CORONAVIRUS DIARY: May 9, 2020

May 9, 2020

I’ve been home now for 7 weeks. I feel so fortunate I am able to work from home, and that I still have a job. The work keeps me chained to my computer from 7:30 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon, and it gives me a sense of purpose.

I set my alarm Monday through Friday mornings, I get up, I do my hair (haha,) I put makeup on, I get dressed. Not dressed like I’m going to work, I’ve been pretty much living in tank tops, jeans, and flip flops (Florida!), and once or twice a week, I wear a comfy dress. One that I could wear to the beach, for instance.

I do this not because I don’t like hanging out in my pajamas. I like that as much as the next person. But early in this pandemic, I had read this article from a journalist, I think from the Wall Street Journal – sorry I can’t find that article now so it could have been the Washington Post or the New York Times, I read them all every day. Anyway, he had quarantined himself for a few weeks just to see how it would work. And what I took away from that article was that I need routine, and I need to get dressed. Saturday, I can hang out in PJs all day if I want.

I get groceries delivered once a week or so, or send my husband to the store every other week, so I am cooking with what I have. When I say “send my husband,” please know that is entirely his choice. He’s got this slightly protective macho thing where he doesn’t want me going shopping. Or my daughter. Even though we are less at risk than he is. But it is not worth fighting about, so I try and keep it to a bare minimum, which for me is twice a month. Costco has “senior hour,” which he qualifies for, so he goes then. Our supermarket, Publix, has senior hours for 65+, so we can’t go then. But if he goes right after that hour, the store is empty. Now I understand Costco is limiting the amount of meat to three packages per person. I have no room in my freezer, so when we run out, vegetarian it is, or maybe they’ll be restocked by then.

Surprise Box of Veggies

Speaking of vegetables, there is a farm a few miles away that has started selling boxes of fresh produce for $10. It’s awesome! They have a horseshoe-shaped driveway, and people waiting alongside it. Then they just put the box in your car. You don’t get out or anything.

I’ve gone through more than 15 pounds of flour in these weeks that I’ve been home. Mostly because I am doing the sourdough starter. I feed it twice a day, that’s pretty much 2 cups of flour a day. Plus lots more if I actually bake with it. So far, I’ve made pretzels, rustic sourdough bread, and sourdough sandwich bread. But the best thing I’ve made is Sourdough Banana Pancakes. I found the recipe on Instagram (thanks, Chef Johanna Hellrigl – for the photo, too!) and they were the easiest and best pancakes I ever made. We are doing breakfast for dinner every week or two, which my family thinks is great, so lucky me, it’s about the easiest dinner to make, so we are all happy.

I’ve also found myself making food that lasts for at least two meals or more. Turkey. Brisket. My family’s favorite meatloaf from Old-School Comfort Food by Alex Guarnaschelli. It’s Alex’s mom’s recipe and their family favorite, too! I turned pork butt into “Pressure Cooker Garlicky Cuban Pork,” which is so good! But my delivery didn’t include tortillas, the store was out. So I made flour tortillas for the first time. I never quite got the round aspect down, but they tasted good. I also made “Big Bellied Argentinian Empanadas” one night from the fantastic Gran Cocina Latina cookbook by Maricel Presilla. I’ve made them many times, but always with frozen empanada dough. For the first time, I made the dough (all local stores sold out of the frozen!) but I chickened out at attempting the traditional rope edge. I was down to my last egg, so I didn’t do the pretty egg wash either. I especially love this recipe because they are baked instead of fried (so much easier!) and are so good!

We’ve made pizza a couple of times. I made a Chicago style pizza, or as I think of it, pizza casserole, that was awesome!

Chicago “pizza”

Then I spent two (or was it three?) days making Anthony Falco’s “Sourdough Pizza Dough,” and it was so bad I could have cried. The dough looked beautiful every step of the way until it came time to make the pizza. The dough didn’t stretch, it tore. Adding a ton of flour made it somewhat more malleable, but it tasted like crap. Looks good in the pictures though!

Then my boss told me she made pizza and the crust came out like crap. She thought maybe old yeast or something. We are calling it the “Quarantine Pizza Curse.” We’ve also been eating lots of pasta –  mac & cheese, homemade “beefaroni,” pasta with veggies, frozen ravioli when I really don’t feel like cooking. Fortunately, that doesn’t happen very often. I’m trying to balance all those carbs with fish and chicken and salads, but to be honest, I don’t always achieve that balance I’m seeking.

Because I am home, I have the luxury of time. There is no more rushing to get dinner ready. I have time to make things from scratch. Time to try new recipes. On my “lunch break” from work, I can throw a cake in the oven or start marinating something delicious for dinner.

Reading has always brought me comfort and escape. But it is not enough right now. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I love to cook and to bake. That is my happy place and let’s face it, we all need something to bring us joy right now. I found mine, and I hope you have found yours!

As always, thanks for reading and stay safe!

 

 

 

 

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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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CRASH by David Hagberg & Lawrence Light

May 6, 2020

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From the publisher:

The second Great Depression is coming. The world’s economies are groaning under too much debt. If one thing goes wrong, the entire rickety system collapses. Now, acclaimed award-winning New York Times bestselling novelist David Hagberg and renowned financial reporter Lawrence Light have combined forces to dramatize―hour by hour―how this all-too-real catastrophe could go down in Crash.

With debt-burdened governments and businesses worldwide about to go bust, a cabal of Wall Street big shots plot to destroy the globe’s stock exchanges. To provide that one thing that goes wrong. In 24 hours, a powerful computer worm will smash the exchanges and spark an international panic, pushing a debt-laden world into the abyss. The Wall Street gang’s investment bank will be the last one standing, able to make a killing amid the ruins.

But one person, who works for their bank as a computer expert, spots the worm embedded deep in its network. Cassy Levin invents a program to destroy the cyber-intruder. Angered by Cassy’s discovery, her bosses order her kidnapping.

Her boyfriend, a former Navy SEAL, is alarmed at Cassy’s disappearance and unravels the plot. Ben Whalen only has until the next morning to save the woman he loves and prevent the economic apocalypse.

This story is based on the genuine threat posed by towering debt, which will make the 2008 financial crisis look puny.

An interesting, well-written novel and also a warning about the possibility of a major worldwide financial crisis due to the outrageous amounts of debt currently held by nations, companies, and individuals.

A group of Wall Street executives has entered into a plot to wreak havoc in worldwide financial markets by the introduction of a worm into companies’ web sites which will destroy the exchanges and cause panic around the world. Their idea will allow one huge company to escape the devastation of the worm and rake in fortunes buying at the depressed prices which will become available, and then selling at huge premiums over purchase price. Everything seems to be moving towards the fiscal Armageddon planned when one brilliant analyst working for that company comes up with an apparent fix for the worm. Her position is, of course, to advise management and expect that they will jump at the chance to prevent catastrophe. Unfortunately for Cassy Levin, the analyst finding the fix, it is the management that she advises that is setting up the project and to protect themselves, order her kidnapping and killing.

But there is an unknown ace in Cassy’s hand. Her fiancee is an ex-Navy Seal with the fighting skills that this group has. In looking for his love he finds that she has been kidnapped and employs all methods to find her and rescue her.

The story by itself is engrossing with action aplenty and there are lessons in quite a bit of the high finance that is necessary to do what is being planned. As already stated, the authors do make a strong case for a reexamination of the financial freedom that is too easily available. Events occurring in 2008 in the U.S. are brought up in which banks and financial institutions had to be bailed out by the government due to them being overextended. The overreaching by these financial institutions is blamed on the attitude of the Federal Reserve bank itself which in setting rediscount rates for banks regulates the number of loans that can be granted. The loose policies allowed loans freely granted to people and companies that by any analysis could not afford to service them, laying the groundwork for a probable financial collapse only forestalled by a government bailout.

5/2020 Paul Lane

CRASH by David Hagberg & Lawrence Light. Forge Books (April 28, 2020). ISBN: 978-1250249890. 320p.

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EMPIRE CITY by Matt Gallagher

May 4, 2020

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From the publisher:

The author of the “urgent and deeply moving” (The New York Times) Youngblood returns with this bold and provocative novel following a group of super-powered soldiers and civilians as they navigate an imperial America on the precipice of a major upheaval—for fans of The Fortress of Solitude and The Plot Against America.

Thirty years after its great triumph in Vietnam, the United States has again become mired in an endless foreign war overseas. Stories of super soldiers known as the Volunteers tuck in little American boys and girls every night. Yet domestic politics are aflame. Violent protests erupt throughout the nation; an ex-military watchdog group clashes with police while radical terrorists threaten to expose government experiments within the veteran rehabilitation colonies.

Halfway between war and peace, the Volunteers find themselves waiting for orders in the vast American city-state, Empire City. There they encounter a small group of civilians who know the truth about their powers, including Sebastian Rios, a young bureaucrat wrestling with survivor guilt, and Mia Tucker, a wounded army pilot-turned-Wall Street banker. Meanwhile, Jean-Jacques Saint-Preux, a Haitian-American Volunteer from the International Legion, decides he’ll do whatever it takes to return to the front lines.

Through it all, a controversial retired general emerges as a frontrunner in the presidential campaign, promising to save the country from itself. Her election would mean unprecedented military control over the country, with promises of security and stability—but at what cost?

Featuring Gallagher’s “vital” (The Washington Post), “evocative” (The Wall Street Journal) prose, Empire City is a rousing vision of an alternate—yet all too familiar—America on the brink.

Matt Gallagher takes up the task of writing about the aftermath of war – the feelings and actions of those veterans that have fought in the war and returned home. There are those that have war-related wounds, both physical and mental, and how they deal with these in a world that is no longer involved with combat.

Thirty years after a victory in Vietnam, the United States has become mired in the morass of another conflict overseas and one that looks to be without an end in sight. Moral imperatives designed to attract people into the military appear everywhere with stories of the heroics of the military spread all over the country. These also include the appearance of a group of “super soldiers” that have been modified to be able to do things such as become invisible, fly, run, at very rapid speeds traits that would make the U.S. military almost invincible.

Gallagher has taken an excellent idea to a stage that turns the novel into a chore to read. There are descriptions of feelings, actions, events that simply run one into the other. I found myself taxed to get into the gist of the book and ended up finishing it wondering what was going on. The actions and feelings of the principal characters became muddled and mixed with others in the story.

5/2020 Paul Lane

EMPIRE CITY by Matt Gallagher. Atria Books (April 28, 2020). ISBN: 978-1501177798. 368p.

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THE WEDDING DRESS by Danielle Steel

May 3, 2020

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From the publisher:

In Danielle Steel’s epic new novel, the lives of four generations of women in one family span fortune and loss, motherhood, tragedy and victories.
 
From the glamorous San Francisco social scene of the 1920s, through war and the social changes of the ’60s, to the rise of Silicon Valley today, this extraordinary novel takes us on a family odyssey that is both heartbreaking and inspiring, as each generation faces the challenges of their day.

The Parisian design houses in 1928, the crash of 1929, the losses of war, the drug culture of the 1960s—history holds many surprises, and lives are changed forever. For richer or for poorer, in cramped apartments and grand mansions, the treasured wedding dress made in Paris in 1928 follows each generation into their new lives, and represents different hopes for each of them, as they marry very different men.

From inherited fortunes at the outset to self-made men and women, the wedding dress remains a cherished constant for the women who wear it in each generation and forge a destiny of their own. It is a symbol of their remaining traditions and the bond of family they share in an ever-changing world.

Last week I had one of those tele-health appointments with my doctor. That’s where I’m at home in front of my bookcases (fiction section) and he’s at home or maybe at the office, I don’t know. We basically Facetimed and it was easy and worthwhile. But then he asked about my books. What were all those books behind me.

I explained that those were my fiction books, housed in my living room. Cookbooks have their own bookcase, as do nonfiction, in other areas of my home. Then he asked what authors were on the shelves. I named a few, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Mary Kay Andrews, Adriana Trigiani, Barbara Kingsolver, Scott Turow. For the most part, the only books I keep anymore are the ones that have been signed by the author. Or that I love too much to part with. He then asked if I had any Danielle Steel. I do not.

Now, this particular doctor is a man, and he was in medical school when I started college so a few years older than I am. I would be pretty surprised if he reads Danielle Steel, but I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that his wife does. It started me thinking that I haven’t read her in a few years, and I happened to have this book on my Kindle, courtesy of the publisher. I read a few of her books when I was pregnant with my (now 35-year-old) son, and then I read a couple more a few years ago. I liked one of those and hated the other. But she is such a popular author I figured I’d give her another go with this new book.

I’m sorry I did. I went back and read my reviews of the books I read in 2017 and this book had the same exact problems.

I’m not sure why I finished it, other than I fell back on an old bad habit of reading to the end in hopes it would get better. It didn’t.

I was annoyed with myself for sticking with it and wasting two and a half hours of my life that I’ll never get back.

The characters never come to life. We don’t know them well enough to care about what happens. Even a character’s death didn’t faze me. And the dress? The wedding dress. Two of the family members wear it and that was lovely.

This book covers roughly four generations of a family and I really didn’t care about any of them. Another waste of time, and one that I’ll hopefully learn from. If you are a fan of her books, you will probably enjoy this one. I just think there are so many authors out there writing far better books. I’d be happy to recommend some.

5/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE WEDDING DRESS by Danielle Steel. Delacorte Press (April 28, 2020). ISBN 978-0399179594. 304p.

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UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE by Howard Linskey

May 2, 2020

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A Detective Varg Novel, Book 2

From the publisher:

Perfect for fans of Brad Taylor, Lee Child, and Brad Thor who are looking for their next adventure—UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE has all their exhilarating action but with a twist—Linskey is taking readers back to history’s darkest hours….

A secret assassin. An impossible mission. Failure is not an option. 

1943. With Nazi Germany facing defeat, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring has authorized mass production of the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, a jet-propulsion engine aircraft faster than any plane in the Allies’ arsenal. But British Intelligence has discovered that the Komet is unstable and German scientist Professor Gaerte has been tasked to fix the plane’s flaw. To prevent the Komets from getting airborne, an undercover task force must infiltrate Nazi-occupied France and assassinate Gaerte.

Captain Harry Walsh is one of Britain’s most effective, ruthless, and unorthodox Special Operations Executive agents. Allied with an American OSS and Free French operatives, Harry leads his squad behind enemy lines where he’s reunited with fellow SOE operative—and former lover—Emma Stirling. But as the team proceeds with their mission, an SS officer from Harry’s past pursues the Englishman on a very personal mission of revenge . . .

Well done story of all-out war and how it really affects the people involved in it. Captain Harry Walsh is a member of the British SOE (Special Operations Executive.) His experiences include several cover-up visits to Vichy, France during the Nazi occupation of that country during World War II. He takes the waging of war as something very serious with no quarter asked nor given. In his mind, there can be no gallantry nor any rules other than to win.

He is married to a beautiful woman who stays at home in England during Harry’s visits overseas and is only concerned with acting as she thinks a woman should act. Harry realized shortly after the wedding that it was a mistake but stays on because that is just the thing to do. He is comforted by an affair with Emma Stirling who is also an SOE operator and has clandestine visits to occupied France under her belt.

The story takes place in 1943 during a period when it appears that Germany was beginning to lose the war and Hitler was searching for a way to forestall that taking place. One of the most promising ideas is the development of a jet-propelled plane, which if placed into mass production, would make the German air force almost invincible. Its use against aircraft capable of speeds only half of what the Jet can do would negate all enemy planes making them useless as weapons. Fortunately for the allies, the German jet has design problems which must be corrected before any mass production can take place. But Germany has an engineer who would probably be able to find the problems, fix them and get the new airplane ready for mass production and use against allied aircraft.

The SOE believes that the only solution in this instance is to kill the engineer with that action pushing mass production back several months or longer. Harry Walsh is assigned to go into France where the German engineer will be working and kill him. He will be aided by an American who is a member of the OSS (the precursor of the CIA) and a Frenchman who had worked with the French underground and knows their systems and placements. In addition, Emma Stirling insinuates herself into the group and is included in the event that a woman could be useful in arranging the murder planned.

Linskey has done his research and the conditions described are certainly those that prevailed during the period covered. The Nazis are depicted as cruel conquerors freely executing people in order to prove their points and maintaining complete fear-based control over the conquered population. In addition, he brings up two individuals that were active during the war. The first is Ian Fleming the later author of the James Bond novels whom Linskey indicates probably got his inspiration for the weapons used by Bond from an actual department that served agents of the SOE. The other is Kim Philby, who later in his life is an infamous undercover agent for the Soviet
Union.

The members of the French underground are drawn realistically. They are fearful for both themselves and their families all subject to execution if caught in activities against the conquerors There is no trace of false bravado only the fear that must be conquered if they are to win their country back. The novel ends with the war still on and the invasion of Europe on the horizon. It is also a certainty that further novels are planned around the participation of Harry Walsh and his fellow members of the SOE doing their part in the winning of the war in Europe. And that is definitely not a bad thing.

5/2020 Paul Lane

UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE by Howard Linskey. Pinnacle (April 28, 2020). ISBN: 978-0786046881. 368p.

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Win the May 2020 bookshelf of signed thrillers!

May 1, 2020

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Hello, my lovely readers! 

I am so happy to be able to offer you a new contest for May with some terrific thrillers, sure to help you escape the nightmare we are living in. Spend some time in someone else’s nightmare, it will make your life seem positively idyllic!

FAIR WARNING by Michael Connelly: The hero of The Poet and The Scarecrow is back in the new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author (and my favorite!) Michael Connelly. Jack McEvoy, the journalist who never backs down, tracks a serial killer who has been operating completely under the radar–until now.

DEAD LAND by Sara Paretsky: V.I. Warshawski Novels, Book 20. Chicago’s legendary detective, V.I. Warshawski, knows her city’s rotten underbelly better than most, but she’s unable to avoid it when her goddaughter drags her into a fight over lakefront land use in this propulsive novel.

SEEING DARKNESS by Heather Graham: Krewe of Hunters, Book 30. When a terrifying past-life regression during a girls’ weekend in Salem reveals a local politician’s sinister nature, FBI Krewe of Hunters special agent Jon Dickson teams up with an apprehensive witness to stop a twisted serial killer.

THESE WOMEN by Ivy Pochoda: From the award-winning author of Wonder Valley and  Visitation Street comes a serial killer story like you’ve never seen before—a literary thriller of female empowerment and social change.

THREE HOURS IN PARIS by Cara Black: In June of 1940, when Paris fell to the Nazis, Hitler spent a total of three hours in the City of Light—abruptly leaving, never to return. To this day, no one knows why. The New York Times bestselling author of the Aimée Leduc investigations reimagines history in her masterful, pulse-pounding spy thriller.

A BAD DAY FOR SUNSHINE by Darynda Jones: Sunshine Vicram Series, Book 1. New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones is back with the first novel in the brand-new snarky, sassy, wickedly fun thriller, and the forecast looks anything but sunny.

THIS IS HOW I LIED by Heather Gudenkauf: A pregnant detective, still haunted by the cold case murder of her best friend decades earlier is forced to relive the past and finally understand what happened when new evidence comes to light and the case is reopened.

BLACK FLAG by David Ricciardi: Jake Keller Series, Book 3. CIA officer Jake Keller faces stakes that are very high and very personal in the latest electrifying thriller from the author of Rogue Strike. After years of relative calm, piracy has returned to the high sea. As the threats close in from all sides, Jake finds himself faced with a familiar choice: back off, or go on the offensive.

TAKE ME APART by Sara Sligar: A seductive, twisting tale of psychological suspense, Take Me Apart draws readers into the lives of two darkly magnetic young women pinned down by secrets and lies. Sara Sligar’s electrifying debut is a chilling, thought-provoking take on art, illness, and power, from a spellbinding new voice in literary suspense.

CROSS OF FIRE by David Gilman: Master of War, Book 6. Winter, 1362. After years of successful campaigning in France, Thomas Blackstone, a common archer knighted at Crécy, has rised to become Edward III’s Master of War. But the title is as much a curse as a blessing; a group of trained killers, burning with vengeance, draw ever-closer.

You can win autographed copies of these books! If you are new to the site, each month I run a contest in conjunction with the International Thriller Writers organization. We put together a list of books from debut authors to bestsellers, so you can win some of your favorites and find some new favorites.

What makes this contest really special is that all of the books (except eBooks) are signed by the author! Books with multiple authors will be signed by at least one of the authors.

Penguin Random House books for giveaway were provided by the publisher. #PRHpartner

Don’t forget, if you subscribe to the newsletter or follow this blog, you get an extra entry into every contest you enter. Check out the Win Books page for more information on all these books and authors, and how you can enter this month’s contest.

Thanks for reading, and good luck!

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HOW TO MARRY YOUR HUSBAND by Jaqueline Rohen

April 30, 2020

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From the publisher:

He broke her heart. Now it’s her turn.

Rachel has just seen her husband David kissing another woman and she knows her marriage is over.

To make matters worse, she has just discovered that her romantic destination wedding wasn’t exactly legal.

No marriage means no divorce. Heartbroken and angry, she and her friend hatch a foolproof plan:

Step one – Make David fall back in love with her.
Step two – Marry him
Step three – Divorce him and break his heart.

Simple enough.

Rachel just has to be careful that she doesn’t get swept up in  the romance and end up falling in love with him…

 

I do love a good romcom, print or film. This one is a UK publication and kicks off tomorrow. You can still buy it if you are in the US, just use the link below.

Rachel was a complex character and I really liked that. She was not perfect and we got to see her flaws and her good points. David, on the other hand,  I think we are predisposed to hate him but even he becomes likeable in the telling of this story.

The point of view occasionally shifts from Rachel to David, and that sets up the real story; there’s her side, his side, and somewhere in the middle lies the truth. There are a lot of really funny bits sprinkled throughout, which I really enjoyed. But there is also a lot of angst because, at its heart, this is a story about infidelity which I personally have a hard time with. But I liked how the story flowed and somehow I even found myself wanting to see them get past all their troubles.

This is a debut novel, which bodes well for us readers. I expect the next book will be even better.

4/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

HOW TO MARRY YOUR HUSBAND by Jaqueline Rohen. Cornerstone Digital (1 May 2020). ASIN: B083FFH4ST. 400p.

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THE TALENTED MR. VARG by Alexander McCall Smith

April 29, 2020

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A Detective Varg Novel, Book 2

From the publisher:

In the second installment in the best-selling Detective Varg series, Ulf and his team investigate a notorious philanderer—a wolf of a man whose bad reputation may be all bark and no bite.
 
The Department of Sensitive Crimes, renowned for taking on the most obscure and irrelevant cases is always prepared to dive into an investigation, no matter how complex. So when the girlfriend of an infamous author who insists her bad-boy beau is being blackmailed approaches Ulf Varg, the department’s lead detective, Ulf is determined to help. It’s rather difficult to determine what skeletons hide in the hard-living lothario’s closet, though. And while Swedes are notoriously tolerant . . . well, there are limits. Even for the Swedish.

The case requires Ulf’s total concentration, but he finds himself distracted by his ongoing attraction to his co-worker, Anna, whose own fears about her husband’s fidelity are causing a strain on her marriage. When Ulf is also tasked with looking into a group of dealers exporting wolves that seem more canis familiaris than canis lupus, it will require all of his team’s investigative instincts and dogged persistence to put these matters to bed.

This is the second book in a series revolving around a Swedish police squad termed the Department of Sensitive Crimes; an agency that takes on cases that are irrelevant and nonsensible. They then work on them, running them into the ground and arriving at conclusions that fit the crime and provide a good amount of humor for the reader.

In this book, Ulf Varg (the name consists of two words both meaning wolf in Swedish) works on situations that involve the illegal sale of dogs as wolves to zoos and other buyers. He handles a case in which a lady indicates that her boyfriend (a noted second rate author) is being blackmailed, and provides information to a fellow police officer, a lady that he has a crush on about her suspicions that her husband is having an affair.

The cases are worked on by Varg and other members of his department, all of whom are misfits and obviously not indicative of real-life police officers. Conclusions are arrived at after a good deal of tongue in cheek banter by all concerned and a good time by the reader. McCall Smith’s book is not meant to be a deeply engrossing work but a well-done parody and a good time for all. There should be a separate category for this type of book other than a star rating since it is not meant as anything but a good comedy. Still, it is a novel that can be quite enjoyed by those readers interested in a departure and a captivating read.

4/2020 Paul Lane

THE TALENTED MR. VARG by Alexander McCall Smith. Pantheon (April 28, 2020). ISBN: 978-1524748968. 240p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

HIGHLAND CONQUEST by Heather McCollum

April 28, 2020

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Sons of Sinclair, Book 1

From the publisher:

Cain Sinclair has a plan. In order to finally bring peace to his clan, he will wed the young female chief of their greatest enemy. Only problem: capturing her and forcing her back to Sinclair castle doesn’t exactly make her want to say yes. Ella Sutherland may be clever, passionate, and shockingly beautiful, but what she isn’t is willing.

Every attempt Cain makes to woo her seems to backfire on him. A gift? The kitten practically claws his eyes out. A competitive game of chess? Even when he wins, he loses. It seems the only time the two ever see eye to eye is when they’re heating up Cain’s bed. Still, the only thing Ella truly wants is the one thing he cannot offer her: freedom.

But when Cain discovers she’s been harboring a secret―one that could threaten both clans’ very existence―he’ll have to decide between peace for the Sinclairs or the woman who’s captured his heart.

I was first introduced to Scottish historical romance from the incredible Diana Gabaldon, and she sort of spoiled me for any other writers. But it takes her years to write a book, so I’ve read a bunch of other authors. This was my first read from this author, and this book is set way earlier than anything else I’ve read. It opens in 1589! It was a more brutal time period for sure, and though there are some battles depicted and discussed, they are much more in the background. Other than when our hero and heroine meet.

The Sinclair clan killed the Sutherland chief, leaving his only child, his daughter Ella, as chief. So it is not really a surprise that she leads the charge to kill the Sinclair chief, making his eldest son Cain the new chief of the clan. Ella is captured, and Cain, who is smarter and more strategic than his war-loving father, decides that by marrying Ella, he will be able to take over the Sutherland clan without any bloodshed. Except she doesn’t want to marry him; in fact, she asks him to kill her.

Cain’s mind is made up but he realizes he will need to convince Ella so he sets about trying to do that. He has some success, but like any good romance, for every step forward, there is a half step backward. But as they spend more time together, Cain learns to appreciate Ella’s sharp mind, and Ella learns to appreciate Cain’s even temperament and willingness to listen.

There is a lot of action in this story, and it was a real page-turner for me. I enjoyed learning about how people lived in that time period, and I really appreciated the author’s notes at the end, giving it even more context. I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

4/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

HIGHLAND CONQUEST by Heather McCollum. Entangled: Amara (April 28, 2020).  ISBN 978-1640637474. 384p.

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