New Releases

Review: The Matchmaker’s Playbook by Rachel VanDyken

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01 amatWhat if the villain turns out to be less villainous and more hero?

When Gabi starts to work for Wingman, she is forced to start get closer to her nemesis, Lex. She needs to be trained in the art of seduction and unfortunately that means she needs to be trained from the head villain himself.

Lex has always been the villain in this story, but somehow the more times he spends with Gabi, the more time he realizes that she just may be what he’s been looking for.

I love enemies to lovers. There’s a certain amount of angst involved that keeps the story going. I mean, the guy’s name is Lex. Of course he’s gonna be the enemy of the story! But even the villains can have soft spots for the heroine.

Watching these two interact was making me smile. I enjoyed the texts and banter so much. I loved the way that Lex cared, even though he didn’t want anyone to know. Deep down, he was a good guy who needed a good girl to bring it out of him.

“And the damsel fell in love with the villain. Write that, Disney.”

~Melpomene

Buy The Matchmaker’s Playbook HERE.

Review: My Sister’s Secret by Tracy Buchanan

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Yes, I’m doing it again.  I’m recommending a book about lying families with dark secrets.  Sorry, it is what it is!  But never fear, this one is heavy on the emotions and light on the mayhem.

Willow has lived with her aunt Hope for almost as long as she can remember. Orphaned at a very young age, she takes her aunt’s version of what happened at face value.  Why would she question the past, anyway?  But when she receives an invitation to a gallery exhibit, she begins to wonder.  And the more she wonders, the more she uncovers.  An aunt she didn’t know existed, questions about her parents’ death…all these things lead her to dig deeper.  Unfortunately her aunt Hope is no help, preferring to leave the tragedies of her youth hidden and forgotten.  So Willow is left on her own, with a lot of determination and a bit of help from both friends and strangers.

Alternating between the past and the present, the author successfully blends the two together into a story that covers all possible angles.  I found myself caring as much about Charity’s story as I did Willow’s.  It’s a rare author that can do this.  A great summer beach read!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  My Sister’s Secret

 

Review: Broken Prince by Erin Watt

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01 abr I am royally ruined.

After that shocking ending, in Paper Princess, we were left with a ton of questions. To be honest, we were left screaming and yelling. But once we calmed down, we were able to think and ponder and then come up with all our questions.

Ella is gone. The Royals are falling a part. The world is not what it should be. Who knew that a girl was the key to a smoother life in the Royal household?

Reed has been the king of his world for some time now, but when Ella walks into his life, she flipped a switch. And now that she’s gone, he realizes that he needs her more than he ever knew. He’s made so many wrong decisions and now they’re all back to bit him in the rump.

“I’ve spent the last couple of years trying to destroy everything around me. Who knew success would taste so bitter.”

This book had so many “Oh my gosh!” and “Holy crap!” moments, I could barely keep up. So many deceptions and new questions, it’s no wonder we can’t pick up a book for a few days. My stomach was in knots the entire time. This book turned me into one of those annoying people who use all caps to get their feeling across on social media. I mean, between Ella, Reed, evil Brooke, Callum and the rest of the Royal boys, how’s a person supposed to function with all that drama and deception flying around?

Again, this book will leave you wanting so much more. Too bad we must wait until October for Twisted Palace. And let me tell you, that name is PERFECT for this insane story.

~Melpomene

Buy Broken Prince HERE.

Review: Anything But Love by Abigail Strom

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In this well-written romance the male lead seems to be the center of the story in the beginning … which makes sense, because the heroine has felt invisible for so long. Ben sees Jessica at a wedding and gives her a shoulder to cry on. Jessica melts inside, but maintains a cool facade – something she’s had to learn to do to deal with family problems. But as Ben continues to show Jessica he cares, a little bit of trust builds, and the possibility of healing and happiness comes to the forefront. Whether the timing is right or the friendship will be enough is another story. 

I’m a frequent reader of light and easy romances, so even though Strom is new to me, this book was right up my alley. I was pleasantly surprised to see so much focus on Ben at the beginning. It totally worked. As Jessica opened up, so the story began to center more on her. My absolute favorite parts of this book were Strom’s use of fancy vocabulary… not so much that it stopped me in my tracks, not so fancy that I had to look up anything, but intelligent use of precise words that many wouldn’t expect in a “fluffy” romance. 

This book pulled me in so hard that I was all of a sudden at 81% after midnight… and stayed up to finish it without hesitation!  I was impressed with the characters, the story, and the writing, and now I need to click on some more Abigail Strom for my kindle. 

-calliope

P.S. There’s a happily ever after for more than one couple in this book!

Buy ANYTHING BUT LOVE
 

Review: Daughters of the Bride by Susan Mallery

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What a lovely story about a mom and her three daughters. Susan Mallery writes four very different love stories in Daughters of the Bride. Awkward Courtney grows up and grows into herself even while the world isn’t watching. A certain music producer is, though, and he has no qualms about telling her. Distant Sienna seems cold until she realizes she’s surrounding herself with the wrong men. Supermom Rachel forgets who she really is until the love of her life helps her remember. 

The three women help their mom plan her wedding, and through the process they begin to know and love themselves more. 

Daughters of the Bride was a feel-good family story on the surface, but Mallery brought her signature spice to one of the couples’ romance. In the family relationships and in the romantic ones, love abounded. 

-calliope

Buy DAUGHTERS OF THE BRIDE

Review: The Stepmother by Claire Seeber

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I seem to have a thing for stories about families so dysfunctional that it’s criminal.  Evil parents, deranged siblings, you name it and I’m drawn to it like a moth to a flame. So of course I couldn’t pass up a book with a title so intriguing as this one…

Jeanie feels like she’s living in a fairy tale when she meets Matthew.  After  a whirlwind courtship and marriage, she dares to believe that she’s found her happily ever after.  And she deserves it, after living through such a traumatic past.  Matthew is perfect, everything she could imagine wanting for the rest of her life.  Sure there’s the small issue of his teenage children, but Jeanie is sure they’ll come around with some time and patience.

But in this story, there’s no such thing as a happy ending.  Someone has discovered Jeanie’s darkest secrets and is trying their hardest to expose her.  The question is, just who is it?  And which one of her new family members is out to destroy her?

There are so many twisted characters in this story with so many secrets that I was left guessing until the very end.  I couldn’t decide exactly who the “bad” person was.  Was it Jeanie’s stepdaughter, Scartlett?  Or was it someone from Jeanie’s past?  An outstanding story that had me hooked from the very first page.

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  The Stepmother

 

Review: You and Me, Always by Jill Mansell

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Another fun yet substantial read by Jill Mansell! 

From a letter she reads on her 25th birthday, Lily finds out about some important people from her past. While she decides how much time and effort to spend finding them, she is supported by longtime friend Dan and his sister, as well as her foster mom who owns a vintage shop. Lily also gets to meet a famous star… fall into Like… and live a jet setting lifestyle for as long as. 

I enjoyed every character in this book, even the one villain – maybe because he wasn’t given too much space on the page. Haha! Lily was such a kindhearted soul that each personal relationship she had was meaningful and poignant. In our recent times of uncertainty and violence, I appreciated this book heavy on the niceness. 

My favorite part was the unrequited love moving along with perfect timing. More than one character found true love and a happily ever after… That’s my kind of book. 

– calliope 

Buy YOU AND ME, ALWAYS

Review: House Revenge by Mike Lawson 

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This was a pretty entertaining read. Though it’s the eleventh in a series, I had no trouble keeping track of characters and their occupations, good guys vs bad guys, and the relationships among them all.

House Revenge takes the reader through Boston politics, from commercial land development to dirty congressmen to cops on the take to connections with Mexican drug cartels, all through the eyes of Joe DeMarco. Joe is a right hand man taking direction from politicians, but trouble arises when he doesn’t think through his approach.  

In House Revenge, at the request of those more powerful than he, Joe tries to help an old lady stay in her apartment. Her building is getting torn down to make way for bigger and better – and more profitable – enterprises. Joe doesn’t intend to get too involved, but we all know where the path of good intentions leads. By the middle of the book, Joe is halfway there. 

I liked the peek into DC and Boston politics, the interactions with Boston Police, and the local references. Though some of Joe’s “solutions” seemed pretty far-fetched, I’ve got to give him credit for getting as far as he did in a world where one hand washes the other, and quid pro quo is the status quo.

-calliope 

Buy HOUSE REVENGE

Review: All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

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What can I say about this latest novel from Megan Miranda other than it’s pure gold?  Truly, it’s along the lines of “Run and grab this one as fast as you can and be prepared to stay up way  past your bedtime to finish it.”

Nic dreads returning to her hometown.  But she can’t avoid it after being summoned by her brother.  He needs her help to make arrangements for their aging father.  Her plan is to get in and out as quickly as possible, get back to her life as she knows it.  History, however, has other ideas…

You see, there’s a reason she left in such a hurry all those years ago.  Was it the devastating disappearance of her best friend, Corinne?  Or was it something else?  Whatever the cause, it’s still there after all these years.  Dark secrets don’t stay hidden forever.  And once you start digging, well, it’s just a matter of time until everything is out in the open.  Or maybe not.

Megan Miranda has written an outstanding thriller, making me want to read all of her others.  Bonus points on originality for this one as the story is told in reverse.  I wasn’t sure how that was going to work at first, but by the end it all came together.  A must-read for fans of suspenseful, well-told stories!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  All the Missing Girls

 

Review: The Sister by Louise Jensen

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I hate it when I wait too long to review a book.  And I know I’m not alone in that sentiment.  It’s not that we completely forget what the story was about.  It’s just that we are such voracious readers that sometimes characters and storylines from various books mesh together into one big bookish blob.  But still, I would be neglecting my role as a reviewer of “books that must be read” if I didn’t mention this little gem.

When Grace loses her best friend, Charlie, her world comes to an end.  Connected from childhood, everything she knows involves Charlie.  She just can’t come to grips with her death, with secrets left behind and questions unanswered.  So she digs.  She looks for answers to just who Charlie was.  And in the process, she uncovers more than she expected in the form of Charlie’s unknown sister, Anna.  Here’s where things start to get weird.  Grace begins to forget things, to lose things.  She’s sure someone is following her.  And the people around her are acting very strange.  Is she going crazy?  Or is something more sinister at work?

This debut novel is a thriller in the truest sense.  It plays tricks with your mind and leaves you guessing all the way while at the same time making it seem as if you’ve figured it out.  And of course there’s a fantastic twist that you’ll never see coming!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  The Sister