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BookBitch Diary: March 1, 2025

March 1, 2025

Beware the Ides of March! It’s not until March 15, so you have time to prepare. I’m pretty sure my readers aren’t going to be targets of assassination, so no real need to worry! It is the date that Julius Caesar was assassinated on the steps of the Roman Senate, and the Bard himself, William Shakespeare, immortalized these words in his play, Julius Caesar.

Personally, my favorite day this month to celebrate is March 3 – it was the day in 1976 when my boyfriend (now husband) told me he was falling in love with me. It is also my first grandchild’s birthday, so all in all, a pretty great day!

Book News

I have a trip to NY planned, but not until the end of May, so I won’t get to see this. If any of you go, I’d love to hear about it!

One of my prize possessions (which wouldn’t fit this display) is a handbag made from an old children’s book that I found in a thrift shop many years ago. I’ve never actually used it, but it hangs in the front of my living room fiction collection. When I eventually move, and the books have all gone to that great big library in the sky (someone else’s house), I will gift it to my granddaughter in hopes that she will use it. Maybe she’d also love the Hillary Clinton paper doll book!

*Please don’t judge my messy, non-library-compliant bookshelves. They started off alphabetical, then I ran out of room, and everything went to hell*!

There are certain authors (who shall remain nameless) who are commonly called “blurb whores.” They’ll blurb anything and everything with over-the-top superlatives, rendering their opinions, at least in my opinion, completely worthless. I have heard of some very famous authors extorting, I mean charging fees for blurbs, which is completely unethical. So I am in favor of this new trend, or hopefully, Simon & Schuster’s embracing of forgoing blurbs will become a trend.

Romantasy and BookTok driving a huge rise in science fiction and fantasy sales

*Rebecca Yarros fans attend Onyx Storm launch event in New York. Photograph: CJ Rivera/Invision/AP*

The subgenre helped increase the market share by 41.3% last year aided by bestseller Fourth Wing from Rebecca Yarros, while food and drink topped nonfiction sales . . . the romance trend may be partly due to changing attitudes towards the genre: publishers are perhaps more likely to classify books as romance rather than general or literary fiction in recent times, because romance is now given more prominence in bookstores. (Yay!)

This was not a surprise to me! [Read my review of Fourth Wing.] While I understand the appeal of romantasy, especially among younger women who grew up with Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Twilight, I prefer my romances to be set in the real world. Although I’m sure many people would say that all romance is fantasy, I am not one of them.

On the other hand, my BFF Judy loves the Yarros series, and she rarely reads romance; she’s more of a mystery reader. But she did introduce me to my favorite romance series of all time – Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – and that series revolves around time travel, so not exactly the real world there, either.

Food News

Short ribs, soup and secrets: Our critic’s exclusive lunch at the CIA

At the CIA’s dining room, food critic Tom Sietsema isn’t the only one undercover.

*Tom Sietsema in the Agency Dining Room at the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia. (Photos from the Central Intelligence Agency)*

Has This Yogurt Gone Bad? And More Food Safety Questions, Answered
Your favorite breakfast staple is surprisingly long-lasting.

I never heard of Sichuan food until my husband started working (intermittently) in China. This was around 1980. He came home and pretty much swore off Chinese restaurants, finding the Cantonese-style food boring and inauthentic to his experience. It actually isn’t inauthentic, it’s just the food from Guangzhou (formerly Canton,) China, and it was pretty much the only type of Chinese food available throughout most of the United States; probably in Chinatown (in any city) you could get more of a variety, like Sichuan, Hunan, and Hong Kong style food. Eventually, Sichuan dishes started showing up with that little 🌶️ warning, along with all sorts of food from different areas in China, and that amped up my lifelong love affair with the cuisine. This article delves into the history of the Sichuan pepper, and it is fascinating!

Thirty-two minutes to boil an egg?? Not worth it, but what do I know. Also, that “jammy yolk” makes me gag; I need my hard-cooked eggs to have a solid, pale yellow yolk.

