Romance | Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

DARK SACRED NIGHT by Michael Connelly

October 30, 2018

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A Ballard and Bosch Novel, Book 1

From the publisher:

Harry Bosch teams up with LAPD detective Renée Ballard to solve the murder of a young girl in the new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly.

Detective Renée Ballard is working the night beat — known in LAPD slang as “the late show” — and returns to Hollywood Station in the early hours to find a stranger rifling through old file cabinets. The intruder is retired detective Harry Bosch, working a cold case that has gotten under his skin.

Ballard can’t let him go through department records, but when he leaves, she looks into the case herself and feels a deep tug of empathy and anger. She has never been the kind of cop who leaves the job behind at the end of her shift — and she wants in.

The murder, unsolved, was of fifteen-year-old Daisy Clayton, a runaway on the streets of Hollywood who was brutally killed, her body left in a dumpster like so much trash. Now Ballard joins forces with Bosch to find out what happened to Daisy, and to finally bring her killer to justice. Along the way, the two detectives forge a fragile trust, but this new partnership is put to the test when the case takes an unexpected and dangerous turn.

Dark Sacred Night for the first time brings together these two powerhouse detectives in a riveting story that unfolds with furious momentum. And it shows once more why “there’s no doubt Connelly is a master of crime fiction” (Associated Press).

I celebrate new Michael Connelly books by pouring myself a nice big glass of wine, curling up on my favorite couch and settling in for the night. I have yet to put down one of his books and yes, sometimes I feel guilty. I know it takes him months to write but I can’t help but read it in a few hours. A few wonderful, magical, at times almost transformational hours. I’ve said it before (I probably say it in every Connelly review) but I truly believe that Michael Connelly is the best crime fiction writer working today (with Lee Child and Karin Slaughter coming up close.)

I’ve been reading Connelly since he began writing, and I have enjoyed watching him stretch himself in new directions over the years. When he introduced Mickey Haller, the “Lincoln Lawyer”, and slipped in a quiet relationship with Bosch, I knew it was only a matter of time before they met up. Now Mickey is off somewhere, and Connelly’s last book was supposedly the launch of a new series featuring a female detective, Renée Ballard. But apparently he is not yet ready to leave Harry Bosch behind so here they are together, sharing pages. And I, for one, am glad.

They cover a lot of ground in this joint endeavor, all the while closing in on Harry’s cold case. Harry’s interactions with Ballard are pure Bosch, and as a team they are unbeatable. There are some definite similarities between these characters. To me it feels like they have as much in common as they differ, making for a terrific team.

I love the way Connelly lays out the detective work, the methodical mixed with the action makes for a fabulous, unputdownable read. I am looking forward to seeing what comes next – maybe the Lincoln Lawyer will be joining them?

10/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

DARK SACRED NIGHT by Michael Connelly. Little, Brown and Company (October 30, 2018). ISBN 978-0316484800. 448p..

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KISS ME AT CHRISTMAS by Valerie Bowman

October 29, 2018

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Playful Brides, Book 10

I think I may have read a couple of the books in this series, some of the minor characters seemed somewhat familiar. Bowman takes a very typical plotline in historical romances, the commoner and the royal who can’t possibly marry, and does a terrific job with it.

In this case, Lady Regina has been orphaned at a young age and raised by her uncle. She is firmly “on the shelf” having rejected many suitors as she approaches her thirtieth birthday. Her uncle is dying and it is his final wish to see her married. To that end, she is affianced to a neighboring peer. He is moderately good looking at least, but a snob and a bore and Regina can’t imagine spending her life with this man. But she is a dutiful young woman and makes peace with the decision.

The book opens with Regina visiting a Bow Street Runner whom she met when he was hired to solve the murder of a relative. She was strongly attracted to him, and she decides if she is going to spend her life with a bore, she wants her first time with a man to be her decision. To that end, she visits Daffin Oakleaf, the runner, in his office and propositions him. Badly. She bungles it, he rejects her offer, and she is beyond embarrassed.

But when someone tries to run her carriage off the road, Oakleaf is hired to protect her. Spending all that time together forces them to learn about one another and eventually fall in love. But Oakleaf knows he can’t marry her because of the difference in their stations – or can he?

A delightful romance with some humor, witty dialogue and well developed characters I couldn’t help but care about. Regina was smart and sassy and Oakleaf was dark and damaged. The combination was explosive and made this a really fun read.

