Category: General Blog Posts

#BookReview A Killer’s Game by Isabella Maldonado @wunderkindPR #AKillersGame #DanielaVegaSeries #IsabellaMaldonado #wunderkindpr

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview A Killer’s Game by Isabella Maldonado @wunderkindPR #AKillersGame #DanielaVegaSeries #IsabellaMaldonado #wunderkindpr Title: A Killer's Game

Author: Isabella Maldonado

Series: Daniela Vega #1

Published by: Thomas & Mercer on Jun. 1, 2023

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 365

Format: Paperback

Source: Wunderkind PR

Book Rating: 8.5/10

An FBI agent with a background in cryptography. A brilliant game maker bent on revenge. A deadly battle of wits and wills. An ingenious thriller from the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Cipher.

FBI agent and former military codebreaker Daniela “Dani” Vega witnesses a murder on a Manhattan sidewalk. The victim is chief of staff for a powerful New York senator. The assassin turned informant is Gustavo Toro. His code: hit the target and don’t ask questions. When Dani suspects a complex conspiracy, the only way to take down the mastermind is from the inside, forcing her to partner with Toro. Together they must infiltrate the inner circle at a remote facility.

Except it’s a trap. For all of them.

Locked in a subterranean labyrinth and held captive by an unseen host, Dani, Toro, and others must fight for their lives. Now Dani must stay undercover, unravel a bizarre conspiracy, and survive lethal puzzles. But will Toro be friend or foe? Because in this killer’s game, everything is real: the paranoia, the desperation, and the body count. And only one person can make it out alive.

Review:

Charged, propulsive, and unnerving!

A Killer’s Game is a sinister, action-packed thrill ride featuring the tenacious, skilled former Army Ranger turned FBI special agent Daniela Vega as she gets mixed up in an investigation into the toxic poisoning of a senator’s aid that quickly spirals into something a lot more lethal involving an online video game, an underground facility, numerous deadly challenges and puzzles, twelve men who are willing to do anything they need to in order to be the last man standing, and a “Nemesis” who’s been waiting a long time to exact revenge.

The writing is taut and intense. The characters are meticulous, tormented, and persistent. And the plot is a suspenseful, engrossing thriller full of twists, turns, lies, deception, revelations, obsession, danger, depravity, vengeance, violence, and murder.

Overall, A Killer’s Game is an eerie, tortuous, fast-paced tale by Maldonado that’s a promising start to this new Daniela Vega series with its multilayered characters, intricate storyline, consistent sense of urgency, and satisfying conclusion.

 

This novel is available now.

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

      

 

 

Thank you to Wunderkind PR for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Isabella Maldonado

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Isabella Maldonado wore a gun and badge in real life before turning to crime writing. A graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico and the first Latina to attain the rank of captain in the Fairfax County Police Department just outside DC, she retired as the Commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. During more than two decades on the force, her assignments included hostage negotiator, department spokesperson, and precinct commander. She uses her law enforcement background to bring a realistic edge to her writing, which includes the bestselling FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera series (soon to be a Netflix feature film starring Jennifer Lopez), the award-winning Detective Veranda Cruz series, and the FBI Agent Daniela Vega series. Her books have been translated into 22 languages.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Instagram | Bookbub

#BookReview The Paris Deception by Bryn Turnball @brynturnbull @KayePublicity @HarlequinBooks #TheParisDeception #BrynTurnball

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview The Paris Deception by Bryn Turnball @brynturnbull @KayePublicity @HarlequinBooks #TheParisDeception #BrynTurnball Title: The Paris Deception

Author: Bryn Turnball

Published by: MIRA on May 30, 2023

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 464

Format: Paperback

Source: Kaye Publicity

Book Rating: 9/10

From internationally bestselling author Bryn Turnbull comes a breathtaking novel about art theft and forgery in Nazi-occupied Paris, and two brave women who risk their lives rescuing looted masterpieces from Nazi destruction.

Sophie Dix fled Stuttgart with her brother as the Nazi regime gained power in Germany. Now, with her brother gone and her adopted home city of Paris conquered by the Reich, Sophie reluctantly accepts a position restoring damaged art at the Jeu de Paume museum under the supervision of the ERR—a German art commission using the museum as a repository for art they’ve looted from Jewish families.  

