Fiction | Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

THE PUSH by Ashley Audrain

January 5, 2021

From the publisher:

A tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family, told through the eyes of a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for–and everything she feared.

Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, supportive mother she never had to her new baby Violet.

But in the thick of motherhood’s exhausting early days, Blythe doesn’t find the connection with her daughter she expected. She’s convinced that something is wrong with Violet–the little girl is distant, rejects affection, and becomes increasingly disruptive at preschool.

Or is it all in Blythe’s head? Her husband, Fox, says she is imagining things. Fox doesn’t see what Blythe sees; he sees a wife who is struggling to cope with the day-to-day challenges of being a mother. And the more Fox dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity…

Then their son Sam is born–and with him, Blythe has the natural maternal connection she’d always dreamed of. Even Violet seems to love her little brother. But when life as they know it is changed in an instant, the devastating fall-out forces Blythe to face the truth about herself, her past, and her daughter.

The Push is a rare and extraordinary gift to readers: a novel about the expectations of motherhood we’re taught not to challenge and what really happens behind the closed doors of even the most perfect-looking families. It’s impossible to put down and impossible to forget.

Three generations of women have difficulties with motherhood and their stories intertwine in this very dark debut novel.

Blythe’s mother, Cecelia, left when she was eleven years old, and Blythe assumes she probably shouldn’t have children as her mother was not a very good role model. But their toxic relationship pales in comparison with Cecelia’s relationship with her mother, Etta.

There is an air of foreboding as Blythe’s story continues when Fox, Blythe’s gentle husband of three years, convinces her that it is time to have a baby. Blythe sees other mothers with their babies and hopes that she, too, will be like them. But Blythe never feels any kind of connection to her baby daughter, Violet, although Fox is immediately enamored.

As Blythe sinks into depression, Fox is convinced that she just doesn’t love the baby enough. There are some behavioral issues that Blythe sees in Violet that increase as she starts school, but Fox always turns a blind eye. Then Blythe has a son, Sam, and her maternal feelings for him are real and deep. Things still aren’t good with Violet, though, or with the marriage, and everything spirals out of control when tragedy strikes the family.

The marriage implodes and Blythe is having serious difficulties. This is not your typical tale of motherhood by any means, and the superlative writing makes this a gripping, unforgettable story indeed.

Verdict: For readers who enjoyed the darkness of My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh, or Jack of Spades by Joyce Carol Oates.

©Library Journal, 2021

1/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE PUSH by Ashley Audrain. Viking (January 5, 2021). ISBN 978-0735239890. 320p.

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THE FLIP SIDE by James Bailey

January 4, 2021

From the publisher:

Penny wise or pound foolish? A heartbroken young Brit decides to turn his love life over to the flip of a coin—in this delightfully British rom-com in the vein of Jenny Colgan, Rosie Curtis, Nick Hornby, and David Nicholls.

To coin a phrase, Josh is suffering a quarter-life crisis. He just broke up with his long-term girlfriend, lost his job, and moved back home with his parents (shudder). Welcome to rock bottom in Bristol. As Josh starts questioning all his life choices, he has a mad thought: Maybe he would just be better flipping a coin. After all, careful planning has landed him homeless, jobless, and single.

What starts as a joke soon becomes serious and Josh decides to start putting his faith in the capriciousness of currency. He doesn’t have anything to lose.

But when the chance of a lifetime and the girl of his dreams are on the line, will the coin guide him to a rich love life or leave him flat broke?

I am always curious about a contemporary romance novel written by a man. There aren’t a lot of them, but I like to read them just for an opposing viewpoint. This is a debut novel so double the pleasure; I love finding new authors as well.

This book opens on New Years Eve (probably 2019) and our hero, Josh, has made elaborate plans. You see, he is going to propose to his long term girlfriend and he wants it to be memorable. He reserves something called the “London Eye”, a glass bubble high above London with spectacular views. The occupants get to spend a predetermined amount of time in the bubble, and about halfway through, Josh drops to his knee to propose. Unfortunately, the girlfriend says no and to add coal to the fire, also tells him she’s been cheating on him. They get to spend an additional 28 minutes in the glass bubble after that. Painful, to say the least.

