YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE (CAROLINA CLASSICS #1)

When a sleepy southern coastal town is crowned the Hollywood of the East worlds collide and sparks fly, especially for two casting directors who end up playing the roles of accidental rivals.

It’s not just that the town isn’t quite big enough for the two of them. Violet Davenport brings deep roots, local allies, and old-fashioned Southern charm to the table. Nate Fowler’s got deep pockets, tech knowhow, and a family that’s worked in movies since the silent film days.

For their business—and their hearts—to survive, they'll have to overcome both a bitter hostility and a sweet insta-attraction.

In this enemies-to-lovers, new-in-town, one-night-stand improbable love story, a boss lady and a Hollywood nerd find that you only get as good as you give.

Audiobook Release Date: August 31, 2022

Carolina Classics Book 1

Home Cooked Books

Narrators: Jack Calihan & Maxine Mitchell

Length: 7 hrs 36 mins

Listening Speed: 1.4x

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza’s Review:

You Get What You Give is the first book in the Carolina Classics series from Karen Grey. Much like with her Boston Classics series, she takes her readers back to the 90’s with her newest series.

Violet Davenport gave up her career as a teacher to take on the full-time job of casting director in her small town casting the new TV show Lawson’s Reach, until another casting director from Hollywood opens his office right next door. Nate Fowler is taking this job to in his dad’s company to finally show him he has what it takes in the entertainment industry. The fact that his father has basically sabotaged Violet Davenport in the process doesn’t seem to concern the man at all. After all, Violet is working with Nate’s Uncle and their family feud means she picked the wrong side. The fact that Violet and Nate hooked up his first night in town, before they knew only made it that much more fun when they saw each other again.

I liked the romance between Violet and Nate a good bit. Both came from mixed up families, and Nate’s parents were divorced, and Violet’s had basically abandoned her to her grandparents to raise. They had pretty amazing chemistry from the moment they met, and it only grew stronger with each passing day.

They seemed to have enough differences to compliment one another’s differences when it came to work. Violet was the empathetic one at work, and was brilliant at helping actors find new jobs. Nate was more of a behind the camera and scenes man, and was the one who helped keep things running so Violet could do her job. I did wish they had communicated a bit better both in their personal and working relationships at time. I had to remind myself that cell phones had limited coverage during the 90’s, with landlines, answering machines, and faxes being the primary ways to communicate. I literally laughed out loud when Vi ran out of change using a pay phone. So many moments of nostalgia with this book.

I liked the group of friends Violet had in her life pretty much her entire life. I liked that Dani seemed to be there for all their friends, but was a little bothered that it seemed to be on her terms most of the time. I feel like there is way more to the Whitney, Sully, and Ford love triangle, and it was distracting at time for Whitney to be the center of the story.

Narration: I enjoyed both Maxine Mitchell and Jack Calihan as narrators. While I felt Maxine did a bit better job with the Southern accents than Jack, I liked both their takes on the large cast of characters. Jack’s voice was pretty deep, so his female voices weren’t always on point, but he did adjust his dialogue well for the age group.

I felt like You Get What You Give was a good start to this new series. I think fans of Dawson’s Creek will get a kick out of all the Easter Eggs to one of my favorite shows from that time. I would have liked Vi and Nate’s story to be wrapped up a bit more than it was in the final chapter, but was comfortable with their HFN at this point of the series.

Story Rating: 4 Stars (B+)

Narrator Rating: 4 Stars (B)

 

JUST ONE KISS (KINGSTON FAMILY #6)

 It was supposed to be one fun night of hot sex.

It turned into a second. Then a third.

Now Mother Nature is having the last word—with a secret baby surprise!

Jade Dare has done everything in her power to overcome her mother’s unstable influence. Changed her name. Became a success. Vowed never to risk passing on the potential for inherited pain. What has it gotten her? One fiancé who wanted her for money. A second who cheated on her with his brother’s wife.

Now she's sworn off men. Or at least off serious relationships. But when the chance to indulge in a one night stand with a man she’s secretly fantasized about arrives, she jumps in. Only to land heart-first into a case of the feels she can’t bring herself to trust.

Knox Sinclair always suspected he liked his brother’s fiancé a little too much, that’s why he kept his hands to himself. But with ties broken and Jade all too willing, a no-strings-attached night sounds like a damned good idea.

Except one night isn’t nearly enough. But while Knox is busy convincing Jade they have a chance at forever, the past is planning one last parting shot. 

Release Date: August 16, 2022

CP Publishing

Kingston Family #6

Contemporary Romance

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza’s Review:

Just One Kiss is the newest book in the Kingston Family series from Carly Phillips. I’ve wanted Jade’s book from the moment we met her, and it was so worth the wait!

Jade Dare is on a man fast. She has been burned by 2 different fiancées and has no desire to have a relationship at this time. She is totally focused on her job and making sure she doesn’t suffer from the same mental health issues as her biological mother. When she sees Knox and Holly again for the first time in a while, she doesn’t hold their brother Theo’s actions against them.

Knox Sinclair was attracted to Jade, even when he was married and she was engaged to his step-brother, but would never act on said attraction while they were both in a relationship. When Knox goes with his step-sister Holly and sees Jade again, he is smitten and insanely attracted once again.

I loved both Knox and Jade so much. Jade is such a strong woman, even though she struggles with the fear of inheriting her mother’s mental illness. It broke my heart that she carried that fear with her for much of her life. Knox was one of the best heroes Carly Phillips has ever written. OMG I loved him from the moment he appeared upon the page. He loved his step-sister like she was his own sister, and protected those he loved with everything in him.

The chemistry between Knox and Jade was smoking hot, and I loved them together from the moment they saw one another again. I loved they just got one another, and I fell more in love with them as a couple the more time they spent together. 

Just One Kiss hit all the boxes for me, and is absolutely one of the best books I’ve read this year. As always, Ms. Phillips writes a story filled with love, laughter, family, and drama that keeps me pulled in from the very first page. I can’t wait to read the next installment in this fantastic series!

Rating: 5 Stars (A+)

THE PAPER CAPER (BIBLIOPHILE #16)

San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright is back with an intriguing new mystery in the New York Times bestselling Bibliophile Mystery series.

Joseph Cabot is a very popular wealthy San Franciscan who owns the main newspaper in town, as well as radio stations and TV. Years ago, Brooklyn’s husband Derek and his security team rescued Joseph from an assassination attempt and now the man and his wife are friendly with Derek and Brooklyn. The friendship is helped along by the fact that Joseph is a big book lover and contributes lavishly to the Covington Library. His favorite author is Mark Twain (another newspaperman) and he’s underwritten the first annual Mark Twain Festival at the Covington.

As part of the festival activities, Brooklyn will spend a few hours every day at the Library, giving demonstrations of her work at re-binding an old copy of The Prince and the Pauper. There will be events all week, all around town, celebrating the time Twain spent in the city. But the biggest event is being run by Joseph’s newspaper: a citywide contest based on The Prince and The Pauper—they want to find someone who looks like Joseph! The two men will trade places for a week as part of a huge publicity campaign to raise money for the Covington Library. But the fun turns frantic when a murder occurs right before Brooklyn’s eyes! Now Brooklyn and Derek will have to chase clues all over their beloved city to solve the murder before another death becomes front-page news.

Release Date: July 26, 2022

Bibliophile #16

Cozy Mystery

Berkley

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

The Paper Caper is the latest book in the fantastic Bibliophile series by Kate Carlisle. I've loved this series from the very first book, and fall more in love with it with each new book. The Paper Caper kept me guessing right up until the very end.

Brooklyn and Derek are two of my favorite characters ever. I adore getting a glimpse of their lives together with each new installment in the series. Part of the reason I absolutely adore this series is the vast array of characters that pop up in each and every book. With The Paper Caper, we met a friend of Derek's for what seemed like the first time, and he was such a delightful person. Joseph is a very wealthy man, and yet he doesn't act like he is better than anyone else, and even has a contest giving away $100K to the person who most looks like him.

So generally, in this series, the murder occurs pretty early in the book. However, the first murder didn't occur until about partway through the book. When Joseph's butler Hobson is murdered, everything to do with the Festival gets a bit more complicated. Derek and his team have all hands-on deck to protect Joseph and the contest winner Tom following Hobson's murder. I want to say that I figured out the person behind everything, but Ms. Carlisle totally kept me guessing with this story. I keep reading these books because I find the series so charming. I love learning more about the book binding business in each new book, and the cast of characters in this series are so delightful, I want to spend more time with them. The Paper Caper was a really great addition to the Bibliophile series. I can't wait to read the book in this series!

Rating: 4 Stars (B+)