Week of Nov. 30/20
From time to time I love to pick a book to get me into the holiday season. Of course, it cannot be your typical holly jolly Christmas story. I want something a little more twisted. Krampus seemed like just the thing for me.
The myth behind Krampus pairs well with Christmas horror. Brom has taken the myth and made it his own.
If you're looking for some
books to add to your holiday
reading list, this is the
week for you! This week's
list of new releases is
posted, and it's a big one!
Let's read!
This was an absolutely
delightful novel. This Time
Next Year swept me up and
into the lives of the
characters. I was more
than happy to spend my
free moments within the
pages of this book. It really
is the whole package. It is a charming, witty, quirky,
lovely story that, once I was reading it, I did not
want to put down.
New Releases!
- The Broody Brit for Christmas – By MJ Fields & Jessica Ruben
Hard earned Ivy League education? Check.
Dream career in New York City? Check.
Swoon worthy fiancé, who is heir to billions? Also, check.
Until my life collapsed like a clapboard house in a blizzard.
I retreat to my small hometown of Holiday Springs, where life is like a snow globe, my failings on full display.
Once I get my bearings straight, I’ll trade my old snow boots for brand new stilettos and strut back to New York City.
Nothing seems to go right until I meet a hot, British, single father with an adorable son.
He may be too good to be true.
As Holiday Springs transforms into a winter wonderland, so does my belief that this Christmas I may receive the greatest gift of all: Love.
- Unshackle (Deliver #7) – By Pam Godwin - Dark romance! This series must be read in order.
- Door of Bruises (Thornchapel #4) – By Sierra Simone – Final book in the series!
- Jingle Bell Rock – By Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine
- Christmas Island – By Natalie Normann
- Write Before Christmas – By Julie Hammerle
You’ve probably heard of me.
Reclusive fantasy author turned famous when his series got developed into a mega TV hit.
Except now I’m way behind deadline, and the whole world is waiting to see what I’ll write next.
The pressure is getting to me, and I. Can’t. Write.
Cue: small town where people don’t recognize me.
Cue: my assistant insisting on a personal chef to keep me fed and nothing more.
Cue: finding the first bit of inspiration I’ve felt in months whenever she’s around…
Am I a walking cliche now, or what?
Dani Cooper seems to have her own hurdles to jump this holiday season. Newly divorced, looking for her next move. She’s the first person who’s seen me for me in way too long. And I see her, too--as way more than just an employee, a divorcee, a cook. She’s becoming my muse…
But when my Christmas deadline hits, will it spell the end of us, too?
- Hero Club Novels
- Power Couple – By Laramie Briscoe - Rock star/marriage of convenience romance!
- Deck the Boss: A Holiday Office Romance – By Stella Andrews
Releasing on December 1st!
- This Time Next Year – By Sophie Cousens - Top Recommendation! Read my review.
Their lives began together, but their worlds couldn't be more different. After thirty years of missed connections, they're about to meet again...
Minnie Cooper knows two things with certainty: that her New Year's birthday is unlucky, and that it's all because of Quinn Hamilton, a man she's never met. Their mothers gave birth to them at the same hospital just after midnight on New Year's Day, but Quinn was given the cash prize for being the first baby born in London in 1990--and the name Minnie was meant to have, as well. With luck like that, it's no wonder each of her birthdays has been more of a disaster than the one before.
When Minnie unexpectedly runs into Quinn at a New Year's party on their mutual thirtieth birthday, she sees only more evidence that fortune has continued to favor him. The gorgeous, charming business owner truly seems to have it all--while Minnie's on the brink of losing her pie-making company and her home. But if Quinn and Minnie are from different worlds, why do they keep bumping into each other? And why is it that each fraught encounter leaves them both wanting more?
- Forever Wild: A Novella (The Simple Wild #3) – By K.A. Tucker - A novella that continues the story of Calla’s journey to the Alaskan wild and a life she never imagined for herself. Read my review of The Simple Wild.
- Every Last Secret – By A.R. Torre – Domestic thriller!
Welcome to the neighborhood. Watch your husband, watch your friends, and watch your back.
Cat Winthorpe has worked hard to get what she has: a gorgeous home; social standing; and William, her successful, handsome husband. Then a friendly new couple moves into the estate next door. While cautious, a good neighbor like Cat greets them with open arms and warm hospitality.
