THE MARRIAGE GAME by Sara Desai

June 9, 2020

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From the publisher:

One of Oprah Magazine’s Most Anticipated Romances of 2020

A high stakes wager pits an aspiring entrepreneur against a ruthless CEO in this sexy romantic comedy.

After her life falls apart, recruitment consultant Layla Patel returns home to her family in San Francisco. But in the eyes of her father, who runs a Michelin starred restaurant, she can do no wrong. He would do anything to see her smile again. With the best intentions in mind, he offers her the office upstairs to start her new business and creates a profile on an online dating site to find her a man. She doesn’t know he’s arranged a series of blind dates until the first one comes knocking on her door…

As CEO of a corporate downsizing company Sam Mehta is more used to conflict than calm. In search of a quiet new office, he finds the perfect space above a cozy Indian restaurant that smells like home. But when communication goes awry, he’s forced to share his space with the owner’s beautiful yet infuriating daughter Layla, her crazy family, and a parade of hopeful suitors, all of whom threaten to disrupt his carefully ordered life.

As they face off in close quarters, the sarcasm and sparks fly. But when the battle for the office becomes a battle of the heart, Sam and Layla have to decide if this is love or just a game.

This has got to be one of the best romance debuts I’ve ever read!

Sam is a man shouldering a lot of guilt. His sister is in a wheelchair after a possible altercation with her ex-husband, a prominent surgeon, and Sam’s mentor. Theirs was an arranged marriage, and Sam is the one who introduced them. The surgeon denies all, but Sam is bound to avenge his sister. Meanwhile, he feels like a failure as a son and a brother, and his way to deal with the guilt is to push away his family, his career, and his culture.

Like Layla, Sam is Desi-American, a term that was new to me. Their families are from India, and while they live in San Francisco, like most of us they brought with them their culture and their food. In fact, Layla’s parents own a Michelin starred restaurant, but it is struggling in their new location in a business district.

Layla has been living in New York, working at a job she doesn’t particularly like, and dating an Instagram influencer. Until she catches him doing blow off the bodies of two naked supermodels. She goes nuts, a video of her throwing his stuff off a balcony goes viral, she loses her job, her home, and her dignity. It’s time to move back with her family where she feels safe.

Layla tells her parents she wants to open her own business and they are eager to help. Her father tells her she can have the office above the restaurant, rent-free. He will let the new tenant know the deal is off. Layla eagerly accepts, except before her father can tell the new tenant to look elsewhere, he has a heart attack and is hospitalized.

In the only plot point in this book that I had a real issue with, Layla’s father gets a pacemaker but for some unknown reason is put into a medically induced coma. It’s convenient for the plot but makes no sense to anyone who has ever dealt with or had a family member deal with any sort of heart condition, especially a pacemaker. But it really is a minor thing, and I was so drawn into this story I tried to overlook it. (I guess I didn’t totally succeed because now I’m complaining about it!)

Sam is the new tenant, he has given up the practice of medicine since his sister’s accident and is now a corporate vulture. His company helps other companies downsize, and he spends his days firing people. His moral center is slightly askew at this point, but at least he still has one, unlike his partner and friends.

Sam and Layla immediately butt heads over the office. Then Layla is shocked when a young man arrives looking for her. He tells her he has set up a meeting with her father through a dating site. Apparently, her father put up her profile on an arranged marriage type dating site, sifted through hundreds of responses, and selected a list of ten men for Layla to meet. Sam agrees to help her with the dates she is going to have, and they make a game of it. If she marries, she will leave and he gets the office.

Enemies to lovers is always a popular trope in romance, and this one is done exceedingly well. Throwing in a big, extended, nosy family and the arranged marriage with its parade of kooky suitors adds a lot of laughs to this heartwarming and sexy story. I got so caught up in the story and with these characters that when the boy-loses-girl part came along, I could barely read it. I swear I had one eye closed! I kept putting it down and picking it back up because it was so painful to read. I was able to talk myself off the ledge and back into the book because it is a romance, and I knew the happy ending was coming.

I love it when I get that caught up in a book. I love learning about cultures that are different from my own. I especially love learning how many cultures are more similar than different – their foods and religious practices may differ, but family is still family and that is pretty much the same everywhere.

I loved this debut novel, and I hope everyone reading this will pick up this book and love it as much as I did. It is sweet and sexy and funny and a total escapist read. Don’t miss it!

6/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE MARRIAGE GAME by Sara Desai. Berkley; 1 edition (June 9, 2020). ISBN 978-0593100561. 352 pages.

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THE HOUSE GUEST by Mark Edwards

June 7, 2020

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From the publisher:

A perfect summer. A perfect stranger. A perfect nightmare.

When British twenty-somethings Ruth and Adam are offered the chance to spend the summer housesitting in New York, they can’t say no. Young, in love and on the cusp of professional success, they feel as if luck is finally on their side.

So the moment that Eden turns up on the doorstep, drenched from a summer storm, it seems only right to share a bit of that good fortune. Beautiful and charismatic, Eden claims to be a friend of the homeowners, who told her she could stay whenever she was in New York.

They know you’re not supposed to talk to strangers—let alone invite them into your home—but after all, Eden’s only a stranger until they get to know her.

As suspicions creep in that Eden may not be who she claims to be, they begin to wonder if they’ve made a terrible mistake…

The House Guest is the chilling new psychological thriller from the three million copy bestselling author of Here to Stay and Follow You Home.

Ruth and Adam are a young British couple living in New York on a temporary basis. Ruth is an actress and has had the luck to find a role in a play being done in New York. She also has starred in a short film which got her rave reviews and a good reputation as an up and coming actress.

Adam is a playwright but he hasn’t had any luck in selling a play so far. He is going to try his luck in New York writing during the time that Ruth is busy with her show and making contacts while doing so.

The couple took advantage of coming over to New York from London on a transatlantic cruise. On board, they had a tremendous piece of good luck when they met Jack and Mona, a couple about a generation older than they are and quite financially successful. Jack and Mona are not staying in New York but are immediately leaving for a retreat in New Mexico. The couple own a house in New York City and after striking up a rapport with Ruth and Adam, ask them to house sit while they are away. A fabulous deal for the British couple and they jump to it with gratitude.

On the first Monday that they are in the house, and in the midst of a very rainy day, a young lady knocks at the door indicating that she is very friendly with Jack and Mona and that she has come to stay at their house. She says that they have offered to allow her to stay at their home whenever she is in New York. When Eden, the arrival, seems to know everything about Jack and Mona and appearing that she is what she says she is, Ruth and Adam decide that they have to let her stay. The worst part is that since Jack and Mona are at a retreat, they cannot be contacted to get their okay with Eden staying at the house. The situation seems like Eden has told the truth and she would readily have been accepted by Jack and Mona.

The situation crashes when Ruth disappears one morning along with Eden and there is no word from her for three days. Adam calls the police but is advised that they will do nothing since many people do walk away from bad relationships with no notice.

Edwards takes us through the search for Ruth and while doing so, Adam meets a man who wants to help him. That individual claims that Eden is also involved with the disappearance of his daughter and if Adam joins him in the search for both Ruth and his child, it may be easier and allow two to work on any clues that the duo comes up with.

The presentation of the characters is well done and as events unfold the reader will definitely stay glued to the book and make a note to get future novels by Mark Edwards. Certainly, a five-star story with a well thought out plot.

6/2020 Paul Lane

THE HOUSE GUEST by Mark Edwards. Thomas & Mercer (June 3, 2020). ISBN: 978-1542094030. 301 p.

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THE CACTUS by Sarah Haywood

June 6, 2020

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From the publisher:

In this charming and poignant debut, one woman’s unconventional journey to finding love means learning to embrace the unexpected.

For Susan Green, messy emotions don’t fit into the equation of her perfectly ordered life. She has a flat that is ideal for one, a job that suits her passion for logic, and an “interpersonal arrangement” that provides cultural and other, more intimate, benefits. But suddenly confronted with the loss of her mother and the news that she is about to become a mother herself, Susan’s greatest fear is realized. She is losing control.

Enter Rob, the dubious but well-meaning friend of her indolent brother. As Susan’s due date draws near and her dismantled world falls further into a tailspin, Susan finds an unlikely ally in Rob. She might have a chance at finding real love and learning to love herself, if only she can figure out how to let go.

A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK

New York Times Bestseller

“Fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine will love The Cactus.” —Red magazine

This book has been lurking on my Kindle for well over a year, but I’m sorry to say it got lost in the shuffle until the paperback came out. Then I read that it was a Reese Witherspoon pick, and there is a series deal with Netflix. That put it right back on my radar.

I do love finding a debut this good; it gives me a new author to add to my “must-read” list. This is the era of the charming novel, like the above mentioned Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, and Ellie and the Harp Maker. Books that are heartwarming, with quirky protagonists who may or may not be “on the spectrum,” but who do live by their own rules. Susan Green is one of these characters.

When Susan’s mother passes away, she is shocked to find out that her mother had recently made a will, giving her younger brother a life interest in the family home. That means he can live there for as long as he wants, forever if he wants, before they can sell and Susan would get half the proceeds of that sale. She starts digging and decides that her brother, always her nemesis, has now reached a new low. She is shocked to find his friend Rob has also moved into her mother’s home, and things go downhill from there.

Although she is a law school graduate, Susan has never taken the bar and works in a different field, in the same job she’s held for many years. She is a creature of habit, loves following the rules of society as she perceives them, and is quick to point out deficiencies in everyone else. She is prickly for sure, but we can’t help but feel empathy for her as well. Perhaps she is right about her brother and the will was coerced, but we are never quite sure. This is a dysfunctional family story but there is the sweetest hint of romance as well.

Set in England, this story is filled with dry wit and humor, making me laugh out loud many times. It is also emotional and at times, heart-wrenching, and we can’t help but be drawn to these characters even though I was not always sure who to root for. But it doesn’t matter, I was immersed in this world and sorry to have to leave it. An excellent debut, especially for fans of British chick-lit (if that’s still a thing?) I loved it.

5/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE CACTUS by Sarah Haywood. Park Row; First Time Trade edition (May 7, 2019). ISBN 978-0778369073. 384 p.

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THE VOTER FILE by David Pepper

June 5, 2020

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Jack Sharpe Series, Book 3

From the publisher:

“Pepper comes through again with this clever tale of how cyber sabotage of elections, coupled with highly concentrated ownership of traditional media operations, can undermine American democracy.”–President Bill Clinton

A twisty, one-step-ahead-of-the-headlines political thriller featuring a rogue reporter who investigates election meddling of epic proportions written by the ultimate insider.

Investigative reporter Jack Sharpe is down to his last chance. Fired from his high-profile gig with a national news channel, his only lead is a phone full of messages from a grad student named Tori Justice, who swears she’s observed an impossible result in a local election. Sharpe is sure she’s mistaken…but what if she isn’t?

Sharpe learns that the most important tool in any election is the voter file: the database that keeps track of all voters in a district, and shapes a campaign’s game plan for victory. If one person were to gain control of an entire party’s voter file, they could manipulate the outcome of virtually every election in America. Sharpe discovers this has happened–and that the person behind the hack is determined to turn American politics upside down.

The more he digs, the more Sharpe is forced to question the values–and viability–of the country he loves and a president he admired. And soon it becomes clear that not just his career is in jeopardy…so is his life.

The concept of fixing elections is probably as old as the election process itself where a majority of votes for a candidate or a solution will cause that person or solution to become the winning result. David Pepper has come up with a method that he ties in with scientific study of each and every person voting in a district, working to bring in voters probably voting as the study demands and allowing those opposed to fade away. Pepper’s explanation of the method he describes does apparently have the possibility to turn an election by working to make sure that voters in favor of their desires do come into the casting of votes.

Jack Sharpe was an ace reporter who has lost his job when he apparently violated his newspaper’s policies of political correctness. He has been blackballed by his former employers and cannot find another job due to the stigma he is under. Out of the blue, he is contacted by Tori Justice, a graduate student who swears she has evidence of an election being fixed. Jack agrees to meet her, studies the data that Tori has gathered, and finds that the impossible has happened when a man elected was not even expected to come close.

Tori explains that the most important tool in any election is the “Voter File.” Via computer analysis, habits of every person eligible to vote are cataloged and able to be analyzed for probable voting habits. While involved in getting more information, a long term plot is described which involves massive interference by foreign interests in order to set lucrative deals for themselves by bringing in their own selected candidates. These candidates are obviously bought and paid for and stand to gain much more money when they take office.

A very mesmerizing novel that could be a real wake up call if the methods described by Pepper prove feasible. The book ends at a point that illustrates the probability of further novels involving Jack and Tori. In the meanwhile “The Voter File” is a mark of literary excellence.

6/2020 Paul Lane

THE VOTER FILE by David Pepper. G.P. Putnam’s Sons (June 2, 2020). ISBN: 978-0593083932. 432 pages.

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ASK ME ANYTHING by P.Z. Reizin

June 4, 2020

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From the publisher:

From the author of Happiness for Humans, a romantic comedy for the technology age: a young woman unlucky in love gets a little help from the most unlikely of places to find her perfect match.

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone had a team of smart machines to handle all the messy emotional stuff? When you consider how many quadrillions of hours of human drudgery have been eradicated by the invention of only the dishwasher, the washing machine and (ahem) the fridge freezer, is it absurd to imagine a scenario in which household appliances bring the same — yes! — genius to bear on the slow-motion car crash that is (for many young people) the romantic side of their lives? If they are content to leave their dishes, dirty linen and food refrigeration to smart technology, how much of a stretch is it for machines to take care of their emotional needs?
Chloe and Daisy Parsloe only have each other, since Daisy’s dad left for sunnier climes and a new family. But now Daisy is in her early thirties, she’s not doing brilliantly at work, her love life is haphazard (to put it kindly) and her elderly mum seems to be losing her mind . . . Daisy is also the proud possessor of a smart fridge, which keeps trying to help Daisy sort out her life by sending her texts to tell her that she’s out of milk, or that the pasta salad has gone out of date. What Daisy doesn’t know is that her smart fridge, like her smart toothbrush, microwave, tv, fitness tracker, and laptop all want to help her smooth out her chaotic existence — and help her mother, Mrs. Parsloe, stay independently living at home. Operation Daisy is about to make both the Parsloes’ lives much, much happier.

The premise of Reizin’s new novel (Happiness for Humans) is that our “smart” household appliances, in this case, a refrigerator-freezer, a microwave, a TV, and so forth, are conspiring to help Daisy, a young single woman who has had a run of bad luck with men. Normally these appliances merely report back to their factories about the lifestyle of the person they live with so targeted ads will be more effective. But the refrigerator has gone rogue, and is not only helping Daisy, but also her mum, who is suffering from the early stages of dementia. Eventually, Daisy and her mum’s doctor find themselves sharing breakfasts, and in a sharp turn near the end of the book, a life together. Paranoia about smart appliances spying on us is a real thing, and this book feeds into that fear, albeit in a rakish, humorous way, but unfortunately, the human characters don’t quite come to life.

Verdict: For readers who enjoy technology in their romances, like The Plus One, by Sarah Archer or Bad Bachelor by Stephanie London. P.Z. Reizin also writes as Paul Reizin.

©Library Journal, 2020

6/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

ASK ME ANYTHING by P.Z. Reizin. Grand Central Publishing (June 2, 2020). ISBN 978-1538726983. 368p.

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FAIR WARNING by Michael Connelly

June 2, 2020

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Jack McEvoy Series, Book 3

An Amazon Best Book of June 2020!

From the publisher:

The hero of The Poet and The Scarecrow is back in the new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly. Jack McEvoy, the journalist who never backs down, tracks a serial killer who has been operating completely under the radar–until now.
Veteran reporter Jack McEvoy has taken down killers before, but when a woman he had a one-night stand with is murdered in a particularly brutal way, McEvoy realizes he might be facing a criminal mind unlike any he’s ever encountered.
Jack investigates–against the warnings of the police and his own editor–and makes a shocking discovery that connects the crime to other mysterious deaths across the country. Undetected by law enforcement, a vicious killer has been hunting women, using genetic data to select and stalk his targets.
Uncovering the murkiest corners of the dark web, Jack races to find and protect the last source who can lead him to his quarry. But the killer has already chosen his next target, and he’s ready to strike.
Terrifying and unputdownable, Fair Warning shows once again why “Michael Connelly has earned his place in the pantheon of great crime fiction writers” (Chicago Sun-Times).

It seems like Jack McEvoy, Connelly’s journalist hero, (alter ego?) appears roughly every dozen years or so. The Poet came out in 1996, The Scarecrow in 2009, and now this new McEvoy story in 2020. Let me start off by saying it was worth the wait.

A bit of background on one of my favorite writers. Connelly generally puts out a book a year, and for most of the years since 1996 those books have been stories built around Harry Bosch, then later on alternated with Mickey Haller (The Lincoln Lawyer,) until he brought them both together. He also started a new series featuring a female protagonist, Renee Ballard, a few years ago, but after the first book he folded her in with Bosch. McEvoy stands on his own, except that he has made brief appearances in a couple of Bosch books, and one of the Bosch books, The Narrows, was a sequel to The Poet, a McEvoy book. Basically, Connelly gives his fans these little Easter eggs of characters making brief appearances in different series, and it is  kind of wonderful. To be truthful, I was hoping for a glimpse of either Bosch or Haller as this book is set in Los Angeles but it was not to be. Or I blinked and missed it, which is always a possibility! Anyway, if you are interested in all of Connelly’s books in order, with references to series characters, here you go: https://www.michaelconnelly.com/series/

“Fair Warning” is the name of the online news publication where McEvoy is now working. It is a consumer watchdog type of journalism that often partners up with newspapers like the Los Angeles Times. When McEvoy is questioned about the murder of a woman he had a one night stand with several months earlier, his journalistic interest is piqued. His background is in crime writing but his new employer wants him to stick to their mission. But as soon as McEvoy starts digging, he realizes there is a consumer story of interest here in the companies doing DNA research for the public and privacy. It’s a bit of a stretch, but his editor gives him a bit of time to bring the story home.

McEvoy starts digging, along with one of his co-workers, and then hooks up with his ex, a retired FBI profiler. Between the three of them, they soon realize that the murder that started this whole thing is possibly tied to several others around the country. And DNA privacy laws are at the heart of the whole mess.

As usual, Connelly gives us an unputdownable book with intriguing characters, a familiar setting, and a fast-paced, twisty storyline with a shocker of an ending. If you’ve never read Connelly, this is as good a place to start as any. In my humble opinion, Connelly remains the premier crime writer of our time. Don’t miss this book.

5/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

FAIR WARNING by Michael Connelly. Little, Brown and Company (May 26, 2020). ISBN 978-0316539425. 416 p.

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MY KIND OF COWBOY by R.C. Ryan

May 29, 2020

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Wranglers of Wyoming Series, Book 1

From the publisher:

This New York Times bestselling author delivers a “page-turning romance” (Nora Roberts) about a city girl on the run and the strong, protective cowboy who keeps her safe.

Brand Merrick is a take-charge cowboy who considers relax a four-letter word. So when an injury lands him six weeks of physical therapy, he intends to keep right on working-until his grandmother hires a therapist to stay at their family ranch. He’s not used to following orders, or slowing down, but Avery Grant has a way of getting him to do things he’d never thought he’d do . . .

Avery hates to admit it, but this super sexy rancher is testing her patience…and her professionalism. She’s a born-and-bred city girl, yet she finds herself drawn to the rugged wilderness and the equally rugged cowboy she’s here to help. But when a threat from her past follows Avery to Montana, it’s Brand who rides to the rescue-if only she’ll put her trust in him, and the growing feelings in her heart.

I still feel somewhat new to the whole cowboy romance genre as I’ve only been reading them for a couple of years. But even I know that the physical therapist is a common trope and one that I like.

Brand is deeply unhappy since he got hurt. He doesn’t talk unless you count grunting at his family when absolutely necessary. No one has seen him smile for a while. So when his mother hires a physical therapist to come stay at the ranch and work with him, he is determined to chase the guy off quickly. But to everyone’s surprise, Avery turns out to be a woman.

Three generations share this large house and work the enormous ranch. Avery quickly realizes she is not going to have it easy, but she manages to figure out a way to help Brand despite his best efforts to thwart her. Of course the fact that he is attracted to her helps a bit!

Not everything is paradise though. Avery has been having an issue with someone who appears to be threatening her. She had a few incidents at home before she came to the ranch, but once there she starts getting threatening texts from an unknown number. That adds another layer to this story.

Once his family sees how much Brand has improved, both physically and emotionally, they are all on board with Avery. And Avery and Brand get their happily ever after. A very enjoyable read.

NOTE: This book is billed as “Two full books for the price of one.” I read the digital galley supplied by the publisher and I did not have two novels, just the one story. So I cannot comment on whatever else is supposed to be included, which according to the cover is “a  bonus novel by Carolyn Brown.”

5/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

MY KIND OF COWBOY by R.C. Ryan. Forever (April 28, 2020). ISBN 978-1538716847. 656p.

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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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1 Comment | Book Reviews, Fiction, Women's Fiction | Permalink
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