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THE MATZAH BALL by Jean Meltzer

September 28, 2021

From the publisher:

Oy! to the world

Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is a nice Jewish girl with a shameful secret: she loves Christmas. For a decade she’s hidden her career as a Christmas romance novelist from her family. Her talent has made her a bestseller even as her chronic illness has always kept the kind of love she writes about out of reach.

But when her diversity-conscious publisher insists she write a Hanukkah romance, her well of inspiration suddenly runs dry. Hanukkah’s not magical. It’s not merry. It’s not Christmas. Desperate not to lose her contract, Rachel’s determined to find her muse at the Matzah Ball, a Jewish music celebration on the last night of Hanukkah, even if it means working with her summer camp archenemy—Jacob Greenberg.

Though Rachel and Jacob haven’t seen each other since they were kids, their grudge still glows brighter than a menorah. But as they spend more time together, Rachel finds herself drawn to Hanukkah—and Jacob—in a way she never expected. Maybe this holiday of lights will be the spark she needed to set her heart ablaze.

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK SELECTED BY * POPSUGAR * BUSTLE * BUZZFEED * BOOKPAGE * GOODREADS MEMBERS

“The Matzah Ball had me laughing out loud…an all-around terrific read.”—Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Finally a terrific Jewish holiday romance! Rachel is a Jewish writer who happens to love Christmas and writes Christmas romances. But as the daughter of a rabbi, she is afraid of anyone finding out, so she writes under a pseudonym. Her publisher wants to diversify, and asks Rachel to write a Hanukkah romance.

Truth be told, Hanukkah is a minor Jewish holiday that gets so much attention primarily because of its place on the calendar, aligned as it is with Christmas. Rachel is very much aware of this, and can’t imagine how to go about writing a romance around Hanukkah. Then she finds out that her first love and summer camp nemesis, Jacob, is hosting a big fancy party on the last night of Hanukkah, called the Matzah Ball.

Thinking this event will give her the inspiration she needs, Rachel tries to get a ticket but there are none to be had. Jacob offers to let Rachel volunteer for the week before the event; volunteers get a ticket so she agrees. Some of the funniest, laugh out loud moments happen while she’s volunteering. As they work together, they grow closer, but one thing after another happens to cause them both heartbreak.

Rachel also suffers from a debilitating, chronic illness called Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. It’s also referred to as chronic fatigue syndrome, and the author shares that with Rachel. Witnessing how this disease affects her life adds another dimension to this story.

I read this book the day after I attended a beautiful wedding in Chicago. The mother of the bride, my beloved machatunim (hi Nancy!) spoke about bashert, which I always understood to mean soulmate. But here, another explanation is given, and I loved it.

“Bashert literally means destiny…in Judaism, that’s not the point of finding your bashert.”

“So what is the point?”

“Your other half exists to make you better. She exists to complete something you lack, and vice versa. You challenge each other, like chavruta, two blades which sharpen each other. But that’s different than love, Jacob. In some ways, it’s more powerful. Because only your bashert, your other half, can fill up what you lack…and help you fulfill your destiny.”

This is a sweet, very funny romance with a lot of heart. It wouldn’t be a Jewish story without frequent mentions of food, family, and Yiddish expressions, and it does not disappoint. Don’t miss it!

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PERFECT TIMING by Owen Nicholls

September 26, 2021

From the publisher:

From the author of Love, Unscripted. . . . They’re perfect for each other. But what happens when you meet the right person at the wrong time—over and over again?

“A modern-day love story with an old-fashioned warmth.”—Debbie Johnson, author of Maybe One Day

Up-and-coming musician Tom thinks he met the love of his life one night a year ago, but thanks to a made-up girlfriend, he’s pretty sure he’s never going to see her again. If it weren’t for the painkillers the doctor had given him for his dislocated shoulder, he could’ve explained what really happened. But now the moment for explanations has gone, so he just keeps writing songs about her in the wild hope that she’ll hear one on the radio and understand.

Jess thinks she met a cheating liar one night a year ago, but much to her chagrin, she can’t seem to stop thinking about him. When she finally decides to take it upon herself to tell Tom’s girlfriend what happened that night, she finds out that the truth isn’t quite what she thought it was. But by then it’s too late—she’s headed to the other side of the world to launch her comedy career.

As the years go by, Tom and Jess are never far from each other’s thoughts. But every time it seems that there might be a way for them to move forward, something else conspires to keep them apart. In life and in love, timing is everything—but will Tom and Jess ever manage to get it right?

This was an interesting concept for a romance. Tom and Jess meet serendipitously on a train, have a fabulous date, and then he ghosts her. It haunts Jess, she really felt like they had a connection. So when she runs into him again, she’s very angry.

Tom offers her a reasonable explanation and she decides to believe him. But this time, she hears from his best friend that he has a girlfriend. Angry again that he lied to her about that, she leaves.

They go back and forth like this for years. Almost too many years, it seemed a little dragged out for me. But eventually, they are both single at the same time and realize that they love one another and that’s the end.

I enjoyed this story but I would have liked to see them together more than was presented. There’s no heat at all here, other than when they fight. I need more than that in a romance. This is a romance of missed opportunities, in more ways then the author probably intended.

9/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

PERFECT TIMING by Owen Nicholls. Dell (September 7, 2021). ISBN: 978-1984826893. 384 pages.

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ON LOCATION by Sarah Echavarre Smith

September 25, 2021

From the publisher:

Nothing like a rocky start between enemy coworkers stuck together on location to prove that love isn’t just a ploy for ratings—it’s a force of nature.

Alia Dunn has finally gotten her big break. After years of working her way up at TV’s top outdoor travel channel, she gets the green light from network executives to bring her dream project to life: produce a series about Utah’s national parks. It’s a touching tribute to her late apong, who sparked Alia’s passion for travel and the outdoors as a kid.

Alia is thrilled—until she meets her newest crew member, Drew Irons. The same Drew she had the most amazing first date with two weeks ago—who then ghosted her. The same Drew who has the most deliciously thick forearms and who loves second-guessing her every move on set in front of the entire crew. It’s not long before the tension between them turns hotter than the Utah desert in the dead of summer, and their steamy encounters lead to major feelings.

But when the series host goes rogue one too many times, jeopardizing the entire shoot, Alia realizes that she’ll need to organize one hell of a coup to save her show—and she’ll need Drew’s help to do it. It’s the riskiest move she’s ever made. If she pulls it off, she’ll end up with a hit series and her dream guy . . . but if it all goes wrong, she could lose both.

This was a fun romance in an interesting setting, the National Parks in Utah. Alia’s Phillipino grandma had taken her there when she was a child, and it was one of the most amazing vacations she ever had. She pitches the idea to the travel channel where she works and is shocked when she gets the greenlight. It will be her first time working as showrunner and she’s excited. That is until she hears who her boss has selected as the host of the show – Blaine, a reality star known for drinking and drug abuse. But Blaine’s agent is a friend of her boss so she’s stuck. The rest of her crew she hand picks and they are fabulous. The only one she doesn’t know is Andrew, who her mentor highly recommends, so she feels like he will be a good choice.

One night Alia is riding the subway home when she spots a good looking young man giving up his seat for an elderly woman. She takes a pic and puts it on social media. He ends up standing next to her and flirting like crazy. She agrees to go out for a drink with him and tells him her name is Lia, thinking it is a safer option than giving her real name. He tells her his name is Drew, and they have the most amazing first date. But then he ghosts her. Of course Andrew, her mentor’s choice, turns out to be Drew. He has a good explanation but she’s not interested. They fight their way through the first few days of filming before she realizes that dealing with Blaine is going to be the big issue.

Drew and Alia finally make amends and start working together. They are both really good at their jobs, and when he has to step in for the inebriated host, he does a fantastic job. He’s always wanted to host but has terrible stage fright. Somehow, Alia gets him through it and a coup is hatched. They will film both Drew and Blaine, when he shows up, and not tell Blaine he is being replaced. Alia only hopes the network doesn’t go ballistic when she presents her final cut.

Everyone gets their happy ending here and it was a fun ride to the finish. Utah sounds like an amazingly beautiful place and I wouldn’t mind seeing some of those parks…someday. I liked these characters and the story and highly recommend this book.

9/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

ON LOCATION by Sarah Echavarre Smith. Berkley (September 21, 2021). ISBN: 978-0593201657. 352 pages.

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WHEN SPARKS FLY by Helena Hunting

September 24, 2021

From the publisher:

Charming, hilarious, and emotional…When Sparks Fly is Helena Hunting at her very best!

Avery Spark is living her best life. Between her friends, her sisters, and Spark House, the event hotel her family owns, she doesn’t have much time for anything else, especially relationships. She’d rather hang out with her best friend and roommate, Declan McCormick, than deal with the dating scene. But everything changes when she is in a car accident and needs someone to care for her as she heals.

Declan avoids relationships, giving him a playboy reputation that he lives up to when he puts a one-night stand ahead of a promise he made to Avery. While he may not have been the one driving the car, he feels responsible for Avery’s injuries and is determined to make it up to her by stepping into the role of caretaker.

Little did they know that the more time they spend in compromising positions, the attraction they’ve been refusing to acknowledge becomes impossible to ignore. When they finally give in to the spark between them, neither is prepared for the consequences. Their love is fragile and all it will take is a blow from the past to shatter it all.

Hunting has become one of my favorite authors, and this book did not disappoint. Avery and Declan have been best friends since college. Yes, it’s unusual for a man and woman to be best friends without it going anywhere else, but that’s the way it is. When they were in college, Avery was going out with Declan’s best friend, Sam. But after they graduated, they were doing the long-distance thing, and Declan found out Sam was cheating on Avery. He told Avery and everyone in their friends group cut Sam out. Avery and Declan even went on to buy a condo together, and everything is going great. They hang out with the guys, play soccer together, and have a good time. The only fly in the ointment are the “randoms’ that Declan is constantly bringing home.

Declan’s parents have spent their lives fighting and cheating on one another. He has no good role model for what a relationship should look like. He is convinced he is not ever going to be in any kind of committed relationship, so he sticks to his one night stands. They guy makes a good living in finance, and is hot as hell, so no worries there.

Avery’s girl friends convince her to try a dating app and the first guy that shows interest looks like he may be worth meeting. He’s good looking and into sports like she is. Her friends convince her to wear a tight, fitted minidress and heels, and as she is going out for her date, Declan about loses his mind. She looks so hot he feels jealous, so he goes out and picks up a woman that reminds him of Avery. Except they are supposed to leave early the next morning to meet up with some friends and go to a game. Only when Avery tries to get him up, he’s busy with the random. Avery tries to get his keys to his SUV as it’s raining and her tiny car needs tires, but he was too drunk to drive home the previous night so his car isn’t there.

Avery is really pissed off. She lost her parents in a terrible car accident years earlier, and has been afraid to drive ever since, especially when it’s raining. But Declan is of no use and she decides to just go by herself. She’s a nervous wreck driving on the highway in the rain, especially when she sees this pickup truck weaving in and out of traffic. Declan calls to apologize and they are working things out. The next thing you know, she’s in a multi-car pile up which he hears over the speakerphone, but she is not responding.

Turns out she has multiple broken bones and is unconscious for a couple of days. But Declan sticks by her, along with her sisters, until she wakes up. Then they fight over who is going to take care of her. But her sisters have to run their family event business without her for several weeks, and Declan can work remotely from home, so he wins and becomes Avery’s caretaker. It is a lot of work but he feels a lot of guilt, plus he loves her, so it’s not a problem for him. Until he walks in on her trying to masturbate one handed.

It’s pretty obvious where they end up, except Declan has never been in a relationship before. Turns out all their friends were just waiting for the two of them to realize they were in love, but there are a lot of bumps on the road before they can really be together.

I loved these characters and their story; I couldn’t put it down so another one night read for me. I loved it.

9/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

WHEN SPARKS FLY by Helena Hunting. St. Martin’s Griffin (September 21, 2021). ISBN: 978-1250624703. 320 pages.

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THE CASANOVA by T L Swan

September 23, 2021

The Miles High Club, Book 3

From the publisher:

In T L Swan’s steamy third installment of the Miles High Club, Kate’s hot new pen pal is a welcome distraction from her horrible boss. But nobody is as distracting as Elliot Miles…and he knows it.

My favorite hobby is infuriating Elliot Miles. Just the sight of my boss’s handsome face triggers my sarcasm. God knows how he earns his Casanova reputation―if a million women want him with his personality, what the heck am I doing wrong?

Disgusted with my love life, I join a dating app under a fake name. I start chatting to a man named Edgar. He’s not my type and lives on the other side of the world, but we hit off a friendship, laugh and confide in each other.

But lately things are getting weird at work. Elliot’s being…attentive. His eyes linger a little longer than they should, and there’s a heat behind them that I haven’t felt before. And then, in the shock of all shocks, he tells me that my vulnerability is appealing. But when was I vulnerable?

Horror dawns…Has my boss been reading my emails to Edgar?

Damn it, why did I use my work email?

Oh no, does he know what I really think of him? I’d rather die than ever admit it.

Or, even worse: is it possible that the man I loathe in real life is the man I’m falling for online?

Thanks to E L James and the Fifty Shades world she created, “billionaire romance” is a thing now. This book also runs with the enemies-to-lovers trope and does it really well. It’s a lot of fun for sure, and one of the steamiest romances I’ve read.

Kate is the tech guru at the company the Miles brothers own. She lost her parents several years earlier, and hasn’t gotten close to anyone since. She’s afraid of losing someone she loves again so she’s not going there. Elliot runs the London office of the media company his family owns. Young, rich, and good looking makes for trouble if he gets involved with anyone. The one relationship he had ended when the paparazzi wouldn’t leave them alone, so he sticks to one night stands. The press has nicknamed him “Casanova Miles.”

Elliot loathes the nasty woman in IT, and she despises him equally. She’s also not afraid of him and gives as good as he does in their war of words. Then one night Elliot happens to see a woman in a red netball dress (I had to look up netball, I never heard of it) dancing around her office. He is shocked to find it is his nemesis, yet he is completely turned on.

Meanwhile, Kate’s friends have convinced her to join a dating app. She begrudgingly agrees then creates a profile that is so outrageous no one will ever contact her, including using a picture of a gigantic cat as her profile pic. Shockingly, someone does contact her, Edgar, and he seems to find her amusing. They live a world apart, and since their is no pressure, they start chatting online and a friendship is formed. They even discuss their dating life.

Elliot finds his attraction to Kate distracting, but he can’t help himself. She is shocked to find that he is worming his way into sleeping with her, and the sex is off the charts hot (and frequent.) Elliot is spending more time with her than any woman before, but he knows she’s not “the one” because he is a romantic at heart, and is waiting for love at first sight. Of course that doesn’t happen, and he almost loses Kate in the process of seeking it out. But the girl eventually gets the billionaire, and they get their happily every after.

There is a lot of humor here, especially when they are butting heads. There is also a lot of emotion, which I wasn’t really expecting; the characters have depth. If you like scorching hot romance, this is your book!

9/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE CASANOVA by T L Swan. Montlake (August 26, 2021). ISBN: 978-1542028073. 512 pages.

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THE SHAADI SET-UP by Lillie Vale

September 21, 2021

From the publisher:

In this witty and heartfelt rom-com debut for fans of Jasmine Guillory, Emily Henry, and Tessa Bailey, an Indian American woman signs herself and her boyfriend up for a matchmaking site to prove they’re a perfect match, only to be paired with her ex instead.

High school sweethearts Rita Chitniss and Milan Rao were the golden couple, until the day he broke her heart. Now, six years later, Rita has turned her passion for furniture restoration into a career and has an almost-perfect boyfriend, Neil. The last thing she needs is for Milan to re-enter her life, but that’s exactly what happens when her mother, an unfailing believer in second chances, sets them up. Milan is just as charming, cocky, and confident as he was back in school. Only this time, he actually needs her business expertise, not her heart, to flip a hard-to-sell house for his realty agency.

While Rita begrudgingly agrees to help, she’s not taking any risks. To prove she’s definitely over him, she signs herself and Neil up on MyShaadi.com, a Desi matchmaking site famous for its success stories and trustworthy enough to convince everyone that she and Neil are the new and improved couple. Instead, she’s shocked when MyShaadi’s perfect match for her isn’t Neil…it’s Milan. Ignoring the website and her mother is one thing, but ignoring Milan proves much more difficult, especially when she promises to help him renovate the beach house of her dreams. And as the two of them dive deeper into work—and their pasts—Rita begins to wonder if maybe her match wasn’t so wrong after all….

Milan dumped Rita in a voicemail while she was flying to meet him for their trip to Europe during college. He never shows and she is heartbroken, but determined to go on their trip anyway. Six years later, Rita met Neil on Tinder and they hit it off. It’s been a few months of him spending the night a couple of times a week. But his life is ruled by his mother, and she wants him to find a wife, an Indian wife.

In a weird coincidence, Rita’s mom was a young woman when she fell in love with a man. But his family arranged a marriage for him and he broke her heart. Rita thinks her mother never got over him, and it turns out Neil’s father is that man. Rita doesn’t want to get any more involved with Neil that what they already are; he has marriage on his mind. She finally figures out that she can make this all public if the Indian marriage/dating app matches her with Neil. They coordinate their answers, but the 100% match for her is not Neil, it’s Milan.

Meanwhile, Neil’s mother “wrestles” his password to the app from him (she asks him for it) and starts arranging dates for him with the women from the site. And he goes. Rita is pissed but doesn’t really care and isn’t the least bit jealous. And Rita’s mom conspires with Milan’s mom to bring them back together. He is a very successful real estate agent, and she loves decorating and woodworking – she takes other people’s junk and turns the junk into treasures.

Milan has been sitting with a listing for this ultra-modern house for close to a year. No one wants it. So when the moms decide that Rita can fix up the place so he can sell it, they both agree to give it a try. It is very successful, and the house sells almost immediately for above list price. Milan had purchased an old B&B on the beach and has been renovating it to flip. He asks Rita to do the decorating and she agrees. The more time they spend together, the more they both realize that they are still in love. But Rita is leery; she knows she’s not the same girl he fell in love with, and she wants to make sure they are both going into this with their eyes wide open.

This was a really fun read. The families lent a lot of humor to the story, and the characters were all interesting and believable. I am looking forward to her next book – this was a debut novel (for adults; she writes children’s books, too!)

9/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE SHAADI SET-UP by Lillie Vale. G.P. Putnam’s Sons (September 7, 2021). ISBN: 978-0593328712. 368 pages.

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THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS by Ali Hazelwood

September 20, 2021

From the publisher:

When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman’s carefully calculated theories on love into chaos.

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships–but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor–and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford’s reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive’s career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding…six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

A BuzzFeed Best Summer Read of 2021

This is a terrific rom-com; smart characters, interesting storyline, great secondary characters and an interesting setting – Stanford University. Specifically, in the biology department. The first meet-cute happens a few years before the actual story. Olive was trying to decide if she wants to pursue her PhD in biology, but she is an impoverished student wearing contact lens that expired years earlier. It has made her vision blurry and she can’t stop crying, so she heads to the nearest restroom where she meets a man who she assumes is a grad student. She really can’t see him, he is just a very tall, very large blur. Olive isn’t sure academia is really for her, but he asks her a couple of good questions that help her decide.

Spring forward and Olive is a couple of years into her graduate program. She doesn’t really date, but did go out with Jeremy a couple of times, but there was no spark there. So when her best friend Anh and Jeremy realize that they really like each other, Olive is in a quandary. Her best friend won’t date Jeremy as long as she thinks Olive is interested, and no matter what Olive says, she isn’t changing her mind. So Olive tells her she has a date with someone else, but when Anh shows up, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is professor Adam Carlson, a MacArthur genius and Stanford legend, feared by his students and respected worldwide. Olive is mortified, but he is very kind. Once she explains why she did it, they decide to fake date. It will keep Anh dating Jeremy, and help Adam as well. The dean has frozen some of his grant money because he’s afraid Adam is going to leave Stanford; he’s considered a “flight risk.” But if Adam is dating someone, then maybe the dean will think he’s staying and release the funds. That is the premise behind the fake dating, and if you’ve ever read a romance or seen a romcom, you know what happens. I especially love the tongue-in-cheek references to other romcoms.

The competitive school setting was terrific, with all its politics and chicanery, and Olive is as quirky a character as I could love. Adam is the quiet type, but enough hints are dropped that you know this is more than fake dating for him. And eventually for Olive as well, but there are a lot of complications that get in the way. Title IX, the sexual harassment laws that govern colleges and universities, comes into play here, pretty much paving the way to the happy ending.

The humor and the characters really make this book, and there is a bit of steamy sex which is well done. I loved this book – don’t miss it!

9/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS by Ali Hazelwood. Berkley (September 14, 2021). ISBN: 978-0593336823. 384 pages.

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A LOT LIKE ADIOS by Alexis Daria

September 15, 2021

From the publisher:

The national bestselling author of You Had Me at Hola returns with a seductive second-chance romance about a commitment-phobic Latina and her childhood best friend who has finally returned home.

Hi Mich. It’s Gabe.

After burning out in her corporate marketing career, Michelle Amato has built a thriving freelance business as a graphic designer. So what if her love life is nonexistent? She’s perfectly fine being the black sheep of her marriage-obsessed Puerto Rican-Italian family. Besides, the only guy who ever made her want happily-ever-after disappeared thirteen years ago.

It’s been a long time.

Gabriel Aguilar left the Bronx at eighteen to escape his parents’ demanding expectations, but it also meant saying goodbye to Michelle, his best friend and longtime crush. Now, he’s the successful co-owner of LA’s hottest celebrity gym, with an investor who insists on opening a New York City location. It’s the last place Gabe wants to go, but when Michelle is unexpectedly brought on board to spearhead the new marketing campaign, everything Gabe’s been running from catches up with him.

I’ve missed you.

Michelle is torn between holding Gabe at arm’s length or picking up right where they left off—in her bed. As they work on the campaign, old feelings resurface, and their reunion takes a sexy turn. Facing mounting pressure from their families—who think they’re dating—and growing uncertainty about their futures, can they resolve their past mistakes, or is it only a matter of time before Gabe says adiós again?

Michelle is a talented graphic artist and one of her marketing campaigns went viral. Gabe’s partner in the gym they own is pushing hard to expand to New York, and wants to hire her. He doesn’t know about Gabe’s previous relationship with Michelle. When his partner can’t go to NY, Gabe has to do it. And the only way Michelle is going to help them is if he agrees to stay with her. She has an apartment in the city, and Gabe agrees.

They have unfinished business. Best friends all through school, their relationship intensified the summer after they graduated. Except unbeknownst to Michelle, Gabe is planning on going to college in California, not NY where they both live. When she finds out she is livid. Feeling her temper got the best of her, Michelle reaches out occasionally over the years. She really misses her friend and can’t understand why he won’t respond.

But her apartment is being renovated and shockingly, the date to finish has past and there is no toilet in the apartment. Since her parents are away, Michelle moves back home to the Bronx, next door to Gabe’s family. But when she brings him to the Bronx instead of Manhattan, he freaks out.

What Michelle doesn’t know is that Gabe had a big falling out with his parents. He told them he was going to California, on scholarship, but his father wants him to stay and help out in the stationary store he owns. They have a big fight, and Gabe hasn’t been back or even talked to his parents for nine years. This is really Gabe’s story; he needs to resolve the issues with his family and his business, and learn who he really is. With Michelle’s help, he does that.

The only part of the book I didn’t love were the “interstitials;” snippets of fanfiction they had written together when they were in high school. I could have lived without that, it reminded me of my least favorite parts of Rainbow Rowell’s books. But it did play a big part of the ending, and I did like that!

This is a terrific romance with some humor and interesting, diverse characters. There isn’t a whole lot of sex but it is steamy. If you like the friends to lovers trope (and I do) then this is your book! It is the sequel to You Had Me at Hola, but while I highly recommend you read it (I loved it) you don’t have to for this book to work. Enjoy!

9/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

A LOT LIKE ADIOS by Alexis Daria. Avon (September 14, 2021). ISBN: 978-0062959966. 416 pages.

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BATTLE ROYAL by Lucy Parker

September 13, 2021

Wilder, Book 3

From the publisher:

Beloved author Lucy Parker pens a delicious new romantic comedy that is a battle of whisks and wits.

Ready…

Four years ago, Sylvie Fairchild charmed the world as a contestant on the hit baking show, Operation Cake. Her ingenious, creations captivated viewers and intrigued all but one of the judges, Dominic De Vere. When Sylvie’s unicorn cake went spectacularly sideways, Dominic was quick to vote her off the show. Since then, Sylvie has used her fame to fulfill her dream of opening a bakery. The toast of Instagram, Sugar Fair has captured the attention of the Operation Cake producers…and a princess.

Set…

Dominic is His Majesty the King’s favorite baker and a veritable British institution. He’s brilliant, talented, hard-working. And an icy, starchy grouch. Learning that Sylvie will be joining him on the Operation Cake judging panel is enough to make the famously dour baker even more grim. Her fantastical baking is only slightly more troublesome than the fact that he can’t stop thinking about her pink-streaked hair and irrepressible dimple.

Match…

When Dominic and Sylvie learn they will be fighting for the once in a lifetime opportunity to bake a cake for the upcoming wedding of Princess Rose, the flour begins to fly as they fight to come out on top.

The bride adores Sylvie’s quirky style. The palace wants Dominic’s classic perfection.

In this royal battle, can there be room for two?

This is the perfect amalgam of romcom and British Bakeoff; no wonder it garnered starred reviews all around. It’s also the classic enemies to lovers trope of romance, and done really well.

Sylvie lost on “Operation Cake” when her unicorn cake blew up and attacked the judge, Dominic. He had no patience for her quirky, sparkly cakes anyway. Dominic is the classically trained pastry chef whose cakes appeal to the Royal family. Sylvie opened her own cake shop right across the street from his, but there customers don’t really overlap. Except for the princess who is now planning her wedding. Her parents want Dominic, she wants Sylvie and both are invited to submit cake designs for the wedding, adding another layer of discord between them. Then one of the judges on Operation Cake leaves, and Sylvie is invited to be a judge. She can’t afford not to do it, plus it will give her shop tons of exposure. Of course, she’ll have to work with Dominic, but maybe it won’t be so bad.

Turns out Dominic isn’t exactly the stuffy ogre Sylvie always thought him to be. And she’s not the flighty miscreant he thought her to be. Eventually, they realize they have a lot more in common than they thought and team up in a variety of ways – even romantically.

This was a really fun read with a lot of emotional resonance. Romcoms don’t get much better than this! Don’t miss it.

9/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

BATTLE ROYAL by Lucy Parker. Avon (August 17, 2021). ISBN: 978-0063040069. 416 pages.

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2 Comments | Book Reviews, Fiction, Romance | Tagged: Contemporary, romcom | Permalink
Posted by Stacy Alesi

THE HEART PRINCIPLE by Helen Hoang

September 7, 2021

The Kiss Quotient, Book 3

From the publisher:

A woman struggling with burnout learns to embrace the unexpected—and the man she enlists to help her—in this heartfelt new romance by USA Today bestselling author Helen Hoang.

When violinist Anna Sun accidentally achieves career success with a viral YouTube video, she finds herself incapacitated and burned out from her attempts to replicate that moment. And when her longtime boyfriend announces he wants an open relationship before making a final commitment, a hurt and angry Anna decides that if he wants an open relationship, then she does, too.

Translation: She’s going to embark on a string of one-night stands. The more unacceptable the men, the better.

That’s where tattooed, motorcycle-riding Quan Diep comes in. Their first attempt at a one-night stand fails, as does their second, and their third, because being with Quan is more than sex—he accepts Anna on an unconditional level that she herself has just started to understand. However, when tragedy strikes Anna’s family she takes on a role that she is ill-suited for, until the burden of expectations threatens to destroy her. Anna and Quan have to fight for their chance at love, but to do that, they also have to fight for themselves.

This is the latest entry into one of the best contemporary romance series. While there are three books in the series, I think that each stands alone. To prove my point, the second book in the series is from 2019, and honestly, I don’t remember a whole lot about it other than the main points – a main character on the autism spectrum and an emotional journey to the happily-ever-after. And that I loved the first two books, so I was thrilled to find this new one. There is an author’s note at the end of the book explaining why there was two years before publishing, and I must insist that if you read this book, and you should, you should also read that note.

I don’t know a ton about autism. That the main character in this series is on the spectrum means that I learn more about it and I think that is a very good thing. For instance, I learned that Asperger’s Syndrome is no longer a diagnosis; instead, the diagnosis is “autism spectrum disorder.” But more importantly, I learned how this woman lives with her autism and deals with it. Interestingly, the author is also on the spectrum and that just makes it more real.

Anna is a concert violinist in San Francisco. She started learning as a child, but was no prodigy – but a viral video turns her into a sensation, and a famous composer even writes her own piece for her. But Anna has taken a leave of absence from her job because she is stuck. She can’t play her own piece all the way through. In fact, she can’t play anything all the way through other than scales. As soon as she makes any kind of mistake, she has to start over, leaving her playing in a loop and very, very frustrated.

There is also frustration in her personal life. For one thing, Anna has spent her life trying to fit in with her family and even with her boyfriend of five years. Julian tells her he wants to marry her, but first wants to sleep around a lot to make sure he’s not missing anything. He wants an open relationship. Anna isn’t happy about it, and then she gets angry and decides what’s good for the gander is good for the goose and downloads a dating app, She decides to have a one-night stand or even better, a bunch of one night stands. The first guy she finds is just perfect – Quan is very good looking in a very bad boy way. But when she goes to meet him at a bar, she has a panic attack.

Quan has his own issues as a cancer survivor. He’s not looking for a relationship; he just wants to get back in the saddle again, as it were. Anna is sweet and beautiful and quirky, and as all she wants is a one night stand, kismet. It doesn’t work out like either one of them planned, so they decide to try again. Meanwhile, they talk and text and watch documentaries together while texting. The second try also fails, but they are both enjoying each other’s company and keep it going. And for the first time in her life, Anna is being herself and not just trying to please someone else.

Anna has been in therapy for a while to try and deal with her violin issues, and it’s not helping. On the other hand, she tries very hard to tell her therapist what she thinks she wants to hear. It’s not very useful and eventually the therapist tells her she believes Anna has been “masking”, trying to fit in, and gives Anna articles and a book about women on the autism spectrum.

Then Anna’s father has a massive stroke. Despite the fact that the doctors want to call in hospice, her mother and her much older, very dominating sister decide to bring him home and take care of him themselves. Anna moves home and is assigned an eight hour shift. She hates living there, hates taking care of her father not because she doesn’t love him, but because it is just so hard for her to try and fit in 24/7. To make matters worse, she thinks her father hates living like this and wants to die. He has a feeding tube, diapers, he can’t talk at all and it just breaks her heart.

Her sister thinks that autism diagnosis is crap and that Anna just needs to work harder. She also is planning a big birthday party for their father and wants Anna to play her violin at the party. Anna has fallen in love with Quan, but her wealthy Chinese family is not thrilled with this Vietnamese non-professional man. Julian is a doctor and his parents are good friends with Anna’s parents so they are invited to the party. But nothing goes right for Anna, and her struggle is real.

This is the type of book that is almost impossible to put down. That said, the crisis point of the story got me so emotional that I had to put it down and just cry. I avoided going back for a couple of hours, but then steeled myself to keep going and get to the happy ending I knew was coming.

Caretaking is a big issue in this story. In fact, the book is divided into three sections; before, during, and after [the stroke.] These characters wormed their way into my heart and there they stay, especially after reading the author’s note. I loved this book so much – I think it is the best book of an already excellent series, and everyone should read it. This is a wonderful romance with lots of humor, pathos, and hot sex, but it is the emotional journey that means everything here. It was worth the two year wait! Don’t miss it.

9/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE HEART PRINCIPLE by Helen Hoang. Berkley (August 31, 2021). ISBN: 978-0451490841. 352 pages.