Fabienne Brandt was a rising star in the Parisian bohemian arts movement until the Nazis put a stop to so-called “degenerate” modern art. Still mourning the loss of her firebrand husband, she’s resolved to muddle her way through the occupation in whatever way she can—until her estranged sister-in-law, Sophie, arrives at her door with a stolen painting in hand.

Soon the two women embark upon a plan to save Paris’s “degenerates,” working beneath the noses of Germany’s top art connoisseurs to replace the paintings in the Jeu de Paume with skillful forgeries—but how long can Sophie and Fabienne sustain their masterful illusion?

Review:

Atmospheric, alluring, and rich!

The Paris Deception is a vivid, engaging tale set in France during WWII that takes you into the life of Sophie Dix, a young art restorer who, after fleeing the rising Nazi rule in Germany, uses her position, knowledge, contacts, and help from her estranged, widowed sister-in-law Fabienne Brandt to help save and secure as much art as possible from the Jeu de Plume museum in Paris by creating forgeries and smuggling as many pieces as possible into hiding at the expense of her own safety and all those around her.

The prose is charged and tense. The characters are resilient, brave, and endearing. And the plot is a poignant tale about life, loss, family, secrets, desperation, danger, tragedy, grief, friendship, art, romance, and the horrors and hardships of war.

Overall, The Paris Deception is an immersive, captivating, informative tale by Turnbull inspired by real-life events that sweeps you away to another time and place and does an exceptional job of reminding you that survival and resistance of any form takes enormous strength, exceptional sacrifice, and unimaginable courage.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to Kaye Publicity for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Bryn Turnball

Bryn Turnbull is an internationally bestselling author of historical fiction. Equipped with a Master of Letters in Creative Writing from the University of St. Andrews, a Master of Professional Communication from Toronto Metropolitan University and a Bachelor's degree in English Literature from McGill University, Bryn focuses on finding stories of women lost within the cracks of the historical record.
​
Her debut novel, The Woman Before Wallis, was named one of the top ten bestselling works of Canadian fiction for 2020 and became an international bestseller. Her second, The Last Grand Duchess, came out in February 2022 and spent eight weeks on the Globe & Mail and Toronto Star bestseller lists. Her third novel, The Paris Deception, comes out in May 2023.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

Website | Facebook | Instagram

#BookReview A Good Family by Matt Goldman @ForgeReads #AGoodFamilyNovel #MattGoldman #ForgeBooks #ForgeReads

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview A Good Family by Matt Goldman @ForgeReads #AGoodFamilyNovel #MattGoldman #ForgeBooks #ForgeReads Title: A Good Family

Author: Matt Goldman

Published by: Forge Books on May 30, 2023

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 304

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Forge Books

Book Rating: 8/10

Katie Kuhlmann’s marriage is falling apart. But she has a secure job, her children are healthy, and her house, a new construction in the prestigious Country Club neighborhood of Edina, Minnesota, is beautiful. She can almost ignore the way her husband, Jack, has been acting — constantly checking his phone, not going to work, disappearing from the house only to show up again without explanation.

Tension in the Kuhlmann house only gets worse when Adam “Bagman” Ross, a mutual friend from college, happens to be in the neighborhood and in need of a place to stay. Jack is quick to welcome him into the sanctity of their home, but Jack’s strange behavior only gets worse, and Katie fears their new guest is also harboring a dark secret. As she begins to uncover the truth, she realizes that something is terribly wrong — and she must race to protect her family as danger closes in.

Review:

Ominous, simmering, and twisty!

A Good Family is a captivating, sinister mystery that takes us into the life of Katie Kuhlmann, a young mother of two who starts to realize everything is not as it seems when her husband randomly disappears and then reappears out of the blue, an acquaintance from the past suddenly shows up and temporarily moves in, rumours of corruption begin to swirl, and seemingly perfect marriages start to show more than just a few little cracks.

The writing is crisp and tight. The characters are consumed, flawed, and overwhelmed. And the plot is a suspenseful, sinister tale of secrets, deception, gossip, tragedy, suspicions, revelations, mayhem, fractured relationships, infidelity, mischief, and murder.

Overall, A Good Family is a devious, tense, entertaining page-turner by Goldman that does a wonderful job of highlighting just how easily people can sometimes allow themselves to be psychologically and emotionally manipulated and reminds us that even the people we think we know so well often have deep, dark secrets they choose to hide.

 

This book is available now.

