Sunday, March 17, 2024

Book Review: "Kilt Trip" by Alexandra Kiley

I am a sucker for a Scottish accent and a man in a kilt, so of course I bought this as soon as I spotted it in the bookstore!! And after reading the book, Scotland remains near the top of my travel bucket list!

Her work as a travel consultant has given Addie the opportunity to travel all over the globe. But when her next assignment—to help a struggling family-run tour company—sends her to Scotland, a country she has been avoiding because of painful memories, she puts a smile on her face and prepares to do her job.

Logan is ready to fully take the reins of his family’s tour company when his father retires. Ruggedly handsome (especially when wearing a kilt), he looks like he stepped off the set of Highlander, and he excels at getting tourists excited about the magic of his home country. But unfortunately, the company hasn’t been turning a profit, which is where Addie comes in.

Sparks fly between Addie and Logan immediately, but that’s doesn’t mean he’ll be receptive to her recommendations, especially if it means adding more touristy stops to their tours. But when he realizes that Addie has avoided Scotland all this time because of its ties to her late mother, he’s determined to help her find those connections.

The harder they fall for one another, the more Addie realizes what she’s been running from for so long. She also is inspired by Logan’s ideas to bring the tour company into more modern (and profitable) times. Can they trust each other enough to let their hearts go? And can Addie convince her boss to buy into Logan’s vision for the company?

I always love banter in my romances, and there’s some good stuff here. Throw in some sexy steam, some unresolved grief, and enjoyable supporting characters, and you get a fun, sweet, and sexy debut!!

Book Review: "The Unquiet Bones" by Loreth Anne White

Human bones are found one day beneath a chapel on the grounds of a ski resort. It appears they’ve been there for nearly 50 years. The evidence links the strangely well-preserved remains to 16-year-old Annalise Jansen, who went missing in the mid-1970s.

Detective Jane Munro, assigned to handle cold cases as a punishment for acting out, knows what it’s like to have a loved one go missing. Her fiancé disappeared while on a hiking trip, and shortly thereafter she found she was pregnant. Jane is determined that Annalise’s family will get the closure it needs once she and her colleagues figure out what happened.

Quite a lot went on the night Annalise went missing in 1976. Six of her closest friends made a pledge to stand by each other’s alibis, and even were dubbed “The Shoreview Six” by the press back then. But when news about Annalise’s remains being recovered goes public, it threatens to fracture the promises and expose the fears and assumptions that have lingered in the back of their minds all these years.

I love police procedural-type books, and while this is a mystery as well, I found the partnership between the police and a forensic anthropologist to be fascinating. There were definitely some things I never knew were possible to detect from bones.

I really enjoyed Jane’s character and how she balanced her own issues with her determination to solve the case. I felt like there definitely were hints that this could be the first book in a series, perhaps teaming her up with Dr. Quinn, the forensic anthropologist, and I’d love that.

The pacing of the book was a bit uneven; it was very slow at first and then so many secrets were revealed it was hard to determine what were facts and what were distractions. There also were so many characters to keep track of, and in some cases they had different names and/or nicknames back in the 1970s, so I had to write stuff down.

Book Review: "Great Expectations" by Vinson Cunningham

No, this isn’t a retelling of the Charles Dickens classic. (I’ll admit, that’s what made me first pick up the book.)

It’s February of 2007 when David, a young Black man from New York, hears the Senator from Illinois declare his candidacy for President of the United States. David is fascinated by the Senator and the hopeful vision for the future he conveys, but he cannot believe that a Black man would be taken seriously as a credible candidate for President.

Thanks to a connection, David lands a job working for the Senator’s campaign. It’s a low-level job helping collect contributions at events, but it’s not long before the Senator notices him, and little by little, David becomes a more integral part of the fundraising operation.

While “the Senator” is never referred to by name, it’s obvious that he is based on Barack Obama. David is a fictionalized version of the author, Vinson Cunningham, who worked for the Obama campaign and at the White House.

While today’s political climate makes me ill, I’m fascinated by the behind-the-scenes of campaigns and presidential administrations. There are glimpses of that in this book, but this is more of a meditation on religion, identity, fatherhood, and race. Cunningham is a talented writer, but this book never quite grabbed me.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Book Review: "Uncle of the Year & Other Debatable Triumphs" by Andrew Rannells

When I read his first memoir, Too Much Is Not Enough, a few years ago, I remember thinking I could totally be friends with Andrew Rannells. Sure, he’s a Tony nominee and has been both on television and in movies, but we still have a lot in common.

After reading his collection of essays, Uncle of the Year & Other Debatable Triumphs, I’m further convinced we have similar senses of humor and similar anxieties, so while I probably wouldn’t go to karaoke with him (he’s starred in several musicals, after all), maybe we’d get along, or crack each other up.

This book is thought-provoking, hysterically funny in places, and poignant in others, and many times I found myself recognizing feelings and thoughts. In one essay he ponders when he became an adult. “Was it in my twenties, when I started my career? Was it after my first big breakup? Was it when my dad died? Was it when I started living on my own without roommates?”

Rannells recounts highs and lows in his life, from pretending to be straight so he and a friend could get on a talk show to the many rejections he experienced auditioning. He touches on dating disasters (like hooking up with a married Christian co-star), landing his starring role in The Book of Mormon, and what it’s like to be nominated for—and lose—two Tony Awards. And in the title essay he talks about the fact that while he never really wanted children of his own, he loves being an uncle (even a great-uncle) and how interesting it is to date a man with grown children.

I really enjoyed this. Even if you have no idea who he is, I think if you identify with some of the themes he touches on, you may find this to be fun and moving. And while I promise not to stalk him, if you know Andy, tell him we should be friends.

Book Review: "Second Chances in New Port Stephen" by TJ Alexander

“…Eli’s plane ticket had been one-way because his apartment in Brooklyn was currently home to a subletter, and Eli had no idea how or when he’d be going back. The truth was Eli was possibly stuck in Florida for the foreseeable future…”⁣

⁣ It’s not always easy to return to your hometown. But for Eli, returning to New Port Stephen—especially at the holidays—is torture, because everywhere he turns he’s reminded of his life before he transitioned and got the heck out of town. He also hasn’t told his parents that he lost his job as a television writer because of a scandal with the show’s star, and his career prospects have been close to zero.⁣

⁣ The first night he is home, he runs into his ex-boyfriend from high school, Nick. Of course he looks amazing, and although he’s divorced, he has a terrific young daughter he’s devoted to. Nick and Eli have so many memories together, and despite the weirdness that surrounds their reunion, the chemistry between them still inexplicably sparks.⁣

⁣ The more time Eli spends in Florida, especially with Nick and his daughter Zoe, the more his feelings grow for both of them. But staying in Florida means saying goodbye to his career dreams and being stuck back at home. And Nick can’t quite make sense of how he feels about Eli and whether a future with him is realistic.⁣

⁣ I loved this so much! Eli is a bit of a snob, but it’s definitely a defense mechanism. This is sweet, sexy, emotional, and thought-provoking. I’ve become such a fan of TJ Alexander’s and the beauty and heart with which they imbue their books!⁣

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Book Review: "Mrs. Nash's Ashes" by Sarah Adler

This was so lovely and heartwarming! And funny story: I was reading this while on a work trip last year and I proceeded to leave my book in the seat pocket of my first flight, only to discover I lost it shortly before getting on my next flight. I was rather unhappy, but bought a new book, and finally restarted this one!! (It was well worth the wait.)

Millie recently lost her elderly best friend and roommate, Mrs. Nash. But before she died, she told Millie all about the great love of her life. Not her husband, but Elsie, a woman she met when they were both stationed in Florida during WWII. Millie was so taken by her friend’s story that she vowed to find out what happened to Elsie. And that’s why she’s heading to a nursing home with three tablespoons of Mrs. Nash’s ashes in a baggie.

Frantic to get to Florida before Elsie passes away, Millie finds herself caught in travel hell when all flights are grounded. Somehow she wears down the resistance of Hollis, a handsome but aloof writer who was in her ex’s graduate program. Hollis thinks Millie is a little loopy and naive, but he worries about her safety, so he invites her to drive down to Florida with him.

Hollis can’t believe the trouble Millie is going to, and he keeps telling her he doesn’t think it will end well. But truthfully, Hollis doesn’t believe in love or happy-ever-afters, while Millie does with her whole heart, even though she’s been hurt before. And although they experience one disaster or roadblock after another, the more time they spend together, the more Millie realizes Hollis is rooting for her journey to succeed.

With dual timelines, hilarious banter, fun supporting characters, and some super-steamy steam, this is a celebration of love and finding someone who will bring out the best in you. Just loved it!!

Book Review: "Caught in a Bad Fauxmance" by Elle Gonzalez Rose

It’s been a tough few years for twins Devin and Maya Báez. Their mother died, and Devin left their Florida home to go to art school in California, while Maya went to college near home and resented her brother. But now their family will be spending winter break at their cabin at Lake Andreas, where they’ve not been for four years.

All hopes for a relaxing, stress-free break vanish quickly when they run into their neighbors, the Seo-Cooke family. The Báezes and Seo-Cookes have a complicated relationship—well, they hate each other. The two families have had run-ins for years, and the Seo-Cookes always seem to walk away victorious from the lake’s annual winter games.

This year, everyone swears it will be different, but it’s not long before the Báezes’ cabin is put up as a wager between the families. Maya, Devin, and their father are determined to finally bring their rivals down. And when Julian Seo-Cooke—looking handsomer than ever—asks Devin to pretend to be his boyfriend to get his ex off his back, Devin sees this as an opportunity to infiltrate their enemies and get proof they’ve been cheating all these years.

Of course, the more time they spend together, Devin realizes Julian isn’t as manipulative and horrible as he has always believed; in fact, he didn’t realize what his family has been doing to win the games. But while Maya keeps pushing him to sabotage the Seo-Cookes, Devin would rather forget all about the rivalry and just be with Julian. Is such a thing even possible?

I love fake dating and enemies to lovers tropes, but there has to be evidence that explains the characters’ dislike for one another, and you want to believe the chemistry between them is real. While issues between other members of both families were ugly, I never felt that tension between Devin and Julian. In fact, I didn’t feel either of those characters were well-developed, and I thought the pranks each family played on the other were really silly.

This was sweet in places, but it felt a bit too surface-level for me. I wanted more of Devin and Julian being vulnerable, more of them realizing their feelings. There were possibilities galore, but no real oomph to their romance.