Fiction | Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

THE DUPLICATE BRIDE by Ginny Baird

August 6, 2021

Blue Hill Brides, Book 1

From the publisher:

Saying “I do” has never been this much fun in this charming new romance from New York Times bestselling author Ginny Baird.

Hope Webb can’t believe her twin sister, Jackie, is begging her to swap places and play fiancée at Jackie’s pre-wedding festivities. Sure, it’s only a business-deal sort of marriage, but Hope is a carb-loving teacher who enjoys curling up with a good book. Jackie is a workaholic whose idea of a good time is a brisk five-mile run at the crack of dawn. The two sisters couldn’t be more opposite.

Now Hope is stuck in the middle of a warm, tight-knit family she can’t help but adore and a groom who turns out to be entirely wonderful…for her.

Hotel magnate Brent Albright knows something is off about his fiancée, but he doesn’t care. Gone is the driven woman with similar career goals, and in her place is someone warm and funny who not only charms his family but him as well. She’s doing everything she can to avoid him, but that’s probably just nerves. Two people about to wed couldn’t know each other less.

Now Brent is determined to woo his fiancée, for real this time, because the more he gets to know her, the more his sweet fiancée turns out to be entirely wonderful…for him.

And that’s when things start to get really complicated…

Each book in the Blue Hill Brides series is STANDALONE:
* The Duplicate Bride
* The Matchmaker Bride

I read this series out of order, but if you can believe the publisher, each book is a standalone. That wasn’t really my experience, so I recommend reading them in order. This is the first book.

There are a lot of characters in this story, but the main characters are Brent and Hope. Brent wants to take over the family business, bypassing his older brother, and he thinks the secret to that is to be married. Jackie is a successful wedding planner in Boston, and she thinks if she is married it will be beneficial to her business. So an agreement is reached; a marriage of convenience. Brent is enough of a romantic to hope that love will follow once they are married, but Jackie is pure business all the way.

Jackie and Hope are identical twins, but while they look alike, their personalities couldn’t be more different. Hope is a school teacher who is laid back, sweet, and doesn’t mind being a size larger than her sister since that means she can eat carbs and she doesn’t have to exercise. So when the wedding Jackie is planning blows up at the last minute, she begs Hope to go to Blue Hill, Maine to stay with her in-laws-to-be just for a day and pretend to be Jackie, like they used to do when they were kids. Hope doesn’t want any part of that, but she agrees to go as herself.

Except when she arrives at the family estate, they immediately assume Hope is Jackie, even her fiancé doesn’t notice anything different. She ends up going with it because it just seems overwhelming to try and fix it. But since Jackie is due the next day, no big deal. But of course that disaster of a wedding just keeps on imploding, and Jackie keeps on extending her stay in Boston, leaving Hope to play Jackie in all the family wedding celebrations for the week leading up to the wedding. And then Jackie misses the wedding itself.

Meanwhile, Hope is falling in love with Brent, her sister’s fiancé, and she is panicking about it. But amazingly, he is falling in love with her as well. You just know this is going to blow up badly, but this is a romance so there will be a happy ending. But it is fun in a tortuous sort of way to get there. There are a lot of laughs in this sweet romance, and I really enjoyed it. (Especially after reading the second book first!)

8/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE DUPLICATE BRIDE by Ginny Baird. Entangled: Amara (September 29, 2020) ISBN: 978-1682815229. 368 pages.

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NONE OF US THE SAME by Jeffrey K. Walker

August 5, 2021

Sweet Wine of Youth, Book 1

From the publisher:

Fiery Deirdre Brannigan had opinions on everything. She certainly hated the very idea of war in 1914. Childhood pals Jack Oakley and Will Parsons thought it a grand adventure with their friends. But the crushing weight of her guilty conscience pushes Deirdre to leave Ireland and land directly in the fray.

Meanwhile the five friends from Newfoundland blithely enlist. After all, the war couldn’t possibly last very long…They learn quickly how wrong they are and each is torn apart by the carnage in France.

What began with enthusiastic dreams of parades and dances with handsome young soldiers turned into long days and nights in the hospital wards desperately trying to save lives. And for the good and decent young men in fine new uniforms aching to prove themselves worthy on the field of battle, the horrors of war quickly descended. But it is also the war which brings them together.

Deirdre’s path crosses with Jack and Will when they’re brought to her field hospital the first day of the slaughter on the Somme. Their lives part, their journeys forward fraught with physical and emotional scars tossing them through unexpected and often painful twists and turns. But somehow, a sliver of hope, love and redemption emerges. And their paths cross again in St. John’s. When the guns finally fall silent, can Deirdre overcome her secret demons through a new life with battered Jack? Can shell-shocked Will confront his despotic father’s expectations to become the man his young family deserves?

One of the strongest antiwar books I have read. The author indicates that it was planned as the first of three books dealing with people caught up in the horrific battles of World War I. His incredible research is one of the many factors contributing to the draw of the situations confronting five characters that take part in the war and in so doing change their lives and outlooks forever.

The first part of the book deals with the entrance of the world into a war that all thought would not last very long and drawing into it characters that were residents of Newfoundland in Canada. Prior to their enlistment an Irish lay nurse (trainee) volunteered to work at a hospital directly serving the British front. Deirdre Brannigan starting her career at a hospital in Ireland wanted to do more in her chosen profession left to aid the wounded of the war.

The battles that the soldiers took part in were the landing at Gallipoli fighting the Turkish army with the accompaniment of mass slaughter and then against German troops at the Somme in France, with much more of the same death and horror. Deirdre, for her part, got her baptism of fire as men and sometimes parts of men that were victims of artillery and machine guns were brought into her hospital for treatment. She became emotionally traumatized at the sight of the human carnage that flowed through her workstation but was forced to carry on driven by the circumstances she found herself in. The men developed friendships that only the circumstances they found themselves in can cause to develop. One of them, seriously wounded met Deirdre and the two found love together.

At the war’s end all returning to home find a truism about war and combat. After battle, killing and fighting no one is ever the same again and it is almost impossible to return to the life lived prior to the war. It is almost the same as if many returning soldiers still have major wounds. Mr. Walker opens a description of men being “shell shocked” by exposure to constant killing and battle.

The attitude at the time was that officers that suffered from this disease were telling the truth and were allowed to rest while enlisted men were simply lying to get out of combat and punished. It wasn’t until later years that the condition was recognized as a genuine condition exacerbated by combat and treated as best as possible as PTSD (post traumatic stress disease).

It is sure that this novel will stay with any reader and is again, one that cannot be put down until finished.

8/2021 Paul Lane

NONE OF US THE SAME by Jeffrey K. Walker. Ballybur Publishing (May 16, 2017). ISBN: 978-1947108004. 285 pages.

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PALM BEACH by Mary Adkins

August 4, 2021

From the publisher:

A thought-provoking page-turner from the author of When You Read This and Privilege that captures the painful divide between the haves and have-nots and the seductive lure of the American dream.

Living in a tiny Queens apartment, Rebecca and her husband Mickey typify struggling, 30-something New Yorkers—he’s an actor, and she’s a freelance journalist. But after the arrival of their baby son, the couple decides to pack up and head for sunny, comfortable Palm Beach, where Mickey’s been offered a sweet deal managing the household of a multimillionaire Democratic donor.

Once there, he quickly doubles his salary by going to work for a billionaire: venture capitalist Cecil Stone. Rebecca, a writer whose beat is economic inequality, is initially horrified: she pillories men like Stone, a ruthless businessman famous for crushing local newspapers. So no one is more surprised than her when she accepts a job working for Cecil’s wife as a ghostwriter, thinking of the excellent pay and the rare, inside look at this famous Forbes-list family. What she doesn’t expect is that she’ll grow close to the Stones, or become a regular at their high-powered dinners. And when a medical crisis hits, it’s the Stones who come to their rescue, using their power, influence, and wealth to avert catastrophe.

As she and Mickey are both pulled deeper into this topsy-turvy household, they become increasingly dependent on their problematic benefactors. Then when she discovers a shocking secret about the Stones, Rebecca will have to decide: how many compromises can one couple make?

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Are the rich different? Mary Adkins (Privilege) attempts to answer that in this entertaining read. Mickey, a Broadway actor, loses his voice and his career. He’s always hustled side jobs, and lucks into a full time job in Palm Beach for one of his clients and moves his wife and 8-month-old baby to Florida.

Mickey quickly finds an even better job as butler to a billionaire couple, the Stones, for twice the money, but his journalist wife, Rebecca, is horrified that he is considering working for the “vulture capitalist” who destroys every company he buys, but the money is too good to pass up, plus it leads to an opportunity for Rebecca to ghostwrite Mrs. Stone’s memoirs.

When the baby is diagnosed with a life threatening illness, the Stones come to the rescue, causing the young couple to reexamine their feelings about the Stones and the power of money.

Verdict: Adkins offers great fodder for book discussions, and should appeal to readers who enjoyed The Darlings by Cristina Alger, Snobs by Julian Fellowes, or The Unfortunates by
Sophie McManus.

©Library Journal, 2021

8/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

PALM BEACH by Mary Adkins. Harper (August 3, 2021). ISBN: 978-0063011373. 304 pages.

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THE SINGING TREES by Boo Walker

August 3, 2021

From the publisher:

**A young artist forges a path of self-discovery in an enriching novel about forgiving the past and embracing second chances, from the bestselling author of An Unfinished Story.**

Maine, 1969. After losing her parents in a car accident, aspiring artist Annalisa Mancuso lives with her grandmother and their large Italian family in the stifling factory town of Payton Mills. Inspired by her mother, whose own artistic dreams disappeared in a damaged marriage, Annalisa is dedicated only to painting. Closed off to love, and driven as much by her innate talent as she is the disillusionment of her past, Annalisa just wants to come into her own.

The first step is leaving Payton Mills and everything it represents. The next, the inspiring opportunities in the city of Portland and a thriving New England art scene where Annalisa hopes to find her voice. But she meets Thomas, an Ivy League student whose attentions―and troubled family―upend her pursuits in ways she never imagined possible. As their relationship deepens, Annalisa must balance her dreams against an unexpected love. Until the unraveling of an unforgivable lie.

For Annalisa, opening herself up to life and to love is a risk. It might also be the chance she needs to finally become the person and the artist she’s meant to be.

Boo Walker’s beautifully written coming of age story (after An Unfinished Story) is set against the backdrop of the unpopular Vietnam War. We get to view life in those turbulent times through the eyes of a young artist, Annalisa Mancuso. Annalisa tragically lost her parents when she was young, and her Nonna stepped in and took care of her. Annalisa remembered her mother’s creativity being stifled in her marriage, and as an artist herself, is determined to never let that happen. The only path she sees forward is to live in solitude, but when she meets Thomas, he changes the trajectory of her life in more ways than she could ever imagine.

Annalisa’s goal to escape the small town in Maine where she grew up and move to Portland is realized. There she finds a thriving art community, a teacher, and a gallery owner who recognize and encourage her talent. Meanwhile, Thomas’s wealthy family threatens to cut him off unless he ends things with Annalisa.

Annalisa grows up the hard way when Thomas loses his deferment and is sent to Vietnam. She breaks up with him so she can concentrate on her art, but she still feels their connection. They correspond during the war, and she spends a week with him in Hawaii when he gets some leave. Annalisa is torn between following her dream or her heart and has many difficult decisions to make.

Verdict: Walker’s latest is ideal for book discussion groups and should appeal to readers who enjoyed Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Dance Away with Me by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, or the emotional resonance of Nicholas Sparks’ books.

©Library Journal, 2021

8/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE SINGING TREES by Boo Walker. Lake Union Publishing (August 3, 2021). ISBN: 978-1542019125. 429 pages.

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ISN’T IT BROMANTIC? by Lyssa Kay Adams

August 2, 2021

Bromance Book Club, Book 4

From the publisher:

One of Bustle’s Best New Books of July 2021

A Popsugar Best Book and Best Romance of July 2021

With his passion for romance novels, it was only a matter of time before Vlad wrote one.

Elena Konnikova has lived her entire adult life in the shadows. As the daughter of a Russian journalist who mysteriously disappeared, she escaped danger the only way she knew how: She married her childhood friend, Vladimir, and moved to the United States, where he is a professional hockey player in Nashville.

Vlad, aka the Russian, thought he could be content with his marriage of convenience. But it’s become too difficult to continue in a one-sided relationship. He joined the Bromance Book Club to learn how to make his wife love him, but all he’s learned is that he deserves more. He’s ready to create his own sweeping romance—both on and off the page.

The bros are unwilling to let Vlad forgo true love—and this time they’re not operating solo. They join forces with Vlad’s neighbors, a group of meddling widows who call themselves the Loners. But just when things finally look promising, Elena’s past life intrudes and their happily ever after is cast into doubt.

This is one of my favorite series and this latest entry is just as wonderful as the previous books. This is one series I’ve actually read in order! The premise behind the series is this group of men, most professional athletes and one country music star, have a friendship unlike most. These men talk, really talk, about relationships and life and they help one another. They also have a book club where they read romance novels, the idea being that they will learn how to be better boyfriends and husbands. It works pretty well for them.

This book centers around Vlad, nicknamed “the Russian” because he is from Russia. He is married to Elena, but none of the men have ever met her. While they all live in Nashville, Elena’s been living in Chicago for six years attending Northwestern University, where she’s almost completed her master’s degree in journalism. So when she shows up at a wedding, Vlad is so happy to see her, until she takes off. They are at crossed purposes here; he wants their marriage to be real, and she wants to move back to Russia to be a journalist. Her father was “disappeared” while working on a story about sex trafficking, and she wants to continue his work. She’s been digging into his story all the while she’s been in school, but with her masters at hand, she is ready to go to work.

Turns out that Vlad and Elena were childhood friends, and his parents often took care of her as her mother died when she was very young, and her father was often away working. When she turns 18, Vlad asks her to marry him, giving her the chance to move to America and go to school. They never even consummate their marriage before she moves away.

But this is not your typical green card marriage. For one thing, they have been friends for most of their lives. For another, Vlad isn’t an American citizen. He’s got a work visa because he’s a professional hockey player, and the rules are different for athletes. But Vlad is in love with Elena, and wants her to come home after she graduates.

Elena overheard something when they were getting married that led her to believe that Vlad was only being kind to her. She feels like a burden to him, and wants to stop having him support her. But right as she was getting ready to go, she gets a phone call from the hospital, asking her to come in. Vlad had been severely injured in a game, and she decides that is one way she can pay him back for all the kindness and generosity he has shown her. She moves into his house to take care of him.

Vlad has several secrets that he hasn’t shared with Elena or his book club buddies, but as he is dependent on his wife and friends during his recuperation, the secrets start to come out, one of which is that he has written his own romance novel. The guys are all excited about that, and even Elena gets to read it eventually.

I love these books because I think the premise is so clever, and I love these characters. Plus the books are all really funny, including this latest. While this is a series and is probably best if at least the first book is read before this one, I think they all stand alone pretty well. Reading this book left me feeling happy all day, and what better recommendation do you need that that! Don’t miss it. BONUS: I spotted this on Adams’ twitter page: “coming soon to Netflix!”

8/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

ISN’T IT BROMANTIC? by Lyssa Kay Adams. Berkley (July 20, 2021). ISBN: 978-0593332771. 352 pages.

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DEVIL IN DISGUISE by Lisa Kleypas

July 31, 2021

The Ravenels, Book 7

From the publisher:

New York Times bestseller Lisa Kleypas returns with an enthralling and steaming romance between a Scot with a mysterious past and strong-willed lady looking for adventure—and love.

“The devil never tries to make people do the wrong thing by scaring them. He does it by tempting them.”

Lady Merritt Sterling, a strong-willed young widow who’s running her late husband’s shipping company, knows London society is dying to catch her in a scandal. So far, she’s been too smart to provide them with one. But then she meets Keir MacRae, a rough-and-rugged Scottish whisky distiller, and all her sensible plans vanish like smoke. They couldn’t be more different, but their attraction is powerful, raw and irresistible.

From the moment Keir MacRae arrives in London, he has two goals. One: don’t fall in love with the dazzling Lady Merritt Sterling. Two: avoid being killed.

So far, neither of those is going well.

Keir doesn’t know why someone wants him dead until fate reveals the secret of his mysterious past. His world is thrown into upheaval, and the only one he trusts is Merritt.

Their passion blazes with an intensity Merritt has never known before, making her long for the one thing she can’t have from Keir MacRae: forever. As danger draws closer, she’ll do whatever it takes to save the man she loves . . . even knowing he might be the devil in disguise.

Kleypas is one of my favorite writers, and I really love this series. I especially love how she tied together her Wallflowers series with the Ravenels, from one generation to the next. This book elucidates that beautifully, but no spoilers here so I’ll not say much more on the subject.

Instead, I’ll tell you about the main characters of this romance. Merritt is a young widow who has taken over running her husband’s shipping business, and doing quite well with it. When one of her clients, Keir MacRae, loses a cask of whiskey due to an accident, he comes storming into her office, soaked in the Scottish whiskey he distilled. She placates him and that is our meet-cute. Even in Victorian England, we have to have the meet-cute!

Merritt thinks he is the best looking man she has ever seen, and that’s with half his face covered by a beard. Not to mention that brogue! Keir thinks she is a beauty, but as they talk there is even more of a connection. Then someone tries to kill Keir as he is on his way to Merritt’s house for dinner. He arrives late, and bleeding, and she gets a doctor to stitch him up. Then she invites him to spend the night.

Merritt hasn’t been with a man since her husband five years earlier. This is not the time period where widows can do as they please, they still must follow the strict guidelines of polite society and Keir knows that. She seduces him anyway and their chemistry just leaps off the page.

A second attempt on his life forces them together for a longer period, but he has short term amnesia, having lost the previous week of his life and his time spent with Merritt. But he is still strongly attracted to her, and as he recuperates he finds out a lot about his background that he never knew.

This was a steamy romance with terrific characters who come to life for the reader. It was a pleasure seeing some of the characters from the Wallflowers and Ravenel series, but if you haven’t read the previous books, I think this book stands alone nicely. Another excellent read and a wonderful addition to the series.

7/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

DEVIL IN DISGUISE by Lisa Kleypas. Avon (July 27, 2021). ISBN: 978-0063082168. 288 pages.

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ONE NIGHT ONLY by Catherine Walsh

July 30, 2021

An absolutely hilarious and uplifting romantic comedy

From the publisher:

Who could have predicted this? Being at the same wedding. In Ireland. There’s a reason one-night stands are one-night stands. You’re not supposed to see each other again, especially not when you’re the maid of honor, and he’s the groom’s brother…

Sarah Anderson has never been more excited about anything in her life. She’s going to her best friend’s wedding. And not just any wedding. An Irish wedding. Goodbye New York, hello rolling green hills and men with beautiful accents and twinkling eyes.

But Sarah should have known that not all guests are fairy-tale princes…

There’s the chinless Uncle Trevor, whose idea of small talk is to claim climate change is a conspiracy.

Then there’s Great Aunt Eileen, who doesn’t talk at all (she’s too busy replacing the hotel cutlery with her own set).

Worst of all, there’s Declan Murphy. Best man. Brother of the groom. And the man Sarah last saw naked.

Is there anything more mortifying than bumping into a one-night stand halfway across the world? Especially as Declan seems determined to embarrass Sarah at every turn. At least when the wedding’s over she’ll never have to see him again.

But, back in New York, Sarah finds the more she tries to forget Declan, the more she can’t shake the thought of that infuriatingly charming smile and the way he wears a tux…

Was he really just for one night only, or might Declan Murphy be The One?

Prepare to laugh until you cry with this perfect feel-good romantic comedy about taking a chance on love. Fans of Sophie Ranald, Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes won’t be able to put this down!

The premise here isn’t new, but it works. Sarah has some history that she is determined not to repeat. For starters, her mother had an affair and took off, leaving her father brokenhearted for years. Then Sarah met Josh, and they dated for a year until she told him she was in love with him. Then he dumped her. So Sarah decides relationships just aren’t for her, but she has needs so she sticks to one night stands. Meet a guy, sleep with him, then say goodbye; clean and neat and bloodless.

Sarah’s favorite neighborhood bar is a great place to pick up men. She brings home this gorgeous man, but when she wakes up, he’s still there and doesn’t seem like he wants to leave. He’s talking breakfast, possibly more sex, but Sarah panics and kicks him out, none too gently. She has to get to work and she’s done.

Work is no picnic lately and Sarah is happy to have this vacation coming up. Her best friend is getting married in Ireland, and she can’t wait to escape. There are a week’s worth of pre-wedding activities, and as maid of honor, Sarah will be kept busy. The first night is a welcome dinner, where she is seated with some odd relatives and the groom’s brother, Declan. Who turns out to be the one night stand. And whose mother is doing a little matchmaking and trying to push them together.

Obviously, there is attraction there or she wouldn’t have brought him home to begin with, but one and done means she is not interested. But Declan is, and he pursues Sarah regardless. She is starting to enjoy spending time with him, and ends up sleeping with him again. But that’s it, two and done.

Back in New York, Sarah finds out Declan owns her favorite bar and he’s been noticing her for a while. She is trying to keep her distance but she can’t control her thoughts, or her dreams. Plus she keeps bumping into him and enjoying the time they spend together. But Sarah is very skittish, to say the least. It’s going to take a lot for Declan to earn her trust.

Eventually, they reach their happy ending but not without a lot of back and forth and hurdles for both of them. This was a fun read with a lot of laughs but there is also surprising emotional depth here. There are a lot of characters, probably too many to get to know them all at least minimally, but the main characters are interesting and definitely worth spending time with. I enjoyed this and recommend.

7/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

ONE NIGHT ONLY by Catherine Walsh. Bookouture (July 27, 2021). ISBN: 978-1800195653. 398 pages.

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SUMMER ON HONEYSUCKLE RIDGE by Debbie Mason

July 29, 2021

Highland Falls, Book 1

From the publisher:

Sparks fly between an L.A. career woman and a former Army Ranger in this delightful enemies-to-lovers romance from the USA Today bestselling queen of small-town love stories.

Welcome to Highland Falls, a small town where love is always in the air.

In just a few months Abby Everhart has gone from being a top LA media influencer to an unemployed divorcée living out of her car. So inheriting her great-aunt’s homestead comes at the perfect time. Abby heads to Highland Falls, North Carolina, to spruce up Honeysuckle Farm before putting it on the market for some much-needed cash. But instead of finding a charming getaway, she discovers a serious fixer-upper, complete with a leaky roof, overgrown yard, and a reclusive — albeit sexy — man living on the property.

Ex-Delta Force soldier Hunter MacKenzie has faced war and loss, but nothing has quite prepared him for an outgoing redhead who’s determined to turn his life upside down. Hunter doesn’t want to get involved with anyone, especially a city girl who plans to sell the only place he’s ever felt at home. But the sparks between them are undeniable. Spending time with Abby is easy. Convincing her to stay for good is another matter entirely.

I’ve read the second and third books in this series and really enjoyed them, so I went back and found the first book that I missed. Sometimes the first book in a series ends up being the best, but I actually liked the two that followed better. I think part of that is an author goes into a series knowing they have to introduce a bunch of characters who won’t play a big part in the story, but will in later books. So there are a lot of characters here that are briefly mentioned and sometimes I found that distracting.

Abby and Hunter are the most mismatched pair I’ve read about in a while. They both have tons of baggage but handle it differently. Abby is determined to get past her previous rejection and regain the fame and fortune that was taken from her. Hunter appears to have PTSD (my diagnosis, thank you very much!) and has chosen to withdraw from society completely. He lives on the farm and Abby’s Aunt bequeathed him most of the land and the barn, while leaving Abby the house and the backyard. Neither is thrilled about that but Abby desperately needs money, so she has to take on renovating the house to sell it. It is in very bad shape.

While Hunter was living on the farm, he somehow managed to avoid seeing his family or anyone, for that matter, by never going into the small town where they all live. Apparently he felt it worth his time to travel to the next town to do his shopping – a town where no one knows him or bothers him. At least that was my understanding. He is also an artist, a sculptor, and his barn houses all his creations as he refuses to show them or try and sell them.

Abby is a YouTube star with millions of followers. But when she gets dumped, the ex manages to take it all away from her. She ends up living in her car for a while, works as an Uber driver, and is just barely hanging on when she inherits the farmhouse across the country. Thinking it is the solution to her problems, she is determined to fix it up and sell it. Then she meets Hunter.

It’s pretty much hate at first sight. He hates women who wear high heels on a farm and carry a tiny dog wearing a dress. She hates that he is so taciturn and obviously has disdain for her, but she is a very friendly woman who likes to chatter, something else he hates. But grudgingly he agrees to help her fix up the place.

You can guess what happens but it takes a long time for them to get together. Usually the journey is the most fun, but it sort of dragged a bit for me. Honestly, if I had read this book first I might not have read the next two. Sometimes things happen for a reason, and I’m glad I didn’t read this series in order. There are plenty of laughs here though, and it is a sweet romance with a satisfying ending. By the way, the Kindle version is on sale for $2.99 for however long that lasts.

7/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

SUMMER ON HONEYSUCKLE RIDGE by Debbie Mason. Forever (May 26, 2020). ISBN: 978-1538716946. 400 pages.

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IT’S RAINING MEN by Julie Hammerle

July 28, 2021

From the publisher:

Don’t drink and text.

Even on the cusp of forty, I had to learn that the hard way. After discovering my best friend, who I was supposed to grow old and single with, got engaged, I drowned my loneliness in one too many Old Fashioneds and woke up with thirty-nine responses from every available man in my phone. Yup, I even texted my plumber…and he turned me down.

Apparently, my liquor-infused text said that while I don’t need a man, maybe I’d be down for a constant sidekick for movies, plus-one invites, and dinner on the table after my grueling shifts as a concierge doctor―till death do us part…and was anyone in?

Through the absolute mortification of thirty-seven rejections, shockingly, I realize two men have said yes. Behind Bachelor Door #1 is Rob, my old high school crush: the comfortable, dependable boy-next-door. Behind Bachelor Door #2 is Darius, the exciting, flashy news reporter about to hit it big. Does this mean I’ll have to get out of my yoga pants and actually go on dates now?

Dax, the local bartender who got me into this disaster in the first place―remember the Old Fashioneds?―can’t believe I’ve given up on finding true love. What does a tattooed, broody twentysomething know about carving out a future for yourself, anyway?

Too bad the further into this hot mess I get, the less I know about who I am. And I’m going to have to figure out exactly what I need if I ever want to find a true happily ever after.

Adorable title, cute cover, I was in. And according to Amazon’s “about the author”, Hammerle, who is new to me, is a “USA Today bestselling, RITA (R) nominated author (who) writes romantic comedies focused on women over forty.” Our protagonist is just under at 39, but that 40th birthday is definitely looming.

Annie has two best friends, one of whom, Yessi, is married and has a child, and the other, Kelly, single and living in her basement apartment. Kelly and Annie are focused on their careers. Kelly sells real estate and Annie is a concierge doctor who recently took over a very successful practice. But she’s on her own and on call to her patients 24/7, and they take full advantage of that. So when Kelly announces she’s engaged to a man that Annie hasn’t met or even heard of, things become strained between the two friends. Then Kelly moves across the state to be with her fiancé.

After that announcement, Annie stays at the bar where they had been playing trivia and gets hammered. The bartender, Dax, is a hot young 27-year-old but he ends up taken the very drunk Annie home. She wakes up with an awful hangover and the young man sleeping on her couch. She also wakes up to the fact that she drunk-texted every man she knows and basically proposed to them. Shockingly, two men said yes.

Even though Annie is pushing 40 and knows she is way too old for Dax, they definitely have chemistry. But Annie is looking to settle down, so she is going to marry for companionship and just has to choose between the two men who said yes.

I really enjoyed this romance because the characters were so believable. I couldn’t help but root for Annie to find her happily ever after. Like Dax, I don’t believe marrying for companionship is ever a good idea, but Annie had to figure that out for herself, as well as mend fences with the friends she brushed off for her patients. This was a fast, fun read and I highly recommend!

7/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

IT’S RAINING MEN by Julie Hammerle. Entangled: Amara (July 27, 2021). ISBN: 978-1649370280. 400 pages.

Kindle

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

SECOND CHANCE AT SUNFLOWER RANCH by Carolyn Brown

July 27, 2021

The Ryan Family, Book 1

From the publisher:

From the bestselling author of Queen of Cowboy: regrets and old heartbreaks are unearthed in this sweeping love story as hometown sweethearts get a second chance at love—and being a family.

Retired combat medic Jesse Ryan hasn’t been home much since he enlisted twenty years ago. Now he’s headed back to Texas to help take care of his aging foster parents and run Sunflower ranch. But when he gets there, he finds his parents’ live-in nurse is Addison Hall, his high school best friend and the woman he always regretted leaving behind after their one steamy night together before he shipped out. He’s not at all surprised that their chemistry is still sparking, but Jesse is shocked to learn Addy gave birth to a little girl about nine months after he left—his little girl.

Addy has her hands full as a single mom of a nineteen-year-old daughter who suddenly wants to rebel at everything. The last thing she needs is Jesse Ryan complicating her life even further, especially since she’s always had a crush on the handsome cowboy. But the more time she spends with Jesse, the more she wonders what might happen if they finally let their friendship blossom into something more and became the family she’d always hoped for.

Includes the bonus novella Small Town Charm for the first time in print!

Brown writes several different series, but I especially enjoy her cowboy romances. In this story, the romance is centered around Jesse, a cowboy that enlisted and served in the Air Force. Twenty years in and he’s retiring, just in time to come home and help his aging parents with the family ranch. Addy was his best friend growing up, and they finally spent the night together his last night at home before leaving for the service. Addy never told him that she got pregnant that night.

When he returns home it’s to find Addy and her 19 year old daughter living on the ranch. Addy is a nurse, and after Jesse’s dad had a couple of strokes, they asked her to stay on so he would have a nurse nearby. She also helps out on the ranch along with her daughter, who also works there.

It doesn’t take Jesse long to do the math and figure out who the baby daddy is. But it takes a lot longer to rekindle the romance with Addy. There is a lot of family drama before Jesse and Addy get their happy ending. But the journey to get there is fun, and at times, emotional. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to the next Ryan Family book.

7/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

SECOND CHANCE AT SUNFLOWER RANCH by Carolyn Brown. Forever (July 27, 2021). ISBN: 978-1538735619. 400 pages.