Book Review: "Stubborn Puckboy" by Eden Finley and Saxon James

Nothing makes me happier than a new book in the Puckboys series. This was Book 9, and it’s as steamy, romantic, sweet, and fun, as the early books were. This is definitely the series that keeps on giving!

Seventeen years ago, Colby and Novi were both drafted by the NHL team in Anaheim. Even though Colby was excited to be drafted, Novi was the type of athlete that you know will be a star. (And he knew it, too.) The two became close friends, although Colby definitely wanted something more, but didn’t think Novi would be interested. One night, after drinking, they came very close to crossing the line—and then Novi pulled away from him completely.

Now, Novi is a true star, nearing the end of an illustrious career. Colby never quite made it as a player, but started coaching, and after great success at the college level, he’s finally landed his first NHL coaching gig. He’ll be an assistant video coach in Los Angeles—for Novi’s team.

Both men are in turmoil from Colby’s arrival. Colby, who is now openly gay, wants to clear the air with Novi so it doesn’t affect his coaching job. Novi is closeted and deathly afraid that Colby might somehow figure that out. Novi wants to come out, but his sister and her family still live in Russia, and he’s afraid that his doing so might affect their lives.

After trying to avoid Colby completely fails, it’s not long before Novi admits the truth—he’s been in love with Colby for 17 years. At first, they try not to give into their pent-up desires and chance Novi’s secret gets discovered, but their willpower doesn’t last long. Can they find a way to be together without affecting either of their careers or Novi’s family?

Y’all know I love my hockey romances, but I just loved this second-chance love story. I always enjoy the supporting characters in this series. And the best part? The series will continue!!

Book Review: "She Didn't See It Coming" by Shari Lapena

It seems like a typical Tuesday. Bryden is getting her 3-year-old daughter Clara ready for daycare while her husband Sam heads to work. She’s looking forward to working from home after drop-off.

At the end of the day, Sam is surprised to get a call from Clara’s daycare. Bryden didn’t pick Clara up and isn’t responding to calls or texts. When he gets home, he finds Bryden’s phone, keys, and purse are all there, and her car is in their building’s underground parking garage.

Did she just walk away from her life? No one believes that is possible. And by all accounts, Bryden and Sam were a great couple.

But as the police investigate, they discover that the picture-perfect couple might not be quite that perfect. Suspicions begin to fly, secrets are revealed, and suddenly identifying a suspect and a motive becomes much more difficult.

There are lots of twists and turns in this story, and I really wasn’t sure how Shari Lapena would resolve everything. I definitely found some of the characters really fascinating (and I can’t help but wonder if this was the set-up for a new series, which I would absolutely love).

It’s crazy that this is only my second Lapena book, but remember, I’ve really just been getting back into thrillers. I’ll definitely be diving into her backlist—any recommendations?

Book Review: "Dating After the End of the World" by Jeneva Rose

This book was a wild ride! Enemies to lovers plus flesh-hungry zombies…the perfect romance!

Growing up in Wisconsin, Casey’s dad was a doomsday prepper. Every spare moment, Casey had to help her dad building fences, digging pits, creating hiding places. She hated it, because all she wanted was to be a typical teenager, but her peers ridiculed her because of her dad. And she couldn’t even understand why he thought the world was going to end anyway.

“I know you’re supposed to believe your parents, trust what they’re saying, and I have. I’ve believed every word my dad has uttered since I learned what words meant, but now I’m not so sure anymore. I stopped believing in Santa when I was nine years old, and I feel like I’m gonna stop believing in my dad one day too. Maybe I already have.”

The minute Casey turned 18, she fled, desperately wanting a normal life. And 16 years later, she’s living in Chicago, working as a medical resident and engaged to a handsome doctor. One night, a viral outbreak overwhelms the hospital where Casey works. People suffering from some sort of flu suddenly turn into hungry zombies. No one is safe.

As the situation in Chicago grows more dire, Casey realizes the only place she might survive is back in Wisconsin with her dad. He’s created a compound of sorts, housing family, neighbors, even some strangers. Casey is shocked to find that her dad has befriended Blake, the one classmate who made her life a living hell and broke her heart. Now he’s sexy, a former Navy SEAL, and he’s going to keep Casey safe—if she doesn’t kill him first.

I’ve been a fan of Jeneva Rose’s thrillers, but this book proves she can do absolutely anything. This is a little gory, a little steamy, a little emotional, and a whole lot of fun. Glad this was an Amazon First Reads book this month!

It will publish 10/1.

Book Review: "The Academy" by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham

I didn’t go to boarding school and I didn’t want to, but I cannot get enough of boarding/prep school fiction. And while dark academia can be fun, nothing beats good old-fashioned drama.

Tiffin Academy has always been in the middle of the pack where boarding schools are concerned. Yet on the first day of a new school year, a huge surprise occurs: Tiffin has risen to #2 on the annual America Today rankings. That’s a 17-point jump, and it’s even a shock to Audre, the head of school.

The board president has invested a great deal of money in improvements—including a gourmet chef. But still, no one really understands how the school climbed so high in one year, especially given the fact that a popular student committed suicide the previous year.

Like many boarding schools, academics at Tiffin take a backseat to parties and gossip. The majority of the students are children of extremely wealthy parents and are used to getting their way. Yet into the mix comes Charley, a new student from Maryland—very rarely are new students admitted as juniors. But Charley is extremely smart and she’s utterly disinterested in the social games of her peers, which of course only intrigues her classmates more.

Over the course of one year at Tiffin, there’s lots of drama to be had. The new, beautiful Canadian history teacher has secrets to hide and finds herself infatuated with an older student. The TikTok influencer is struggling with her own issues while keeping up appearances. And then a controversial app seems to know what everyone is hiding and what everyone’s missteps are.

There are a lot of characters in this book; some you root for and some you dislike. Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter have created a juicy little world and I was there for every last backstabbing minute. There were a few threads that were brought up and never resolved, so is a sequel on the horizon?

The book publishes 9/16.

Book Review: "Saddle Studs" by Max Walker

“I thought I had to run away to find myself, but maybe all I had to do was come back home.”

In July, I read Stirring Spurs, my first cowboy romance. It was part of a 4-book series called Rainbow Ranch, which focuses on a family of queer siblings and the ranch they own in Oklahoma. I was excited to return to the ranch for another adventure!

Sam’s life is falling apart, personally and professionally. He knows he’s going to get fired from his PR job at any time, and his latest girlfriend dumped him. And then he gets notified that he’s been left a strange inheritance from an old friend: a miniature horse and a small patch of land at Rainbow Ranch, where Sam spent some of his high school days.

To claim the inheritance, Sam has to stay and work at the ranch for 90 days. While he’s hoping to better understand what he’s been bequeathed, the big deterrent is having to go back to Oklahoma and face Benny, who was his best friend growing up. Benny and his family treated Sam like one of their own until Sam broke Benny’s heart, then disappeared from his life.

Benny loves ranch life, although the gay scene in Oklahoma is pretty sparse apart from occasional Grindr hookups. When he learns that Sam is returning to the ranch, it reopens the pain and heartbreak that Sam caused all those years ago. Benny vows to be stronger this time, but when Sam arrives—even sexier than he remembered—Benny’s resolve goes out the window. And while Sam’s feelings appear to have changed, his fear of coming out causes the same problems.

I really enjoyed these characters. There is longing, emotion, humor, and lots of steam. I wish that Benny’s siblings (and Dennis) played a larger part in the story, as they did in Stirring Spurs, but I have two more books in the series! This book made me say yee-haw!

Book Review: "Loved One" by Aisha Muharrar

Poignant and powerful, Aisha Muharrar’s debut novel will stay in my mind for a long while.

“There was a queasy unease to treading new waters, building the compass as you sailed, every choice a guess. Except it was worse now. Because it was expected at eighteen, or even twenty-five, but at thirty, it was embarrassing.”

Gabe was Julia’s first love. They met as high school students in Barcelona and had a wonderful summer. But Gabe wanted to be a musician, and he didn’t want a relationship to interfere with his career, so they went their separate ways.

From time to time, they would run into each other in Los Angeles. Gabe became a popular indie musician and Julia became a sought-after jewelry designer. Their old feelings would resurface on occasion, but they always seemed to tamp them down. And then, tragically, Gabe died accidentally when he was 29.

Julia is overcome by the waves of grief she feels, especially since their relationship was left at loose ends before he died. As a favor to Gabe’s mother, she travels to London to meet the last woman he loved, to see if she could reclaim some of his belongings. But upon meeting Elizabeth, an icy, guarded restaurateur, both women become protective over their memories of Gabe and the secrets each holds.

The narrative shifts between the present and various memories of Gabe and Julia’s encounters. There is an elegiacal sadness in this book but it’s never maudlin. It captures the frustrations we might have when we wish we had said, or did, something to a loved one whom we’ve lost. This was simply gorgeous.

Book Review: "Dangerous Play" by Elise Hart Kipness

I read and loved Lights Out, the first book in Elise Hart Kipness’ Kate Green series, about a year ago. I have no idea why it took me so long to pick up the second book, but after devouring it, I can definitely say that it won’t be long before I pick up the third one!

Sports reporter Kate Green is back on the job after the resolution of a murder case that put her in danger. She has the plum assignment of covering the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team as they battle for Olympic glory. It’s an exciting opportunity, even more so for Kate, a former Olympian soccer player. And given her past relationship with Savannah Baker, the head coach, she’s hoping for some good scoop.

The last thing she’s expecting is a murder to occur in the bowels of Yankee Stadium, where the games are being played.

The victim is Alexa Kane, a famous jewelry designer. Years ago, Kate and Alexa were best friends, playing on the U.S. Youth National Team with Savannah. Things ended quite abruptly, leaving Kate feeling guilty. But even with their shared past, there’s no reason that Alexa should’ve been behind the scenes at the game.

Kate feels a personal obligation to figure out who killed Alexa, and why. Doing so reawakens old memories. At the same time, she’s embroiled in a power struggle at the network, and she’s still digging into an old case involving her father, an NYPD detective. What is she in danger from?

I really am loving this series. Kate is a terrific character—tough yet vulnerable at times—and I can’t wait to see more of her interactions with her father as she digs more into his case. Like I said, I’ll be picking up the next book soon!!

Book Review: "Cheesecake" by Mark Kurlansky

Interestingly enough, this book (a rare foray into fiction by the award-winning author) is both about and not about cheesecake. It is more social commentary, about the changing nature of NYC neighborhoods, apartments and landlords, gentrification, and art.

Art Katsikas, along with his brother Niki and sister-in-law Adara, were part of a cheese making family in Greece. The three decide to move to NYC in the 1970s and open a diner (a business sure to succeed, they are told by friends). They open Katz Brothers on the Upper West Side, and it becomes a popular spot for the neighborhood.

But while Niki and Adara are happy with their humble (yet successful) diner, Art has larger ambitions. He sees the changes coming to the neighborhood as landlords raise rents to drive their tenants out, and he wants a part of this. So he convinces Niki and Adara that the diner should be changed into a fancy restaurant, Mykonos, which will serve “modern classical cuisine.”

The centerpiece of the menu is cheesecake, but an adaptation of the earliest-known recipe by Cato the Elder, a Roman born in 234 BCE. This cheesecake is very different, both sweet and savory, and its introduction at Mykonos is met with fantastic reviews. Of course, imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery, so it’s not long before everyone is trying to replicate Cato’s cheesecake—in very different ways.

While the restaurant and cheesecake are core to the story, much of the book focuses on various neighborhood residents and their encounter with Cato’s cheesecake, as well as what variation they become involved with. At the same time, it follows Art’s transformation into a ruthless landlord and how the neighborhood where Mykonos is changed through the years.

Mark Kurlansky is an excellent writer, and the book is tremendously informative about cheesecake’s history, variations, etc. I felt like the book was a little overstuffed with characters and subplots that didn’t quite come to fruition, when the story of the Katsikases would have been enough.

Book Review: "Sounds Like Love" by Ashley Poston

“We were all made of up memories, anyway. Of ourselves, of other people. We were built on the songs sung to us and the songs we sang to ourselves, the songs we listened to with broken hearts and the ones we danced to at weddings.”

There’s just something about the way Ashley Poston writes. I’ve enjoyed all three of her books—the first two were among the best books I read those particular years. I cannot get enough of the way she sprinkles her romances with magical realism as well as humor and such gorgeous emotion.

Joni has finally made her dreams come true, being a sought-after songwriter in LA. A few of her songs are tremendously popular, and everyone is waiting for what she writes next. But she cannot find anything that inspires her, that makes her feel compelled to create.

With the pain from her mother’s recent dementia diagnosis still fresh, Joni returns to her hometown on the Outer Banks. She grew up spending most of her time at The Revelry, the music venue that’s been in her family for more than 70 years. But when Joni gets home, she’s floored by her parents’ plan to close The Revelry, her mother’s fading memories, and the way she feels life has gone on without her.

The other thing that happens shortly after her arrival at home is she starts hearing snippets of a melody in her head, one she can’t place. She starts hearing the voice of a man, whose thoughts she can hear in her head (and vice versa). They start to rely on each other, but when he comes to her hometown, she’s surprised by how different he is in person—until he lets down his guard. He believes that if they write the song they’re hearing, they may be able to sever the psychic connection.

As always with Poston’s books, I find myself highlighting so many quotes and definitely getting choked up. I know this book will be on my year-end best list!!

Book Review: "Three Parties" by Ziyad Saadi

I’m always fascinated by retellings and reimaginings. Ziyad Saadi’s debut novel is a reimagining of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, which was also reimagined in The Hours (one of my favorite books of all time), so I was very interested to read this.

Today is Firas’ 23rd birthday. He’s throwing himself a dinner party with a greater purpose than simply celebrating the day of his birth, however. He plans to officially come out to his family, friends, and coworkers. He’s trying to remain calm as the time of the party draws closer, but his stress level is rising.