But that’s not the end of Josh’s troubles. Since his now ex-girlfriend is also the boss’s daughter, he feels compelled to resign his position. And since he lives with the ex-girlfriend in her spectacular loft, it means he has to move back in with his parents, your basic nightmare existence for a twenty-something. The icing on the cake? He arrives at his parents’ house to an engagement party.

He sneaks out of the party to watch a movie with his Pap, who offers him a coin to toss to determine which movie to watch. Since all the decisions he has made have not worked out, he decides to let the coin decide his life for the next year. He figures it can’t do any worse than he did.

The coin leads him on some crazy adventures, including chasing a girl all over Europe (but not in a stalker-ish way.) He learns a lot about himself throughout the year, and it was such a pleasure reading all about it. This is a very funny yet heartwarming read, and I just loved it. I am looking forward to more from this author. Highly recommend!

1/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE FLIP SIDE by James Bailey. William Morrow Paperbacks (November 17, 2020). ISBN 978-0063019393. 384 pages.

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THE AWAKENING by Nora Roberts

December 31, 2020

The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book 1

From the publisher:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts begins a new trilogy of adventure, romance, and magick in The Awakening.

In the realm of Talamh, a teenage warrior named Keegan emerges from a lake holding a sword―representing both power and the terrifying responsibility to protect the Fey. In another realm known as Philadelphia, a young woman has just discovered she possesses a treasure of her own…

When Breen Kelly was a girl, her father would tell her stories of magical places. Now she’s an anxious twentysomething mired in student debt and working a job she hates. But one day she stumbles upon a shocking discovery: her mother has been hiding an investment account in her name. It has been funded by her long-lost father―and it’s worth nearly four million dollars.

This newfound fortune would be life-changing for anyone. But little does Breen know that when she uses some of the money to journey to Ireland, it will unlock mysteries she couldn’t have imagined. Here, she will begin to understand why she kept seeing that silver-haired, elusive man, why she imagined his voice in her head saying Come home, Breen Siobhan. It’s time you came home. Why she dreamed of dragons. And where her true destiny lies―through a portal in Galway that takes her to a land of faeries and mermaids, to a man named Keegan, and to the courage in her own heart that will guide her through a powerful, dangerous destiny…

My reading history with romance is long but broken. I started reading paperback romances when I was in college. Kathleen Woodiwiss was my favorite. But I found that I was getting annoyed with my boyfriend at the time (now my husband.) There were no big romantic gestures that I could see (I was so wrong.) It felt like these books were interfering in my relationship, so I just stopped reading them.

Fast forward many years and I was a wife and a mother of two going back to work for the first time in about a dozen years. I started working at Borders Books & Music, and I loved it. My favorite time at work was when we hosted authors on tour, from local authors to big, bestselling authors. Like Nora Roberts.

I wasn’t much of a fan. I’d never read her, even though I recommended her books all the time. All her books were in the Romance section, which I avoided. But still, I knew how popular she was and sure enough, it was a standing room only crowd with a signing line around the building. She was truly lovely and kind to all the staff and patient with all her fans. She spoke about her new book (I don’t remember which one) and a bit about her writing process. That caught my attention. She spoke about doing all of her own research and editing and I sort of uncomfortably thought, are you printing the books in your basement, too? I guess I just didn’t believe that this woman who was pumping out book after book, series after series, was actually doing all that work herself in addition to the actual writing. I was an idiot.

Jump ahead a number of years and I was at Thrillerfest in NYC. Every year they host a debut authors breakfast, which is something I always look forward to. There are usually at least twenty authors, often more, and Steve Berry hosts it. He introduces the author, and they each get about three minutes or so to talk about their babies, AKA their debut novels. It’s always a fascinating mix of people from all walks of life, teachers, lawyers, veterinarians, historians, homemakers, you name it.

It was at one of these breakfasts that I sat next to an author I wasn’t familiar with, and I’m sorry to say I cannot remember her name. But I do remember this; she wrote mysteries under her own name, but she made her real living by writing paperback romances under the name Fern Michaels. Now there is a Fern Michaels, and she writes all of her own hardcover books and I imagine for many years she wrote all of her books, period. But at this point, she was uber-successful and basically had ghost authors writing her mass-market paperbacks. My brain is a bit fuzzy about all the details but I think it may have been before James Patterson started putting his co-writers’ names on his books. He had them; for instance, the Women’s Murder Club series that had only Patterson’s name on the first six or eight books but were actually written by another author, now a bestselling thriller writer under his own name. After that, there were two names on those books.

