#BookReview: Every Little Thing by Kay Bratt

Truly Masterful. This is one of those books where the dangers of a foreign country – specifically, Mexico relative to US tourists, in this case – form a major plotline… so be aware of that going in, and depending on your own views you may like it or not. Either way, Bratt works it pretty amazingly to show that there are both good and bad people everywhere, and for the most part, people really just want to live their lives and work for the best for those they love.

In addition to the dangers of Mexico though (which are central to one of the major plotlines of the book), Bratt also does a great job of showing just how beautiful the resort areas in its tourist hotspots can be – which I can also attest to as well.

And then there is the plotline following the youngest of the Hart sisters, back again in a major way and having a more direct link with some of my own activities over the last couple of weeks, as I mentioned in Bratt’s Facebook group. So that was pretty cool for me personally, but even more generally Bratt managed to layer this particular plotline into this story very well, despite its only real connection to the Mexico-based plotlines being that it involved a member of the Hart family.

Overall I do think this was one of the stronger tales of this series, really, with all that is done herein and all that is set up to come out of everything. Bratt carefully and beautifully layers all these elements of destination wedding, missing person suspense, travel danger, personal danger, family loyalty, non-preachy political commentary, and so much more… and she manages to do it all while telling a compelling tale in just over 250 pages. As I mentioned in the title, truly masterful.

Start from Book 1, Hart’s Ridge, to understand all that is going on here, but for those more adventurous readers, this *can*, technically, be read as a standalone / entry point in series.

Very much recommended.

This review of Every Little Thing by Kay Bratt was originally written on May 5, 2025.

#BlogTour: The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a book that will transport nearly anyone to the beauty of the Amalfi Coast of Italy for nearly anyone who may possibly want to go along for the ride. For this blog tour, we’re looking at The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookBub.com / BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / Hardcover.app / PageBound.co / TheStoryGraph.com) and YouTube:

Something For Damn Near Everyone. Seriously, this book has a LOT. You’ve got romance, in both timelines. You’ve got a touch of action, in both timelines. You’ve got adventure, again, in both timelines. You’ve got pirates and witches. You’ve got a lonely mom just trying to keep her family together. You’ve got a son desperate to keep his business… in business. You’ve got various heartaches. You’ve got at least some humor. You’ve got an academic investigation. You’ve got the fucking Amalfi Coast of Italy, which apparently is one of the more beautiful settings in Europe. (One I personally have no interest in ever visiting, despite this book’s strong efforts of conveying just how beautiful it is. I have do doubt it is every bit as beautiful as this book describes so vividly… and yet, I can tell you of places in the Caribbean and the Americas that are just as beautiful. :D)

Overall, the story works well here in both timelines. Yes, it can be a touch slow at times… but then, in a setting such as this… maybe you want to more casually linger, have a more relaxing time in this world and in this location, if only in your mind while you trudge through your “real” life in whatever location you may find yourself in. It *does* take a bit more effort to get into the 19th century story than the 21st century one, but once you do… both parts are equally magic.

Ultimately it almost doesn’t matter how you approach this book – whether you’re in it for the 18th century pirates/ witches story, the 21st century travel/ adventure/ discovery story, either one of the romances, or even just here for some of the secondary characters or just to hang out in the Amalfi Coast for a few hours in your mind… you’re going to find something to enjoy here regardless. Truly about the only types of readers that will be overly disappointed – and I’m warning you now if you’re one of these – are those who can *only* read balls to the wall action or Carolina Reaper scorching, damn near erotica, romance, as neither of those are here at all – though their milder forms certainly are. Enough to get the pulse pounding but perhaps without the flood of adrenaline. 🙂

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner”

#BookReview: My Best Friend’s Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner

Tries Too Hard To Be ‘Edgy’. Having read both Mistakes Were Made and Cleat Cute, it seems that the issues that really seem to have begun in Cleat Cute, where I wrote in my review that “this is one of those stories where there are a LOT of valid issues that people may have with the book, but ultimately pretty well all of them are matters of taste and not something truly concretely objectively *wrong*” have gone even further here, and now there are things that while still arguably not *objectively* wrong, there is a fair amount here that gets much closer to that line, at least in some readers’ eyes.

Specifically, while none of the following really get up there to a star deduction on their own, there is enough that I’m about to detail that I felt the star deduction was warranted due to the accumulation. First, there is the more than once yet also not *pervasive* bigotries against anything non-queer, including one character getting quite preachy when a server refers to both characters as “Ladies”, even though one of the characters is a female but claims “non-binary”. Then there is the oral period sex. Yes, you read that right, and yes, I know it is a (minor) spoiler. But it is one that I feel people will want to be aware of when deciding to read or skip this book, so I feel justified mentioning it here. It is also one that many that decry explicit lack of use of condoms during sex *should* decry as even more unsafe than condomless penetrative sex can ever be, yet I’ve seen no such condemnations as I write this review less than two weeks before publication. To be fair, I also don’t track reviewers who explicitly comment about such things in other books, so it is quite possible that *someone* has in fact called this out and I am simply unaware of it. Then there is the degrading talk during sex, but to be fair to Wilsner this *was* specifically done with a discussion of safe words just before this and explicit instruction to use them if the partner was uncomfortable with such speech. Finally, there are the barely-there and almost caricature level supporting characters – indeed, it almost seems as though the aforementioned server was included specifically so the preaching could be “excused”. Even relatives of the characters felt like stereotypes at best, rather than fully (or even really partially) fleshed out and understood characters. As I noted previously in this review, none of this (possibly with the exception of the oral period sex) is objectively *wrong*, but it also all adds up to Wilsner just seeming to try to hard, particularly as the sex scenes take up seemingly 20% of the book – and the entire middle section of it. Thus, the star deduction. If you don’t like that I deducted a star for this, maybe read the book and write your own review. Feel free to crucify me when you do, should you feel the need.

Beyond these issues though, Wilsner actually manages to create a plausible enough, if in a “queer Hallmarkie” kind of vibe, story that works well enough. Yes, things happen *fast* in actual shown-time, but at the same time, again in a “queer Hallmarkie” kind of mindset… meh, I for one didn’t really have a problem there. Particularly given that these two had known each other for decades before the events of this book, again, meh, plausible enough that one day long-guarded truths are exposed and different paths emerge.

And then there is the titular honeymoon. The Caribbean setting was done well enough, though as it largely takes place inside that middle damn-near-erotica section of the book… maybe it could have been done even better, but that is likely a quibble that some will agree with and others will think it was done quite well indeed. For me, it was absolutely enough to show the beauty of the setting, almost in a Couples Retreat (the 2009 Vince Vaughn movie) way. They’re there, they spend quite a bit of time in their mostly private hut over the water (as honeymooning couples would do, obviously, even though this couple isn’t actually on their honeymoon and hasn’t even admitted their feelings to each other at the time they arrive), but they also get out and explore a decent amount as well (which is where the server scene above happens, among other locations around the resort they explore). Like I said, it works well enough, could arguably have been done a touch better, but nothing really to *actually* complain about there.

Overall this was a book that many won’t want to read for many perfectly valid reasons, but also many *will* want to read for equally perfectly valid reasons, and as with Cleat Cute in particular, it absolutely is one Your Mileage May Vary on. If what I’ve described above is close enough to something that interests you and you don’t really have any major issues with those things, this is likely a book you should at least try to read and see if you enjoy. If you’re more adamantly opposed to any of the things I describe above, you’re likely better off skipping this one and sparing yourself the wasted time and the author the potentially far more harsh review than what I hope I’ve done a relatively balanced job with here. If you do choose to read it though, please leave a review on Hardcover dot app, BookHype dot com, PageBound dot co, or whatever your preferred book review platform may be.

Recommended.

This review of My Best Friend’s Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner was originally written on April 16, 2025.

#BlogTour: Beach Vibes by Susan Mallery

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a solid tale of friendship and love… that has nothing at all to do with its title. For this blog tour, we’re looking at Beach Vibes by Susan Mallery.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookBub.com / BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / Hardcover.app / PageBound.co / TheStoryGraph.com) and YouTube:

Zero Beach Vibes. Solid Mallery Tale. I normally get a bit into the review before explaining star deductions, but in this particular case the reason for the star deduction is the most critical thing you need to know about this book:

It has *ZERO* beach vibes. Yes, it takes place in Malibu – largely across the street from the beach, at best – but the setting here is largely completely irrelevant to literally anything about the story. Mallery could have changed the location names to almost literally “Anywhere” and the overall story would read and feel *exactly* the same.

Now, with that said, this actually *is* a solid tale of its type = in other words, a women’s fiction/ romance blend that Mallery is so prolific with and does so well. If you’ve never read her works, this is a decent one to begin with – not her worst in my own experiences with her books, yet also not her best, but solidly indicative of her overall style of writing and storytelling.

So if you’re ready for a drama filled tale of two strangers who happen to become friends and who happen to develop an uncommon cross bond with each others’ siblings… this tale will work well for you.

Note that the spice level here is somewhere north of a warm glass of milk yet south of habanero – again, fairly typical of Mallery’s overall style. So those that prefer the warm glass of milk or those that prefer ghost peppers… either direction there, you’re likely going to be left a touch disappointed. Yet the overall tale, outside the bedroom, is actually quite strong in its own right, and you really should give it a chance anyway – there will most likely be other things about this tale that you truly enjoy, and maybe you can glass over the bedroom stuff.

Overall a solid, well told tale… that simply has absolutely *zero* to do with anything remotely associated with its title.

Very much recommended.

After the jump, an excerpt from the book followed by the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: Beach Vibes by Susan Mallery”

#BookReview: The Pianist’s Wife by Soraya M. Lane

Not Fully German. Not Fully Jewish. Not Fully Straight. How Will They Survive The Holocaust? Yet again Soraya Lane returns to historical fiction during WWII with yet another aspect you’ve never likely considered. Before the rise of Hitler, before the collapse of Germany due to the Versailles excesses, it was possible – if perhaps frowned upon in at least some circles – for a German to marry a Jew and have kids with them. What happens *after* the rise of Hitler and Nazism to those children?

We know from the history books that homosexuals were sent to some of the same concentration -and extermination – camps Jews were during the “Final Solution”. But have *you* ever read a fictionalized version of what their lives could have been like? What if I told you that one particularly harrowing incident – you’ll know it when you see it here – was taken straight from Lane’s actual research and that that particular scene was only barely fictionalized at all?

Lane, as usual, manages to build a metric shit-ton of research into making her historical fiction as real and as tense as possible, without making it ever seem like an info-dump in any way. These people, though completely fictional, are going to *feel* like people you will think you could have known during this period. (Which gets weird if you, like me, are the grandchild of two American soldiers of this period, both of whom survived the Battle of the Bulge during the period of the story in this book, one of whom got a few fairly high ranking medals for his actions in that particular battle.)

For those that could ever doubt just how horrible the Third Reich was – and yet, just how *normal* at least some people who lived under it were – Lane is here to show you in stark imagery just how wrong you truly are. And yet she’s never going to preach to you at all – she’s simply going to tell her story her way and highlight several different very real incidents along the way. Incidents you may not have heard about, no matter how much you study that period yourself.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Pianist’s Wife by Soraya M. Lane was originally written on January 16, 2025.

#BookReview: The Loathe Boat by Cindy Dorminy

Fun Cruise Read. But It Has The Wrong Best Video Game Ever. When this book releases on my birthday – US Presidential Inauguration Day as well, this year – I will literally be out of the country. Specifically, I’ll be on Grand Turk with the Carnival Mardi Gras… yes, on a cruise myself that week. 😀

Reading this one in the last few days before I drop down to Orlando and Port Canaveral to meet up with the Mardi Gras was particularly fun, but I can tell you from over 4 months of cruising across nearly 20 years now that this book really does capture the spirit of the modern cruise industry quite well. Some of the other aspects re: group cruises or partial charters (and particularly the type of group doing the charter here), I’m less familiar with as neither group cruises nor this particular type of group are really my scene. Even there, from what I’ve seen of that group, Dorminy shows the group in a favorable light and does a solid job of incorporating the better elements of that group within the overall story being told here.

And the story being told here is actually one of the more interesting romcoms I’ve read in quite some time, mostly because even though it uses several tropes (what romance book these days doesn’t?), it uses them in far more rare and interesting ways. The comedy segments are done particularly well in many different aspects, including some that will have you literally laughing out loud. The “spice” is somewhere around call it habanero or so. It gets a bit interesting without going so far as to cause really anyone to “get the vapors” or anything, though it *is* more than some will want to handle.

Overall a fun and interesting read, great for getting in the “vacation mood” without necessarily hearing Jimmy Buffett (but also, thankfully, no Sweet Caroline either).

Oh, and the *actual* best video game ever? Mass Effect Legendary Edition. Find it on any console or PC, and you’ll thank me for the game recommendation even more than the book recommendation.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Loathe Boat by Cindy Dorminy was originally written on January 10, 2025.

