Book Review: "Something Wicked" by Falon Ballard

Thanks so much to Falon Ballard for sending me an absolutely beautiful copy of her book! I saw a blurb that described this as a blend between Macbeth and Moulin Rouge!, so you know I had to dive in!

The Uprising led to the monarchs of all four of Avon’s provinces to step down. To find the united Avon’s first president, it has been decreed that the person who kills each of their province’s rulers will be a candidate in the election.

Callum, the son of King James of Scota, was raised to succeed his father on the throne. But even though he is level-headed and would make an excellent leader, he absolutely does not want to kill his father. However, this is what his father and other family members expect of him.

To help Callum deal with the guilt he will feel upon murdering his father, his sister enlists the help of Lady Caterine, a Gifted courtesan at Avon’s most exclusive sex club. Caterine has the ability to manipulate the emotions of anyone who has an orgasm in her presence, so Callum’s sister hopes Caterine can help him.

The last thing anyone is counting on is for Callum and Caterine to fall in love. Callum has never trusted the Gifted, yet he trusts her completely. But when other forces want to take control of the country, they must team up before both are betrayed. Can they be honest with one another and save the country? Do they both want to?

I’ve been a huge fan of Ballard’s rom-coms, so I was intrigued by her first foray into romantasy. This book has all the steam, plus intrigue, family drama, and even a little espionage. It was a fun read and I look forward to the next book in Ballard’s Idle Reputations series!

Book Review: "Paper Ghosts" by Sarah Addison Allen

“Once upon a time, there was a family of witches. But witches, it turns out, are sometimes only women who have been hurt, and are determined not to be again.”

More and more, I realize how much I love magical realism in my books. Sarah Addison Allen is definitely a standout in creating worlds with just a dash or two of magic, but real issues as well.

In the 1970s, Willamena Wester lives in the North Carolina town her family founded. She’s raised by her grandmother and she’s never wanted for anything—except the freedom to be a little rebellious. But her grandmother, rumored to be a witch, knows everything Wills is thinking. All she wants Wills to do is follow the path she’s set for her.

But when a handsome young musician comes to town, his presence shakes everyone up, especially Wills. She falls for him but plans to keep her promise to her grandmother, until one fateful night changes everything.

Years later, following a tragedy, Wills’ son returns home with his young daughter Bailey in tow. Wills is determined to act completely different toward Bailey than her own grandmother did, but at times it’s hard to outrun the pain and regret of your past. And as Bailey grows, she learns many of the same painful lessons, but she’s determined to end the cycle.

I find Allen’s books so captivating, and the Southern settings are always magical in and of themselves. This is a book about fierce love, sacrifice, sorrow, and the choices we make when our backs are against the wall. At the same time, there was a bit of sweetness here too, which I also loved.

Book Review: "The Tide Between Us" by Cem Say

It’s fun to read the books that get lots of hype and publicity, the ones you see everyone else talking about. At the same time, I love stumbling upon a book I’ve never heard of and being taken by complete surprise.

The Tide Between Us definitely falls in the latter category. I’m not even sure how I found it. But this portrait of love, longing, and being truly seen honestly took my breath away. There were so many sentences, paragraphs even, that I highlighted while reading.

“Because you don’t know what missing someone feels like. You’ve never once let yourself do it. Everyone you ever lost, you skipped the missing and went straight to the wall. You built a whole personality out of not needing anyone, and you did it so well you forgot that need is just, a thing people feel. Ordinary people. Every day.”

Emre left Istanbul for an unnamed coastal town. He vowed that he would no longer wait to be seen, to be loved, and he would stop living his life in the margins of others’. At a cafe, he meets Julian, a charismatic older man. There is an immediate attraction but neither knows what their first move should be—if there should be one at all.

Julian has the ability to make people feel like they are the most important to him. But he can only sustain that for so long before he hurts them. His seven-year marriage to Marco is filled with moments of joy and pain, yet neither wants to ask questions they don’t want answers to. As Julian and Emre turn toward each other, both know the gravity of their choices and the inevitability of the end. But how do you distinguish love from feeling seen?

This was an exceptionally beautiful debut novel. The feelings these characters lay bare, the waves of joy, jealousy, pain, and love they experience were so poignant and yet so real. I cannot wait for Cem Say’s next book. I’m so glad I found this.

Book Review: "You'll Love It Here" by Natalie Sue

This book snuck up on me with its charm and humor. I didn’t realize how much fun I was having until I was finished!

Mona is a workaholic, climbing the corporate ladder at her marketing firm. She’s hoping that once the big piece of business she’s been working on gets finalized, she’ll get promoted. Then she can move out of her apartment building, a place she never intended to be for long.

But in a split second, she nearly ruins her career by angering a big client. Her boss puts her on disciplinary leave, which leaves Mona with nothing to do except have staring contests with her goldfish and deal with the guilt she feels about not reconciling with her father before he died.

When Irene, her landlady, winds up in the hospital, she asks Mona if she could fill in for a few weeks. Irene’s niece is a realtor who thinks her aunt needs to sell the building, so she enlists Mona’s help in getting the building into better shape. In return, she promises Mona a fancy new apartment.

She barely knows her neighbors, but definitely has opinions about many of them. Yet as she starts to bring order to the building’s chaos, she realizes that she’s started to care about her fellow tenants. She even starts to fall for Sami, the handsome owner of the diner next door. But what will happen when the building sells and everyone has to find a new place to live?

I love the found family trope, and the characters all turned out to be more multidimensional than I thought. The book is funny, but it’s also poignant, and I love the way Natalie Sue embraced the Persian heritage of Mona and Sami. This was quirky and heartwarming.

Book Review: "Under the Falls" by Richard Russo

I read Richard Russo’s first novel, Mohawk, in 1987, about a year after it published. (No, I’m not interested in knowing that you weren’t born yet.) I’ve been reading his books ever since, so I’m thankful to Knopf and NetGalley for the advance copy of his upcoming book!

Growing up in Stone Mountain, New York was tough for Tyler. His father was an abusive drunk and all Tyler wanted to do was escape. He found solace and support from his best friend Curt and Curt’s girlfriend Freddi. But when he turned 18, Tyler left Stone Mountain without saying goodbye to anyone, and never planned to return home.

Eighteen years later, Tyler is the lead singer of a popular band called (of all things) Stone Mountain. He’s reluctantly agreed to perform in his hometown, headlining a benefit for his childhood friend Doc, who became a paraplegic in an accident when they were younger. Just heading up the mountain, Tyler is confronted by old memories and his guilt about leaving without saying goodbye.

It turns out that not everyone in town is a fan of Tyler’s. Some feel that he used the town and people’s lives as inspiration for his songs, and people wonder when the town is going to benefit. The concert ends in a bit of a riot, and Tyler is more than ready to flee again.

Curt is now the town’s police chief, and he’s so thrilled his best friend came back. But Curt’s wife, Freddi, is very angry at being left behind, and that anger manifests itself in a tragic way. Her anger increases until she knows she must make Tyler pay.

Russo traditionally writes books about elderly men, their friendships and relationships, often in small New York towns. This book is a new genre—mystery—for him, and I didn’t think it worked. He’s still a beautiful writer, but I really never understood what caused Freddi to become so unhinged and do the things she did. And honestly, after a while, I just didn’t care. Oh, well.

The book will publish on 8/11.

Book Review: "Look What You Made Me Do" by John Lanchester

Jack and Kate have been together more than 30 years, since meeting in college. They both have the roles they usually play in life, Jack is a successful architect prone to pontificating, Kate has various charitable and community projects she works on.

Phoebe is a screenwriter who doesn’t care who likes her and who doesn’t, at least personally. She has a difficult, narcissistic mother and a handsome, somewhat flaky partner, Tony.

Phoebe finally hits it big with Cheating, a television series that seems to hold the whole country in its thrall. But when Kate sees it, she recognizes details of her life and her relationship with Jack mirrored back at her. Even pet names he used to call her are used in the series.

Kate is distraught. Was Jack cheating on her? Was he treating his lover the exact same way he treated Kate, using the same seduction techniques, everything? She’s determined to figure out the truth behind the creation of the series.

The book flashes back and forth, tracing Kate and Phoebe’s lives. We see the history of Kate and Jack’s relationship, and we see the issues Phoebe has dealt with all her life, particularly with her mother. And we’re captivated by how both women react to what’s in front of them.

This was definitely a slow burn, but I found the book to be a captivating story of love, betrayal, survival, and even a little bit of revenge. I really enjoyed the way things unfolded and the little twists John Lanchester threw in along the way.

Book Review: "The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives" by Elizabeth Arnott

So many thrillers and mysteries employ the amateur detective as a plot device. They stumble upon a crime and are motivated to investigate despite having no experience. That concept takes an interesting twist in this fascinating debut; thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance copy!

It’s the summer of 1966 and California is in the throes of an unending heatwave. Beverley, Elsie, and Margot are an unlikely group of friends. But they are bonded by a unique characteristic they share—each housewife was married to one of California’s most brutal serial killers.

Each woman has dealt with the morbid curiosity of those around her, not to mention the suspicion that they’re not as innocent as they claimed to be. They must have known what their husbands were doing, right? They couldn’t have been that clueless.

Beverley tries to maintain control of her life as she raises two children. Elsie wants to be a reporter, yet she can’t seem to escape that she’s a woman and seen as a secretary. And Margot, who lost wealth and status when her husband’s crimes were revealed, would like to concentrate on partying and socializing.

But when a group of young women start getting murdered, the trio of friends are horrified—and they’re hungry for details. They realize they have a unique perspective in that they lived with murderers, so maybe they can help solve these crimes. But to do so requires courage and subterfuge. Can they keep their investigations secret?

I thought this was such a great concept for a thriller. The women were well-drawn and I liked the bond between them. I would have loved some more backstory about them, though. And while this was a bit of a slow burn, the pacing really picks up in the last quarter.

The book will publish 3/3.

Book Review: "The Epicenter of Forever" by Mara Williams

“Maybe joy and suffering are the same subjects brushed in different hues—not either or, but both and. Coexistent. They are lovers with clasped hands and entwined bodies. Maybe in order to have one, you must embrace, accept the other. The beauty is not in the ever after but in trusting the now.”

When Eden was growing up, she spent summers in the idyllic California mountain town of Grand Trees. It was a town that embraced nature and she loved the people who lived there.

But Grand Trees was also the place where her dreams ended and she dealt with a betrayal that shattered her family. Eden fled, vowing never to return. And apart from a brief appearance at a funeral, she’s kept that promise—until now. When she gets news that her estranged mother is suffering from Parkinson’s, she heads back there.

When she arrives, Eden finds her mother’s condition is worse than she thought. She also meets Caleb, her mother’s step-nephew and caregiver, who immediately blames Eden for all that transpired with her mother through the years. But despite her mother’s found family, she’s determined to try and rebuild their relationship, even if it means reopening old wounds.

While she is staying with her mother, Eden finds her relationship with Caleb changing from an adversarial one to a romantic one. Both have more in common than they realize. But the demands of her mother’s condition force Eden to make a choice: her family or her heart?

I thought this was so good. It’s a love story, sure, but it’s also about parental love and the fierce love of found family. I found Mara Williams’ use of imagery to be so powerful as well. ⁣

Book Review: "The First Time I Saw Him" by Laura Dave

This is exactly what a sequel should be! I loved The Last Time I Saw Him and while I never expected a sequel, I was definitely excited to get my hands on this. Laura Dave did not disappoint!

Five years ago, Hannah’s husband Owen disappeared. She and her teenage daughter Bailey were forced to uproot their lives and move to Southern California. While they didn’t necessarily have to look over their shoulder constantly, they always had a plan in place should things go wrong.

When Owen shows up at a design exhibition Hannah is attending, she’s happy to see him but cannot react. And then the next morning she gets a text telling her to get out of her house. It’s time for she and Bailey to go on the run.

They have to keep at least a few steps ahead of those who want to harm them. Hannah is most focused on ensuring Bailey’s safety. She knows the sacrifices that might need to be made but hopes that they can gain the upper hand.

The narrative shifts from present to various points in the past. But nothing is quite what it seems. Dave definitely keeps the twists coming and the tension constantly simmering.

I thought the pacing of the book was spot on. I also love the way the story was told, combining suspense with emotion and making me more and more curious about how things would come together in the end. I’ll be waiting for Dave’s next book for sure!

Book Review: "Discipline" by Larissa Pham

“When I was a student, I had thought I could manipulate that gaze to a certain extent, that I had agency. That being desired gave me power. But what I learned then, and what I understood now, was that though one might thrust an oar into the river and think herself steering her own way, the current pushes on, uncaring.“

Christine has recently written her first novel and has embarked on a cross-country book tour. Her novel is a fictionalized account of a relationship she had with an art professor in graduate school. The end of the relationship affected her mental wellbeing so much that she dropped out of grad school and has never painted again.

As she travels from city to city, she reflects on the 10 years that have passed since leaving school. She reconnects with ex-boyfriends and former friends. She engages in conversations about what inspires her to create, and avoids questions about whether the novel is her story.

And then she starts getting emails from her former professor. At first he tells her that the book sharply differs from reality; in some cases, that is true. But as they communicate back and forth, the initial trepidations she had fade away. He invites her to go visit him at his home on a remote island in Maine.

The 10 years have aged the professor significantly. And while there are definitely moments where Christine’s anger resurfaces, they have some brief discussions about what happened between them, the consequences, etc. Can she forgive him and move on with her life?

This is Larissa Pham’s first novel and it is beautifully written and insightful. I wasn’t quite sure how the story would unfold and I was surprised by the powerful emotions I felt. This is definitely a character-driven novel so it may not be for everyone. I look forward to what’s next in Pham’s career!

Book Review: "Detour" by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart

John Ward is a billionaire who is running as a third-party candidate for president. He’s funding a mission to Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. The mission will lay the foundation for future settlements as the effects of climate change destroy Earth.

The crew of the mission is composed of three astronauts and three civilians. The astronauts are legendary and the hope is they will train the three civilians: Padma, the scientist whose research convinced Ward to form the mission; Stitch, a graffiti artist who won his seat in a lottery; and Ryan, a Washington, DC cop who helped foil an assassination attempt on Ward.

The mission will last two years. Ryan doesn’t want to leave his wife and kids for that long, but Ward promises him a $15 million paycheck which could change their lives. And although all six of the crew members are nervous about the mission, they move forward with it.

But when the ship starts circling Titan, things go wrong. The ship is rocked by multiple explosions which threaten their return home. Yet working together, they’re able to make it back to Earth and are hailed as heroes.

Upon their return, each person notices that their life isn’t quite what it was before the mission. They returned home to find things—and their loved ones—are strangely different, like they’re in the wrong multiverse. Ward has ordered that the crew members can’t talk to each other or the press. What happened on their mission? They’re not quite prepared for what comes next.

Science fiction isn’t my usual genre, but this sci-fi thriller was excellent. It’s the start of a series and I hope I don’t have to wait long for the next book!

Book Review: "If Tomorrow Never Comes" by Allison Ashley

I can always count on Allison Ashley to deliver a heartwarming love story with a medical slant, but this may be my favorite of hers. I love books that make you think while they make you feel, and this one sure did that!

“On the evening before her untimely demise, Elliott Holland went on someone else’s date. Okay, possible demise.”

Cancer has been a part of Elliott’s life for as long as she can remember. She’s dealt with leukemia twice and is about to undergo a stem cell transplant in the hopes this will be the key to beating the disease permanently.

The night before her procedure, she goes to a bar. There she starts talking with a handsome stranger, Jamie, who has apparently been stood up by his date. Jamie and Elliott enjoy each other’s company so much that she agrees to accompany him on the date he had planned. At the end of the night they share a romantic kiss, but since she doesn’t know the outcome of the transplant, they don’t trade contact information.

A year later, her cancer is in remission and she goes to meet Carly, her stem cell donor. Much to Elliott’s surprise, Carly’s boyfriend is Jamie, whom Elliott hasn’t stopped thinking about. It’s clear their feelings for one another haven’t dulled, but how can Elliott betray the woman who essentially saved her life?

I thought this was such a great story. The characters were so much fun and I loved their banter, and I was completely drawn into their lives. Plus, all the baked goods sounded amazing!

The book will publish 4/1/2025.

Book Review: "Flirty Dancing" by Jennifer Moffatt

I don’t know about you, but I can’t resist a book that has this as its title! Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance copy of this fun book.

Archer was an accountant in Ohio who quit his job to move to NYC and pursue his dream of being on Broadway. But the auditioning isn’t going well, and maybe his mother is right: 27 is too old to chase your dreams. Still, he goes on one more audition, vowing to head back to Ohio if he doesn’t succeed.

He lands a job as a performer at Shady Queens, an LGBTQ-friendly resort in the Catskills. It’s not quite what he was hoping for, but you never know where your big break can come from. Much to his surprise, he learns that one of his co-stars is Mateo Dixon, once a Broadway star and Archer’s teenage crush.

After Mateo’s time on Broadway flamed out in spectacular fashion, Shady Queens is one of the only jobs he can get. He’s not thrilled to have been the target of Archer’s teenage worship (which has maybe carried over into his 20s), but all he wants to do is dance. Maybe he’s a little standoffish, but he’s still sexy as hell in Archer’s eyes.

Archer tries to build a friendship with Mateo but always seems to say and do the wrong things. And when a relationship with Caleb, one of his castmates, turns sour, it adds to the drama and tension among the performers. The show starts to suffer, and it’s up to the performers to buckle down and try to leave their emotional issues offstage.

As a huge fan of musical theater and romance, I really enjoyed this book. The characters were fun, emotional, and overly dramatic, much like you’d imagine performers to be. I loved the chemistry between Archer and Mateo, and at times it felt like Shady Queens reminded me of Kellerman’s from Dirty Dancing.

The book will publish 5/27/2025.

Book Review: "Trust Issues" by Elizabeth McCullough Keenan and Greg Wands

Being on Bookstagram I have lots of friends who love thrillers, including my friend Kim. When she really raves about a book, I listen! This is the second thriller I’ve read recently because of her, and she hasn’t steered me wrong either time!

Hazel and Kagan are sister and brother, and they simultaneously support one another and tear each other down. Even though they’re adults, neither is particularly good with money, so they often turn to their mother for help. But she’s had enough, so when she refuses to keep funding the siblings, it strains her relationship with both.

When their mother dies under mysterious circumstances, they’re understandably sad. It’s not long, however, before their grief turns to greed, and they wonder what their inheritances will be. Imagine their surprise when they learn their mother cut them both out of her will.

Hazel and Kagan were both depending on the money from their mother’s estate, so they’re none too happy to be left empty-handed. They’re convinced that their mother’s second husband is to blame—and they want to make him pay, both literally and figuratively. The siblings find an unlikely partner in this mission, which takes them up and down the East Coast.

This is definitely one of those books that keeps you guessing, where you know not everything is what it seems, but you don’t know what to believe. It’s good to go into this book relatively blind.

The authors have written three books together under the name E.G. Scott. I’ve not read any of those, but I definitely will now, because I thought this was great! I devoured this and still wanted more.

Book Review: "Lies and Weddings" by Kevin Kwan

Kevin Kwan once again gives us a close and personal look at the lives of immensely wealthy Asian families. There’s tons of drama, scandal, secrets, romance, and utter excess to be had—it’s a world I love getting glimpses of.

Arabella Gresham (aka the Countess of Greshamsbury) is ready to show off to the world’s wealthiest people when her eldest daughter Augusta marries His Serene Highness Maximillian zu Liechtenberg. While Arabella became privy to money when she married her husband Francis, Earl of Greshamsbury, she has brought the family into the limelight, becoming a doyenne of fashion, interior design, and luxury hotels.

What Arabella cares about most (other than money) are appearances. She wants everything to be the most luxurious, the most extravagant, and the most envied, and she wants to ensure her family’s legacy. With Augusta marrying a prince, she wants to be sure her two other children, Rufus and Beatrice, make the right decisions for their future—and only she knows what is right.

But try as she might to cajole, guide, even strong-arm Rufus into making a royal match, he only seems to have eyes for Eden, his childhood best friend and daughter of the family doctor. This will not do, especially with the Greshams’ financial future in jeopardy. (It doesn't help that Rufus is—gasp—a surfer and—double gasp—a photographer!)

“You’ve been so focused on marrying off your children to the debilitated descendants of Victoria and Albert that you’ve forgotten where all the real action is nowadays: Asia.”

Kwan takes us on a romp to some of the most luxurious locales and feeds us incredibly sumptuous meals, unforgettable fashion, bank-breaking furnishings, and elaborate celebrations, name-dropping all the way. You’ll root for true love to win and hate the odious manipulators. There’s tons of drama and lots of sass, both from Kwan and his characters. It’s quite a ride!

Book Review: "Once More with Feeling" by Elissa Sussman

Katee Rose is living the life she’s always wanted. She’s a huge pop star with fans all over the world, giving sold-out concerts, and topping the charts. The media can’t get enough of her, especially her relationship with Ryan LaNeve, the breakout star of the beloved boy band CrushZone. But fame and constant media scrutiny have their price. She doesn’t love that producers keep auto-tuning her voice, and she hates having to worry about everything she eats, everything she wears, and making sure she’s always “on” in case she inadvertently upsets a fan.

And as much as she cares about Ryan, having a relationship in the public eye is exhausting. Which is why she finds herself turning more and more to her good friend Cal, another CrushZone member. Cal is quiet, more mature, and he seems to understand Katee more than Ryan. And when friendship turns to romance, it destroys everything–her relationship with Ryan, her career, her reputation, and her future, as well as her friendship with Cal.

Years later, Kathleen Rosenberg is fine with her life outside the spotlight. But when her best friend Harriet’s musical–with a part she created specifically for Kathleen–has an opportunity to get to Broadway, Kathleen is thrilled for her friend. Harriet is determined that Kathleen gets another chance at fame. That chance, however, is in the hands of Cal, now a successful director and choreographer. Neither has spoken to the other since the implosion of both of their careers, and both blame each other.

Can Kathleen trust Cal this time with the possibility of a second chance? They both know the scrutiny the show and both of them will be under if she gets the role, but they also know that it has the potential to resurrect both of their careers. What to do when the chemistry and the old feelings reawaken? Is there potential for a comeback in their romantic lives as well, or will that be too much for the show to sustain, not to mention the public scrutiny?

Elissa Sussman’s last book, Funny You Should Ask, was one of my favorite books of last year, so needless to say, I had very high hopes for this book. While it was an enjoyable read, and I loved the behind-the-scenes look at the mounting of a musical bound for Broadway, it was a little too predictable, and the whole book ran far longer than it needed to. (What is it with super-long rom-coms lately?)

But Kathleen and Cal definitely had chemistry, and it’s always great to read a rom-com with more mature characters.

Book Review: "The Villa" by Rachel Hawkins

This book had me wanting to go to Italy on the next available flight!

You’ve probably been seeing this everywhere on Bookstagram. I know I have been anticipating this for a while, as I’m definitely a fan of Hawkins’ books.

Emily has been having a tough time lately. Her marriage has fallen apart, her health has been shaky, and she’s way overdue on delivering her 10th cozy mystery. And then there’s her childhood best friend Chess, who is creating an empire out of her self-help books, and is even pals with Oprah.

Chess suggests Emily join her on a six-week stint in Italy. She’s rented a famous villa in Orvieto which was the scene of a notorious murder of an up-and-coming musician. The night of the murder and the events surrounding it inspired both a famous horror novel written by the victim’s girlfriend, and a quintessential 1970s album written by her stepsister.

The beautiful setting does inspire Emily but it also magnifies some of the difficulties in her relationship with Chess. And as Emily becomes more obsessed with the murder and figuring out what truly happened, she realizes that there are secrets and mysteries in her own life that need solving—and they could prove dangerous.

This really never caught my interest completely. It’s not a thriller or even a mystery, but more of a drama, and while one twist actually was a bit surprising, another I predicted within the first few pages.

Many others have loved this, so maybe it’s just me.

Book Review: "Mabry's Minor Mistake" by Sam E. Kraemer

If you're looking for a sweet, steamy, enemies-to-lovers/second-chance holiday romance, look no further!

Mabry was a star basketball player going into his senior year of college when he met Jimmy, a young and naive incoming freshman and IT whiz. Over the course of an evening, Mabry and Jimmy visited a bunch of frat parties together and Mabry made sure Jimmy didn’t get taken advantage of.

They felt a connection, but Jimmy was drunk and Mabry didn’t want to take advantage of him. But Jimmy felt rejected, so he enacted his revenge—an action that nearly wrecked the end of Mabry’s college career.

Ten years later, Mabry has retired after a number of years as a successful professional basketball player, and now owns a car dealership in a Chicago suburb. The last person he’s expecting to walk into his dealership is Jimmy.

Jimmy (now JJ) is a tremendously successful businessman who owns a video game company. He wants to make a basketball video with Mabry, but his offers have been rejected in the past. He’s willing to do—and give—anything to work with Mabry on this game, and of course, he also hopes he might have a second chance at a relationship with the former athlete.

Jimmy has never been far from Mabry’s mind—mostly for negative reasons—but it is good to see his nemesis after so long. And he’d be lying if he said he didn’t still feel some kind of connection with Jimmy. But can he trust someone who made his life a living hell?

This was a sexy, sweet, emotional romance about two people finding their way back to each other, and a fun holiday read!

Book Review: "They're Going to Love You" by Meg Howrey

The latest novel from Meg Howrey is a story of ambition and family dysfunction, set against the backdrop of the ballet world.

With a mother who was a former Balanchine ballerina and a father who managed a dance company, could Carlisle want to be anything other than a dancer? She pursued it with great gusto, especially because it gave her more chances to enter her father’s glamorous world, where he lived in Greenwich Village with his partner, James, a former dancer-turned-teacher.

She loved spending time with her father Robert and James in particular, although in the mid- to late 1980s, the AIDS crisis decimated their circle of friends. But James also taught her about the world, about art, life, and of course, dance. Until a betrayal occurred which tore them apart and estranges her from her father.

Nineteen years later, Carlisle has made a life for herself as a choreographer and dance teacher. One day she gets a phone call—it’s James, and he tells her that her father is dying. She’s not spoken to her father in almost 20 years, but James thinks he’d like to see her before he dies. Doing so reopens old wounds and forces Carlisle to confront the reasons for their estrangement.

Howrey is a former dancer and she brings such authenticity to her descriptions of the dance world, the hunger to perform. I felt like there was a little too much detail here, which bogged the plot down, and it took SO LONG for the reason for Carlisle and Robert’s estrangement to be revealed. (And honestly, I was like, "That's it?")

I’ve seen some great reviews of this, so it might’ve just been me. I have enjoyed some of her previous novels.

Book Review: "One Last Gift" by Emily Stone

Sometimes the best gifts in life are the ones you don’t expect. That's the idea behind Emily Stone's newest book following Always, In December.

After their parents died when they were young, Cassie’s older brother Tom has always looked out for her. The two of them and Sam, Tom’s best friend, have always been a trio, although as they’ve gotten older, Cassie’s feelings for Sam have complicated things a bit. And then she realizes Sam isn’t the person she thought he was.

And then tragedy strikes, leaving her more alone than ever. But when she is given an envelope with Tom’s handwriting on it—horrible handwriting she always teased him about—she realizes this is the first clue in his annual Christmas treasure hunt that he always did for her. He had promised this year’s hunt would be truly epic.

If she follows the treasure hunt Tom planned, will it bring her closer to him, or will it hurt more in the end, because it’s the last one he’ll ever do? What if she can’t even figure out the clues without him?

Cassie realizes that she’s less alone than she thought. And more than that, she realizes that Tom wouldn’t want her to live a life of grief and fear—he’d want her to pursue her dreams and never settle. But when she gets to the end of the hunt, what will be the treasure she finds?

One Last Gift is a sweet, emotional, friends-to-lovers romance about finding your way to the life you were meant to live, not the one you’re expected to. Like most romances, it’s predictable, but that’s part of the appeal. And while you expect a reasonable amount of push and pull in romances, there was a little too much of it in this book, plus one-sided miscommunication. But it still made me tear up!!