While he wonders how his Palestinian parents will react to the news, Firas is also making sure every last detail of the party is perfect. He’s planned the menu, the decorations, even the floral arrangements. But you know what they say about the best-laid plans…

Firas is constantly worried about how he is perceived—by his family, his colleagues and friends, even the two men he is dating. The thought of falling short in anyone’s eyes appalls him, and of course, the more you worry about failing the greater the likelihood that you might fail. Meanwhile, crises within his family threaten to upend the party—and there’s even the possibility that his secret might get exposed before he’s ready to share it.

Much like Mrs. Dalloway, this book takes place over the course of one day. It’s a tremendously thought-provoking read with occasional bursts of humor.

I’m not certain if this book didn’t work for me as much as I’d hoped because I can’t imagine throwing a party to reveal a secret like this, or if the plot became overly complicated. Saadi’s talent is definitely evident and I look forward to seeing what’s next for his career.

Book Review: "The Heartbreak Hotel" by Ellen O'Clover

This book seriously gave me all the feels. I had high hopes for this and it definitely delivered!

Lou isn’t surprised when her famous musician boyfriend breaks up with her. They’ve been together since college but they’ve been drifting apart for a while. She’s sad, obviously, but her biggest worry is that she’ll have to move out of the house they’ve been sharing in Estes Park, Colorado. She will not lose that.

The challenge is, she doesn’t have a job, so how can she afford the rent? But then she comes up with an idea: turning the house into a bed and breakfast where people can recover from their own heartbreak. Her landlord, Henry (whom she is surprised to find is a handsome veterinarian, not an old man) isn’t thrilled with the idea, but he reluctantly agrees to let Lou run with it.

It’s not long before the inn is a success. And while Lou is helping her guests, her own life is a mess, left over from her tumultuous childhood. The good news is that Henry keeps coming around, and they find themselves drawing closer. But Henry is keeping his own heartbreak hidden from view.

“I started the Comeback Inn to care for people—because the part of me that knows how to nurture others has always felt like the best and truest part. But as I breathe into the cross-stitched pillow cover, as my eyes burn with tears, I wonder if that’s all I’ll ever get to be, all I’m capable of. If the power I thought I held by being needed is just a weakness; if I’ve sought out sadness in others so I don’t have to confront my own.”

There’s a lot of emotion in this book—grief, sadness, laughter, anger, and happiness to name a few. And while pieces of the story hit a little close to home, I couldn’t get enough.

The book will publish 9/23.

Book Review: "The Sideways Life of Denny Voss" by Holly Kennedy

This was such a wonderfully special book with one of the most memorable narrators I’ve found in a long while. I’m so thankful to my dearest friend Amy for putting this book on my radar!!

“I guess that’s just how life works. Some days it’s like a fast-moving TV show and some days it’s not, and when things go sideways—like they usually do for me—you might find yourself going in a whole new direction, and when you’re doing life, going in that whole new direction, some things will change, but some things will stay a lot the same.”

Thirty-year-old Denny lives in Minnesota with his elderly mother and their deaf and blind dog George. While an issue at birth left him with some developmental challenges, he’s always felt loved, even when he hasn’t made the right choices.

Sometimes Denny has the best of intentions, but things tend to go awry. This has led to his arrest after kidnapping a neighbor’s ornery goose, and another time he unwittingly helped a bank robber. His challenges with finding the right words or expressing his emotions often get him into trouble.

But now, Denny is under arrest for the murder of a businessman in town who is running for mayor. And it certainly didn’t help that he was found with a sled full of guns, including the murder weapon. He swears he’s innocent, but can that be proven?

This book is full of humor, emotion, and charm, and it’s very heartwarming. Denny may cause chaos, but he also can be so empathetic and sweet. Check out the world from his perspective.

Book Review: "Definitely Better Now" by Ava Robinson

Add this powerful and emotional book to the long list of terrific debuts published this year!

Emma is celebrating one year of sobriety, a milestone she’s worked very hard to reach. She’s spent the last year in close contact with her sponsor, attending AA meetings, and doing little more than working, in an effort to keep from backsliding into old habits.

But staying sober isn’t easy when everything around you is going crazy. She’s finally starting to feel comfortable around her colleagues, and has been appointed to her company’s “Fun Team,” which plans the annual holiday party. She allowed her colleagues to set up a profile on a dating app—which leads to an awkward situation with a colleague. She’s even started a bit of a flirtation with Ben, her company’s IT guy.

She’s a little bit thrown when her mother tells her she’s moving in with her boyfriend (whom Emma didn’t even know about). Then her estranged father calls and wants to see her—and as an alcoholic himself, he’s always been dismissive of her journey toward recovery. But he’s not argumentative this time; rather, he’s hiding a secret from her.

This is a book full of humor, emotion, awkward moments and times you wish the characters would say what they mean instead of avoiding the truth. But more than that, this book shows just how hard it is to fight for yourself when everything around you is trying to knock you down.

Ava Robinson is a really talented writer, and this book felt tremendously self-assured for a debut. I’ll be looking forward to the next steps in her career!

Book Review: "Hot Saltwater Kisses" by Zarah Detand

Boy, this book has me craving a vacation trip to an oceanfront resort somewhere! I love a good, steamy, M/M romance, and when there’s some good emotional growth for the characters as well, I’m all in. And Zarah Detand delivered for sure!

Milo is a dive instructor at a fancy resort on the island of Dominica. Dealing with wealthy guests isn’t always the easiest thing to do, but he gets to work with his friend Nia, spend time on the water, and take underwater photographs, so it’s a pretty sweet deal.

The one rule he tries to be mindful of is no fraternization with the guests. While there certainly has been temptation in the past, it’s not until Logan arrives at the dive shop that Milo’s willpower wavers. Logan is wealthy, incredibly handsome, a bit cocky, and he’s staying at the resort for a month while working on his master’s thesis in hospitality management.

The chemistry between the two of them is intense from their very first meeting, but Milo is nervous about getting caught with a guest. It’s not long, however, before they can’t keep their hands off of each other, and not long after that when they both realize their feelings run deeper than just a quick vacation fling.

Milo’s last relationship—and really his first serious one—scarred him emotionally and turned his life upside down. He really wants to let down his guard for Logan, and those feelings are reciprocated—but Logan isn’t quite who he says he is.

This is the second book by Detand I’ve read in the last few weeks. I’m so glad to have found her—she knows how to create real characters you care about, with enough steam to keep you blushing.

Book Review: "The Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping" by Sangu Mandanna

I’ve been waiting for this book for a while!! I absolutely loved Sangu Mandanna’s previous book, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, and this book has been on my eagerly anticipated list for quite some time. The good news is, it was as sweet and charming as I hoped it’d be.

“…when you hold tight to the little magic you find, when years go by and the world loses much of its colour and still you refuse to forget the magic, magic will go out of its way to show you that it remembers you too.”

Sera was a powerful young witch in the UK. But when she used her power to bring her beloved aunt Jasmine back from the (relatively recent) dead, she loses most of her magic. To make matters worse, her actions cause her to run afoul of the British Guild of Sorcery and is exiled.

Now she assists Jasmine with running her family’s dilapidated inn. It is enchanted, so the inn is only visible to those who need it, and the magic within it is fairly unpredictable. But the inn is mostly home to guests who’ve become lodgers—and quite an odd crew at that.

