ALL-AMERICAN COWBOY by Dylann Crush

July 4, 2018

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Holiday, Texas Series, Book 1

The 4th of July seems like a good time to review a book about that most American of characters, the cowboy. Yes, they are still around – I lived in Dallas for several years and met many, and I know things haven’t changed all that much since.

Holiday is a very small town in Texas, named after one of the founding families. The town doesn’t have much in the way of businesses, but they are known all over the state for their honkey-tonk, the Ramblin’ Rose, owned by Sully Holiday himself. But when he passes away, he leaves the bar to the grandson he never met.

Sully’s son left town as soon as he could, moved to New York City and became one of the city’s biggest builders. He never spoke to his father again, and his son, Beck, knows nothing about his family. So he is shocked to learn that he has inherited the Rose.

Beck works for his father and their relationship is tenuous at best. His father is a demanding, egotistical power player while Beck has a heart hidden beneath his fancy suits. Beck has to go see the lawyer in Holiday to find out about his inheritance. He learns that there is a stipulation attached to the inheritance; he has to stay in Holiday for three months and work in the bar, and he also has to ride on the float in the Founder’s Day parade. Scrambling to reschedule his life, Beck figures it’s worth it – the estate includes a house and land worth millions.

Charlie’s worked for Sully since she was a teenager, and is devastated by his death. She has been managing the Rose for a few years now, and has built up the business into something special. She promised Sully to help his grandson as he wanted the Rose to stay in family hands, but it’s not easy dealing with a city boy who is lost in the country.

Beck and Charlie have combustible chemistry and working together is making it even hotter. Beck knows he’s in trouble when he can’t imagine his life without Charlie, even though he is planning on turning the Rose back over to his dad. And Charlie is nursing a broken heart herself, and is leery of a relationship with a man who seems to have one foot in the country but the other planted firmly in the city.

There are lots of obstacles but also lots of laughs before the happily ever after. This was a very enjoyable, fast read with some heat. I can’t wait for the next book in this series.

7/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

ALL-AMERICAN COWBOY by Dylann Crush. Random House (January 2, 2018).  ISBN 978-0812996685.  320p.

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HOW TO BE FAMOUS by Caitlin Moran

July 3, 2018

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Caitlin Moran writes strong, feminist fiction with a unique protagonist and a wicked sense of humor. In this sequel to her debut, How to Build a Girl, Dolly Wilde returns. She is nineteen years old, lives on her own in a London flat and writes about new music for a popular British magazine.

Dolly is living her dream, until she falls in love with a young musician, John Kite, who suddenly hits it big in the 1994 music scene, and she feels left behind. John and Dolly are friends, but she doubts he would ever want more so she decides to start a monthly column on all the aspects, good and bad, of being famous.

Dolly is a talented writer, albeit somewhat immature, and she makes a bad decision to have a one-night stand with a famous comedian. Slut shaming soon follows and in light of the #metoo movement, makes this book both timely and important. Eventually, through her own inimitable personality, Dolly pushes through the pain, turns the shame into her own kind of fame, and wins the man of her dreams. While set more than twenty years ago, this Bildungsroman feels very topical and should appeal to strong women of any age.

©Library Journal, 2018.

7/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

HOW TO BE FAMOUS by Caitlin Moran. Harper (July 3, 2018). ISBN 978-0062433770.  352p.

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THE MUSIC SHOP by Rachel Joyce

July 2, 2018

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From the publisher:

“An unforgettable story of music, loss and hope. Fans of High Fidelity, meet your next quirky love story.”—People

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE TIMES (UK)

It is 1988. On a dead-end street in a run-down suburb there is a music shop that stands small and brightly lit, jam-packed with records of every kind. Like a beacon, the shop attracts the lonely, the sleepless, and the adrift;

Frank, the shop’s owner, has a way of connecting his customers with just the piece of music they need. Then, one day, into his shop comes a beautiful young woman, Ilse Brauchmann, who asks Frank to teach her about music. Terrified of real closeness, Frank feels compelled to turn and run, yet he is drawn to this strangely still, mysterious woman with eyes as black as vinyl. But Ilse is not what she seems, and Frank has old wounds that threaten to reopen, as well as a past it seems he will never leave behind.

Can a man who is so in tune with other people’s needs be so incapable of connecting with the one person who might save him? The journey that these two quirky, wonderful characters make in order to overcome their emotional baggage speaks to the healing power of music—and love—in this poignant, ultimately joyful work of fiction.


