BROMANCE BOOK CLUB by Lyssa Kay Adams

November 5, 2019

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Bromance Book Club Series, Book 1

From the publisher:

The first rule of book club:
You don’t talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott’s marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville’s top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it’ll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.


This was the most brilliant and original idea for a romance novel that I have seen in a very long time. The premise of men reading romance novels to learn about women was positively inspired, and made me think all men should be forced to read them! It seems to me that Adams has given the romance genre, and in particular the books being published today, a whole lot of thought. One of the men explains the rationale behind reading a Regency romance like this: “Modern romance novelists use the patriarchal society of old British aristocracy to explore the gender-based limitations placed on women today in both the professional and personal spheres. That shit is feminist as fuck.” Yep.

Beyond the feminist trope, this book had me laughing out loud and moved me to tears as well. The characters are really well developed, and I couldn’t help but root for them to find their happily ever after. Neither Gavin nor Thea are perfect, and I think that’s what makes them feel so real.

There is a sweetness here that never gets sappy, and it is tempered by some very hot sex. I loved the way “excerpts” from the historical romance the men are reading are woven into the contemporary story. This is a clever, heartwarming, fun sexy read. I can’t wait for the next book in this new series!

11/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

BROMANCE BOOK CLUB by Lyssa Kay Adams. Berkley (November 5, 2019). ISBN 978-1984806093. 352p.

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THE WIDOW OF ROSE HOUSE by Diana Biller

November 2, 2019

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From the publisher:

A young widow restores a dilapidated mansion with the assistance of a charming, eccentric genius, only to find the house is full of dangerous secrets in this effervescent Gilded Age debut novel.

It’s 1875, and Alva Webster has perfected her stiff upper lip after three years of being pilloried in the presses of two continents over fleeing her abusive husband. Now his sudden death allows her to return to New York to make a fresh start, restoring Liefdehuis, a dilapidated Hyde Park mansion, and hopefully her reputation at the same time. However, fresh starts aren’t as easy as they seem, as Alva discovers when stories of a haunting at Liefdehuis begin to reach her. But Alva doesn’t believe in ghosts. So when the eccentric and brilliant professor, Samuel Moore, appears and informs her that he can get to the bottom of the mystery that surrounds Liefdehuis, she turns him down flat. She doesn’t need any more complications in her life―especially not a handsome, convention-flouting, scandal-raising one like Sam.

Unfortunately, though Alva is loath to admit it, Sam, a pioneer in electric lighting and a member of the nationally-adored Moore family of scientists, is the only one who can help. Together, the two delve into the tragic secrets wreathing Alva’s new home while Sam attempts to unlock Alva’s history―and her heart.

Set during the Gilded Age in New York City, The Widow of Rose House is a gorgeous debut by Diana Biller, with a darkly Victorian Gothic flair and an intrepid and resilient American heroine guaranteed to delight readers.


Based on the marketing and publisher description of Biller’s debut novel I picked it up expecting a Gothic ghost story with a bit of romance.  Instead, it is a romance with a bit of a ghost story.  Although I was slightly surprised by this, it was hard to be upset when The Widow of Rose House is one of the best romances I have read in 2019.  There are three main storylines at work in Biller’s novel: the romance between Alva and Sam, Alva’s continual battle to recover from the trauma of her marriage, and the haunting of Liefdehuis the mansion Alva is restoring, and Biller does a good job of balancing all three. I loved reading the development of Sam and Alva’s relationship as their banter turned into a deeper emotional connection.  Each of their interactions is truly a delight to read.  Sam was a wonderful romantic lead; intelligent, funny and empathetic.  Alva’s character was equally fascinating.  She is resilient, brave and independent.  I was really rooting for her to get her happy ending with Sam.  In addition to the characters and romance, I also really enjoyed the Gilded Age setting of The Widow of Rose House.  The Gilded Age is not a very common setting in historical romances and each location whether it was the glitz and energy of Manhattan or the desolate beauty of the mansions of the Hudson River Valley was expertly brought to life by Biller. Then, of course, there is the haunting of Liefdehuis.  This ghost story is more creepy and atmospheric than particularly scary, and for the most part the haunting takes a back seat to the romance and character development.  So even if you don’t typically read paranormal stories don’t let that deter you from reading this romance.

A satisfying and emotional romance with an interesting Gilded Age setting and touch of Gothic mystery. I will be eagerly awaiting Diana Biller’s next novel. Highly recommended.

11/19 Caitlin Brisson

THE WIDOW OF ROSE HOUSE by Diana Biller. St. Martin’s Griffin (October 8, 2019). ISBN 9781250297853. 352 p.

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Win the November ’19 bookshelf of signed thrillers!

November 1, 2019

Welcome to the November bookshelf of signed thrillers!

This month the International Thriller Writers have provided some exciting new thrillers to help fill your bookshelf! I’m very excited about giving away bestsellers from Mary Higgins Clark, Janet Evanovich, Jessica Fletcher & Jon Land, an international thriller, a forensic thriller, a locked room mystery, a book with one of the best titles ever – “Maxine Unleashes Doomsday” and more – something for everyone! Additional books may be added throughout the month, so check back often. To enter: Win Books

Best of luck!

TWISTED TWENTY-SIX by Janet Evanovich: This isn’t just another case. This is family. How far will Stephanie Plum go to protect the one person who means the most to her? The stakes have never been higher in this latest adventure from #1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich.

KISS THE GIRLS AND MAKE THEM CRY by Mary Higgins Clark: Navigating traumatic memories of an assault in college, a journalist researching the #MeToo movement discovers that her attacker is on the cusp of a merger that will render him a billionaire. An electrifying new thriller from “Queen of Suspense” Mary Higgins Clark!

MURDER SHE WROTE: A TIME FOR MURDER by Jessica Fletcher & Jon Land: In the fiftieth entry in this USA Today bestselling series, two timelines converge as Jessica Fletcher returns to high school to investigate the murder of an old colleague, while we meet Jessica as a young teacher solving her very first murder…

GUILTY NOT GUILTY by Felix Francis: “It is said that everyone over a certain age can remember distinctly what they were doing when they heard that President Kennedy had been assassinated, or that Princess Diana had been killed in a Paris car crash, but I, for one, could recall all too clearly where I was standing when a policeman told me that my wife had been murdered.” New York Times-bestselling author Felix Francis returns with another nail-biting thriller in the Dick Francis tradition.

LET JUSTICE DESCEND by Lisa Black: A Gardiner and Renner Novel Book 5. In a taut, brilliantly twisted new thriller from bestselling author Lisa Black, forensics expert Maggie Gardiner and Cleveland detective Jack Renner investigate the bizarre murder of a senator with secrets to hide…

PASSPORT TO DEATH by Yigal Zur: Dotan Naor, an Israeli private investigator, ousted from Shin Bet―Israel’s internal security service―goes to Thailand to find Sigal Bardon, a beautiful young girl from a wealthy Israeli family who has disappeared. Perfect for fans of Daniel Silva and Nelson DeMille.

BLIND SEARCH by Paula Munier: Former Army MP Mercy Carr and her retired bomb-sniffing dog Elvis are back in Blind Search, the sequel to the page-turning, critically acclaimed A Borrowing of Bones.

THE GLASS THIEF by Gigi Pandian: A locked-room mystery at a Paris mansion. A supposed ghost haunting a French family who looted treasure from Cambodia. A reclusive thriller author writing a novel in honor of historian Jaya Jones–is it a work of fiction or a devious device to lure Jaya into solving a chilling mystery?

MAXINE UNLEASHES DOOMSDAY by Nick Kolakowski: Maxine Unleashes Doomsday smashes the gritty frenzy of Mad Max: Fury Road with the top-notch suspense of a crime saga like Heat. It’s a brutal thriller that offers a terrifying glimpse of our future.

BALL PARK by John Farrow: An Émile Cinq-Mars thriller, Book 7. Getting inside is easy; the stress comes in getting out clean. A case of breaking and entering escalates after Émile Cinq-Mars transfers from the Night Patrol.


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 how you can enter this month’s contest.

Thanks for reading, and good luck!


EXIT FEE by Brad Taylor

October 31, 2019

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A Pike Logan Novella

Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill are a couple whose usual occupations are participating in U.S. Government ordered military expeditions against terrorists residing overseas and planning threats against America. They work with a group of ex-military personnel that are highly qualified warriors whose origins are among the elite forces of the country. “Exit Fee” is a novella taking place in the United States and involving only Pike and Jennifer.

The couple are at home in Charleston S.C. with Amena, a young Syrian refugee that they have taken into their care. Amena is an orphan whose family was killed in Syria. She is having difficulty adjusting to life in the U.S. and is more than a little rebellious. After an argument with Pike, Amena uses a short walk away from him to attempt to assert her independence. She befriends a teen named Beth on her little trip. Beth is with her Serbian guardian who is, in reality, her captor and has forced her into a life of sexual slavery.

Beth’s minder likes Amena’s looks and decides to take her and force her into the horror of being a sex slave. In typical Pike Logan fashion, Amena, Beth, and other girls are rescued and justice is done. The short book is a feel good exercise with everything turning out well. No problem in reading a book and finishing it with the knowledge that good has triumphed over evil and all’s well that ends well.

10/19 Paul Lane

EXIT FEE by Brad Taylor. William Morrow Impulse (November 12, 2019). ISBN 978-0062984890. 160p.

