THE LIGHT WE LOST by Jill Santopolo

June 20, 2017

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Lucy and Gabe met as students at Columbia University in New York City – on September 11, 2001. Yes, that September 11th. There was that shared trauma, but something more and Lucy was upset to find out shortly thereafter that Gabe had a girlfriend. But she moved on.

Until they met again. And it didn’t work out again. Or the next time. Star crossed lovers? Perhaps. And then finally the time was right.

By then Lucy was a successful children’s television producer and Gabe had found his calling in photojournalism. They quickly moved in together and were deliriously happy. At least Lucy was. They were in love, but Gabe was feeling stifled in his career. He wanted to go to where there were wars, where he thought his photographs might make a difference. And without telling Lucy, he arranged for such a job. Until he had to tell her because he was leaving. She was crushed.

Lucy eventually moved on. She met a man and slowly, very slowly, he wooed his way into her heart and eventually they married. But Gabe kept popping up every few years or so. At a reunion. On a stopover in NY. Lucy’s husband wasn’t a fan, but he dealt with it as best as he could. And Lucy was happy, for the most part. But Gabe was always there in her heart and after thirteen years, their history would finally catch up with them in a devastating way.

This book was unputdownable and I loved it, despite shedding tears along the way. The writing reminded me of Rainbow Rowell and especially Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, so if you are fan of those authors, try this one.

A terrific, terrible modern romance.

6/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE LIGHT WE LOST by Jill Santopolo. G.P. Putnam’s Sons (May 9, 2017).  ISBN 978-0735212756.  336p.

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COME SUNDOWN by Nora Roberts

June 11, 2017

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I spent a lot of time trying to figure out who was who in this book about four generations of women living and working together on a ranch/resort in Montana. I finally got it but not until most of the way through the book but that’s on me. And really, it wasn’t all that important in the scheme of things.

Bodine runs the resort side of the family business and she’s really good at it. As a child she had a crush on her older brother’s best friend, Cal, but he left to do horse work in Hollywood before she grew up. Now he’s back and the chemistry between them is definitely there. He’s been hired on the ranch side of the business but when some employees retire, she hires him for the resort and things start heating up.

The day after Bodine’s mother got married, her sister Alice ran away from home. She never came back and Bodine and her brother never knew her. The story moves back and forth occasionally between Alice’s life and the rest of the family and the difference is stark, to say the least.

Bodine and Cal are out riding one morning when they find a woman’s body on the side of the road. It is one of the resort’s bartenders and she’s been murdered. Then a short time later another body turns up, and the small town sheriff has his hands full with the murders as well as his deputy who has some bad blood with Cal from when they were kids.

You can see the ending coming from a mile away and frankly, I wasn’t even looking so that was a bit of a disappointment. I’ve only read one other Nora Roberts book (I know, I know, she’s written well over 150 books!) and I loved that one (The Obsession) but this was one was just okay.

6/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

COME SUNDOWN by Nora Roberts. St. Martin’s Press (May 30, 2017).  ISBN 978-1250123077. 480p.

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THE GIRL WITH THE MAKE-BELIEVE HUSBAND by Julia Quinn

June 7, 2017

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A Bridgertons Prequel: Rokesbys, Book 2

Cecelia Harcourt is in trouble. Her brother is in the army, fighting in the colonies when she gets a letter informing her that he has been injured and is in the hospital. Her father has just died, her mother died many years earlier, and a loathesome cousin has come sniffing around, trying to talk her into marrying him. He suspects he may inherit if her brother is dead, but Cecelia wants no part of him. She could go live with an aunt, but that doesn’t appeal either.

Instead, she gathers up the strength and the courage to sail to the colonies, try and find her brother and nurse him back to health. But when she finally arrives, no one seems to know where her brother is, he is presumed missing. But she does find her brother’s best friend, Captain Edward Rokesby. He is lying in a makeshift hospital and has been unconscious for a week after receiving a terrible head wound.

The doctor in charge won’t let her help Edward until she blurts out that she is his wife, and that changes everything. She is permitted to sit by his side and nurse him back and a few days later, he regains consciousness – along with amnesia. He has no memory of the previous few months.

Oh what a plot we weave when first we practice to deceive – and while deception seems to be at the heart of a lot of romance novels, Quinn’s expertise and experience really show here. The story is believable and compelling, and I finished it in one very late night. Another excellent read from a Romance Writers of America’s Hall of Fame author.

6/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE GIRL WITH THE MAKE-BELIEVE HUSBAND by Julia Quinn. Avon (May 30, 2017). ISBN: 978-0062388179. 384p.

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NEW YORK ACTUALLY by Sarah Morgan

May 30, 2017

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From Manhattan With Love Series, Book 4

My regular readers know that this is one of my favorite series. Originally it was supposed to be a trilogy, but I was so happy to hear there would be more. This one is another terrific entry into the series.

This series was originally about three women, best friends who get downsized from their jobs and form their own company, a sort of concierge service for Manhattanites, called Urban Genie. Each book centered around one of the women, but now their world has expanded. This book is about Molly, who uses the dog walkers recommended by Urban Genie and is friendly with the women, and Daniel, who is friends with one of the women’s brothers. Not as complicated as it sounds, and hardly worth an explanation, but there you have it. Romance series tend to grow by focusing the next story on a peripheral character, so there is always some overlap but I think this series is best read in order.

Molly has emigrated to America from England because of some horrible incident that is hinted at throughout the story, but not exposed until nearly the end. We know it was a relationship gone horribly wrong that also caused her friends and family to abandon her. leaving her gun shy about love, to say the least. Interestingly, Molly is a psychologist who specializes in relationships. In New York, she starts a blog called “Ask a Girl,” using the pseudonym Aggie, and she has a huge following and earns a book deal out of it. That book was a big bestseller and now she is under contract to write another. No one, except the gay couple upstairs, knows that Molly is Aggie or what happened in the UK, and she aims to keep it that way.

Daniel is one of the most successful divorce lawyers in New York. His sisters are the dog walkers, so when he sees Molly running in the park with her dog, he borrows a dog from them to try and catch her interest – and it works. Molly’s dalmation, Valentine, is her best friend and she likes it that way. She has no interest in getting involved with anyone again, not after all the heartache she’s left in her wake. Daniel is also gun shy, working with all those couples who are getting divorced and the bitterness and acrimony that goes along with it. But he’s all about casual sex, and the chemistry between them is so strong that Molly can’t deny it.

They become friends with benefits, for lack of a better description, but there are many stumbling blocks along the way, some of them pretty major. But this wouldn’t be a romance without a happily ever after, and there is. This was a one night (ok, a late night) read for me – I loved it! The next book is Holiday in the Hamptons, which comes out August 29 (or June 15, I’ve seen both dates,) but you can pre-order it now.

5/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

NEW YORK ACTUALLY by Sarah Morgan. HQN Books (May 30, 2017). ISBN 978-0373804108. 384p.

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TREMAINE’S TRUE LOVE by Grace Burrowes

May 26, 2017

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True Gentlemen, Book 1

Not sure how I missed this, but this book was a 2016 RITA Finalist for Historical Romanace and now that I’ve read it, I know why. And look at me, starting a series with book 1! This book is from 2015, and there are two more out already. I found it on a list from Overdrive, the company from which my library (most libraries) gets most of their ebooks. Luckily I found the next two in my library on the shelf (thanks, Barbara!) especially since the ebooks have a waiting list. The fourth book in the series, His Lordship’s True Lady, comes out in June – at least on Kindle. I should be all caught up by then.

Tremaine St. Michael is of mixed heritage, Scottish on his mother’s side and a French comte on his father’s. But mostly he is a man of commerce, always wheeling and dealing and making himself a fortune in the process, mostly in the sheep/wool business. He’s visiting the Haddonfield’s in hopes of buying their rare Merino sheep. But it is the eldest daughter, Nita, who is distracting him from his business.

Nita has decided she’s never going to marry. She inherited her mother’s gift of healing, and much prefers taking care of her neighbors than staying at home. But Tremaine is unlike any of the men she has met before. Their chemistry is interesting to watch ignite.

The usual drama ensues, including a duel which doesn’t come up as often as you would think in these historical romances, so that was a nice touch. I also like that the setting was in the country, not in London like a lot of historical romances. A bit of sex, nothing too graphic, but enough to make it interesting. It was a fun, fast read and I can understand why it was nominated for the RITA award.

5/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

TREMAINE’S TRUE LOVE by Grace Burrowes. Sourcebooks Casablanca (August 4, 2015) ISBN: 978-1492621027. 416p.

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THE SIMPLICITY OF CIDER by Amy E. Reichert

May 18, 2017

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Sanna Lund is the fifth generation to live and work on the family apple orchard in Door County, Wisconsin. Once a thriving family business, now it is just Sanna and her aging father, and business is terrible. Sanna is obsessed with making cider, but doesn’t have the first idea about how to sell it.  Her father borrowed money to purchase all the expensive equipment necessary for making and bottling cider, but it is just collecting dust. She also has a gift – she can see colors in the apples that grow on their orchard. By mixing different colored apples she can achieve the flavors she wants. It’s the touch of magical realism that Reichert is known for.

Isaac Banks is a web designer whose ex-wife, a drug addict, has overdosed and died. Their young son, Bass, doesn’t know and Isaac can’t bear to tell him, so instead he takes him on a road trip for the summer. They wander aimlessly until they reach Door County, where he learns the Lund family could use some help in their orchard. Sanna is suspicious when her father hires Isaac, but they have a trailer out back where father and son can live. Then the senior Lund falls off a ladder and is seriously injured, and it’s Isaac and Bass that pick up the slack.

Sanna is surprised to find herself attracted to Isaac, and he to her, but he also realizes that he is going to have to move very slowly to win her over. Sanna has a brother who moved away from the orchard and is now trying to talk her father into selling to a big developer. There are other complications along the way before the happily ever after is reached.

Another enjoyable and delicious read – with recipes.

Enjoy this short video – Amy E. Reichert talks about her new book, THE SIMPLICITY OF CIDER, and why Wisconsin is more romantic than you thought!

5/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE SIMPLICITY OF CIDER by Amy E. Reichert. Gallery Books (May 16, 2017). ISBN: 978-1501154928. 336p.

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LOST RIDER by Harper Sloan

May 11, 2017

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The Coming Home Series, Book 1

This was the first book I’ve read by this author but I will definitely be back for the next book in this new series.

I’ve been expanding my romance horizons into western territory and enjoying them. This is a contemporary western set in Texas featuring Maverick Davis, a champion rodeo star who has taken one tumble too many. His doctor tells him no more riding bulls or else, so he spends a couple of weeks drinking before heading home for his father’s funeral.

They never got a long, but his brother and sister need him and he has no where else to go. He had left town as soon as he was able, breaking his sister’s best friend’s heart in the process. Leighton James had grown up next door and had been in love with Maverick for as long as she could remember. But before he left town, he’d been unspeakably cruel to the young woman and she wore those scars for all the years he was gone.

Now that he’s back, he realizes he made a huge mistake in hurting her like that. He has a lot of fences to mend, with Leighton and with his family, and he is working hard at righting things. Leighton is scared to death of being hurt again, and isn’t making it easy on him.

There is great chemistry here, some explicit sex, and a really interesting back story. I’m really looking forward to more from this author.

5/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

LOST RIDER by Harper Sloan. Pocket Books (April 25, 2017). ISBN: 978-1501155192. 400p.

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THE THING ABOUT LOVE by Julie James

May 9, 2017

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FBI/US Attorney Series, Book 7

 FBI agent Jessica Harlowe finished at the top of her class from Quantico, at least in academics. As a petite woman, one of only two women in the class, she was physically outmanned by John Shepherd. They both graduated and went their separate ways. Until she moved back to Chicago from California, and her first undercover assignment is with her nemesis.

Shepherd remembers thing a little differently and had a major crush on Harlowe. But he’s just been through a bad breakup after walking in on his girlfriend in bed with one of his best friends. And Harlowe is a recent divorcee, and neither is in a very good mood about working with the other.

Tongue in cheek jabs at books featuring FBI agents, especially female ones, was a sly wink at the genre and one I enjoyed. There is a lot of heat between Shepherd and Harlowe – eventually. And I really enjoyed the humor, as did my cat!

Another terrific read in this series.

5/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE THING ABOUT LOVE by Julie James. Berkley (April 18, 2017). ISBN: 978-0425273777. 384p.

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A WEDDING IN ITALY by Tilly Tennant

April 26, 2017

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From Italy with Love, Book 2

A feel good summer holiday romance

I don’t usually read series in order with romances because it generally doesn’t matter. But I was lost with this book. I finished it and went back to the beginning to see if I could find the part I somehow missed. It wasn’t until I went on Amazon and saw that this was book 2 of a series that I realized what I missed was the first book!

Setting aside my confusion, I didn’t love this book. I love Italy, would live there if I could, just like Kate, our protagonist. She’s moved to Rome from the UK after a divorce and meets and falls in love with Allessandro. They were talking about marriage from the very beginning of the book, which was baffling, but again most likely because I didn’t read the first book.

I don’t mean to be repetitious here. Here’s the synopsis from the publisher:

Sun, spaghetti and sparkling prosecco. When it comes to finding love, there’s no place like Rome…

Kate is living the dream with her gorgeous boyfriend Alessandro in his native city, but the reality is sometimes a little less romantic than she’d hoped. Every day in her new home is a fight against leaking pipes, her cantankerous landlord and her less-than-perfect grasp of the Italian lingo.

All around her there is talk of weddings, but when a secret from her past is thrust out into the open, Kate must fight to prove to Alessandro’s Mamma – and the rest of his formidable family – that she truly is Italian marriage material.

With the women in Alessandro’s life on a mission to break them apart, the cracks begin to show and Kate starts to question if Alessandro really is the man of her dreams. Can love and the city of romance conquer all, or is that just a fairy-tale?

Let Rome steal your heart this summer in this gorgeously romantic escapist read.

While Rome didn’t steal my heart (Sicily did 35 years ago) I could still appreciate the charm here. There wasn’t enough tension to qualify anything as a secret until the last part of the book. Allessandro and his big, crazy family were wonderful, but Kate was strongly in need of some assertiveness training so I found her a bit annoying.

All in all, I didn’t love this book enough to bother finding the first one to get the beginning of the story.  If you read the first one, have at this one. If not, don’t bother.

4/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

A WEDDING IN ITALY by Tilly Tennant. Bookouture (March 22, 2017). ISBN: 978-1786811677. 328p.

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DEVIL IN SPRING by Lisa Kleypas

April 24, 2017

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The Ravenels, Book 3

This is the third book in the series and I was all excited, thinking I had read the first two but quickly realized I had not. So I put it down, and luckily found the second book on the shelf at my library. So finally I have read all the books in a series in order! Well, at least the first three.

Lady Pandora Ravenel is a twin to Cassandra, and this is their season. Cassandra would like to meet a titled gentleman and marry. Pandora is completely opposed to the idea, but loves her sister enough to go along with it all.

Pandora is an odd duck. She has some health issues regarding night vision, balance and hearing, but that is not all. She is an inventor of board games, and her brother-in-law, Winterbourne, has agreed to stock her new games in his large department store for Christmas. But if she marries, she won’t be able to work, won’t be able to sign a contract or do anything without her husband’s express permission and Pandora is simply not interested in giving up all her rights.

Pandora and Cassandra attend balls, with Pandora usually faking injuries to avoid dancing. Instead she sits in the corner, a happy wallflower, simply observing. Until a friend begs her to do a favor – go out to the summer house and find the earring she lost during a rendezvous. Pandora nervously agrees, but when she finds the earring behind an ornately carved settee, she gets herself stuck in the carvings.

Gabriel, Lord St. Vincent, is passing by and hears her cries for help. As he tries to disentangle the girl, the host of the party appears, and Pandora and Gabriel are caught alone in a very compromising position in the summerhouse. The host demands that Gabriel marry the girl as her reputation is now ruined, but Pandora is not having it. He may be the catch of London, heir to a dukedom, but she is not interested. And he doesn’t know her, other than the fact she is a bit peculiar.

The families decide to spend a week together and Pandora’s guardian swears he will not force her into marriage. She feels guilty because is she refuses, it will hurt her sister’s chances of marrying well. And the Duke is concerned because he needs a more traditional wife. But you can’t always plan these things, sometimes fate steps in and works its magic, as is the case here.

I loved the subplot about the first woman doctor in England, that was a definite bonus for me. I read the second book in this series, then the next day read this one. I have to say that this is turning into one of my favorite series!

4/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

DEVIL IN SPRING by Lisa Kleypas. Avon (February 21, 2017). ISBN 978-0062371874. 384p.

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