#BookReview: Teacher’s Pet by David Johnson

Best In Series For Making You Want To Explore The Author’s Other Works. With some of the other books in this series, the authors do a great job of referencing their other books, maybe even bringing in a character or two – or at least someone connected to them who can reference them in-story – to entice the reader of this series to explore their other books. It is very well done within the stories they are telling and doesn’t feel forced at all, just a casual “hey, there’s other stuff out there that may warrant exploration, if you’re into these characters” type of vibe.

Yeah… Johnson doesn’t go that route. He’s far more in your face about it – without being in your face about it at all. Instead, he brings in one of his major characters from some of his other work and gets you invested in this character’s story even within the context of the story he is telling here as part of Dragonfly Cove… and then tells you in the author’s note at the end “Oh yeah, if you want to see what actually happens with that character, well, this character just so happens to be the titular character in these other books I wrote”.

And yet the story here itself is at least as powerful as the one with that other character, here using a retiree set in her ways as our main character and telling a compelling story of an old “get off my lawn” curmudgeon (literally, in a couple of cases, telling people to leave her yard) who has very distinct thoughts about how things should be done learning to live again in a new situation. And, maybe, through the love and dedication of her puppy… maybe she just might fall in love again?

There are several subplots to this story that all show the complexities of elder life in various forms, which I know many readers are desperate for these days as seeming so few books deal in main characters of this particular age bracket – despite it being among the larger sets of the American population at the moment.

By far the longest book of this series at nearly 300 pages, this is also one of the most complex-yet-easy-to-read stories in the series as well.

Very much recommended.

This review of Teacher’s Pet by David Johnson was originally written on January 1, 2024.

#BookReview: Unleashed Melody by Julie Carobini

Most Hallmarkie Book In Series. In a series built basically specifically for dog lovers who also enjoy women’s fiction/ romance type tales, this is perhaps the single most “Hallmark Movie” like book in the entire series – and it actually sticks out from the series because of it. More self contained than many of the other books in the series, it really works quite well as a corporate/ office type romance that happens to involve owning and running a boutique hotel in a small beach town. But it also has some of the “problems” (according to some) of many Hallmark movies – including the seeming inevitable third act drama. Still, the tale really is quite solid in itself, and as one of the shorter books in the series it *really* packs quite a bit of story into the few (sub 150) pages it has.

Very much recommended.

This review of Unleashed Melody by Julie Carobini was originally written on January 1, 2024.

#BookReview: Coming Home To Heel by Jodi Allen Brice

More Evidence That Strong Stories Don’t Need High Page Counts. This entire series is testament to this, but this book in particular *really* is. There’s a lot going on here – grief from a somewhat recent loss of a mother and an even more recent loss of a marriage + the son is estranged due to how the marriage broke apart *and* a potential new romance already on the horizon… all of this in not quite 17o pages! And it all works incredibly well!

Indeed, this tale in particular is arguably at its strongest when Nora is using her newfound strength -yes, thanks in part to new puppy Charlie – to handle her divorce and her son’s issues around it.

Truly an excellent and short book, again, this entire series really is great for those who love dogs and who are at least somewhat interested in the women’s fiction/ romance genres who may be looking to start their 2025 reading strong- this will easily get you 9 books potentially on January 1, as I write most of these reviews, if you put an effort in. (Ok, so at that point you’re reading around 1100 pages in a day – which *is* daunting. But 150 ish pages/ day spread out over a couple of weeks? Nearly anyone can find that kind of time. :D)

Very much recommended.

This review of Coming Home To Heel by Jodi Allen Brice was originally written on January 1, 2025.

#BookReview: Hearts Unleashed by Tammy L. Grace

Powerful (And Short) Story. This is the book where the power of the Dragonfly Cove concept really begins to shine through. Here, we get a short story that packs a lot of story into its few pages, specifically as it relates to moving on after loss and grief. But it is the way that Grace integrates so many other characters from the other books in the series that really shows the full power of this series in showing a vibrant community, rather than just one person’s actions within a world and how they affect herself. In also introducing characters with ties to her own series (such as Lavender Bay in particular), Grace also gives the reader of this short story, who may not be familiar with her other works, reasons to want to go back and look into those other books.

Finally, as this *is* a series centered on puppies and the love of dogs, the way Grace was able to execute chapters from the dog’s perspective was both fun and refreshing – it is one thing to be *told* how hyper dogs can be, and another thing to be *shown* from “their own mind” how it is. 🙂

Ultimately a strong story yet also a quick read, this is yet again a great introduction to Grace and her style.

Very much recommended.

This review of Hearts Unleashed by Tammy L. Grace was originally written on January 1, 2025.