Fiction | Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

DEAR SANTA by Debbie Macomber

November 15, 2021

From the publisher:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A special holiday wish list brings about hope, love, and second chances in this nostalgic novel from the queen of Christmas stories, Debbie Macomber.

Lindy Carmichael isn’t feeling particularly joyful when she returns home to Wenatchee, Washington, for Christmas. The man she thought was “the one” has cheated on her with her best friend, and she feels completely devoid of creativity in her graphic-design job. Not even carolers or Christmas cookies can cheer her up—but Lindy’s mother, Ellen, remembers an old tradition that might lift her daughter’s spirits.

Reading through a box of childhood letters to Santa and reminiscing about what she’d wished for as a young girl may be just the inspiration Lindy needs. With Ellen’s encouragement, she decides to write a new letter to Santa, one that will encourage her to have faith and believe just as she’d done all those years ago. Little does Lindy know that this exercise in gratitude will cause her wishes to unfold before her in miraculous ways. And, thanks to some fateful twists of Christmas magic—especially an unexpected connection with a handsome former classmate—Lindy ultimately realizes that there is truly no place like home for the holidays.

In Dear Santa, Debbie Macomber celebrates the joys of Christmas blessings, old and new.

I have run hot and cold with Macomber’s annual Christmas novel/novella, and I’m happy to say I enjoyed this one. As a Jewish woman who loves Christmas romances, I prefer them to be more inspirational and uplifting than religious, and Macomber always walks a fine line there but there weren’t enough Christ references to make this uncomfortable for me, so yay.

Lindy is finally in her dream job, or so she thinks. A web designer, she was hired by a major Seattle company over an in-house candidate, leaving her co-workers skeptical and unwelcoming, and Lindy feels the need to work late nights and weekends to prove herself. She has just submitted a major proposal; if the company wins the business, her reputation will be intact. Meanwhile, they’ve given her two weeks off over Christmas.

Lindy heads home, never needing home more. When her best friend moved to be closer to her job, Lindy showed up at her new apartment, planning on surprising her friend. Instead, she is shocked to find her boyfriend is living there. Her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend now, and she is more devastated about her friend than anything. She hasn’t told anyone what happened and is carrying around her heartache on her own.

But as soon as she gets home, her mom knows something is wrong and Lindy spills it all. Her mom comes up with the idea that doing a little reminiscing will help Lindy heal. She pulls out a box of letters to Santa that Lindy had written as a child. She doesn’t remember most of them, but she does remember the one where she asked Santa to bring Billy coal for Christmas. He’s been torturing her forever in the way that little boys do when they have a crush on a little girl, but she didn’t get that then. Then her mom suggests she write another letter to Santa. Lindy thinks that’s ridiculous, but she realizes that Santa always granted her wishes in one way or another, so she does it. She asks to meet a good man and to find a new best friend.

Turns out her best friend from elementary school is back in town and they rekindle that long ago friendship. At a girls night out at a new hot spot in town, Lindy is surprised to see that the proprietor is none other than her old nemesis, Billy, now called Will. But when Lindy finds out what happened that Christmas she wished him coal, guilt kicks in and she ends up bringing him homemade cookies to apologize. They start hanging out and realize there is a strong attraction there. But Billy is tied to this small town with his new business, and Lindy is going back to Seattle. Long distance won’t work, not with the hours they both work. So Lindy decides this will just be a holiday romance, but of course, that doesn’t quite work out.

It wouldn’t be a Debbie Macomber novel without a happily ever after, and Billy and Lindy find theirs. The magical Santa throughout the novel adds another dimension of holiday joy, making this a perfect Christmas read. If sweet romances built around the holiday are your jam, then don’t miss this one. Or wait for the Hallmark movie – it seems like most of Macomber’s Christmas novels end up there.

11/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

DEAR SANTA by Debbie Macomber. Ballantine Books (October 19, 2021). ISBN: 978-1984818812. 272 pages.

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THE DARK HOURS by Michael Connelly

November 9, 2021

Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch, Book 4

From the publisher:

“A masterpiece”—LAPD detective Renée Ballard must join forces with Harry Bosch to find justice in a city scarred by fear and social unrest after a methodical killer strikes on New Year’s Eve (Publishers Weekly).

There’s chaos in Hollywood at the end of the New Year’s Eve countdown. Working her graveyard shift, LAPD detective Renée Ballard waits out the traditional rain of lead as hundreds of revelers shoot their guns into the air. Only minutes after midnight, Ballard is called to a scene where a hardworking auto shop owner has been fatally hit by a bullet in the middle of a crowded street party.

