A discussion between the buzziest authors of 2019: Lara Prescott (THE SECRETS WE KEPT), Rob Hart (THE WAREHOUSE), Kiley Reid (SUCH A FUN AGE), Anna Wiener (UNCANNY VALLEY), Kate Elizabeth Russell (MY DARK VANESSA) and Saeed Jones (HOW WE FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES).
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Award-winning author Sonali Dev launches a new series about the Rajes, an immigrant Indian family descended from royalty, who have built their lives in San Francisco…
It is a truth universally acknowledged that only in an overachieving Indian American family can a genius daughter be considered a black sheep.
Dr. Trisha Raje is San Francisco’s most acclaimed neurosurgeon. But that’s not enough for the Rajes, her influential immigrant family who’s achieved power by making its own non-negotiable rules:
· Never trust an outsider
· Never do anything to jeopardize your brother’s political aspirations
· And never, ever, defy your family
Trisha is guilty of breaking all three rules. But now she has a chance to redeem herself. So long as she doesn’t repeat old mistakes.
Up-and-coming chef DJ Caine has known people like Trisha before, people who judge him by his rough beginnings and place pedigree above character. He needs the lucrative job the Rajes offer, but he values his pride too much to indulge Trisha’s arrogance. And then he discovers that she’s the only surgeon who can save his sister’s life.
As the two clash, their assumptions crumble like the spun sugar on one of DJ’s stunning desserts. But before a future can be savored there’s a past to be reckoned with…
A family trying to build home in a new land.
A man who has never felt at home anywhere.
And a choice to be made between the two.
Another love story that takes its lead from Jane Austen, which is not a bad thing. Here we have a Mr. Darcy (the “D” in “DJ” is for Darcy) with Trisha standing in for Elizabeth Bennett. It works. For me, an added bonus is the food-centric story. DJ is a chef and Trisha is a scientist who forgets to eat. Really. But when she eats DJ’s food, she is transported.
The two of them are strongly, and strangely, attracted to one another. DJ is aware there are class differences between them, which makes him self conscious and overly sensitive. Trisha is such a workaholic that it is hard for her to move beyond that – except for her family obligations. And those she feels very strongly.
DJ and Trisha fight their way through this story until I started wondering how on earth they would ever get together. Well done, Ms. Dev, well done. This was a delicious read that harkens back nicely to its inspiration. A thoroughly enjoyable romance.
6/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™
PRIDE, PREJUDICE, AND OTHER FLAVORS by Sonali Dev. Berkley (May 7, 2019). ISBN 978-0451490827. 320p.
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From the publisher:
The Friends We Keep is the heartwarming and unforgettable new novel from Jane Green, the New York Times bestselling author of The Sunshine Sisters and The Beach House.
Evvie, Maggie, and Topher have known one another since college. Their friendship was something they swore would last forever. Now years have passed, the friends have drifted apart, and they never found the lives they wanted—the lives they dreamed of when they were young and everything seemed possible.
Evvie starved herself to become a supermodel but derailed her career by sleeping with a married man.
Maggie married Ben, the boy she fell in love with in college, never imagining the heartbreak his drinking would cause.
Topher became a successful actor, but the shame of a childhood secret shut him off from real intimacy.
By their thirtieth reunion, these old friends have lost touch with one another and with the people they dreamed of becoming. Together again, they have a second chance at happiness…until a dark secret is revealed that changes everything.
The Friends We Keep is about how despite disappointments we’ve had or mistakes we’ve made, it’s never too late to find a place to call home.
I have been a Jane Green fan since her first book (Jemima J) and I’ve read every book since. I’ve never been disappointed. In fact, I’m usually gobsmacked about how this author just keeps turning out one terrific story after another. I had this one on my Kindle and also received a print galley, which I gave to my 93 year old mother-in-law. She reads a lot and rarely says much about the books I give her, but this time, she raved – and so did I.
These characters are so well drawn I couldn’t help but root for them all to find their way. I loved that the threesome of friends included a man, a refreshing change from the all women, all the time friendship stories that are so prevalent. While Topher’s story was secondary in the first half of the book, his presence is much more keenly felt in the second half.
This is a story of how friendships can flourish and grow, recede and return as life goes on. The secrets being held foreshadow a future explosion, but it’s the way everything is resolved that I found so inspiring. I found this book unputdownable, and I loved these characters so much that I know they will be staying with me for a while. A terrific and riveting summer read – don’t miss it!