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

             

 

 

Thank you to Forge Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Matt Goldman

Matt Goldman is a playwright and Emmy Award-winning television writer for Seinfeld, Ellen, and other shows. He brings his signature storytelling abilities and light touch to his Nils Shapiro series, which begins with Gone to Dust. He lives in Minnesota with his wife, two dogs, two cats, and whichever children happen to be around.

Photo Credit: Leslie Parker

Website | Facebook | Instagram

#BookReview The Front Porch Club by Michelle Major @michelle_major1 @KayePublicity @HarlequinBooks #TheFrontPorchClub #MichelleMajor #CarolinaGirls

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview The Front Porch Club by Michelle Major @michelle_major1 @KayePublicity @HarlequinBooks #TheFrontPorchClub #MichelleMajor #CarolinaGirls Title: The Front Porch Club

Author: Michelle Major

Series: Carolina Girls #5

Published by: Canary Street Press on May 23, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Kaye Publicity

Book Rating: 8.5/10

They have nothing in common—except a need to start over…

The drawback to having a picture-perfect life is that there’s nowhere to go but down—and Annalise Haverford is falling fast. Once, she was the self-proclaimed queen bee of Magnolia, North Carolina. Now her husband has been arrested for fraud, and she’s become an outcast in the shallow circles she used to rule. There’s only one affordable rental in town, and it’s owned by the woman Annalise got fired from a lucrative job.

Much as single mother Shauna Myer would like to refuse Annalise, who treated her like dirt on the bottom of her red-soled shoe, she needs that rent money. But when Shauna’s first love arrives in town, unraveling secrets she’d hoped to keep, Annalise becomes her unlikely defender. Meghan Banks, an elementary school art teacher whose quiet existence suddenly descends into chaos, is thrown an unexpected lifeline by Annalise, too.

As spring ripens into a sultry summer, the three spur each other on to share their fears and dreams, face new challenges, and seize second chances. Because no matter how turbulent life may be, it’s much easier to navigate those choppy waters when you’re buoyed by true friendship…­ 

Review:

Romantic, cozy, and engaging!

The Front Porch Club is an enchanting, heartwarming story set in the quaint town of Magnolia, North Carolina, that takes you into the lives of three unlikely friends, Shauna, Annalise, and Meghan, who together tackle all the highs and lows of life including single motherhood, new love, old love, career woes, taking chances, and new beginnings.

The prose is fluid and smooth. The characters are genuine, supportive, and reliable. And the plot is a tender, hopeful tale about life, love, family, parenthood, heartbreak, attraction, introspection, contentment, and small-town living.

Overall, The Front Porch Club is another sweet, uplifting, satisfying addition to the Carolina Girls series by Major that touches on the importance of healing, friendship, self-discovery, and finding happiness.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to Kaye Publicity for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Michelle Major

Michelle Major grew up in Ohio but dreamed of living in the mountains. Soon after graduating with a degree in Journalism, she pointed her car west and settled in Colorado. Her life and house are filled with one great husband, two beautiful kids, a few furry pets and several well-behaved reptiles. She’s grateful to have found her passion writing stories with happy endings.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest

#BookReview Closer by Sea by Perry Chafe @perrychafe @SimonSchusterCA @ScribnerBooks #CloserbySea #PerryChafe #SimonSchusterCA

Published on by Zoe1 Comment
#BookReview Closer by Sea by Perry Chafe @perrychafe @SimonSchusterCA @ScribnerBooks #CloserbySea #PerryChafe #SimonSchusterCA Title: Closer by Sea

Author: Perry Chafe

Published by: Scribner on May 23, 2023

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 272

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

From the writer and producer of the hit TV shows Republic of Doyle and Son of a Critch , a poignant coming-of-age debut novel about the mysterious disappearance of a young girl and the fragility of childhood bonds, set against the backdrop of a small island community adapting to an ever-changing landscape.

In 1991, on a small, isolated island off the coast of Newfoundland, twelve-year-old Pierce Jacobs struggles to come to terms with the death of his father. It’s been three years since his dad, a fisherman, disappeared in the cold, unforgiving Atlantic, his body never recovered. Pierce is determined to save enough money to fix his father’s old boat and take it out to sea. But life on the island is quiet and hard. The local fishing industry is on the brink of collapse, threatening to take an ages-old way of life with it. The community is hit even harder when a young teen named Anna Tessier goes missing.

