride. At least now she has an outlet―one full of new online friends hungry for juicy details.
But as the Bridesmaids Union grows, Iris finds it harder to keep under control. And she even has some doubts about whether there will be a wedding after all. While Jasmine’s fiancé, David, seems smitten with his bride-to-be, Iris is less sure about her social-climber sister’s intentions. Though that could just be because Iris is having trouble keeping her own eyes off of the groom.
Brimming with family drama, and set in the ever-encroaching world of Instagram DM’s and Facebook flame wars, The Bridesmaids Union shows the power and limits of alliances we form on social media, and how to make the most of the ones we’re born into.
https://amzn.to/3hyL4XR

Vatner follows up Carnegie Hill with a not-so-lighthearted look at bridezillas and the bridesmaids that serve them. Iris has been estranged from her family since the 2016 election. She was a staunch Hillary supporter, her sister Jasmine didn’t bother to vote, and her parents are evangelical, one issue Trump supporters. So when Jasmine asks Iris to be a bridesmaid, Iris is surprised but happy. Jasmine is a micro-influencer and wants an Instagram worthy wedding with a farm-inspired theme. Iris has already been a bridesmaid twice this year and she really needs a place to vent about Jasmine’s crazy wedding ideas. She starts a secret Facebook group and soon a few hundred women are sharing bridal horror stories. Meanwhile, Ryan, a popular style influencer in the group, helps Iris out and she makes him an admin. When Jasmine goes off the deep end, Ryan decides to out her and makes the group public. Iris is cancelled, there are a lot of hurt feelings before the surprise ending.

Verdict: Family drama, politics, and religion make for interesting fodder but may turn off some readers. Should appeal to fans of Jonathan Tropper’s novels.

6/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE BRIDESMAIDS UNION by Jonathan Vatner. St. Martin’s Press (June 14, 2022). ISBN: 978-1250762399. 336p.

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BY THE BOOK by Jasmine Guillory

June 17, 2022

A Meant To Be Novel, Book 2

From the publisher:

Sometimes to truly know a person, you have to read between the lines.
Isabelle is completely lost. When she first began her career in publishing after college, she did not expect to be twenty-five, still living at home, and one of the few Black employees at her publishing house. Overworked and underpaid, constantly torn between speaking up or stifling herself, Izzy thinks there must be more to this publishing life. So when she overhears her boss complaining about a beastly high-profile author who has failed to deliver his long-awaited manuscript, Isabelle sees an opportunity to finally get the promotion she deserves.
All she has to do is go to the author’s Santa Barbara mansion and give him a pep talk or three. How hard could it be?.
But Izzy quickly finds out she is in over her head. Beau Towers is not some celebrity lightweight writing a tell-all memoir. He is jaded and withdrawn and―it turns out―just as lost as Izzy. But despite his standoffishness, Izzy needs Beau to deliver, and with her encouragement, his story begins to spill onto the page. They soon discover they have more in common than either of them expected, and as their deadline nears, Izzy and Beau begin to realize there may be something there that wasn’t there before.
Best-selling author Jasmine Guillory’s achingly romantic reimagining of a classic is a tale as old as time . . . for a new generation.
“Endearing….A sweet read.” Kirkus Reviews
https://amzn.to/3tJfMnz

This is the second book of a series, but in an interesting twist a different author, Julie Murphy, wrote the first book, If the Shoe Fits. That book was a modern day retelling of Cinderella; this books is the modern day retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It’s a great premise for a series (see the Fairy Tale Series by Eloisa James for an historical retelling of these stories and more.)

Isabelle has always wanted to be a writer, but realistically, she takes a job in publishing. As a Black woman, she is definitely in the minority at work, a not uncommon phenomenon in the publishing industry. But she keeps her head down and works her butt off as an editorial assistant. One of her responsibilities is to stay on top of authors to make sure they meet their deadlines. Or as their million dollar child star author, Beau Towers, demonstrates, “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by,” generally credited to Douglas Adams. Beau is so far past his deadline that they are inches away from giving up on the project.

Isabelle has been sending him reminder emails weekly with no response. Phone calls never get through, either. It’s gotten to the point where she is convinced no one is actually reading her emails; not the early earnest ones, and not the latest snarky ones. Not Beau, and not her boss who she copies on every email. When her boss takes Izzy to California for a book convention, Izzy gets the idea that she should go visit their reclusive author and maybe if she gives him a pep talk, in person, he will get writing.

Izzy arrives at his Santa Barbara estate and is shocked when he throws her out of his house. His assistant follows her out but slips and twists her ankle. Izzy helps her back inside and when Beau sees her, they have a bit of a showdown. He demands that she start giving him pep talks immediately.

Beau ends up asking her to stay for a few days, and she works hard at breaking through his tough shell. Those few days turn into a few weeks, and their relationship starts softening and growing as they get to know one another. Izzy still has to do all her regular work remotely, but Beau is the priority as she gets him to actually start writing.

I loved spending time with these characters and their snappy, often laugh out loud funny moments. The romance develops slowly, making that happy ending all the more heartfelt. This was a fun read, and I can’t help but wonder which author will be writing the next book in this series. I’m looking forward to it. And since the publisher is Disney, I can’t help but wonder if movies will be made!

6/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

BY THE BOOK by Jasmine Guillory. Hyperion Avenue (May 3, 2022). ISBN:‎ 978-1368053389. 320p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

THE EMMA PROJECT by Sonali Dev

June 17, 2022

The Rajes Series #4

From the publisher:

Emma gets a fresh Indian-American twist from award-winning author Sonali Dev in her heartwarmingly irresistible Jane Austen inspired rom com series.
No one can call Vansh Raje’s life anything but charmed. Handsome—Vogue has declared him California’s hottest single—and rich enough to spend all his time on missions to make the world a better place. Add to that a doting family and a contagiously sunny disposition and Vansh has made it halfway through his 20s without ever facing anything to throw him off his admittedly spectacular game.
A couple years from turning forty, Knightlina (Naina) Kohli has just gotten out of a 10-year-long fake relationship with Vansh’s brother and wants only one thing from her life…fine, two things. One, to have nothing to do with the unfairly blessed Raje family ever again. Two, to bring economic independence to millions of women in South Asia through her microfinance foundation and prove her father wrong about, well, everything.
Just when Naina’s dream is about to come to fruition, Vansh Raje shows up with his misguided Emma Project…. And suddenly she’s fighting him for funding and wondering if a friends-with-benefits arrangement that’s as toe-curlingly hot as it is fun is worth risking her life’s work for.
https://amzn.to/3QoHv6S

I am so sorry that this series has come to an end. I loved spending time with the Rajes. But on the bright side, it ends with another terrific book. If you haven’t read the earlier books, I think this one stands alone okay, but it is so much richer for having met all these characters before.

Vansh and Naina are at the heart of this book, but even Esha gets her own romance, which made me so happy. Vansh is the baby of the Raje family; in fact, they call him the Baby Prince. Naina was engaged to his eldest brother, but they broke it off when he met someone else. It turned out that they were really just using each other and had no real relationship beyond a friendship. Naina is twelve years older than Vansh, and is fiercely independent. She comes from an abusive family, and has pretty much decided on staying single forever, if only to piss off her father. She has been working for over ten years on a nonprofit devoted to getting medical care to all the women in India, especially those in rural villages. Her dream is on the verge of becoming a reality when Jiggy Mehta, a local tech genius/billionaire, offers her funding.

But then Jiggy meets Vansh and decides that Naina could share her windfall with his idea of helping the homeless in San Francisco. It’s a noble idea, of course, but Naina was counting on that money. Vansh convinces her that they should work together but spending all that time together leads to something more. Their chemistry is off the charts and Naina agrees to a friends with benefits scenario, but if you’ve ever read a romance novel, you know how that will go!

Esha is the eldest cousin of the Rajes and is mentioned in all the books, but her story comes out more fully here. The lone survivor of a plane crash that killed her parents when she was 8 years old, she has suffered from visions and seizures over the years. She has spent most of her life in the family home called the Anchorage. She hasn’t left the property in more than 30 years. One of her visions is a bird that no one else sees, until she meets Sid. He comes looking for the bird and Esha is shocked that he can see it, not to mention she doesn’t know what he’s thinking or feeling, like she does with her family. She feels better, more “normal” when she’s with Sid and decides to pursue the relationship further, but doesn’t let her family know.

All these storylines are engrossing, and I couldn’t put this book down. Lots of love and laughter, meddling family members, and some steamy love scenes all at play here. I highly recommend this series, and this book.

6/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE EMMA PROJECT by Sonali Dev. Avon (May 17, 2022). ISBN: ‎ 978-0063051843. 416p.