THE ALMOST SISTERS by Joshilyn Jackson

August 10, 2017

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If you are not familiar with Joshilyn Jackson, you should be. She writes Southern stories with a touch of mystery and memorable characters, and this book is terrific.

Leia Birch Briggs is an author – she wrote a graphic novel that was a mega success and went on to write for many of the superhero series. At comic book conventions, she is a superhero herself, but her family doesn’t get it, they think she is barely scraping by with her doodles.

At one such convention, Leia has a bit too much tequila and goes back to the hotel with Batman – a black, good looking Batman. A few months later she finds out she is pregnant, and she doesn’t even know the father’s name.

Before she can tell her family or do anything about it, she receives word that her grandmother, who she is very close to, has apparently lost her mind. She immediately heads down south, with her niece in tow. Her almost perfect stepsister is in the middle of a knock down, drag out fight with her husband, and needs some time alone.

Turns out grandma Birchie, as she is best known, does have an illness but her closest friend, daughter of the black maid that raised her, has been taking care of her. The two of them are over 90 years old, so it is a bit of the blind leading the blind, but they have been managing, until now.

When the two old ladies talk their neighbor into moving a trunk out of the attic and into Leia’s car and they try to steal said car before crashing it, all hell breaks loose. There is a skeleton in the trunk, and the cops are investigating.

This is a story about racism and family and love and Dixie. The characters are all well developed, interesting and real and I was so sorry this story had to end. It is at times, laugh out loud funny and often touching. The process of creating a graphic novel is fascinating, too, adding another dimension to this story. That aspect put me in mind of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, but that was a book for young adults, and this book ultimately has more depth. If you are new to this author, try it, and if you are a fan, you will love it.

8/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE ALMOST SISTERS by Joshilyn Jackson . William Morrow; First Edition edition (July 11, 2017).  ISBN 978-0062105714.  352p.

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THE SCANDAL OF IT ALL by Sophie Jordan

August 9, 2017

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 The Rogue Files, Book 2

I know I’ve read at least some of the books in this series, but I don’t remember any of them being this hot. Smoldering hot!

Graciela, the Duchess of Autenberry, is originally from Spain and has been widowed for a long while. The marriage was abusive but for the children’s sake, she has kept alive the fairytale version. The ton never really accepted her as one of their own due to her Spanish background, and her dark, sultry looks don’t help.

When Graciela’s closest friend tells her about a club where she can find a lover, she is tempted. It has been a very long time since her husband died. So she goes, but to her horror, her stepson and his best friend, Lord Strickland, are there.

Mortified, she tries to hide but Strickland finds her. He has always been drawn to her but their relationship and their age difference doesn’t work. Strickland helps her hide from her stepson, but takes advantage of her – until he has her begging for more. They become lovers, despite her reservations about their age difference, but circumstances conspire to leading them down a different path.

I like Sophie Jordan’s books, and if you enjoy historical romances that pretty much cross over to erotica, this is the book for you.

8/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE SCANDAL OF IT ALL by Sophie Jordan. Avon (July 25, 2017). ISBN: 978-0062463623. 384p.

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ANY DREAM WILL DO by Debbie Macomber

August 8, 2017

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I’ve been reading Macomber for years, and I’ve really enjoyed her Cabot Cove and Blossom Street series and especially her Christmas stories. Her books are all sweet, escapist reading with an occasional kiss but never any sex. I’ve met her a couple of times, and I get her newsletter, and I know that she is a Christian, and all of her books reflect her values.

To me, this book crosses the line from women’s fiction and/or romance, which she has been writing throughout her career, to Christian (or “Inspirational”) fiction. As a Jew, I am not always comfortable with that genre and I was not comfortable with this book.

The premise is that a young woman, Shay, has grown up in an abusive home. She turned to drugs at an early age, and her boyfriend was a drug dealing, violent abuser. But Shay never liked drugs so although she lived in that world, she didn’t really use, but her brother did. She got a job as a bank teller and her brother talked her into embezzling money for him, saying that her boyfriend would kill him otherwise. She does it and goes to prison for three years.

I’m not giving away anything here, all of this occurs in the first twenty pages or so. When Shay is released, the bus lets her off in front of a church. She goes in, and the pastor, Drew, offers to help her. He gets her into a reentry program where she excels.

Drew lost his wife a few years earlier, leaving him with two young children. He is doing the best he can but he is suffering from depression. Helping Shay helps him, as well. Their connection keeps leading them back to one another and while there are difficulties in their relationship along the way, they eventually find their happily ever after.

Much of this story really stretched the bounds of credibility, but I liked the characters enough to keep reading. The bigger issue here for me was all the praying going on, and a lot of “God’s plan” filling in the story, along with the political machinations of the church, which just made it too Christian for this Jew. I hope Macomber goes back to her heathen ways and leaves the praying for her personal life instead of injecting it into her books. I will be leery of reading this author again.

8/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

ANY DREAM WILL DO by Debbie Macomber. Ballantine Books (August 8, 2017). ISBN 978-0399181191.  336p.

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CLASS MOM by Laurie Gelman

August 6, 2017

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Anyone who’s ever been a class room mother or even a PTA volunteer will easily identify with the hell these women go through. But here Gelman brandishes humor like a weapon, (ok, more like a Nerf gun,) gently making fun of all the archetype parents we’ve come to know and love this century – the lesbian moms, the helicopter parents, the mom with the highly allergic child, and so forth. If you are looking for an escape, a light read that is pure fun, you have come to the right book.

I was never the class mom, but I often volunteered, chaperoned field trips, was secretary of the PTSA when my son was in middle school, was team mom for Little League and softball and basketball, etc. Plus my kids are almost eight years apart in age, so I got to do it all over again with my daughter. So let’s just say I really related here.

Jen Dixon is not your typical kindergarten mom; for one thing, she already has two kids in college. When her best friend, also the president of the PTA, recruits her to be class mom, she rebels, then acquiesces, leading to a lot of really snarky,  funny emails sent to the class.

There are moms who do not appreciate the snark and a coup is attempted. Another of the class parents is Don, Jen’s high school crush, a single dad who she starts a flirty text relationship with. You know that is going to blow up in her face but it’s so much fun getting there. Jen and all her family drama justs makes us root for her all the harder.

Laurie Gelman is married to Michael Gelman, and if that name sounds familiar it’s because he’s the long time producer of “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” “Live with Kelly and Michael,” and actually goes back to the Regis & Kathy Lee days of the show (I actually heard about this book when she was on Live recently.) Gelman really captured this lovely suburban community well in her debut, plus I always love a good epistolary novel – the emails and texts bring it home. Nepotism aside, this was an afternoon read for me, and it truly did make me laugh out loud.

8/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

CLASS MOM by Laurie Gelman. Henry Holt and Co. (August 1, 2017).  ISBN 978-1250124692.  304p.

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BLACKTHORNE’S BRIDE by Joan Johnston

August 4, 2017

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A Bitter Creek Novel, Book 15

Marcus Wharton, the Duke of Blackthorne is visiting America with his best friend when he witnesses a horrifying sight. The Sioux have a young American girl, Josie Wentworth, tied to a post and are whipping her within an inch of her life. The Duke approaches and offers his knife and a gold watch for the girl, and manages to get her away. He takes her with him on a ship back to England and nurses her as best as he can. When he gets home, he asks his friend to take care of her and make sure she gets home to America once she is healed. The Duke is about to be married.

Unbeknownst to the Duke, his orders are not followed and she ends up as a maid at his property far from London. The Duke’s wife dies in childbirth and a few years later, the Duke realizes that unless he marries an heiress, he will lose all his property. He advertises for a wife but can’t find anyone suitable and the clock is ticking.

One day a Pinkerton detective shows up at Josie’s residence to tell her that she is an heiress. He helps her to London where she answers the Duke’s ad for a wife. He doesn’t recognize her, but falls for her anyway.

There are a lot of twists and turns in this romance and I really enjoyed it. It is easy to see why Johnston has so many fans! I haven’t read any of the books in this series and I don’t think it mattered one iota. Johnston offers an unusual story (at least to me) and it was a good one.

8/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

BLACKTHORNE’S BRIDE by Joan Johnston. Dell (July 25, 2017). ISBN 978-0399177743. 432p.

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THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER by Phaedra Patrick

July 29, 2017

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This has been the year for charming, quirky books; at least, I’m finding them on a somewhat regular basis.

Arthur Pepper is a 69-year-old curmudgeon. He lost Miriam, his wife of forty years, just a year earlier, and has decided it is time to go through her belongings and send them off to charity. He pulls out a pair of boots and finds a charm bracelet hidden in the toe of the boot. Arthur is perplexed; he’s didn’t give her the bracelet and in fact, he’s never even seen it.

Arthur is a man of simple needs, as was his wife. They have two children, a daughter who lives nearby and a son who lives in Australia, but they are not close. In fact, neither of the children attended Miriam’s funeral. He has neighbors that he hides from, but the fact is that Arthur is lonely.

Although they were married, and happily, for all those years, Arthur realizes he really didn’t know anything about her life prior to their relationship. One of the charms has a phone number engraved on it, and that sets him off on an adventure into Miriam’s past. And she has quite a past – a stint working as a nanny in India, working as a nude model for artists, living in Paris and London for a while, and she even has a former fiance.

If you enjoy quirky family stories, then this is the book for you. I did this book with my book group and it made for a most enjoyable discussion. Arthur Pepper has the same sort of appeal as A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman.

7/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER by Phaedra Patrick. MIRA; Reprint edition (January 31, 2017).  ISBN 978-0778319801.  336p.

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DANIEL’S TRUE DESIRE by Grace Burrowes

July 27, 2017

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True Gentlemen, Book 2

I loved the first book in this series, the second one not quite as much, but it’s still a really good read. I just had a harder time getting into it for some reason.

Daniel Banks has just started his new position as vicar in the small town of Haddondale, where the Earl of Bellefonte rules. Daniel has had some complications in his life – his sister had a baby, Danny, out of wedlock, who Daniel has been raising. She’s recently married a man of title, and they want to raise her son. But Danny is not happy without his papa, AKA Uncle Daniel.

Daniel is also married, to Olivia, who is a conniving bitch of the highest order. She wants nothing to do with sweet little Danny save for what she can use him for – blackmail, for a starter. Daniel and Olivia separate, he to his new post, her supposedly to family in the north. In reality, she is having an affair with a cousin and plotting and scheming against her husband.

While settling in to his new job, Daniel meets Lady Kirsten who runs the household. There is an immediate attraction and she is saddened to learn that he is married, and he is too ‘good’ to pursue anything while he is.

Eventually things conspire their way, but not without lots of hurdles and some behind closed doors sex. A happy ending is reached, and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

5/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

DANIEL’S TRUE DESIRE by Grace Burrowes. Sourcebooks Casablanca (November 3, 2015). ISBN: 978-1492621027. 448p.

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ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL by Jennifer Probst

July 26, 2017

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The Billionaire Builders, Book 3

I am so sad to say that this is the final book, I really loved this HGTV style romance series.

The Pierce brothers are the stars of the series. In the first book, Everywhere and Every Way,  the eldest brother, Caleb Pierce, meets his match. The second book, Any Time, Any Place, features Dalton Pierce, and he, too, finds his soulmate. Now it’s Tristan’s turn.

Sydney Greene pretty much grew up in the Pierce household. Raised by her grandparents, the boys mom, Diana, is as close to a mother as Sydney has. And even though she was only eight years old the first time she set eyes on Tristan, she knew she would always love him.

Tristan is a few years older than Sydney and for most of his childhood, he thinks of her as a baby sister, someone to protect when needed. Eventually she grows up into a beautiful young woman, and she makes her desire for him apparent. He can’t resist and they have a secretive affair for quite a while before the family finds out. But by that point, Tristan is having some major issues with his family and wants to move to New York City to pursue a real estate career. On their last night together, Sydney tries to get up the courage to tell him she’s pregnant, but she never gets the chance. He leaves her, and she quickly rebounds and marries a man who is willing to take on a pregnant wife.

Fast forward several years and Sydney is long divorced after her brief marriage, and an essential employee in the family business that Tristan has returned to. He tries to ignore her, and she him, but their connection is too strong. Whether it is strong enough to survive him finding out her daughter is also his, is the biggest hurdle they will have to face. Sydney’s daughter is a wonderful addition to the story and often steals her scenes.

Probst writes really great stories with well-developed characters and lots of hot, explicit sex. Although it seems like there is a bit of repetition with some of the descriptions – his snowy white shirt, his whiskey eyes, and so forth, this was still a one night read for me and I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait to see what Probst has coming up next.

7/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL by Jennifer Probst. Gallery Books (July 25, 2017). ISBN 978-1501124297. 384p.

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BEACH HOUSE FOR RENT by Mary Alice Monroe

July 22, 2017

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The Beach House, Book 4

Take a vacation to the Lowcountry of South Carolina with this delightful summer read.

Cara Rutledge inherited her Isle of Palm beach house, Primrose Cottage, when her mother passed away several years earlier. She and her husband rent out the cottage every summer, and this time she got lucky and found one tenant for the whole summer, instead of the usual week by week rentals. Her tenant is Heather, a young woman with some serious mental health issues.

Heather lost her mother in a car accident when she was very young, and she bears the scars of that loss. She has severe anxiety disorder, is extremely shy and nonconfrontational. Her father has recently remarried, and decided he needs to spend time alone with his new wife so arranges for the rental. Heather is an artist and has won a prestigious commission to paint shorebirds for stamps for the U.S. Post Office. Staying on the beach is sure to inspire her art. While moving someplace new is stressful, she draws comfort from her canaries.

Bo Stanton is a local carpenter who is building a deck onto the beach house. He is entranced with Heather and her canaries, and she quickly falls for the very patient young man. Together they explore the area, and Heather learns about sea turtles and shore birds and life.

When tragedy befalls Cara, she begs to move back into the cottage, as she has always found solace in her mother’s place. Heather can’t say no to her, and Cara moves in with Heather. The women both work through their troubles, finding strength in one another.

This is a beautiful story that deals with love, grief, and especially friendship, all within the confines of the beach community. The descriptions of the area made me feel like I was there, so this was a nice little getaway of a read for me.

7/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

BEACH HOUSE FOR RENT by Mary Alice Monroe. Gallery Books (June 20, 2017).  ISBN 978-1501125461.  416p.

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THE LATE SHOW by Michael Connelly

July 19, 2017

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Detective Renée Ballard works the “late show”, the overnight shift, in Hollywood, California. It is considered a punishment shift, and it’s where she was moved after filing a complaint about Olivas, her boss in Homicide. He tried to kiss her at a party in front of her partner, but her partner wouldn’t back up her claim so Olivas got away with it and her partner got a promotion. Yes, workplace politics are alive and well on the Los Angeles police force.

Her partner on the late show is Jenkins, who has a sick wife at home and volunteered to work the shift so he could be home with his wife during the day. He has no interest in overtime, just wants to put in his time and go home. The night shift doesn’t usually handle cases, they just gather information and turn it over to the day shift detectives, but Ballard finagles her time management to keep the cases she wants – like the transgender prostitute that was beaten and tortured and left for dead, and an old lady’s stolen credit card. She gets a real thrill out of solving cases and is willing work her butt off to get the job done.

The big case at the center of the story is a shootout at a strip club. Four men are killed, as well as a waitress. When Ballard’s ex-partner is killed, she decides to do a little investigating on the side, as Olivas won’t allow her anywhere near his investigation. She soon figures out that the killer was probably a cop, which doesn’t play well with her brethren. All the storylines are tied up at the end, with one surprise after another.

This is the start of a new series for Connelly, and his first with a woman as the lead. Ballard is a terrific character, with enough backstory and trauma to make her really interesting, and enough guts and ingenuity to make her a terrific cop. The supporting cast is also well developed, and the multiple story lines are handled with Connelly’s usual finesse. And I loved the reference to the Amazon Prime series, Bosch – a nice Easter egg.

I was shocked to realize this book was over 400 pages, it was a very fast read for me. Connelly has a way of drawing me into his stories that make it almost impossible to put down the book. If you’re a Harry Bosch and/or Lincoln Lawyer fan, you will love this new one, too. This is an excellent series debut from the finest crime fiction writer out there. Don’t miss it.

7/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE LATE SHOW by Michael Connelly. Little, Brown and Company (July 18, 2017).  ISBN 978-0316225984. 448p.

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