To reel this back in, I am telling you all this because that Fern Michaels ghostwriter knew Nora Roberts. She told me that the woman was a force of nature and a legend in the romance community because she did everything herself. She researched, wrote, and edited all her own books. I’m sure her publisher did their own editing but apparently, she was known for turning in completed books that didn’t need several rewrites.

I have read two other Roberts’ books since then, The Obsession, which was more romantic suspense/thriller and I loved it, and Come Sundown, more women’s fiction/romance and I thought it was just okay. Frankly, I would rather read new authors who need my little tiny bit of publicity than the bestselling authors who manage just fine without me. There are, obviously, exceptions, authors I love and will always read, like Michael Connelly, Lisa Scottoline, Lee Child, Lisa Unger, Diana Gabaldon, and those names have slipped my sieve of a brain at the moment.

So to this book. The Awakening is a fantasy crossed with the real world. I think the reason I requested it was that her publicist was comparing it to Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, which is one of my favorite series of all time. That made me take a look and while in many ways it is not like Outlander, I understood the comparison. Most fantasies are set in their own world. This one is set in two worlds, our known world, and the world that Nora Roberts created here.

Reading this book, I could immediately see why her books are all bestsellers. She is one hell of a storyteller. I was dragged into this story and it stayed with me for months. Yes, I read it several months ago but I wasn’t (and still am not) as good with keeping up with my reviews. Acedia. Ennui. Pick your poison, I have suffered from both during this pandemic.

So better late than never. I loved this book, this world that Roberts created. I especially loved that our main character, Breen, has a foot in both worlds. The characters are all interesting and since it is partly based in Ireland, I had to look up how to pronounce several of the names. Which I’ll forget by the time the next book is out. But still worth it.

I didn’t love the abrupt, cliffhanger ending. I understand that this is the first book of a planned trilogy (when writers create their own worlds, they tend to want to stay in them for a while.) A little more finesse would have made it better for me. That said, I will be first in line to read the next book in this series. And maybe even pick up another Nora Roberts romance sometime.

12/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE AWAKENING by Nora Roberts. St. Martin’s Press (November 24, 2020). ISBN 978-1250272614. 448 pages.

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HER WICKED MARQUESS by Stacy Reid

December 29, 2020

The Sinful Wallflowers, Book 2

From the publisher:

Miss Maryann Fitzwilliam is too witty and bookish for her own good. No gentleman of the ton will marry her, so her parents arrange for her to wed a man old enough to be her father. But Maryann is ready to use those wits to turn herself into a sinful wallflower.

When the scandal sheet reports a sighting of Nicolas St. Ives, the Marquess of Rothbury, climbing out the chamber windows of a house party, Maryann does the unthinkable. She anonymously claims that the bedchamber belonged to none other than Miss Fitzwilliam, tarnishing her own reputation―and chances of the dastardly union her family secured for her. Now she just needs to convince the marquess to keep his silence.

Turns out Nicolas allows for the scandal to perpetuate for his own reasons… But when Maryann’s parents hold fast to their arranged marriage plan, it’ll take a scandal of epic proportions for these two to get out of this together.

This author was new to me but we share the same first name and even spell it the same way so I figured I’ve got to check out my partial namesake! Plus the storyline sounded good and I liked the cover so, to be honest, that was what really drew me in. Plus the publisher, Entangled, runs very hot and cold with giving out the egalleys. If I sign up to review, I definitely get the book, while others are hit or miss. I ask, sometimes they say no, sometimes they say yes. Which may explain why I review so many Avon and Harlequin romances – because they always say yes. And I have found that invariably, I always like their books. With Entangled, that is not always the case. But they are a “Women-owned publisher” and I like that so I want to support them.

Berkley Books is the most annoying publisher I deal with, and every month I swear I’m going to just ignore their titles and avoid the aggravation. I haven’t quite taken that step yet but I am THISCLOSE. Weirdly, they are an imprint of Penguin Random House, who I have been dealing with since 1998 with no issues at all, until this past year, and only with this imprint. I don’t know who is making these decisions now because they also choose to ignore me when I ask. One of these days I will seriously follow up and try and find out what their problem is but I’ve just been too busy to bother. Or I’ll just stop reading/reviewing their books. Occasionally, I get assigned a Berkley Book from my editor at Library Journal. I’ll request the egalley (because of my vision issues, it’s more comfortable for me to read on my Kindle or iPad) and invariably get turned down by the publisher in one of the egalley apps, but I can get it in the other and of course Library Journal is always able to get it for me. Just takes a few more days. ANNOYING! So I really think there is one person behind this. Or am I being paranoid? Hmmmm…

Anyway, back to My Wicked Marquess. This is a fake engagement type storyline, and I usually like that plot device, and it works really well here. There is a lot of explicit sex so if you don’t enjoy that, skip this book. I will say I think the sex scenes were well written. The main characters were well defined and drew me into their story and I wanted them to find their happy ending. The secondary characters were developed enough to make their presence felt, and that is not always the case, so kudos, Ms. Reid! A very enjoyable hot and sexy romp.

12/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

HER WICKED MARQUESS by Stacy Reid. Entangled: Amara (December 29, 2020). ISBN 978-1682815199. 400 pages.

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VIOLENT PEACE by David Poyer

December 23, 2020

The War with China: Aftermath of Armageddon

Dan Lenson Novels, Book 20

From the publisher:

World War III is over… or is it? Superpowers race to fill the postwar power vacuum in this page-turning thriller, the next in the Dan Lenson series.

In the next installment of David Poyer’s critically-acclaimed series about war with China, mutual exhaustion after a massive nuclear exchange is giving way to a Violent Peace.

While Admiral Dan Lenson motorcycles across a post-Armageddon US in search of his missing daughter, his wife Blair Titus lands in a spookily deserted, riot-torn Beijing to negotiate the reunification of Taiwan with the rest of China, and try to create a democratic government.

But a CIA-sponsored Islamic insurgency in Xianjiang province is hurtling out of control. Andres Korzenowski, a young case officer, must decide whether ex-SEAL Master Chief Teddy Oberg―now the leader of a ruthless jihad―should be extracted, left in place, or terminated.

Meanwhile, Captain Cheryl Staurulakis and USS Savo Island are recalled to sea, to forestall a Russian fleet intent on grabbing a resource-rich Manchuria.

The violent and equivocal termination of the war between China and the Allies has brought not peace, but dangerous realignments in the endless game of great power chess. Will the end of one world war simply be the signal for the beginning of another?

The next book in David Poyer’s series about a war between the United States and China with the drawing in of many other nations making it World War III. Millions have been killed and many others maimed for life. The war concluded on an armistice between the belligerents which left the same problem as had occurred in 1918 ending World War I. The German army later indicated that they had never surrendered and were not obligated by the treaty made by their leaders which opened the door to the next phase – World War II.

The action begins at a peace conference held by the former belligerents to fix terms and conditions and attempt to make sure that the combat does not begin again. Problems arise immediately when China attempts to fix the conditions for the armistice which could negate what the allies want to occur. In addition, the principal characters face the problems of peace bringing conditions of war-torn nations devastated by the fighting having to reconstruct their countries first.

Dan Lenson has been promoted to Admiral but instead of immediately assuming his position spends many weeks in attempts to find his daughter who has disappeared in the aftermath of the fighting. His wife Blair is working with the members of the U.S. peace committee sent to Bejing in order to try and set the terms of Taiwan reuniting with China as well as attempting to form a democratic government for the Chinese. Meanwhile, Captain Cheryl Stauralakis onboard the USS Savo Island and in command of a small flotilla is ordered to sail against a Russian fleet attempting to grab a Manchuria rich in natural resources.

On another front, Teddy Oberg, a US Seal, has made himself the leader of an Islamic group and leading a revolt causes the allies to consider terminating him as a means of controlling the area he presides over.

Poyer continues to draw his readers in with books featuring continuous action and well-delineated characters taking part in the action. This novel ends with the possibility of new combat against a Russia that has kept itself largely out of the fighting but demands to be allowed to take part in war reparations. The playing out on a world stage is deftly handled and cause and effect made logical. Would the situations evolve in a similar manner if really taking place? Probably, if not exactly. Certainly, it does place the blame for the war on leadership consumed with pursuing their own ends rather than looking for the common good.

12/2020 Paul Lane

VIOLENT PEACE by David Poyer. Oceanview Publishing (December 1, 2020). ISBN: 978-1608094004. 336 pages.

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A TAIL FOR TWO by Mara Wells

December 21, 2020

Fur Haven Dog Park, Book 2

From the publisher:

All paws on deck!

Carrie Burns has a successful business, a young son, Oliver, and an energetic Jack Russell terrier. She doesn’t have time in her busy schedule for her ex-husband and his talk of working together again. But when she runs into Lance in the dog park, their lives are turned upside down.

Lance Donovan wants to promote his fledgling construction company by helping his brother Caleb with a big condo conversion. Lance even knows the perfect interior designer to make this project a success―his ex-wife, Carrie. But after a fateful meeting at the dog park, Lance finds himself not only petsitting both his brother’s dog and the beloved Jack Russell terrier he had to leave behind in the divorce but babysitting a young son he never knew he had while his ex-wife tries to get back into dating. How did life get this crazy?

Lance is determined to win back the love he thought he’d lost―but he’s going to need a lot of help from his furry friends.

Fur Haven Dog Park Series:
Cold Nose, Warm Heart (Book 1)
Tail for Two (Book 2)

I actually read the first book in this series (yay, me) and I liked it enough to read the next and here we are. This one is a little bit better, probably because I was already familiar with the background story and some of the characters. It’s a cute read with an underlying sweetness that just dragged me in. There are dogs and sexy men and a good “will she or won’t she take him back” kind of romance. And Miami is always good for me. Oh, and cranky grandparents, too, a South Florida stereotype that became one for a reason!

All I can say is if you want a sweet, fun read for over the holidays, you can’t go wrong here. Enjoy!

12/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

A TAIL FOR TWO by Mara Wells. Sourcebooks Casablanca (September 29, 2020). ISBN 978-1492698616. 384 pages.

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JINGLE ALL THE WAY by Debbie Macomber

December 19, 2020

From the publisher:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Love can transform even the best-laid plans in this heartfelt Christmas novel from the queen of Christmas stories, Debbie Macomber.

Trapped in the middle of five siblings, Everly Lancaster always had big dreams. Now a top real-estate executive, Everly finds her work is her life, leaving no space for anything (or anyone) else. Sensing her stress, Everly’s boss insists she take December off. At first, a month away seems crazy—how will the company survive without her? But Everly’s mother convinces her otherwise. She deserves a vacation—plus, when she returns, she’ll have no excuse to skip family Christmas like she did last year.

But after her vengeful assistant books a guided cruise in the Amazon instead of the luxury beach vacation she expected, Everly is horrified to realize that she’s about to spend the next two weeks trapped—with no Wi-Fi!—in the rain forest. Not even Asher Adams, the ship’s charming naturalist, can convince Everly that the trip will be unforgettable. Slowly but surely, she realizes he is right: the sights are spectacular. And with each passing day, Everly’s relationship with Asher deepens, forcing her to take a long, hard look at her priorities.

Everly and Asher begin to see magic in the possibility of a life together. But as the cruise nears its end, and Everly’s family Christmas approaches, both must decide if love is worth the risk. A merry surprise may be in store in Debbie Macomber’s newest holiday delight.

I have not always loved Macomber’s Christmas romances, so it was with a bit of trepidation that I started reading this one. In fact, I waited for a while and read a bunch of other Christmas books before finally getting to this one. I am happy to report that I loved it!

The characters were complex and likeable, and the setting on an adventure cruise through the Amazon made for an interesting backdrop. As usual, the secondary characters were very one dimensional and only used to advance the plot, but it didn’t bother me here as my focus was entirely on Everly and Asher.

Macomber has a way of stretching believability almost to the breaking point, but she manages to pull it back in enough to make it work. It is a short book and a fast read with enough drama, and some laughs, to move the story along nicely. And no sex, of course.

This book exemplifies why Macomber is the “Queen of Christmas stories”. Looking forward to the Hallmark movie (no, I don’t know anything but they have made films of many of her Christmas books, and this would be a good one with the Amazon as a backdrop.) Anyway, I recommend!

12/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

JINGLE ALL THE WAY by Debbie Macomber. Ballantine Books (October 13, 2020). ISBN 978-1984818751. 272 pages.

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THE CHRISTMAS BACKUP PLAN by Lori Wilde

December 17, 2020

Twilight, Texas Book 12

From the publisher:

A regimented ex-Army man drives an irresistible wedding planner from Cupid to Twilight in the next Twilight, Texas, novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori Wilde.

You are cordially invited to a Twilight, Texas, Christmas Wedding! The town is decorated, the cookies are made, and the stage is set . . . for love.

Wedding planner Aria Alzate has one goal: to give her best friend a perfect day. But after a bump on the head, she’s under doctor’s orders not to travel on her own. So she’s stuck on the road to Twilight with upright, uptight Remington Lockhart in the driver’s seat. True, Remy is one long, tall, Texas male, but the ex-military man never saw a rule he didn’t like—making this one long road trip . . .

Remy has left the military, but the military lifestyle has not left him. The uncertainty this ex-paratrooper encountered during his tour of duty has convinced him that plans—combined with backup plans—will keep life under control. Aria is undeniably tempting, but her fly-by-the-seat of her pants attitude is never going to work.

Then a sudden snowstorm strikes, and these opposites come together in a night of unexpected passion. And suddenly the magic of a Twilight, Texas, Christmas takes hold, proving that sometimes the best plan is to have no plan at all.

Lori Wilde is one of the authors I really trust – I know her books are all good and all going to help me escape reality for a bit. This one is no exception.

The Twilight, Texas series is a terrific series and I really enjoyed every book, which is saying a lot, considering this is the twelfth book in the series! Her characters always come to life on the page and I can’t help rooting for them. Even this time, with Remy, a veteran with a stick up his butt. He is a real rules kind of guy, and he can’t understand someone like Aria at all. She just does things without a plan sometimes or makes the best of things when something goes wrong. If only she would have a backup plan for her backup plan, he wouldn’t have to worry about her so much.

But worry he does, because somehow he is falling in love with this unorganized woman. And while she laughs at his rules, she, too, is falling in love. But rules are rules and Remy knows she is not the one for him. Until he finally figures out that she is. All set against a Christmas wedding backdrop, this was a very fast, really good read. Another winner for Wilde.

12/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE CHRISTMAS BACKUP PLAN by Lori Wilde. Avon (October 27, 2020). ISBN 978-0062953148. 368 pages.

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BLIND VIGIL by Matt Coyle

December 16, 2020

Rick Cahill Series, Book 7

From the publisher:

Anthony, Shamus, and Lefty Award-winning Author!

A friend arrested for murder. A vicious killer lurking in the shadows. A world of darkness.

Blinded by a gunshot wound to the face while working as a private investigator nine months ago, Rick Cahill is now sure of only one thing: he has to start a new life and leave his old one behind.

He’s still trying to figure out what that life is when his onetime partner, Moira MacFarlane, asks for his help on a case she’s taken for Rick’s former best friend. The case is simple and Moira only needs Rick for one interview, but Rick is wary of waking sleeping demons.

Ultimately, he goes against his gut and takes the case which quickly turns deadly. Rick’s old compulsion of finding the truth no matter the cost—the same compulsion that cost him his eyesight and almost his life—battles against his desire to escape his past.

The stakes are raised when Rick’s friend is implicated in murder and needs his help. Can he help the friend he no longer trusts while questioning his own lessened capabilities? His life depends on the answer as a shadowy killer lurks in the darkness.

Rick Cahill is a private detective and the principal character in Matt Coyle’s novels about him. The books can each stand alone, although Rick has been developed throughout the series. He began as a member of the La Jolla, California police department when his eventful life began with the murder of his wife. Rick was a suspect in the murder but was not arrested due to lack of evidence. He was forced to leave the police force and subjected to the feeling by many of his fellow officers that he did kill the woman and is getting away with murder. Over time Cahill has worked on different cases as a private detective, solved them, and become a fine example of the classic hard-boiled detective.

In the novel prior to “Blind Vigil,” Rick finds his wife’s killer but is wounded in a fight with him and suffers from blindness. This condition has, of course, forced him to retire from his work and he is kept home accompanied by his dog and the occasional visits of his new love Leah. She has a growing business in a different area of the state and has to attend it and unable to move in with Rick on a permanent basis.

Moira MacFarlane, who was Rick’s partner at one time, approaches him asking for help. She has been hired by Rick’s good friend and former boss at a restaurant and asked to investigate the man’s girlfriend with an eye to determine if she is cheating on him. Moira explains that it would be advantageous to have Rick take part since he is good friends with the man and it would be easier to help with the situation by adding a bit of the personal to the equation. The investigation develops into a murder case and Rick must take part in the investigation even though he is blind. In the same way that Matt Coyle has made Rick come alive in all the prior novels featuring him, he successfully does the same with him as someone that cannot see. This is very well done and does represent some painstaking questioning and research into the world of the blind in order to logically work on what is a complicated case.

12/2020 Paul Lane

BLIND VIGIL by Matt Coyle. Oceanview Publishing (December 1, 2020). ISBN: 978-1608094004. 336 pages.

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THE BOOKISH LIFE OF NINA HILL by Abbi Waxman

December 15, 2020

From the publisher:

The author of Other People’s Houses and The Garden of Small Beginnings delivers a quirky and charming novel chronicling the life of confirmed introvert Nina Hill as she does her best to fly under everyone’s radar.

Meet Nina Hill: A young woman supremely confident in her own…shell.

The only child of a single mother, Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, a kick-butt trivia team, a world-class planner and a cat named Phil. If she sometimes suspects there might be more to life than reading, she just shrugs and picks up a new book.

When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, Nina is horrified. They all live close by! They’re all—or mostly all—excited to meet her! She’ll have to Speak. To. Strangers. It’s a disaster! And as if that wasn’t enough, Tom, her trivia nemesis, has turned out to be cute, funny, and deeply interested in getting to know her. Doesn’t he realize what a terrible idea that is?

Nina considers her options.
1. Completely change her name and appearance. (Too drastic, plus she likes her hair.)
2. Flee to a deserted island. (Hard pass, see: coffee).
3. Hide in a corner of her apartment and rock back and forth. (Already doing it.)

It’s time for Nina to come out of her comfortable shell, but she isn’t convinced real life could ever live up to fiction. It’s going to take a brand-new family, a persistent suitor, and the combined effects of ice cream and trivia to make her turn her own fresh page.

Another book that slipped through the Kindle cracks! I really need to get my Kindle more organized. I haven’t read Waxman in a while and I’m not sure why as I’ve always enjoyed her books. This one was a really fun read if you like quirky characters and a charming love story, and I love that combination.

Nina Hill is someone I could be friends with; she loves books, her cat, and trivia. One of my fondest memories of working for the Palm Beach County Library was winning the trivia contest. It was really close, but James Patterson got us the trophy (and I’m sure he has no idea and couldn’t care less!)

Anyway, Nina is on a trivia team that meets at local pubs and they are doing really well until a new team shows up and starts kicking their butts. The captain of their team, Tom knows sports, about which Nina and her team know very little. Tom is also cute and seems interested in Nina, but she is not an experienced woman of the world and probably she is wrong. She also works in a bookstore that is not doing that well. There’s an old saying, if you want to make a little money in a bookstore, start out with a lot of money. There is an idiosyncratic crew working there, and the owner does her best to dodge the landlord. Needless to say, Nina fits right in.

Then there’s the whole new family thing. Nina grew up in a single-parent household, with a mother who never really mentioned her father. Nina and her mom were very close, and Nina was devastated when she lost her mom. So she was really shocked to find out who her father was, especially as she only finds out when his lawyer contacts her to come to the reading of his will. Nina never really had any family, and now there is a rather large family all wanting to meet her. Seems her father has been married several times and had children with a few of the wives. A couple of them treat her like she is a conman out to steal their inheritances, but more of them are happy to meet her and want her to be a part of their crazy, modern family.

Abby doesn’t deal with chaos very well or change, for that matter. But she manages to muddle through and without giving too much away, let’s just say there is a most satisfactory ending all the way around. I’m moving Waxman up to my ‘must read’ list.

11/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE BOOKISH LIFE OF NINA HILL by Abbi Waxman. Berkley; Illustrated edition (July 9, 2019). ISBN 978-0451491879. 352 pages.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi