Tag: romance

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#BookReview: Wish I Were Here by Melissa Wiesner

RomCom In A Nightmare Setting. Seriously, the title of the review here is pretty much exactly what you’re getting. I don’t know how common it is, but I know I’ve had the nightmare that is a version of the basic premise of this book – that you suddenly find out all of your “government” “approved” “identification” is suddenly found to be fraudulent and/ or non-existent… anywhere. How would you survive in modern America? Particularly if you were just starting a new job? And now you have the basic narrative here.

The romance/ romcom aspects of this tale take a bit of the realism of the premise out of the picture, but then, if we wanted a gritty real world version of the premise above, we wouldn’t be looking for it in a romcom, now would we? Instead, both sides of romance and comedy work well, so long as you don’t mind absurdist/ “What the FUCK?” comedy. (And seriously, if you can’t enjoy that type of comedy at least from time to time, that absolutely says more about you than about Wiesner’s writing here.)

Ultimately, this *is* a romcom – even with the initial premise – so yes, things get tied up in nice little maybe more Lifetime Movie than Hallmarkie bows, but said bows are absolutely the pink and frilly kind. In other words, don’t let the premise get you too anxious here, just sit back and enjoy the ride – if maybe a touch more pulse pounding than many romcoms.

Very much recommended.

This review of Wish I Were Here by Melissa Wiesner was originally written on November 1, 2024.

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#BlogTour: Sleeping With The Frenemy by Natalie Cana

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a tale that is necessarily different from its predecessors in its series. For this blog tour, we’re looking at Sleeping With The Frenemy by Natalie Cana.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / BookBub.com / TheStoryGraph.com / Goodreads.com):

Very Different From Previous Books. Still Solid In Its Own Right. The first two books in this series dealt with vastly different types of relationships than our MCs here have. In the first book, it was a friends to lovers situation, while in the second book it was a S L O W burn second chance situation. Here, its more of a situation situation. As in, this is a couple that has been fucking for *years* behind the backs of the siblings of one of them – one of those siblings being the best friend of the other. More on a situational level though – both were available and attracted to each other and had an opportunity, so mutual itch scratching was had. Fair enough, and that back story alone makes this *wildly* different than the other books here.

And because of that back story, this is perhaps the spiciest entry into the series. So those looking for the no sex/ “fade to black” type books… this aint fucking that. Instead, it more readily takes scenes from a Fifty Shades type environment, and that alone should tell most anyone what to generally expect there.

Still, this book and these characters have history within the series, and that is well respected here. The characters from the prior entries all show up in appropriate enough places, and indeed certain elements of prior storylines come into play heavily in this book – so absolutely read this series in order.

Overall a fun, spicy, story whose every element blends the Puerto Rican background of these characters with their current Chicago home quite well. 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: Sleeping With The Frenemy by Natalie Cana”

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#BlogTour: Two Good Men by S.E. Redfearn

Superbly Written Thriller Will Make You Reconsider Your Ideas Of ‘Justice’. On the one hand, a man has identified a way to identify serial sexual predators – and is committed to stopping them before they can strike again. On the other, a law man absolutely committed to the Rule of Law and that *everyone* has the right to a second chance once their sentence is complete. Which one is “good”. Which one is “just”? How can we as readers of this text reconcile the two competing ideals? Should we? How can we as a society reconcile these ideals? Should we?

Redfearn – yes, the same Suzanne Redfearn of In An Instant, Moment In Time, Hadley & Grace, and Where Butterflies Wander – here presents her most thoughtful book to date, damn near an Atlas Shrugged level deep, *deep* philosophical dive – without Rand’s overt political diatribes. Indeed, the text here in some ways is also remeniscent of NPC by Jeremy Robinson, which also features such deep examinations from two different sides by two people of equal mental acuity – though in the Robinson text, the questions at hand are more existential in nature rather than centered on justice for all, particularly those deemed the lowest of the low by society at large.

This is one of those books that could have gotten quite preachy rather quickly in any number of ways in a less deft hand – as Rand was known to do, despite her own great storytelling abilities – and yet never actually does. It questions and it shows pros and cons of both sides, with quite a bit of real (enough) logically paced and logically executed action. While it can be read as a straight up thriller, and many might, it is one of those texts that really deserves and demands to be more deeply considered and examined. Perhaps particularly in the weeks leading into an Election Day, though that has nothing at all to do with the book and is nowhere present in the text.

This was the 157th book I read in 2024. I’m reasonably confident (at the moment at least, we’ll see what happens in my final rankings in December) in saying that if you read just a single book this year… make it this one.

Very much recommended.

This review of Two Good Men by S. E. Redfearn was originally written on October 24, 2024.

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#BookReview: The (Not So) Perfect Second Chance by Maggie Dallen

Short. Quick. Hallmarkie. Perfect For Holiday Season Or Any Time You Need A Quick Break From Reality. Let’s face it, particularly barely two weeks out from polls beginning to close in the 2024 Presidential Election, we could *all* use a break from reality… but we don’t all have hours to spend in some 300+ page book, much less a 700+ page fantasy tome. Enter this short story originally written as part of an anthology, but now available independently. I read it in I want to say 2.5 hrs or so, it really is that quick. And can be mostly read in shorter chunks still, if that is all the time you have. It works *best* as a finale to the Falling In Friar Hollow series, as it was written as, but in all honesty, if you don’t mind knowing that the couples featured in a *romance book* wound up together… this could also work as an introduction of sorts to the series. Similarly, if you’ve never read Dallen and/ or her contemporary books, this is a solid introduction to her general style for that type of tale. Very much recommended.

This review of The (Not So) Perfect Second Chance by Maggie Dallen was originally written on October 22, 2024.

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#BookReview: A Wish In The Wind by Kay Bratt

Reading The Last Book First? WHAT???? Ok, real confession time: I’ve bought every single book in this series – and this is the *only* one I’ve read, specifically because I also received it as an Advance Review Copy. So why did I buy the other 16 books? I’m familiar with the work, and in many cases the person, of the authors in question, and I trust them to give me solid stories.

This one is yet another such solid story, perhaps of a bit of a Hallmark Movie type vibe – but that is really the intent of this entire series, so it works. Bratt in particular is truly capable of so much more emotional depth (check out her By The Seas series or my own first encounter with her work, Dancing With The Sun) and even outright action/ drama (check out her Hart’s Ridge series), but she shows here that she can contain those other impulses and write on theme and on brand for a collaborative effort – and that too shows great strength and talent as a storyteller (or any group participant), to be able to blend just so well.

So, there it is, really – if you like the Hallmark Movie vibe (and clearly *many* do), you’re going to enjoy both this book and this entire series. If that isn’t really your think, this likely won’t be either.

Oh, and one other strength to both the book and the series: They’re all super short. I read this (120 age ish) book in about 2.5 hrs or so this afternoon. In other words, great for those busy with other things that are looking for quick breaks to enjoy something well written and quite enjoyable that won’t really offend most anyone not actively looking for something to be offended by.

Very much recommended.

This review of A Wish In The Wind by Kay Bratt was originally written on October 15, 2024.

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#BlogTour: One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery

For this blog tour, we’re looking at . For this blog tour, we’re looking at One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / BookBub.com / TheStoryGraph.com / Goodreads.com):

Hallmarkie “Messy Family Comes Together” Type. This is a Susan Mallery book, and it is Christmas book from Susan Mallery – so you know you’re going to get a lot of drama, but in a very Hallmarkie manner where the drama never gets *too* intense and everything wraps up with a nice dose of Christmas magic by the end. Considering the popularity of both Mallery and Hallmark Christmas movies, this isn’t exactly a losing strategy… if a bit “been there, done that”.

Where Mallery manages to spin things with this particular one are, well, the particulars – and there are a lot of things here that aren’t exactly typical. Irritable Bowel Syndrome shown in all of its complexities in a book? Happens some, not exactly overly common in my experience. Female tow truck company owner? I actually am related to one – a cousin – but she’s literally the only one I had ever heard of before reading this book. Age gap romance where the *woman* is the older *and* is on the back side of “middle age” to boot? Done, somewhat, but rarely in this particular combination/ age range. On and on it goes.

Oh, and for anyone who says that this gets way too far out there with just how “together” everything gets… if you’ve read a few of my other reviews over the years, you know about my own family history – same side as the cousin above, actually. You see, both sets of my grandparents were divorced long before I was ever alive. But my mom’s parents in particular? My grandmother remarried, also before I could ever remember anything. My step grandfather was my “second grandfather” (the other died 5 weeks after my birth). And yet there was more than one instance of my grandmother and step-grandfather living on my grandfather’s land over the years, including at least one stint in his house with him. So my sense of “weird family relationships” may be a bit skewed, having seen this type of thing – along with several of the exact scenarios Mallery includes in this book – in my own (extended) family over the years.

Ultimately a solid book of its type, and one for anyone looking for a good Christmas family drama to check out.

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: One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery”

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#BookReview: The Holiday Cottage by Sarah Morgan

Forced (Yet Needed) Christmas Break. Another year, another Sarah Morgan Christmas tale. And yet again, if you like Hallmark Christmas movies – and so very many people very clearly do – you’re going to like this one. Perhaps more drama than many of those movies here, Imogen is truly broken – and with good reason, when we get her full backstory. She’s coping – she thinks – but even then, she *barely* has her ducks in a row. They’re more like cats than ducks, and they *really* don’t like walking in rows. Of course, much of this – she admits – she brought on herself.

Let’s face it, this is 2024, and it almost doesn’t matter your generation, from Boomer all the way down to Zoomer, far too many of us can identify *all too well* with Imogen.

But really, it is the *rest* of the tale – where Imogen is forced into exile and ultimately comes face to face with her past and all of its traumas that created the version of herself she now knows – that is where the true heart of this story is, the true magic – yes, with a bit of Christmas “magic” thrown in to boot. It is this part of the tale that gives it both its gravitas and its wonder, even as it also makes its characters ever more *real*.

Christmas has few Santas, but also few Scrooges. Few Grinches. Just a lot of Whos living their who-lives in their little who-world, doing the best they can.

And here, Morgan hits that particular message out of the ballpark. Kudos to Morgan, and, since I’m writing this review on the day my beloved Atlanta Braves begin their extremely unlikely 7th straight Major League Baseball postseason run, let me just toss in a “Go Braves” and a #ChopOn as well – even though it has *nothing* to do with the book at all. 😀 May they get a bit of the magic of this book and make a *truly* unexpected season.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Holiday Cottage by Sarah Morgan was originally written on October 1, 2024.

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#BookReview: The Christmas Inn by Pamela Kelley

If Bobby Flay and Candace Cameron Bure Had A Baby. Particularly a “baby” in the business sense (aka, a company 😉 ), this is probably what it would look like. Fans of both the Hallmark Channel and the Food Network are going to love this, as the plot itself *is* very stereotypically Hallmarkie (and, given that their Christmas movies in particular seem to be looked forward to all year by *millions*… perhaps this isn’t a bad thing) and yet the level of detail Kelley goes into when describing the food… well, I daresay Gordon Ramsey himself would have a challenge trying to make words on paper sound so utterly delectable.

Now, if this isn’t your scene… eh, maybe you like the women’s fiction and/ or romance elements here and don’t care so much about the foodie side or the Hallmarkie side. In which case, you’re still going to enjoy this book. But if you’re looking for Michael Bay action where there are explosions just because the “camera” turned… yeah, this isn’t that. If you’re looking for a Jeremy Robinson style balls to the wall scifi action… yeah, this isn’t that either. But for what it *is*, it is done quite well – well enough that if Kelley can get this into enough hands, she’s going to have quite the success on her hands.

Very much recommended.

This review of The Christmas Inn by Pamela Kelley was originally written on October 1, 2024.

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#BookReview: Ruthie Deschutes O’Hara Has Ulterior Motives by Cathy Lamb

Freaking Hilarious. With Several Dusty Rooms. And Old People Sex. This is ultimately a romance novel, so it is no spoiler to note that the couple winds up together. But as the couple are both 70 yrs old… yep, old people sex. Though to be clear, “damn near erotica” isn’t exactly Lamb’s style, so we see them nude in bed together… and then we move on. For some, even this will be too much. For others, it won’t be “spicy” enough. And yet for others, specifically those clamoring for more “elder tales” in romance… hey, here ya go. 😀

But seriously, you’re reading this as much for the hilarity as the romance, and it really is great in that department. Particularly the screaming rabbit that causes the pig to snort that startles the dog. 😀 And all the other creatures doing their things. 😀 And yes, Ruthie herself is one of those old grandma “firecrackers”, as We Olden People used to (and still) say. She’s 70 yrs old, and by God she’s gonna say and do what she wants to say and do, and aint *nobody* gonna tell her any different.

But there are also several dusty rooms throughout this tale, enough to give the otherwise largely comedic tale a true heft of heart. I mean, Ruthie is 70 yrs old and human. Yes, she’s suffered some losses – and we get to hear all about them, sometimes seeing them as flashbacks, always told in Lamb’s whimsical humorous manner.

Add in perhaps a dash of “Sister don’t miss when she aims her gun” (to quote the 70-years-old-next-year-as-I-write-this-review Reba McEntire), and this book really does have a bit of everything, at least in the real-world drama department.

Oh, and that there’s quite a bit of “reality television” commentary thrown in (well within story) to boot? Chef’s kiss.

Very much recommended.

This review of Ruthie Deschutes O’Hara Has Ulterior Motives by Cathy Lamb was originally written on September 23, 2024.

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#BlogTour: The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a book that is *just* on the right side of being labeled as “deceptive marketing”, based on its title. For this blog tour, we’re looking at The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / BookBub.com / TheStoryGraph.com / Goodreads.com):

*Almost* Deceptive Marketing. This is one of those books where the title has *just* enough to do with the book itself that it isn’t *actually* deceptive marketing… but you can look to the lower starred reviews and see that many readers felt that the title and book had little to do with each other. (And they’re right.) There is really nothing in this tale about banning books or anything related to the topic, other than a sentence or two of setup that is also (currently, as of publication day) in the description of the book.

Instead, the tale we *actually* get is a version of the Prodigal Son. One sister left years ago after having her world shattered in HS, the other sister stayed in their hometown and has now been taking care of their mother as her mother’s health rapidly fails. As mom’s time is nearing its end, the prodigal sister is convinced to return… and now, *everyone* in town is going to have to come to terms with the fallout from all those years ago.

In the process, we get a lot of different things, some discussed more than others – spousal abuse/ controlling spouse, sexual harassment/ teen molestation (to be clear, the age of the student in question is *not* “child molestation” in all States), breast cancer, coming home, uncovering family secrets, really quite a bit, such that even in a 350 ish page book… like I said, not all of it is covered n much depth.

And of course we also get a romance plot here… and maybe more… because, well, why not? 😉

Overall, for what it *actually* is, this tale is actually quite strong in many ways. Yes, it has its weaknesses at times, but I think overall this ultimately comes out on the stronger side of resiliency and overcoming your demons. But this is also a tale where your mileage truly will vary, so give it a read and make your own call.

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 Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak”