THE GRIM READER (BIBLIOPHILE MYSTERY #14)

San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright was hoping for a fun, relaxing weekend at a local book fair, but a murderer made other plans in the latest in this New York Times bestselling series.

Brooklyn and her new hunky husband, Derek, are excited to be guests at Dharma’s first annual Book Festival. The entire town is involved and Brooklyn’s mom Rebecca is taking charge. In addition to all of her other event related duties, she’s got Brooklyn doing rare book appraisals and is also staging Little Women, the musical to delight the festival goers. If that wasn’t enough, she and Meg—Derek’s mom—will have a booth where they read palms and tarot cards.

Brooklyn couldn’t be prouder of her mom’s do-it-all attitude so when a greedy local businessman who seems intent on destroying Dharma starts harassing Rebecca, Brooklyn is ready to take him down. Rebecca is able to hold her own with the nasty jerk until one of her fellow festival committee members is brutally murdered and the money for the festival seems to have vanished into thin air. 

Things get even more personal when one of Brooklyn’s nearest and dearest is nearly run down in cold blood. Brooklyn and Derek go into attack mode and the pressure is on to catch a spineless killer before they find themselves skipping the festival for a funeral. 

Release Date: June 23, 2020

Berkley Penguin Publishing House

Bibliophile Mystery #14

Cozy Mystery

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

The Grim Reader was another winner in the Bibliophile series from Kate Carlisle. I've loved this series from the moment I read the first book featuring Brooklyn Wainwright. I love books, so it isn't surprising how much I love reading about a character that works with restoring books all day. Add in Brooklyn's hunky husband Derek and all of her family in Dharma, and I was hooked from the very first page.

I love each new adventure with Brooklyn and Derek, and love even more when we get time with their families. I have mad love for their parents and their siblings. The town of Dharma is also another character in itself, and I wish it was real so I could visit it. Brooklyn is usually the one to find all the dead bodies in this series, and I loved the switch up where instead it was Brooklyn's mom and Derek's mom finding the dead body. Brooklyn is always protective of her friends and family, but I loved she was in overdrive mode to solve this murder since their moms were involved. 

I can usually follow the trail a bit better than I did with The Grim Reader. I tend to figure out the who done it before Brooklyn and Derek announce it. Ms. Carlisle totally kept me guessing this time, and I loved it. Seriously, even knowing all the clues were there all along, I was still surprised. The Bibliophile books are my favorite cozy mystery series of books. I usually not only read, but listen to the audiobook from the library as well. Fourteen books into this series and I still check for the next book in the series several times a year. Fans of cozy mysteries should totally check this series out! I promise you won't be disappointed at all!

Rating: 4 Stars (B) 

Affiliate Link

https://amzn.to/3kDLjR6

BEACH READ

 A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They're polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

Release Date: May 19, 2020

Berkley Penguin Books

Contemporary Romance

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

I really enjoyed Beach Read. I have to say I would really characterize it more as fiction with romantic elements, but overall, the story was pretty enjoyable. January Andrews has moved into the lake house her father left her in his will...when she discovered he had a mistress in his hometown for years. When she moves into her father's house to prepare it to sell after breaking up with a longtime boyfriend, she discovers Augustus (Gus) Everett lives in the lake house next door. January always felt like she was in competition with Gus while in college, and she still feels that way upon first seeing him again.

I have to say I wasn't the biggest fan of January when the book started. She seemed pretty selfish and whiny honestly. I get she had been thrown for a loop when she learned about her dad, but she really made me mad that she totally distanced herself from her mom almost as a punishment for knowing about his mistress but not sharing with January. She was also a bit of a tool to Gus, who really seemed like a nice guy when we first met him. Thankfully, I kept reading and I quickly realized January was a much better person than she presented at the beginning of the story. She is classified as a romance writer, but I really felt like she was more of a women's fiction author the more she described her books, and I saw definite growth of her character over the course of the book.

I really liked Gus upon meeting him, and was so glad he and January honestly became true friends the more time they spent together. He had a bit of drama in his past, yet I didn't feel like he relished in the misery as much as January did initially. I felt like he helped January get to the point where she was willing to listen to find out the truth about her dad and accept so much about the past she didn't know. I also kinda loved they had a bit of a slow burn to a romance. I felt they were both attracted to one another from pretty much the moment they saw each other again, but them becoming friends first totally worked for me. While I felt Gus was in a much better place than January when I started reading Beach Read, I do have to say his character also grew and opened up more over the course of this story.

Beach Read was overall a pretty fun story. I did get frustrated with the characters a time or two, but ended up really loving where Ms. Henry took her readers. While Beach Read was the first book I've read by Emily Henry, it definitely won't be the last.

Rating: 4 Stars (B+)

SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT

A showrunner and her assistant give the world something to talk about when they accidentally fuel a ridiculous rumor in this debut romance.

Hollywood powerhouse Jo is photographed making her assistant Emma laugh on the red carpet, and just like that, the tabloids declare them a couple. The so-called scandal couldn't come at a worse time—threatening Emma's promotion and Jo's new movie.

As the gossip spreads, it starts to affect all areas of their lives. Paparazzi are following them outside the office, coworkers are treating them differently, and a “source” is feeding information to the media. But their only comment is “no comment”.

With the launch of Jo’s film project fast approaching, the two women begin to spend even more time together, getting along famously. Emma seems to have a sixth sense for knowing what Jo needs. And Jo, known for being aloof and outwardly cold, opens up to Emma in a way neither of them expects. They begin to realize the rumor might not be so off base after all…but is acting on the spark between them worth fanning the gossip flames?

Release Date: May 26, 2020

Berkley Penguin Group

Queer Female Romance

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

Something to Talk About is the debut book from Meryl Wilsner, and I look forward to their future books. Jo Jones has been a household name since she became famous as a child actor. She needs a buffer to pull the spotlight off her and the rumors of her possible involvement with the Agent Silver movie at the SAG Awards.  She takes her assistant Emma as her "buffer" date, except they end up on the red carpet together and Jo and Emma are photographed together laughing and holding hands. The rumor mill goes absolutely crazy, and from the very beginning, the no comments don't really seem to be doing the trick.

My first impressions of both Jo and Emma were they both were strong women. Jo is a decade older than Emma and has been a fixture in Hollywood pretty much her entire life. She has written the scripts for the television show Innocents for 5 years and is now writing the script for Agent Silver, her very first movie script. Emma dropped out of film school, but dreams of being a director one day. She started out in props on Innocents and is such a dedicated and hard worker, she moved up to Jo's assistant within a year. Emma does way more at her job than most assistants would be doing, and Jo tells her she does the work of an executive producer and is more than willing to make her one. Emma just needs to hire her replacement as Jo's assistant over the summer hiatus.

I really liked both Jo and Emma as individuals and together. They had an amazing working chemistry, and I could tell from the very beginning they had pretty strong feelings for each other. I had to laugh that until the SAG incident and the media coverage that followed, neither had ever really explored what those feelings meant to their working or personal relationship. My only issue with the entire story was lack and often miscommunication between Jo and Emma. I guess because Jo was older, I expected her be more forthcoming with her feelings. I did love she was super protective of Emma, just as Emma was protective of Jo. I guess because I knew how they both felt because there was so much internal dialogue, I expected one of them to step up sooner and share their feelings. I will say once they finally both were open with one another about their feelings, the payoff was more than worth the wait.

Something to Talk About was a wonderful debut story. I loved Meryl Wilsner's voice and can't wait to see what they write in the future. 

Rating: 4 Stars (B)

Affiliate Link

WANT YOU TO WANT ME (WANT ME #2)

The new sexy contemporary romance in New York Times bestselling author Lorelei James's Want You series, set in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Hockey player Gabriella "Gabi" Welk spent her life in pursuit of championships, but she has little to show for it besides dusty trophies and second-place medals. Now her career consists of several part-time jobs to make ends meet. When Gabi gets a chance at her dream job, she swallows her pride and asks her nemesis--smart, sexy and savvy Nolan Lund--for help.

Since being named future CEO of Lund Industries, Nolan has tried hard to overcome his reputation as a fun-loving playboy and ladies' man. For the first time ever, he's more focused on the company than his personal life. He spends his free time at the ice rink his brother owns, cheering on his niece at her hockey games...and watching Gabriella Welk, the superstar athlete and assistant coach who gets under his skin in a way he can't ignore. He's shocked when Gabi agrees to trade a favor for a favor.

They have little in common besides their mutual mistrust, but between family crises and sibling rivalries, Nolan and Gabi realize they want to be more than just friends--much more.

Release Date: July 4, 2020

Berkley Penguin Books

Want Me Series #2

Contemporary Romance

Review copy provided by publisher

Nikki’s Review:

It’s always a good day when I can open up a new Lorelei James book! This book was a ton of fun! I love that the hero and heroine, Nolan and Gabi, were such opposites. He’s all style and sexy AF, and she’s a snarky hockey player who doesn’t hold a lot of value on fancy duds. What they did have in common was that the people around them didn’t see what was underneath all that superficial stuff. 

The banter between Nolan and Gabi was very entertaining, witty, and funny. I loved all their texting marathons! It was nice that they had to build a friendship first. It definitely wasn’t lust at first sight. Gabi could barely stop herself from being snarky whenever she was around Nolan. I really adored her sass!

The chemistry between these two was definitely on the slow burn side, but I felt it really let the reader get to know the characters. There was more depth to their personalities than you’re initially introduced to in the first book in this series. There was a ton of growth, both as individuals, and a couple. 

This was a solid, easy, fun, and sexy read! There aren’t many authors that make me love every single book they’ve written, but Lorelei James does it EVERY. DAMN. TIME. 

Rating: 4 Stars (A)

REAL MEN KNIT

When their foster-turned-adoptive mother suddenly dies, four brothers struggle to keep open the doors of her beloved Harlem knitting shop.

Jesse Strong is known for two things: his devotion to his adoptive mom, Mama Joy, and his reputation for breaking hearts. When Mama Joy unexpectedly passes away, he and his brothers have different plans for what to do with Strong Knits, their neighborhood knitting store. Jesse wants to keep the store open. His brothers want to tie off loose ends and close shop....

Part-time shop employee Kerry Fuller has kept her crush on Jesse a secret. When she overhears his impassioned plea to his brothers to keep the knitting shop open, she volunteers to help. Unlike Jesse, Kerry knows the “knitty-gritty” of the business, and together they make plans to reinvent Strong Knits for a new generation.

But the more time they spend together, the stronger the chemistry builds between them. Kerry, knowing Jesse’s history, doesn’t believe their relationship can last longer than she can knit one, purl two. But Jesse is determined to prove to her that he can be the man for her forever and always. After all, real men knit. 

Release Date: May 19, 2020

Berkley Penguin Group

Contemporary Romance

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

Real Men Knit is the first book about the Strong brothers in what I hope is the first book in a series. Real Men Knits centers around the Strong Knits neighborhood knitting store which was run by the Strong brothers' adoptive mom Mama Joy, and around the youngest of the 4 brothers, Jesse. Jesse is a bit of a playboy and hasn't ever really shown that he is on the path to settling down or even really having a career in mind. So when Mama Joy unexpectedly passes away, the brothers are all surprised when Jesse wants to make a go of keeping the store open.

Enter Kerry Fuller, who has worked part-time in the knitting shop for years and doesn't want to see it close any more than Jesse, and offers up her assistance to help Jesse get the store back up and running. Kerry has had a crush of Jesse since they were kids, even though each of the Strong brothers has always seen her as more of a little sister. I loved that Jesse finally started seeing Kerry as an attractive woman the more time they spent together. I loved the slow burn of this relationship, and the fact they really became real friends first. I got the feeling while they had always been in each other's lives, they hadn't really been friends until they started working to save Strong Knits. Jesse seemed to be so laid back when we first meet him, so I understood his brothers all questioning his dedication to getting the shop up and running and back in the black. I loved how much he grew over the course of the story from basically a playboy to a real business man. He had such wonderful ideas for the store, and I loved that Kerry not only believed in him, but helped him make them a reality. I also loved that Kerry didn't lose herself in helping out Jesse. She stayed true to herself and her own goals, yet made the adjustments needed to have Jesse in her life. 

I really loved the relationship between the 4 brothers. Damian is a total control freak, Lucas seems to need some measure of control, yet not as much as Damian. I felt like Noah and Jesse were more the laid back of the 4 brothers. I loved how they picked on each other as all siblings do, yet had each other's backs when needed. I also felt like them coming together to save Strong Knits helped them to grow closer to one another.

Real Men Knits was a very enjoyable story. I will say that I ended up loving Kerry and Jesse as a couple, and feel like they were on a good path to their very own HEA. I loved while Strong Knits is in Harlem, yet the entire area felt almost like a small town. I loved how everyone in the neighborhood seemed to take care of their own, and that especially included keeping Strong Knits going. Real Men Knits was filled with humor, love, and redemption, and I really can't wait to read more books about all the Strong brothers. 

Rating: 4 Stars (B)

Affiliate Link

DESOLATION ROAD (TORPEDO INK #4)

Torpedo Ink is Aleksei “Absinthe” Solokov’s whole life. They’re his brothers, his family—his everything. But that doesn't stop him from wanting something that only belongs to him. That’s why the tough biker has spent the last six weeks at the library, reading every book he can get his hands on and watching the prim and proper librarian who makes his blood rush. 
 
For the past six weeks, Scarlet Foley has been fantasizing about the handsome, tattooed man whose eyes follow her every move. She senses he's dangerous. She wants him to get close enough to touch. She wishes she could let him know the real woman, not the one she pretends to be. But Scarlet has a plan to carry out, and she can’t afford any distractions.
 
Absinthe is well aware that Scarlet is hiding something. She’s a puzzle he intends to solve, piece by intoxicating piece….

Release Date: July 7, 2020

Berkley Penguin Group

Torpedo Ink #4

Romantic Suspense/Dark Romance

Review copy provided by publisher

Nikki’s Review:

I gotta say, I struggled at the beginning with the awkwardness of Aleksei and Scarlet’s budding relationship. About that awkwardness...it was like watching two 40-year-old virgins trying to figure out the dating scene. It was cringe worthy, in my opinion. I didn’t feel the chemistry...at first. Once things pick up on the physical end it was full throttle and totally made me blush. 

I swear, each book in this series gets a little more dark, gritty, and raunchy. Don’t get me wrong, all of that stuff is amaze balls, but it definitely pushed me to the edge of my comfort zone a few times. There is quite a bit of kink in this book. All in all, it’s sexy AF!

This whole series has some pretty dark content. Human trafficking, in particular, involving children plays a central role. It’s always so satisfying when one of the characters kills one of the fuckers who preys on defenseless children. I kinda do a little fist pump!

Christine Feehan once again pulled me into her fictional world and held me captive. While I had a bit of a slow start with connecting to the hero and heroine’s relationship, I think this book was solidly written. This book, and the series as a whole pulls so many emotions out of me. I’m always feeling something, it could be anxiousness, excitement, anger, sadness, or hot all over from the sexy times. The feels are just always there. 

For best enjoyment of this book, I highly recommend starting from the beginning of the series with, Judgement Road. The characters are all intricately woven, and there’s tons of backstory. 

Rating: 4 Stars (A)

Affiliate Link:

IGNITE ON CONTACT

New York Times bestselling author Jaci Burton is back with a friends-to-lovers romance sure to melt hearts as one smokin'-hot fireman turns up the heat on love.

Relationships. Firefighter Rafe Donovan avoids them whenever possible. He loves dating women, but he makes sure they know up front that he's in it for fun, great sex and nothing more. 

Fun. As an ER nurse and official caretaker of her disabled grandfather, Carmen Lewis doesn't have time for fun. But Rafe has been there for Carmen--and her grandfather--time and again, and he's clearly interested in her. She knows he's a player, but she's tempted by his charm and incredible body. And maybe a little fun isn't a bad thing, as long as she keeps her heart away from this fiery game she's enjoying with a very hot man.

Love. It doesn't take Rafe long to realize that until now he's only been playing at romance. With Carmen he feels searing passion and heart-tugging emotion for the first time. Now he has to convince Carmen that what they have together is the real deal.

Release Date: February 4, 2020

Berkley Penguin Group

Brotherhood by Fire #2

Contemporary Romance

Review copy provided by publisher

Nikki’s Review:

I love a good friends to lovers story, and Jaci Burton is one of my must read authors, so I was excited to dig into this one. 

Let me just say that the hero, Rafe, revved my engine just by breathing. He was yummy! He is completely loyal to his brothers and that just makes me swoon. Also, the brothers are pretty damn yummy, too! 

The heroine, Carmen, was harder for me to like. I appreciated the chemistry and friendship that she and Rafe had, but her standoffish attitude toward anything besides bumping uglies got old. Fast. There was some drama at the end that drove me batty. I don’t know, I just couldn’t totally like her. 

I did, however, think her love and daily care for her grandfather was sweet. 

This book was full chemistry and steam, with a story that pulled me in. The secondary characters were fun and likeable. The dialogue between the brothers was one of my favourite things about the book. The bond they share is deep and unbreakable. 

While I didn’t love this book quite as much as book 1, it was still an enjoyable read that left me anticipating the next installment. But then, Jaci Burton has never let me down in that regard. 

Rating: 3.5 Stars (B+)

***Affiliate Link***

THE BROMANCE BOOK CLUB

The first rule of book club: You don't talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.

Release Date: November 5, 2019

Berkley Penguin Group

Bromance Book Club #1

Contemporary Romance

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

The Bromance Book Club is the first book I've ready by Lyssa Kay Adams, but definitely won't be the last. I really enjoyed this second chance romance for married couple Gavin and Thea.

So Gavin and Thea had a fast start to their relationship when Thea got pregnant and they quickly married. Now a few years later they have lost the connection they had when first dating, and when Gavin discovers Thea had been faking the Big O for years, his male ego is bruised and he leaves when Thea suggest they have no chance to make things work.

Enter Gavin's teammates and members of the Bromance Book Club. They read romances to learn about how to treat women. Now, I did have some issues with this, especially when Gavin quoted word for word a few times, but I also love the idea that a group of men would actually read romances to try and better understand women. I will say I absolutely loved the bromances with all the men in the group. They gave each other lots of crap along the way, but they all had each other's back one needed.

I really enjoyed Gavin and Thea basically starting their relationship over as he courted her thank to tips in the romance book he was reading as well as instructions from other members of the book club. I genuinely liked them as a couple. I loved that Gavin was all in to work on their marriage and do the work it required to make it work. I have to say I really wish Thea had been a bit more open about her past with Gavin, as she had major trust issues because of her parents. While I totally agreed with Thea that Gavin should have realized she was faking long ago, I also felt like he was fighting and uphill battle because of Thea's past. 

I did see progress along the way, and really loved Thea coming out of the shell she had been living in and being more open and honest about her feelings not only with Gavin but everyone around her. I liked that Thea and Gavin seemed to grow closer and closer the more time they spent together. I really loved both Thea and Gavin started falling in love with each other again as they dated and had family time with the daughters and Thea's sister Liz. Honestly, I fell in love with them as a couple the more time I spent with them.

The Bromance Book Club was a fun read for me. The romance was a bit of a bumpy ride, but I honestly found myself laughing more than I expected and I was engaged with the story from the beginning. I look forward to reading more books in this series in the future.

Rating: 4 .5 Stars (B+)

***Affiliate link***

VENDETTA ROAD (TORPEDO INK #3)

#1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan pushes the limits in her next novel in the Torpedo Ink series.

Isaak “Ice” Koval is on a club mission when he sees a woman who stops him dead in his tracks. Soleil is a sweet, sexy, girl-next-door type. She’s an innocent who should be nowhere near the rough-and-ready world of the Torpedo Ink motorcycle club. But Ice knows Soleil belongs with him—and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her.

After a life of drifting from one thing to the next, Soleil Brodeur is determined to take control of her life. When her breakup with her manipulative fiancé turns ugly, Soleil searches out the stranger who offered her a lifeline and ends up in a Las Vegas biker bar where she meets a gorgeous, dangerous man straight out of her most secret fantasies.

High on adrenaline, she finds herself falling faster than she thought possible. But Soleil knows little about the territory she’s stumbled into, and even less about what it really means to be Ice’s woman.…

Release Date: January 28, 2020

Berkley Penguin Group

Torpedo Ink #3

MC romance/romantic suspense

Review copy provided by publisher

Nikki’s Review:

I just couldn’t with this one. I mean, I love Christine Feehan’s voice and style, but some of this stuff so was so far fetched, that even I, a hardcore romance reader who likes the instalove trope, couldn’t get on board. The hero and heroine meet, have sexy times on a pool table in a packed biker bar, and get married all within a few hours. Oh! And the heroine manages to get the most amazing $20,000 wedding dress that fits her perfectly, and a gorgeous wedding cake. All in a handful of hours. HOURS, folks.

I actually really like the premise of this book, and the series as a whole. All

the heroes have a battered soul. They’ve all suffered horrendously as children. I love the tortured hero trope. It makes for a great grumpy jerk who usually ends up screwing up and then groveling. 

There’s some pretty sensitive, or trigger worthy, subject matters in this series. Human trafficking and child rape are some of the things you’ll read about. It’s tough at times to get through. It made my heart break for the characters. I do like that the MC are vigilantes who take out the sick fucks who prey on children. 

The plot was interesting and kept me interested...when the sex scenes didn’t take over. I like my romance crazy steamy, but this book pushed my limits. I was getting bored with the gratuitous bumping uglies. And that is something that rarely happens to me The hero and heroine would get it on out of the blue. Those scenes felt forced. It didn’t always make sense. 

I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series. The first two books were amaze balls. This one just didn’t hold up as well. I’m giving it 3 stars because the plot is great, but some of the craziness of the beginning with the characters meeting, and marrying, was too unbelievable. Even for a romance novel. 

Rating: 3 Stars (B)

Excerpt

Chapter 2

Soleil ran through the lobby, uncaring of turning heads. One didn’t run in a very swank hotel. She wanted to grab security, but Winston had a way of talking that made her look hysterical or childish and him look totally controlled, the adult having to put up with tantrums. She wasn’t about to take chances, not when she knew they planned to kill her.

Who would believe her? Her own fiancé? A lawyer? A policeman? All conspiring to kill her? She would look crazy and Winston would explain she’d lost Bennet, the only one she had as family. He would get sympathy and understanding, and they would all look to him to take care of her. He’d probably sedate her. Did he have a doctor involved too? It was possible. She’d met one through him, one he considered important.

She burst out onto the street, her lungs hurting. Clearly, she needed more exercise if she was going to have to run for her life. Her thoughts were wild and a little hysterical. She couldn’t have that. It would only play into Winston’s hand. She raced to the crosswalk, and fortunately the light changed and there were few people in her way. She was able to cross quickly and get into the relative shelter of the hotel-casino on the next street.

Noise erupted all around her. The concentrated smoke from cigarettes threatened to choke her. For a moment, she paused, a little disoriented. The whiskey she’d drunk was making her feel a lot better. Clearer. She knew exactly what to do. She made her way through the casino with more dignity, not wanting to draw attention to herself.

The casino floor was set up so that the exits were difficult to get to. Every little turn put her in front of card tables, the roulette wheel, craps, or, when she managed to find her way through the maze, machines. A sea of them. They didn’t matter. The drinks had finally steadied her, and she was feeling as if she was in control and could do this.

Still, it was a good distance to the exits and it took her a few minutes to make her way to the other side of the room. The casino was enormous, so much so that she knew she’d probably covered a block at least. She had to have. But she walked with more confidence and less panic. Every now and then, just to be certain, she glanced over her shoulder, or paused at a machine to see if Winston was behind her. So far, her plan had worked. Most likely, he’d gone out onto the strip and worried she’d hailed a cab or taken one of the hotel’s private limos. She was afraid to do that. He could trace a cab and he’d talk any driver into coming back for him.

She thought about getting another drink, but she hadn’t eaten. Already she was much clearer in what she had to do. She felt very courageous. It only took a couple of times going in a small circle before she mastered the maze of machines and was able to push open the door that let her out onto the street. The lights were much dimmer, but still illuminated the sidewalk.

She looked left and right. She was right in the middle of the block. Across the street, neon blue signs flashed, and the sound of music was loud. Each of the bars seemed to be playing a different song, but she loved to dance and the one on the end at the right blared the best music. She headed in that direction and then changed her mind, a little shiver going through her. She knew Winston. He would hire men to find her. He would call the police and report her missing, saying she had a mental disorder and he was worried for her safety. This street was still too close.

She hurried down the block to the next line of bars. The streets seemed darker, and as she came around the corner, a few men standing on the sidewalk in front of a bar looked up, nudging one another. Alarms went off and she paused to get oriented. Just in front of her was another bar blaring dancing music and in front of it were motorcycles, instantly reminding her of Lana. Her heart jumped. Lana. She hurried toward that one without hesitation. If Lana was there, she would know what to do. She was that kind of woman.

***Affilate Link***

WELL MET

All's faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author, Jen DeLuca.

Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?

The faire is Simon's family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn't have time for Emily's lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she's in her revealing wench's costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they're portraying?

This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can't seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.

Release Date: September 3, 2019

Contemporary Romance

Well Met #1

Berkley Penguin Group

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

So I stood in line at RWA in New York to try and get a print copy of Well Met and they ran out right before I got to the table. I knew then I needed to read this book, as many of the people in front of me were romance authors. 

I really enjoyed Well Met. I am not a big Renaissance Faire person, so I loved how much of it was explained along the way. I loved Emily from the moment she appeared on the page and have to say her inner dialogue had me laughing out loud on more than once occasion. I loved her relationship with her niece, and seeing Emily and her sister become real friends along the way. Emily is such a strong and fun character, I just loved her from the very beginning. She seemed to make friends very easily and really fit into her new adopted hometown quickly.

Emily and Simon didn't have a great beginning when they first met. I have to be honest; I initially thought Simon was a bit of an ass. Again I learned about Renaissance Faire as I read this book, but I still felt like Simon was a little over the top about everything when the book started. However, I did start to see not only how important the Faire was to Simon but why it was so important, and then I just wanted to hug him. It took a bit for me to understand Simon, as he wasn't as open about thoughts and feelings as other characters in this book. Once I started to see what I'd describe as the real Simon, I fell for him just as much as Emily did.

Well Met was such a fun book to read. I loved how much both Emily and Simon grew and changed over the course of this story. It was like they each needed the other to start to figure out what path they really needed to follow. Their chemistry was evident from the beginning, yet they had a slow build to a relationship, and it worked for me. Honestly their banter and conversations pulled me in every bit as much as their chemistry. I honestly can't wait to revisit with these characters in future books in the series.

Rating: 4 Stars (B+)

***Affiliate Link***

SPUN OUT (BLACKTOP COWBOYS #10)

New York Times bestselling author Lorelei James returns for another wild ride in Wyoming with a new Blacktop Cowboys® novel.

Years in the Army equipped Bailey Masterson for many things: target shooting, rappelling off cliffs, dodging grenades. She's lived through horrors that still give her nightmares. But nothing in Bailey's life-or-death training prepared her for caring for the tiny terror that is five-year-old Olivia Hale. Or how to control her raging attraction to Olivia's father, Streeter, the rugged, green-eyed cattle rancher who undermines her every move even when he stars in her dreams.

Streeter Hale has room for only two things in his life: his daughter and his job. He doesn't date. He doesn't get attached. Not anymore. So not only is Streeter stunned by Olivia's improved behavior after just a few days with Bailey, he's downright floored by his immediate attraction to the woman. But with secrets in her eyes and a body that doesn't quit, Streeter begins to worry that Bailey Masterson might just be the one woman to heal his fractured family and broken heart.

One thing's for sure--these two wrecked souls are spinning out of control as they desperately try not to fall in love... 

Release Date: November 5, 2019

Berkley Penguin Group

Blacktop Cowboys #10

Contemporary Romance

Review copy provided by publisher

Nikki’s Review:

I have loved every book in this series. Hell, I love everything Lorelei writes. But this book was something special. This book hit me in a personal way. All the feels were pouring out of me.

The discussion on mental illness plays a big part in this book, particularly Postpartum Depression. Having struggled with PPD when I gave birth to my youngest child, I was able to understand, on a more intimate level. I know what it’s like to feel like your drowning, but unable to find it in yourself to ask for help. The author handled the mental illness aspect really well. It was respectful and sensitive. But it was also pretty accurate, in my opinion.

The relationship between Streeter and Bailey is somewhat complicated. They’re both battling demons and carry around an enormous amount of baggage. Fortunately, there’s also a healthy dose of desire simmering. Lorelei James writes sexual tension like no one else. I was in a state of frustration until they finally tore up the sheets. And holy hell, did they ever tear them up! Once Streeter‘s freaky side came out, there was no going back. Woohoo!

While there was a lot of heavy stuff in this book, there was also a ton of laugh out loud moments. The whole scene with the kids in the boardroom had me snickering like crazy. Honestly, anytime the kids were on the page I was usually laughing.

I’m trying to remember all the reasons why I love this book, and there are many, but the best way to describe my love is to say that it was simply perfect. I could go on and on about the amazing writing, because it was amazing, but what I adored the most was the way I felt connected to the story and the characters. Lorelei James never fails to keep me invested in her stories. 

Rating: 5 Stars (A+)