Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

From the publisher:

From the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Things We Left Behind

The bride is a doll. The groom is the perfect gentleman. But the rest of the wedding party? They’re the stuff of nightmares. Rich? Check. Vapid? Double Check. Entitled? Not enough checks in the world. And the Best Man? More like the Worst Man.

But Maid of Honor Franchesca Baranski takes her duties seriously. Kidnapped groom? She’s got this. Rude attendees? You just watch her handle them. So a Best Man with a big attitude and an even bigger…checkbook? Yeah, there’s no way she’s going to let that pretentious, judgmental jackhole ruin her best friend’s wedding. No matter how sexy he is. (Well, that’s the plan anyway…)

Aiden Kilbourn doesn’t do long-term relationships. He’s busy ruling the business world, and has yet to find a woman he can tolerate for longer than a month, two at the outside. Conquering the unconquerable is basically his bread and butter. And he hasn’t met a challenge that he can’t win. But Franchesca Baranski? This smart-mouthed girl from Brooklyn may just be his downfall.

https://amzn.to/3wlPiN0

I’ve read several Lucy Score books lately and thought this was a newer one, but it turns out it’s only a newer publisher. It looks like it was originally released in 2018, probably self-published. But like I tell people who are looking for a new book, if you haven’t read it, it’s new to you!

Franchesca Baranski, AKA Frankie, is a Brooklyn born, curvy brunette whose best friend is getting married. The bride is lovely, but all her other attendants are wealthy, skinny, obnoxious blondes. The best man, Aiden Kilbourn, is your typical snotty billionaire, only interested in the blonde trophy on his arm for a week or two. And he cannot understand why he is so drawn to Frankie.

Frankie is smart, quick, funny, and is quite good at skewering Aiden, probably part of his attraction to her. She thinks he is gorgeous, but she is not looking for a one-night stand. As they spend time together sparring, they end up giving in to their sizzling chemistry. But the road to love is never easy, especially when there is class disparity and blonde roadblocks in the way.

This was a pretty good read – it held my attention, the characters were quirky enough to be interesting, and the sex was hot, but I really had to suspend my disbelief more than I like to buy some of the more outlandish plot points. I’ve enjoyed all of Score’s books, including this one, and look forward to whatever is coming next. She is an author to watch for me.

2/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE WORST BEST MAN by Lucy Score. Bloom Books (January 16, 2024). ISBN: 978-1728295169. 432p.

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From the publisher:

Full of cats, coffee, and charm, this laugh-out-loud, fake-dating romance between a brilliant baker and a charismatic commitment-phobe is the perfect treat for fans of Lyssa Kay Adams and Jasmine Guillory.

Frenemies + Fake Dating = Falling for the wrong person…for all the right reasons

Charity Simmons may have great taste in friends, felines, and fruit tarts, but if there’s one thing the baker and co-owner of Meow and Furever Cat Café knows, it’s that she has horrible taste in men. Case in point: Will Schwartz. He may be the best friend of her best friend’s boyfriend, but after their one night together, Charity is positive Will’s nothing but a womanizing charmer—despite his nice-guy persona and adorable, crooked smile. So why then did she pick him to pretend date to get her parents off her back about being single?

Will Schwartz may give relationships a hard pass, but he’s not about to say no to fake dating Charity. She’s brilliant, hilarious, and best of all, she’ll put an end to his mother’s interrogations about his love life. And maybe, after all this time giving him the cold shoulder, Charity will finally warm up to him.  But it’s not long before Will and Charity realize they got much more than they bargained for–and they’re freaking out. What if what they have isn’t make believe but the real, forever kind of love?

“The fake-dating trope and some feisty felines animate this effervescent sequel to Gary’s A Cat Café Christmas. Witty banter between the leads and cameos from the café’s mischievous kittens lace the heartfelt love story… Readers will relish this lighthearted romp.”  ―Publishers Weekly

https://amzn.to/3wfqvKv

This is the sequel to A Cat Café Christmas, which I didn’t know when I read this one -but I sort of wondered. The main characters, Will and Charity, are the best friends of a couple who think they are a good match. But Charity thinks Will is just a playboy, and he doesn’t know how to convince her otherwise. When they both end up at a resort together, they ignore one another until New Year’s Eve, when they create fireworks of their own. But morning comes around, and perspectives shift.

Charity owns a cat cafe and rescue operation with her best friend, a veterinarian. Charity bakes all the treats, and has applied to be on some reality TV baking show. If she wins, the money will certainly help expand their operation. She is in no mood for a meaningless fling; she feels like she deserves more.

Will is strongly drawn to Charity, but because of his family background, he fears relationships, mostly because of money. His parents weren’t good with it, and he is determined to keep his out of the clutches of any woman. But he can’t stop thinking about Charity.

There are a lot of hurdles here, but even more laughs along the way. This was a really fun read, especially if you like cats and baking as much as I do. I loved this lighthearted, fun, terrific, swoony read, and I’m going to hunt down A Cat Café Christmas!

2/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

FINDING MR. PURRFECT by Codi Gary. Forever (January 16, 2024). ISBN: 978-1538708187. 384p.

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Coyote Canyon, Book 2

From the publisher:

She’s not here to make friends. She’s here to make trouble.

With her piercings, tattoos and spiky blond hair, Ellen Truesdale doesn’t quite fit in with the other folks in Coyote Canyon—and that’s just fine with her. She’s only here to put her father out of business, as payback for abandoning her when she was young.

Or is she more interested in finally proving that she was worth keeping?

Either way, she’s struggling to keep her rival well-drilling company afloat. And being a single woman in a male-dominated field has started to take a toll. So when Hendrix Durrant steps in to help, Ellen has no choice but to let him—even though he happens to be her father’s business partner and therefore her enemy. But the closer she works with him, the more she sees what she’s been missing…in life and love. And once she lets go of her anger long enough to learn the truth about her past, she might just find the family she’s always wanted.

Coyote Canyon Series

Book 1: Talulah’s Back in Town
Book 2: The Talk of Coyote Canyon
Book 3: The Messy Life of Jane Tanner

https://amzn.to/3ud98cI

This is the second book of the series set in the small Montana town of Coyote Canyon. This one centers on Ellen and Hendrix, sworn enemies for most of their lives. Ellen’s parents divorced when she was a young child, and her father quickly remarried a woman named Vicki. Shortly after they wed, her sister died, leaving her son Hendrix an orphan. Vicki took him in and raised him as her own. But her husband’s daughter, Ellen, was a different matter; she was a tough kid, and Vicki wanted nothing to do with her. It comes out that she was jealous of her husband spending any time with his daughter, and he acquiesced to keep his wife happy.*

Fast forward many years, Ellen has moved into her grandparents’ home that she inherited in Canyon Creek and started her own well drilling company - in direct competition with her father’s company. Her goal is to put him out of business, revenge for abandoning her and her mother. Ellen’s mother is none too stable, and is constantly needing bailing out, adding more stress to Ellen’s life.

When Ellen steals a job out from under Hendrix, he is livid. In retaliation, he offers her one and only employee a job with a huge increase in salary. Things couldn’t be any worse between these companies and people, but when Ellen’s employee puts the screws to her to pay him or he’s leaving, she doesn’t feel like she has much choice. There is no way she can get the drilling done alone. But then he takes off on vacation, stranding her anyway, and shockingly, Hendrix steps in to help, feeling guilty about what he’d done. As they work together and get to know one another, everything starts to change.

There are a lot of family dynamics going on here, some of which really hit home for me. The enemies-to-lovers trope is beautifully and realistically played out here. This was a solid entry into this new series, and I can’t wait for the next book – luckily, I won’t have to wait long. It comes out February 20th, review to follow!

*My parents divorced when I was eight years old. My father flew to Mexico for a quickie divorce and came home a week later married to another woman. He didn’t abandon me or my brother, but she made my life hell, especially after I was forced to move in with them.

I was a hellion as a child, pretty much your basic parental nightmare, especially once I hit my teens and my mother couldn’t handle me anymore. I spent two and a half years living with my father, his wife, and her three children, and it took many years to recover. I had always suspected that his wife was jealous of me; I was my father’s favorite which made her crazy, but I couldn’t understand how a grown woman could be jealous of a child. It made no sense to me, but it finally came out right before my own wedding. We didn’t speak or have any kind of relationship for a few years until he wormed his way back in.

We had several hellish years before I finally found the strength to walk away from all the toxicity. My father was a sociopath, a narcissist, and if his lips were moving, he was lying. I’m not sure he even knew the difference between the truth and a lie; whatever suited him best was always his answer. His wife was another kind of monster. They are both dead and left behind a bunch of screwed-up children who have been squabbling over money for years now. I walked away from it all – and them all – about thirty years ago and never regretted it.

I think this was the first time I have seen a similar situation with the second wife jealous of the first wife’s child. I would hope it’s not a common problem, but I felt almost vindicated to see it here, if that makes any sense!

2/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE TALK OF COYOTE CANYON by Brenda Novak. MIRA; Original edition (November 28, 2023). ISBN:  978-0778305323. 384p.

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Coyote Canyon, Book 1

From the publisher:

Sometimes the past we leave behind leads us right where we belong.

Talulah Barclay doesn’t like complications. Unfortunately, they seem to love her. Fourteen years after leaving her fiancé at the altar, Talulah returns to her hometown of Coyote Canyon, Montana, to settle her great-aunt’s estate. As she’d feared, her “runaway bride” reputation is waiting right where she left it, and her ex’s best friend, Brant, isn’t about to let her slip by unnoticed.

Brant has always been a loyal friend, but Talulah’s decision to run isn’t the only thing he hasn’t forgotten. He remembers more about Talulah than he cares to admit. Vividly. And it’s increasingly difficult to ignore her now, especially when they find themselves in close quarters. Talulah has no plans to stay in town after she fixes up her aunt’s Victorian farmhouse, even if the unbridled sparks with Brant give her a good reason to linger. Besides, bailing on relationships is kind of her thing. But a lot has changed since Talulah last turned tail—maybe her heart has changed, too?

Coyote Canyon Series

Book 1: Talulah’s Back in Town
Book 2: The Talk of Coyote Canyon

This is the first book of a new series set in a small town in Montana. Talulah was engaged to be married, but left her groom at the altar and left town. Fourteen years later, she’s back to settle her great aunt’s estate and surprisingly, her ex is still not over her. But when his best friend, Brant, sees her, she knows she is in for a hard time. Her own parents left town shortly after the wedding debacle, and are now doing missionary work in Africa, her father’s dream. Her sister is very pregnant and Talulah is happy to help her out, but pretty much everyone else in town has been gunning for her all these years. Small towns, long memories…

Brant keeps running into Talulah and quickly realizes that the girl he had a crush on in high school is even more gorgeous now. He was able to get past his crush when his best friend started dating her, and there is plenty of anger over how she dumped him. but still, there is something more there. Even after she confesses she is a serial runaway bride, always committing until the last possible moment. Even after his best friend confesses he still loves her and refuses to move on. Fighting those feelings is exhausting, and eventually they both give in. But can Talulah commit to anyone? Is Brant “the one?” So much drama!

Luckily, Talulah is a very likeable character, so I couldn’t help but root for her to find her happily ever after. Brant has the kind of patience she needs in a man, and he is willing to wait for her. And wait he does. There are a lot of laughs along their journey, and of course, the happy ending.

Brenda Novak has become one my favorite authors, in the same realm as Debbie Macomber but maybe not as sugary sweet. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

1/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

TALULAH’S BACK IN TOWN by Brenda Novak. MIRA; Original edition (August 22, 2023). ISBN:  978-0778386179. 368p.

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From the publisher:

What Not to Wear and Queer Eye meet All the Feels in this sparkling romantic comedy by Jenny L. Howe, in which the new guest on a popular plus-size makeover show has her style―and her love life―transformed.

Everly Winters is perfectly happy to navigate life like a good neutral paint color: appreciated but unnoticed. That’s why she’s still a receptionist instead of exploring a career in art, why she lurks but never posts on the forums for her favorite makeover show, On the Plus Side, and why she’s crushing so hard on her forever-unattainable co-worker. When no one notices you, they can’t reject you or insist you’re too much.

This plan is working perfectly until someone secretly nominates Everly for the next season of On the Plus Side. Overwhelmed by the show’s extremely extroverted hosts and how much time she’ll have to spend on screen, she finds comfort in a surprising friendship with the grumpy but kind cameraman, Logan. Soon Everly realizes that he’s someone she doesn’t mind being noticed by. In fact, she might even like it.

But when their growing connection is caught on camera, it sends the show’s ratings into a frenzy. Learning to embrace all of herself on national TV is hard enough; can Everly risk heartbreak with the whole world watching?

“Howe dazzles with this pitch-perfect rom-com about learning to love oneself at any size…timely, humorous, and heartfelt.” –Publishers Weekly (starred)

“Everly is presented as beautiful, capable, and the star of her own story. A romantic comedy that’s both cozy and empowering.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Folks standing up for what is right always makes for a good story, and the friendship-to-love relationship between Everly and Logan is fun and fulfilling. For fans of All the Feels by Olivia Dade and Curves for Days by Laura Moher.” —Booklist

“Featuring a curvy heroine finding confidence while falling in love, Howe’s latest is a fun mix of What Not To Wear and Queer Eye. Recommended for fans of Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade and The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun.” –Library Journal

A book set in the world of reality TV? Yes, please! They got me by comparing it to “What Not to Wear” – I miss that show. This book is very loosely based on that premise, but On the Plus Side, the name of the TV show in the book (and the book), focuses on women who are large, and they go beyond the usual makeover. The way the show works is that they select a few women and follow them on their journey throughout the season. They help them figure out their career moves, fashion, and all the usual makeover stuff, plus so much more. Everly is a huge fan, as is her best friend/sister-in-law, so when Everly is nominated, she’s pretty sure she knows who did it.

For most of her life, Everly felt like she was “too much.” Her mother constantly harps on her weight, and they aren’t close. It was her grandmother who most made Everly feel seen for who she was. So when she loses her grandmother, it feels like a part of herself is gone. She retreats from wearing the clothes she loves and being her best and loudest self to try and blend in more. But she is not happy.

Everly has work friends who basically use her, and she doesn’t see it. When Logan, the cameraman who follows her around, breaks the fourth wall to defend her, Everly starts to see that maybe she can be herself after all. As she deals with all the changes in her life, her job, and a flirtation with Logan, things start looking up. Until the show pulls a stunt that could cost Everly her job, not to mention her reputation.

No worries, everything works out in the end, and Everly gets her happily ever after in so many ways. This was such an inspiring, joyful read – I really loved it.

1/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

ON THE PLUS SIDE by Jenny L. Howe. Griffin (December 26, 2023). ISBN: 978-1250837882. 368p.

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