When Sera finds out that there is an ancient spell that could help restore her magic, she desperately wants to figure it out. And when Luke, a magical historian who studies ancient languages, arrives at the inn, his no-nonsense attitude both irritates and entices Sera. He can’t wait to leave the inn but yet is compelled to stay, and much to his surprise, agrees to help her with her spell.

I love stories of chosen family, and this book grabbed hold of my heart. The supporting characters are wacky (there’s even a zombie rooster), and I love anything with a dash of magic. Mandanna is such a wonderful storyteller!

Book Review: "The Break-In" by Katherine Faulkner

Whoa. I might need some Dramamine to help me with the motion sickness I’ve gotten from all the twists in this book! I had no idea how things would get resolved, but I wasn’t going to stop reading until I found out!

One afternoon, Alice is hosting her friends and their kids for a playdate at her fancy London home. Suddenly, a young man breaks in, screaming and heading for the room where the kids are playing. In a split second of panic, Alice hits him in the head and he dies.

The police determine Alice acted to defend her daughter and the other children and clear her of wrongdoing. But she cannot seem to shake the memories of that day, or the questions about everything that happened, which no one wants to answer?

Was this really just a random break-in, or was the young man looking for something in particular? Why does it seem as if everyone in her life is acting strangely, as if they have something to hide? Will she and her family be safe?

Alice starts getting strange phone calls and text messages, and threatening comments show up online accompanying articles about the break-in. She needs to know the truth, so she does some investigating on her own, with the help of a friend. But she has no idea just how tangled the truth is with all of the lies.

This was one of those books where you have no idea which characters to trust. Alice is a bit naive and does some things you want to slap her for, but ultimately, she wants the truth to come out. And there is a lot going on, but I was hooked!

Book Review: "Spectacular Things" by Beck Dorey-Stein

I loved this! It was my last book of August and one of my favorites of the month. I love stories about family dynamics, but this was more than that.

“She is coming to understand that love and loss live on the same coin. It’s never heads or tails but joy and agony, grief and delight, spinning in the air, waiting on time and luck to determine not when this chapter ends but how the next one begins.”

Mia and Cricket are sisters, raised by a single mother whose dreams of greatness on the soccer field were derailed just as they were getting started. Mia played soccer until it became clear that Cricket was destined for greatness. So Mia became the responsible one, making sure Cricket got to and from practices and games, and that all the bills were paid.

When tragedy strikes, it becomes clear that if Cricket is to realize her true potential and one day play for the U.S. Women’s National Team, Mia will have to make sacrifices. But at what point does sacrifice and support breed resentment?

As Cricket pursues her dreams, she deals with the pros and cons of her single-mindedness, and the loneliness that often occurs when seeking greatness. Can she live up to her potential without ruining her relationships with Mia and others?

I’ve been a fan of Beck Dorey-Stein since her debut memoir, From the Corner of the Oval. I honestly knew very little about women’s soccer (save the superstars), so I found the story very interesting. But where the book sparkled the most was in its depiction of the complicated relationships of the sisters and their mother’s legacy.

Book Review: "It's Not the End of the World" by Jonathan Parks-Ramage

Can a book be off-the-wall crazy AND scarily prescient simultaneously? Asking for a friend.

Thanks so much to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy of this one!

America in 2044 has seen better days. Climate change has done severe damage, and in Los Angeles, wildfires and smog have gotten so bad you can barely see the skyline—unless you can pay for an artificially clear one. The country is under the thumb of a fascist authoritarian government, with right-wing militias and rampant anti-queer sentiment.

Mason and Yunho are a wealthy gay couple whose financial position keeps them blissfully unaware of just how badly the world is falling apart. They’re spending $100,000 on a 100-person baby shower for their soon-to-be-arriving newborn, and they (particularly Mason) don’t see anything wrong with that.

When disaster hits LA on the day of their shower, Mason should cancel, but it’s not the end of the world, after all. He figures that money can solve this problem too. Yet when he goes out to run a few last-minute errands, he finds himself enmeshed in the chaos that he thought he was insulated from, with threatening consequences.

This book has it all—wry social commentary, political satire (which seems far too on the nose right now), blood and gore, even pink smog that turns people into zombies. It’s definitely a wild ride, but the details of this world that Jonathan Parks-Ramage has created are truly remarkable. And frightening as hell.

I loved Parks-Ramage’s debut, Yes, Daddy, so I was excited to see what his follow-up would be like. This is different in a lot of ways but it proves just how wide-ranging his talent is.

Book Review: "Homecoming for Beginners" by Ashlyn Kane

This book hit me in all the feels!! I was looking for something to read because none of the hundreds of books in my house appealed to me, when I stumbled on this. What a wonderfully sweet, emotional, fun surprise!

Tyler couldn’t get away from his hometown—or his disapproving father—fast enough. He’s finally made a life for himself as a paramedic in Chicago when he gets the news that his father died and he has to go home.

Returning to a town where everyone still judges you for your teenage shenanigans is hard enough, but to stay in the house you hated is worse. But Ty gets another surprise when Ollie, a helicopter pilot fresh out of the military, shows up at his door. Apparently Ollie was hired to be a caregiver for Ty’s father, who had dementia, and he packed up himself and his young son, Theo, to make the move.

Ty is ready to head back to Chicago when he learns his father has struck again, this time from the grave. Either Tyler stays in the house and serves as executor of the estate or his father’s entire fortune goes to a hate group. With no other choice, Ty is stuck in town, so he asks Ollie and Theo to move in.

Ollie loves Theo, but with the boy surviving cancer and dealing with the death of his mother, he’s become pretty overprotective. But Ty helps with Theo, and it’s not long before the two men are letting their guards down and falling—hard. If Ty goes back to Chicago, though, can they make it work?

I thought this book was just so heartwarming. The characters each have issues but the way they show up for one another is amazing. I smiled, laughed, and even teared up a bit while reading—and I was there for all of it.

Book Review: "So Far Gone" by Jess Walter

“Right, he thought. We live only as long as someone remembers us. Only as long as someone cares.”

A former environmental journalist, Rhys has very little patience for fools. And Shane, his ultra-conservative, religious-nut son-in-law, is definitely a fool. One Thanksgiving, even though Rhys promised his daughter Bethany he’d behave, Shane’s conspiracy theory rants became too much to take. Rhys punched Shane, left dinner, and decided to live off the grid.

It’s been a few years now since Rhys escaped to his family’s dilapidated cabin in the woods of Washington State. Most of his conversations are with himself. So he’s completely surprised to find his grandchildren, Leah and Asher, on his doorstep. Apparently Bethany has gone missing and she had asked a friend to bring the kids to Rhys if anything ever happened to her.

Rhys is worried about his daughter and wants to take care of his grandchildren. But not long after they show up, the kids are kidnapped by members of a violent militia affiliated with Shane’s church. He is determined to rescue the kids and find Bethany, even if he hasn’t used a cellphone or the internet in 4+ years.

With the help of his ex-lover, as well as his best friend and a slightly unhinged ex-cop, Rhys has to confront the kidnappers and a world that has grown even more unhinged. But he also has to deal with the strains that have existed in his relationship with Bethany since she was a teenager, and his regrets about so many things he’s done.

This was a funny, endearing, and satirical read that I really enjoyed. Jess Walter is such a talented writer, and he deftly maneuvered between the emotions of the story, the social commentary, and the wild interactions between characters.

Book Review: "Fake Dating the Prince" by Ashlyn Kane

Simply put, I loved this book so much. It was playful, romantic, sweet, and sexy, and it made me so happy. This is the second book by Ashlyn Kane that I’ve read this week, and she’s already becoming a favorite of mine.

Brayden is a Canadian flight attendant who has a great rapport with his passengers in first class. He and one frequent passenger even have developed a bit of a flirtation over time. And on one flight, this passenger asks Brayden to be his date to a fancy charity ball.

What Brayden doesn’t know is that this passenger is His Highness Prince Antoine-Philippe (“Flip”), heir to the throne of the small European nation of Lyngria. Being gay and half-Indian, Flip faces a lot of scrutiny, so he asks Brayden to pretend to be his boyfriend, just for the ball.

With Brayden at his side, Flip is truly able to enjoy himself. He’s a hit with Flip’s family and knows how to be the perfect date. And while the plan was for them to end the charade after the ball, when the country’s paparazzi latches onto their relationship, Flip asks Brayden to stay in the palace with him.

The more time they spend together, the more they both wish their relationship was real. As their connection strengthens both physically and emotionally, can they have a happy ever after, or will they need to go their separate ways?

While the book invites some comparisons to Red White and Royal Blue, this is different in many ways. All of the characters are so appealing and entertaining, and I found myself rooting for Flip and Brayden’s happy ending.

Book Review: "Saving Face" by Mansi Shah

The CEO of a global skincare company, Ami Shah is a role model. Raised in Singapore, she had to break down a lot of barriers to get to where she is, and convince many that despite her gender and the color of her skin, she’s a businesswoman to be reckoned with. Her company, Amala, is about to merge with a Fortune 500 company.

Her nomination for the Global Changemakers Award is unprecedented. This prestigious award has only gone to white men; she is the first woman of color to be nominated. If she wins the award, it will increase the value of Amala and cement her legacy.

While she should be beside herself about this honor, Ami would prefer to withdraw her nomination. All of the publicity makes her nervous—not because she’s shy, but because she’s not who she says she is. Ami (whose real name is Monica) was an orphan raised in a convent in Singapore. But since orphans in her country never had a chance to amount to much, she decided to steal a former classmate’s identity and move to London, which is where her new story began.

But as the merger details are finalized and the award ceremony draws closer, Ami starts getting threatening text messages promising to expose her lies if she didn’t confess. She knows if the truth comes out, everything she built will fall apart. To figure out who is blackmailing her, she must go back to where she vowed she’d never return: Singapore.

“She wanted to prove that just because a girl had been abandoned, it didn’t mean she had to carry that weight with her forever. She could find purpose, and through that, she could find herself.”

This was such a thought-provoking, emotional book. Mansi Shah created a story that seemed so plausible, and even though it’s a bit of a slow burn, it was tremendously compelling.

Book Review: "The Retirement Plan" by Sue Hincenbergs

This book was a darkly funny and twisty caper, one I really enjoyed. I hope this gets adapted into a movie of some sort, because it’s too fun of a story to miss out on.

The four couples—Pam and Hank, Shalisa and Andre, Nancy and Larry, and Marlene and Dave—have been friends for years. But as they’ve hit their 60s, each of their marriages has deteriorated, ever since an investment scheme all four men contributed to crashed, badly.

When Dave dies in an accident, the wives discover that each of their husbands has a million-dollar life insurance policy. This discovery, coupled with their unhappiness, inspires an idea: they’ll hire a hitman to kill their husbands, and they can start new lives with the money.

Another thing they don’t know is that their husbands have found a way to amass a multimillion-dollar retirement scheme. But when Dave dies, they’re convinced that their scheme has been discovered, and they’re in danger. (And they don’t even know what their wives are up to.) Hijinks ensue.

“I shouldn’t be hiring hitmen and dodging threats. I should be scrapbooking and playing pickleball.”

There’s a lot going on in the book—there’s another whole subplot involving the casino boss—but the chemistry between the friends, as well as the hitman and his wife—really worked. Chalk this up to another amazing 2025 debut!

Book Review: "Emma on Fire" by James Patterson and Emily Raymond

“They don’t understand that time equals loss. It’s a freaking law of nature. If Emma lets the years keep on passing, she’s just going to keep on losing. So is everyone else, even if they can’t bear to admit it. They just walk ignorantly through the world, turning away from anything they don’t want to see. But Emma sees all of it. And she needs them to know how bad things really are.”

It seems like a typical day at Ridgemont Academy, a prestigious New England prep school. Emma Blake, once a star student and class leader, has virtually disengaged from her classes. But an assignment in English class—to write a very descriptive essay—inspires her.

But when Emma reads her essay aloud in class, it provokes very strong reactions from her classmates and her teacher. The essay alarms the school’s headmaster, who views it as a cry for help. Emma doesn’t want help, however; she wants her fellow students to realize the tragic state of our world.

There’s much more that is motivating Emma, however. No one knows whether she’ll carry through with what she’s promising to do, and no one knows exactly why she’s been driven to this.

I’m being vague in my summary because there’s power in going in blind. This is an emotional book and many of the characters’ reactions felt very real. The book is marketed as a thriller but I don’t think that’s accurate. It skewed more YA but I still found it really compelling.

Book Review: "Lucky Day" by Chuck Tingle

What an utterly creative, chaotic, gruesome, and thought-provoking book this was! Horror is definitely not my preferred genre but Chuck Tingle writes books that are so complex, even as they gross me out at times.

“There are billions and billions of paths for us on any given day, and we certainly remember the ones that lead to something like a brutal car crash. We think to ourselves, Why me? How did I get so unlucky? The problem is, we have absolutely no idea how many times we’ve missed one of the infinite tragic routes, ducking and dodging butterflies left and right. Every day, we never know the billions and billions and billions of car crashes we’re not in.”

Four years ago, Vera, a statistics and probability professor, was celebrating the publication of her first book. It was a fun occasion which was marred by Vera’s coming out to her mother during the brunch. They fought and her mother ran out of the diner. And then disaster struck.

In what would become known as the Low-Probability Event (LPE), eight million people across the world all were killed on the same day, each death more random and bizarre than the next. People shepherding a giant balloon were strangled by its ropes. Someone was killed when a costumed chimpanzee threw a typewriter at them. While Vera escaped death, everyone she cared about was killed.

Vera retreats into her grief for four years, because nothing matters to her anymore. Then she is visited by Special Agent Layne, part of a government agency investigating the LPE. She reluctantly agrees to help Layne once he reveals they’ll be investigating a mega-casino in Las Vegas, where the odds seem strangely in the gamblers’ favor. What they discover, however, is truly eye-opening, and Vera must decide if she cares enough about the world to save it.

There’s a lot of graphic descriptions of death in here, so if that is triggering, this is probably not the book for you. At the same time, this book was shockingly emotional at times, which really made it so much more than a horror story.

Book Review: "The Life of Chuck" by Stephen King

I’ve been reading Stephen King’s books since I was a teenager (which was shortly after movable type was invented, lol). While I definitely have had my favorites through the years, I always enjoy when he departs from his usual work to write more thought-provoking and emotional books.

“The Life of Chuck” was originally included in King’s 2020 collection If It Bleeds. But when a movie adaptation starring Tom Hiddleston (squee!) was released last year, King’s publishers released this on its own.

The story opens at a time where the world seems on its last legs. Natural disasters are destroying the U.S., wiping out farms and manufacturers. The internet and other forms of communication are sporadic when operational at all, and the overall state of the world has led to a significant rise in suicide.

Marty is a schoolteacher who is trying not to become too cynical as the destruction continues. Meanwhile, all over town, he sees billboards and signs proclaiming, “Charles Krantz. Thirty-nine great years. Thanks, Chuck!” But who is Chuck, and what has he spent 39 years doing?

The story follows Chuck from adulthood through his teenage years. You see him spending a few hours one afternoon dancing to a street drummer’s music, an occasion that fills Chuck with nostalgia. We also see Chuck growing up, living with his grandparents, who share some memorable moments and also leave him with a secret that shakes him to his core.

I couldn’t devour this fast enough. It’s emotional, thought-provoking, life-affirming, and a bit of a warning about what could come. It’s definitely a book I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

Book Review: "If You Love It, Let It Kill You" by Hannah Pittard

I really had high hopes for this one, but what can you do?

A novelist and writing professor has her life turned a bit topsy-turvy when she learns that her ex-husband has created an unflattering version of her in his upcoming book. Although not many people will know it’s her—and he’s the one who ruined their marriage in the first place—she has trouble focusing.

Currently living in Kentucky with her boyfriend (and occasionally his stepdaughter), the news about her ex throws her into an emotional tailspin. Should she tell her boyfriend, knowing he might get angry with her ex? And worse, what if he doesn’t?

Meanwhile, she’s trying to deal with the foibles of her aging parents—her mother who wants to date again and her father who very well might be losing his mind. Can she just run away?

I’ve been a fan of some of Hannah Pittard’s books but this one never quite drew me into the story. It felt like there were lots of separate elements of the story that never quite came together, and the story moved very slowly.

Book Review: "Seas the Dating Coach" by Laura Langa

I think my heart grew two sizes larger while reading this book! I love a small-town romance, and this was such a sweet, fun, and emotionally rich read.

Vivian grew up in the small town of Wilks Beach, and all of townspeople are tremendously protective of her, as is her twin sister, Brynn. Vivian is kind, a talented tailor and designer, but she is painfully shy and often stumbles over her words when she gets nervous.

She’s had a crush on Atticus, a handsome accountant, for some time now, but he’s never seemed to notice her. Every time she tries to muster up the courage to talk to him, she fails. And then one morning, she is ready to make her move at her sister’s coffee shop, and she slips on a puddle of coffee and falls into the arms of Finn, a handsome newcomer to town.

People in Wilks Beach don’t have a lot of trust in “mainlanders,” but Finn in particular is very unpopular. As the new director of the town library, his plans to improve everything are met with resentment, even though they will make everything better. So when Finn realizes that Vivian can’t seem to approach Atticus, he offers to be her dating coach. In exchange, she’ll start to correct the misconceptions about Finn and his plans.

Vivian has no idea how beautiful and how brave she is, and Finn delights in helping her realize that. For his part, Finn has never let anyone get too close for fear they’d hurt him, but the more he coaches Vivian, the harder he falls. But he has to keep reminding himself that she wants Atticus, not him.

I first became familiar with Laura Langa when I read her holiday novel that took place in Wilks Beach. I was so glad to go back to that setting, and I look forward to more books in this series!! It seems like a terrific small town.

Book Reviews: "Smile for the Cameras" by Miranda Smith

I don’t read a lot of horror because I hate being scared, but for some reason slasher films—particularly the classics from the 1980s and 1990s—work for me. That’s why I was excited to read Smile for the Cameras.

Ella’s big break in the movie industry was when she starred as the Final Girl in the slasher movie Grad Night. It became a classic, spawned many sequels, and made stars of its four leads and the young director.

But while the central role in a movie was a dream come true for Ella, something happened during filming that she’s been haunted by for the last 20 years. She and her costars vowed never to talk about it, and ultimately her guilt became too much to bear. She left the movie industry to care for her terminally ill mother in their upstate New York home.

After her mother’s death, Ella starts thinking about resurrecting her career. While there are a few promising roles she’d love, it seems like the only way she can land one of them is to agree to participate in the reunion documentary marking the 20th anniversary of Grad Night. Her three costars and the director will participate, so despite her trepidations, Ella agrees.

Of course, a reunion means the cast has to return to Blackstone Cottage, a cabin in rural Tennessee where the original movie was set. Ella is on edge almost from the moment she arrives, and while none of her fellow actors wants to talk about the secret they’ve kept hidden, she’s wracked with guilt. And when her costars start to die as they did in the movie, Ella may have to try and be the Final Girl once more.

This was a fun, campy, and slightly creepy read, which really captured the spirit of the 90s slasher movies. I found the ending somewhat anticlimactic, but I enjoyed the twists and turns along the way. This could actually be adapted into a fun movie.

Book Review: "These Summer Storms" by Sarah MacLean

If all families got along perfectly and there was no drama, the fictional world would be a really dull place. Family dysfunction is one of my favorite fiction subgenres, and Sarah MacLean’s newest book delivered that—and then some.

Franklin Storm was a self-made billionaire and a technology mogul. He was also manipulative, power-hungry, and vindictive, and loved pitting his children against one another. Alice Storm, one of his daughters, learned this the hard way: she’s been estranged from her family for five years, ever since her father disowned her.

Franklin’s death comes as a shock to Alice, almost as much as her mother’s summoning her to Storm Island, the family’s New England compound off the coast of Rhode Island. She dreads confrontation with her mother and three siblings, and plans to stay until the funeral is over.

But Alice and her family discover Franklin has the last laugh once again. He’s created a challenge for his wife and children, each with tasks they must complete. Some are painful and some are physically demanding. If they all don’t complete their tasks, no one will get their inheritance. Alice’s task? She must stay on the island with her family for a week.

Being with her family again opens up old wounds and resentments, and she’d really like to just pack up and leave. But could she forgive herself if that negated everyone’s inheritance? Of course, there are secrets to be revealed, which clarify just how manipulative Franklin was. Alice doesn’t know whom to trust, not even Jack, her father’s handsome fixer.

These characters are pretty awful to one another, and at times I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep immersing myself in their world. But MacLean’s storytelling is so compelling, so melodramatic and twisty, that I couldn’t put it down.

Book Review: "Hungry Eyes" by Anthony McFly, translated by Nicola Clitheroe

“I don’t know anything about this guy, except that he lives in my street and in my mind.”

Thanks so much to Anthony McFly for sending me a copy of his novel, which was recently translated from the French by a friend of his. It was definitely a wild ride, and I wondered where he was going to take the story!

Amaury is a young man who lives a solitary life. He works hard on his studies and is anxious about the fact that he’s losing his hair at a young age. But what gets most of his attention is the handsome man who lives in the apartment directly across the street from his.

“…his inability to live in an enclosed space gives me full access to see deep inside the interior of his home.”

Amaury watches the man every day, and in fact, every night he turns off his lights so he can watch without the possibility of being noticed. He dreams of a life with his neighbor and hopes that one day he’ll notice him. One night, after watching the man getting closer to a date, Amaury decides to follow them, and winds up having an awkward yet eye-opening evening.

This was well-written and certainly a bit creepy. You don’t know whether to feel sorry for Amaury or worry about what he’s capable of. I definitely needed to read this in one sitting!

Book Review: "The Underdog" by Sagit Schwartz

WHOA. This was one wild ride! Thanks so much to the amazing Sagit Schwartz for sharing an ARC of her upcoming popcorn thriller with me!!

Liz dreams of being a filmmaker. A graduate of the American Film Institute, she showed early promise but never got the support she needed to get her movie idea off the ground. Swimming in debt thanks to student loans, she now works as a chaperone for the singing competition show, The Underdog.

Meanwhile, Norma has sacrificed everything for her daughter Cookie. But Cookie has repaid Norma by telling her she wants nothing to do with her. Cookie and her fiancé are starting their life together and expecting a baby, leaving Norma out in the cold.

Liz is assigned to pick up the show’s newest contestant, Jennifer. She is a patient at a psychiatric hospital who only communicates via singing, she doesn’t speak. Yet when Liz and “The Singing Patient” go to the airport to fly to LA, Jennifer escapes, and Liz is suspected of helping Jennifer in exchange for money.

Feeling abandoned by her daughter, Norma goes to LA to try and meet Svetlana, an orphan and contestant on The Underdog. She’s also determined to make Cookie regret banishing her from her life.

This book is a little like a roller coaster; once it starts picking up speed and the tension ratchets up, there’s no stopping it. I couldn’t wait to see how it all wrapped up…and maybe a sequel at some point?

The book will publish 10/14.

Book Review: "L.A. Women" by Ella Berman

Thanks so much to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance copy of this recent release! This story of friendship, rivalry, and emotional scars was a slow burn yet compelling read.

In 1960s Los Angeles, two women met for the first time at a party. Lane was a writer with a penchant for telling the unvarnished truth; Gala was a socialite who seemed to find her way to every party and event worth her time, invitation or no. Each finds the other curious, yet at first they don’t realize how complex they both are.

Little by little, the two women develop a friendship. Lane values Gala’s intelligence and creativity; Gala believes that Lane has real writing talent. After the publication of Lane’s first novel, their relationship starts to weaken, because Gala suddenly becomes the toast of the town, leaving Lane in her dust.

Ten years later, Lane has the handsome husband and adorable children, as well as the beautiful house. And she’s finally found a way back into literary stardom: a book about Gala, tracing her meteoric rise. While excitement for the book is building, so are mystery and fear: no one has seen Gala for months. It’s almost as if she disappeared into thin air.

I love the nostalgic feel of the book; Ella Berman does a great job capturing the setting and the vibes of both decades. Both women have dealt with real emotional upheaval and pain, and both impact the decisions they make.

I didn’t find Lane or Gala particularly likable or sympathetic, but I was still interested in their stories. This reminded me a little of Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The book was definitely an emotional one.

Book Review: "Sheepdogs" by Elliot Ackerman

What a fun, twisty romp of a book! (No, there are no actual sheepdogs in the book.) Thanks so much to Knopf and NetGalley for the advance copy!

Skwerl (not his real name) was a CIA operative until a raid in Afghanistan went wrong and he went rogue, sharing details about it with the media. Now he’s had to pay back the government for his loose lips, and is hoping for something more exciting to come along.

Cheese, an Afghani pilot once known for his flying prowess, escaped with his wife to Austin, where he works the late shift at an Esso gas station. When Skwerl approaches him with a million-dollar mission, Cheese can’t resist. They need to “repossess” (err, steal) a luxury jet from a deserted airfield in Kampala and “return” it to Marseille, and they’ll receive their $1 million commission.

Of course, nothing goes as they planned. They find themselves with an unstable handler, they don’t seem to get paid, and then their handler winds up dead. Who was behind this job? And why do they suddenly find themselves in danger?

Their taking the plane has set an elaborate scheme in motion that both men are unprepared for. They want to know who was behind the mission in the first place, and as each new wrinkle reveals itself, Skwerl desperately tries to turn the situation to their advantage. It’ll take the help of Skwerl’s girlfriend Sinéad, who is a very successful dominatrix, an old CIA buddy of Skwerl’s, and an Amish client of Sinéad’s.

This was an entertaining and really compelling departure from my usual reads. It got a little technical at times, but the characters cracked me up, even as the tension ratcheted up. Is a sequel on the horizon? I’m in if so!

Book Review: "Every Step She Takes" by Alison Cochrun

Thanks so much to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advance copy of Alison Cochrun’s latest book! I will admit I might have squealed a little when I got an email offering me an ARC.

Sadie is nearing her 35th birthday and she’s spent most of her life running an antiques store, a family business she inherited from her grandmother. The business has taken so much time and effort that she really hasn’t dated—and while, to be honest, she hasn’t missed it—her sister and mother won’t let her give up on love just yet.

Sadie lets her sister Vi set her up on dates; she agrees to give every man a try, and to kiss them at the end of the date to see if she feels butterflies. But even though Vi insists she’s setting Sadie up with suitable men, none of them appeal to her, which makes Sadie wonder if something is wrong with her.

Wanting to escape the prospect of more dates, Sadie agrees to fill in for an injured Vi, who is a travel influencer, on a two-week trip along Portugal’s Camino de Santiago. When her first flight experienced severe turbulence, Sadie believes she’s going to die. The potent combination of fear, Lexapro, and red wine causes her to tearfully confess she might be a lesbian to her understanding (and beautiful) seatmate, Mal.

Of course, they don’t die, and (surprise!), Mal is on her Camino tour. (Another surprise: the tour is for queer women.) Mal offers to help Sadie experience the queer adolescence she never got to—but of course, the line between help and attraction blurs far too easily. At the same time, Mal has her own serious issues to deal with. Will the end of the tour signify the start of something real for them, or just goodbye?

I’m a fan of Cochrun’s and the journey of self-discovery she often takes her characters on. While there’s little secret about what fake dating often leads to, I loved the way both Mal and Sadie helped each other.

The book will publish 9/2.

Book Review: "Fonseca" by Jessica Francis Kane

This is one of those quiet books that sneaks up on you and before you know it, you’re sad when it’s over. I’m so glad I came across it!⁣

⁣ “I’m reminded of that old idea that there are only two kinds of stories: someone goes on a journey and a stranger comes to town. It seems you are living both. Isn’t that remarkable.”⁣

⁣ In 1952, the English writer Penelope Fitzgerald receives a letter from two elderly sisters, who apparently are distant relatives. The sisters have a sizable fortune thanks to a Mexican silver mine, and suggest that there might be an inheritance in store. They invite Penelope and her young son, Valpy, to their home in Northern Mexico.⁣

⁣ While traveling from England to Mexico in the 1950s is a complicated and arduous journey, the invitation couldn’t have come at a better time. The literary magazine that she and her husband Desmond publish is on the verge of folding, their financial situation is precarious, and his drinking is getting more out of control. An inheritance could be life-changing.⁣

Leaving her young daughter and husband behind, Penelope and six-year-old Valpy head to Mexico. Yet when they arrive, they discover that all is not what they expected. The Delaney sisters are mercurial (especially when drinking), and there seems to be a growing number of people who also have designs on the money. Penelope will have to deal with the machinations of others as well as her worries about her marriage, her children, and their future if the inheritance doesn’t materialize.⁣

⁣ This is based on a real trip that Fitzgerald took, which she then fictionalized a bit. The narrative is intercut with excerpts of letters from Fitzgerald’s real children. I hadn’t heard of Fitzgerald before, but this story really captivated me.⁣

Book Review: "For the Record" by Emma Lord

Mackenzie was a pop star, part of a trio called Thunder Hearts. She and her two best friends had the time of their lives performing songs she wrote.

Sam was the lead singer of Candy Shard, a punk band. When their agents thought putting the two bands together for a tour might work, they had no idea that the chemistry between Sam and Mackenzie would ignite. Their will-they-or-won’t-they act had fans rooting for them, but after taking a step towards something, it quickly fell apart, and shortly after, both bands did as well.

Two years later, Sam has traded punk for a more acoustic singer/songwriter style, but no label seems interested. While he dreams of a second chance, he’s also happy helping to raise Ben, his young son, whom he found out about around the time his band fell apart.

Mackenzie, too, is looking for a change. After some surgical procedures left her voice altered a bit, she’s not felt comfortable performing, except under a pseudonym who uploads songs online. Seeing Sam again reawakens the complicated feelings she had for him, a combination of rivalry, desire, and friendship. It quickly becomes clear that the only way they’ll both get their second chance is by writing and performing a joint album.

Collaborating again will require them (mostly Mackenzie) to put aside their negative feelings towards one another. As their relationship deepens, the same flames spark again, but both have secrets they’re not ready to share. And on top of that, have they both matured enough to have a real relationship?

Emma Lord’s books are really cute, and Sam and Mackenzie really do have great chemistry with one another. But interestingly enough, while this is an adult romance, it skewed a little YA for me—although that was totally fine. I loved the insights into their creative process and the banter.

Book Review: "Songs for Other People's Weddings" by David Levithan and Jens Lekman

David Levithan is one of my all-time favorite authors. I’ve had so many of his books, both YA and adult, on my year-end best lists, and this new one will join this year’s list for sure. The concept of this book is fantastic as well.

“There are hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of songs about falling in love, being in love. There are more about having your heart broken. But how many songs are there about loving someone and having the nature of that love change? How many songs are there about going from lover to friend, from sex to affection? How many songs are there about being happy alone?”

J is a Swedish singer of some renown. Because one of his songs essentially offered his services as a wedding singer, that’s become his gig. He interviews the couple to get a feel for their relationship and then writes an original song that he performs at their wedding. This job has taken him to weddings big and small, all over the world.

While he is writing about other people’s love stories, his own romance is on the rocks. His girlfriend has moved to NYC for work and the more time she spends there, the more she seems to be pulling away from J. She seems to resent any questions he has about whether their relationship has a future, and whether she’s planning to return to Sweden when her work is done.

As J gets invited to be part of couples’ special day—young and old, rich and poor, queer and straight—he starts wondering how to capture the essence of love for others when he can’t do so on his own. It requires both creativity and strength, and emotional maturity he’s not sure he wants to have.

This book was a collaboration between Levithan and Jens Lekman, a Swedish singer who actually has become a wedding singer. Lekman writes songs for each of the weddings, and you can actually listen to them by scanning a QR code in the book. This was such an enjoyable, romantic, thought-provoking, and emotional book, and the songs really deepened the feels.

Book Review: "The Cover Girl" by Amy Rossi

“The thing about being someone’s idea of beautiful was that because people felt comfortable looking at you, they assumed you felt comfortable in the world.”⁣

⁣ Birdie was 13, and she was living a fairly unremarkable life. Her parents’ marriage was unhappy and her mother often told her she had no personality, so she was lucky she was tall and reasonably attractive. Then one day, while shopping with her mother at a department store in NYC, Birdie was discovered by famed modeling agent Harriet Goldman. And in that moment, her life changed dramatically.⁣

⁣ In the mid 1970s, no one seemed to have concerns about a 13-year-old modeling and interacting with men much older than her. But over the first two years of her career, she came into her own, realizing that she could control what people saw when they looked at her. When she was 15, she posed for an album cover, and the 31-year-old rock star fell head over heels for her. ⁣

⁣ The rock star asked Birdie to go on tour with him, and her parents essentially sign her over to him, making him her guardian. Harriet warns her not to get involved with someone like him, but the excitement is too much to pass up. And when it ends, the experience leaves Birdie reeling.⁣

Some 30 years later, Birdie lives a quiet life outside the spotlight. She gets Botox, contemplates a face lift, and takes Pilates. And then she gets invited to a gala celebrating Harriet’s 50-year career. She doesn’t want to go, as they’ve been estranged for years, but she can’t not go. But doing so means she must finally confront all she lived through, as well as become comfortable with growing older.⁣

⁣ You really feel for Birdie and the many ways people mistreated her or let her down. It’s really quite difficult at times, but ultimately you hope she has the strength to confront her past. The book shifts between past and present, and while it moves slowly, it’s very well told.⁣

Book Review: "The Medusa Protocol" by Rob Hart

This was excellent! Rob Hart’s Assassins Anonymous made my year-end best list last year. The idea of a support group for former paid assassins who no longer wanted to kill was such a fantastic one, and the book was action-packed, funny, thought-provoking, and a bit emotional.

I eagerly anticipated this, the second book in the series. We return to the NYC chapter of Assassins Anonymous, but one of their own, Astrid (formerly known as Azrael, the Angel of Death), has gone missing. While it seemed likely that she either went back to her old life or her past caught up with her, Mark, the leader of the group and Astrid’s sponsor, wants to believe she’s okay.

When a pizza is mysteriously delivered to the group, they believe it’s a sign, because only Astrid liked olives on pizza. But when all hell breaks loose after the delivery, Mark knows he has to find her—wherever she may be. But he’s determined not to kill anyone along the way.

Astrid wakes up in a secret prison, hostage to a maniacal doctor who has been hired to plumb her memories. She needs to figure out how to get free without killing anyone, but will that be possible? And can she come to terms with her guilt over her biggest mistake?

“You know that saying, blood is thicker than water? It’s a misinterpretation. The full saying is: ‘The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.’ It means the blood you choose is thicker than the blood you’re born with. The point is, family isn’t blood, it’s who you bleed for.”

Hart is such a fantastic storyteller. I love this series and hope there’s a third book in store. I’m always a sucker for chosen family stories; throw in some heart-pounding action and I’m sold.