Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

It Happened One Summer, Book 2

From the publisher:

In the follow-up to It Happened One Summer, Tessa Bailey delivers another deliciously fun rom-com about a former player who accidentally falls for his best friend while trying to help her land a different man…

King crab fisherman Fox Thornton has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt. Everyone knows he’s a guaranteed good time—in bed and out—and that’s exactly how he prefers it. Until he meets Hannah Bellinger. She’s immune to his charm and looks, but she seems to enjoy his… personality? And wants to be friends? Bizarre. But he likes her too much to risk a fling, so platonic pals it is.

Now, Hannah’s in town for work, crashing in Fox’s spare bedroom. She knows he’s a notorious ladies’ man, but they’re definitely just friends. In fact, she’s nursing a hopeless crush on a colleague and Fox is just the person to help with her lackluster love life. Armed with a few tips from Westport’s resident Casanova, Hannah sets out to catch her coworker’s eye… yet the more time she spends with Fox, the more she wants him instead. As the line between friendship and flirtation begins to blur, Hannah can’t deny she loves everything about Fox, but she refuses to be another notch on his bedpost. 

Living with his best friend should have been easy. Except now she’s walking around in a towel, sleeping right across the hall, and Fox is fantasizing about waking up next to her for the rest of his life and… and… man overboard! He’s fallen for her, hook, line, and sinker. Helping her flirt with another guy is pure torture, but maybe if Fox can tackle his inner demons and show Hannah he’s all in, she’ll choose him instead?

https://amzn.to/3KauLNl

I always enjoy a romance when it’s the man who’s all insecure, probably because it is somewhat unconventional. That is the case here, and Fox is a terrific male lead. Strong, good looking, and has a reputation for never getting serious with anyone but always leaving the ladies happy. Until he meets Hannah.

Ever since last summer when they met, Fox doesn’t seem to get any pleasure from anything except their daily texts. Hannah is in California, Fox is in this small fishing village in Washington state. They are friends now, and Fox has never been friends with a woman. Never even thought it was possible. But they had fun hanging out together, and the texting has brought them even closer. So when Hannah convinces the director of the film she’s assisting on to move the production to Washington, he loves the idea and she is secretly thrilled. Her sister Piper is engaged and living in that small town and she misses her terribly.

But Piper’s future in-laws have come for a visit, taking the guest room. They arrange for Hannah to stay in Fox’s guest room. That brings them closer than ever, and Fox is in a real quandary. He knows he can’t be in any kind of relationship. His one long term relationship in college turned out to be a lie; he was her “hall pass”, a guy to have sex with and he never really recovered from that.

Hannah is trying to move ahead in her career but lacks some self-esteem; she wants to be the “leading lady” of her life and Fox tries to help convince her that she is. He is offered a promotion to captain the fishing boat he works on but is against it. Hannah tries to convince him he is deserving and to go for it. I love how these characters both learn and grow and help one another to reach their goals.

Falling in love is an unfamiliar feeling for the both of them, but they manage to work through all their issues to reach that happy ending, but there are a lot of laughs and a lot of angst before they get there. This was a terrific, sexy follow up to It Happened One Summer, and hopefully there will be more!

3/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER by Tessa Bailey. Avon (March 1, 2022). ISBN: 978-0063045699. 400p.

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The Hideaway Harbor, Book 1

From the publisher:

Workaholic Lillian Mahoney has given everything to her job. The hugely popular lifestyle show she helped create monopolizes her time, energy, creativity, and anything remotely resembling a life. But all it takes is the show’s womanizing, egomaniac star throwing a massive hissy on live TV to utterly implode Lillian’s career in a New York minute.

Now Lillian’s hiding out in the gorgeous and completely unknown seaside village of Blink, Maine. Out of gas. A stolen wallet. A broken heel. And worse, she’s somehow managed to completely piss off the town’s resident hunk, Caleb Wright. She’ll show that hot, grumpy single father exactly what she’s made of.

But Blink isn’t quite what Lillian expects―and neither is Caleb…or his feisty teen daughter she can’t help but love. And while her entire life and career are in shreds, Lillian might just discover what happens when she gives her bad first impression a second chance…

https://amzn.to/3KauLNl

This is a lovely, small town romance with interesting characters and setting. Blink is a small town on the coast of Maine, population just over 200 and falling fast. There is not much here anymore; the mill closed, most of the businesses, too. Lillian’s sister bought a cottage out of foreclosure here, sight unseen, so when everything in NY blows up, Lillian decides to hide out in Blink.

Lillian had this idea of a lifestyle business but needed the perfect face for the company. She found Niles in a college bar and recruited him. Unfortunately, he isn’t very interested in what he’s actually doing, like cooking or decorating. He’s more interested in meeting women and enjoying his new found wealth and celebrity. Lillian and her sister keep him in check, for the most part, but he has to do a live cooking segment. They rehearse of course, but he still manages to screw it up and loses his temper with Lillian. This is live on the streets of Manhattan, and several of his fans are filming the blow up which goes viral. Everyone assumes Lillian work for Niles, and she is quick to point out that they work together, when in reality she is his boss. But he is the face of the company, she is behind the scenes.

On her way to Blink, her wallet gets stolen and she runs out of gas just at the edges of town. A good looking young man, Caleb, stops to help her, but she is a New Yorker and isn’t getting into a strange man’s car. She walks the rest of the way to town, the high heel on her shoe breaks, and she has $20 to her name. At the diner, she buys a cup of coffee and an old guy starts chatting to her. He fills up her car for her and she meets his friend, another old guy who is miserable and failing at life since he lost his wife the year before. Since she really doesn’t have much to do, she offers to help him get organized. Caleb is immediately suspicious; the old guy is the richest man in town. In fact, he owns most of the town.

Enemies to lovers is always a good storyline and Caleb and Lillian eventually stop fighting and find their way to each other. But Lillian has a life and a business back in NY. Before she leaves, she is determined to fix this dying town. She works hard at it, and eventually gets her way in that, and in love.

This is a sweet romance from an author who is new to me. I loved these characters and the fairy tale ending. The next book doesn’t come out until next year, and I can hardly wait!

3/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

ACCIDENTALLY PERFECT by Marissa Clarke. Entangled: Amara (March 1, 2022). ISBN: 978-1649371898. 400p.

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From the publisher:

Everything went wrong. And then she went gray.

At 47, newly divorced makeup artist Lela Bennett is dreading her next steps. Dating. Meeting people. Not letting herself go. But then she runs into Donovan James and tries something different-sleeping with her sexy crush from college. Unfortunately, in a post-orgasm stupor, Lela confesses she was in love with Donovan all those years ago. He responds by leaving while she sleeps. The next morning, her gray hairs are practically taunting her. She knows she has to get it together. Forget men. Embrace her age. Own her gray.

Donovan James is a marketing genius, but his ex-wives will tell you-nothing freaks him out like feelings. Three years after his one-night stand with Lela, he’s focused on his daughter’s lifestyle company, but unprepared to meet the face of their new beauty brand. It’s Lela. With stunning silver locks and new confidence, she’s no longer swayed by his charms. When business starts booming, the universe seems intent on throwing them together time and again. And suddenly, two people convinced that romance was behind them are wondering if love could be what’s next.

https://amzn.to/3pdeU8E

This was such a cute premise, and as someone who has been covering the gray for more years than I care to think about, I was ready to love this. But I didn’t.

I liked that Lela embraced her silver hair, which sounds much prettier than gray. I must admit I have one friend who embraced her gray and I thought it aged her terribly. Some women look fantastic, but not all do.

Lela has been in love with Donovan since their college days. They were great friends, but once he got engaged, his fiancée felt threatened by Lela, and it turns out she had good reason. Donovan has been married a few times and they lost touch over the years, but follow one another on social media. Until they bump into each other in NYC. They end up reminiscing and sleeping together, but during the night Lela admits she was in love with him. Once she falls asleep, he panics and leaves.

That night gives Lela the impetus to change her life. She embraces her gray hair and decides to take her makeup artistry into a new direction – her own line of cosmetics. Business is doing well and then she is bought out by a conglomerate. She still is running her company but within the behemoth.

Donovan has one daughter, a brilliant young woman who is running her own beauty company. She, too, is bought out and then the conglomerate folds Lela’s company under hers. Oh, and Donovan is a semi-retired successful entrepreneur who is working for his daughter now. So Lela and Donovan have to work together as well.

You can guess what happens as the book is entirely predictable. The characters are likeable but there just isn’t enough tension or drama here to make it a real page turner. As a matter of fact, since I read on my Kindle I had no idea how many pages this book was and I was shocked that it was under 300 pages, it felt much longer. I think this book would have been helped by a good editor. I liked seeing a 40something woman as protagonist in a love story and wish there were more books like that. Romance isn’t only for the young!

2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

GRAY HAIR DON’T CARE by Karen Booth. ‎Karen Booth (February 2, 2021). ISBN: 978-0578826288. 276p.

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From the author:

It’s not just the motion of the ocean, ladies. It’s definitely the SIZE of the boat too. And I’ve got both firing on all cylinders. In fact, I have ALL the right assets. Looks, brains, my own money, and a big c&$k.

You might think I’m an as%*$le. I sound like one, don’t I? I’m hot as sin, rich as heaven, smart as hell and hung like a horse. Guess what? You haven’t heard my story before.

Sure, I might be a playboy, like the NY gossip rags call me. But I’m the playboy who’s actually a great guy. Which makes me one of a kind. The only trouble is, my dad needs me to cool it for a bit. With conservative investors in town wanting to buy his flagship Fifth Avenue jewelry store, he needs me not only to zip it up, but to look the part of the committed guy. Fine. I can do this for Dad. After all, I’ve got him to thank for the family jewels.

So I ask my best friend and business partner to be my fiancée for the next week. Charlotte’s up for it. She has her own reasons for saying yes to wearing this big rock. And pretty soon all this playing pretend in public leads to no pretending whatsoever in the bedroom, because she just can’t fake the kind of toe-curling, window-shattering orgasmic cries she makes as I take her to new heights between the sheets. But I can’t seem to fake that I might be feeling something real for her.

What the hell have I gotten myself into with this…big rock?

https://amzn.to/3JQBf3v

This is a super sexy, super fun fake engagement romance. Blakely always delivers and truly rises to the top of the self published pack. This book has an arrogant protagonist that grows and changes and enough drama and laughs to keep the pages turning.

This book came out a few years ago, and I actually read book 7 in this series first (what else is new!) If my library has the rest of the series, I’m all in. If you want something fun, fast, and steamy, this is your book. Pure entertainment!

2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

BIG ROCK by Lauren Blakely. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (January 6, 2016). ISBN: 978-1984354075. 254p.

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From the publisher:

Falling in love is the ultimate payback in this delightful, breezy romcom about an interior designer who teams up with an enigmatic architect at her firm to get revenge on her ex the only way she knows how: by building a spite house next door

They say living well is the best revenge. But sometimes, spreading the misery seems a whole lot more satisfying. That’s interior designer Dani Porter’s justification for buying the vacant lot next to her ex-fiancé’s house…the house they were supposed to live in together, before he cheated on her with their Realtor. Dani plans to build a vacation rental that will a) mess with his view and his peace of mind and b) prove that Dani is not someone to be stepped on. Welcome to project Spite House.

They say living well is the best revenge. But sometimes, spreading the misery seems a whole lot more satisfying. That’s interior designer Dani Porter’s justification for buying the vacant lot next to her ex-fiancé’s house…the house they were supposed to live in together, before he cheated on her with their Realtor. Dani plans to build a vacation rental that will a) mess with his view and his peace of mind and b) prove that Dani is not someone to be stepped on. Welcome to project Spite House.

That plan quickly becomes complicated when Dani is forced to team up with Wyatt Montego, the handsome, haughty architect at her firm, and the only person available to draw up blueprints. Wyatt is terse and stern, the kind of man who eats his sandwich with a knife and fork. But as they spend time together on- and off-site, Dani glimpses something deeper beneath that hard veneer, something surprising, vulnerable, and real. And the closer she gets to her goal, the more she wonders if winning revenge could mean losing something infinitely sweeter…

https://amzn.to/3h40Dqf

I just read another HGTV-style romance – HOW TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR by Sophie Sullivan – I guess it’s a popular plotline. I poked around my website for other HGTV romances and wasn’t surprised to find several more pop up. And those are only the ones I’ve read and reviewed. It is a fun idea, and it works here for sure.

Dani and her ex-fiancé were supposed to buy a house together, but somehow he bought it on his own. She also wanted to purchase the small lot next door for a studio for her work, and that was ignored completely. When she catches him banging the realtor, she ends things but is still really pissed. She figures out that since her money never went into the house, she can afford the lot next door and determines to build a tiny “spite” house that will block his view. And be annoying in general what with all the construction.

Money is tight but she works for an architecture firm so figures someone will help her, but Wyatt is the last person she would expect to help her out. Known as the office grumpy know-it-all, he is supremely talented and she is reluctant to look a gift horse in the mouth. He tells her he needs her help with his grandmother’s window treatments, so it’s a fair deal.

Dani never mentions that her ex lives next door to their project, but Wyatt isn’t stupid and starts suspecting something is up. Meanwhile, working together is going way better than Dani ever expected. Turns out Wyatt is a genuinely nice guy and they start falling in love. Until he realizes that she’s been lying to him about the house the whole time.

This is a romance so they find their happily ever after, but not before a lot of crazy stuff goes down; the garden gnomes and crazy mailbox are funny but the fire is not. Spite is never a good motivator; seems like there are always repercussions, as is the case here.

This was a fun and light-hearted read, sure to please HGTV-romance fans like me. If the Hallmark Channel and HGTV had a baby, it would be this book!

2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

LOVE AT FIRST SPITE by Anna E. Collins. ‎Graydon House; Original edition (January 4, 2022). ISBN: 978-1525899799. 320p.

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Highland Brides, Book 10

From the publisher:

New York Times Bestselling Author Lynsay Sands delivers another sexy historical romance set in the wilds of the Highlands

In all her daydreams about her wedding day, Lady Claray MacFarlane never once imagined being dragged to the altar by her greedy uncle and forced to marry a man she didn’t know. But that’s what happened, or would have, had a Highland warrior not snatched her up at the last minute and ridden off with her in his arms. . .

They call him the Wolf. The mercenary’s courage and prowess in battle are known throughout the Highlands, and with his handsome face and black-as-sin hair, he is as intelligent and deadly as the wolf he was named for…

But the Wolf is also Claray’s betrothed. Thought to have been killed as a child, he’s been in hiding all these years. Now he’s determined to earn enough coin to rebuild his home, reclaim his birthright, and honor his marriage contract to Claray. For he’s fallen for the tender-hearted lass…and he will do anything to protect her and their future together. 

https://amzn.to/3oNEOzw

My reading history with this series is odd, even for me! I’ve read books 6, 7, & 8 and now this tenth addition. I’ve liked them all a lot, so I don’t know why I haven’t read the entire series, but if my library has them, I will rectify this soonest.

Claray is being forced into a marriage she doesn’t want, and at the last second, the Highland warrior known as The Wolf rescues her and takes her away. No one really knows who he is, but he is well respected and Claray is thrilled to be free of her impending marriage. They head towards her home, several days away, and along the way she gets to know the Wolf, and they are strongly attracted to one another. She also picks up some stray animals that need some help, aggravating the Wolf but also adding to his attraction to the sweet, caring woman.

It turns out this couple was meant to be, but it won’t be easy. Too many people are trying to kill the Wolf and Claray, or at least marry her for her property. But love will prevail, with some nice twists in the storyline to keep things interesting.

This was another good addition to this series. I love anything set in Scotland, and the Highlands in particular. The history and culture is always interesting, as it was here. I used to read Scottish romances as sort of place holders for the Outlander series, but it’s gone beyond that now. I enjoy them for themselves, if that makes sense. I am off to hunt down the earlier books in the series. Men in kilts are just too much fun!

The series in order:

1. An English Bride in Scotland

2. To Marry a Scottish Laird

3. The Highlander Takes a Bride

4. Falling for the Highlander

5. Surrender to the Highlander

6. The Highlander’s Promise

7. The Wrong Highlander

8. Hunting for a Highlander

9. Highland Treasure

10. Highland Wolf

2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

HIGHLAND WOLF by Lynsay Sands. Avon (January 25, 2022). ISBN: 978-0063212428. 288p.

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From the publisher:

Enemies-to-lovers meets HGTV in this frothy, effervescent romantic comedy from Sophie Sullivan, author of Ten Rules for Faking It.

Interior Design School? Check. Cute house to fix up? Check.

Sexy, grumpy neighbor who is going to get in the way of your plans? Check. Unfortunately.

Grace Travis has it all figured out. In between finishing school and working a million odd jobs, she’ll get her degree and her dream job. Most importantly, she’ll have a place to belong, something her harsh mother could never make. When an opportunity to fix up―and live in―a little house on the beach comes along, Grace is all in. Until her biggest roadblock moves in next door.

Noah Jansen knows how to make a deal. As a real estate developer, he knows when he’s found something special. Something he could even call home. Provided he can expand by taking over the house next door–the house with the combative and beautiful woman living in it.

With the rules for being neighborly going out the window, Grace and Noah are in an all-out feud. But sometimes, your nemesis can show you that home is always where the heart is.

https://amzn.to/33pOWHj

When her long estranged grandmother dies and Grace inherits her beach house, she is thrilled. She longs for a connection to family; her mother is wrapped up in herself and whatever money she can squeeze out of Grace, but the house means something. Except her next door neighbor, Noah, assumes he can just buy it out from under her. He wants the land to put in a pool to complete his dream house on the beach, but Grace is not interested in selling. Not that he gives up that easily.

Grace is also steps away from completing her interior design degree so she relishes the chance to fix up the long neglected cottage. On the other hand, Noah is busy hiring people to fix up his home, and there is a national magazine interested in featuring it. Except they want a bit more than a photo spread; they want to do a video series showcasing the house as the work is done, and they want the up-and-coming designer, Grace, to take over the project. The chemistry between Noah and Grace is obvious to everyone, and eventually they find a way to get together.

Grace is all hands on; Noah is all about the money. Until Grace puts a paintbrush in his hand. Opposites do attract here!

If you enjoy all those fixer-upper type TV shows as much as I do, then this is the book for you. It’s a lot of fun and an easy, thoroughly enjoyable read.

2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

HOW TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR by Sophie Sullivan. Griffin (January 18, 2022). ISBN: 978-1250624185. 352p.

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From the publisher:

An absolutely hilarious romantic comedy set in Ireland…

A newly single girl. A tall dark handsome stranger. What could go wrong?

It’s 7 a.m. on a Monday morning and Abby Reynolds isn’t where she wants to be. She wants to be in her beautiful loft apartment in Manhattan, drinking a coffee with her fiancé.

Instead, she’s heading back to the childhood home in rural Ireland she swore she’d never return to, with some big old secrets. Namely that she’s suddenly found herself unemployed, homeless, and absolutely 100% single.

She’s feeling all out of luck. Until the first person she meets after she touches down is an absurdly hot guy called Luke, who offers her a lift home. Gazing deep into his sparkling emerald-green eyes, Abby knows instantly that he’s exactly what she needs to take her mind off everything. The perfect rebound.

It’s a flawless plan. Until the next day, when Abby realizes who he actually is. Not just a stranger. He is, in fact, Luke Bailey, aka the boy next door. Luke Bailey who—so help her God—she’s pretty sure she once shared baths with, back when they were kids. Not that she can allow herself to imagine him in a bath now, not without blushing from head to foot.

And judging by the smirk on his face, the same Luke Bailey who’s known exactly who she was the whole time… And who, like everyone in the village, still thinks she’s a high-flying New Yorker… who’s getting married next year.

Abby is certain getting under Luke will help her get over her ex. But the truth is stopping her. Can she admit to everyone back home that she’s single and has lost everything? Because, if she wants the boy next door, she may just have to…

The perfect feel-good romantic comedy that will make you laugh until you cry and fall completely in love. Fans of Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, and Emily Henry won’t be able to put this down!

https://amzn.to/3oNEOzw

Abby has been dumped. Her fiancé has decided that he doesn’t want to get married. Luckily, the mega financial company she works for has some apartments, generally used for new hires, available so at least she has a place to live.

Abby has always been driven, leaving the small town of Clonard, Ireland for college and never looking back. She loves the Manhattan lifestyle afforded her by her years with the company, and has all her funds tied up with them. So when they go under, she and thousands of others find themselves out of work and broke. Plus she’s now homeless as well. The only solution she sees is to go home to Ireland.

Abby’s sister is living in their family home and while they don’t really get along – she is a strong environmentalist/activist while Abby is working for the epitome of corporate greed, she knows her sister will take her in. But she’s embarrassed to admit she is no longer engaged on top of everything else.

Luke gives Abby a ride home when she is stranded at the airport. He remembers her well – he always had a crush on her. Abby flirts the whole way home without realizing that this hot man is actually the neighbor she grew up with. Once she figures it out, and he figures out she is engaged, things get complicated between them in spite of their growing attraction.

There are a lot of laughs and some angst before they reach their happy ending. Abby is a strong woman and Luke is an honorable, honest man, and I really liked them both. The setting and secondary characters were quirky and fun, and altogether this was a terrific, heart warming read.

2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE REBOUND by Catherine Walsh. ‎ Bookouture (February 9, 2022). ISBN: 978-1800195677. 324p.

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From the publisher:

Sadie wasn’t looking for love until it landed on her doorstep.

After getting passed over for an overdue—and much-needed—promotion, Sadie Green is in desperate need of three things: a stiff drink, a new place to live, and a one-night stand. But when an accidental mix-up lands her on the doorstep of Jack Thomas’s gorgeous Brooklyn brownstone, it’s too bad Sadie is more attracted to the impressive real estate than she is to the man himself.

Jack, still grieving the unexpected death of his parents, has learned to find comfort in video games and movie marathons instead of friends. So while he doesn’t know just what to make of the vivaciously verbose Sadie, he’s willing to offer her his spare bedroom while she gets back on her feet. And with the rent unbeatably low, Sadie can finally pursue her floristry side hustle full-time. The two are polar opposites, but as Sadie’s presence begins to turn the brownstone into a home, they both start to realize they may have just made the deal of a lifetime.

https://amzn.to/3J48y2K

This story really stretches the boundaries of suspension of disbelief, but it was worth it just for the scene where Sadie loses her job – one of my favorite scenes, ever! She says what anyone in that position would think but probably never say and I loved it. The rest of the story was good, too, just a little bit over the top.

Finding a beautiful brownstone in the trendiest section of Brooklyn with a room to rent for some ridiculously cheap rent – no. But it was important to the story so I pretended to believe it. Maybe if there was some sort of explanation about why Jack was willing to rent it so cheap I would have understood it better, but nope. Anyway, it doesn’t really matter except that these decisions set the story in motion.

Jack lost his parents several years earlier and has had a very hard time dealing with it. Sadie loses her job and with the cheap rent she is now paying, she can afford to pursue her dream of starting her own floral business. All that aside, it is the relationship that grows between the mysterious, close mouthed Jack and the outgoing social butterfly, Sadie, that is at the heart of this story. Everything else doesn’t really matter.

This was a very enjoyable read and a sweet romance. I loved these characters and the setting and highly recommend!

2/2022 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

LEASE ON LOVE by Falon Ballard. G.P. Putnam’s Sons (February 1, 2022). ISBN: 978-0593419915. 352p.

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