Fiction | Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

JUST MY LUCK by Adele Parks

April 28, 2021

From the publisher:

Over 4 million Adele Parks books sold worldwide including LIES, LIES, LIES and I INVITED HER IN!

“Utterly engrossing and brilliant”— Lucy Foley New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List

It was supposed to be the lottery win they’d always dreamed of…

For fifteen years, Lexi and Jake have played the same six numbers with their friends. Over drinks, dinner parties and summer barbecues, the three couples have discussed the important stuff—kids, marriages, careers—and they’ve laughed off their disappointment when they failed to win anything.

But then the unthinkable happens. There’s a rift in the group. Someone is caught in a lie. And soon after, six numbers come up that change everything forever.

Lexi and Jake have a ticket worth millions. And their friends are determined to claim a share.

#1 Sunday Times bestselling author Adele Parks returns with a riveting look at the dark side of wealth in this gripping tale of friendship, money, betrayal and good luck gone bad…

Lexi and Jake and their family live in a lower middle section. They work hard to maintain their lifestyle with Lexi happy with her life and the husband she has chosen. They are friendly with two other couples whose children attend the same school that Lexi and Jake’s children go to. For 15 years the three couples have gotten together on most Saturday nights eaten together and enjoyed a pleasant evening out.

Over the years they have evolved the practice of buying a lottery ticket together after each get together using the same sequence of numbers each time they purchase a ticket. Then the other two couples announce that they feel the spending the money on a ticket is throwing out the cash and they are drawing out of the custom of buying a ticket.

Of course when Lexi buys a ticket by herself the next week using the normal numerical sequence it hits and is good for a prize of more than seventeen million pounds, a sum that insures financial independence for the recipient for the rest of their lives. Jake and Lexi try to keep the winning secret but it leaks out and human nature being what it is the other two couples demand that they receive shares in the payout and insinuate that they had rightful places due to having gone in together on the lottery tickets and even lying that they had chipped into the winning ticket as was normal.

Parks describes a situation in which receiving a large amount of money distorts the viewpoints and reactions of people. Friendship goes away and greed takes over in its presence. No one in the family is exempt from the fallout of a receipt of a large amount of cash and the interactions of both adults and children are well delineated. A pleasant reading experience is enjoyed by the reader with a surprise but logical ending to complete the book.

4/2021 Paul Lane

JUST MY LUCK by Adele Parks. MIRA; Original edition (April 6, 2021). ISBN: 978-05255394140. 352 pages.

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DIAL A FOR AUNTIES by Jesse Q. Sutanto

April 27, 2021

From the publisher:

One of PopSugar’s “42 Books Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2021”!

What happens when you mix 1 (accidental) murder with 2 thousand wedding guests, and then toss in a possible curse on 3 generations of an immigrant Chinese-Indonesian family?

You get 4 meddling Asian aunties coming to the rescue!

When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate, especially when it is inadvertently shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working at an island resort on the California coastline. It’s the biggest job yet for the family wedding business—”Don’t leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!”—and nothing, not even an unsavory corpse, will get in the way of her auntie’s perfect buttercream flowers.

But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy’s great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance amid the wedding chaos. Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life, and pull off a stunning wedding all in one weekend?

This is a top ten favorite on the April Library Reads list, and as far as I’m concerned, it should have been number one! Part mystery, part romance, part family drama, but mostly laugh-out-loud funny, this book hits it out of the park. And I’m super excited that Netflix is on board.

Meddy is the good girl in her family. There is a family curse where all the men leave, leaving her mom and her sisters to make up her family. Even her boy cousins have all moved away, but as much as Meddy wanted a different life, she just could not bring herself to leave her mom and her aunties, so she breaks up with the love of her life as he has been offered his dream job across the country. It just about kills Meddy, but she goes on with her life, settling into the family wedding planning business and trying not to think about the one who got away.

Her mom decides Meddy needs to meet someone so like all overly involved, well meaning moms, she sets up a fake profile for Meddy on a dating app, and pretends to be Meddy. There are red flags aplenty, but her mom, who is not a native English speaker never mind a keen reader of emojis, doesn’t realize what she’s done when she sets Meddy up on a blind date with a man she met online. It turns out he is as bad a guy as one could meet online, and Meddy accidentally kills him in self defense. I’m not spoiling anything here, this happens at the beginning of the book.

Meddy panics, dumps him in the trunk of her car, and takes him home to her mother, who calls in the aunties. These are the kind of relatives everyone should have, the kind who help you get rid of a body. But what ensues is just chaos, and it is hilarious. In between the insanity though, Meddy runs into the love of her life. Turns out he’s moved back and is now running the hotel where the family is running their biggest wedding yet.