With the help of his three friends, Pierce sets out to find Anna, with whom he shared an unusual but special bond. They soon cross paths with Solomon Vickers, a mysterious, hermetic fisherman who may have something to do with the missing girl. Their search brings them into contact with unrelenting bullies, magnificent sea creatures, fierce storms, and glacial giants. But most of all, it brings them closer to the brutal reality of both the natural and the modern world.

Part coming-of-age story, part literary mystery, and part suspense thriller, Closer by Sea is a page-turning, poignant, and powerful novel about family, friendship, and community set at a pivotal time in modern Newfoundland history. It is an homage to a people and a place, and above all it captures that delicate and tender moment when the wonder of childhood innocence gives way to the harsh awakening of adult experience.

Review:

Atmospheric, mysterious, and immersive!

Closer by Sea is a captivating, poignant tale that sweeps you away to Perigo Island just off the coast of Newfoundland and into the life of twelve-year-old Pierce Jacobs as he spends one summer in 1991 hanging with friends, making a little extra money cutting out cod tongues and selling them to tourists, saving up everything he can to repair his late father’s fishing boat, coming to grips with the disappearance of a young girl he slightly knew, and secretly investigating the old, reclusive stranger he’s sure had something to do with why she seemingly vanished without a trace.

The prose is rich and expressive. The characters are inquisitive, fearless, and impulsive. And the plot is an astute, compelling tale about life, loss, friendship, family, secrets, curiosity, adventure, guilt, death, grief, marine life, mother nature, self-identity, and first crushes.

Overall, Closer by Sea is ultimately a beautifully written coming-of-age tale interwoven with a thread of mystery that does a remarkable job of delving into the complex dynamics that exist between childhood friends and is a wonderful reminder of just how complicated, challenging, memorable and emotional growing up can truly be, especially when doing so in a small island community where everyone knows everyone else.

 

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 gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Perry Chafe

Perry Chafe is a Canadian television writer, showrunner, producer, and songwriter. He is a cofounder and partner in Take the Shot Productions. Perry was the cocreator, showrunner, and head writer for the TV series Republic of Doyle, which ran for six seasons on the CBC, and an executive producer and writer for the Netflix/Discovery series Frontier, starring Jason Momoa. In addition, he was an executive producer and writer for Caught, a CBC limited series based on Lisa Moore’s award-winning novel of the same name. He is currently a writer and producer on the hugely successful CBC series Son of a Critch. Born and raised in the small fishing community of Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, he now lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Closer by Sea is his debut novel.

Photograph by Maureen Ennis

Website | Facebook | Instagram

#BookReview No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister @StMartinsPress #NoTwoPersons #EricaBauermeister #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister @StMartinsPress #NoTwoPersons #EricaBauermeister #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: No Two Persons

Author: Erica Bauermeister

Published by: St. Martin's Press on May 2, 2023

Genres: General Fiction

Pages: 320

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeister’s No Two Persons is “a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives.”

That was the beauty of books, wasn’t it? They took you places you didn’t know you needed to go…

Alice has always wanted to be a writer. Her talent is innate, but her stories remain safe and detached, until a devastating event breaks her heart open, and she creates a stunning debut novel. Her words, in turn, find their way to readers, from a teenager hiding her homelessness, to a free diver pushing himself beyond endurance, an artist furious at the world around her, a bookseller in search of love, a widower rent by grief. Each one is drawn into Alice’s novel; each one discovers something different that alters their perspective, and presents new pathways forward for their lives.

Together, their stories reveal how books can affect us in the most beautiful and unexpected of ways—and how we are all more closely connected to one another than we might think.

Review:

Compelling, heart-tugging, and absorbing!

No Two Persons is a sensitive, thoughtful tale that takes you into the life of Alice Wein, a young writer who, after the tragic loss of her brother, writes a story that is so special it connects and impacts the lives of nine specific readers who have the opportunity to read it.

The writing is passionate and moving. The characters are stuck, wary, and wistful. And the plot, using a story within a story, sweeps you away into an engaging, touching, heartfelt tale about life, loss, friendship, family, heartbreak, tragedy, the magic of books, and love.

Overall, No Two Persons is a charming, immersive, original tale by Bauermeister that’s a beautiful love letter to books and the power they have to touch, heal, move, and provide hope to anyone lucky enough to read their pages.

