Book Review: "The Prospects" by KT Hoffman

I am obsessed with hockey romances, and now I can add this baseball romance to the list of books I love. I seriously found myself grinning like an idiot while reading this.

Gene Ionescu is the first openly trans professional baseball player. It’s been his dream for as long as he could remember—his dad was a baseball player, too—but he never imagined that given who he is, he’d have the chance to make his dreams come true.

His happiness is upended when his former college teammate and close friend, Luis Estrada, is traded to Gene’s minor league team. For reasons Gene never understood, Luis just stopped being his friend one day, so their reunion is a bit awkward, even more so when Luis takes over for Gene at shortstop.

The two can barely have a conversation, let alone find a rhythm to play together successfully. But Gene is determined to make their on-field connection work, and after extra practices, they start to become friends again, too. Little by little, as the season moves on, they start to open up to one another, and Gene finds himself hoping—and yet fearing—that Luis’ interest in him is more than just baseball-related.

The closer they draw to one another, the more the line blurs between their relationship and their ambitions. Does love mean giving up your dreams for a safer path, or is love worth the risk of pursuing what you want? Can they have everything they want, personally and professionally, or is that too much?

I couldn’t love this more if I tried. It’s sweet, sexy, funny, and hopeful, and although this situation is more fiction than possibility right now, it’s fun to dream of this kind of world. KT Hoffman has made me a fan of his for sure!!

Book Review: "How to Solve Your Own Murder" by Kristen Perrin

This mystery had such a cozy, old-fashioned feel to it, I kept expecting Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple to show up! In all seriousness though, this was absolutely terrific, and I loved the unique angle of this book.

In 1965, Frances and her two best friends visit a fair in the English countryside. It’s a wonderful day until they get their fortunes told, because Frances’ fortune predicts she will be murdered. Even though there are doubts to the legitimacy of the fortune teller, Frances takes this very seriously, and spends nearly 60 years trying to figure out who will be her murderer.

Annie, Frances’ great niece, is summoned to her estate in the village of Castle Knoll, to meet with her and her solicitor. But as they ready for the meeting, Frances is found murdered. Annie, an aspiring mystery writer, wants to solve the murder, but given how much dirt Frances dug up on everyone through the years, there’s no end to the number of suspects.

In Frances’ will, she challenged her potential heirs—her eccentric stepson Saxon and Annie—to solve her murder; whoever does it within a week will inherit it all. If they fail, or the police solve the murder first, the estate will be sold. Armed with Frances’ diary and a list of theories, Annie is determined to find out who killed her great-aunt.

To solve this mystery, Annie must also figure out the truth behind another crime that happened nearly 60 years ago. And it very well may be that the same person could have struck again. The closer Annie gets to the truth, the more dangerous it becomes for her.

The narrative shifts between Frances’ diary entries from the 1960s and Annie’s investigation into her great-aunt’s death. There are lots of fun and eccentric characters, a dual mystery to solve, and for a while I had no idea whom to trust. I hope that Kristen Perrin might bring Annie back in another book!

Book Review: "All the World Beside" by Garrard Conley

Garrard Conley’s first novel (after his extraordinary memoir, Boy Erased) is beautifully written, impeccably researched, and immensely thought-provoking.

In the late 1700s, Reverend Nathaniel Whitfield and his wife Catherine formed Cana, a utopian community with Puritan values in Massachusetts. Cana is built on principles of equity—everyone is considered to be the same as their neighbor. The idea has caught on with other Christians, who travel to Cana to be a part of this world.

Among those who flock to Cana is Arthur Lyman, a physician, who moves with his wife and preteen daughter. Reverend Whitfield’s words inspire Arthur, but they also fuel an intense desire for the other man. This is familiar territory for Arthur but not Nathaniel, and while he knows the feelings he has for Arthur are wrong, he cannot resist them.

But the relationship between the two men is not as secret as they believe it to be, and both of their wives and their children have to deal with the shock and shame that follows. And as the fervent intensity of the Great Awakening starts to overtake New England, Nathaniel and Arthur are risking their lives and the safety of their families, yet they try to figure out a way to survive without sacrificing their love.

Obviously, LGBTQ people have existed since the beginning of time, even if the world didn’t acknowledge them as such. But part of the appeal of All the World Beside is that it gave a glimpse into the lives of and dangers faced by gay people in 18th-century New England. That gave the book some added weight.

This book definitely has some similarities to The Scarlet Letter although the story is its own. It’s definitely a book that will stay with me for a long while.

Book Review: "How to End a Love Story" by Yulin Kuang

Emotional, steamy, funny, and hopeful, Yulin Kuang’s debut novel is a second chance romance with so much heart.

Shortly before their senior year of high school ends, Helen and Grant’s lives become shockingly intertwined following a tragic accident. It’s something neither of them think they can ever move on from.

Thirteen years later, Helen is a bestselling YA author whose popular series is going to be adapted for television. She’s thrilled by this success, but even more by the fact that she’s going to be part of the writers’ room for the television series.

In those 13 years, Grant moved to the other side of the country and built a career as a talented screenwriter. He tries not to take the job on Helen’s show, but it’s too good to pass up. Yet the moment he and Helen encounter each other again, she makes him wish he hadn’t taken the job. But ultimately, they realize that neither of them can walk away from this opportunity, so they agree to be professional with one another.

Helen begins to realize how talented Grant is, and despite their history, the two strike up a friendship. And the more they let their walls come down, the more intense their feelings get. But theirs is not a love story and could never succeed, especially once it was revealed to Helen’s parents, who have never forgiven Grant.

I loved this book so much. The chemistry and banter between Helen and Grant was truly fantastic, and their story was just so beautiful. Even though I knew how this story would end, I still cried like a baby as it unfolded.

The book will publish 4/9.

Book Review: "Young Rich Widows" by Kimberly Belle, Layne Fargo, Cate Holahan, and Vanessa Lillie

What deliciously campy fun this was! Having spent my tween and teen years in the 1980s, I love that era so much, so I was already sold before the book even started.

Providence, Rhode Island, 1985. The four partners of a law firm are killed when their private plane went down outside New York City. The firm, which had strong Mafia connections, was apparently struggling, but the lawyers were on the verge of a major deal when they died.

There is one tiny complication, however. Apparently the partners owed $4 million to the mob, and now that they’re dead, it’s up to their widows to pay back what is owed—or else.

The four women couldn’t be more different: Krystle, feisty and fierce and determined that her sons reap the benefits of the years of work her husband put in to build the firm; Justine, a former model who traded her ambitions for suburban motherhood; Camille, the younger second wife whose desires went beyond the confines of her marriage; and Meredith, a stripper who was in a secret relationship with the firm’s sole female partner.

In an effort to save themselves from bankruptcy—and save their lives and the lives of those they love—the women must band together to make sure a big deal goes through. But along the way, they discover that there were a lot of things they didn’t know about their spouses. And these things could be more dangerous than they imagined.

This felt like a cross between an episode of Real Housewives and Mob Wives. It was fun, silly, and a bit wild, but it definitely didn’t disappoint.

Book Review: "The Husbands" by Holly Gramazio

One night, Lauren gets home from a party and discovers that there’s a man in her flat. But he’s not a burglar or a stranger; apparently he’s her husband, Michael. The problem is, she doesn’t remember being married and she’s utterly confused. However, her flat is furnished better and everyone seems to like him.

But just as she’s settling into the whole idea of a husband and being married, Michael goes up into the attic and a different man comes down. With the arrival of a different husband, many aspects of her life have changed, like her job or her family’s lives. Armed with this knowledge, she invents an excuse for this husband to go into the attic, and, presto: a new husband appears.

Lauren starts to become slightly addicted to sending her husbands into the attic so they can be replaced. And then one day, she meets someone she actually wishes she were really married to, and they’re stay together for a short while, until he inadvertently goes up to the attic. Damn.

“You can’t stay married to someone for ever just because they climb out of your attic one afternoon.”

I loved how unique The Husbands was. Parts of the book were funny, parts were emotional, and parts definitely made me think. I definitely wondered how Holly Gramazio would tie everything up. I felt as if the story dragged a little bit in the middle—so many husbands come and go that it gets repetitive after a while—but I couldn’t get enough.

What a fantastic debut. I can’t wait to see what Gramazio does next!!

Book Review: "Women! In! Peril!" by Jessie Ren Marshall

Do you ever wonder if your sense of humor is so different from other people’s? I often feel that way when I read a book that’s supposed to be “funny” or “zany,” and I’m sitting there thinking, “do I have no sense of humor?”

Jessie Ren Marshall’s debut story collection, Women! In! Peril!, has been labeled “ferociously feminist.” Indeed, the 12 short stories each have women at their center—either from the present or the future, real or robotic, in a variety of situations. The stories deal with issues from queerness and motherhood to relationship woes and cultural identity.

Some of the stories I enjoyed the most were “Annie 2,” about a sex bot who hopes not to be returned, and “My Immaculate Girlfriend,” in which a woman tries to figure out if her girlfriend really has a miraculous pregnancy.

I love short stories—at times it’s amazing how an author can give a novel-like feel in a short number of pages. At times though I feel like they leave me hanging, and just a little more might give me resolution. I felt a little bit more of the latter with this collection.