New Releases

Best of My Love by Susan Mallery

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Shelby and Aidan have self-improvement goals, and they’ve decided to form a mutually beneficial friendship with each other to put themselves on a successful path. They don’t anticipate the whole of Fool’s Gold egging on a ROMANTIC relationship between the two. And they certainly don’t foresee Mayor Marsha putting in her two cents. 

I love all the Fool’s Gold heroes – who wouldn’t? They’re perfectly perfect for their ladies, and they’re swoon-worthy to boot. Mallery did something special with Aidan, though. Shelby got to know him as a friend, totally platonically, before ever diving into something more. Whether something romantic worked out for Aidan and Shelby or not, you’ll have to find out by reading the book. Shelby’s a great catch, so there’s definitely some sort of love story — just wait! 

-calliope

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Review: The Year We Turned Forty by Liz Fenton and Lisa Stienke

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01 a14 Many people have that one moment that they look back and think, if only. If only I could go back and do things differently. Would things change or stay the same? Would I be happier? For Jessie, Gabriela and Claire, they get that chance and we get to see what happens.

I’ll admit, when I first saw this cover, I was immediately intrigued. Not that I want to admit to this, but I’m turning 40 this year, so I knew I needed to read this book, even if it’s not my usual genre.

Regret. That is very hard word to live with. And for Jessie, Gabriela and Claire, they’ve been living with it for over a decade. When they go to celebrate their 50th birthday, they realize just how much they wish they could change back when they turned 40. Amazingly, they’re given that chance to go back and relive the year they turned 40 and we get to see if their new choices make a difference.

But as with life, no matter what you do, some things just don’t change. Each of them have to make hard decisions and some work out for the better while others don’t.

My heart was in my throat as I watched each of them struggle with their choices. I wanted it all to be perfect, but life is far from perfect. You learn, and hopefully grow, from your mistakes. We get to see them as they grow and hopefully learn new things over the year. I admit I did get a little nervous a few times, but I think life has a way of working it out.

When I finally closed this book, I sat back and pondered my own life. I realize that there’s no magic that can take me back so I can relive a “What if? moment. You live and learn from your mistakes. You must make the most of your life now and make each year the best it can be. No regrets.

~Melpomene

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Review: Island in the Sea: A Majorca Love Story by Anita Hughes

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Juliet is a record label executive who gets sent to Majorca to light a fire under Lionel’s songwriting behind. While she’s there she enjoys the seaside, the luxurious food, the shopping, and the sun. Best of all, Juliet meets Gabriella, who turns out to be a good friend, a beautifully talented singer, and the salt of the earth that helps Juliet stay grounded. 

I scoop up Anita Hughes’ novels because of the lush food, extravagant shopping and stunning locales. The Island in the Sea love stories are icing on a cake that’s a feast for the senses. 
-calliope

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Review: Cooking Up Trouble by Judi Lynn

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This book has a terrific premise – city slicker moves in next door to country girl – and the couple has excellent chemistry. I was totally caught up in the fun banter between Ian and Tessa, and I loved loved loved the cooking scenes! Overall, it’s good chick lit with a happily ever after. I enjoyed it. 

However, some technical issues frequently stopped me in my tracks. Commas appeared between words that a computer might recognize as two adjectives, but really they’re not:  

“He put two, double beds on the second floor.”

and

“She gave him the right-size, ice cream scoop.”

It drove this proofreading, copy-editing grammarian NUTS, as it happened on almost every page. 😳

I also had to suspend my disbelief quite a bit to get past the forced circumstances in which Tessa and Ian bump into each other or find themselves alone in each other’s company. Another contrivance I struggled to get past was the open relationship Ian’s fiancé wanted. Based on Ian’s character, I would’ve thought that to be a deal-breaker. Lastly, I thought it was unbelievable for a new male neighbor to just pop over to the female neighbor’s house every single day for dinner. They just met! I am a woman and there’s no way I’d welcome a strange guy into my house for dinner. Maybe it’s different for a Mill Pond rancher than for this born and bred Yankee. 

Because I enjoyed the cooking, chemistry, and setting so much, I’m inclined to pick up book two in the Mill Pond series. I just hope an editor takes a heavier hand. 🙂  

-calliope 

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Review: Dirty by Kylie Scott

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01 dirty “Do you believe in crazy at first sight?”
Lines creased his brown. “What?”
“I’m not down with the whole L-word and I don’t think this, whatever this is, is that. So don’t freak out and suddenly accuse me of being a stage-ten clinger or something, got it?”
“Okay.” He looked amused.
“But what if there was crazy at first sight? Because I think we have a credible basis for that.”

This book was most definitely Insta-crazy. I swear it takes place in the span of a couple weeks. CRAZY!! But it was a fast read and I did very much enjoy it.

I liked Vaughn instantly. Here was this girl, in his shower, in a wedding dress, and he doesn’t call the cops or freaks out., He listens to her and tries to help her out, all the while slowly falling for her. He has enough on his own plate, but there’s something about this girl that makes him want new things.

It was SUPER fun to see Mal, my favorite Stage Dive character pop in there!! Seriously. I read that entire part with a big cheesy grin on my face. I had no idea any of them were going to pop in.

Dirty was such a nice way to start this new series, Lighthearted and fun, with some sweet chemistry throughout it. I swear it’s been forever since I read a fun book that wasn’t over the top. If you enjoyed the Stage Dive series, you will definitely like this one.

~Melpomene

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Review: Wicked Need by Sawyer Bennett

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01 wicked Well, if you’re looking for a super sexy book, with no holds barred BDSM scenes, then THIS is the book for you.

After Cat’s husband dies, she is told he left her nothing. After living the horrible life she’s lead, it’s hard for her to trust anyone. She has made some very bad decisions, just to stay a float, but now that everything is gone, she’s not sure how she’s going to survive. What she experienced, I wouldn’t wish that on my enemies. Horrible.

Enter, Rand, the part time fantasy maker and The Silo. He decides to help Cat out, for no other reason than he’s just a nice guy. Once he finds out her full story, he is determined to help her realize that none of her past is her fault. When I read his POV, I was quite happy to see how big his heart is. He brought a lot of emotion without all the tears. It was very nice to see.

Since they’ve been together a time or two, at The Silo, they decide to play around and soon they realize that what they have is more than just a fun. This actually could be real.

I knew Rand was a great guy. He’s super sexy and knows how to make a girl feel loved. I love the fact that he went out of his way, MILES out of his way, just to find some key puzzle pieces that were missing in her life.

And of course this had a hefty dose of sauce. Very HOT sauce. The kind that makes you step away and find your significant other. Whew! I can’t wait until the next one!!

~Melpomene

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Review: Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline

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Lisa Scottoline is well-known for her “could happen to me” stories.  She has a knack for writing about relevant topics that seem as if they were taken from the headlines of the local news.  Her newest is no exception.

Christine and her husband are desperate for a baby.  It’s the only thing she’s wanted for as long as she can remember.  So when it doesn’t come easily, they try other methods.  After exhausting almost every medical option available, they finally agree to use the help of a sperm donor.  And it works.  Christine finds herself happily pregnant and ready to settle in for the duration of her pregnancy. Until she sees something on the news that rocks her to the core.

Is it her imagination or does the recently apprehended serial killer bear a striking resemblance to the photo of their sperm donor that she carries with her?  Surely it’s just a coincidence.  It’s with this thought in mind that she and Marcus set out to clear things up. But every question they ask is left unanswered, leaving them with more questions.  Even as her marriage to Marcus becomes dangerously fractured due to the stress of the situation, Christine sets out on her own to find out once and for all if she is in fact carrying the child of a serial killer.  The question that’s always lurking in the background is, what will she do if it’s true?

This was a compelling story.  There’s suspense along with family drama along with moral dilemmas.  Another good one from this author!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  Most Wanted

Review: What We Find by Robyn Carr

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Maggie’s a burned out neurosurgeon taking time off at her dad’s campground and shop. Cal is a grieving attorney trying to start a new life for himself. They meet in the worst of circumstances, but find they bring out the best in each other. 

I have always enjoyed Carr’s ability to authentically and unobtrusively write siblings and parents into her novels. Though I read almost everything with a romance slant, I appreciate the relationship between Maggie and her dad. What a father-daughter love story there! Maggie’s mom offers an opportunity to laugh at those who take their children too seriously. Cal’s parents give us a glimpse of mental illness and its effects on family. I drank up every show of affection, each cookie baked, and all the times the children didn’t pass judgement. 

This story is too substantial for me to call it “fluff,” but Carr writes with a straightforward, even keel that makes reading even the dramatic parts effortless on my part. I didn’t really like Cal’s character – dirty camper doesn’t do it for me – but he redeemed himself with his love for the Sullivans. I did like Sullivan’s Crossing and the occasional traipse to Denver. It’s a fun sounding area of the country I’ve never visited. 

I love that this is a true “reader’s” book: each chapter is preceded by a quote just perfect for the scenes ahead. I ate it right up. That, and of course the ending: a happily ever after. 

-calliope

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Review: A North So True by Serena Clarke

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A North So True combines the best of so many worlds: fast-paced corporate marketing in the city, getting back to nature in the Swedish countryside, family connections and family secrets, icy climate, warm fires, fika, and lots of love. 

Every bit of it is done well. Zoe and Jakob (a quiet, well-mannered, but very alpha male) have the requisite chemistry for my liking, and I appreciate their relationship ebbing and flowing naturally. I love the party Zoe attended – so fun to see a character loosen up! I really got to know her as she shrugs off some inhibitions and socializes. Zoe’s host family is adorable and warm and stable. They provide a thread of constancy in Zoe’s crazy life – and in the novel. 

But my absolute favorite part of A North So True is the juxtaposition of cold and hot. Serena Clarke crafts it so well. No gratuitous snowflakes on eyelashes and fireplace sparks on a bear rug; Every description has a purpose and moves the plot forward. From ice skating and snowmobiling to gut-warming shots and hot baths, my senses soaked up every description.  

I’m not a re-reader in general, but I kinda want to re-read this book just to enjoy the magical Swedish feast again. ❤️❄️⛸🇸🇪

-calliope 

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Review: Forever and Forever by Josi S. Kilpack

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01 for Oh, how my heart is happy!! I must admit when I first picked this book up, I kept wracking my brain to who this Longfellow was. The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. So I googled it and found my answer and was greatly distraught afterwards. I’m not one for book spoilers and that basically told me how his story ended, not how the book ended. I realize Forever and Forever is their love story, but to know the final part, was almost more than my heart was prepared for. So I sat down and read with a heavy heart and began their journey.

When we first meet Fanny, she’s an 18 yr old with not a care in the world. Very young and immature at times. Most women her age were looking for husbands, but not her. She was content with living under her father’s roof and off his money. She wasn’t cruel or evil, mind you, just very immature. I found as I was reading, I really wanted to shake some sense into her. She was making me so very angry with her attitude towards Henry Longfellow.

Henry was a widower and a professor, when he first laid eyes one Fanny. I loved him instantly. He loved and lost and you knew he wasn’t just going to give his heart away to anyone. He wasn’t even looking for anyone, until he stumbled upon Fanny. Slowly he started to fall for her and spent 7 years convincing her to give him a chance.

And forever and forever,
As long as the river flows,
As long as the heart has passions,
As long as life has woes;

The moon and its broken reflection
And its shadows shall appear,
As the symbol of love in heaven,
And its wavering image here.

As I said before, I knew how their story ended, so I spent most of the book quite angry at Fanny for dismissing him so easily. He was so romantic with his poems and books. She didn’t deserve him, but he loved her and was patiently waiting for God to change one of their hearts. By the time I was done, I had tears flowing. She wasted so many years being stubborn. I’m just glad they had time at all.

Now this book isn’t classified as Christian romance, but it could be. God is mentioned a few times, but it’s a very good balance. Religion was a very important part of this history, so I find it refreshing.

Forever and Forever is my first book by Josi, but I know it won’t be my last.

~Melpomene

Buy FOREVER AND FOREVER.