Kindle available 10/29/19

Audible available 10/29/19


AN UNORTHODOX MATCH by Naomi Ragen

October 30, 2019

10/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

AN UNORTHODOX MATCH by Naomi Ragen. St. Martin’s Press (September 24, 2019). ISBN 978-1250161222. 336p.

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BLUE MOON by Lee Child

October 29, 2019

10/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

BLUE MOON by Lee Child. Delacorte Press (October 29, 2019). ISBN 978-0399593543. 368p.

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THE NOBLE PATH by Peter May

October 28, 2019

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In a departure from his regular series, Peter May gives his readers a monumental stand-alone novel dealing with events in Cambodia and Thailand during the period of the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s. It was a time of massive murder of the people of these countries by a group of homicidal maniacs that had taken power with unlimited self-awarded powers.

Two people are featured as central characters in order to tell two separate stories of those affected by the horrors of events in Cambodia and Thailand. First is Jack Elliot, a soldier of fortune who has been tasked with bringing out a wife and two children from the domain of the Khmer Rouge by their father who had deserted the family as they were taken away.  He now expresses regrets and is willing to pay Jack to mastermind their freedom and bring them to him.

The second is 18-year-old Lisa Robinson,vwho is actually Jack’s daughter and is looking for her father. Jack does not know he has a daughter. On the other hand, Lisa has caught a glimpse of her father at her mother’s funeral.

Lisa decides to look for her father, and learning from a friend of his that he has gone to Cambodia, decides to travel there to search for him. May is able to draw in the reader with his description of Lisa’s travels, and her loss of any innocence she may have come with when faced with the reality of what she encounters.

May paints pictures of both individuals to tell the story.  First Jack, assembling a small crew of himself and two others, and their trip into the interior of the area ruled by the Khmer Rouge.  The author’s graphic description of the horrors inflicted on the people is probably the best I’ve read delineating the monumental excesses of a group that was admittedly more maniacal than any other such savages down through history. The reader is there looking on and in all probability, will not be able to stop following the descriptions. The period was followed by reporters of all media, but nothing they ever wrote can bring out what Peter May does.

The novel is an excellent one and even if alone as the author’s product does inscribe him into a select group of writers.

10/19 Paul Lane

THE NOBLE PATH by Peter May. Quercus; Reprint edition (October 29, 2019). ISBN 978-1787477957. 544p.

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THE CHRISTMAS DARE by Lori Wilde

October 27, 2019

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Twilight Texas, Book 10

From the publisher:

A jilted-at-the-altar bride reunites with her high school sweetheart in Lori Wilde’s sensational new Twilight, Texas Christmas novel.

Kelsey James always played by the rules and look where it got her—dumped and half-drunk in a poofy white dress, her Christmas wedding ruined. Then her best friend talks her into going on her “honeymoon” anyway, daring her to a “Christmas of Yes.”  It’s about time she lets loose a little, so Kelsey agrees to say “yes” to fun, to romance, and to adventure! And adventure leads her right smack into the arms of sexy Noah MacGregor.

Noah’s never one to say no to a risk—from leading his NBA team to victory to making Christmas cookies in Twilight, he’s up to the challenge! But a lot has gone on since they were teenagers, and he knows he has to take his time to make Kelsey dare to believe that what they feel is more than just the holiday magic that’s in the air . . .

 


I enjoy the Twilight, Texas series and this year’s Christmas entry is a good one. Kelsey is basically a psychologically abused daughter. She grew up with a mother that constantly belittles her, “gaslights” her, and in general, keeps her self esteem lower than a hole in the ground. The mom here reminded me a bit of my stepmother, in a slightly more exaggerated way (sorry, Helena, if you’re reading this, but it’s true.) So when Kelsey gets dumped on her wedding day when her fiance runs off with his best man, she is ready for a change.

Luckily, she has a best friend, Tasha, who is there to help her pick up the broken pieces and put them back together in a stronger, more independent way. Phase one of the process involves cashing in the honeymoon plans and taking Kelsey to Twilight, where she is reunited with her high school sweetheart, her first love, the one who got away.

This whole series is based on the first love is your one true love subgenre and Wilde does a good job with it. Personally, though, I had a hard time with Kelsey. She is a real dichotomy of controlled, strong campaign manager and weak, ineffectual woman. She wallows in self-pity, not because she was left at the altar, but because of her mother. Noah, her first love, understands her though. Their history is bumpy, to say the least, but he is on board in helping her gain control of her life. Finally.

These damaged characters make for a good story, and this was a one night read for me. The Christmas magic happens in Twilight, and I bought it.

10/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE CHRISTMAS DARE by Lori Wilde. Avon (October 22, 2019). ISBN 978-0062468314. 400p.

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WHEN THE MARQUESS WAS MINE BY Caroline Linden

October 26, 2019

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The Wagers of Sin, Book 3

From the publisher:

In the game of love…

Georgiana Lucas despises the arrogant and cruel Marquess of Westmorland even before learning that he’s won the deed to her friend Kitty’s home in a card game. Still, Georgiana assures Kitty the marquess wouldn’t possibly come all the way to Derbyshire to throw them out—until he shows up, bloody and unconscious. Fearing that Kitty would rather see him die, Georgiana blurts out that he’s her fiancé. She’ll nurse the hateful man back to health and make him vow to leave and never return. The man who wakes up, though, is nothing like the heartless rogue Georgiana thought she knew…

You have to risk it all

He wakes up with no memory of being assaulted—or of who he is. The bewitching beauty tending him so devotedly calls him Rob and claims she’s his fiancée even as she avoids his touch. Though he can’t remember how he won her hand, he’s now determined to win her heart. But as his memory returns and the truth is revealed, Rob must decide if the game is up—or if he’ll take a chance on a love that defies all odds.


I somehow missed the first book in this series, but I really liked the second, An Earl Like You, so I don’t think they need to be read in order. This one stands quite well on its own, but it is probably more fun if you have some of the backstory.

This is one of the most popular tropes in romance, the amnesia story, yet it feels fresh and fun here. Besides losing his memory, the Marquess of Westmorland also loses his arrogance and cutting sarcasm. Georgiana has felt that cut, so it is with some dread that she nurses him back to health, worrying the whole time if he is going to remember and really tear into her.

These characters really come to life on the pages, getting me invested in their story very quickly, and I couldn’t put the book down. There is a bit of sex, a lot of witty banter, and the requisite happily ever after. An excellent addition to the series that has made me determined to find the first book.

10/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

WHEN THE MARQUESS WAS MINE BY Caroline Linden.  Avon (September 24, 2019).  ISBN 978-0062913593. 400p.

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MEANT TO BE YOURS by Susan Mallery

October 25, 2019

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Happily Inc, Book 5

From the publisher:

Wedding coordinator Renee Grothen isn’t meant for marriage. Those who can, do. Those who can’t, plan. But she never could have planned on gorgeous, talented thriller writer Jasper Dembenski proposing—a fling, that is. Fun without a future. And the attraction between them is too strong for Renee to resist. Now she can have her no-wedding cake…and eat it, too.

After years in the military, Jasper is convinced he’s too damaged for relationships. So a flirtation—and more—with fiery, determined Renee is way too good to pass up…until his flame becomes his muse.

Renee is an expert at averting every crisis. But is she finally ready to leap into the one thing that can never be controlled: love?


I love Susan Mallery, and this series is one of my favorites. This latest entry is another terrific romance filled with interesting (and occasionally quirky) characters that we really get to know, lots of humor, and of course, a happily ever after. This is book five of the series, but I think Mallery does a really good job of bringing new readers up to speed without annoying readers who have been there since book one, like me. Let me tell you, that is a difficult feat to pull off, but I think she does a really good job of it. The book comes with a short story at the end which is basically a synopsis of one of the earlier books in the series, so once I saw what it was about, I didn’t bother with it. But if you haven’t read the other books, this is a good glimpse of what you missed.

Renee and Jasper both think they are too damaged for any kind of real relationship beyond friends with benefits, but that would not make for a very good story. The relationship springs up before either one of them realizes what’s happening, and both are a little freaked out by it. Renee has the usual baggage of a woman who has had a few bad relationships. Jasper has been a one-night-stand kind of guy and hasn’t really had a relationship since high school. So both are happy to just be together without any kind of commitment. Until Jasper realizes that he’s fallen in love.

There are some really funny subplots going on as well. Renee’s mother has this weird gift of being able to hear what animals are thinking and she has embarrassed Renee for most of her life, so their relationship is not as good as it could be. But the elements are there for some really funny scenes. Jasper is a thriller writer who is winding up his popular series by marrying off his main character. Except the only women he has ever written about were victims of a serial killer, and he just doesn’t have a clue. Renee suggests he watch some movies, which helps, and he also watches the Gilmore Girls, starting with the reboot then going back to the beginning, He has some strong opinions about Rory, and if you are a fan, you will definitely relate. It made me laugh out loud (and want to go back and watch the whole series. Again.) It becomes clear to the reader that these two are meant to be together, although it takes them a lot longer to work that out.

If you like contemporary romances with warm, wonderful characters, some humor, and a bit of sex, then read this book. I couldn’t put it down.

10/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

MEANT TO BE YOURS by Susan Mallery. HQN; Original edition (October 22, 2019). ISBN 978-1335041494. 4646p.

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