Every year the American Library Association encourages a summer reading program. This year’s theme is “Libraries Rock!” so I leaned in with some music programs including a book discussion featuring The Music Shop.

Rachel Joyce had a couple of hits on her hands with the Harold Fry books (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold FryThe Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy,) but I couldn’t get into the first one and didn’t bother with the second. So I had some trepidation about choosing this book. But my BFF Judy loved it and I trust her so I selected it for the summer reading book discussion. Ultimately, I am very happy that I did.

It is, as the publisher explains, both a love story and a journey through music, and it is the journey that kept me turning pages. I did find it slow going through a good chunk of the book, and to define these characters as quirky is to practically redefine the word.

The main character, Frank, is obsessed with music and vinyl records, in particular. The book is set mostly in the 1980’s when CDs were first becoming popular. Frank refuses to carry anything other than vinyl, which becomes a problem for distributors after a while. He also has his own unique filing system – he groups albums together by how he thinks they go together. He has an innate sense of music and can see the music that people need. For instance, a man comes in asking for Chopin, but Frank knows he needs Aretha Franklin’s “Oh No Not My Baby”.

We learn about Frank’s most unusual childhood, which explains a lot of his passion. Kit works for Frank and he is a bumbling, not very bright, but sincere young man. The folks who own the neighboring shops are also eccentric, to the point where there doesn’t seem to be a single character who seems “normal”, whatever that is, or even believable. A little believability would have been a nice touch here or there.

When Ilse comes into their lives, she makes quite an entrance – she faints dead away. Eventually her music lessons with Frank leads to them falling in love but neither will admit it. Ilse is scared due to her backstory, and Frank has serious trust and commitment issues due to his own life experiences.

But what brings them together is the music, and the music is what makes this book worth reading. I learned a lot, and I was delighted to find the author created a playlist to go along with the book. You can find it on Spotify (free accounts available) or on YouTube. Penguin UK has a wonderful page set up with some quotes from the book and the music discussed:

https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/book-talk/soundtrack/2017/the-music-shop-playlist/

You can get a real feel for the book on that page and see what I’m babbling about. This is a wonderful book to discuss, and ultimately an unusual and lovely read.

7/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE MUSIC SHOP by Rachel Joyce. Random House (January 2, 2018).  ISBN 978-0812996685.  320p.

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Win the July ’18 bookshelf of signed thrillers!

July 1, 2018

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Welcome to the July bookshelf of signed thrillers! Lots of terrific books to win this month from bestsellers to some debuts. More books may be added throughout the month, so check back often.

To enter, go to the Win Books page.

Best of luck!

GIVE ME YOUR HAND by Megan Abbott:  Distancing herself from an intense best friend who inspired her scientific ambitions before divulging a life-changing secret, Kit competes for a dream research job and finds herself in a dangerous game of cat and mouse

WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT by Sandra Block: Years after she was the victim of a brutal sexual attack, Dahlia finds a video of her assault and after finally discovering who to blame she sets out to make everyone pay.

THE DARKEST TIME OF NIGHT by Jeremy Finley: A debut novel by an award-winning Nashville investigative reporter presents the suspenseful tale of a politician’s wife whose efforts to protect her family and rescue her missing grandson ensnare her in a conspiracy involving UFO research and her own past.

THE LAST TIME I LIED by Riley Sager: An artist who witnessed the disappearance of her bunkmates at summer camp as a young girl accepts an opportunity to return to Camp Nightingale as a painting instructor and tries to discover what really happened to her friends.

CAGED by Ellison Cooper: Focusing on her research after the death of her fiancé, an FBI neuroscientist investigates the torturous murder of a senator’s daughter before discovering that her dangerously obsessed killer has abducted a second victim. A first novel.

THE FIFTH TO DIE by J. D. Barker:  While secretly continuing his pursuit of Anson Bishop, the Four Monkey Killer, Detective Porter, suspended from his latest murder investigation, becomes obsessed with finding Bishop and is led into a world darker than he could have ever imagined.

FINAL RESTING PLACE by Jonathan F. Putnam:  Twenty-nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln has spent his entire adult life running from his past—from the poverty of the dirt-floor log cabin where he was raised, from the dominion of his uneducated father, and from a failed early courtship. But now, Lincoln’s past is racing back to haunt him.


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 to enter this month’s contest.

Thanks for reading, and good luck!


STARLIGHT ON WILLOW LAKE by Susan Wiggs

June 30, 2018

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The Lakeshore Chronicles, Book 11

Before I get into this book, I have to mention that my son recently got engaged to a brilliant, beautiful young woman and my husband and I are just thrilled! And in an ironic twist, they have decided to get married. . . . .wait for it. . . . .in the Catskills! If only the Inn or camp on Willow Lake were available…or if only there was a Willow Lake or town of Avalon. But I’m not worried, there are many, many beautiful little towns and lakes in the Catskills and they have found a gorgeous venue for their wedding next June. I can hardly wait! It did give this series special meaning to me.

So, book 11, is Mason Bellamy’s story. His mother, Alice, a widow, is a complete invalid and wheelchair bound since she lost her husband in a horrible accident. When she has a bad fall at home, Mason is forced to leave his jet-setting life in Manhattan to return home to Avalon until he can find a nurse to take care of his mother. Alice finds fault with just about everyone and has chased many nurses away already. She is not happy with her lot in life, misses her husband but more importantly, her very exciting life. But those are the facts and she is having a horrible time trying to deal with it all.

Faith McCallum is a single mom who is one paycheck away from being homeless with her two daughters. Her husband died very young from complications of diabetes, and her youngest daughter has it as well. Those medical bills are the reason they are on the edge financially, and Wiggs does a fine job of making that point without being the least bit preachy or political.

When she lands herself the nursing job with Alice Bellamy, she also gets living accommodations. Alice is not thrilled with the situation, but eventually Faith and her girls win her over – along with Mason, who is suspicious of everyone. Soon he finds himself enjoying life in Avalon while his fiancée is furious about his NYC defection. And he finds himself seeking out his mother’s nurse more and more.

Faith and Mason may come from very different backgrounds, but they share similar values, although it takes them both some time to figure that out. Faith didn’t want to get hurt again, and Mason had always thought he would marry someone used to his lifestyle. They both learn something new about each other and life.

But the romance is not the main story here. It is about Alice learning to live life again, even though she is in a wheelchair. It’s about Faith learning to trust her heart. It’s about Mason learning to trust his heart. It’s about Faith’s daughters learning from Alice, and she from them – and that is the soul of this story. A story of redemption, and a very fitting place to end the series.

I also wanted to mention that while I have reviewed every book in the series, there is also a novella! “Homecoming Season” is in an anthology called “More than Words: Stories of Courage” that features three novellas; this one, by Wiggs, and two more by Sharon Sala and Emilie Richards respectively. I didn’t read the other two yet but I will, then maybe I’ll review the anthology. But for now, I felt I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it in wrapping up the Lakeshore Chronicles. Need I say it is a wonderful story? It truly is, and a memorable one.

So this is it. The last book in the series (so far…) although I found this on Susan Wigg’s website:

One can only hope.

6/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

STARLIGHT ON WILLOW LAKE by Susan Wiggs. MIRA; Original edition (February 23, 2016). ISBN 978-0778318712. 464p.

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CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS by Susan Wiggs

June 29, 2018

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The Lakeshore Chronicles, Book 10

This is such a long series that it warranted not one, but two Christmas books. I love me a good Christmas romance so I was delighted. And lest you think I’m just some kind of Susan Wiggs/Christmas story nut, I’ll have you know that this book has 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon! So at least I’m in good company.

This is Logan O’Donnell’s story, and I was surprised and happy to learn more about him than just what we’ve learned through Daisy’s eyes. He becomes a fully realized character here who deserves his own happily ever after. If you haven’t read the entire series (you really should!) Wiggs provides enough details here to make the story compelling without leaving more familiar readers impatient, a fine balance that she has achieved throughout this series.

Darcy Fitzgerald has had a very rough year. She’s divorced and missing her step-children and she’s bound and determined to protect her heart from ever experiencing that kind of pain again. Until she meets Logan.

Logan has planned a special Christmas for his son, and his whole family comes to Avalon to help them celebrate. There is a lovely subplot involving a couple of children that Logan helps out that really added to the whole miracle of Christmas theme.

Darcy’s hiding out in Avalon because her cheating ex has a brother who is married to her sister – complicated, of course, but why not. So she is trying to avoid her family this year. Logan and Darcy are meant for each other, but they both have so much baggage and obstacles to overcome to get there. I loved reading their story.

Divorce is a major theme in this book, how it affects everyone from the adults to the children. As a child of divorce, I appreciated that it wasn’t just glossed over and I could certainly relate. Once again Wiggs delivers an engaging romance with the added bonus of the spirit of Christmas. I loved it.

6/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS by Susan Wiggs. MIRA; Original edition (October 28, 2014). ISBN 978-0778316671. 384p.

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THE HIGHLAND DUKE by Amy Jarecki

June 28, 2018

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Lords of the Highlands, Book 1

RT Reviewers’ Choice Award winner!

From the publisher:

She’ll put her life on the line for him . . . 
When Akira Ayres finds the brawny Scot with a musket ball in his thigh, the healer has no qualms about doing whatever it takes to save his life. Even if it means fleeing with him across the Highlands to tend to his wounds while English redcoats are closing in. Though Akira is as fierce and brave as any of her clansmen, even she’s intimidated by the fearsome, brutally handsome Highlander who refuses to reveal his name.

Yet she can never learn his true identity.
Geordie knows if Akira ever discovers he’s the Duke of Gordon, both her life and his will be forfeit in a heartbeat. The only way to keep the lass safe is to ensure she’s by his side day and night. But the longer he’s with her, the harder it becomes to think of letting her go. Despite all their differences, despite the danger-he will face death itself to make her his . . .


This author was new to me so I had no real expectations other that hoping it would  tide me over until the Droughtlander ends (until Gabaldon writes the next book and/or the Starz TV series returns!)

The fact that the hero Geordie is a Highlander being chased by the English Redcoats and the heroine Akira is a healer was enough to fill the void. This book takes place in the early part of the 18th century so that was interesting as I’m not as familiar with that time period. Akira is dirt poor and has Gypsy blood at a time when Gypsies were being driven out of Scotland, at least the criminal elements. So that is two strikes against her as Geordie is a Duke and a Laird, and as such is expected to make a proper match.

Being on the run together brings them very close, and there is real chemistry here. Jarecki is a good storyteller, the pacing was good, the characters believable and the story made sense. Sometimes that’s all you need. This was a very enjoyable read and I learned a few things so I’m happy.

6/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE HIGHLAND DUKE by Amy Jarecki. Avon (May 29, 2018). ISBN 978-0062848802. 304p.


BETWEEN YOU AND ME by Susan Wiggs

June 27, 2018

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A new Susan Wiggs book! Happy day!

From the publisher:

Deep within the peaceful heart of Amish country, a life-or-death emergency shatters a quiet world to its core. Number-one New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs delivers a riveting story that challenges our deepest-held beliefs.

Caught between two worlds, Caleb Stoltz is bound by a deathbed promise to raise his orphaned niece and nephew in Middle Grove, where life revolves around family, farm, faith—and long-held suspicions about outsiders. When disaster strikes, Caleb is thrust into an urban environment of high-tech medicine and the relentless rush of modern life.

Dr. Reese Powell is poised to join the medical dynasty of her wealthy, successful parents. Bold, assertive, and quick-thinking, she lives for the addictive rush of saving lives. When a shocking accident brings Caleb Stoltz into her life, Reese is forced to deal with a situation that challenges everything she thinks she knows—and ultimately emboldens her to question her most powerful beliefs.

Then one impulsive act brings about a clash of cultures in a tug-of-war that plays out in a courtroom, challenging the very nature of justice and reverberating through generations, straining the fragile threads of faith and family.

Deeply moving and unforgettable, Between You and Me is an emotionally complex story of love and loss, family and friendship, and the arduous road to discovering the heart’s true path.


I love Susan Wiggs, she is one of my favorite authors and this book just reaffirmed that for me. It is a deeply moving and engaging novel and I couldn’t put it down. I loved these characters and the Amish culture is always fascinating to me. There is enough angst to make the story compelling without going over the top, and while the romance was secondary, it really resonated.

I loved this book.

6/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

BETWEEN YOU AND ME by Susan Wiggs. William Morrow (June 26, 2018). ISBN 978-0062425539. 368p.

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Robert Dugoni

June 26, 2018

Robert Dugoni is a terrific writer and if you haven’t read him yet, what are you waiting for? His new book is out and it seemed like a good time to shine the author spotlight on him. So here’s a little Q&A!

1. What inspired you to become an author? Had you dreamed of this since you were young or did you come to it in later life? Was it purposeful or did you stumble across it?

A: I knew I wanted to be a writer since the seventh grade when I gave a presentation on slavery to my class. Thereafter I fell in love with telling stories. My mother had been an English teacher and she started handing me classic novels like The Old Man and the Sea, The Count of Monte Cristo, and many others. I fell in love with John Irving and Michael Connelly and I wanted to tell stories.

2. How did you first get published? What was your big break?

A: I met an EPA at a party for my six year old son. The agent had just finished an investigation that he thought would make a great novel. When I talked with him, I agreed. Together we wrote The Cyanide Canary, a true story that made the Washington Post’s best books of 2004.

3. What is your writing process like, from inception of your novel to finished manuscript?

A. When I come up with an idea, I tend to do a lot of research, do interviews, read books and articles. As I research I begin to see the story -the beginning, the middle with a climax and sometimes a possible ending. I don’t outline, so I just start at the beginning. My first draft is just for me. I put everything down on paper. When I’m done, then the work begins on rewriting.

4. What was the inspiration for your latest book A Steep Price?

A. I met a young man in a cab who had just been married. He was East Indian and the marriage had been arranged by his family. He’d never been on a date with his wife and had only met her twice. When I asked if that was scary he said that his mother and father had an arranged marriage and they had been married for thirty years. When I did more research I found that arranged marriages had a significantly lower divorce rate than traditional western marriages. I wanted to explore the concept, and compare it to blind dates and online dating here in the United States.

5. What kind of research do you do to make your books as accurate as possible?

A: I have contacts in the Seattle and the King County Homicide Units who are a great help to me and they put me in touch with other experts such as medical examiners and persons part of the CSI units. Beyond that, I read a lot, and speak to as many experts as I can. I don’t always get it right, but I do try.

6. What is your favorite book of all time?

A: Lonesome Dove (by Larry McMurtry)

7. What kind of music do you write to? Is there anything else you have to have around you when you’re writing?

A: When I listen to music I have a mix of country, pop and rock, as well as classical music.

8. If you could meet one author, living or dead, who would it be?

A: Steven King. (me too!)

9. What’s next for Tracy Crosswhite?

A: I’m working on an idea where Tracy goes home to Cedar Grove and is asked to help solve a cold case involving several murders.

10. Do you have any advice for new writers?

A: Learn the craft. Study the craft until it is so clear you can see stories in terms of their important elements.

Don’t forget you can enter to win an autographed copy of this book along with several others – enter here!

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A Steep Price by Robert Dugoni

The Tracy Crosswhite Series, Book 6

New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni’s thrilling series continues as Seattle homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite is plunged into a case of family secrets and murder…

Called in to consult after a young woman disappears, Tracy Crosswhite has the uneasy feeling that this is no ordinary missing-persons case. When the body turns up in an abandoned well, Tracy’s suspicions are confirmed. Estranged from her family, the victim had balked at an arranged marriage and had planned to attend graduate school. But someone cut her dreams short.

Solving the mystery behind the murder isn’t Tracy’s only challenge. The detective is keeping a secret of her own: she’s pregnant. And now her biggest fear seems to be coming true when a new detective arrives to replace her. Meanwhile, Tracy’s colleague Vic Fazzio is about to take a fall after his investigation into the murder of a local community activist turns violent and leaves an invaluable witness dead.

Two careers are on the line. And when more deadly secrets emerge, jobs might not be the only things at risk.

Dugoni, Robert. A Steep Price. Thomas & Mercer (June 26, 2018). ISBN: 978-1503954182. 380p.


THE PERFECT COUPLE by Elin Hilderbrand

June 25, 2018

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I look forward to spending time on Nantucket every summer; in Elin Hilderbrand’s books, that is. They are the perfect escape, and with this latest novel, she’s really upped her game and the suspense.

“The Perfect Couple” are Celeste and Benji, and this wedding is going to be the highlight of the social season. Benji’s mom has hired the premier wedding planner, venue, etc. while Celeste and her family are just along for the ride. Except on the morning of the wedding, Celeste finds her best and only friend, Merritt, her maid of honor, washed up on the beach, dead.

Celeste is a zoologist who is loves her work to the exclusion of much of a social life. We learn about her courtship with Benji as the story moves back and forth between the morning of the wedding and everything that led up to it. And to add a little spice to the story, Celeste and Benji’s best friend have some strong feelings for one another which complicates things even more.

Was Merritt murdered or was it an accident? Nearly everyone is a suspect, and police chief Ed Kapenash (from The Castaways) is going to have to figure that out.

This is the quintessential beach read; a beautiful summer setting on Nantucket, a complicated romance and a possible murder. Secrets unfurl, lies are covered up and ultimately revealed, and the pages just fly by. Hilderbrand stretched into something new with spectacular results in this completely enthralling and entertaining read. Don’t miss it.

6/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE PERFECT COUPLE by Elin Hilderbrand. St. Martin’s Paperbacks (May 29, 2018). ISBN 978-1250102539. 352p.

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