 

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 gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Erica Bauermeister

Erica Bauermeister is the author of the bestselling novel The School of Essential Ingredients, Joy for Beginners, and The Lost Art of Mixing. She is also the co-author of non-fiction works, 500 Great Books by Women: A Reader’s Guide and Let’s Hear It For the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14.

She has a PhD in literature from the University of Washington, and has taught there and at Antioch University. She is a founding member of the Seattle7Writers and currently lives in Port Townsend, Washington.

Photo Credit: Susan Doupé

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

#BookReview The Postcard by Anne Berest (translated by Tina Kover) @EuropaEditions @PGCBooks #ThePostcard #AnneBerest #PGCBooks #EuropaEditions

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview The Postcard by Anne Berest (translated by Tina Kover) @EuropaEditions @PGCBooks #ThePostcard #AnneBerest #PGCBooks #EuropaEditions Title: The Postcard

Author: Anne Berest

Published by: Europa Editions on May 16, 2023

Genres: Historical Fiction, Nonfiction

Pages: 464

Format: Hardcover

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

Anne Berest’s luminous, moving, and unforgettable new novel The Postcard is the most acclaimed and beloved French book in recent years.

At once a gripping investigation into family secrets, a poignant tale of mothers and daughters, and an enthralling portrait of 20th-century Parisian intellectual and artistic life, The Postcard tells the story of a family devastated by the Holocaust and yet somehow restored by love and the power of storytelling. Heartbreaking, funny, atmospheric, and a sheer joy to read, The Postcard is certain to find fans among readers of Irène Némirovsky’s Suite Française, Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life, and Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See.

January 2003. Together with the usual holiday cards, an anonymous postcard is delivered to the Berest family home. On the front, a photo of the Opéra Garnier in Paris; on the back, the four names of Anne Berest’s maternal great-grandparents, Ephraïm and Emma, and their children, Noémie and Jacques—all of whom died at Auschwitz in 1942.

Almost twenty years after the postcard is delivered, Anne is moved to discover who sent it, and why. Aided by her chain-smoking mother, countless family, friends, and associates, a private detective, a graphologist, and many others, she embarks on a journey to uncover the fate of the Rabinovitch family: their flight from Russia following the revolution, their journey to Latvia, Palestine, and Paris, the war and its aftermath. What emerges is a thrilling and sweeping tale that shatters her certainties about her family, her country, and herself.

Review:

Memorable, candid, and touching!

The Postcard is a poignant, absorbing, fictional autobiography that takes you into the life of Anne, a young woman who, after her daughter is the victim of antisemitism in the schoolyard, decides with the help of her mother to delve into her family’s past to finally discover what truly happened to her grandmother’s parents and siblings who were all arrested, imprisoned, and slaughtered in Auschwitz in 1942, and to once and for all uncover the identity of the person who in 2003 mailed a postcard to the family home that only contained a list of their names.

The prose is insightful and authentic. The characters are strong, intelligent, and determined. And the plot is an illuminating tale of life, loss, love, family, sacrifice, courage, survival, selflessness, determination, history, culture, the inconceivable horrors of war, and the special bonds that exist between mothers and daughters.

Overall, The Postcard is ultimately a heart-wrenching, affecting, personal family tale by Berest that highlights the importance and empowerment of self-identity and is a sobering reminder of all the millions of lives that were senselessly violated and lost in this heinous time in history.

 

This book is available now.

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

          

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Anne Berest

Anne Berest is the bestselling co-author of How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are (Doubleday, 2014) and the author of a novel based on the life of French writer Françoise Sagan. With her sister Claire, she is also the author of Gabriële, a critically acclaimed biography of her great-grandmother, Gabriële Buffet-Picabia, Marcel Duchamp’s lover and muse. She is the great-granddaughter of the painter Francis Picabia. For her work as a writer and prize-winning showrunner, she has been profiled in publications such as French Vogue and Haaretz newspaper. The recipient of numerous literary awards, The Postcard was a finalist for the Goncourt Prize and has been a long-selling bestseller in France.

Photograph © DR

Goodreads | Instagram

#BookReview Emma of 83rd Street by Audrey Bellezza & Emily Harding @SimonSchusterCA @GalleryBooks #Emmaof83rdStreet #AudreyBellezza #EmilyHarding #SimonSchusterCA

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview Emma of 83rd Street by Audrey Bellezza & Emily Harding @SimonSchusterCA @GalleryBooks #Emmaof83rdStreet #AudreyBellezza #EmilyHarding #SimonSchusterCA Title: Emma of 83rd Street

Author: Audrey Bellezza, Emily Harding

Published by: Gallery Books on May 23, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 384

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

In this witty and romantic debut novel, Jane Austen’s Emma meets the misadventures of Manhattan’s modern dating scene as two lifelong friends discover that, in the search for love, you sometimes don’t have to look any further than your own backyard.

Beautiful, clever, and rich, Emma Woodhouse has lived twenty-three years in her tight-knit Upper East Side neighborhood with very little to distress or vex her…that is, until her budding matchmaking hobby results in her sister’s marriage—and subsequent move downtown. Now, with her sister gone and all her friends traveling abroad, Emma must start her final year of grad school grappling with an entirely new emotion: boredom. So when she meets Nadine, a wide-eyed Ohio transplant with a heart of gold and drugstore blonde highlights to match, Emma not only sees a potential new friend but a new project. If only her overbearing neighbor George Knightley would get out of her way.

Handsome, smart, and successful, the only thing that frustrates Knightley more than a corked whiskey is his childhood friend, Emma. Whether it’s her shopping sprees between classes or her revolving door of ill-conceived hobbies, he is only too happy to lecture her on all the finer points of adulthood she’s so hell-bent on ignoring. But despite his gripes—and much to his own chagrin—Knightley can’t help but notice that the girl next door is a woman now…one who he suddenly can’t get out of his head.

As Emma’s best laid plans collide with everyone from hipster baristas to meddling family members to flaky playboy millionaires, these two friends slowly realize their need to always be right has been usurped by a new need entirely, and it’s not long before they discover that even the most familiar stories still have some surprises.

Review:

Fresh, uplifting, and spicy!

Emma of 83rd Street is a charming, engaging tale that takes us to NYC and into the life of the kind, trendy Emma Woodhouse as she makes new friends, nears graduation, seeks to obtain the career of her dreams, relies a little too heavily on her overconfident matchmaking skills, and navigates a growing attraction to the boy next door who only sees her as a friend who still needs to do a little growing up.

The writing style is witty and sharp. The characters are amusing, layered, and supportive. And the plot is a smart, engaging tale full of tricky moments, awkward situations, quirky mishaps, delicious chemistry, snappy banter, romantic drama, glitz, glamour, tension, friendship, and self-reflection.

Overall, Emma of 83rd Street is an enjoyable, entertaining, modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma that’s an outstanding debut by Bellezza & Harding with its endearing characters, heartfelt moments, contemporary storyline, and ending that leaves you with a smile.

 

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 gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Audrey Bellezza

Audrey Bellezza is a two-time Emmy-nominated TV producer who has spent over twenty years writing, developing, and executive producing nonfiction television shows for a number of networks and streaming platforms. Audrey lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children.

Photography by Monika Normand

Goodreads

About Emily Harding

Emily Harding is a writer and TV producer whose work has appeared on numerous networks and websites. When not hunched over her computer working on her bad posture, she can be found losing another game of Monopoly to her husband and two kids.

Photography by Monika Normand

Instagram

#BookReview Funny Guy by Emma Barry @AuthorEmmaBarry @KayePublicity @KayePublicity @AmazonPub #FunnyGuy #EmmaBarry #Montlake #KayePublicity

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview Funny Guy by Emma Barry @AuthorEmmaBarry @KayePublicity @KayePublicity @AmazonPub #FunnyGuy #EmmaBarry #Montlake #KayePublicity Title: Funny Guy

Author: Emma Barry

Published by: Montlake Romance on May 16, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 271

Format: Paperback

Source: Kaye Publicity

Book Rating: 7.5/10

From the author of Chick Magnet comes a heartfelt friends-to-lovers story about what can happen when a funny guy and his childhood best friend are stuck together in a small New York City apartment.

Sam can’t escape the smash hit “Lost Boy” because, well, he is the lost boy. His pop-singer ex immortalized him in a song about his childish ways, and now his comedy career is on the line.

At least he still has Bree, his best friend and confidante. Bree has always been there for Sam, but she’s never revealed her biggest secret: she’s in love with him. To help herself move on, Bree applies for her dream job across the country―and doesn’t say a thing to Sam.

But as Sam tries to resuscitate his career, he turns to Bree for support―and maybe more. In the confines of her tiny apartment, they share a different dynamic. A charged dynamic. But she’s his friend. He can’t be falling for her.

Except he is.

Are his feelings for Bree just funny business? Or is their smoldering attraction the real deal?

Review:

Witty, optimistic, and sweet!

Funny Guy is an uplifting, layered tale that mixes the kind, hardworking Bree, who may finally have to come to grips with the fact that her childhood best friend doesn’t love her in the same way she loves him, and Sam, the hotheaded, impulsive comedian who seems to use his tortured past and feelings of worthlessness to continually try to destroy his successful career and any relationships that could be long-lasting.

The writing is warm and charming. The characters are patient, supportive, and scarred. And the plot is a delightful mix of life, love, friendship, chemistry, attraction, heartfelt moments, introspection, taking chances, and moving on.

Overall, Funny Guy is a captivating, tender, quick read by Barry that did a wonderful job of mixing heavier issues with some lighthearted fun.

 

This book is available now.

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

     

 

 

Thank you to Kaye Publicity for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Emma Barry

Emma Barry is a teacher, novelist, recovering academic, and former political staffer. She lives with her high school sweetheart and a menagerie of pets and children in Virginia, and she occasionally finds time to read and write.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

Website | Instagram | Pinterest

#BookReview The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren @christinalauren @SimonSchusterCA @GalleryBooks #TheTrueLoveExperiment #ChristinaLauren #SimonSchusterCA

Published on by ZoeLeave a comment
#BookReview The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren @christinalauren @SimonSchusterCA @GalleryBooks #TheTrueLoveExperiment #ChristinaLauren #SimonSchusterCA Title: The True Love Experiment

Author: Christina Lauren

Published by: Gallery Books on May 16, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 416

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

Sparks fly when a romance novelist and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the perfect Hollywood love story and take both of their careers to the next level—but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script.

Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is lost. Sure, she’s got an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist with a slew of bestsellers under her belt, but when she’s asked to give a commencement address, it hits her: she hasn’t been practicing what she’s preached.

Fizzy hasn’t ever really been in love. Lust? Definitely. But that swoon-worthy, can’t-stop-thinking-about-him, all-encompassing feeling? Nope. Nothing. What happens when the optimism she’s spent her career encouraging in readers starts to feel like a lie?

Connor Prince, documentary filmmaker and single father, loves his work in large part because it allows him to live near his daughter. But when his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show, putting his job on the line, Connor is out of his element. Desperate to find his romantic lead, a chance run-in with an exasperated Fizzy offers Connor the perfect solution. What if he could show the queen of romance herself falling head-over-heels for all the world to see? Fizzy gives him a hard pass—unless he agrees to her list of demands. When he says yes, and production on The True Love Experimentbegins, Connor wonders if that perfect match will ever be in the cue cards for him, too.

The True Love Experiment is the book fans have been waiting for ever since Fizzy’s debut in The Soulmate Equation. But when the lights come on and all eyes are on her, it turns out the happily ever after Fizzy had all but given up on might lie just behind the camera.

Review:

Charming, witty, and addictive!

The True Love Experiment is an amusing, heart-tugging tale that takes you into the life of Felicity Chen, a successful romance writer who, after realizing she has never truly been in love, reluctantly agrees to be the star of a new bachelor-type show based on her best friend’s DNA technology even if it means working closely with Connor Prince, the single father and documentary filmmaker who may find something he never knew he was actually looking for while producing a reality show he only agreed to do to save his career.

The writing style is humorous and crisp. The characters are fun, charming, quirky, and endearing. And the plot is an irresistible, enchanting mix of life, love, drama, friendship, emotion, snappy dialogue, hilarious hijinks, smouldering chemistry, tender moments, and steamy romance.

Overall, The True Love Experiment is pure magic. It’s a light, funny, entertaining read that’s deliciously swoon-worthy, undoubtedly one of my favourite reads of the year, and even though I never thought I’d say it, may have finally knocked The Unhoneymooners from the top spot on my list of favourite novels written by this amazing duo.

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 gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Christina Lauren

Christina Lauren is the combined penname of longtime writing partners/best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the New York Times, USA TODAY, and #1 International bestselling authors of The Beautiful and Wild Seasons series, Dating You/Hating You, Roomies, Love and Other Words, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, and the critically acclaimed Autoboyography.

Photograph by Alyssa Michelle.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr