Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

From the publisher:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In the wake of tragedy, a group of friends makes a pact that will cause them to reunite a decade later and embark upon a life-changing adventure together—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Meant to Be.

Four freshmen arrive at college from completely different worlds: Lainey, a California party girl with a flair for drama; Tyson, a brilliant scholar and aspiring lawyer from Washington, D.C.; Summer, an ambitious, recruited athlete from the Midwest; and Hannah, a mild-mannered southerner who is content to quietly round out the circle of big personalities. Soon after arriving on campus, they strike up a conversation in their shared dorm, and the seeds of friendship are planted.

As their college years fly by, their bond intensifies and the four become inseparable. But as graduation nears, their lives are forever changed after a desperate act leads to tragic consequences. Stunned and heartbroken, they make a pact, promising to always be there for one another, no matter how separated they may become by circumstances or distance.

Ten years later, Hannah is anticipating what should be one of the happiest moments of her life when everything is suddenly turned upside down. Calling on her closest friends, it soon becomes clear that they are all facing their own crossroads. True to their promise, they agree to take a time out from lives headed in wrong directions and embark on a shared journey of self-discovery, forgiveness, and acceptance.

In this tender portrayal of grief, love, and hope, Emily Giffin asks: When things fall apart, who will be at our sides, helping us pick up the pieces?

“Giffin is at her best when she’s delving into the hard and sometimes outwardly questionable choices that her characters make in their pursuit of happiness, and her latest harks back to her bold, layered debut, Something Borrowed (2004). This thirtysomething coming-into-one’s-own tale feels true to life, messy in all the best ways, and hopeful. A triumph.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Want to indulge in juicy, page-turning escapism? The Summer Pact is about a group of friends . . . [and] a reunion tour, a decade after college, inspired by a long-ago promise to turn to one another in times of need. [They] take turns narrating their trip to the Italian island of Capri, where closure may or may not await.”—The New York Times

I’ve been reading Giffin since her first book came out twenty years ago, but this one was a bit of a disappointment. There is a group of friends from college, and I would say spoiler alert, but one of them dies, and that happens pretty much at the beginning of the book. Then they deal with it.

I feel like I’ve read a few stories with similar plotlines that were done better than this. There was diversity in the characters and it wasn’t subtle, to say the least. Yes, it was messy, but was it true to life? I’m not so sure. Not my favorite from an author I’ve always loved.

8/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE SUMMER PACT by Emily Giffin. Ballantine Books (July 9, 2024). ISBN:‎ 978-0593600290. 352p.

Kindle

Audible

Indiana Summers, Book 3

From the publisher:

They’ve been trying to avoid each other.
But this town has other ideas…

When Berkley Carr opened The Love Shack Animal Haven, she thought she’d finally put her past behind her. But sometimes she feels the sting of the scandal from her youth, especially when she keeps crossing paths with her handsome neighbor. So, she keeps her head down and pours all her love into caring for animals.

Lawson Salder moved to Cemetery, Indiana, to escape from the grinding poverty of his childhood. He barely knew Berkley from their old neighborhood, but every time he sees her, the shame and pain come crashing back. He knows she’s got major baggage of her own. They’re better off just avoiding each other.

But that’s downright impossible in a town full of matchmaking busybodies. Then there’s the hard-to-ignore attraction they feel every time they see each other. When the universe is conspiring to bring them together, will Berkley and Lawson let past hurts go and embrace the love they deserve?

https://amzn.to/3Awn5VR

I read the first book in this series, The Honeymoon Cottage, which I enjoyed. Somehow I missed the second book, The Little Flower Shop, which I’ll have to hunt down. The Love Shack is a great title (even if I can’t get the B-52’s out of my head!) and it’s also the name of the animal shelter run by the main character, Berkley. Berkley has moved to the small town of Cemetery to escape a troubled past, and is shocked to find someone from her past is already here in town, for the same reasons.

Lawson has a strong protective streak, especially when it comes to Berkley. There is another character of sorts in this series, Katherine, a mannequin that the townsfolk dress up and move around. She creeps out Lawson, but he is good natured enough to deal with it and it adds some levity to the story. The real fun is the animals though!

As Lawson and Berkley spend time together, they fall in love. There are obstacles in the way, but the meddling town founder, the elderly Betty Cemetery, has her heart set on making these two a match. Matchmaking not withstanding, this is a sweet romance with a tiny bit of heat and the requisite happy ending. Foster writes good stories, and I enjoyed this one.

8/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE LOVE SHACK by Lori Foster. Canary Street Press; Original edition (June 11, 2024). ISBN:‎ 978-1335517142. 336p.

Kindle

Audible

Paperback

From the publisher:

An instant USA Today bestseller

A hockey player and a baker shoot their shot in this steamy new romance by Lana Ferguson, USA Today bestselling author of The Nanny.

When a very public breakup becomes a PR nightmare for Ian Chase’s team, he hopes to focus on his game, but that suddenly seem less likely than a hat trick. With his career and the team’s image in jeopardy, Ian is surprised to find a solution through none other than Delilah Baker, his best friend and teammate’s little sister…who isn’t so little anymore.

Delilah Baker is known as “the darling of baking” on her local cable show, and being in the public eye is her bread and butter. But with her numbers dwindling and her producers turning up the heat, Delilah offers up the half-baked idea to collaborate with her brother’s team to entice the hockey fans of Boston to tune in to her show. Delilah thinks it will be a piece of cake—until the team sends Ian Chase, her brother’s best friend and the object of a decade-long crush that she’s never quite gotten over. 

Delilah’s and Ian’s teams think it’s a true win-win situation—gaining higher numbers for Delilah’s show and casting Ian in a more positive light. And viewers are eating them up like a cupcake, sparking the idea to play up their relationship for the goal of good press. With more than just their careers on thin ice, the line between what’s real and what’s for show begins to blur, but one thing’s for certain: This PR stunt will either be a total game changer—or leave them both totally pucked.

https://amzn.to/3yNL7eH

Ian was Delilah’s brother’s best friend and her teenage crush, and now they are both professional hockey players in Boston, where they take their hockey very seriously. When Ian’s reputation takes a hit, his PR team is trying to find a way to make him look good again. Enter Delilah and her local cooking show. Her ratings are in freefall, and she comes up with the idea of baking with a hockey player. Her brother is a pro, and his teammates are askable. Ian is perfect – it will help both of them, and it does, except for that crush that is surprisingly still lingering.

Viewers love seeing Ian and Delilah together, and Ian is surprised at how much he enjoys Delilah’s company. Then things really heat up.

Ferguson writes steamy romances, and this is a good one. The hockey is just the “icing” on the cake! (sorry, I couldn’t help myself and hockey fans will get it!) There are a lot of good romance tropes here, including fake dating, friends to lovers, brother’s best friend, and also a lot of laughs. This is a fun, fast-paced rom-com, and I totally enjoyed it.

8/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE GAME CHANGER by Lana Ferguson. Berkley (July 9, 2024). ISBN:‎ 978-0593816837. 400p.

Kindle

Audible

Big Shots, Book 2

From the publisher:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey returns with an all-new sports rom-com about a burly, surly, single dad who falls head-over-hockey-stick for his quirky live-in nanny…

Tallulah is smart, vivacious, and studying to be a marine biologist. She’s also twenty-six and broke. So when Burgess, a battle-scarred hockey veteran and newly single dad, offers her a job as his live-in nanny, she jumps at the opportunity to get paid while living in a super fancy neighborhood and being around Lissa, his cool but introverted tween.

Her tween charge isn’t the only one who could use some help fitting in, though. According to…well, everyone except Burgess, he needs to get back on the dating scene, and adventurous Tallulah is just the girl to show him how. But as boundaries are slowly crossed and Burgess finds himself pulled between his daughter, who wants her parents back together, and his insane chemistry with Tallulah, a huge rift is formed, and Tallulah does the “right” thing—breaks her own heart and walks away.

Though Burgess knows it’s for the best—he’s too jaded, with too much baggage—a chance meeting, and a new push from his daughter, forces him to put everything on the line and fight to prove he learned his lessons well and is worthy of a happily ever after with Tallulah. 

“Come for the buzzy hockey romance trope, stay for the unique spins and swoon-worthy leading man that Bailey has become famous for crafting.” — USA Today

“Bailey writes banter and rom-com scenarios with aplomb, but for those who like their romance on the spicier side, she’s also the Michelangelo of dirty talk. She wields filth like Da Vinci does a paintbrush, and there’s a lot to be said for an author who can fill such exchanges with all the requisite heat, enthusiastic consent, and yes, even humor, of such a scenario without veering into corny territory.” — Entertainment Weekly

https://amzn.to/3Awn5VR

Bailey is one of my favorite writers, and I loved her latest! I was already halfway there with the hockey player storyline, and the single dad, grumpy-sunshine, forced proximity, age difference, and all the other romantic subgenres just brought this together in one terrific read for me.

Falling for the nanny is a time-honored romance tradition – not sure how often it happens in real life (forget Hollywood, I mean real people life!) but it was definitely believable here – maybe because Burgess falls first? And fortunately, he is already divorced (I hate any nanny marriage breakups.) He has to work to sweep Tallulah off her feet, and he does. But then comes the tween-age daughter. She adores Tallulah until she realizes that her dad is involved with the nanny. Like most kids, she wants her parents to get back together and Tallulah refuses to be the reason they don’t.

There is a lot of turmoil and angst before they reach their happy ending, and a lot of very steamy sex, making this an emotional yet fun read. I enjoyed getting to know these characters, and I was invested enough to root for their happily ever after. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series!

Note: Like most romance series, you do not need to read these in order. Each book is about a different couple, and while the couple from book one is mentioned, it wouldn’t matter if you hadn’t read it. That said, I think the first book, Fangirl Down, a golf romance, may have been even better than this one, so why not read both!

8/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE AU PAIR AFFAIR by Tessa Bailey. Avon (July 16, 2024). ISBN:‎ 978-0063308428. 384p.

Kindle

Audible

Paperback