There is something that always makes me smile when reading Emily Henry's quirky romances. The characters are far from perfect, they usually don't love each other at first sight but there is always a sense of not giving in or giving up (even though we the reader knows it will have a happy ending). This story begins with Alice who is a ghostwriter and is given the job of a lifetime - to write the story of an heiress who has been hiding from the world and whom Alice has been obsessed with since childhood. Sounds perfect until she goes for the interview and finds out that an award winning ghostwriter is also trying for the job. They have a month to each work with their future boss and then she will decide who gets the job. They are on a small island and bound to run into each other at every turn. Can the emotionally reserved Hayden and the effervescent Alice not share what they know and resist each other to score the job? I listened happily to the audiobook which gave me sore cheeks from smiling while driving. An excellent narration and the perfect pick to take your mind off the rest of the world. 4 1/2 stars
0 Comments
Happy book birthday to WILD AND WRANGLED by Lyla Sage
Another hot romance in the ranches of Wyoming. A wedding is a cause for celebration unless the groom doesn't show and the bride to be locks herself in a bar bathroom with a bottle. It is a small town and everyone is either related to or connected to each other for better or worse so it is Cam's old high school boyfriend who gets her heart thumping. Thinking of their future and not their past isn't easy and this fun romcom looks at unusual families and real life entanglements very well. This is the fourth book in the series but you will have no trouble starting with them out of order. There is a minimal amount of spice and lots of sugar to keep you happily entertained. 4 stars Ruth has been quietly robbing banks with a computer code of her own design helped by a couple of accomplices. She has been careful and amassed millions offshore but the jig is up and she takes to the road. There are a few people looking for her but Mike is obsessed with finding her. Keeping low in towns and places she thinks they won't look for her Ruth tries to stay one step ahead. Can Ruth outwit her pursuers and stay out of prison? The hunt is on and they are close. Dual POV alternating between Ruth and Mike this is a high speed chase that moves quickly and keeps readers fully engaged. 4 stars
A parent's worst nightmare - their 20 something daughter Lindsey has been in a hit and run accident in Shanghai China and lies in a coma. Both Claire and her ex fly to be with their daughter only to find that they know very little of her life there. Spending anxious days by her bed and searching for anyone who knew her in a very foreign city leaves Claire unmoored. The only person who might have answers is their much younger adopted daughter to has been left at camp in the states. Secrets and grief threaten to break up the family for good. It is a deep look at family in a crisis and sibling bonds but also marriage and cultural differences. 4 stars
Elle meets Parker at a nightclub and sparks fly but they are the wrong kind. She forgets about him until while housesitting for her sister she discovers that he is her neighbor. He needs a fake girlfriend for the summer and she needs someone to show her New York City for the screenplay she is writing. A win-win until they get over those pesky first impressions and really learn about each other. Classic enemy to lover with sparkly prince in shining armor vibe but also a clear sense of how complicated people are. Each of them has to work out what is important and then get past it even when we are rooting for the fairytail ending. The other part of the love story is to NYC itself with all of the fantastic locations. The author clearly loves the city and I wanted to reread this book while walking the city taking in the magic. Fans of Emily Henry will love this well written romcom with a twist. 4 stars
The basic storyline is two adults involved in a six year affair that up until this night has been very carefree and all about sex. That changes as the night spent in a new high-end hotel room goes from lighthearted to freaking out trapped in their room during a fire. Nick is all about sex and in my mind less interesting than Jenny who begins to question the affair, her life and just about every other thing in the universe. It moves quickly and they start to panic (mainly Jenny) a bit after all the CNN reports. Crisis creates honesty and regret. The dialogue moves as fast as the story which is choppy but works. I think I would have rated it higher if I liked the characters but I didn't feel like I knew them well and judged them on a surface level which is all on me. 3 1/2 stars A mother to be's worst nightmare unfolds as Portland is struck by a massive earthquake. At 9 months pregnant walking across the chaotic and unstable city is not ideal but that is what she does. At every turn something can go wrong and does and yet she keeps going all the while reflecting on her marriage, upcoming motherhood and life going forward. An urban adventure/horror story that focuses on how fragile life is and how little control we have in a natural disaster. While I would not hand this to a pregnant woman this emotional roller coaster debut is well written, perfectly paced and presents an all too plausible disaster. Readers who wonder about end of the world scenarios and halfway learn survival skills will love this. 4 stars
There have been love stories that revolved around music before but this is one that straddles the line between partner and lover, obsession and critique. Percy and Joe seem like oil and water. He is the artist and Percy is the critic. Throughout their collaboration they dance between friends and lovers with their edgy obsession to the music and each other. Along with Joe's girlfriend/ex Zoe they form an unusual friendship triangle. Afraid to ruin the one great thing they have - making great music. Nostalgic, smart and deeply soulful this will appeal to DAISY JONES AND THE SIX FANS and will make you pull up every song that they analyze - great playlist.
4 stars A psychiatrist and his patient share an unusual bond that is difficult to describe. Jane is a single parent raising an infant son when she suddenly disappears for days only to wake up not remembering anything from when she mentally blacked out. While it appears to be dissociative fugue some are not convinced. She possesses incredible recall of events dating back years to the day and also has insight into her doctor's days as well. Memory and the mind are tricky things and Jane and her doctor must try to understand what is happening and if these hallucinations are warnings or her mind playing tricks. I will share that nothing bad happens to her son and it isn't meant as a spoiler but to comfort readers who may shy away from the story. Her doctor is grieving the death of his wife and finds solace in Jane's memories which makes him want to solve her case even more. It makes you question how much the subconscious mind knows and goes into fascinating detail about dissociative fugue. Readers interested in psychiatry and THE SILENT PATIENT will find much to ponder here. 4 stars
The sisters were fine other than a bit of bickering here and there. They tended the garden, fixed the wall, followed the almanac and never ever went beyond. Everything changed when the boy broke in and they kept him. No longer alone in the crumbling house that has been their sanctuary for their whole lives as fear of what lies on the other side of the wall and distrust settles in. Impossible to put to a time, place, fiction or fever dream, this is a quiet horror tale. 4 stars |
I love to read good books and share the new books that are available and those that are coming soon
Adult Genres
General Fiction Historical Fiction Thriller / Mystery Fantasy / Sci-Fi Non-Fiction All Adult Genres Other Genres Young Adult Genre Kids Books Genre Follow Kim
Review Archives
April 2025
|