Lots of over the top situations and slapstick humor, and it really works here. This book had me laughing out oud several times, and I I enjoyed every page. Honestly, it reminded me of the first few Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich) books only with a happy ending, and that is high praise! I also really liked learning about Chinese/Indonesian culture. This one is sure to make my best books of the year list – don’t miss it.

4/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

DIAL A FOR AUNTIES by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Berkley (April 27, 2021). ISBN: 978-0593333037. 320 pages.

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THE EAGLE AND THE VIPER by Loren D. Estleman

April 26, 2021

From the publisher:

Part high-octane suspense, part dire warning, The Eagle and the Viper frommultiple-winning novelist Loren D. Estleman reveals how close our world came―at the dawn of a promising new century―to total war.

It’s a time of improvised explosive devices, terrorist training camps, international assassins, and war on civilians. It’s Christmas Eve, 1800.

This much is history: On Christmas Eve, 1800, an “infernal machine” exploded in one of the busiest streets in Paris, France, destroying buildings and killing innocent civilians. It wasn’t the first attempt on the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the newly minted Republic of France.

This much is exclusive to our story: Upon the failure of the Christmas Eve plot, the conspiracy takes a new and more diabolical turn.

Posterity knows what became of Napoleon: He led France into a series of military adventures that ended in his defeat, followed by decades of peace. But this future hung on a precarious thread. One man can make history; another can change it.

An extremely well researched book based on a little-known event in the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. The man had recently been elected as First Consul of France during the latter period of the revolution. The threat of the guillotine was still prevalent in a country that was engrossed in attempting to wipe out all traces of royalty without any clear idea of what form of government should eventually prevail. What was termed an “infernal machine,” a huge explosion, was set off on one of the busiest streets in Paris. It was exploded on Christmas Eve 1800 and construed to be an attempt to assassinate Napoleon.

Estleman describes the France of the moment, a virtual police state with the head Policeman able to assume complete power over the nation indicating that he does so in his role dictated by The First Consul for the good of the country. The author also postulates a professional assassin termed “The Viper” and hired by members of the government to kill Napoleon. The Viper’s movements to infiltrate the country and complete his mission to kill The First Consul are outlined in the novel. There was no indication of such an individual actually existing at that time, but the author presents a very readable novel detailing seizure of power and blame accruing to many places with blame on the assassination attempt. A forward does indicate that Estleman might be using his book as a vehicle to alert people to the damage that could be done if the truth is hidden and falsehoods take its place. The act is character assassination and certainly might be a weapon used in changing the image of person or persons that are deemed to be hindering the paths of others from their goals.

4/2021 Paul Lane

THE EAGLE AND THE VIPER by Loren D. Estleman. Thomas & Mercer (March 1, 2021). ISBN: 978-1542023863. 336 pages.

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THE DROWNING KIND by Jennifer McMahon

April 25, 2021

From the publisher:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Invited and The Winter People comes a chilling new novel about a woman who returns to the old family home after her sister mysteriously drowns in its swimming pool…but she’s not the pool’s only victim.

Be careful what you wish for.

When social worker Jax receives nine missed calls from her older sister, Lexie, she assumes that it’s just another one of her sister’s episodes. Manic and increasingly out of touch with reality, Lexie has pushed Jax away for over a year. But the next day, Lexie is dead: drowned in the pool at their grandmother’s estate. When Jax arrives at the house to go through her sister’s things, she learns that Lexie was researching the history of their family and the property. And as she dives deeper into the research herself, she discovers that the land holds a far darker past than she could have ever imagined.

In 1929, thirty-seven-year-old newlywed Ethel Monroe hopes desperately for a baby. In an effort to distract her, her husband whisks her away on a trip to Vermont, where a natural spring is showcased by the newest and most modern hotel in the Northeast. Once there, Ethel learns that the water is rumored to grant wishes, never suspecting that the spring takes in equal measure to what it gives.

A haunting, twisty, and compulsively readable thrill ride from the author who Chris Bohjalian has dubbed the “literary descendant of Shirley Jackson,” The Drowning Kind is a modern-day ghost story that illuminates how the past, though sometimes forgotten, is never really far behind us.

Jennifer McMahon’s latest book is not at all surprising – a horror story. She has written in this genre for many years, and been quite successful in scaring the heck out of her readers. Pleased to inform the prospective readers that her writing continues with the same scary format so be warned. Don’t sit down at night with no one else home.

