Book Review: "Hungry Heart" by Jem Milton

Laurie is a young food writer in London. His best friend has gotten him an exceptional opportunity: the chance to interview Oryan Adjei, a handsome young chef who made a name for himself by winning a television cooking competition when he was 19.

As a young Black chef, Oryan has become a public fixture, appearing on television shows and in ad campaigns. He never seems to get the chance to cook anymore, however, and he’s beginning to wonder whether this is still the path he wants to follow.

When Laurie and Oryan meet for their first interview, Laurie is starstruck and a bit awkward. But the two strike up a genuine conversation, and Oryan feels, for the first time in a long time, like someone is seeing him for who he is rather than who they expect him to be.

As Oryan’s life becomes more complicated and he finds himself being tugged in multiple directions, what he really wants to do is talk with Laurie again. And Laurie not only wants to interview Oryan again because he’s getting paid to do so, but he definitely feels something for him beyond simple admiration. But why would a famous chef be interested in an awkward mess like him?

Jem Milton’s graphic novel is beautifully drawn and tells a sweet, poignant, and thought-provoking story. It examines how easy it is to let others dictate the path you should take, and how when you get caught up in obligations it can be easy to lose yourself. It also looks at how easy it can be to undermine your self-confidence and convince yourself you’re not worthy of what you want.

Many of you know how much I love anything about cooking, chefs, the food industry, etc., and also how much I love romance. Hungry Heart serves up a fantastic helping of both, full of characters I rooted for and a story I raced through.

Book Reviews: "Holiday Hideaway" by Mary Kay Andrews and "The Mistletoe Mystery" by Nita Prose

Sometimes I just need an escape, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to read some Christmas novellas. And given that I heard Our Lady Mariah for the first time in the holiday season, what better sign could I get?

Molly the Maid returns in Nita Prose’s The Mistletoe Mystery. She and Juan Manuel are getting ready for Christmas, both at home and at their jobs at the Regency Grand. Juan Manuel is full of Christmas spirit, but Molly is a bit melancholy, as she’s missing her grandmother, who always did her best to make the holidays special.

Just as Molly is getting ready to surrender to the Yuletide merriment, she notices that Juan Manuel starts acting strangely. He’s disappearing at odd times, seems to be keeping secrets, and Molly is convinced he’s hiding something from her. It comes to a head during the annual Regency Grand staff holiday party, when all of Molly’s anxieties transform into something unforgettable.

In Holiday Hideaway, Tilly finds herself at loose ends. Her landlady kicked her out of her apartment because she was hiding a dog, and while she’s found a new place to move to, it won’t be ready for a few weeks. So she’s been staying (err, squatting) in one of the homes her employer rents out.

Imagine how surprised she is when George, a handsome man, comes to stay at the house, which apparently hasn’t been rented in years. Turns out he’s the owner’s great-nephew, although no one seems to know he existed. He’s determined to fix the house up and put it on the market ASAP.

Tilly hides in the attic while George is around, but dashing around in secret isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And when an accident forces her out of her hiding place, sparks fly between the two. It turns out the two have more of a connection than either realized.

Book Review: "Burn This Night" by Alex Kenna

“I was in my ninth week of sleeping on an air mattress in my childhood bedroom when I learned that my dad wasn’t my biological father.”

How’s THAT for an opening sentence? It definitely sets the tone for what’s to come in the book.

Kate is a private investigator who is really struggling. Her marriage is over, she’s lost custody of her daughter, and now she’s learned that the man she had always believed was her father wasn’t. And to top it off, she’s just learned she shares DNA with someone accused of murdering a young girl 20 years earlier.

The police recruit Kate to go to the small California town of Inglewood (where another distant relative lives) and see what she can find out about her relative-slash-murderer. At the same time, she takes on another case, one involving arson and murder.

Abby, an actress turned social worker, is killed in a fire that destroys part of Inglewood and leaves two others dead. The police suspect her brother, a drug addict and schizophrenic, but their parents believe he is innocent. They hope Kate finds evidence that exonerates him. But what Kate finds is a much more sinister web of secrets and lies, one that could prove deadly.

This was quite a twisty thriller! It’s a bit of a slow burn, but I liked the way Alex Kenna teased everything out and kept me guessing. The narrative shifts among several people and several timeframes, and I found that a bit disjointed, but this was still a compelling read.

Book Review: "The Night Before" by Harper Robson

So not only do I enjoy hockey romances, but I also enjoy what I’ll call “hockey-adjacent” romances! This book is the start of a new series and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where this goes.

Ben is a doctor and researcher studying traumatic brain injury, particularly CTE, which happens when a person gets multiple concussions. He’s been focused on sports, particularly hockey, because his stepfather is a former hockey star now dealing with dementia related to the concussions he sustained.

At a bar one night, he meets Aleks, a handsome younger man. The chemistry between them is intense, but beyond that, they really enjoy each other’s company. They go back to Aleks’ place and have an incredibly steamy night, but also one where they feel tremendously connected to one another emotionally. The next morning, when Ben sees a picture of Aleks’ family, he realizes that Aleks’ father was the hockey player who made the final hit on his stepfather, which ended his career. Ben leaves before Aleks wakes up.

Aleks is sad and angry when he realizes Ben left without a word. All he knows is his first name, so the likelihood of meeting him again is slim. Aleks thought their night was so much more than sex, and it certainly felt like Ben felt the same way, so he’s a bit confused.

Aleks’ disappointment leads to excitement when he is offered the opportunity to work with a researcher on some new helmets that might better protect players from concussions. It’s an amazing opportunity—and of course, the researcher is Ben. They’re going to have to work together, and through doing that they find their connection again, but the old family history crops up. Can they overcome this challenge and find happiness?

I really enjoyed the depth of this book. The CTE stuff was fascinating and well-researched, and enhanced the story a great deal. Of course, there’s intense steam, emotions, family drama, and miscommunication, but this was definitely one I got into.

Book Review: "The Silent Watcher" by Victor Methos

The Silent Watcher was a really good read and my first Victor Methos book. Part crime novel, part courtroom drama, and a well-written meditation on how help from others can make a difference in our lives, I couldn’t put this down.

A recent law school graduate, Piper decides to take a job as a guardian ad litem (GAL), to ensure the most vulnerable victims of crimes are represented in court. When she was a child, a GAL helped her, so she has always wanted to do the same for others.

She is brought in to work with Sophie, a teenage girl who survived a deadly attack which killed her mother and brother. Sophie is traumatized and although she caught glimpses of the killer, she has to work through her grief and shock first before the possibility she could help identify them.

Piper partners with Lazarus, a world-weary detective who is determined to catch the killer, and will leave no stone unturned. After some shrewd investigative work, Lazarus discovers there is much to fear about this murderer, and they will need to travel down some dark paths to find him.

When they find the predator, Piper needs to protect Sophie from being traumatized in court, and they all need to make sure the man never is free again. But Piper’s work with Lazarus and an enigmatic judge puts her in the crossfire. Can she protect herself and Sophie?

The story has some creepy possibilities, but they’re not fully realized, thankfully. I really liked the main characters and believe that there’s so much more depth to be covered, so I’m excited that there will be a second book in this series.

This book will publish 12/1.

Book Review: "The Great Dating Fake Off" by Livy Hart

Nora is willing to do almost anything for her best friend and boss, Benji, even take care of his bearded dragon. And when she witnesses Benji being hassled by his mother and sister about not having a date to his sister’s wedding, she steps in and tells them that they’re dating. Now she’s his date for nearly a week of wedding festivities at a posh resort in the Adirondacks.

Much to Nora’s surprise, when they arrive at the resort she spots Sebastian, the handsome guy she was flirting with just before pretending to be dating Benji. It turns out Sebastian is also a fake date, for his best friend, who happens to be the groom’s twin sister. So both Nora and Sebastian have to keep their own feelings in check to keep up the façade for their friends.

But this isn’t just any wedding. The two families have been feuding for decades; the bride and groom dated secretly for a year before telling their families about their engagement. Tempers are flaring, nerves are fraying, and despite the blatantly obvious chemistry between Sebastian and Nora, they have to behave themselves. Because if they get caught…it could mean disaster.

The more time they spend together, both during pre-wedding activities and stolen time away from the others, the harder it becomes to deny what they’re feeling. But Sebastian is going to be moving for his job in a few weeks, and Nora grew up being dragged places by her mom, so she wants to stay put.

“I want to be claimed. To be someone’s person. I crave the safety that comes when two people fully belong to each other. Not that I’ve experienced it.”

I’ve said many times how much I love fake dating as a trope, so this was right up my alley. It’s a steamy story with emotion, family dysfunction, banter, and crazy wedding chaos. That’s a recipe for a fun read, in my book.

Book Review: "Society of Lies" by Lauren Ling Brown

“How often, in the world, is silence what allows horrible people to get away with their crimes?”

Maya arrives at Princeton for her 10-year reunion, with her husband and young daughter in tow. She’s nervous and excited, but in addition to the reunion, her younger sister Naomi will be graduating as well. But not long after arriving, Maya learns that tragedy has struck: Naomi has been found dead.

While the police believe that Naomi’s death was an accident, Maya is immediately suspicious. And the more she talks to Naomi’s friends, the more questions arise about what could have happened to her. It’s not long before Maya realizes that her sister kept a lot of secrets from her.

Naomi looked up to her sister and wanted to follow in her footsteps. But that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Maya discovers that, like her, Naomi became a member of one of Princeton’s most exclusive eating clubs, as well as the secret society within the club, which could open doors to an incredible future of possibilities.

However, Naomi was also digging into some mysteries around the club and the powerful people involved, not to mention the death of a student 10 years ago. She discovered that her sister was somehow involved in that incident, but she’s determined to uncover the truth.

I’m a fan of dark academia stories. I enjoyed the discussion about privilege and prejudice, not to mention how racial and cultural differences strike at the heart of a purposely diverse group. For me, the book moved sooo slowly. While it’s told in multiple narratives, the voices are nearly identical so I had to keep reorienting myself to whose story each chapter was.