10/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

KISS ME AT CHRISTMAS by Valerie Bowman. St. Martin’s Paperbacks (October 30, 2018). ISBN 978-1250147523. 320p.

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THE LOOK OF LOVE by Sarah Jio

October 27, 2018

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This was a recommendation from one of my library members who knows I enjoy a touch of magical realism now and then. I do, but this book really pushed my limits. Allow me to explain.

The main character is Jane Williams. She has been under the care of a neurologist since she was a young child, making monthly treks to the doctor who had become a second mother to her after she lost her actual mother. Jane’s birthday is on Christmas, and she is turning 29. She receives a mysterious card via her doorman, inviting her to meet a woman she has never heard of, at her home, for tea, so she may explain the gift that Jane has been given.

Jane is nervous and takes her best friend along with her. Turns out that this woman was at the hospital on the day Jane was born, and gave her a gift. This gift is the ability to see true love, and has been passed down for generations from one green-eyed woman to another. She tells Jane that she has one year to identify the six kinds of love and record them in this old book that has been kept by all the women with this gift. If she fails, she will never find her own true love.

So far, so good. I did have a couple of issues then. First, there was no explanation for the six kinds of love, just some odd names. Maybe I was supposed to look those up? I don’t know, they aren’t explained until the end of the book when Jane is recording them. The bigger issue is that her six friends all neatly fall into one of the categories. I really had to suspend my disbelief here. That said, the story was compelling enough to keep me turning the pages.

For every drop of drama, there was a fairly immediate resolution. At the end, I did like the book but felt it could have been so much better had the characters not been so neatly categorized.

10/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE LOOK OF LOVE by Sarah Jio. Plume (November 25, 2014). ISBN 978-0142180532. 304p.

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DUCHESS BY DESIGN by Maya Rodale

October 26, 2018

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The Gilded Age Girls Club, Book 1

From the publisher:

In the first novel of Maya Rodale’s enthralling new series, an English duke vows to make an American seamstress his duchess…

In Gilded Age Manhattan, anything can happen…

Seeking a wealthy American bride who can save his family’s estate, Brandon Fiennes, the duke of Kingston, is a rogue determined to do the right thing. But his search for an heiress goes deliciously awry when an enchanting seamstress tumbles into his arms instead.

…and true love is always in fashion

Miss Adeline Black aspires to be a fashionable dressmaker—not a duchess—and not even an impossibly seductive duke will distract her. But Kingston makes an offer she can’t refuse: join him at society events to display her gowns and advise him on which heiresses are duchess material. It’s the perfect plan—as long as they resist temptation, avoid a scandal, and above all do not lose their hearts.

This is the first book of a new series and it is terrific. I love the time period, the gilded age in New York at the turn of the last century.

While the Duke is from England, he travels to America to find an heiress to save his family from ruin. He feels a tremendous responsibility, and his mother and sisters apparently have no idea what sort of financial straits the family is in – probably because he doesn’t tell them. He is determined to do the right thing, marry a woman with a fortune, he is not looking for a love match. But when he meets Adeline, it turns his world upside down.

Of course there is a case of mistaken identity that adds to the comedy of errors here. The humor is top notch and the characters are charming and fun. The hot sex scenes are also fun.

There is a definite trend in romances for strong, independent female characters and Adeline definitely fits that mold. I loved the references to real women of the time like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, it lends a touch of realism and helps with the suspension of disbelief.

I really enjoyed this read and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

10/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

DUCHESS BY DESIGN by Maya Rodale. Avon (October 23, 2018). ISBN 978-0062838803. 384p.

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ONE DAY IN DECEMBER by Josie Silver

October 24, 2018

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I loved the premise of this book – it’s based on love at first sight – literally. And I’m happy to say it lived up to my expectations.

Laurie is riding the bus in London and at one of the stops, she looks out the window and sees a man. He looks at her, too, and something passes between them. She tries to get off the bus, and he tries to get on, but neither are successful.

After that, Laurie looks for him at every bus stop and cafe. for a year but never finds him. Every man she meets just doesn’t measure up to “bus stop man,” as her roommate and best friend, Sarah, has dubbed him. Then Sarah meets a man that is really special, Jack is the love of her life, and she can’t wait for Laurie to meet him.

Of course, Jack is “bus stop man.”

Laurie is determined not to come between Sarah and Jack, and they both pretend they don’t know one another. Laurie finally meets someone else and life goes on for all of them. For ten years Laurie and Jack are friends, but that attraction is still there, and you just know it is going to blow up somewhere down the line.

Lots of hurdles to jump over here in this charming read before everyone gets to their happy ending. It made me laugh, it made me cry – it’s a heartfelt, emotional read that I enjoyed immensely.

10/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

ONE DAY IN DECEMBER by Josie Silver. Broadway Books (October 16, 2018). ISBN 978-0525574682. 416p..

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EVERY BREATH by Nicholas Sparks

October 21, 2018

I am very excited to be part of the blog tour for Nicholas Sparks’ first novel in two years – EVERY BREATH!

From the publisher:

In the romantic tradition of The Notebook and Nights in Rodanthe, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks returns with a story about a chance encounter that becomes a touchstone for two vastly different individuals — transcending decades, continents, and the bittersweet workings of fate.

Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At thirty-six, she’s been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family’s cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future.

Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother’s early life and recapture memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable . . . but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways.

Illuminating life’s heartbreaking regrets and enduring hope, EVERY BREATH explores the many facets of love that lay claim to our deepest loyalties — and asks the question, How long can a dream survive?

Sparks used an interesting literary device in this novel – he inserted himself into the story, at the beginning and again at the end. The story starts with some truth as well, the Kindred Spirit mailbox on Sunset Beach in North Carolina, where people leave letters for others to read and pass along. In this fable, Sparks finds a letter, a packet really, that immediately draws him in. It’s the story of two people who met, spent a week together, fell madly in love, then separated for many, many years. Sparks tracks down the man in the story and in exchange for helping him do some home repairs, gets the rights to his story, providing he changes the names to protect their privacy.

While I’ve always believed in love at first sight, I didn’t quite buy Tru & Hope’s story. It’s not that I don’t think two people can fall in love, a forever kind of love, in just a couple of days, but I just wasn’t feeling it here. At least, not at first. Then Hope leaves, for what she thinks are very good reasons, and Tru has to live with that. Well, they both do. And I started to feel it then. And kudos for the most aptly named characters I’ve read in a long time – Sparks obviously put a great deal of thought into every nuance of this book.

The book jumps many years ahead, when they meet again. We learn more about the years they spent apart, and oh, the tears started then. Nicholas Sparks is not King of the Weepies for nothing!

I loved the exotic setting in Zimbabwe and Botswana, and learning about life, death, the animals and the culture there. Tru’s backstory alone makes this book worth the price of admission. This is a fantastical story in some ways, but a hopeful and inspirational one, too. I have a feeling the film will be incredible.

EVERY BREATH by Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central Publishing (October 16, 2018). 978-1538728529. 320 p.

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JUST THIS ONCE by Mira Lynn Kelly

October 20, 2018

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The Wedding Date Series, Book 3

From the publisher:

He can’t have her.
So he moves in with her…
What could possibly go wrong?

As heir to a chain of luxury hotels, Sean Wyse III always gets what he wants. So when he sees a freeloading roommate taking advantage of his spunky best friend, Molly Brandt, he doesn’t hesitate to step in. He kicks out the roommate…and moves himself in.

Molly loves quality time with Sean, but spending nights with him one wall away threatens to wake the crush she thought she’d gotten over. A crush Sean knows nothing about, which might be a problem…considering how hard Sean’s been working never to think of Molly that way.

The Wedding Date series:
May the Best Man Win (Book 1)
The Wedding Date Bargain (Book 2)
Just this Once (Book 3)
The Decoy Date (Book 4)

This is my first read by Mira Lynn Kelly, and I will definitely be back for more. I loved these characters and couldn’t help rooting for them. There was enough twists and hurdles to keep the pages turning, and some laughs, too. I didn’t feel like I missed a thing by having started this series with the third book but I am looking for the previous books in the series, just because I think I will enjoy them.

If you want a fast escape and some lighthearted fare with a happy ending, look no further.

10/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

JUST THIS ONCE by Mira Lynn Kelly. Avon; Reissue edition (September 25, 2018). ISBN 978-0062741837. 384p.

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GRIN AND BEARD IT by Penny Reid

October 19, 2018

Winston Brothers Series, Book 2

From the publisher:

Beards, brothers, and bikers! Oh my!

Sienna Diaz is everyone’s favorite “fat” funny lady. The movie studio executives can’t explain it, but her films are out-grossing all the fit and trim headliners and Hollywood’s most beautiful elite. The simple truth is, everyone loves plus-sized Sienna.

