#BookReview
Man Cuffed by Sarina Bowen & Tanya Eby
@SarinaBowen @Blunder_Woman @ninabocci

categories: Noteworthy Book Releases, Book Review, Contemporary Romance, 9/10
#BookReview Man Cuffed by Sarina Bowen & Tanya Eby @SarinaBowen @Blunder_Woman @ninabocciTitle: Man Cuffed

Author: Sarina Bowen, Tanya Eby

Series: Man Hands #4

Published by: Tuxbury Publishing LLC on November 19, 2019

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 254

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Nina Bocci

Book Rating: 9/10

 

Synopsis:

A new comedy from the USA Today bestselling duo!

Mac
A good cop can always spot trouble. That’s why my senses started pinging the moment I met the hottie next door. The neighborhood may never be the same. First she confuses me for a male stripper and tries to remove my uniform. (The guys on the force will never let me live that down.) And then there’s the breaking and entering.
I don’t know what to do with her. My libido has a few ideas of its own, though. Bad, bad ideas.

Meg
Hey, it’s not my fault that Hot Cop’s nightstick gets excited every time we see each other. And I can’t help that someone broke into his apartment.
Fine—that last thing was totally my fault. And I intend to make amends. So when he needs a date for his sister’s wedding, I’m there. This is right up my alley. I’m an actor. By the time it’s over, his entire family will believe we’re a couple.
Even him.

Warning: may cause unrestrained giggling in public. Contains: a bridezilla with a turkey leg, a flash mob, and a growly hero.

Review:

Spirted, sexy, and outrageously funny!

Man Cuffed is a witty, engaging tale featuring the spunky, spontaneous Meg whose determined to enjoy the company of the cop next door, including all the equipment he’s packing, and the well-built, studly Mac who may eventually realize all his efforts to remain just friends with his hot neighbour are futile.

The writing is crisp and whimsical. The characterization is spot on with an incredible cast of characters who are charismatic, quirky, and unpredictable. And the plot is an irresistible blend of family, friendship, light drama, shameless flirting, tricky situations, awkward moments, hilarious hijinks, and steamy romance.

Overall, Man Cuffed is another saucy, humorous, wildly addictive novel by Bowen and Eby that once again proves that when these two authors get together, the result is always exceptionally funny, highly entertaining, and a true guilty pleasure.

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                                       

 

 

 

Thank you to Nina Bocci, Sarina Bowen and Tanya Eby for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

About Sarina Bowen

Sarina Bowen is the RITA® Award winning author of over two dozen contemporary and LGTB romance novels. She most recently hit the USA Today bestseller's list in February, with Brooklynaire. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina holds a BA in economics from Yale University.

Sarina Bowen is a New Englander whose Vermont ancestors cut timber and farmed the north country since the 1760s. Sarina is grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing and wi-fi during the intervening 250 years. On a few wooded acres, she lives with her husband, two boys, and an ungodly amount of ski and hockey gear.

Sarina's books are published in a dozen languages on four continents. In 2016, The Romance Writers of America honored HIM by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy with a RITA award for Best Contemporary Romance, Mid-Length.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest

About Tanya Eby

Tanya is a starving artist without the starving part. Maybe, then, she's a snacking artist. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her two kids and tiki-obssessed husband and writes quirky fiction.

After writing a gripping, dark, gothic novel IN THE GARDEN ROOM, Tanya decided to switch it up. She's hard at work on a romcom, which doesn't feel like work at all.

She likes to keep things interesting.

She is also an award-winning narrator and audiobook publisher. She has been lucky to narrate some of the best books around...600 and counting! Many of the books she narrates are NY Times bestsellers.

She loves the challenge of narrating and truly adores words. Reading other writers' work encourages her to keep working on her own.
Tanya is a starving artist without the starving part. Maybe, then, she's a snacking artist. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her two kids and tiki-obssessed husband and writes quirky fiction.

After writing a gripping, dark, gothic novel IN THE GARDEN ROOM, Tanya decided to switch it up. She's hard at work on a romcom, which doesn't feel like work at all.

She likes to keep things interesting.

She is also an award-winning narrator and audiobook publisher. She has been lucky to narrate some of the best books around...600 and counting! Many of the books she narrates are NY Times bestsellers.

She loves the challenge of narrating and truly adores words. Reading other writers' work encourages her to keep working on her own.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

It’s Monday (November 18, 2019)!
What Are You Reading! #IMWAYR
#Books #Reading #TBRList

categories: Noteworthy Book Releases, #IMWAYR, General Blog Posts

 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? hosted by Kathryn at Bookdate is a weekly post to share what you’ve recently finished reading, what you’re currently reading, and what you plan on reading this upcoming week.

 

So here is what I just read, am reading, and what I plan to read next:

 

What I Read Last Week:

 

Title: Snowflakes over Moondance Cottage

Authors: Rosie Green

Immediate Thoughts: Encouraging, warm, and emotive!

Rating: 8.5/10

Publication Date: November 15, 2019

 

 

Title: The Little Bookshop on the Seine 

Authors: Rebecca Raisin

Immediate Thoughts: Cosy, heartwarming, and sweet!

Rating: 8.5/10

Publication Date: January 7, 2020

 

 

Title: Instacrush (Rookie Rebels #2)

Authors: Kate Meader

Immediate Thoughts: Spicy, romantic, and downright addictive!

Rating: 10/10

Publication Date: December 10, 2019

 

 

Title: The Room on Rue Amélie

Authors: Kristin Hamel

Immediate Thoughts: Powerful, moving, and inspiring!

Rating: 9/10

Publication Date: March 27, 2018

 

 

What I’m Currently Reading:

 

College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. With deadlines looming, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson, and soon nothing in Joe’s life is ever the same.

Carl is a dying Vietnam veteran–and a convicted murderer. With only a few months to live, he has been medically paroled to a nursing home, after spending thirty years in prison for the crimes of rape and murder.

As Joe writes about Carl’s life, especially Carl’s valor in Vietnam, he cannot reconcile the heroism of the soldier with the despicable acts of the convict. Joe, along with his skeptical female neighbor, throws himself into uncovering the truth, but he is hamstrung in his efforts by having to deal with his dangerously dysfunctional mother, the guilt of leaving his autistic brother vulnerable, and a haunting childhood memory. 

Thread by thread, Joe unravels the tapestry of Carl’s conviction. But as he and Lila dig deeper into the circumstances of the crime, the stakes grow higher. Will Joe discover the truth before it’s too late to escape the fallout?

 

What I’m Reading Next:

 

An astonishing novel from the acclaimed author of Keepsakethat pushes the boundaries of storytelling. At turns shocking, provocative, and heart-wrenching, and inspired by a true story The Whole Golden World forces us to ask the question “How well do we really know our children?”

To the outside Dinah and Joe have a perfect family-three lovely children, a beautiful home, and a café that’s finally taking off. But their world is rocked when it’s discovered that their oldest daughter, 17-year-old Morgan is having an affair with her married teacher, TJ Hill.

Their town rocks with the scandal. When the case goes to trial, the family is torn further apart when Morgan sides not with her parents-as a manipulated teenage girl; but with TJ himself-as a woman who loves a 30-year-old man.

Told from the perspectives of Morgan, Dinah, and TJ’s wife, Rain, this is an unforgettable story that fully explores the surprising, even shocking, events that change the lives of two families.

 

Have you read any of my upcoming reads? What do you have coming up?

#BookReview
Be My Guest by Priya Basil
@canongatebooks @PGCBooks

categories: Book Review, Non Fiction, 8/10
#BookReview Be My Guest by Priya Basil @canongatebooks @PGCBooksTitle: Be My Guest

Author: Priya Basil

Published by: Canongate Books Ltd on November 15, 2019

Genres: Non Fiction

Pages: 128

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

 

 

Synopsis:

A meditation on the meaning and limits of hospitality today, from the shortlisted author of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize.

The dinner table, among friends, is where the best conversations take place⁠—talk about the world, religion, politics, culture and cooking. In the same way, Be My Guest is a conversation about all those things, mediated through the medium of shared food.

We live in a world where some have too much and others not enough, where immigrants and refugees are both welcomed and vilified, and where most of us spend less and less time cooking and eating together. Priya Basil invites us to explore the meaning and limits of hospitality today, and in doing so makes a passionate plea for a kinder, more welcoming realization that we have more in common than divides us.

Review:

Eloquent, pensive, and rich!

Be My Guest is a beautifully written, candid story by Basil that explores the power of being hospitable and the diverse customs and traditions that people use around the world to invite, include, accept, nourish, and share with others.

The writing is informative and moving. And the novel is a generous, welcoming tale that delves into the true meaning of hospitality and emphasizes that the dinner table should not only be a place for nourishment but a place for unification regardless of political ideologies, religion, skin colour, or socioeconomic status.

Overall, I would have to say that Be My Guest is, ultimately, a genuine, impassioned, humourous reminder that breaking bread with family, friends, strangers, and even the diverse community at large is not only good for the body and mind but also a conscientious, important salve for the heart and soul.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                                  

 

 

 

Thank you to Publishers Group Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Priya Basil

Priya grew up in Kenya, returning to the UK to study English Literature at the University of Bristol. She had a career in advertising before becoming a full-time writer. In 2010 Priya, and the journalist Matthias Fredrich-Auf der Horst, initiated Authors for Peace. It is intended to be a platform from which writers can actively use literature in different ways to promote peace. The first event by Authors for Peace took place on 21 September 2010, the UN's International Day of Peace. With the support of the International Literature Festival Berlin, Priya hosted a 24hour-live-online-reading by 80 authors from all over the world. The authors read from their work in a gesture of solidarity with those who are oppressed or caught in conflict. Priya lives in London and Berlin.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

Website | Goodreads

#BlogTour #BookReview
The Wicked Lord’s Mistress
by Scarlett Jameson @rararesources

categories: Book Review, Historical Romance, 7/10, Erotica

#BlogTour #BookReview The Wicked Lord's Mistress by Scarlett Jameson @rararesources

#BlogTour #BookReview The Wicked Lord’s Mistress by Scarlett Jameson @rararesourcesTitle: The Wicked Lord's Mistress

Author: Scarlett Jameson

Series: The Lord's Seduction #2

Published by: Victorian Lovers on September 9, 2019

Genres: Historical Romance, Erotica

Pages: 200

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Rachel's Random Resources

Book Rating: 7/10

 

Synopsis:

The Wicked Lord’s Mistress is set in the late Victorian period (1886) for fans of upstairs/downstairs dramas such as Downton Abbey and steamy romances. It explores the continuing love story between Lily, a lady’s maid at Torrington Hall, and a handsome, mysterious aristocratic hero called Lord Edgar Wilson.

Lily is surrounded by challenges from all sides. She is being blackmailed by the evil Mallkins, she has a secret past that she is trying to hide, and her forbidden love affair with Lord Wilson grows more risky every day. Can their lusty affair transform into the tender and lasting love that Lily craves? And given the differences in their class, is a happy ending possible for them?

Then a new enemy comes into Lily’s life, someone who is determined to destroy her. Lily finds herself facing the greatest challenge of her life, and hopes that Lord Wilson will be her hero.

Review:

Rousing, mischievous, and suspenseful!

The Wicked Lord’s Mistress is a spirited, regency romance that transports you back to the late 1880s where Lily, a troubled, passionate Lady’s Maid who after surviving the untimely death of her parents and the man she loved is determined to do whatever it takes to protect her young son, escape the hands of a master manipulator, and keep her heart far away from the roguish Lord Wilson.

The prose is amusing and light. The characters are sultry, troubled, and secretive. And the plot is a mysterious tale full of scoundrel behaviour, family drama, desire, yearning, control, manipulation, class stratification, and steamy romance.

Overall, The Wicked Lord’s Mistress is an easy, enjoyable, quick read by Jameson that is entertaining and a little naughty. It’s the second novel in The Lord’s Seduction series and even though it can be enjoyed as a standalone story, I would highly recommend reading The Wicked Lord and the Lady’s Maid first.

.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

    

 

 

Thank you to Scarlett Jameson and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Scarlett Jameson

Scarlett Jameson works in publishing by day and by night enjoys writing steamy historical romances. A lover of all things Victorian, she lives in London with her cat.

Newsletter

 

#BlogTour #BookReview
Trying to Score by Kendall Ryan
@KendallRyan1 #hotjocks

categories: Blog Tour, Book Review, Contemporary Romance, 9/10

#BlogTour #BookReview Trying to Score by Kendall Ryan @KendallRyan1 #hotjocks

#BlogTour #BookReview Trying to Score by Kendall Ryan @KendallRyan1 #hotjocksTitle: Trying to Score

Author: Kendall Ryan

Series: Hot Jocks #3

Published by: Dream Press on November 12, 2019

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 284

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Kendall Ryan

Book Rating: 9/10

 

Synopsis:

Teddy King excels at many things. Playing hockey. Check. Scoring on and off the ice. Check. Being stupidly attractive … Double check.

Despite his demanding schedule, he still finds time to annoy me. I knew him way back when. Before he was the guy everyone wanted a piece of, he was just a rebellious college co-ed and one of my more energetic study partners.

But secrets have a way of getting out, and a steamy encounter from our college days (that we probably shouldn’t have filmed) is about to cause a major scandal. Unless we can work together to stop it.

Teddy’s no stranger to hard work … but the thing he wants most?

Is me.

Note: This high-heat standalone is chock-full of scorching banter and steamy good times. He’s a testosterone-dripping hockey player who wants a second chance. She’s a tough as nails attorney intent on making partner. Frienemies to lovers. No cliffhanger. Enjoy!

 Your favorite hot jocks are back with an all new stand-alone novel. If you like sexy, confident men who know how to handle a stick (on and off the ice), and smart women who are strong enough to keep all those big egos in check, this series is perfect for you!

Review:

Sensual, sassy, and seductive!

Trying to Score is a playful, second-chance romance that features the lively, intelligent Sara who’s content to be single and completely focused on making partner, and the cocky, hard-bodied Teddy who’s unfortunately become embroiled in a scandal and in need of some lawyerly advice from an old flame.

The writing is witty and smooth. The characters are charismatic, amusing, and endearing. And the plot told from alternating POVs is a lighthearted, funny tale filled with tricky situations, sizzling tension, sexual innuendoes, blistering chemistry, flirty banter, friendship, and steamy romance.

Overall, Trying to Score is another sweet, humorous, sexy read by Ryan with characters you can’t help but fall in love with and a happy-ever-after ending that will make you swoon.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

 

                                       

 

 

 

 

About Kendall Ryan

A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She’s a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she’s appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Pinterest | Newsletter

 

Thank you to Kendall Ryan for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

#BookReview
Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens
@aeskens @mulhollandbooks @HBGCanada

categories: Book Review, Mystery/Thriller, General Fiction, 9/10
#BookReview Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens @aeskens @mulhollandbooks @HBGCanadaTitle: Nothing More Dangerous

Author: Allen Eskens

Published by: Mulholland Books on November 12, 2019

Genres: General Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: HBG Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

 

 

Synopsis:

In a small town where loyalty to family and to “your people” carries the weight of a sacred oath, defying those unspoken rules can be a deadly proposition.

After fifteen years of growing up in the Ozark hills with his widowed mother, high-school freshman Boady Sanden is beyond ready to move on. He dreams of glass towers and cityscapes, driven by his desire to be anywhere other than Jessup, Missouri. The new kid at St. Ignatius High School, if he isn’t being pushed around, he is being completely ignored. Even his beloved woods, his playground as a child and his sanctuary as he grew older, seem to be closing in on him, suffocating him.

Then Thomas Elgin moves in across the road, and Boady’s life begins to twist and turn. Coming to know the Elgins-a black family settling into a community where notions of “us” and “them” carry the weight of history-forces Boady to rethink his understanding of the world he’s taken for granted. Secrets hidden in plain sight begin to unfold: the mother who wraps herself in the loss of her husband, the neighbor who carries the wounds of a mysterious past that he holds close, the quiet boss who is fighting his own hidden battle.

But the biggest secret of all is the disappearance of Lida Poe, the African-American woman who keeps the books at the local plastics factory. Word has it that Ms. Poe left town, along with a hundred thousand dollars of company money. Although Boady has never met the missing woman, he discovers that the threads of her life are woven into the deepest fabric of his world.

As the mystery of her fate plays out, Boady begins to see the stark lines of race and class that both bind and divide this small town, and he is forced to choose sides.

Review:

Impactful, atmospheric, and hauntingly realistic!

In this latest novel by Eskens, Nothing More Dangerous, he transports us to Jessup, Missouri, a small, midwestern town that suddenly finds itself turned upside down when an unsolved case of embezzlement, a missing, young, African-American employee, depressing economics, and a strong underlying racist mentality tests and unearths all the hidden, longstanding alliances, relationships, and friendships within it.

The prose is gritty and descriptive. The characters are vulnerable, raw, and impulsive. And the plot is an immersive journey of life, loss, poverty, coming-of-age, familial drama, friendship, courage, morality, loyalty, community, self-preservation, racism, and violence.

Overall, Nothing More Dangerous is a sincere, pensive, ominous tale that not only highlights the ugliness and weakness of group mentality and the ease with which it allows one to behave with ignorance, intolerance, and even participate in the most unforgivable of crimes, but also reminds us that kindness and compassion is the base of humanity that should ultimately transcend skin colour and socioeconomic status.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                                          

 

 

Thank you to HBG Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Allen Eskens

Allen Eskens is the USA Today-bestselling author of The Life We Bury, The Guise of Another, The Heavens May Fall, the Deep Dark Descending and The Shadows We Hide. He is the recipient of the Barry Award, Rosebud Award, Minnesota Book Award, and the Silver Falchion Award and has been a finalist for the Edgar Award, Thriller Award, and Anthony Award. His work had been published in 21 languages and his debut novel, The Life We Bury is being developed for a feature film.

Allen lives with his wife, Joely, in greater Minnesota and is represented by Amy Cloughley of Kimberley Cameron and Associates, and is published by both Seventh Street Books and Mulholland/Little Brown.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

It’s Monday (November 11, 2019)!
What Are You Reading! #IMWAYR
#Books #Reading #TBRList

categories: Noteworthy Book Releases, #IMWAYR, General Blog Posts

 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? hosted by Kathryn at Bookdate is a weekly post to share what you’ve recently finished reading, what you’re currently reading, and what you plan on reading this upcoming week.

 

So here is what I just read, am reading, and what I plan to read next:

 

What I Read Last Week:

 

Title: Crushed

Authors: Kate Hamer

Immediate Thoughts: Gloomy, tragic, and consuming!

Rating: 8/10

Publication Date: June 7, 2019

 

 

Title: A Madness of Sunshine 

Authors: Nalini Singh

Immediate Thoughts: Tender, charming, and sweetly romantic!

Rating: 8/10

Publication Date: October 22, 2019

 

 

Title: The Sun Sister (The Seven Sisters #6)

Authors: Lucinda Riley

Immediate Thoughts: Informative, expressive, and engaging!

Rating: 8.5/10

Publication Date: October 31, 2019

 

 

Title: Bringing Down the Duke (A League of Extraordinary Women #1)

Authors: Evie Dunmore

Immediate Thoughts: Lighthearted, charming, and fun!

Rating: 8/10

Publication Date: September 3, 2019

 

 

Title: The Artist and the Soldier

Authors: Angelle Petta

Immediate Thoughts: Compelling, poignant, and emotional!

Rating: 9/10

Publication Date: May 1, 2018

 

 

Title: Tough Guy (Game Changers #3)

Authors: Rachel Reid

Immediate Thoughts: Sensitive, alluring, and heartfelt!

Rating: 8.5/10

Publication Date: January 13, 2020

 

 

Title: Rancher’s Wild Secret & Hold Me, Cowboy

Author: Maisey Yates

Immediate Thoughts: Spicy, engaging, and downright steamy

Rating: 8.5/10

Publication Date: October 22, 2019

 

 

What I’m Currently Reading:

 

It’s The Holiday on the Champs-Élysées in a great big love letter to Paris, charming old bookstores and happily-ever-afters!

When bookshop owner Sarah Smith is offered the opportunity for a job exchange with her Parisian friend Sophie, saying yes is a no-brainer—after all, what kind of romantic would turn down six months in Paris? Sarah is sure she’s in for the experience of a lifetime—days spent surrounded by literature in a gorgeous bookshop, and the chance to watch the snowfall on the Eiffel Tower. Plus, now she can meet up with her journalist boyfriend, Ridge, when his job takes him around the globe.

But her expectations cool faster than her café au lait soon after she lands in the City of Light—she’s a fish out of water in Paris. The customers are rude, her new coworkers suspicious and her relationship with Ridge has been reduced to a long-distance game of phone tag, leaving Sarah to wonder if he’ll ever put her first over his busy career. As Christmas approaches, Sarah is determined to get the shop—and her life—back in order…and make her dreams of a Parisian happily-ever-after come true.

 

What I’m Reading Next:

 

When Jess Rigby lost her dad, the family coped in different ways, alone in their grief. Now, her mum seems to be going off the rails and her sister, Isla, who moved to France, is now back and determined to get the old family home on the market. But the last thing Jess wants this Christmas is for renovations to start on the house. It’s sure to stir up old memories she’s desperate to forget. And to make things worse, Isla seems to have hired the most obnoxious builder in the world to do the work. Jess could ignore the fact that women seem to be putty in his hands. But what she finds harder to ignore is the frisson she gets every time she squeezes past him in the mess that is now their beloved family home! Soon, the house begins to give up its secrets, some of them shocking. Can the family finally start talking and find a way to move on from the past this Christmas?

 

Have you read any of my upcoming reads? What do you have coming up?

 

#BookReview
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
@lisajewelluk @AtriaBooks @SimonSchusterCA

categories: Noteworthy Book Releases, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller, 9/10
#BookReview The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell @lisajewelluk @AtriaBooks @SimonSchusterCATitle: The Family Upstairs

Author: Lisa Jewell

Published by: Atria Books on November 5, 2019

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

 

 

Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone and Watching You comes another page-turning look inside one family’s past as buried secrets threaten to come to light.

Be careful who you let in.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

Review:

Creepy, dark, and unsettling!

The Family Upstairs is a well-crafted, gritty novel that takes you into the lives of the Lamb family, specifically Lucy, a mother of two scrounging to make ends meet, Harry, a middle-aged man with a chilling, childhood story to tell, and Libby Jones, a young woman who suddenly finds herself the inheritor of a Chelsea mansion with a wicked past.

The writing is intense and intricate. The characters are troubled, vulnerable, and deceptive. And the plot told from multiple perspectives and alternating between timelines quickly unfolds into a complex story full of mind games, manipulation, obsession, jealousy, abuse, unforeseen twists, well-timed surprises, violence, and pure evil.

Overall, The Family Upstairs is a disturbing, gripping, eerie tale by Jewell that once again highlights that when it comes to writing menacing, intelligent, tortuous, psychological thrillers she’s one of the best.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                                            

 

 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Lisa Jewell

Lisa Jewell is the internationally bestselling author of sixteen novels, including the New York Times bestseller Then She Was Gone, as well as I Found You, The Girls in the Garden, and The House We Grew Up In. In total, her novels have sold more than two million copies across the English-speaking world and her work has also been translated into sixteen languages so far. Lisa lives in London with her husband and their two daughters.

Photograph by Andrew Whitton.

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

#BookReview #BlogTour
The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae
by Stephanie Butland @under_blue_sky @StMartinsPress

categories: Blog Tour, Book Review, Women's Fiction, 8.5/10
#BookReview #BlogTour The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae by Stephanie Butland @under_blue_sky @StMartinsPressTitle: The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae

Author: Stephanie Butland

Published by: St. Martin's Press on October 9, 2019

Genres: Women's Fiction

Pages: 416

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: St. Martin's Press, NetGalley

Book Rating: 8.5/10

 

 

Synopsis:

For fans of Josie Silver’s One Day in December, The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae is a wholly original, charismatic, and uplifting novel that no reader will soon forget.

Ailsa Rae is learning how to live. She’s only a few months past the heart transplant that—just in time—saved her life. Now, finally, she can be a normal twenty-eight-year-old. She can climb a mountain. Dance. Wait in line all day for tickets to Wimbledon.

But first, she has to put one foot in front of the other. So far, things are as bloody complicated as ever. Her relationship with her mother is at a breaking point and she wants to find her father. Then there’s Lennox, whom Ailsa loved and lost. Will she ever find love again?

Her new heart is a bold heart. She just needs to learn to listen to it. From the hospital to her childhood home, on social media and IRL, Ailsa will embark on a journey about what it means to be, and feel, alive. How do we learn to be brave, to accept defeat, to dare to dream?

From Stephanie Butland, author of The Lost for Words Bookshop, The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae will warm you from the inside out.

Review:

Moving, inspiring, and heartfelt!

The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae is a pensive, tender novel that takes us into the life of the courageous, optimistic Ailsa Rae who after living a sheltered, timid life due to a congenital heart defect is struggling to recover, adapt, relearn, and become more adventurous after a heart transplant saves her life.

The writing is direct and sincere. The characters are charming, authentic, and amusing. And the plot using an intriguing mixture of narration, letters, newspaper articles, blog posts, and emails is a delightfully witty, bittersweet tale about life, love, loss, family, friendship, self-discovery, happiness, and taking chances.

Overall, The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae is a thought-provoking, romantic, touching tale by Butland that does an exceptional job of highlighting the demand, necessity, and importance of organ donation, and has just the right amount of laughs, tears, endearing characters, and heartfelt storyline to be completely absorbing.

 

This book is available now. 

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                                                     

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Stephanie Butland

STEPHANIE BUTLAND lives with her family near the sea in the North East of England. She writes in a studio at the bottom of her garden, and when she's not writing, she trains people to think more creatively. For fun, she reads, knits, sews, bakes, and spins. She is an occasional performance poet and the author of The Lost for Words Bookshop.

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#BookReview
The Bromance Book Club
by Lyssa Kay Adams @lyssakayadams @BerkleyPub @PenguinRandomCA

categories: Book Review, Contemporary Romance, 8.5/10
#BookReview The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams @lyssakayadams @BerkleyPub @PenguinRandomCATitle: The Bromance Book Club

Author: Lyssa Kay Adams

Published by: Berkley on November 5, 2019

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

 

 

Synopsis:

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.

Review:

Quirky, humorous, and refreshing!

The Bromance Book Club is a lighthearted, charming read that takes us into the life of Gavin Scott, a successful, professional baseball player who after learning his wife wants a divorce decides to do whatever it takes to win her back, including taking advice from his friends, fellow teammates, and the seventh Earl of Latford.

The prose is playful and fun. The characters, including all the supporting characters, are amusing, bawdy, and engaging. And the plot told from alternating POVs is a sweet, flirty tale full of tricky situations, tender moments, hilarious mishaps, friendship, family, miscommunication, self-discovery, determination, and a little steamy, regency romance.

Overall, The Bromance Book Club is an alluring, easy, spicy read by Adams that has characters you can’t help but root for and a storyline that is highly entertaining.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following links.

                                          

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Lyssa Kay Adams

Lyssa Kay Adams is the pen name of an award-winning journalist who gave up the world of telling true stories to pen emotional romances. She’s also a diehard Detroit Tigers fan who will occasionally cheer for the Red Sox because her husband is from Boston.

Lyssa lives in Michigan with her family and an anxiety-ridden Maltese who steals food and buries it around the house and who will undoubtedly be a character in a future book.

Things Lyssa loves: Baseball pants, mashed potatoes, and that little clicking sound that scissors make on the cutting table at fabric stores.

Things she doesn’t love: Mean people, melting ice cream cones, and finding food in her underwear drawer.

Photography courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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