Book Review: "Epic" by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

Epic is another installment in Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy's always-hot, always-romantic relationship of Wes and Jamie!

I’m definitely adding this hockey duo to my list of favorite couples, because they are just so amazing! In Him, Us, and now this novella, you get to share in their moments of happiness, as well as experience the crises, the challenges, and the romance that comes with being a same-sex couple, of which one half is a professional athlete.

In this story, which takes place after at least Book 1 of Bowen and Kennedy’s new series featuring Jamie’s sister and Wes’ teammate, Jamie and Wes are enjoying life together—Wes as a hockey player in the NHL, Jamie as an assistant hockey coach for kids. Both love their jobs, and then complications ensue when a new opportunity (a bunch of them, actually) comes Jamie’s way.

What would taking the opportunity do to their relationship? What sacrifices would they have to make? My only criticism of this is that it was too short. I need more of Wesmie!!

If you’re a romance fan, this is a series to enjoy. I know I’ll be picking up the related series soon!

Book Review: "10 Truths and a Dare" by Ashley Elston

Fans of cute YA rom-coms, here’s one for your TBR: Ashley Elston's latest, 10 Truths and a Dare!

Olivia has always been the one person in her family who knows what she wants. She’s going to be the salutatorian of her graduating class, she knows what she’s going to study at LSU, and she has her whole future mapped out.

Needless to say, she’s more than a little bit thrown when she discovers that she didn’t get credit for the off-campus PE class she took (to cram more classes in), and if she doesn’t get it fixed in a few days, she won’t graduate. And with her parents out of town, she needs to keep this a secret until she solves the problem. Should be easy, right?

That’s when the s—t hits the fan. The coach of the class requires that Olivia help out at a golf tournament in order to get the credit she needs. But that means missing all of the graduation parties—at least one a day—that she’s been looking forward to. And with her mother monitoring her every move via an app—and texting constantly—how can she be two places at once?

That’s where her best friends and cousins, Sophia, Charlie, and Wes come in. They’re willing to help, but things get more and more complicated. And when she keeps bumping into a cute guy who could blow her secret, she has to decide what’s more important—love or the appearance of having your s—t together.

Ashley Elston’s last book, 10 Blind Dates, was absolutely adorable (and featured many of the same characters), and while I didn’t love 10 Truths and a Dare as much as its predecessor, it’s still super cute. And darned if I didn’t get emotional at the end!

Book Review: "Heartbreak Bay" by Rachel Caine

Heartbreak Bay was a tremendously satisfying conclusion to an excellent series, even though I’m sad why it had to end.

I’ve loved Rachel Caine’s Stillhouse Lake series. The five books feature a great combination of heart-pounding action and suspense along with thought-provoking emotion. I was so sad to learn that Caine lost her battle with a rare form of cancer late last year. (Her author’s note at the end of this book is particularly poignant.)

You could read the series out of order but it’s best to start with Book 1, Stillhouse Lake. The series is about Gwen Proctor (formerly Gina Royal), a woman who inadvertently discovers her husband is a serial killer. She tries to escape him and his lethal reach so she can save their two children, only to face an immense amount of hatred from his “fans,” those who blame her for his getting caught and/or who think she’s guilty, too.

In this book, Gwen agrees to help her friend Kezia, a Tennessee police detective, investigate a particularly dark case. They don’t realize what a web they’ve stepped into with this one. And at the same time, new stalkers have targeted Gwen and her family, threatening the life they’ve settled into, not to mention their safety. They’ll face a challenge unlike any they’ve ever known.

I’ve really grown fond of these characters and I’ll be sad not to have any more books in this series. It’s a really interesting concept—what would you do if you discovered the person you loved was a serial killer?

If you like thrillers, I’d definitely encourage you to read these books!

Book Review: "Spin Me Right Round" by David Valdes

A gay, YA twist on Back to the Future? Yes, please, give me David Valdes' Spin Me Right Round! (Oh, and you'll probably find yourself singing the song, either the original 80s version or Flo Rida's.)

Luis’ high school is supposed to be “progressive,” but students aren’t encouraged to be out, so the thing Luis wants more than anything, to take his boyfriend to prom, isn’t allowed. And while his mother is fully supportive of his being gay, she worries about him making a big issue of this at school because when she was a student there, Chaz, a gay classmate, was found dead on the night of the prom.

As the student-body president and a favorite of many of the faculty, Luis thinks he might be able to find a way to trick the school into allowing same-sex couples to go to prom. But his hopes are quickly dashed, and he's not sure how to handle his disappointment and anger, or his mother's resistance to his speaking up.

When a bump on the head sends him back to 1985, he finds himself in his very same high school—and his parents are students. Luis is determined to let Chaz know it’s ok to be who he is, and hopefully save his life in the process. But a super-conservative school isn’t the best place to stand out, and if he changes the course of the past, how will it affect the future?

I loved Spin Me Right Round so much! It was fun and silly and sweet and thought-provoking and a reminder of how far things have come but also a reminder of how far they still have to go.

Thanks to Storygram Tours and Bloomsbury YA for inviting me on the tour and providing a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!

The book publishes 12/7.

Book Review: "The Baseball Widow" by Suzanne Kamata

Suzanne Kamata's The Baseball Widow is a well-written exploration of family, belonging, connection, and, of course, baseball.

Christine has longed for connection, for purpose, to belong. When she meets Hideki, a teacher, she thinks their relationship will sustain her, but it isn’t until after she goes abroad to help Cambodian refugees that he realizes how much he needs her.

Once she returns to Japan, they get married and Christine gives birth to two children, including a young daughter with multiple disabilities. She needs her husband more than ever. But Hideki serves as a coach for his high school’s baseball team, a responsibility he takes very seriously, so he spends more time with his team than he does his family.

When Christine and Hideki’s son is bullied in school, a neglected and overwhelmed Christine takes the children home to the United States, thinking they might be safer there. But while she might have more help at home, she also has more temptation—in the form of Andrew, a friend from high school whose service in Fallujah left him emotionally and physically scarred.

Will Hideki realize that he may lose his family before it’s too late? Will Christine realize what’s most important to her? What sacrifices will both need to make?

This was a beautiful, thought-provoking book about being caught between two cultures. Thanks to Suzy Approved Book Tours, Suzanne Kamata, and Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing for inviting me on the tour and providing a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!!

The Baseball Widow publishes 10/5.

Book Review: "Hello (from here)" by Chandler Baker and Wesley King

In this collaboration between YA authors Chandler Baker and Wesley King, two teens develop a connection as the world goes into COVID lockdown.

Jonah and Max have a fairly unique meet-cute: he tries to negotiate with her to get some toilet paper out of her shopping cart (she shops for people), since the grocery store is mobbed. And while she gets the upper hand in their negotiations, both are intrigued by the other, so Jonah does the (logical? stalkerish?) thing and tracks her down.

What ensues is a budding relationship of sorts, conducted mostly over FaceTime, and via calls and texts, along with some clandestine (and masked) meetings along the way. Both have been hurt before and both have their own issues—Jonah suffers from anxiety and is dealing with unresolved grief over his mother’s death, while Max worries about her workaholic mother and their financial status as everything shuts down for COVID.

When I read 56 Days earlier this month I wasn’t affected by its being set during COVID, but reading Hello (from here) definitely was a little soon for me. It very accurately depicted the anxieties of the early days of the pandemic, where no one knew how it could spread and there was so much worry about infecting those you loved with weaker immune systems.

Beyond that, though, I just didn’t love these characters. Their banter was cute but their behaviors at times (particularly Jonah’s) weren’t very redeeming. I enjoyed a subplot about one of Max’s customers and would’ve liked more of that.

I guess I’m not really ready to read a book set fully in the COVID pandemic!! Are you?

Book Review: "Meet Me in Paradise" by Libby Hubscher

Whoa, this one threw me for a loop!!

Look at the cover of Libby Hubscher's Meet Me in Paradise. Doesn’t it look like a fun rom-com set in a beautiful location? Well don’t be fooled—there is some rom, and some com, but this book is gonna tear you apart emotionally!!

Marin has always been the safe one. Since her journalist mother died while on assignment she’s always taken care of her younger sister Sadie, and she’s never left her home state of Tennessee. She has a good, solid job, and she’s always right there waiting when Sadie, a photojournalist, comes home from a globetrotting trip.

Sadie reluctantly convinces Marin to take a sisters’ trip to the small Caribbean island of Saba. As much as Marin doesn't want to travel, she thinks it's the perfect opportunity to convince Sadie to settle down and join her in a business venture. Then Sadie misses the flight, leaving anxious-flyer Marin to face the trip alone. And what a trip it is—including a bout of turbulence that sends her into the lap of her sexy seatmate.

With plans to return home or meet up with Sadie foiled by residual weather delays, Marin reluctantly decides to take advantage of the trip Sadie planned. She spends more and more time in the company of Lucas, the sexy hotelier she met on the plane. And as she lives outside her comfort zone for the first time in forever, it becomes clear to her why Sadie planned this trip in the first place, and Marin has to come to terms with what that will mean for her.

I don’t want to spoil the plot but suffice it to say this book is SAD for a while. And if you’ve recently dealt with a loss or if reading about that is a trigger, avoid this book.

I enjoyed Meet Me in Paradise but really wish it was marketed more accurately.