But she has a problem, she can’t read maps and her sense of direction is almost as bad as her comedic timing is stellar. Therefore, when Sienna’s latest starring role takes her to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park she finds herself continually lost while trying to navigate the backroads of Green Valley, Tennessee. Much to her consternation, Sienna’s most frequent savior is a ridiculously handsome, charming, and cheeky Park Ranger by the name of Jethro Winston.

Sienna is accustomed to high levels of man-handsome, so it’s not Jethro’s chiseled features or his perfect physique that make Sienna stutter. It’s his southern charm. And gentlemanly manners. And habit of looking at her too long and too often.

Sienna has successfully navigated the labyrinth of Hollywood heart-throbs. But can she traverse the tenuous trails of Tennessee without losing her head? Or worse, her heart?

This was the first book I’ve read from this author. It was recommended to me by one of my library patrons, we often share books that we enjoy and I was very happy she told me about this one.

The celebrity being appreciated for herself (or himself) is not that uncommon a ploy in romances, and Reid does a really good job of it here. I liked all the characters and their relationships, from Sienna’s sister-manager and co-star/ex-boyfriend to Jethro’s brothers and co-workers. Their chemistry was off the charts and even though this book was written before the current #MeToo movement and the obvious, strongly written consent in current romances, it was there (copyright 2016). And it was Jethro who was putting on the brakes, which usually makes for an unbelievable storyline, but not here. I bought it all.

This was somehow still a hot romance, even though there were few sex scenes, but I enjoyed the humor the most, there were a lot of laughs here. If you like funny, contemporary romances, check out this book.

10/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

GRIN AND BEARD IT by Penny Reid. EverAfter Romance (March 23, 2018). ISBN 978-1635764871. 404p.

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MR. NICE GUY by Jennifer Miller & Jason Feifer

October 18, 2018

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A writing duo writing about dueling writers brings a singular perspective to this charming New York City–centric novel.

Lucas Callahan is the eponymous “nice guy” who is new to the city and thrilled when he has his first one-night stand. Unbeknownst to him, his partner, Carmen Kelly, is a coworker at Empire magazine, where he toils as a fact checker and she is the uberpopular sex columnist. Lucas learns this when he reads about their encounter in the magazine.

Mortified, he pens a scathing response and signs it “Mr. Nice Guy.” To his surprise, the magazine publishes it, and he and Carmen continue to date and write about their encounters. The column breathes new life into the magazine, and Lucas and Carmen forge a relationship of sorts that transforms as they both change and grow. Political intrigue at the magazine adds to the drama, but there are plenty of laughs as well.

VERDICT This first-time effort from author and journalist Miller (The Year of the Gadfly) and spouse Feifer, a journalist and blogger, offers a fun read that is sure to satisfy admirers of Sophie Kinsella and Meg Cabot.

10/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

MR. NICE GUY by Jennifer Miller & Jason Feifer. St. Martin’s Griffin (October 16, 2018). ISBN 978-1250189882. 400p.

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AN EARL LIKE YOU by Caroline Linden

October 13, 2018

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Wagers of Sin Series, Book 2

From the publisher:

When you gamble at love . . .

When Hugh Deveraux discovers his newly inherited earldom is bankrupt, he sets about rebuilding the family fortune—in the gaming hells of London. But the most daring wager he takes isn’t at cards. A wealthy tradesman makes a tantalizing offer: marry the man’s spinster daughter and Hugh’s debts will be paid and his fortune made. The only catch is that she must never know about their agreement . . .

You risk losing your heart . . .

Heiress Eliza Cross has given up hope of marriage until she meets the impossibly handsome Earl of Hastings, her father’s new business partner. The earl is everything a gentleman should be, and is boldly attentive to her. It doesn’t take long for Eliza to lose her heart and marry him.

But when Eliza discovers that there is more to the man she loves—and to her marriage—her trust is shattered. And it will take all of Hugh’s power to prove that now his words of love are real . . .

The marriage of convenience, one of the most frequently used plot devices in historical fiction, is at the center of this story. But usually there is more involved than the rich girl marrying a peer, or vice versa, because of financial need. There needs to be some drama to help move the story along, and while their circumstances, both the hero and the heroine, were fraught, it still felt like something was missing.

That said, I really liked these characters and was invested in their outcome. I liked the secondary characters as well, especially Eliza’s father. He was the heavy here and added the real drama to the story.

This was my first time reading this author, and I would definitely read another of her books. Maybe I’ll look for the first book in this series next.

10/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

AN EARL LIKE YOU by Caroline Linden. Avon (August 28, 2018). ISBN 978-0062672940. 384p.