The story flips back and forth between two generations about fifty years apart. It tells about two women subjected to the same horror and how they deal with it. The connection between them becomes apparent during a well contrived ending.

Jax is the women living in the present with the occupation of social worker. We meet her at the point of having to rush back to her girlhood home when she is told that her sister Alexis (Lexie) has died. The two have been estranged for quite a while due to Lexie’s pushing her away and her death due to drowning is sudden and unexpected.

Ethel Monroe is a 37-year-old newlywed in 1929 and desperately wanting to have a baby. Her husband takes her on a trip to Vermont where a natural spring is showcased by a new, very modern hotel. Her husband is a doctor who can practice medicine where he likes, and to please his new wife they move up to the area where the hotel and the spring are close.

The two women are both affected by the spring, a lake and events surrounding it. McMahon has the knack of building her stories up slowly but surely and reaching a crescendo for her readers. Where the horror comes in to the story is the plot of the book and a logical and frightening circumstance that makes “The Drowning Kind” another Jennifer McMahon excellent read.

4/2021 Paul Lane

THE DROWNING KIND by Jennifer McMahon. Gallery/Scout Press (April 6, 2021). ISBN: 978-1982153922. 336 pages.

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ACT YOUR AGE, EVE BROWN by Talia Hibbert

April 24, 2021

The Brown Sisters, Book 3

From the publisher:

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

In Talia Hibbert’s newest rom-com, the flightiest Brown sister crashes into the life of an uptight B&B owner and has him falling hard—literally.

Featured on Parade, PopSugar, Marie Claire, Oprah Mag, Bustle, Shondaland, CNN.com, Kirkus Magazine, Bookpage, USA Today, Bookish, Bookriot, and more!

Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong. So she’s given up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It’s time for Eve to grow up and prove herself—even though she’s not entirely sure how…

Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car—supposedly by accident. Yeah, right.

Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen—and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore… and it’s melting Jacob’s frosty exterior.

This has turned into one of my favorite series, but I’m afraid I’ve reached the end. I’m pretty sure there are only three sisters, and honestly it’s hard to say whether they’ve saved the best for last. I’ve loved all these books!

Eve may be a mess, but she knows she is the most “normal” one in the family. Her two sisters are on the autism spectrum, so she recognizes Jacob’s issues immediately and better yet, knows exactly how to treat him. But he’s not going to be that easy.

After Eve accidentally hits him with her car, giving him a broken arm and a nasty concussion, she feels guilty enough to stick around and help out. Jacob doesn’t really want her there but he doesn’t have any other options. To his shock, his customers love her, her food is amazing, and he can’t help but like her too, as much as he fights it.

Meanwhile she has pretty much dropped off the face of the earth to her family, which suits her just fine. She is determined to prove them wrong about her and her flightiness by sticking with this job, even if Jacob is fighting her at every turn.

I loved these characters so much and I especially loved how Eve grew and learned about herself. The romance – enemies to lovers – was great, but it was the story and these characters that really drew me in. These books do not have to be read in order, but I highly recommend reading them all – they are really terrific! Can’t wait to see what Hibbert does next.

4/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

ACT YOUR AGE, EVE BROWN by Talia Hibbert. Avon (March 9, 2021). ISBN: 978-0062941275. 400 pages.

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SIRI, WHO AM I? by Sam Tschida

April 22, 2021

From the publisher:

Indie Next and Library Reads Pick
One of Cosmopolitan’s “Best New Books Coming Out in 2021”
One of POPSUGAR’s “Best New Books Coming Out in 2021”

A Millennial with amnesia uses her Instagram account to piece together her identity in this hilarious and whip-smart comedy about the ups and downs of influencer culture.

Mia might look like a Millennial but she was born yesterday. Emerging from a coma with short-term amnesia after an accident, Mia can’t remember her own name until the Siri assistant on her iPhone provides it. Based on her cool hairstyle (undercut with glamorous waves), dress (Prada), and signature lipstick (Chanel), she senses she’s wealthy, but the only way to know for sure is to retrace her steps once she leaves the hospital. Using Instagram and Uber, she arrives at the pink duplex she calls home in her posts but finds Max, a cute, off-duty postdoc supplementing his income with a house-sitting gig. He tells her the house belongs to JP, a billionaire with a chocolate empire. A few texts later, JP confirms her wildest dreams: they’re in love, Mia is living the good life, and he’ll be back that weekend.

But as Mia and Max work backward through her Instagram and across Los Angeles to learn more about her, they discover an ugly truth behind her perfect Instagram feed, and evidence that her head wound was no accident. Did Mia have it coming? And if so, is it too late for her to rewrite her story?

Amnesia! I haven’t read a good amnesia plot in a long time. While Mia leans who she is and where she lives from her phone (Siri is good for something after all!) she also doesn’t know how she ended up in the hospital, but it seems like there are a lot of people who would be happy to put her there. Let’s call this mystery adjacent. While there are a lot of unknowns, it is the romance that is at the heart of this fast moving story.

This also revolves around how social media rules our lives. Could you piece together your life from your social media accounts? I know I surely can! You don’t have to be a Kardashian to live your life online, and oversharing has become the norm and is exploited here for the humor. I love snark and Mia reminded me a bit of one of my favorite characters of film – Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. That combination of airhead and brains, beauty and kindness, yet apparently enough hostility in her life for her to end up with a traumatic head injury.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, and a pointed look at our culture. Nothing wrong with that!

4/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

SIRI, WHO AM I? by Sam Tschida. Quirk Books (January 12, 2021). ISBN: 978-1683691686. 352 pages.

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A GAMBLING MAN by David Baldacci

April 21, 2021

An Archer Novel, Book 2

From the publisher:

Aloysius Archer, the straight-talking World War II veteran fresh out of prison, returns in this riveting new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci.

The 1950s are on the horizon, and Archer is in dire need of a fresh start after a nearly fatal detour in Poca City. So Archer hops on a bus and begins the long journey out west to California, where rumor has it there is money to be made if you’re hard-working, lucky, criminal—or all three.

Along the way, Archer stops in Reno, where a stroke of fortune delivers him a wad of cash and an eye-popping blood-red 1939 Delahaye convertible—plus a companion for the final leg of the journey, an aspiring actress named Liberty Callahan who is planning to try her luck in Hollywood. But when the two arrive in Bay Town, California, Archer quickly discovers that the hordes of people who flocked there seeking fame and fortune landed in a false paradise that instead caters to their worst addictions and fears.

Archer’s first stop is a P.I. office where he is hoping to apprentice with a legendary private eye and former FBI agent named Willie Dash. He lands the job, and immediately finds himself in the thick of a potential scandal: a blackmail case involving a wealthy well-connected politician running for mayor that soon spins into something even more sinister. As bodies begin falling, Archer and Dash must infiltrate the world of brothels, gambling dens, drug operations, and long-hidden secrets, descending into the rotten bones of a corrupt town that is selling itself as the promised land—but might actually be the road to perdition, and Archer’s final resting place.

David Baldacci is one of the top authors in today’s literary world. His writings encompass a myriad of plots and protagonists. The current novel has all the earmarks of the Dashiell Hammett days when his character Sam Spade born in the classic, “The Maltese Falcon,” became the model for the tough as nails private detective which became a norm for the genre. Looks like Baldacci is entering into this field with the second book featuring Aloysius Archer.

This novel is apparently a means of setting Archer up a position as a private detective in a firm doing business in Bay Town California. Archer is a veteran of World War II, just four years in the past of the time of this book and having spent some time in prison along the way.

Archer has corresponded with a private detective working in Bay Town who has indicated he would be willing to talk to him and see if something can be worked out in terms of a job. Traveling west Archer makes a stop in Reno where he picks up some cash, an exclusive auto and a beautiful young lady who hitches a ride with him in order to try her luck in finding a job as an actress in Hollywood. Arriving in Bay Town, Archer meets the private eye he has set out to talk to: an ex FBI agent: Willie Dash. No surprise that Archer is started working a case as a trial and Liberty Callahan, the girl that hitched a ride with him, is found to be a very talented performer quickly getting a job in Bay Town as well.

The case Archer is brought into proves to be one affecting the entire area with all sorts of chicanery going on. The ending is no surprise nor is the fact that future Archer novels are in the works. I freely admit that I look forward to anything that David Baldacci writes and will pick them up and devour them. If it is the next Archer book, I won’t quibble if another emanating from his mind comes in before Archer’s reappearance. I’ll read that first and recommend it to the large group that I know is with me in seeking out Baldacci’s works.

4/2021 Paul Lane

A GAMBLING MAN by David Baldacci. Grand Central Publishing (April 20, 2021). ISBN: 978-1538719671. 448 pages.

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THE KINDRED SPIRITS SUPPER CLUB by Amy E. Reichert

April 20, 2021

From the publisher:

Jobless and forced home to Wisconsin, journalist Sabrina Monroe can tolerate reunions with frenemies and kisses from old boyfriends, but not the literal ghosts that greet her in this heartwarming tale of the power of love and connection from acclaimed author Amy E. Reichert.

For Sabrina Monroe, moving back home to the Wisconsin Dells–the self-described Waterpark Capital of the World–means returning to the Monroe family curse: the women in her family can see spirits who come to them for help with unfinished business. But Sabrina’s always redirected the needy spirits to her mom, who’s much better suited for the job. The one exception has always been Molly, a bubbly rom-com loving ghost, who stuck by Sabrina’s side all through her lonely childhood.

Her personal life starts looking up when Ray, the new local restaurateur, invites Sabrina to his supper club, where he flirts with her over his famous Brandy Old-Fashioneds. He’s charming and handsome, but Sabrina tells herself she doesn’t have time for romance–she needs to focus on finding a job. Except the longer she’s in the Dells, the harder it is to resist her feelings for Ray. Who can turn down a cute guy with a fondness for rescue dogs and an obsession with perfecting his fried cheese curds recipe?

When the Dells starts to feel like home for the first time and with Ray in her corner, Sabrina begins to realize that she can make a difference and help others wherever she is.

I love Amy Reichert’s books, and this one was worth the wait.

Sabrina is a wonderful character, so well developed that I felt like I knew her. Besides having anxiety issues, Sabrina has a gift that runs in the family. At least among the women in the family. They can communicate with the dead. Ghosts. But only those who need help in getting their affairs in order before they leave forever. But a few of the ghosts don’t leave, they hang around. Especially Molly, who has been hanging around for over a hundred years and is, in fact, Sabrina’s best friend.

Sabrina grew up in the Dells, near Door County, Wisconsin. In fact, that is the only place her and her mom can connect with ghosts. Once that ability hit, around puberty, Sabrina became the town weirdo. Her nemesis bullied her all through high school and beyond. And, in fact, is her current boss. Sabrina tries her hardest to hold on to her job, she really needs it to pay off her college loans and other debt. She was determined to be a journalist until she eventually realized talking to strangers was not something she ever wanted to do.

The Dells have a newish resident who has taken over an old supper club and has turned it into a destination, not only for tourists but for the towns people. Ray’s family owned quite a bit of the area but his parents moved to NY and are in a highly successful real estate business, and they have no intention of losing him to the Dells. But when his uncle Harry gets sick, Ray moved in to take care of him and the supper club was born again. Ray finally felt like he found himself, and his place. Especially when he meets Sabrina.

Ray and Sabrina are a couple who just don’t know it yet. Ray has family issues, Sabrina has her own issues, and it seems like they are always at odds. Ray is a patient man, and he realizes that Sabrina is the one for him. It takes her a bit longer to figure it out, but it is so much fun to get there. I also loved the Wisconsin food facts and recipes. And while I’m still not 100% clear on what a supper club entails exactly, I definitely want to go to one!

All of Reichert’s books tend to focus on food, which probably explains why I enjoy them so much! I hated to turn the last page. I really hated it. I wanted to spend more time in the Dells, especially with Ray and Sabrina. Another winner from one of my favorite authors.

4/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE KINDRED SPIRITS SUPPER CLUB by Amy E. Reichert. Berkley (April 20, 2021). ISBN: 978-0593197776. 352 pages.

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RED WIDOW by Alma Katsu

April 19, 2021

From the publisher:

An exhilarating spy thriller written by an intelligence veteran about two women CIA agents whose paths become intertwined around a threat to the Russia Division–one that’s coming from inside the agency.

Lyndsey Duncan worries her career with the CIA might be over. After lines are crossed with another intelligence agent during an assignment, she is sent home to Washington on administrative leave. So when a former colleague–now Chief of the Russia Division–recruits her for an internal investigation, she jumps at the chance to prove herself. Lyndsey was once a top handler in the Moscow Field Station, where she was known as the “human lie detector” and praised for recruiting some of the most senior Russian officials. But now, three Russian assets have been exposed–including one of her own–and the CIA is convinced there’s a mole in the department. With years of work in question and lives on the line, Lyndsey is thrown back into life at the agency, this time tracing the steps of those closest to her.

Meanwhile, fellow agent Theresa Warner can’t avoid the spotlight. She is the infamous “Red Widow,” the wife of a former director killed in the field under mysterious circumstances. With her husband’s legacy shadowing her every move, Theresa is a fixture of the Russia Division, and as she and Lyndsey strike up an unusual friendship, her knowledge proves invaluable. But as Lyndsey uncovers a surprising connection to Theresa that could answer all of her questions, she unearths a terrifying web of secrets within the department, if only she is willing to unravel it….

The very versatile Alma Katsu publishes another novel different than her previous works. This book deals with the American spy agency the CIA and like her other books, shows a good deal of research to go behind the scenes and realistically tell the story. Lyndsey Duncan, a longtime employee of the agency is returning to CIA headquarters in Washington from a field assignment with a cloud hanging over her head. Her sin was having an affair with a member of another intelligence agency: a man that worked for England’s MI5. She does expect to either be fired or find that her career is over with the CIA and being pigeonholed for her remaining years with the agency.

Much to Lyndsey’s pleasant surprise she is asked by a former colleague, now the head of the Russian division, to handle an internal investigation. She was once stationed in Moscow and successfully “ran” a senior Russian official and her expertise is seen to be of use in the search. The investigation she is tasked with has to do with the unmasking of several assets in Russia giving rise to the logical supposition that there is a mole in the department.

Lyndsey meets Theresa Warner whom she remembers from years ago and is currently working on situations for the Moscow division. Theresa’s husband, also a CIA employee was killed in the field several years ago under mysterious circumstances. The two form a friendship with Lyndsey finding that Theresa is somehow mixed up in the “mole” situation. The ingredients of the situation involving both women make for an interesting story and a satisfying read.

4/2021 Paul Lane

RED WIDOW by Alma Katsu. G.P. Putnam’s Sons (March 23, 2021). ISBN: 978-05255394140. 352 pages.

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THIS TIME NEXT YEAR by Sophie Cousens

April 18, 2021

From the publisher:

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

Their lives began together, but their worlds couldn’t be more different. After thirty years of missed connections, they’re about to meet again…

Minnie Cooper knows two things with certainty: that her New Year’s birthday is unlucky, and that it’s all because of Quinn Hamilton, a man she’s never met. Their mothers gave birth to them at the same hospital just after midnight on New Year’s Day, but Quinn was given the cash prize for being the first baby born in London in 1990–and the name Minnie was meant to have, as well. With luck like that, it’s no wonder each of her birthdays has been more of a disaster than the one before.

When Minnie unexpectedly runs into Quinn at a New Year’s party on their mutual thirtieth birthday, she sees only more evidence that fortune has continued to favor him. The gorgeous, charming business owner truly seems to have it all–while Minnie’s on the brink of losing her pie-making company and her home. But if Quinn and Minnie are from different worlds, why do they keep bumping into each other? And why is it that each fraught encounter leaves them both wanting more?

A moving, joyful love story, This Time Next Year explores the way fate leads us to the people we least expect–no matter what the odds.

oard of Ethan’s new shul hired him with the hopes that his nontraditional background will attract more millennials to the faith. They’ve given him three months to turn things around or else they’ll close the doors of his synagogue for good.

Naomi and Ethan join forces to host a buzzy seminar series on Modern Intimacy, the perfect solution to their problems–until they discover a new one–their growing attraction to each other. They’ve built the syllabus for love’s latest experiment, but neither of them expected they’d be the ones putting it to the test.

I am sorry to say this book got lost in my towering to-be-read pile, but I am so happy I found it! Family history is the meet/cute of this quirky romance, and while not entirely original, who cares! Minnie is the loser of the New Year’s Eve birthday contest, losing out on a cash prize and the name she was supposed to have because Quinn was the big winner of both. And did I mention her last name is Cooper? Minnie Cooper?

Flash forward and Minnie and Quinn run into each other at a New Year’s Eve party. Again and again. The attraction is there but they each are in relationships with other people who are obviously not right for them. Obvious to the reader at first, but soon enough to the characters as well.

I like the latest trend of giving heroines a mental illness. Whoops, that doesn’t sound right, does it? But I mean it, and in this case Minnie suffers from sometimes debilitating anxiety, something that so many people suffer from, usually in silence and on their own. It is refreshing to see it out in the world, even in fiction. Minnie is a great character, very well developed, relatable, and so likeable. Quinn is easy to like – he’s gorgeous, rich, and most important, kind.

It may take them a while to get together, but the journey is so much fun! If you love romcoms, especially British ones, as much as I do, you won’t want to miss this one.

4/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THIS TIME NEXT YEAR by Sophie Cousens. G.P. Putnam’s Sons (December 1, 2020). ISBN: 978-0593191200. 352 pages.