HOLD ON TO ME (CAROLINA CLASSICS #2)

 

Hold On To Me (Carolina Classics #2)

Fans of 1990's shows like Dawson's Creek and Mad About You will love this throwback romantic comedy.

After a devastating accident at sea, the only job Sullivan Calloway can get is one that few have survived.

If time and tide wait for no man, neither does Helen O'Neill. She's spent years forging her own path in the movie business. The young hunk she's hired to replace her latest assistant to leave in tears may be a sight for sore eyes, but expectations will not be lowered. If he can’t do the work, he’ll be out on his very fine behind.

If only her heart would get the memo.

Don't miss this slow-burn, boss-assistant, entertainment biz romance from USA Today bestselling author Karen Grey.

Audiobook Release Date: March 9, 2023

Audiobook review copy provided by publisher

Home Cooked Books

Carolina Classics #2

Retro/Nostalgia Romance

Narrators: JF Harding & MacKenzie Cartwright

Listening Speed: 1.4x

Liza's Review:

Hold On To Me is the second book in the Carolina Classics series by Karen Grey. I am a huge fan of the nostalgia romances Ms. Grey writes, and Hold On To Me was another winner in my book.

I’ve wanted to know more about Sully from the moment he first appeared on the page. We met Sully and his friends in You Get What You Give. Sully is in a boating accident, and must find a job until he recovers enough to work on set again. The only job available it assistant to Helen O’Neill, who has already run off multiple assistants, with production starting very soon. Sully feels instant attraction to his boss from day one, and I loved the chemistry between them from the moment they meet.

Let me just say, I absolutely loved how strong Helen is over the entire story. Yes, she has had some rough times in the past, and she fights her attraction to Sully because of something in her past. I loved when they both finally gave into their attraction. OMG they had the best chemistry!!! I liked they really seemed to get one another, even with the age gap between them. Loved Helen is 10 years older than Sully, and yet, they just seemed to work as a couple for me. I think part of it was because Sully truly has an old soul, but most was because Helen never treated him like he was less of a person for being so much younger than her. They worked well both at work and in their relationship.

I thought the audiobook narrators did a fantastic job with this story. Both narrators were spot on with all the different character voices, and I felt like there was a seamless transition between narrators. There were many emotional parts to Hold On To Me, and I felt like the narrators delivered on every single emotion.

Hold On To Me is a fun story that takes the reader back to the late 90’s. I loved all the nods to things from the past, and can’t wait to read the next book in this series. I love the group of friends that is at the center of each story, and can’t wait to read more.

Rating: 4 Stars (B+)

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)

 

CHILD OF MINE (BOSTON CLASSICS #4)

The bigger the secret, the harder it is to hide.

Single mom Isabella York was a celebrity before she had her first kiss, her first date, or her first sip of alcohol. Playing the bad girl—both on and off the set—made up for lost time, but the consequences were life-changing. Back home in Boston, with her “checkered past” behind her, all she wants is to raise her little girl far from the spotlight. After all, revealing her secrets could mean losing everything.

For her, and her daughter.

It’s not that Henry Smith hates kids—they don’t like him. Meanwhile, he’s stuck producing children’s TV, so he’s doing the best he can to be less of a grouch. Not everyone gets a second chance to chase his dream, and if he plays his cards right at this new gig, he can move on to making television that will change the world, not just entertain a bunch of brats.

Even better, he just might be able to talk the woman he never thought he’d see again into greenlighting a do-over.

In this sexy, heartwarming, Secret Baby, 80’s throwback romcom, a Sunshine-Grumpy pair has to face the past before they can find their future… together.

Release Date: December 1, 2021

Home Cooked Books

Boston Classics #4

Nostalgia Romance

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

Child of Mine is one of the books I've been waiting for since the very first book in the Boston Classics series. Single mom Bella is such a strong character, and I love how much she loves her daughter and keeps her needs front and center at all times. I always wondered about Lilah's father, and we finally get all the answers in Child of Mine. I really feel like each of the books in the series build upon each other, so readers will understand the character dynamics a bit better if they have read all the books in the series. However, you can read Child of Mine as a stand-alone story as well.

I've enjoyed each of the books in the Boston Classics series, and Child of Mine was another winner. I felt like much like in You Spin Me, there were parts of their history that were darker than in other books in the series, but I think that is one of the reasons I've adored the last 2 books in the series so much. I There is so much growth in the characters in the 7 years they have been apart. They also had to really work to figure out the new dynamics of their relationship. I loved that Henry and Bella's chemistry was every bit is strong 7 years later. 

I loved once again revisiting the 80's, as I grew up in the 70's, and 80's the "historical" mentions of passing notes, cell phones not being the norm, and tv shows you had to watch when originally aired, or you never got to see them again were all part of my childhood and high school years. Honestly each mention brought back lots of happy memories.

Karen Grey did an amazing job with the secret baby/second chance romance in Child of Mine. Both troupes can be hit of miss, but Ms. Grey took the ball and ran with it and gave her readers a funny, sexy, and endearing story. I’ve actually listened the audiobooks for each of the other books in this series, and can’t wait to re-read Child of Mine once the audiobook is released. 

Rating: 5 Stars (A)

Buy Links:

https://books2read.com/COMKGrey 

Meet Karen Grey:

The first three books in Karen Grey’s 1980’s era Boston Classics romance series released in 2020: What I’m Looking For, Forget About Me and Like It’s 1999. You Spin Me released in 2021, to be followed by novel #4 in the series later this year. The audiobook of What I’m Looking For won an AudioFile Magazine Earphones award and was a finalist in the Independent Audiobook Awards, 2020. She’s also had essays published in Salt Magazine and the Nevertheless We Persistedcollections (one an Audies Finalist and the other a SOVAs finalist), and a short story in the collection Vintage Love Stories. Her first romance novel was a winner of the NJ Romance Writers’ Put Your Heart in a Book contest and Hearts Through History’s Romance Through the Ages contest in the Modern History category.

Connect with Karen Grey:

https://karenwhiteaudiobooks.com/writing/ 

CHILD OF MINE RELEASE BLITZ

 

 Release Date: December 1

“A romcom set in BOSTON in the 80s?? Yes please!” NYT bestselling author Erin Nicholas

The bigger the secret, the harder it is to hide.

Single mom Isabella York was a celebrity before she had her first kiss, her first date, or her first sip of alcohol. Playing the bad girl—both on and off the set—allowed her to make up for lost time. Back home in Boston, with her “checkered past” behind her, all she wants is to raise her little girl far away from the spotlight, because revealing her secrets could mean losing everything, or gaining more than she ever hoped.

For her, and her daughter.

It’s not that Henry Smith hates kids—they don’t like him. Meanwhile, he’s stuck producing children’s TV, so he’ll try to tone down the grumpiness that’s dogged him since his life imploded seven years ago. After all, not everyone gets a second chance to chase his dream. If he plays his cards right at this new gig, he can move on to making television that will change the world, not just entertain a bunch of brats.

Maybe he can charm the woman he never thought he’d see again into a do-over while he’s at it.

In this sexy, heartwarming, not-quite-historical romance—the latest Boston Classics standalone romcom—a sunshine/grumpy pair has to face the past to before they can find a future… together.

Grab Your Copy Here!

Meet Karen Grey

The first three books in Karen Grey’s 1980’s era Boston Classics romance series released in 2020: What I’m Looking For, Forget About Me and Like It’s 1999. You Spin Me released in 2021, to be followed by novel #4 in the series later this year. 

The audiobook of What I’m Looking For won an AudioFile Magazine Earphones award and was a finalist in the Independent Audiobook Awards, 2020. She’s also had essays published in Salt Magazine and the Nevertheless We Persistedcollections (one an Audies Finalist and the other a SOVAs finalist), and a short story in the collection Vintage Love Stories. 

Her first romance novel was a winner of the NJ Romance Writers’ Put Your Heart in a Book contest and Hearts Through History’s Romance Through the Ages contest in the Modern History category.

To learn more about Karen Grey, visit here!

Hosted By:

YOU SPIN ME (BOSTON CLASSICS #3)

 

YOU SPIN ME

a nostalgic romantic comedy

BOSTON CLASSICS #3

Narrated by Vanessa Edwin and Eric Michael Summerer

 

Some scars go further than skin deep…

 

1988 doesn’t end well for Jessica Abraham. In just one week she turns thirty, loses her day job, and loses the role of Ophelia to a younger actress. Rallying, she goes after a part at a theater outside of the city, but the director’s plan to hide her beauty behind hair, makeup and wardrobe from Cosmo’s “Don't” column shakes her confidence to the core.

 

For the first time in her acting career, she won’t be able to rely on her carefully managed physical charms. Only her craft will count.

 

On a snowy night early in January 1989, a woman calls into DJ Callihan Alonso’s alt-rock radio show at the end of her commute. He asks her to call back the next night, and the next, just so he'll know she’s home safe. There's something about her voice that has him wanting more, but the longer they talk, the closer she gets. Compromising each and every wall he's built around his heart.

 

If two lonely people fall in love over late-night phone calls, will meeting face-to-face make them, or break them?

 

In this heart-rending but happy-ending retro romcom, it may be the end of a decade, but it’s the beginning of a love story.

 

Buy Link:

https://books2read.com/YSMKGrey

https://bit.ly/YSMaudible

https://www.audible.com/pd/You-Spin-Me-Audiobook/B0987XBS9R

Author: Karen Grey
Narrators: Vanessa Edwin & Eric Michael Summerer
Series: Boston Classics #3
Genre: Nostalgic Romance
Audiobook Release Date: July 30, 2021
Publisher: Home Cooked Books
Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
Source: Author
Audio Speed: 1.3x

 

Liza's Review:

You Spin Me is my favorite to date in the Boston Classics series by Karen Grey. The emotional roller coaster of a story gave me all the feels from the very first chapter. The path Jessica and Cal take to happily ever after is full of bumps along the way, but such a beautiful and satisfying romance.

You Spin Me was pretty emotional for me as Cal's scars came from injuries he sustained in a house fire. I had a house fire when I was 12 years old, so any story involving one will always hit me pretty hard emotionally. Jessica carries scars that are not visible to the outside world, but are just as emotionally traumatic as those Cal carries physically. 

I loved Cal and Jessica developed a friendship while talking on the phone each night long before they ever met. I really felt like they had most of the getting to know you part of dating out of the way through so many phone conversations. Not that it made the road less bumpy once they finally met in person. Both Jessica and Cal had to deal with their demons from their pasts, and finding the peace each needed to make a relationship work just about broke my heart. Ms. Grey gives her readers an amazing heartwarming story that will stay with them long after they finish reading or listening to this story.

Narration:

I found both Vanessa Edwin and Eric Michael Summerer to be wonderful in the alternating POVs. Each one brought the characters to life in a way that kept me totally engaged with not only the main characters, but the supporting cast of characters as well. The transition between narrators was flawless done. I also really loved the retro radio ads at the beginning of each chapter. 

Rating: 4 Stars (B+)

 

Narrators:

Vanessa Edwin is a multiple AudioFile Earphones Award and SOVAS Award winning audiobook narrator. She is also a classically trained actress and world traveler. There’s nothing she loves more than long rainy days which are optimal for nurturing her love of reading, drinking hot cups of tea, and dreaming of her next getaway.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/VanessaEdwinRomanceNarrator/

 Twitter @VanessaEVoice

Eric Michael Summerer is a voice actor and producer who has narrated numerous audiobooks as well as countless instructional recordings and video games. He earned an Audie Award nomination for Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke and won AudioFile Earphones Awards for Burning Chrome by William Gibson and Master Assassins by Robert V.S. Redick. Eric also co-hosts the popular board-game podcast The Dice Tower.

 

RELEASE BLITZ: FORGET ABOUT ME

She can’t trust herself with the man who walked away… but can she let him go a second time?

Forget About Me, an all-new feel good, retro romantic comedy from Karen Grey is available now!

Ben Porter may be living the dream, but it’s not his.

His dad’s health scare might not be the ideal reason to come home for the summer, but it’s a welcome break from the stellar glitz of Ben’s life in Los Angeles. Even if modeling has him rivaling Marky Mark’s fame, posing isn’t his passion. Landing a role with a Boston Shakespeare theater brings him closer to fulfilling his dreams of being a real actor.

Facing the reason he went west in the first place? That’s another story.

Lucy Minola’s dreams were shattered seven years ago when a drunk driver smashed into her brother’s car. She knows it was her fault. So as penance, she works hard to care for her family, goes to confession faithfully, and buries all the feelings she had for the person who left when she needed him most: her brother’s best friend.

When an injured dog brings them back together, Lucy’s good-girl facade begins to crack. Women everywhere are obsessed with the rad body they see in magazines, but she’s the only one Ben seems to notice.

She can’t trust herself with the man who walked away… but can she let him go a second time?

This bittersweet romance, book two in Karen Grey’s 1980’s Boston Classics series, proves that everyone deserves a second chance in love and in life.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon:https://amzn.to/3c3Lsu4
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/forgetaboutme

Add FORGET ABOUT ME to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3bNL5ni

Start the series today with WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR.
Read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3mvD1w7
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/whatimlookingfor

Meet Karen

Karen Grey (also known as Karen White and K.E. White) has had several essays published, in Salt Magazine and the Nevertheless We Persisted collections (one an Audies Finalist and the other a SOVAs finalist), and a short story in the collection Vintage Love Stories. Her first romance novel was a winner of the NJ Romance Writers’ Put Your Heart in a Book contest and Hearts Through History’s Romance Through the Ages contest in the Modern History category and won second place in the GA Romance Writers’ Maggie Award. The first book in her 1980’s era romance series Boston Classics, What I’m Looking For releases June 23, 2020.

Connect with Karen

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3c3KBJS
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3kmpkOc
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3kf84KK
Stay up-to-date with Karen Grey, join her mailing list:
https://bit.ly/3mpQt4H
Website: https://bit.ly/ 3iApGQP

WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR

Recipe for a Boston Classic Cocktail: one part finance geek, one part starving actor, two shots of stubborn and a healthy squeeze of passion. Shake well and serve in a vintage glass.

When Kate Bishop walks into Boston’s famous Bull and Finch pub, all she’s looking for is one guy from her investment firm that she can trust to have her back—a tall order. With a salesman at her side, maybe stage fright won’t paralyze her completely when she presents her meticulously prepared research to clients. And maybe she can save her job.

Romance is the last thing on her to-do list, but a meet-cute with a Shakespeare-quoting bartender has her speculating on the value of diversifying her life portfolio.

Will Talbot is not a fan of the slick financiers who cram into his bar after each day’s closing bell. With their calls for Harvey Wallbangers and their Hermès ties, they’re all the same.

Except for a certain beautiful, buttoned-up brunette with fire in her eyes and a storm in her heart. They’re totally wrong for each other. He should be focusing on his upcoming audition, not coaching Kate on how to act like she's a bona fide member of the Gordon Gekko club.

Problem is, they can’t seem to stay away from each other.

The course of true love never did run smooth, but in this 1980's sweet-and-sexy rom-com, returns on love can’t be measured on the S&P 500. 

Audiobook Release Date: June 16, 2020

Home Cooked Books

Boston Classics #1

Nostalgic Romance

Narrated by : Joe Arden & Karen White

Length: 9 hours and 31 minutes
Source: Audiobook Publisher
Audio Speed: 1.25x

Previously posted at That’s What I’m Talking About 

Liza's Review:

What I'm Looking For is the first book in the Boston Classics series from Karen Grey. Ms. Grey takes her readers back to the 80's and I felt all the nostalgia while reading this book as I grew up in the 80's. Kate is bit of a numbers nerd working as a top financial analyst, which was a very male-dominated field in the 80's. Will works as a stage actor and part-time bartender to help make ends meet. They meet when Kate heads to happy hour to convince one of her male coworkers to join her on sales trips. While Kate is a wizard when it comes to stats, she has poor presentation skills and feels a salesman would help her become more comfortable. Will and Kate seem to connect pretty much from their first meeting when Will mixes her the perfect cocktail to drink while with the Old Boy's Club.

Will and Kate are defiantly an opposites attract romance. Kate is on the fast path to partner as a financial analyst and Will pretty much eschews anything to do with her business because of this past with his father. Also, until Will meets Kate he is pretty comfortable just making ends meet and not trying to work in any other medium than stage acting. I really liked that Will helped Kate come out of her shell and bit and Kate seems to help Will look at options beyond only the stage for his acting career. I enjoyed the banter between Kate and Will and felt they had really great chemistry. I really felt like they helped each become the best part of themselves. I will say I loved how Will tried to come up with the perfect Shakespeare quote for every situation. I loved even more when I knew the quote already.

I did have a few issues as I listened to this book. Will and Kate weren't always the best with communicating with one another. I get all romances have their own dark moment before the couple moves forward. I wondered if they would continue to have communication issues later. I also didn't love some of the mentions of product placement from the future; be it the Harvard facebook or wireless phones (aka cell phones), especially since there were already cordless phones by the late 80's. I did laugh out loud at the actually brick car phone mentioned, especially as Kate yelled when she used it the first time. That was so spot on with the friends I knew who had early versions of car phones.

I enjoyed the story on the whole even with the few issues. I especially adored the supporting characters from this book. Will's roommates who totally mothered him had me laughing out loud almost every time they were around. I also loved Kate's best friend Alice, and while I didn't expect to at first meeting, "Hot Steve" from Kate's office. He grew every bit as much as a character as both Will and Kate over the course of the book, and I'd love to see more of him in future books.

Rating Narrations: 5 Stars (A) Joe Arden and Karen White are 2 of the best narrators in the business and they both totally brought this story to life for me. I know when I see either of them listed on an audiobook, I'm in for an amazing narration. I felt there was a seamless transition between these two as they moved between the different characters. Outstanding performance by both.

Rating Story: 4 Stars (B-) Liked it, but had a few small issues. Recommend