Ballard quickly concludes that the deadly bullet could not have fallen from the sky and that it is linked to another unsolved murder—a case at one time worked by Detective Harry Bosch. At the same time, Ballard hunts a fiendish pair of serial rapists, the Midnight Men, who have been terrorizing women and leaving no trace.

Determined to solve both cases, Ballard feels like she is constantly running uphill in a police department indelibly changed by the pandemic and recent social unrest. It is a department so hampered by inertia and low morale that Ballard must go outside to the one detective she can count on: Harry Bosch. But as the two inexorable detectives work together to find out where old and new cases intersect, they must constantly look over their shoulders. The brutal predators they are tracking are ready to kill to keep their secrets hidden.

Unfolding with unstoppable drive and nail-biting intrigue, The Dark Hours shows that “relentless on their own, Ballard’s and Bosch’s combined skills…could be combustible” (Los Angeles Times).

This latest from America’s best crime fiction writer is truly extraordinary. Connelly has attempted several series, but all the characters end up overlapping; he just can’t leave anyone behind. This series started out as Renee Ballard, but Bosch shows up as he does here. It is her book, with a strong assist, if you will.

I like Ballard. She’s honest, smart, and hard working. If all cops were like her, we would live in a much better, safer place. But they’re not, and that comes to the forefront during the pandemic when this book is set. Ballard works the late shift, the overnight shift AKA the dark hours, and she loves it. She has no partner and no one to bother her. She turns over any cases that come up to whatever department handles them, be it homicide, sex crimes, robbery, etc.

On New Year’s Eve, all the cops are scheduled to work in uniform. There is a tradition in Los Angeles of firing guns in the air at midnight, and Ballard is ready and waiting under an overpass. She is quickly called to a crime scene when a man goes down during a street party. She quickly realizes this wasn’t an accident, so she starts investigating. She learns there is a relationship between this victim and another old, cold case but the murder book is missing, checked out to one Harry Bosch, the lead detective at the time.

Bosch has become a mentor to Ballard, so she feels no hesitation in contacting him. He is happy to help, even more so if he can also solve his old case. There is a definite connection, but the homicide division is busy with a high profile case, so Ballard runs with it, at least until they force her to turn it over.

Ballard is also working a sex crimes case. Two men have been targeting women and raping them during holidays, and the cops are calling them the Midnight Men. Most rapists work alone, so this is unusual. They are also very careful, leaving no DNA or evidence of any kind. They are breaking in without any issues, lying in wait for the target, and one of their tells is that they cut off a hunk of hair from their victims. Ballard lands the third case, and is incensed when she realizes the cops in the sex crimes division are not being thorough, to say the least. In fact, the woman she is partnered with on this case couldn’t be less empathetic if she tried. She is more interested in going away for the weekend with her boyfriend and leaving Ballard to handle things on her own.

Both of these cases are keeping Ballard busy, too busy in fact, she is barely sleeping. Ballard had to stop surfing and sleeping on the beach when the beaches were shut down due to Covid. She was ill with Covid for a few weeks, but survived better than many others and is hoping she has enough antibodies to protect her until she is eligible for the vaccine. And she lost Lola, her beloved dog, to cancer so she spends a lot of her off time cruising animal shelter websites looking for another dog.

Bosch is helpful as always, and is her backup most of the time. But to solve these crimes will take more than the apathetic LAPD has to offer. The pandemic is playing havoc with everyone, especially those sworn to protect and defend and Ballard is getting sick of it. She wears her mask, takes Bosch to get vaccinated, adopts a new dog, even meets a man. Her life is busy and she likes it that way, but she isn’t sure she wants to be a cop anymore.

There is a lot going on in this book, yet it moves fast. I love seeing these characters grow and evolve. The writing is perfect; descriptive enough without ever going too far and it never slows up. Publisher’s Weekly called this book a masterpiece, and I agree. You don’t have to read the series in order or anything, this book definitely stands alone, but there is so much more richness, more depth to it, when you are familiar with the past. Either way, don’t miss it. You’re welcome!

NOTE: Get a printable list of all the novels in published order, as well as a breakdown by series character: https://www.michaelconnelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Printable-Book-List_Nov2021.pdf

NOTE 2: Bosch is a terrific TV series on Amazon Prime that just ended a seven season run. It is excellent, which almost never happens when a book shows up on a screen. Titus Welliver is Harry Bosch. https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-Season-1/dp/B089XWNZ4W A spinoff is filming now.

11/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE DARK HOURS by Michael Connelly. Little, Brown and Company (November 9, 2021). ISBN: 978-0316485647. 400 pages.

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CHRISTMAS GRACE by Mindy Steele

November 8, 2021

From the publisher:

Second chances and the Christmas spirit abound in Mindy Steele’s heartwarming novel, one of faith, love, and the power of community.

Grace Miller believed herself in love with the charming Englischer who eventually broke her heart. Now alone except for the secret life growing inside her, she arrives in the unfamiliar small village of Walnut Ridge, Kentucky, to hide and hopefully gain forgiveness.

She is pleasantly surprised, however, to find a tight-knit, welcoming group who help her heart grow right alongside her belly. And with the holidays around the corner, there’s plenty of preparations to occupy her mind. Also occupying her mind? Her strong, protective neighbor, Cullen Graber, the town’s blacksmith, who seems intent on not allowing her to ever suffer alone.

Cullen Graber gave up on love after too many losses early in life. He planned to live out his days focusing on his smithy business, yet the beautiful and mysterious Grace refuses to leave his thoughts. But can they open their hearts to God’s grace and create a new family together before Grace must return home?

I haven’t read an Amish romance for a while, and this story felt rather unique. Grace lived in an Amish community in Indiana, and fell in love with a man from outside the community. But when she got pregnant, he left her, which meant he left her alone to deal with her family and her church. This particular community is very strict, and her father is even stricter. She is forced to admit her sins in front of the community and is shunned by her family. She is very close with her sisters and is heartbroken when her father sends her away to live in a small Amish community in Kentucky, where his sister, her spinster aunt, lives.

Grace arrives and her aunt takes her to a cabin up on top of a steep hill. It is not in the best shape, to say the least. It’s basically one filthy room with a broken front door. But Grace is determined to make the best of things, and her aunt procures her a job in the bakery in town. Grace loves to bake, and that is the only pleasant thing in her life at the moment.

But when Grace doesn’t show up for her first day of work, her aunt and her neighbor come looking for her. Cullen, her neighbor, can’t understand why Grace’s husband would allow her to live in such a shack and why he isn’t there, working on fixing it up. Instead, they find Grace hiding behind the bed, and a dead dog nearby. She was attacked by a pack of wild dogs, and somehow saved herself.

Cullen is impressed with her bravery and ingenuity, but feels sorry for the mother-to-be, and that’s before he finds out she doesn’t have a husband. But in this small town, no one is shunning her. Sure, her aunt isn’t too friendly or helpful, but she is under strict orders from her brother to do nothing for his pregnant daughter.

As Grace meets women in the town, she is shocked to find them so accepting of her sin and condition, and she starts forming friendships with them. Her neighbor, Cullen, is always around fixing up the cabin for for her and delivering her firewood. There is an attraction there, but Grace can’t believe this handsome man with a heart of gold could possibly be interested in a sinner like her.

Cullen has been hurt before and has decided to live out his life alone. Every single woman in their community has been after him at one point or another, but as kind as he is, he is determined to keep his heart safe. Until he meets Grace. She manages to worm her way into his heart even as he fights it every step of the way.

Once the baby is born, around Christmas, Grace is supposed to go back home again. Her father has arranged a marriage for her with an older widower with a child. Grace knows the man and can’t imagine being married to him, but she is a dutiful daughter and believes she has no choice in the matter. But Cullen gives her a choice, and they find their happily ever after.

There is quite a bit of drama before the happy ending in this sweet, Amish romance. I liked learning about the differences between Amish communities, and how they live their lives. I liked the whole idea of second chances in such a strict religion, and these characters made it all work. The Christmas season just added to the joy eventually found here. This author was new to me, and I hope to read more of her books.

11/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

CHRISTMAS GRACE by Mindy Steele. Entangled: Amara (October 26, 2021). ISBN: 978-1682815113. 352 pages.

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HIGHLAND GAMES by Evie Alexander

November 5, 2021

The Kinloch Series, Book 1

From the publisher:

Sparkling, sexy and utterly unputdownable – it’s the romantic comedy of the year!

A fiery heroine, a Scottish god, a cabin, a castle, and enough heat to warm the coldest Scottish winter…

Highland Games is an unputdownable, enemies-to-lovers, romantic comedy, with sparkle and sizzle and a guaranteed happy ending. This steamy, witty, debut from Evie Alexander will have you laughing, swooning, and staying up way past your bedtime…

Perfect for fans of Sally Thorne, Talia Hibbert, Sophie Kinsella, and Helen Hoang. If you’re looking for a riotous romantic comedy with plenty of heat, then Highland Games is for you!

♥♥♥ Welcome to Kinloch, and the hottest winter Scotland’s ever seen. ♥♥♥

Zoe’s always played it safe, just as her parents wanted. But when her great-uncle dies and leaves her a ramshackle cabin in the Scottish Highlands, she decides it’s time to change her life.

Upping sticks seems like a good idea in her cosy flat in London, but the reality is very different. There’s no electricity or running water, the roof leaks and there’s no front door. If that wasn’t bad enough, she’s moved up in the depths of winter and her scorching hot neighbour wants her out.

Rory’s got a fifty thousand tonne problem. If he can’t make Kinloch castle profitable, he’s out of a job. He needs a clear head, but there’s someone living in the cabin he saw as his own and she’s turned his world upside down.

Rory needs Zoe out of Scotland, and out of his life. The trouble is, she has no intention of leaving.

Let the games begin…

This was my first Evie Alexander read and it was a good one. From the title, I assumed it was an historical Scottish romance but the cover gives it away. This is a contemporary romcom set in the Scottish Highlands of today, and that was interesting for sure.

Zoe is an amazing heroine; fierce and fun. She has great memories of the summer she spent with her uncle in his cabin in the Highlands, so when he leaves it to her after he passes away, she decides to quit her job, leave London and move in. Except her uncle hadn’t lived there for a few years before he died, and the place is a wreck. Luckily, her neighbor, the very hot Rory, is there to help. Sort of.

Turns out Rory thought he was getting the cottage and is pissed off that Zoe has moved in. He helpfully points out that the front door is broken, the roof leaks, and there is no electricity or water. But Zoe doesn’t care, she will fix the place up and make it her own. Rory has a few tricks up his sleeve to try and get rid of her, but Zoe is one tough cookie and manages to turn the tables on Rory more than once.

Giving up, Rory and Zoe form a friendship and he ends up helping her out quite a bit. And then they become something more – except Rory has some major secrets he hasn’t shared with Zoe that could cause their whole relationship to blow up. But no fear, they get their happily ever after but not until the fireworks have passed.

There were a couple of things that took me right out of the story, but this was the worst: Rory says, “I reckon.” Do they say that in the Highlands? In England where he went to school? Or is it just the southern/western thing that I thought it was. I poked around the internet a bit but never did get a satisfactory answer. But the thing is, I didn’t want to poke around the internet in the middle of the book, so that was annoying.

Aside from those little things, it was a good story with interesting characters in an unusual setting. There are some real laugh out loud moments, and lots of witty dialogue between Rory and Zoe, making this a fun read and a real romcom. Would love to see this as a movie!

11/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

HIGHLAND GAMES by Evie Alexander. Emlin Press (October 5, 2021). ISBN: 978-1914473012. 310 pages.

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THE FASTEST WAY TO FALL by Denise Williams

November 4, 2021

From the publisher:

Britta didn’t plan on falling for her personal trainer, and Wes didn’t plan on Britta. Plans change and it’s unclear if love, career, or both will meet them at the finish line.

Britta Colby works for a lifestyle website, and when tasked to write about her experience with a hot new body-positive fitness app that includes personal coaching, she knows it’s a major opportunity to prove she should write for the site full-time.

As CEO of the FitMi Fitness app, Wes Lawson finally has the financial security he grew up without, but despite his success, his floundering love life and complicated family situation leaves him feeling isolated and unfulfilled. He decides to get back to what he loves—coaching. Britta’s his first new client and they click immediately.

As weeks pass, she’s surprised at how much she enjoys experimenting with her exercise routine. He’s surprised at how much he looks forward to talking to her every day. They convince themselves their attraction is harmless, but when they start working out in person, Wes and Britta find it increasingly challenging to deny their chemistry and maintain a professional distance.

Wes isn’t supposed to be training clients, much less meeting with them, and Britta’s credibility will be sunk if the lifestyle site finds out she’s practically dating the fitness coach she’s reviewing. Walking away from each other is the smartest thing to do, but running side by side feels like the start of something big.

I loved Williams’ debut novel, How to Fail at Flirting, so I was really looking forward to this new one, and it did not disappoint! This book stands alone just fine, however, so no worries if you didn’t read the first one. Like many romances, the connection between the two books is the friendship between the female characters. The first book was about Naya, and this book is about her friend Britta.

Britta wants to be a writer. She is an editorial assistant for a lifestyle magazine with a strong online presence, and there is one opening for a writer coming up. Her competitor for the job is Claire, and they are rather wary of one another. But when Britta suggests a series on one of the new health and wellness apps, her boss decides that Claire should test out a different app. They will both write about their experiences and Britta is thrilled.

Britta is, in her words, fat. She struggles with accepting her body but her goal isn’t to lose weight; it’s to feel better about herself naked, and to jump out of a plane. She was denied the skydiving experience because of weight limits. She joins a fitness app that stresses wellness over weight loss, and assigns a personal coach to each user. Her coach is Wes.

Wes is very experienced at coaching; in fact, he owns the company. He hates his role as CEO and misses coaching clients, so his partner urges him to take on a client or two and get back to what made him happy, at least part of the time. He takes the two newest clients, one of whom is Britta. Her profile makes him laugh, and he reaches out to her, explaining that this isn’t a weight loss app and the goal is never pounds off, but rather eating better and exercising more. Britta is all in.

We don’t hear a whole lot from Claire, who is quite svelte, but the app she is using is big on pushing tons of exercise and crazy diet tips, with the goal of losing pounds every week. This app just started using coaches as well.

Britta gets to work, tracking what she eats every day, her exercise – a dance class for seniors that she accidentally joined – and how she feels about all of it. Wes is very encouraging but not pushy, and they get along well. Pretty quickly Britta points out that their email communications would be so much better in chat, so Wes shares his chat name and they move to that, and eventually texting. Coincidentally, they both live in Chicago, but this is online app so meeting up isn’t possible. Except Wes really likes her, and the feeling is mutual. Eventually, an accident forces a meetup, and things gets interesting.

Wes hasn’t like anyone this much in a very long time. His ex was a cold woman, and she left him and the company to start up her own wellness app, now in direct competition with his. Britta has had a crush for a long time on a former wo-worker, but he treats her badly, and she is finally ready to move on. And Wes is so nice and so hot!

There is a lot of drama here between their jobs, their love lives, and their relationship, but I couldn’t help but root for Britta and Wes to find their happy ending, and eventually they do. There are a lot of laughs along the way, and a bit of sex, just enough to keep it real, and of course some angst. It was also refreshing to read a romance with a plus-size heroine, which I’m sure more exists but is rare. This is another terrific read from this author, and I am looking forward to the next book in this unnamed series.

11/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE FASTEST WAY TO FALL by Denise Williams. Berkley (November 2, 2021). ISBN: 978-0593101926. 384 pages.

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THE WEDDING CRASHER AND THE COWBOY by Robin Bielman

November 3, 2021

From the publisher:

Kennedy Martin is shocked when her ex calls days before his wedding, expressing serious second thoughts. Doesn’t he see his fiancée’s actually the glaze to his doughnut? Now she’s got no choice but to crash his wedding and convince the man he’s with the right woman.

Instead, she crashes into the absolute last man she ever wanted to see: Maverick Owens, her old college nemesis. Maverick is still as awful, infuriating, and just The Worst as ever―even if he looks way too sexy in his cowboy hat. And of course he’s convinced she’s actually at the seaside ranch to ruin the wedding.

Now the only way to get some face time with the groom and save this marriage is to participate in all sorts of pre-wedding events…with Maverick. Stuck on a canoe, making small-talk at cocktail hour, and even a hoedown with her worst enemy? This just might be the longest week of her life…

The popular enemies-to-lovers trope is in all its glory here as Kennedy and Maverick literally run into each other for the first time since college. Super competitive, both of them battled wits in their college careers. She went off to med school, and he was supposed to go to veterinary school. Instead, he’s home on his family’s ranch and needs to make sure that Kennedy doesn’t spoil things. The family ranch makes most of its money these days from hosting weddings, and Mav quickly learns that Kennedy is not an invited guest.

Kennedy and the groom used to date, but that turned into a true friendship instead. She is happy to hear he’s finally getting married, but the bride-to-be is a bit insecure about her fiance’s “friend” so she isn’t invited. But when he drunk dials Kennedy from his bachelor party and tells her he is having doubts, he also asks her to come so they can talk. Kennedy, along with her other best friend, jump in the car and head for the ranch.

Kennedy and Mav start spending time together; it helps with keeping her presence on the down low, and for some reason, he isn’t bothering her nearly as much as he did in college. He is also insanely good looking, which she is trying to ignore. As if.

Everyone finds their happily ever after in this sweet and sometimes sexy romance. This was a a lot of fun to read, and I found it pretty much unputdownable. Don’t miss it.

11/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE WEDDING CRASHER AND THE COWBOY by Robin Bielman. Entangled: Amara (October 26, 2021). ISBN: 978-1649370945. 368 pages.

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NEANDERTHAL by Avery Flynn

November 2, 2021

Last Man Standing, Book 2

From the author:

So I may be in the Last Single Man Standing competition with my cousins, but five minutes around Kinsey was all it took to take myself out. Who cares about bragging rights when you’ve just found the woman you’re going to marry? Sure, she may work for my biggest competitor. Sure, she’s not dating right now. Sure, she’s my sister’s best friend and I’ve been sworn off her. But somehow she agrees to go on six fake dates to help me save face in this competition.

What does the guy who never uses his words have to say to convince the girl of his dreams that they’re perfect for each other?

Each book in the Last Man Standing series is STANDALONE:
* Mama’s Boy
* Neanderthal
* Mansplainer

I took the author at her word that each book is a standalone as this was first read in this series. And I think she’s right; I didn’t feel like I missed anything although I realized there was a first book, if that makes sense. A lot of romance series are connected by characters who know one another, and I think this is the case here. No matter; this was a fun read.

Griff is the “Neanderthal” of the title, and it’s pretty fitting. He is known to his friends and family as someone who rarely speaks. In fact, he grunts a lot. But he is brilliant and rich and good looking, in what would be a lethal combination if not for his lack of communication skills. His sister’s best friend, Kinsey, has recently moved to the west coast as she landed her dream job at a competitor of theirs. Unfortunately, her dream job doesn’t pay enough to cover the rent in such a pricy area, so she jumps at the chance to move in with her bestie.

Kinsey visits the gym where Griff is working out and overhears some crazy conversations. She steps in, explains the correct answers, and shuts everyone up. And Griff falls in love, before he even sees her. Brains are his downfall, and Kinsey may be the smartest person he’s ever heard. Then he sees her and realizes his life as he knew it is now over. He is in love.

Griff and two of his cousins have a bet going on – the last man standing, i.e. not in love, wins the Christmas present their grandmother left behind. No one knows what it is or really cares, they just know they want it. But Griff realizes he is out of the running now and doesn’t care.

There are a couple of problems though – for one thing, Kinsey is wearing an engagement ring, or as she explains it, a pre-engagement ring. Except she bought it in a thrift shop and wears it to keep men from hitting on her. Kinsey is a knockout, a southern belle with blonde hair, big boobs, and an even bigger brain, but no one waits around to find out about her brain. By taking herself off the market, she gets taken a little more seriously at work.

But something amazing happens. As Griff’s cousins set him on date after date with Kinsey, he finds himself talking to her. In fact, he never wants to stop talking to her. Unless they are in bed, which is where they end up once she confesses to the fake pre-engagement. Griff may lose the bet but he wins the girl and the happy ending. This is a very sexy romance with a lot of witty dialogue, some laugh out loud moments, and terrific characters who grow and change. I am looking for the first book in the series while I impatiently wait for the next.

NEANDERTHAL by Avery Flynn. Entangled: Amara (October 25, 2021). ASIN: B091NPW9HK. 288 pages.

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THE HOLIDAY SWAP by Maggie Knox

October 27, 2021

From the publisher:

The International Bestseller—A feel-good, holiday rom com about identical twins who swap lives twelve days before Christmas—perfect for fans of Christina Lauren’s In a Holidaze and Josie Silver’s One Day in December

All they want for Christmas is a different life.

When chef Charlie Goodwin gets hit on the head on the L.A. set of her reality baking show, she loses a lot more than consciousness; she also loses her ability to taste and smell—both critical to her success as show judge. Meanwhile, Charlie’s identical twin, Cass, is frantically trying to hold her own life together back in their quaint mountain hometown while running the family’s bustling bakery and dealing with her ex, who won’t get the memo that they’re over.

With only days until Christmas, a desperate Charlie asks Cass to do something they haven’t done since they were kids: switch places. Looking for her own escape from reality, Cass agrees. But temporarily trading lives proves more complicated than they imagined, especially when rugged firefighter Jake Greenman and gorgeous physician assistant Miguel Rodriguez are thrown into the mix. Will the twins’ identity swap be a recipe for disaster, or does it have all the right ingredients for getting their lives back on track?

I love this time of year with all the Christmas romances, and I was super excited about this one because of this blurb:

The Great British Bake Off AKA The Great British Baking Show here in America was my happy place during the pandemic, and I’m loving the new season as well. I am a long time Gilmore Girls fan – my daughter and I started watching when she was in middle school, and it is one of my comfort TV watches (is that a thing? It is for me!). In fact, I recently started re-watching the series a few weeks ago, for about the tenth time? So Jennifer Robson, shame on you for this blurb. There’s no tent, no contestants helping each other out, no Lorelai & Rory, no Kirk, no Taylor, no Luke! The closest I could get to Stars Hollow was the small town where the twins family bakery is, called Starlight Peak. Not even close. I have serious doubts that Robson even read it.

Enough ranting about a blurb – the book was good despite my dashed expectations.

Charlie and Cass are identical twins and both love to bake, but they took it in different directions. Charlie couldn’t wait to leave the family bakery and the small California town and went to culinary school to perfect her pastry skills. Cass stayed home and is now running the family business while their parents are traveling. Cass has a long time boyfriend who is pushing her to get married, but she realizes that over the years they have grown apart, so she tells him she needs time to think. He takes that as a yes and buys them a house. She is furious, and breaks up with him – or at least tries to, he’s not taking no for an answer.

Charlie has found success on reality TV cooking shows, and is co-hosting a holiday baking show with a super ambitious and totally obnoxious co-host. They are both up to host a new baking show solo, and Charlie is determined to win that job. An accident on set takes her out, but despite her concussion and the cute ER doctor telling her to take time off, she is determined to finish out the show. But then she realizes she has lost her sense of smell and taste, so how will she be able to judge anything?

Enter the oldest trick in the book, the Parent Trap if you will: identical twins changing places. Cass is happy to get out of town and away from her ex and is hoping that Charlie will be able to convince him they are done. Charlie needs this job and hopes Cass can fool everyone enough to ensure she gets the solo hosting gig.

Then Charlie has a small kitchen fire and one of the firemen really catches her eye. It seems the attraction is mutual, except he thinks she is Cass and that is not a great way to start a relationship. Meanwhile, Cass runs into the cute ER doctor and things heat up there, with him thinking she is Charlie. Let’s just say hijinks ensue until the happy ending is reached for both twins.

No real surprises here, just a sweet Christmas romance which worked for me. Enjoy!

NOTE: The author, Maggie Knox, is actually Karma Brown’s and Marissa Stapley’s first joint project writing under that pseudonym.

10/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE HOLIDAY SWAP by Maggie Knox. G.P. Putnam’s Sons (October 5, 2021). ISBN: 978-0593330739. 352 pages.

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MOST VALUABLE PLAYBOY by Lauren Blakely

October 26, 2021

Ballers and Babes Series, Book 1

From the publisher:

Hands down, my favorite thing in the world is to score. Touchdowns. Don’t let the fact that I’m the leading pick in the Most Valuable Playboy charity auction fool you.

These days, I’m only a player on the field. I’ve kept my pants zipped all season long because nothing’s more important than leading my team to victory every week. Except maybe escaping from the team owner’s recently-widowed and handsy-as-hell sister who’s dead set on winning more than a date with me.

Enter Violet and a well-placed Hail Mary. She’s my best friend’s sister with a smile as sweet as cherry pie and a mind that runs quicker than the 40-yard-dash. After Violet saves the day with the highest bid, I don’t even give her a two-minute warning before I kiss her in front of the whole crowd and then announce that she’s my girlfriend. Which would be fine except my agent tells me we have to keep up the act while he’s negotiating my contract.

Violet takes one for the team and pretends to be mine, but our boyfriend-girlfriend scrimmage quickly turns into a full contact sport, and I want it to go into overtime. The problem is–I’ve been riding the bench for years. How can a guy like me, who finally has a chance to prove his worth on the field, convince the girl she’s most valuable to his heart?

*MOST VALUABLE PLAYBOY is a brand new standalone sports romance written in the guy’s POV!*

I love sports romances, and this is a good one. Told from the guy’s point of view, Cooper is the quarterback for a fictitious San Francisco NFL team. He was backup quarterback for a few years, but now is leading the team and he takes that very seriously. As his best friend Trent says, he is married to football. It is the most important thing in his life and he, along with a few friends on the team, started off the season losing. But then things started clicking and they are on their way to a wildcard spot in the playoffs. Many athletes have their little superstitions and this crew certainly does. Cooper hasn’t had sex since they started winning, and his friends also have their supersitions – one hasn’t cut his hair all season, another is wearing the same dirty socks every game.

Cooper is also a big believer in helping out any charities that deal with children, so he is happy to be part of the bachelor auction to benefit a local children’s hospital. Except he has one little problem; in previous years when he was “won”, he bedded the winners. This year he is not having sex until they make the playoffs, which could be difficult, especially when the owner’s sister is determined to win him and have her way with him. Panicky, he begs Trent’s sister Violet to help him out. She is a hairdresser and is at the auction to make all the guys look good. But her work is done, and since she and Cooper have been friends since they were little kids, she doesn’t mind helping him out – especially since he’s paying for it. So she outbids everyone else and to her surprise, and his, he kisses her in front of the crowd and tells the local news reporter covering the event that they are an item.

Meanwhile, Cooper’s agent is in negotiations for his contract with the team, due to expire at the end of the season. He tells Cooper he needs to keep dating his hometown childhood sweetheart as it will help with negotiations. Turns out Violet needs to keep dating him as well; her landlord wants to raise her rent, but if her customers think they are dating, business will pick up for sure. So they agree to fake date, and as anyone who has ever read a romance knows, fake dating always leads to a happily ever after.

What is interesting here is seeing it all from his point of view instead of hers. We quickly learn that Cooper is falling for Violet, but he isn’t sure if she feels the same or is just good at acting. It was refreshing to see a man be a bit insecure about a relationship for a change. Violet is as well, and we learn that she has always had a crush on him. As things progress, their relationship certainly feels real to him but things come up that make him doubt that Violet is.

This was a terrific read, fast and sexy and fun, especially if you like football – and I do. There is also some sweetness here, which I really appreciated, along with some laugh out loud moments and some very steamy sex. Lauren Blakely is self published, which I often have issues with, but she is a pro. Her books are reliably well edited, and I highly recommend!

NOTE: This is the first book of a series, and I got it for free through BookBub. If you weren’t sure they were legit, well, they are. I got this book a couple of weeks ago and it was free, but today it is $3.99 so I’m glad I jumped on that when I did! (Unfortunately, my library doesn’t have the rest of the books in this series so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get to them. I feel guilty buying books when I literally have hundreds of books still to read on my Kindle!)

10/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MOST VALUABLE PLAYBOY by Lauren Blakely. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (September 1, 2017). 978-1545373941. 286 pages.

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THE WEDDING WAGER by Eva Devon

October 25, 2021

From the publisher:

All Lady Victoria Kirby wants is to dig in the dirt, take notations, and record history, thank you very much. Bumbling through ballrooms and getting disdained by the ton for her less than ideal looks, on the other hand, is the last thing she wants. But her reckless father has a different idea for her future when he puts up the ultimate ante—her hand in marriage—and loses. Over her dead body.

The Duke of Chase cannot bear to see a woman misused. After all, he saw that often enough as a child. So when he’s witness to a marquess gambling away his daughter to a lecher of a man, he has no choice but to step in and rescue her. Lady Victoria has a reputation for being as tart as a lemon and as bitter as one, too. So, he may have just found the perfect wife to keep a promise he made to himself long ago–to never have an heir. With her, surely, he’ll never be tempted to take her to bed and break that promise.

But when he meets the wild, witty intelligent young lady he’s bound to marry, he knows trouble is headed his way… And everything he ever swore to uphold may very well come undone, especially his heart.

There is an unusual setup here for a Regency romance; Lady Victoria’s father has put her up as collateral for a bet at his club. He is rolling the dice on her future with an old lech, and the Duke of Chase, a bystander, is not going to let that happen. One of the most sought after single men in London, the Duke comes from a very old, very distinguished family and is one of the richest men in London as well. He has vowed to never marry or have children, but Lady Victoria has a reputation as being a very plain woman, and a very bright woman, with a sharp tongue. She may be the answer to his prayers; if he marries her, he’ll have a Duchess he has no desire for. She is also very independent and works as an assistant to her father, an archeologist. That is where her passions lie.

Victoria cannot believe her beloved father would force her into marriage, but he has. She meets with the Duke, and he outlines his plans; she will have the income and freedom to do whatever she wants, and so will he. Theirs will be a true marriage of convenience, with each of them living their own lives.

Chase has a terrible reputation as a womanizer, and has caused several women in the ton to get divorced. What no one knows is that in truth, he never sleeps with any of them. These are women trapped in bad marriages, like his mother was, and he helps them escape their confines by helping them get divorced and supporting them as needed. No one knows about his good deeds, and he certainly isn’t going to tell his new wife.

Chase has an assignation scheduled for a few days after the wedding. Victoria agreed to allowing him to continue being a rake without complaint, but he feels badly about it. It cannot be helped, so off her goes. When her husband walks in on them, he jumps out the window as his wife is driving by in the Ducal carriage. She stops to let him in, and doesn’t say much at all. He is amazed that she isn’t yelling or crying, and he is impressed even more with her. Chase is drawn to her despite himself, and he especially loves the way she is so thoughtful and smart about everything. She soon figures out that he is not at all what he portrays himself to be.

They end up as lovers, but he is always very careful not to get her pregnant. He may have broken his vow to never marry, but is determined to never produce an heir. Instead, the Dukedom will go to his wastrel of a cousin. But things between Chase and Victoria get more complicated, and she decides it is time to travel the world, excavating wherever she can. But rest assured, these two find their happily ever after.

This was a really fun, fast read. The characters are developed enough that I wanted them to find their happiness, and the story was a good one. This author was new to me, but I would certainly read her again.

10/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE WEDDING WAGER by Eva Devon. Entangled: Amara (October 25, 2021). ASIN: B0951RX59Z. 277 pages.

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