ACCIDENTALLY FAMILY by Sasha Summers

May 28, 2020

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From the publisher:

Welcome to Pecan Valley, where the town may be small but the townspeople will always lend a helping hand or a shoulder to lean on. Where good times, good humor, and good people will always lead to happily ever after.

Life for Felicity, and her teen children, is finally back on track. After her divorce, she wasn’t sure if her sweet family would ever be the same. But things are good––right up until her ex’s spirited toddler lands on Felicity’s doorstep. If the universe is going to throw lemons at her, thank God she has her best friend, Graham, to help her make lemonade out of them. How did she never notice how kind and sexy he is?

Graham is still recovering from his wife’s death years ago and trying to help his teen daughter get her life together. Who is he kidding? His daughter hates him. Forget lemons––he’s got the entire lemon tree. So when Felicity suggests they join forces and help each other, he’s all in. And suddenly he can’t stop thinking about her as more than just a friend. Too bad their timing couldn’t be worse…

Because life rarely goes as planned. Luckily there are many different kinds of family to hold you together and lift you up…plus maybe even a little love between friends.

Here’s my take on this story. Felicity is some sort of heiress, whose parents gave her their extremely large, 100-year-old home to live in after her husband leaves her for another, much younger woman. Who happens to be pregnant. She also has enough funds to completely renovate the house. There is a mention of her running a family business, a drugstore, but it is just a brief mention and we never see her go to work. Ever. Instead, she is the quintessential stay-at-home mommy of teenagers, both of whom are good kids. The kids handle the divorce differently. The daughter is resigned and is happy her mom is there for her. The son is an angry young man, albeit one who adores his mother and tries not to give her any grief. Like most teens.

The ex-husband is a complete jerk. We never really get to meet him so all we know about him is that since he’s shacked up with the girlfriend and she has the baby, he pretty much blows off his first two kids and misses all the ball games, recitals and what have you that he’d been attending throughout their young lives. The day of his oldest daughter’s high school graduation, he doesn’t show up. Again. But this time he has a good excuse.

The ex, the girlfriend, and the baby were in a terrible car accident. The girlfriend dies, the baby has some broken bones and is in a coma, and the ex is being rushed to surgery. Before he goes, he asks Felicity to take the baby to raise. He’s a doctor and he knows he is not going to make it.

Meanwhile, Felicity’s sister Charity comes home. She has spent years in Europe as a tour guide, but she has an excellent reason for giving up that life and settling back in the tiny town of Pecan Valley, where she is gifted with a travel agency by a friend of her grandmother’s who wants to retire. Not that she goes to work, either.

The male protagonist is Graham. He is also a doctor, and was partners with Felicity’s ex. But when the ex went off the partnership ended. Meanwhile, Graham’s wife died of cancer, leaving him desolate. His teenage daughter is very angry at him and their relationship is troubled, to say the least. But at his former partner’s funeral, he remembers that they all used to be the best of friends. Felicity and Graham both need a friend now, but that friendship soon turns to more.

If you can get past logic and practicality and suspend your disbelief, the rest of the book is good. I liked the characters and enjoyed spending time with them. The ending is very rushed and every loose end is neatly tied up. If this is the first book of a series, my hunch is that Charity will be next and then Felicity’s daughter. There is definite potential here and I am looking forward to more from this author.

5/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

ACCIDENTALLY FAMILY by Sasha Summers. Entangled: Amara (May 26, 2020). ISBN 978-1682814741. 368p.

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THE EARL TAKES A FANCY by Lorraine Heath

May 27, 2020

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Sins for All Seasons, Book 5

From the publisher:

New York Times bestselling author Lorraine Heath pens another richly satisfying romance in her Sins for all Seasons series.

She’s looking for a nobleman to wed…

Though born out of wedlock, Fancy Trewlove is determined to fulfill her mother’s wish that she marry into nobility. Fancy’s keen intellect and finishing school manners make her the perfect wife for any gentleman—if he’s willing to overlook her scandalous lineage. But Fancy’s plans are thrown into chaos when an intriguing commoner begins visiting her bookshop—and she finds herself unable to stop thinking about him.