Good News

Other News

My son and his family came to visit for their Winter Break – we don’t get that in South Florida, understandably! They were supposed to come in on Monday, but due to the weather, their flight was canceled. Delta was able to get them on a flight the next morning, all sitting together, which is important when you are traveling with a three-year-old and a ten-month-old! I was thrilled to see them all, but losing that day was so disappointing. It would have doubled the cost of their already ridiculously expensive airfare to take a later flight home, so we sucked it up and enjoyed the time we had together. We took them to a “farm” – I’m using quotes because it used to be a u-pick strawberry farm, but now it’s just a tourist destination with lots of animals like birds, goats, donkeys, rabbits, etc., and a fun “train” ride that my grandson loved. Yes, he is still obsessed with trains! And we went to Butterfly World, which is glorious! My daughter is a photographer, and she took some amazing photos that she put into albums. If you like pictures of animals and butterflies, take a look! Butterfly World The Girls Farm

As always, thanks for reading, and stay safe.

Thanks to The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal for allowing me to “gift” my readers with free access to these articles, a lovely perk for subscribers.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

ROWDY by Jay Crownover

February 28, 2025

Marked Men, Book 5

From the publisher:

A Spicy Forbidden Ex’s Older Sister Romance
from the Series That Inspired the Upcoming Film “Marked Men: Rule and Shaw“

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling Marked Men series continues with this sizzling, sexy story of love, heartbreak, fate, and second chances.

After the only girl he ever loved told him that he would never be enough, Rowdy St. James knocked the Texas dust off his boots and set out to live up to his nickname. A good ol’ boy looking for good times and good friends, Rowdy refuses to take anything too seriously, especially when it comes to the opposite sex. Burned by love once, he isn’t going to let himself trust a woman again. But that’s before his new co-worker arrives, a ghost from the past who’s suddenly making him question every lesson he ever learned.

Salem Cruz grew up in a house with too many rules and too little fun—a world of unhappiness she couldn’t wait to forget. But one nice thing from childhood has stayed with her; the memory of the sweet, blue-eyed boy next door who’d been head over heels in love with her little sister.

Now, fate and an old friend have brought her and Rowdy together, and Salem is determined to show him that once upon a time he picked the wrong sister. A mission that is working perfectly—until the one person that ties them together appears, threatening to tear them apart for good.

“The characters of Crownover’s Marked Men series are all outlandishly colorful and irresistably passionate, while still being so genuine that their stories become unforgettable. This fifth installment, which reunites old friends and lovers, is no exception.” — RT Book Reviews (top pick)

“Full of intimate yet spicy scenes, this novel takes readers on an emotional ride. Though it is mostly lighthearted, Crownover’s frank novel does addresses domestic violence and abuse.” — Booklist

https://amzn.to/41gvGpk

This is the fifth book of the Marked Men series and I just can’t stop reading them. “The Marked Men” series is based around a group of friends, most of whom work in a tattoo shop in the Denver area and have various body modifications. This book centers around Salem and Rowdy.

Rowdy is a tattoo artist, and Salem is hired on to run their new store. Rowdy and Salem, and Salem’s younger sister Poppy, all grew up together and all had unhappy childhood homes. Salem ran away when she turned 18, leaving her sister and Rowdy behind to struggle along as best as they could. They ended up going to college together, but then a rift occurred, and Salem doesn’t know why. Rowdy acts like Poppy was the love of his life, but he is Salem’s true love, so she is happy to be working with him. Until she finds out he proposed to her sister.

I don’t generally like sisters vying for the same man, but even though it sounds like that, it isn’t. Crownover takes it in a different direction, and it makes sense. Salem’s parents were super religious, and she was a constant disappointment to them, while Poppy did everything they wanted of her, with some dire results. Salem and Rowdy find their way to friendship and more, with a lot of heat and fun interactions until they reach their happy ending. But there is a lot of drama before that happens, making this another unputdownable read. I can’t wait to read the last book in the series, but I’m also sad it is ending. Luckily, Crownover has many more series to explore.

The Marked Men Series:

2/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

ROWDY by Jay Crownover. William Morrow Paperbacks (October 21, 2014). ISBN: 978-0062333056. 416p.

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NASH by Jay Crownover

February 28, 2025

Marked Men, Book 4

From the publisher:

A Second Chance, Former School Bully Romance
from the Series That Inspired the Upcoming Film “Marked Men: Rule and Shaw“

From New York Times bestselling author Jay Crownover comes the fourth book in the Marked Men series.

Saint Ford has worked hard to achieve her childhood dream of becoming of nurse. Focused on her work and devoted to her patients, there’s no room for love. She doesn’t need a guy making waves in her calm, serene life—especially when he’s the unforgettable hottie who nearly destroyed her in high school. Dark, brooding Nash Donovan might not remember her or the terrible pain he caused. But he turned her world upside down . . . and now he’s trying to do it again.