6/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™
THE FRIENDS WE KEEP by Jane Green. Berkley (June 4, 2019). ISBN 978-0399583346. 384p.
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Welcome to the June bookshelf of signed thrillers!
This month the International Thriller Writers have provided a bunch of exciting new thrillers to help fill your bookshelf! More books may be added throughout the month, so check back often.
Best of luck!
THE LAST WIDOW by Karin Slaughter: New York Times bestselling author Karin Slaughter brings back Will Trent and Sara Linton in this superb and timely thriller full of devious twists, disturbing secrets, and shocking surprises you won’t see coming when Will and Sara are pitted against a mysterious group that would unleash a deadly epidemic.
DARK STORM by Karen Harper: When her sister goes missing from a butterfly conservatory, forensic psychologist Claire Markwood and her criminal-lawyer husband, Nick, uncover shattering family secrets.
THE LAST HOUSE GUEST by Megan Miranda: When her longtime best friend is found murdered, a woman combs through her idyllic Maine tourist community to uncover local secrets and clear her name of suspicion.
CHILLING EFFECT by R. J. Piñeiro: A RUTHLESS ECO-TERRORIST. A WOMAN DETERMINED TO STOP HIM. R.J. Pineiro explores a world in the not too distant future where terrorism is taken to a new level, one with world-ending consequences.
BORROWED TIME by Tracy Clark: Cassandra Raines, a former Chicago cop turned private investigator, looks into a suspicious death as a favor to a friend—and makes some powerful enemies.
WHEREVER SHE GOES by Kelley Armstrong: Witnessing the abduction of a child at the park, Aubrey struggles to find the boy and his missing mother when the police and her neighbors begin to question her sanity.
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!
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From the publisher:
New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak returns to Silver Springs, where no past mistake is so big the heart can’t find a way to fix it
Jada Brooks couldn’t have known how her life would change when she fell for bad boy Maddox Richardson back in high school. She couldn’t have known his troubled brother would leave hers forever crippled. Or that she’d be forced to shun Maddox completely—only to discover she was carrying his child.
Although Maddox was devastated by the events that transpired that fateful night, losing Jada was the worst of it. He’s back in Silver Springs, ready to make amends and provide the kind of youth outreach that once saved him. If only he’d known Jada was in town, too, he would never have come.
Jada has returned to Silver Springs to be with family after her father’s death. But when she sees Maddox, every tough decision she’s made concerning their now twelve-year-old daughter begins to haunt her. Falling for him again is so tempting, but she doesn’t just stand to alienate her family—if he finds out about Maya, she could lose what matters most.
I read the first two books in the series, but managed to skip books 3 & 4. So when I started reading this, I knew it seemed familiar, especially the setting and the school for troubled boys, but I was still a little lost. It turns out this series is all set in Silver Springs, but the characters don’t seem to overlap much. Which means you don’t really have to read them in order, but if you want to, great – just bear in mind that the first four books were published in 2017 so even if you read them, you may be as fuzzy as I was on the details. I’ve enjoyed each book I’ve read, enough that I just went and borrowed books 3 & 4 and will read them soon.
Not sure but I think Novak has some issues with children who are adopted or given up or in this case, the father isn’t told he even has a child. That seems to be a theme running through all her books. I am not a huge fan of not telling the baby daddy but it is explained well enough here to get me past it. There are so many obstacles between Jada and Maddox that it takes pretty much the whole book to get them through it all.
The characters and story rang true and I was involved with these characters from the get go. Some interesting sex, too – or should I say sexting. That’s not something that comes up very often in books for whatever reason, and I appreciated it here, it seemed likely.
It’s a roller-coaster of a romance, and I couldn’t put it down. Another excellent addition to the series. Don’t miss it.
5/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™
UNFORGETTABLE YOU by Brenda Novak. MIRA; Original edition (February 26, 2019). ISBN 978-0778369851. 384p.
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Monroe presents his readers with a puzzle upon another puzzle and so on. The reader is grabbed as soon as the story starts to unfold when an unknown woman arrives at a sleepy Wiltshire village in England directly from an arrival at Heathrow airport from Germany. She is not only unknown but also a mystery to herself when she has no memory of who she is, what her name is, reports her bag missing but has a train ticket home. She goes to a home in the town, knocks on the door and strangely is admitted. She shows a familiarity for the dwelling and the current residents believe that she might have lived there at some point in the past.