He’s looking to escape his title…

Widowed just a year ago, the reclusive Matthew Sommersby, Earl of Rosemont, has been besieged by women hoping to become his next wife. Desperate for anonymity, he sheds Society life to search for the peace that eludes him. Fancy’s shop is his one refuge, until the night their passion erupts into a kiss that nearly leads to her ruin—and leaves both longing for much more.

Together, they discover an unlikely love…

As Fancy finds herself torn between her family’s expectations and her growing feelings for Matthew, secrets are exposed—secrets that force Fancy to question if she can trust her heart’s desire…

It is helpful to read this series in order, but if not, this is a good a place to start as any. Fancy is the baby of the family, but she is finally ready for her coming out. The problem of her birth is a concern, of course, but since her older siblings have married into nobility, it is certainly within the realm of possibility that she will as well. That is her mother’s dream for her, and Fancy wants to please her family.

Fancy runs a bookshop and is a true passion project, which of course, I understand! She helps a new customer, Matthew, and feels a certain attraction that is mutual. Turns out the gentleman is renting an apartment from her brother, and lives just across the courtyard. He is intrigued with Fancy, but is hesitant to tell her who he really is, especially once he sees she is carrying an article around, an article written by his wife before her death. Fancy is a romantic, but Matthew is a realist – he has been burnt once and has no desire to ever find himself in that situation again.

Hidden identity aside, they fall in love but she is determined to marry to please her family, not herself. Matthew knows he can reveal who he is and that will solve the problem, but when it appears Fancy has set up another man to force him into marriage with her, everything goes awry. Until the happy ending of course.

This was a fun read and another excellent addition to this series. I think there is at least one more book to go so that is definitely something to look forward to!

5/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE EARL TAKES A FANCY by Lorraine Heath. Avon (March 31, 2020). ISBN 978-0062951908. 400 p.

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HELLO, SUMMER by Mary Kay Andrews

May 22, 2020

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From the publisher:

New York Times bestselling author and Queen of the Beach Reads Mary Kay Andrews delivers her next blockbuster, Hello Summer.

It’s a new season…

Conley Hawkins left her family’s small town newspaper, The Silver Bay Beacon, in the rearview mirror years ago. Now a star reporter for a big-city paper, Conley is exactly where she wants to be and is about to take a fancy new position in Washington, D.C. Or so she thinks.

For small town scandals…

When the new job goes up in smoke, Conley finds herself right back where she started, working for her sister, who is trying to keep The Silver Bay Beacon afloat―and she doesn’t exactly have warm feelings for Conley. Soon she is given the unenviable task of overseeing the local gossip column, “Hello, Summer.”

And big-time secrets.

Then Conley witnesses an accident that ends in the death of a local congressman―a beloved war hero with a shady past. The more she digs into the story, the more dangerous it gets. As an old heartbreaker causes trouble and a new flame ignites, it soon looks like their sleepy beach town is the most scandalous hotspot of the summer.

Mary Kay Andrews has been my first “beach read” every summer for years now. I love her books, especially her writing style and her sense of humor. This book is more of a mystery and a family story, but it still has a touch of romance that I’ve come to expect. And yes, there is a happy ending, and best of all, I was thoroughly entertained.

I have been having a hard time reading since this pandemic has changed our world. I can’t concentrate as well as I normally do, and I find my mind wandering. I’m reading maybe 3-4 books a week instead of my usual 5-7, and I tend to put down a book fairly quickly if it is not holding my attention. I am happy to report that was not the case here. I would have read this in one night except I started it too late, so it was a two day read for me. I am working from home so I am still setting my alarm and rising early. So no reading late into the night for me!

As always, the characters are brought to life on the page, as is the setting. This time it is set on the Gulf Coast of Florida, in a small beach town. There may or may not be a Silver Bay (I didn’t look) but there are a number of small towns just like it. After an online publisher goes under just as Conley was supposed to start her new job there, she goes home to her family, where her grandmother orders her to go work for the family newspaper, at least until she finds another job. Unfortunately, Conley’s sister is the managing editor and she is quite resentful that Conley took off and left her chained to the family business. The town gossip is still writing a column for the paper called “Hello, Summer” and Conley is tasked with taking her ridiculous prose and turning it into something readable and accurately spelled.

An old friend of Conely’s is running his family business, a pharmacy, and taking care of his mother who is suffering from dementia. They hang out together, and slowly their relationship deepens, all against the backdrop of a suspicious car accident that took the life of the area’s favorite politician. There is intrigue and humor galore, making this a terrific escape. Another winner from one of my favorite authors (and favorite people!)

5/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

HELLO, SUMMER by Mary Kay Andrews. St. Martin’s Press (May 5, 2020). ISBN 978-1250256928. 480p.

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BEACH READ by Emily Henry

May 20, 2020

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From the publisher:

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

A little side note here. The beach of the title is on Lake Michigan, which I saw for the first time when I was in Chicago last year. I have heard people talk about beaches on lakes, and never understood it. Growing up on the east coast, to me the beach is the shore of an ocean. The Atlantic  Ocean, or the Pacific Ocean in the US. I even questioned the validity of a beach on the Gulf of Mexico. But once I saw the great lake, I understood. You can’t see the other side! There are waves! And sand! It’s a beach, I was wrong.

The main characters, Gus and January, are both writers. They have history together. They were in college together, and January always had a bit of a crush. They almost hooked up one night at a party, but she is sure he doesn’t remember her.

Now they are neighbors. January has recently lost her father, which opened a big old can of worms. Turns out he had a mistress and another home on Lake Michigan. He left January the house, but she is frustrated because she can’t ask him anything, and her mother refuses to talk about it.

Gus has his own issues, and he very, very slowly reveals himself to January. Or at least she thinks he does. As we find out more about Gus, we can’t help but root for him. He is a man in desperate need of love, of being important to someone. And January may just be the one he needs.

There are some very funny moments, and some very sad ones as well before everything comes together. I had a couple of minor quibbles with it (I’m not going to spoil anything) but ultimately it was a very enjoyable read. This didn’t feel like a stereotypical romance to me, and that is a good thing. If you like a little depth before your happily ever after, this is a terrific read.

5/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

BEACH READ by Emily Henry. Berkley (May 19, 2020). ISBN 978-1984806734. 384p.

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ON OCEAN BOULEVARD by Mary Alice Monroe

May 19, 2020

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Beach House Series, Book 6

From the publisher:

The New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Guests returns at long last to her beloved Beach House series in this breathtaking novel about one family’s summer of forging new beginnings against the enduring beauty and resilience of the natural world.

It’s been sixteen years since Caretta “Cara” Rutledge has returned home to the beautiful shores of Charleston, South Carolina. Over those years, she has weathered the tides of deaths and births, struggles and joys. And now, as Cara prepares for her second wedding, her life is about to change yet again.

Meanwhile, the rest of the storied Rutledge family is also in flux. Cara’s niece Linnea returns to Sullivan’s Island to begin a new career and an unexpected relationship. Linnea’s parents, having survived bankruptcy, pin their hopes and futures on the construction of a new home on Ocean Boulevard. But as excitement over the house and wedding builds, a devastating illness strikes the family and brings plans to a screeching halt. It is under these trying circumstances that the Rutledge family must come together yet again to discover the enduring strength in love, tradition, and legacy from mother to daughter to granddaughter.

Like the sea turtles that come ashore annually on these windswept islands, three generations of the Rutledge family experience a season of return, rebirth, and growth. “Authentic, generous, and heartfelt” (Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author), On Ocean Boulevard is Mary Alice Monroe at her very best.

It’s been a couple of years since the last entry (Beach House Reunion) into the Beach House series, but Monroe includes enough information to bring new readers up to date without alienating the series’ fans. The story involves the Rutledge family, as usual, but this time centers around Linnea as she returns home to the South Carolina barrier islands without her boyfriend or a job. Her parents are starting over on Sullivan’s Island in their small beach house, struggling to get out from under a bankruptcy and hoping her father remains sober. Her Aunt Cara is having trouble juggling her full-time job, her young child, and planning her wedding, so she’s happy to offer Linnea an internship at the aquarium. Linnea also gets involved with the turtle ladies and a good-looking visiting professor from England. A worsening case of dementia, microplastics in the ocean and, of course, the turtles add a serious note to this charming Lowcountry novel.

Verdict: This is an excellent addition to a popular series by a bestselling author. Mary Kay Andrews and Dorothea Benton Frank readers should feel at home here as well.

©Library Journal, 2020

5/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

ON OCEAN BOULEVARD by Mary Alice Monroe. Gallery Books (May 19, 2020). ISBN 978-1982146948. 384p.

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A TASTE OF SAGE by Yaffa S. Santos

May 18, 2020

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From the publisher:

From talented new writer, Yaffa S. Santos, comes this unforgettable, heartwarming, and hilarious rom-com about chefs, cooking, love, and self-discovery that is a cross between The Hating Game and Sweetbitter.

Lumi Santana is a chef with the gift of synesthesia―she can perceive a person’s emotions just by tasting their cooking. Despite being raised by a single mother who taught her that dreams and true love were silly fairy tales, she decides to take a chance and puts her heart and savings into opening a fusion restaurant in Inwood, Manhattan. The restaurant offers a mix of the Dominican cuisine she grew up with and other world cuisines that have been a source of culinary inspiration to her.

When Lumi’s eclectic venture fails, she is forced to take a position as a sous chef at a staid, traditional French restaurant in midtown owned by Julien Dax, a celebrated chef known for his acid tongue as well as his brilliant smile. Lumi and Julien don’t get along in the kitchen–to say Lumi is irritated by Julien’s smug attitude is an understatement, and she secretly vows never to taste his cooking. Little does she know that her resolve doesn’t stand a chance against Julien’s culinary prowess.

As Julien produces one delectable dish after another, each one tempting Lumi with its overwhelming aromas and gorgeous presentations, she can no longer resist and samples one of his creations. She isn’t prepared for the feelings that follow as she’s overcome with intense emotions. She begins to crave his cooking throughout the day, which throws a curveball in her plan to save up enough money and move on as soon as possible. Plus, there’s also the matter of Esme, Julien’s receptionist who seems to always be near and watching. As the attraction between Lumi and Julien simmers, Lumi experiences a tragedy that not only complicates her professional plans but her love life as well…

Clever, witty, and romantic, A Taste of Sage is sure to delight and entertain readers until the very last page.

The publisher compared this book to Stephanie Danler’s Sweetbitter, which was very popular and even turned into a Starz TV series. But to be honest, I wasn’t a fan; I found it pretentious at best. But A Taste of Sage is a debut novel, and I love finding new authors, so I wanted to give it a read. After 20+ years reviewing, I have learned to not trust everything the publisher says about a book! And it was good. Not pretentious at all, but very well written with characters that felt like real people, despite the synesthesia, or as I thought of it, magical realism, and it takes pretty good writing chops to pull that off.

The first line of the publisher’s synopsis mentions synesthesia. The first time I ever heard of that was in T. Jefferson Parker’s The Fallen, which was a fantastic read (and made my best books of the year list, 2006.) I was completely fascinated by it and read a lot about it. If you haven’t, I think the quickest way to understand it is from Neuroscience for Kids:

Synesthesia is a condition in which one sense (for example, hearing) is simultaneously perceived as if by one or more additional senses such as sight. Another form of synesthesia joins objects such as letters, shapes, numbers or people’s names with a sensory perception such as smell, color or flavor. The word synesthesia comes from two Greek words, syn (together) and aisthesis (perception). Therefore, synesthesia literally means “joined perception.”

From my understanding, I don’t really think I would call Lumi’s gift synesthesia. It definitely feels more like magical realism to me, which Merriam Webster defines as “a literary genre or style associated especially with Latin America that incorporates fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction.” That seems right. But what do I know?

If I was doing book comparables, I would say it most closely reminded me of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender, but with more romance. Which is good for me because that means I get the happy ending, yay!

Oh, but the bumps in the road that come before that happy ending were positively epic.  For one thing, Lumi hates working anywhere that isn’t her own restaurant and dreams of opening another. One of her co-workers is evil and because of the Lumi’s gift, that comes through in her food, causing the climax of the book (and not in a good way!) I wish I got to know Julien a little bit better, but really this is Lumi’s story, and we know enough to know that we want them together.

There are recipes sprinkled throughout the book for Dominican fusion type food. The only one that intrigued me was the salmon with pesto and pineapple, but my husband vetoed it. I may sneak it by him one night anyway. And I love that the author uses her Dominican background in this story. The voice rings true and I love learning about other cultures through fiction.

If you like books set in the restaurant industry, (and I do,) and you like a touch of magical realism and/or synesthesia, (and I do,) then I think you may like this book as much as I did!

5/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

A TASTE OF SAGE by Yaffa S. Santos. Harper Paperbacks (May 19, 2020). ISBN 978-0062974846. 320p.

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THE VIRGIN AND THE ROGUE by Sophie Jordan

May 16, 2020

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Rogue Files, Book 5

From the publisher:

Continuing her bestselling Rogue Files series, Sophie Jordan brews up a scintillating romance about a timid wallflower who discovers a love potion and ends up falling for a dashing rogue.

A love potion…

Charlotte Langley has always been the prudent middle sister, so her family is not surprised when she makes the safe choice and agrees to wed her childhood sweetheart. But when she finds herself under the weather and drinks a “healing” tonic, the potion provokes the most maddening desire…for someone other than her betrothed.

With the power…

Kingston’s rakehell ways are going to destroy him and he’s vowed to change. His stepbrother’s remote estate is just the place for a reformed rogue to hide. The last thing he wants is to be surrounded by society, but when he gets stuck alone with a wallflower who is already betrothed… and she astonishes him with a fiery kiss, he forgets all about hiding.

To alter two destinies.

Although Charlotte appears meek, Kingston soon discovers there’s a vixen inside, yearning to break free. Unable to forget their illicit moment of passion, Kingston vows to relive the encounter, but Charlotte has sworn it will never happen again—no matter how earth-shattering it was. But will a devilish rogue tempt her to risk everything for a chance at true love?

What a romp! This was such a fun read. Charlotte is engaged to a neighbor she has been friends with since she was a child. Billy is as mild and unassuming as Charlotte, and the match seems perfect. Until Kingston shows up.

Charlotte is one of three daughters of a doctor, but when she loses her parents, Billy’s parents forbid the marriage. When her eldest sister marries a Duke, raising their status considerably, the engagement is back on. His parents are awful, but Charlotte and Billy have agreed to live in the house she grew up in, on the other side of town from his parents, so she thinks it will all work out.

Charlotte suffers every month and her youngest sister is a healer/herbalist of sorts. She gives Charlotte a new concoction to try and shortly after falling asleep, awakens in a feverish mood. She staggers down the hall towards her sister’s room but bumps into Kingston, the Duke’s stepbrother who has come to visit. Charlotte basically assaults him, and things get crazy from there.

Kingston has been a rogue for most of his adult life. But watching his mother die a slow and painful death from the pox has forced him to rethink his life, and he’s been celibate for over a year. But he cannot resist Charlotte, so demure by day and so passionate by night.

This was a really fun escape, with some drama, lots of laughs, and some torrid sex. Another terrific addition to a wonderful series.

5/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE VIRGIN AND THE ROGUE by Sophie Jordan. Forever (April 28, 2020). ISBN 978-1538700327. 384p.

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BATTLE STATIONS by Roger Jewett & Irving A. Greenfield

May 12, 2020

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US Navy Historical Thrillers, Book 1

From the publisher:

A heart-stoppingly realistic military thriller

An authentic naval thriller series you don’t want to miss! Perfect for fans of Patrick O’Brian, Alexander Fullerton, C. S Forester and Alexander Kent.

Lives are changed forever in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor…

1941

Andrew Troost, heir to generations of naval tradition, has just been made admiral, when reports fly in of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Troost’s son, Warren, has followed in his footsteps and is one of the men fighting for his country on a PT boat in the Pacific.

In New York City, Tony Trapasso hears the call to action and gets ready to join the naval action.

With him is Jacob Miller, a young man choosing to become a naval pilot instead of following the rabbinical calling of his Jewish forebears.

They meet Glen Lascomb, a fresh-faced youth, raised on an Iowa farm, who is about to be catapulted into a sea of flaming oil in the Leyte Gulf…

This is their story — the saga of heroic Navy men caught in the raging crosscurrents of a war that thrust them together and tore them painfully apart…

BATTLE STATIONS is the first military action and adventure story in the US Navy Historical Thriller series: a heart-pounding international Second World War thriller, encompassing major battles such as Midway and Okinawa.

The author undoubtedly did a good amount of personal interviews with surviving veterans of World War II in order to come out with the very satisfying book that he did just have published. Jewett concentrates on the U.S.Navy and selected fictional characters serving there in order to tell the story of events that occurred during the war.

He begins the novel a little before the outbreak of hostilities for the U.S.  Andrew Troost, a captain in the U.S. Navy, is seconded as liaison with the British Navy prior to his country entering the war.  Troost is aboard a ship moving to become one of the escort vessels for a fleet of tankers and cargo ships sailing to deliver their cargos to an England at war. He experiences the ship that he is on being torpedoed and sunk. He and one other sailor are the only ones surviving the attack.

Returning to duty, Troost is reassigned to an American ship just in time to go through the attack on Pearl Harbor and that begins the story featuring the US Navy and its place in the war in the Pacific.  Other characters introduced include the son of Andrew Troost starting his own career in the navy. At the same time, Andrew Troost is promoted to Rear Admiral.

The son of a gangster in New York City refuses to allow family influence to keep him out of combat. There is the son of a Jewish Rabbi whose family envisioned him becoming a Rabbi and studying for that. He becomes a Naval aviator and finds that he loves flying. Another individual was raised on a farm in Iowa. With them are the women that also take part in the war, either as actual combatants or as lovers of the men described.

Roger Jewett blends all the personnel he has created and made a very powerful story about war and the real effect on the people that take part in it.  No one leaves a war the same as when they enter it.  Jewett does an excellent job of logically bringing this change in all the characters in front of his readers.  We all understand that someone placed in a position of kill or be killed can never emerge from this experience without complete change, and the author does an excellent job of bringing this out.

The novel ends near the final stage of WWII as the U.S. is waiting to invade Okinawa. This may mean that another novel is planned, moving through the last days of the war and possibly touching on the return of the combatants described to civilian life. In any situation that means another Roger Jewett book; I will head the line to pick it up and enjoy it.

5/2020 Paul Lane

BATTLE STATIONS by Roger Jewett & Irving A Greenfield. Sapere Books (April 24, 2020). ISBN: 978-1913518639. 351 p.

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A DUKE BY ANY OTHER NAME by Grace Burrowes

May 11, 2020

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Rogues to Riches, Book 4

From the publisher:

With her trademark wit, New York Times bestselling author Grace Burrowes delivers a charming Regency romance featuring a duke who excels at brooding in solitude and the lady who refuses to leave him in peace.

Nathaniel, Duke of Rothhaven, lives in seclusion, leaving his property only to gallop his demon-black steed across the moors by moonlight. Exasperated mamas invoke his name to frighten small children, though Nathaniel is truly a decent man — maybe too decent for his own good. That’s precisely why he must turn away the beguiling woman demanding his help.

Lady Althea Wentworth has little patience for dukes, reclusive or otherwise, but she needs Rothhaven’s backing to gain entrance into Polite Society. She’s asked him nicely, she’s called on him politely, all to no avail — until her prize hogs just happen to plunder the ducal orchard. He longs for privacy. She’s vowed to never endure another ball as a wallflower. Yet as the two grow closer, it soon becomes clear they might both be pretending to be something they’re not.

This was a bit darker than I was expecting and brought to light one of the real crimes of the Regency era. I don’t want to give anything away, because the reader doesn’t find out what is going on at the Rothhaven estate until quite a ways into the book.

The Duke is the odd loner of the small Yorkshire town, way outside of London. After five unsuccessful seasons, Althea has refused to leave the family’s country estate, next door to Northhaven, for the London season. While her brother is a Duke, Althea has been tormented each year by society. She is scorned and ridiculed, but only in the most polite ways and she is just sick to death of it.

After her prize-winning pigs invade Northhaven, Althea forces a meeting with the Duke. She wants him to help her learn to navigate society. He gives her a few good pointers but declines to help any further. But one thing leads to another, and they end up spending some time together.

There is something mysterious going on at the Duke’s house, and he is disinclined to explain. Althea is very attracted to the Duke, and to his chagrin, he is attracted to her as well. There are many hurdles here before these two can reach their happily ever after, and the journey is a worthwhile one.

5/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

A DUKE BY ANY OTHER NAME by Grace Burrowes. Forever (April 28, 2020). ISBN 978-1538700327. 384p.

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THE TOURIST ATTRACTION by Sarah Morgenthaler

May 8, 2020

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Moose Springs, Alaska: Book 1

From the publisher:

When Graham Barnett named his diner The Tourist Trap, he meant it as a joke. Now he’s stuck slinging reindeer dogs to an endless string of resort visitors who couldn’t interest him less. Not even the sweet, enthusiastic tourist in the corner who blushes every time he looks her way…

Two weeks in Alaska isn’t just the top item on Zoey Caldwell’s bucket list. It’s the whole bucket. One look at the mountain town of Moose Springs and she’s smitten. But when an act of kindness brings Zoey into Graham’s world, she may just find there’s more to the man than meets the eye…and more to love in Moose Springs than just the Alaskan wilderness.

Just had to add my two cents here. Caitlin recommended this book for me. She said, “Quirky town, Alaska, and a cute dog,” and that was all she had to say. She was so right, I loved it! Book 2 in the series, “Mistletoe and Mr. Right,” comes out in October, but I can’t wait. I plan on begging Sourcebooks Casablanca for an advance copy!

“Rom-com” is a term that gets used a lot to describe romance novels lately and The Tourist Attraction is one of the best examples of the genre I have read recently, combining laugh out loud scenes with banter-filled chemistry between the two leads. Almost from the beginning, Zoe Caldwell’s dream vacation to Alaska starts to go wrong. She encounters a chainsaw-wielding man, a stubborn horse, and a bread loving moose.

The one positive through all her misadventures is local diner owner Graham Barnett. Graham loves his hometown but hates the tourists that descend on Moose Springs every summer. The irony is the more he tries to make the tourists hate his diner the more popular it becomes. Even the Growly Bear, a drink that is described as blue with gummy bears floating in it, goes viral.

I absolutely loved Zoe and Graham as a couple. Her enthusiasm and appreciation for Alaska’s unique wilderness is infectious and Graham is the perfect combination of grumpy with a heart of gold. He may regularly throw tourists out of his diner, but he also makes sure his blind dog has matching hats and pajamas. Zoe and Graham are both quirky and had me rooting for their happy ever after.

It is not just the sharp dialogue that makes The Tourist Attraction stand out. Morgenthaler also shows a strong appreciation for her setting and the descriptions of the Alaskan mountains, glaciers, and wildlife had me ready to pack my bags.  At the same time, she also raises important points about the impact that the tourism industry has on the native wildlife giving an otherwise comedic story a little nuance.

The Tourist Attraction was a welcome escape, and at a time when travel seems like a far distant possibility, it allowed me to take a trip to Alaska and visit the charming town of Moose Springs. Morgenthaler is planning at least two more books about Moose Springs and I am eagerly awaiting the next installment.

5/2020 Caitlin Brisson

THE TOURIST ATTRACTION by Sarah Morgenthaler. Sourcebooks Casablanca (May 5, 2020). ISBN 9781492693116. 352 p.

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