#BookReview: Rules For Second Chances by Maggie North

Aspiring Autistic Author Accomplishes Astounding Act of Adoration. Ok, so that was a very painful and forced alliteration by an Autistic reviewer that actually gives an idea of what this book may be like for at least some non-Autistic readers.

Personally, I found that most of this book worked quite well – it does in fact have the far-too-common tacked on baby-in-epilogue that always leaves a sour “aftertaste” for me when the book never really mentioned even wanting kids in its overall story, but other than this quibble the book actually does work well as a story of both finding oneself and rediscovering the love one had for one’s partner along the way. But part of what made it work so well – if perhaps a *touch* stereotypically – is that North worked in so many real-world examples of what life as an Autistic in the corporate world can truly be like at times, particularly as it relates to understanding others and working to be understood by them.

The emphasis on improv comedy and its “Yes, and” philosophy is a driving force in the overall narrative here and yes, perhaps is very nearly a crutch/ preachy at times about the philosophy and its purported benefits, but again, within the overall structure of the story as told… eh, *every* such story has some overarching narrative device, this one simply happens to be improv.

Overall this was a solid debut effort in the romance space, and absolutely leaves me wanting to see more from this author – which is the number one (or maybe two, after sales of this book itself) goal of any debut book. So in that regard, it did its job quite well indeed. And for those looking for “diverse reads”, again, here’s a neurodiverse author for you to give a shot!

Very much recommended.

This review of Rules For Second Chances by Maggie North was originally written on June 26, 2024.

#BookReview: The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

Sometimes One Shot Really Can Change Everything. This is one of those tales where it should have been over from the very beginning – these two people are just *so* broken by their lives to this point that it *shouldn’t* work…

And yet it does, because this is a romantic comedy and that is the very *purpose* of romantic comedies, to give the rest of us hope that something like this *can* work – even in our own completely broken states. And hell, *particularly* when the book is meta enough to actively make *that very same point* within its text. (Helped by the overall plot of… actively writing a romantic comedy movie. 😉 )

Yes, some of the things that both characters do are horrible. Yes, perhaps some (or even much) of this tale doesn’t or even can’t happen in real life. Well, again as pointed out within the text here, neither can zombies or space aliens or some such… and yet people love those movies for somewhat similar reasons as to why they love romantic comedies.

So sit back and enjoy the ride and the feels. If you have to turn your brain off and enjoy the spectacle for sheer spectacle, *do that*. But don’t criticize a book that many will truly love and find catharsis in over your own hangups. Particularly don’t review bomb something just because “that can’t really happen”. *Particularly when one of the main issues in the book is exploring how reality doesn’t really apply in romantic comedies, including this one.*

Overall a strong tale with complex and complicated characters, with a lot of laughs, some smiles, and even a few dusty room scenes to boot. Come in expecting to laugh and perhaps wet your eyes a bit, and you truly won’t be disappointed here.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center was originally written on July 11, 2024.

#BookReview: The Seaside Sisters by Pamela Kelley

Solid, If A Touch Generic, Beach Read. You know those tales where you go into it knowing roughly what is going to happen from the get-go, but also knowing you’re going to enjoy the experience because you know this type of tale and know nothing too shocking or controversial will be a major plot point? In other words, a somewhat Hallmark Movie type plot, but more on the women’s fiction side and featuring multiple storylines in one?

Yeah, this is pretty well exactly that, in coastal Cape Cod + NYC as the “big city”. Solid enough to be a solid, inoffensive choice for lounging at the pool or on a beach reading while relaxing as the kids make a fool of themselves in the water… in other words, fairly idyllic “summer read”. And what do you know, positioned to release right at the beginning of the “summer season” in the US, just over a week after Memorial Day and when many – particularly more Yankee-area – schools are getting out of school for the summer later that week.

So if this is the kind of tale you’re looking for – and based on the Hallmark Channel’s success, clearly there is a fairly substantial market for this type of tale – then you’re going to enjoy this one and it is pretty well going to be everything you expect it to be. For those looking for something with more teeth… look for some of my other reviews, wherever you may find them. 🙂

Very much recommended.

This review of The Seaside Sisters by Pamela Kelley was originally written on May 31, 2024.

#BookReview: Pity Parade by Whitney Dineen

More Dusty Rooms Than Usual. This is one of those romcoms where guys are going to encounter more dusty rooms than usual, and women may outright cry more than usual. Because Dineen does one character in particular so unbelievably well, we truly *feel* this character’s motivations – and hesitations.

Which, perhaps, makes up for what for at least some readers will be a cancellable offense for Dineen, who has this character make a joke that… well, there are many out there today who won’t find the joke funny and yes, will probably/ likely call for her cancellation over it. Me, apparently I’m going to Hell right there with Dineen, because I thought it was one of the more hilarious moments of the book, and there was enough contrition later (indeed, bordering on preachiness, which is perhaps a step *too* far) that it *should* mollify most critics of it.

Overall though, another solid entry in this series that technically *can* be read as a standalone, though significant events play out in the book immediately before this one in this series that directly impact the story here, and are referenced frequently in this story. But for those who don’t mind mild spoilers of other books, eh, this one could truly work standalone.

Truly a fun, shortish (at under 300 pages) romcom, perfect for a breezy summer afternoon relaxing… just watch out for the dust. Very much recommended.

This review of Pity Parade by Whitney Dineen was originally written on May 31, 2024.

#BookReview: No Place Like Home by Barbara O’Neal

Twenty Year Old Book Holds Up Well. First off, to be clear: This new (2024) edition is an updated and revised (with apparently *some* new content) version of a book originally released over 20 years ago. So some of you may have already own/ have read this, and I know there are at least some out there who “only read new releases”. But for everyone *else*… this is still a damn good story, 20 years later.

In at least some ways, it is actually a callback to a different era, the era of RENT when friends dying of AIDS was still a major zeitgeist moment and a reality for many, particularly many in urban areas. (I say this because growing up in the exurbs of Atlanta in the era the book was originally published, this just wasn’t a reality that was seen much in my area.) This plotline provides both some of the gravitas of the book – addiction being the primary other source – and the meetcute – the male lead is the brother of the friend dying of AIDS.

The romance side of the book is also well done, granted with a lot of lust and pent up sexual frustration as its start and with quite a bit of bedroom action (not always in the bedroom) throughout – once things get going there. Which, again, will be a turn off for some and a selling point for others.

Ultimately, this is a story of a lot of flawed individuals making their way through life as best they can in the situations they find themselves, and this is where the story particularly shines.

Very much recommended.

This review of No Place Like Home by Barbara O’Neal was originally written on April 13, 2024.

#BookReview: The Trail Of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves

Surprise Pregnancy Mars Otherwise Excellent Romance Tale. This is one of those types of romance tales that is going to be divisive in a couple of different ways, but the biggest is that there is a surprise pregnancy around the 50% mark at all. Which comes completely out of the blue – there is not one iota of a hint that this character may be interested in having kids some day *at all*, then *BAM*, pregnant. Which from reading other reviews, even those who *do* have kids don’t always enjoy this particular type of surprise. Much less the childfree or childless.

Outside of the surprise pregnancy though – which *does* dominate the back half of the book, though there *is* some solid character development despite/ through the pregnancy – this was actually a strong book featuring some atypical angles (such as geocaching) and some solid characterization of grief and loss in various forms and through various backgrounds.

Overall a strong tale that perhaps could have been stronger with a different back half, but which many will find perfectly solid as is. Very much recommended.

This review of The Trail Of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves was originally written on March 15, 2024.

#BookReview: The Breakup Vacation by Anna Gracia

Racism And Misandry Mar Otherwise Genuinely Fun And Funny Tale. This tale was marketed as essentially an updated Forgetting Sarah Marshall for more Zoomer sensibilities, and that kind of thing absolutely shines through. There is a shit ton of drinking and graphic on screen sex of the XXX damn near erotica level in a tropical location where the main cast has gone to “escape from” – but secretly damn near stalk – an ex of one of them. Ok, close enough to the movie – which, IIRC, MTV Films produced (MTV is also publishing this book).

So many people in the reviews here note misogyny, and many make their cases quite well. And yet there is also quite a bit of misandry here, where even the “good” males are only “good” because they agree with literally everything the females say and don’t genuinely challenge any of their preconceptions.

Even more problematic for me personally was the blatant anti-white racism. Including this line in particular:

“I don’t usually judge people, but when a white person’s like, “My family goes back six generations in Texas”, I’m definitely side eyeing them ‘cuz you know which side of the Civil War they were on.”

My family doesn’t go back “six generations in Texas”, but it *does* go back in the South to the Colonial era before the US even existed. Yes, that’s right – some of my ancestors came in via Virginia, not New York. One of them even died during the Civil War – *defending* the Union, at a battle in northern Alabama. I grew up with the scars of the war criminal terrorist bastard William Tecumseh Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign literally all around me, in the town that is the hometown of both the first female and last slaveholding – same person – US Senator. Her land, as described in her journals, was just a couple of miles from the trailer park I spent the first decade of my life in.

No, Ms. Gracia, you most certainly do NOT know “which side of the Civil War” such a person’s family was on, and to make such a claim is pretty fucking racist.

And yet the misandry and racism, while prevalent throughout the text, only serve to deduct a single star combined, as while prevalent they were also somewhat minor in that it wasn’t on every page. While I know others may claim otherwise, perhaps justifiably, that wasn’t my own experience with the text, at minimum, and I do know other reviewers who will (and I think here did?) 1* a book for any modicum of bigotry, even a single line, I try to judge the work as a whole.

And speaking of judging the work as a whole, this has to be one of the thinnest “romances” I’ve read in quite some time. Indeed, the entire “relationship” is more about the aforementioned damn near erotica sex and happening into each other while one of them is on vacation than anything, and the actual romance elements, such as they are, almost feel tacked on to ensure that it can be claimed to be a romance and satisfy RWA (and potential censors, if this ever becomes a movie) rules rather than actually, you know, building a genuinely romantic story. This was thus the other star deduction, and I can honestly say that across my 1100+ reviews I’ve written since 2018 alone, I genuinely think this is the first time I’ve ever deducted a star for such a reason. That I have here is telling of just how justified I think this reason in this book is.

Finally, the fact that a *fiction* book got 3* from me, given my “subtractive method” of rating where every single book starts out at 5* and I must have specific, describable, and preferably objective-ish reasons for deducting stars, should tell you just how problematic I personally think this book is. I think I’ve given less than a handful of fiction books 3* or less across those aforementioned 1200+ reviews, and yet this book managed to get on that particular list.

If you want a book for a tropical getaway, there are better books out there. If you want a book for a tropical getaway *and agree with the comments these characters make* – which is entirely your right – then yes, this book may be for you. But despite being genuinely funny at times, and despite my own completionist nature when it comes to book series, if I give Ms. Gracia’s books another try it will mostly be down to trying to give *everyone* a second chance at all times. And honestly, I’m not sure at this time that I would do that here.

Not recommended.

This review of The Breakup Vacation by Anna Gracia was originally written on March 5, 2024.

#BookReview: The Messy Life Of Jane Tanner by Brenda Novak

Solid Series Continuation. This is one of those books where you thought the author was doing a trilogy… and yet with the story herein, perhaps the author plans to continue coming back to this rural small western town. Both female leads from the first two books, as well as the male lead from the first book, play prominent roles in this tale as we learn of the mess one of their friends has truly gotten herself in. The ending is perhaps a bit rushed and maybe even, arguably, “tacked on” feeling, as though perhaps Novak had a page target, realized she still needed to wrap up the tale, and squeezed into that target. Still, the tale to that point is solid, and even the mad dash to wrap up the book mostly works within the story told here. Note that for those wishing to avoid all versions of pregnancy tales, this is absolutely one of those – and it absolutely works for the character as portrayed within this tale. Overall a solid tale of its type, but absolutely read the first two books in this series first. Then speculate along with me whether Novak plans to continue this series or not. Very much recommended.

This review of The Messy Life Of Jane Tanner by Brenda Novak was originally written on February 23, 2024.

#BookReview: Pity Pact by Whitney Dineen

Solid Romantic Comedy Builds On Characters From Prior Book. This was a solid romantic comedy – yes, in the Hallmarkie type vein – where two people in Small Town USA suddenly find themselves on the same reality dating show that is being shot not only in their small town, but actually in the country club one of them owns. Both of the main characters here played fairly heavily into the prior book, Pity Party, and it was nice to see some strong character growth from the male lead in particular between the two books. Otherwise, there are yet again some fairly hefty subjects broached here, including high school bullying. There are a few laugh out loud moments – always great in something billed as a comedy 😉 – and I enjoyed that this book was much more directly about our lead couple and the people surrounding them. Yes, including the couple from the prior book. One scene in particular may give the clean/ sweet romance crowd a case of “the vapors”, but to be clear even that scene isn’t actually a sex scene. Overall a fun romance that at least somewhat sets up the next book as well, which I’m very much looking forward to reading. Very much recommended.

This review of Pity Pact by Whitney Dineen was originally written on February 7, 2024.

#BookReview: Pity Party by Whitney Dineen

Strong Hallmarkie Romance, Kid Nearly Steals Show. This is a sunshine/ grumpy romance that also features a single parent, and this is one where the child very nearly steals the book with the focus on her and her antics. Which is normally not my thing, but it works in this particular case. There’s also a “friends with benefits” / “situationship” thing going on, but all “action” is behind closed doors – so be warned, whichever direction you may fall on those issues. Overall this is another small town, hallmarkie style romance, and it absolutely works within that mold. Very much recommended.

This review of Pity Party by Whitney Dineen was originally written on February 6, 2024.