The author takes us through the interactions of the woman, the husband in the home she enters, the police and as an aside the appearance and shooting of another woman by the police when that person is thought to be the first lady. Puzzling no?
Monroe takes us on a roller coaster of a ride delivering enough evidence for the reader to change his or her mind several times during the events described. The finale is logical, but as in any conclusion in life is more than a little open ended and leaves some doubts in the readers’ minds. A very well done and satisfying story which leaves no doubt that subsequent novels by the author will be looked for and read.
5/19 Paul Lane
THE LAST THING SHE REMEMBERS by J. S. Monroe. Park Row; Original edition (May 28, 2019). ISBN 978-0778307822. 416p.
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This is Cleveland’s second published book and it follows on the heels of “Need to Know,” which was a mesmerizing novel dealing with a woman working as an analyst for the CIA. In her second book, the protagonist is a woman working for the FBI and the reader is again drawn into the story and kept there until the novel is finished.
Stephanie Maddox is in charge of an FBI unit dealing with internal affairs. She was promoted to the position at an age younger than her peer group and intends to earn the position as well as more by her hard work and dedication. She is the single mother of a teen age boy about to graduate from high school and awaiting acceptance to college. Stephanie is totally dedicated to Zachary, her son, and only wants what is best for him.
The unthinkable does happen suddenly when she finds a gun hidden in Zach’s effects; fully loaded with extra bullets in the same spot. At the same time, she is visited by a friend of hers that works with the FBI’s domestic terrorism squad. His visit is not social and his explanation is: “It’s about Zachary”.
Stephanie refuses to accept any supposition that her son is guilty of wrong doing and begins her own unofficial investigation into the matter. The book details what she finds and the reader will not be surprised that it involves people in very high places. These include the Russian Mafia and a U.S. senator that Stephanie has worked for in the past as well as an ex-boyfriend of hers.
Tightly woven, the author leads us on to an ending that is a bit tricky to accept but is a fitting one for the story. Another excellent read by Cleveland and definitely making sure that her future books will be high up on her readers’ acquisitions list.
5/19 Paul Lane
KEEP YOU CLOSE by Karen Cleveland. Ballantine Books (May 28, 2019). ISBN 978-1524797058. 352p.
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DEFINITELY, MAYBE…OR LOVE, ACTUALLY?
English professor Bonnie Blythe expects her life to play out like her favorite novels, especially now that her long-term boyfriend has finally proposed. So when a shocking discovery leads Bonnie to end her engagement, she decides to close the book on love. But the plot thickens when a brand-new character enters the scene―and quickens Bonnie’s heart.
With his brilliant blue eyes, sexy accent, and irresistible charm, Theo Wharton is like a romantic hero straight out of a Jane Austen novel. When fate places Bonnie in England for a summer―conveniently close to Theo―she realizes a hot friends-with-benefits fling is exactly what she needs to start a fresh chapter. Just as Bonnie begins to believe she’s falling in love, an eye-opening revelation into Theo’s life makes Bonnie feel like she’s wandered into one of her favorite books. Will Bonnie have the courage to risk her heart and turn the page with the dashing Brit to find her true happy ending after all?
This second book of the series is maybe a bit better than the first, so let’s just say I loved them both. I loved Bonnie, we share a love of Anne of Green Gables, Jane Austen and Shakespeare – she’s my kind of people. She was introduced in the first book so I knew a bit of her backstory. She was engaged to the only man she ever was with, they met as young children and were together for most of their lives. Yet when Bonnie met Theo while on vacation in Great Britain, she was instantly attracted. She forced those feelings down and went about her vacation, trying hard to forget about the man they dubbed a Prince.
Turns out they weren’t far off. Theo is a Duke, and one with an estate that is in serious need of a cash infusion. And just like the historical romances I read, the best way to get that cash is to marry rich. Theo’s mother is on the job, matchmaking with a single-minded purpose and Theo feels obligated to do as she says. No, he’s not a little boy, he’s a man but a man who likes to play the hero, and takes his responsibilities, the upkeep of an estate in London and another in the Lake District, and all the people employed as serious business indeed.
But Bonnie goes back to merry old England after she dumps the fiance and accepts a summer teaching position at Cambridge. Her best friend, Cassie, heroine of the the first book in this series, is getting married at the end of the summer, in Scotland. So Bonnie finds herself thrust back into Theo’s circle. The attraction between them is strong and obvious, but there are hurdles galore. Despite all that, they get their happy ending.
This was a fun, sexy read and I highly recommend it. Can’t wait for the third book, and luckily I don’t have to wait long! Once Upon a Bad Boy arrives June 25. Pre-order now!
5/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™
SMITTEN BY THE BRIT by Melonie Johnson. St. Martin’s Paperbacks (May 28, 2019). ISBN 978-1250193056. 384p.
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Jane Harris lives in a perfect home in a perfect area of Southern California with her perfect family and she herself is a perfect control freak.
About a year before the novel begins, her oldest daughter, Mary, was killed in an accident, falling off a cliff at a park set by the ocean. Since than Jane has not ventured outside of her home, remaining in a miasma with the death on her mind. The story opens with her husband, other daughter and herself preparing to attend a memorial service for Mary planned and organized by her husband and inviting many people living in the area.
The story is told in first person only with Jane’s thoughts, reactions and comments bringing the reader a magnificent portrait of the ensuing events through the mind of a woman who must remain in control at all costs. She takes the position that her attitudes and only her attitudes must take precedence and finds fault with anyone attempting to thwart her ideas. Getting ready to attend the memorial she preens and preps herself to take center stage at the event and give a heartfelt speech about herself and her feelings for her deceased daughter. Her pride takes a blow when it is her husband that makes that speech and she is not invited to speak.
The next event that must be faced is the high school graduation of her other daughter, Betsy. While waiting for this event, Jane brings us her views on several happenings that have been taking place around her. First, her husband is working a great deal of hours at his office and is rarely home. Then her daughter Betsy is dating someone that Jane feels is not worthy of her family’s acceptance.
Rouda’s portrait of Jane and the way she deals with the world as she sees it is a fascinating adventure into the mindset of a woman that must
retain control of everything she takes part in. The characterization of her is an adventure into the thoughts and feelings of someone that is actually quite a bit off normal. This does nothing to detract from the novel, but is the factor that makes it a mesmerizing read.
5/19 Paul Lane
THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER by Kaira Rouda. Graydon House; Original edition (May 21, 2019). ISBN 978-1525835148. 368p.
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IT’S TIME TO FLIRT WITH A MAN IN A KILT
Cassie Crow, a pop-culture reporter for a TV talk show, is focused on becoming a “serious” journalist. But when she stumbles into a kilted Highlander with a killer accent, Cassie decides that taking one night off from work and spending it with a sexy Scot couldn’t hurt. . .
Logan Reid has built a career on his charm, hosting a series of off-the-wall hijinks on the Web. But when the Scottish prankster meets the all-American, equal parts intelligent and irresistible Cassie, Logan realizes that one night of fun won’t be enough. Could it be that this career-focused, commitment-phobic couple is finally ready to take a chance at true and lasting love?
This is a debut novel – look at me, reading not only the first book in a series, but the first book by this author! It was really good. The cover, not so good. Kind of icky, I think. I didn’t like it but we do not judge books by their covers (much.)
There are a lot of characters since this is the first book and at least two more books are coming in this series. That said, the main characters and the secondary characters were pretty well developed, enough so I can easily predict whose story is coming next. But that doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that the characters were imperfect and appealing, and their story was so good that you can’t help but keep turning pages.
I loved the European locales, and stateside, Chicago. I visited there recently so was delighted to see mentions of places I’d been, like the Navy Pier. The descriptions were good but short and didn’t impede the flow of the story at all. This was a really fun read and I highly recommend it. Next up, book 2: Smitten by the Brit, which comes out May 28 followed quickly by book 3, Once Upon a Bad Boy on June 25. I love when they push out series like that so I don’t have to wait a year for the next book, at which time I will have forgotten the previous book. So thanks, St. Martin’s Paperbacks!
Men in kilts, do I have to say anything else? Just read it.
5/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™
GETTING HOT WITH THE SCOT by Melonie Johnson. St. Martin’s Paperbacks (April 30, 2019). ISBN 978-1250193094. 368p.
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