Saint has no idea that Nash isn’t the cocky player he once was. Uncovering a devastating family secret has rocked his world, and now he’s struggling to figure out his future. He can’t be distracted by the pretty nurse he seems to meet everywhere. Still, he can’t ignore the sparks that fly between them—or how she seems so desperate to get away from him. But the funny, sweet, and drop-dead gorgeous Saint is far too amazing to give up on—especially since she’s the only thing in his life that seems to make sense.

When Nash discovers the truth about their past, he realizes he may have lost her heart before he could even fight for it. Now, Saint has to decide: is Nash worth risking herself for all over again?

https://amzn.to/41vgAOn

This is the fourth book of the Marked Men series and I just can’t stop reading them. “The Marked Men” series is based around a group of friends, most of whom work in a tattoo shop in the Denver area and have various body modifications. This book centers around Nash and Saint. Nash is one of the tattoo artists in the shop, and Saint is a nurse in the hospital where Nash’s Uncle Phil has been taken. He has cancer, which he neglected to mention to Nash, and he is devastated. He runs into Saint and doesn’t really remember her at first, but boy, does she remember him. They went to high school together, but ran in very different crowds. Saint was overweight and bookish, and Nash ran with the wild bunch. But senior year their lockers were next to each other, and Nash, unlike the rest of his crowd, was always friendly and kind to her.

What Saint doesn’t know is that Nash always thought that she was out of his league – too smart for the likes of him. What Nash doesn’t know is that Saint had so few friends that his kindness was a big deal to her, and she had a major crush on him. When he asked her if she would be at a party one Friday night, she took that to be an invitation and said yes. But when she got there, he was drunk and making out with someone else. Distraught, she took off, only to overhear him talking to his friends. He made some very disparaging remarks about a girl, and she assumed it was her he was talking about. It devastated her to the point where she still had no self-confidence, even though she was a grown woman. Childhood traumas can be lasting, that’s for sure, especially during the teen years.

Nash is strongly attracted to the beautiful nurse, but she wants no part of him. But they keep running into one another, and the kindness that she can’t help but show him leads to real sexual tension between them. They are at Rule and Shaw’s wedding when Saint has a bit of a panic attack and leaves. Nash goes after her, and the next thing you know, they are in bed together. He gets her off, and she is so shocked that she orgasmed with a man that she bursts into tears and takes off, leaving him, shall we say, unfulfilled.

Nash is the only man Saint has ever had real feelings for. There is a great scene when her boss pressures her into going out to a party with the hot doc at the hospital, and she agrees, only to walk out on him and his pretentious friends. I liked seeing Saint grow a bit of a spine, which carries over to her relationship with Nash. Eventually, they find their way to one another, but it is a difficult journey for both of them.

This book wasn’t as good a read for me as the previous books in the series, but it was still very enjoyable. I’m looking forward to Rowdy’s story next!

The Marked Men Series:

2/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

NASH by Jay Crownover. William Morrow Paperbacks (April 29, 2014). ISBN: 978-0062333032. 400p.

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Spotlight Review: CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COUNT TO TEN by Lisa Unger

February 25, 2025

From the Publisher:

An extreme game of hide-and-seek turns deadly in this riveting new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger

When the real game begins, who will make it to the count of 10?

Charismatic daredevil and extreme adventurer Maverick Dillan invites you to the ultimate game of hide-and-seek. But as the players gather on Falcao Island, the event quickly spirals into a chilling test of survival. A storm rages as a deadly threat stalks the contestants, turning the challenge into something far more sinister than the social media stunt it was intended to be.

Enter Adele, a single mother with a fierce determination to protect her children at all costs. When she begins the game, she unwittingly enters a twisted web of deception and intrigue. Can she maneuver through the treacherous storm and the relentless competition and get home to her family? In a ruthless battle for survival where the stakes are higher than ever, the blurry line between the virtual and the real proves that the only person we can trust is ourselves.

“Unger plunges the reader right into a sense of dread, then skillfully ratchets up the physical terrors of the challenge while revealing one disturbing secret after another. The perils of the real and virtual worlds collide effectively in this relentlessly paced thriller.” —Kirkus, starred review

“Twists arrive relentlessly, keeping readers on edge and guessing until the final, breath-stealing twist.” —The Seattle Times

“Unger’s latest is a fast-paced, atmospheric, locked-room thriller…Readers of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware will surely enjoy this nail-biter.” —Booklist

https://amzn.to/42OrnEm

This was an interesting premise for a thriller. Let me preface this by saying I don’t watch reality TV shows – I used to watch some, most recently “Love is Blind” and “Married at First Sight,” but I couldn’t get through their last seasons, so I just gave it up. I haven’t watched Survivor since the first season, or any of the Beast Games, or whatever else is out there, so I am not that familiar with how these things work lately. I pretty much went into this book just believing whatever the author told me, and that worked just fine. I also need to add that I really hated the title of this book; it’s too long, and while I understand the implication, I just didn’t care for it. On the other hand, I loved the cover.

Dylan Maverick is the star of the Extreme games that he produces for an online audience. He is a young white man, and his best friends and girlfriend all work with him. He cheats on his girlfriend quite a bit, and that becomes a problem. He slept with Chloe supposedly before he hooked up with Angeline, his girlfriend, but he actually slept with her a few times, ghosting her after each occasion. She ends up on one of his challenges, a Hide & Seek event where she hides and is never found. Chloe has gone missing, and while the Extreme team are all questioned, they are pretty much cleared of her disappearance. There are supposed sightings of the young woman, but none are proven, and she become fodder for a true crime podcast.

This new Extreme Hide & Seek event is set on Falcao Island, a fictional island owned by Portugal, loosely based on the Azores. There is an old abandoned hotel on the island, and that is where the event is taking place. There is an old woman who tries to warn them off, and they ignore her and her private security force. There are supposed to be four contestants: a wildlife animal TV star who has been canceled due to his supposedly killing a lion; a young woman with a large following on social media; a mystery contestant; and Adele, a single mom whose husband embezzled millions of dollars from his company and disappeared with all the money, abandoning his wife and children. Adele has created a social media channel following her rebuilding her life and her body. Her kids are in high school, and it is her son who finds out about the contest as he is a huge fan of Dylan and Extreme. He convinces his mom to enter the competition, and when she sees the prize is a million dollars, she decides to go for it. To her surprise, she is selected, and her kids convince her that they can take care of themselves for the few days she will be gone.

These characters are skillfully brought to life, and the setting is basically another character. There is a hurricane-type storm moving onto the island, making everything that much more difficult for the contestants and the Extreme team. Some weird things start happening, adding to the drama, and the tension becomes almost unbearable. There is a lot more going on than anyone realizes at first, and as the mystery deepens, so does the danger.

This is a fast-paced thriller with great characters and enough pressure and strain on them to take this to a very dark place. Fans of these types of reality shows will probably love this, and even if you aren’t (like me,) it is still an unputdownable locked-room thriller. Don’t miss it!

2/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COUNT TO TEN by Lisa Unger. Park Row; Original edition (February 25, 2025). ISBN: 978-0778333364. 384p.

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Audiobook Sunday: MR. HEARTBREAKER by Piper Rayne

February 23, 2025

Read by Sean Masters, Erin Mallon, Connor Crais, JF Harding, Troy Duran, Teddy Hamilton, & CJ Bloom

The Nest, Book 1

From the author:

I made a deal with my brother a long time ago to never date his teammates.

Technically, Rowan Landry, the hot as hell center for the Chicago Falcons, is no longer my brother’s teammate. Or his best friend. Their college days are long behind them, and they barely talk now.

Also, I’m not dating him—we’re just sleeping together. There’s a difference.

Except there’s not a lot of sleeping going on, and neither one of us wants to stop what we’re doing.

It’s all fun and games until my brother is traded to the Falcons, because Rowan doesn’t know I’m the new goalie’s little sister. Oops.

https://amzn.to/3EJVNxm

The Hoopla algorithm sent me this hockey romance, and I was thrilled. I love all the Piper Rayne books and have never been disappointed by anything they’ve written.

This is a flirty, steamy hockey romance that scores big! This story hooked me from the very first page. The romance kicks off with an irresistible setup: a chance meeting at a wedding. For Kyleigh, attending is more of a chore to appease her mother, but bumping into her brother’s old college teammate, Rowan, now a star player for the Falcons, is an unexpected twist she can’t resist.

Rowan doesn’t recognize her, especially as she introduces herself as Leigh; she was just a kid the last time he saw her. Kyleigh really wants an unforgettable one-night stand. After all, what are the odds she’ll ever see him again? And bonus—her brother doesn’t have to know.

But fate has other plans. Their sizzling chemistry doesn’t end with that night. Rowan isn’t ready to let her go, and when they run into each other at a diner just hours later, he decides to pursue her. One thing leads to another, and soon their connection deepens into something neither of them can ignore. The only problem? Kyleigh’s keeping their relationship under wraps—especially from her brother. That seems manageable until her brother gets traded to the Falcons. Cue the drama.

This story is packed with humor, likeble characters, and plenty of steamy moments. While this was a truly enjoyable read, I did feel that the “big secret” dragged on longer than necessary. It seemed like such a minor issue to create such a major conflict. Still, the chemistry between her and Rowan more than made up for it.

This is a Full Cast production in Duet Style, which I am learning about through my audiobook journey. All I can say is that it was phenomenal. Sean Masters and Erin Mallon lead an incredible cast featuring JF Harding, Connor Crais, Troy Duran, Teddy Hamilton, and CJ Bloom. Their performances brought the story to life in such an engaging way that I can’t recommend this audiobook highly enough. If you’re looking for an entertaining escape with heat, heart, and humor, this one’s a winner!

2/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MR. HEARTBREAKER by Piper Rayne. Narrators: Sean Masters, Erin Mallon, Connor Crais, JF Harding, Troy Duran, Teddy Hamilton, & CJ Bloom. Piper Rayne Inc.; October 11, 2024. Listening Length: 7 hours and 13 minutes.

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MOST VALUABLE PLAYBOY by Lauren Blakely

February 21, 2025

Ballers and Babes, Book 1

From the publisher:

When the hot new quarterback desperately needs a fake girlfriend he turns to his best friend’s sister, only to find that she may turn out to be the woman of his dreams even though she’s been right there all along…

When I enter the Most Valuable Playboy charity auction, my goal is simple―be the player who goes for the most dough. But when trouble shows up at the auction, I need a whole new play.

Enter Violet―she’s my best friend’s sister and she’s my close friend too. With a smile as sweet as cherry pie and a mind that runs quicker than the 40-yard-dash, Violet saves the day with the highest bid. I don’t even give her a two-minute warning before I kiss her in front of the whole crowd and then announce that she’s my girlfriend.

Which would be fine except my agent tells me we’ve got to keep up the act while he’s negotiating my contract. Violet takes one for the team and pretends to be mine, and soon our boyfriend-girlfriend scrimmage quickly turns into a full contact sport.

But falling for her wasn’t in the playbook…

“A Lauren Blakely book is a guarantee of a good time.” ―Meghan Quinn, New York Times bestselling author

https://amzn.to/3QbC0JU

Cooper doesn’t mind being auctioned off for charity. In previous years, the NFL star was the top money draw, and he had interesting one-night stands with the winners. But this year he is in trouble. There is a local radio talk show host who has been talking about him in terms that make him very uncomfortable. Cooper is panicking that she might win him in the auction, and he really needs to avoid that.

Violet is Cooper’s best friend’s sister, and the three of them have been friends for most of their lives. Violet is at the auction to do hair for the players, so when Cooper realizes what is afoot with the auction, he begs her to bid on him with his own money. Once Vi sees what’s happening, she’s happy to step up, and she wins the auction. To really seal the deal, Cooper kisses her in front of the crowd and announces that she is his girlfriend, hoping to keep that talk show host at bay.

Cooper’s contract is up for renewal at the end of the season, and his agent thinks he needs to keep Violet as his girlfriend to help with the negotiations. Since she won him at the auction, Violet’s hair salon has been super busy with people trying to catch a glimpse of the football star, but her landlord is giving her a hard time about a new lease. They come to an agreement; they will fake-date until his contract is signed and her lease is renewed. But of course, pesky feelings get in the way.

This was a super flirty read with terrific banter and some steamy sex. Another hit for Blakely!

2/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MOST VALUABLE PLAYBOY by Lauren Blakely. Sourcebooks Casablanca (February 18, 2025). ISBN: 978-1464228865. 336p.

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ROME by Jay Crownover

February 21, 2025

Marked Men, Book 3

From the publisher:

A Sweet and Spicy Grumpy Military Hero Romance
from the Series That Inspired the Upcoming Film “Marked Men: Rule and Shaw“

Sometimes the wrong choice can be just right . . .

Fun and fearless, Cora Lewis knows how to keep her tattooed “bad boy” friends at the Marked in line. But beneath all that flash and sass is a broken heart. Cora won’t let herself get burned again. She’s waiting to fall in love with the perfect man—a baggage-free, drama-free guy ready for commitment. Then she meets Rome Archer.

Rome Archer is as far from perfect as a man can be. He’s stubborn, rigid, and bossy. And he’s returned from his final tour of duty more than a little broken. Rome’s used to filling many roles: big brother, doting son, supersoldier—but none of those fit anymore. Now he’s just a man trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life while keeping the dark demons of war and loss at bay. He would have been glad to suffer through it alone, until Cora comes sweeping into his life and becomes a blinding flash of color in a sea of gray.Perfect may not be in the cards, but perfectly imperfect could just last forever . . .

New York Times and USA Today Bestseller

https://amzn.to/4hzaVfN

This third book of the Marked Men series is just as compelling a read as the first two. “The Marked Men” series is based around a group of friends, most of whom work in a tattoo shop in the Denver area and have various body modifications. This book centers around Rome and Cora. Rome’s brother Rule (first book in the series) is a tattoo artist, and Cora manages the store and does all the body piercing for their customers.

Rome is an Army veteran, recently retired and not sure what to do next. He had a big fight with his parents and hasn’t spoken to them in a while, but he and Rule are tight. Rome is suffering from PTSD and is mostly choosing vodka as a coping mechanism. Cora and Rome get off to a rocky start; she calls him Captain No-Fun and dumps a beer over his head. He takes off and finds himself in a dive bar, and the owner, Brite, recognizes something of himself in Rome. Rome gets pretty drunk, ends up in a fight with some bikers, and Brite calls the tattoo shop, hoping that Rule will take him home. Rule isn’t there; Cora is alone, closing up, and she decides she’ll pick up Rome so he can avoid more family drama with his brother.

Rome is a big guy, and Cora is tiny but strong, and somehow she maneuvers him into her bed. She’s planning on sleeping on the couch, but somehow Rome passes out on top of her, pinning her to the bed, and that’s how they stay. Until he wakes up and kisses her. Cora thinks Rome is the hottest guy she’s ever seen, and she is fine with a one-night stand. Cora had a bad breakup in her past, and she is determined to find what she calls Mr. Perfect; Rome is a long way from that.

Rome is smitten with the little pixie, who is nicknamed Tink, short for Tinkerbell. She is inked and pierced all over, and is surprised that Rome finds her attractive as he is straightlaced Army as they come. They continue sleeping together because the sex is so good, and he knows he is not her Mr. Perfect. But the more time they spend together, the more Cora realizes that perfection comes in many forms, and maybe Rome is perfect for her.

There is a lot of drama going on with the bikers and the bar, which adds a lot of tension to the story. This was another unputdownable read, and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

The Marked Men Series:

2/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

ROME by Jay Crownover. William Morrow Paperbacks (January 7, 2014). ISBN: 978-0062302427. 384p.

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Spotlight Review: THREE DAYS IN JUNE by Anne Tyler

February 18, 2025

From the Publisher:

A new Anne Tyler novel destined to be an instant classic: a socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the days before and after her daughter’s wedding.

Gail Baines is having a bad day. To start, she loses her job—or quits, depending on whom you ask. Tomorrow her daughter, Debbie, is getting married, and she hasn’t even been invited to the spa day organized by the mother of the groom. Then, Gail’s ex-husband, Max, arrives unannounced on her doorstep, carrying a cat, without a place to stay, and without even a suit.

But the true crisis lands when Debbie shares with her parents a secret she has just learned about her husband to be. It will not only throw the wedding into question but also stir up Gail and Max’s past.

Told with deep sensitivity and a tart sense of humor, full of the joys and heartbreaks of love and marriage and family life, Three Days in June is a triumph, and gives us the perennially bestselling, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer at the height of her powers.

“Sweet, sharp, and satisfying. . . . Tyler’s touch is as delicate, her empathy for human beings and all their quirks as evident in her 25th work of fiction as it was in her first, published an astonishing 60 years ago.” —Kirkus Reviews

https://amzn.to/4jNVqCa

This story is literally set over three days in the life of Gail Baines. It doesn’t start off too auspiciously; she finds out her boss is retiring, and instead of the promotion she is sure she deserves, she is told that someone from outside the school is being hired, and bringing their own assistant. Her job is now redundant.

The timing couldn’t be worse. Gail’s daughter, Debbie, is getting married the next day. Gail is a bit of a prickly person, and when her boss tells her she doesn’t have the people skills for the job, she clearly demonstrates that her boss is right. Gail isn’t especially close with her daughter, but even so, she appears to be hurt that she wasn’t invited to the spa day before the wedding that Debbie’s future mother-in-law had arranged. Her in-laws are also hosting the wedding at their private club, leaving Gail to feel like a guest at her daughter’s wedding.

To complicate things further, her ex-husband, Max, shows up at her door with a foster cat. He was supposed to stay with Debbie, but her fiance is highly allergic to cats, so Gail takes in both her ex and his cat. Then he tries to convince her to keep the cat.

There is a lot happening in these three days in June. The day before the wedding, Debbie comes over and tells her parents that she thinks her fiance cheated on her – at least, that’s what her future sister-in-law has told her. Nevertheless, the rehearsal dinner goes more or less smoothly. The day of the wedding, Debbie decides her father needs to wear a suit, and takes him shopping. The wedding goes as well as these things usually go, and the day after the wedding there is a family reckoning of sorts.

It’s amazing how much Tyler can pack into such a short book (it’s under 200 pages.) The characters are well-drawn and interesting, the timeline moves things along rapidly, and there is enough drama to keep the pages turning. Another excellent read from one of America’s most treasured writers.

2/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THREE DAYS IN JUNE by Anne Tyler. Knopf (February 11, 2025). ISBN: 978-0593803486. 176p.

Kindle

Audible

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Audiobook Sunday: KEEP ME by Sara Cate

February 16, 2025

Read by Kelli Tager & Will Watt

Sinful Manor, Book 1

From the publisher:

Killian Barclay is a grumpy Scottish billionaire who hates me…and now I’m his wife.

Their marriage of convenience is anything but…

All Killian Barclay wants is to be left the hell alone. He’s had enough heartache to last a lifetime, and he has no more need for love—earning him the reputation of a broody Scot and eventually turning his famous ancestral home into a den of iniquity. It doesn’t take long for tales of his raunchy house parties to reach the rest of his family, though, inspiring them to hatch a plan to shake Killian out of his routine.

New Yorker Sylvie Devereaux is tough as nails—as the daughter of famous yet neglectful parents, she’s grown a hard shell and keeps everyone at arm’s length. So when she sneaks into Barclay Manor during a trip to Scotland to get a glimpse of a famous heirloom, she doesn’t anticipate facing off against the brutish, maddening highlander who lives there. And she certainly didn’t expect to ever see the bastard again.

Yet just weeks later, she’s approached by Killian’s family with a proposal—move to Scotland and marry Killian to improve his playboy reputation, and after one year, she’ll walk away with ten million dollars. Sylvie agrees, even knowing that their plan is more deceptive than he realizes. But as she grows closer to Killian and the end of their year together, she has to decide: Is the love of a good man with a dark soul worth keeping, or is she willing to break Killian’s heart now that it’s well and truly hers?

“Cate pairs a feisty American with a reclusive Scottish billionaire in the red-hot enemies-to-lovers romance that opens her Sinful Manor series . . . with scorching chemistry and real feelings. The kinky sex scenes between this pair of sparring hearts scorch the pages. Readers who like their romances on the extra spicy side will want to check this out.” —Publishers Weekly

“This sexy enemies-to-lovers story is filled with biting dialogue and page-melting chemistry. A great start to Cate’s new “Sinful Manor” series.”—Library Journal

https://amzn.to/3EMI9JO

This was the steamiest romance I’ve ever listened to, and despite some convoluted familial machinations at play, I was completely drawn into this story.

Sylvie is visiting Scotland with her boyfriend, and he takes her to see a beautiful manor house. She wants to see the inside, but it’s someone’s home, and her boyfriend isn’t going to take one step inside. But Sylvie is headstrong, and when the front door is unlocked, she takes it as an invitation to enter. The owner of the house, Killian, is shocked to find this woman in his home and they have words. She takes off, and that’s that. Until…

Sylvie lives in New York City. Her parents are famous artists, and she had an unusual upbringing. She has a very difficult relationship with them, and things come to a head at one of their gallery openings. Sylvie destroys a piece of art, enraging her parents, and they cut her off. She also loses her job. Broke, and soon to be homeless, things are dire.

A woman from Scotland visits her, and she turns out to be Killian’s sister. She has a proposition for Sylvie. The family wants Killian out of the house. This was a bit confusing for me. They are afraid he’s become agoraphobic, and they are also concerned about his reputation. He has been having BDSM sex parties at the house, and in this small town, everyone knows. Sylvie is offered a crazy proposition; she is to return to Scotland and marry Killian. If they stay married and don’t have any extramarital affairs for one year, the house will go to Sylvie, and she, in turn, will have to sign it over to the family, thus forcing Killian out. She can return to NY with enough money to make distance from her parents a reality. It makes no sense, but I just went with it anyway.

The fake marriage is off to a rocky start. Killian is told a completely different story – he is somehow coerced into marrying Sylvie to restore his reputation. He thinks staying married to her will get his family off his back, so he also agrees to this crazy plan. But when Sylvie gets there, Killian is openly hostile to her. Eventually, they find a way to get along, and he slacks off on the BDSM parties.

It takes some time, but real feelings start to grow, and Sylvie is torn. She has to go along with the contract she signed; she needs the money, and the only way out of it will cost her more money than she has. By the end of the year, they are in love but still need to get the paperwork all in order and get a divorce. Sylvie goes back to NY, and Killian stays in Scotland. But that is not the end! After a lot of trauma and drama, they eventually get their happy ending.

The narrators were excellent – I can still hear Killian’s voice in my head. There is a lot of sex, and the power dynamic is at play here as well. If you liked Fifty Shades of Grey and want something just as dark but well-written, try this. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

2/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

KEEP ME by Sara Cate. Narrators: Kelli Tager, Will Watt. Dreamscape Media; December 03, 2024. Listening Length: 10 hours and 39 minutes.

Kindle

Paperback

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JET by Jay Crownover

February 14, 2025

Marked Men, Book 2

From the publisher:

A Spicy Opposites-Attract Rockstar Romance

With his tight leather pants and a sharp edge that makes him dangerous, Jet Keller is every girl’s rock and roll fantasy. But Ayden Cross is done walking on the wild side with bad boys. She doesn’t want to give in to the heat she sees in Jet’s dark, haunted eyes. She’s afraid of getting burned from the sparks of their spontaneous combustion, even as his touch sets her on fire.

Jet can’t resist the Southern Belle with mile-long legs in cowboy boots who defies his every expectation. Yet the closer he feels to Ayden, the less he seems to know her. While he’s tempted to get under her skin and undo her in every way, he knows firsthand what happens to two people with very different ideas about relationships.

Will the blaze burn into an enduring love. . . or will it consume their dreams and turn them to ashes?

https://amzn.to/4aWlxmb

This second book of the Marked Men series is just as compelling a read as the first. “The Marked Men” series is based around a group of friends, most of whom work in a tattoo shop in the Denver area and have various body modifications. This book centers around Jet and Ayden, neither of whom works there but are part of the friends circle.

Ayden is from Kentucky, and no one, not even her closest friends, knows much about her background, and she likes it that way. She is a college student and cocktail waitress at the bar where they all hang out, mostly because of the live, heavy metal music that is featured there. Jet fronts one of those bands, but his real love is in finding new talent and helping them create the best album they can in his studio. When Ayden first sees him perform, she is immediately drawn to him. But she is determined to change her past, and that includes dating bad boys. Instead, she’s been dating a classmate who is a really nice guy, despite his preppy clothes. Sadly, Ayden just doesn’t feel any kind of attraction to him, even though he is everything she has decided she needs; kind, steadfast, smart, and driven to succeed. Best laid plans and all that…

Despite all the drama in their lives, Jet and Ayden eventually realize that they are made for each other, and find their happy ending, but there are some crazy obstacles along the way. These characters have really interesting backstories, which lends a lot of depth to the story. Another excellent addition to this series – I’m looking forward to the next book for sure.

The Marked Men Series:

2/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

JET by Jay Crownover. William Morrow Paperbacks (November 19, 2013). ISBN: 978-0062302410. 394p.