Neena Ryder isn’t a fellow lady of leisure. A life coach with off-the-rack dresses, personal issues, and a husband who hasn’t delivered, she’s anxious to move up in the world. This beautiful new town is a step in the right direction. It’s also making Neena aware of what she doesn’t have. Namely, William. When Neena’s infatuation escalates into obsession, it’s just a matter of eliminating a few obstacles to get the life she wants. The life next door.
As Neena’s secret fixation grows, so does her friendship with Cat. But beneath their cordial interactions is a wealth of temptations, secrets, and toxic jealousy. For both women, the desire for a perfect life can turn perfectly dangerous.
- My Name is Anton – By Catherine Ryan Hyde – Older woman/Younger man!
- Loverboy (The Company #2) – By Sarina Bowen - Romantic suspense!
- The Pearl – By Tiffany Reisz
- How to Fail at Flirting – By Denise Williams
When her flailing department lands on the university's chopping block, Professor Naya Turner’s friends convince her to shed her frumpy cardigan for an evening on the town. For one night her focus will stray from her demanding job and she’ll tackle a new kind of to-do list. When she meets a charming stranger in town on business, he presents the perfect opportunity to check off the items on her list. Let the guy buy her a drink. Check. Try something new. Check. A no-strings-attached hookup. Check…almost.
Jake makes her laugh and challenges Naya to rebuild her confidence, which was left toppled by her abusive ex-boyfriend. Soon she’s flirting with the chance at a more serious romantic relationship—except nothing can be that easy. The complicated strings around her dating Jake might destroy her career.
Naya has two options. She can protect her professional reputation and return to her old life or she can flirt with the unknown and stay with the person who makes her feel like she's finally living again.
- Wedding Date – By Monica Murphy
Kelsey Phillips is over the dating scene.
All that time and energy perfecting your profile and taking just the right picture and articulating exactly what you're looking for, only to get the same sleazy propositions? No thanks. She's doing just fine on her own, so there's no point in a fruitless hunt for "the one" that doesn't exist.
Besides, she already has the perfect man in her life. Theo is the type of friend who's always there for a laugh, a hug, or a drink-- and no propositions.
So when he somehow manages to agree to be a groomsman in his ex-fiancée's wedding to his cousin, the least Kelsey can do is be his date.
But why stop at doing the least?
Pretending to be in a relationship is easy. They already know everything about each other. And it sure isn't hard to fake attraction to a guy as gorgeous as Theo. Soon enough, the only pretense left is that they haven't fallen for each other for real... and the very small matter of the secret Kelsey's been keeping. Can a fake relationship survive this real revelation?
- You Know I Need You (You Are Mine Duet #2) – By Willow Winters
- Admission – By Julie Buxbaum
It's good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer. She's headed off to the college of her dreams. She's going to prom with the boy she's had a crush on since middle school. Her best friend always has her back, and her mom, a B-list Hollywood celebrity, may finally be on her way to the B+ list. It's good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer--at least, it was, until the FBI came knocking on her front door, guns at the ready, and her future went up in smoke. Now her mother is under arrest in a massive college admissions bribery scandal. Chloe, too, might be facing charges, and even time behind bars. The public is furious, the press is rabid, and the US attorney is out for blood...
- Open House – By Katie Sise – Thriller!
- The Not-Outcast – By Tijan – Standalone.
Cutler Ryder was everything I wasn’t.
He was the hockey star. I was an outcast.
He was best friends with my stepbrother, that same stepbrother who hated me.
His two parents loved him. My mom was a junkie. My dad barely knew me.
Years passed.
I got my life together.
Cut went onto NHL stardom.
Then there was a text.
I was drinking.
There was a party.
Cut was there…
I loved Cutler Ryder since the first moment I saw him.
The only problem? He never knew I existed.
- The Bookworm’s Guide to Faking It (The Bookworm’s Guide #2) – By Emma Hart - Romantic comedy!
- Coyote (Hawks MC #1: Next Generation) – By Lila Rose
Humiliated years earlier when in high school, Channa Edwards never expects to see her knight in shining armour again. In fact, she really doesn’t want to, but of course, life wants to mess with her again. It’s just by luck he doesn’t recognise her, and for a blissful moment, she thinks she’s got away with it.
That’s until another situation brings her knight back into her life.
Cody “Coyote” Marcus, son to the Hawks MC president, goes through life easily. He has a great family, a business he loves, and women if he wants them. Then, by chance, he meets a cute, bumbling baker, who doesn’t seem to want anything to do with him.
Of course, he has to change that, and make Channa see he’s worth getting to know on all levels.
- Holiday with You – By Claudia Burgoa & Grahame Claire
Audrey’s boss gave her one objective—head to the small town of Winter Valley, and acquire that bed and breakfast the company has had their eye on forever. A big sale like this could change her career . . . and she’s the only one who could convince the owner to make the deal.
On her way, she crashes into the truck of sexy, unavailable, single Dad Colin Bradford. The repairs won’t be done until Christmas Eve, so she’s stuck in Winter Valley until her car is fixed.
There’s something magical about being in a small town at Christmas. Life is slower than her hectic job in the city. She finds herself falling for Winter Valley . . . and for Colin.
Though acquiring that bed and breakfast is much harder than she planned . . .
- Hard to Hold (Play Hard #2) – By K. Bromberg – Each book can be read as a standalone.
- We Hear Voices – By Evie Green - An eerie horror debut about a little boy who recovers from a mysterious pandemic and inherits an imaginary friend who makes him do violent things...
- The Do Over – By Piper Rayne
She was always the one.
Or so I thought.
Turns out my instincts were dead wrong.
Years ago I was faced with the choice between two women. Both were perfect in opposite ways. One was carefree and against commitment. The other was a woman you’d bring home to mom.
I was young, naïve and stupid. I’m sure you can guess who I chose.
Now, I’m older, wiser and know what the hell I want.
So, when the same two women pop back into my life it’s my chance for a do-over. But they flipped the script. Just like me, they want different things now. Leaving me with one choice—convince the woman I want that she wants me too.
- Mistletoe in Paradise: A Christmas Novella – By Jill Shalvis
- Stroke of Luck – By Opal Carew
- A Warm Heart in Winter: A Caldwell Christmas (The Black Dagger Brotherhood World) – By J.R. Ward
- My Brother’s Roommate – By Kendall Ryan
- Bayou Dreaming (Butterfly Bayou #3) – By Lexi Blake
- Claim Me Now (Heron Harbor #2) – By Lea Nolan
- Club Princess: Royal Bastards MC Durango, Co – By Nicole James
- Christmas Actually – Anthology
- Butterfly 3 – By Ashley Antoinette
Releasing Later This Week!
- December 2 – The Pleasure House – By Kitty Thomas - Complete 5-book Pleasure House Series: Guilty Pleasures, Broken Dolls, Surrender, Pretty Lies, and Twisted Fates.
- December 3 – The Revenge Pact (Kings of Football) – By Ilsa Madden-Mills
- December 3 – View With Your Heart – By L.B. Dunbar
Happy Reading!
What he's reading!
What she's reading!
Greg's Dailyish Blog
Shelley's Daily Blog
Week of November 23rd, 2020
Book Review:
Ink
By Jonathan Maberry
A tattoo artist named Patty Cakes, that’s all I needed to pull me in. I love it when an author can be creative, witty, and fun all at the same time. I didn’t even need the rest of the synopsis.
I’ve read Jonathan Maberry before, I’ve enjoyed his writing, but he has a lot of series. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good series, but with my ever-growing, mountainous TBR list...
*See my full review...
Week of November 9th, 2020
Book Review:
Red Rising
By Pierce Brown
It has been a long time since I had this much fun with a book. Pierce Brown has created a colorful new world where your skin color dictates your place in society, not so novel an idea, but Brown takes it to another level.
The key to any great tale is the characters, most importantly the protagonist. Darrow carries this story like a champ.
*See my full review...
Week of November 2nd, 2020
Recommendation!
Book Review:
Deadlands: Ghostwalkers
By Jonathan Maberry
Deadlands: Ghostwalkers is a lot of things. It’s an alternate history western with a whole lot of action and adventure, mixed together with some undead here and there, and a splash of steampunk tossed in to add a little color. What it is, is a book paradise for someone like me.
*See my full review...
Week of October 26th, 2020
Horror Recommendation!
Book Review:
The Ritual
By Adam Nevill
The Ritual hit me in all of the right places. It had everything that I was looking for in a book right now. It was horror mixed with Nordic Noir. It was gruesome and gory. It felt like it was written just for me.
The base of the scenario was familiar, a group of friends get lost in the wilderness and...
*See my full review...
Week of October 19th, 2020
Horror Recommendation!
Book Review:
The Troop
By Nick Cutter
The Troop has to be the most sensory stimulating book that I’ve read: sight, sound, smell, even taste and touch. Nick Cutter brought all of them to life within the pages of the book. I could see the thunder clouds building, hear the waves crashing on the shore, smell the rotting flesh, taste the blood in my mouth and feel the...
*See my full review...
Week of October 13th, 2020
Book Review:
The Gates of Athens
By Conn Iggulden
As I listened to George Blagden narrate Conn Iggulden’s The Gates of Athens, one overwhelming thought came over me: they have been teaching history wrong all these years!
*See my full review...
Week of September 28th, 2020
Releasing on September 29th!
The Cabin on Souder Hill
By Lonnie Busch
Stay tuned for my review!
Michelle and Cliff Stage bought their isolated vacation cabin in the mountains of North Carolina with hopes of repairing their eighteen-year marriage. But when Cliff disappears one night searching for the source of a mysterious light in the woods, Michelle’s life will change in unimaginable ways...
*Read more...
Week of September 21st, 2020
Book Review:
The Trials of Koli
(The Rampart Trilogy #2)
By M.R. Carey
I love what Carey has done here with The Rampart Trilogy; book one was released April 14th, now in September book two is in our hands. Enough time for book one to be well settled in my past, but not so long that my interest has waned. Very smart timing.
*See the full review...
Week of September 8th, 2020
Book Review:
The Residence
By Andrew Pyper
I have a list of authors who have pulled me into one of their stories; I can’t wait to get my grabby fingers on their next new release; Andrew Pyper got on this list with The Homecoming.
I have spent months looking forward to reconnecting with Pyper’s writing, ever since I saw that The Residence was set to release. I know that I like his style, who doesn’t love an old-fashioned ghost story?
*See my full review...
Week of August 31st, 2020
Releasing on September 1st!
The Residence
By Andrew Pyper
Stay tuned for my review!
The year is 1853. President-elect Franklin Pierce is traveling with his family to Washington, DC, when tragedy strikes. In an instant, their train runs off the rails, violently flinging passengers about the cabin. When the great iron machine finally comes to rest, the only casualty is the Pierces’ son, Bennie. The loss sends First Lady Jane Pierce into mourning, and casts Franklin’s presidency under a pall of sorrow and grief...
*Read more...
Week of August 24th, 2020
Book Review:
Devolution
By Max Brooks
Do you believe that in every myth and legend there is a kernel of truth?
Do you believe that there could be an undiscovered species living today in the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest?
Do you believe in the North American Great Ape?
Max Brooks has forever been associated with Zombies, he has decided to take a step outside his comfort zone and take on a new monster, Sasquatch.
*See my full review...
Week of August 17th, 2020
Book Review:
The Living Dead
By George A. Romero & Daniel Kraus
George A. Romero, if he didn’t create the genre, has made it what it is today. Put his name on it and anyone and everyone who loves zombies will be on it like stink on…well you know what.
But this story wasn’t written by George A. Romero, it was written by Daniel Kraus. It is, however, based on the world created by Romero and crafted using some of his works.
Book News!
Later
By Stephen King
Releasing March 2/21
The son of a struggling single mother, Jamie Conklin just wants an ordinary childhood. But Jamie is no ordinary child. Born with an unnatural ability his mom urges him to keep secret, Jamie can see what no one else can see and learn what no one else can learn. But the cost of using this ability is higher than Jamie can imagine - as he discovers when an NYPD detective draws him into the pursuit of a killer who has threatened to strike from beyond the grave.
*Read more...
Week of August 3rd, 2020
Releasing August 4th!
The Living Dead
By George A. Romero & Daniel Kraus
It begins with one body.
A pair of medical examiners find themselves battling a dead man who won’t stay dead.
It spreads quickly.
Everywhere, people are targeted by both the living and the dead.
We think we know how this story ends.
We. Are. Wrong.
By Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan
Odessa Hardwicke's life is derailed when she's forced to turn her gun on her partner, Walt Leppo, a decorated FBI agent who turns suddenly, inexplicably violent while apprehending a rampaging murderer. The shooting, justified by self-defense, shakes the young FBI agent to her core. Devastated, Odessa is placed on desk leave pending a full investigation. But what most troubles Odessa isn't the tragedy itself -- it's the shadowy presence she thought she saw fleeing the deceased agent's body after his death.
Questioning her future with the FBI and her sanity, Hardwicke accepts a low-level assignment to clear out the belongings of a retired agent in the New York office. What she finds there will put her on the trail of a mysterious figure named Hugo Blackwood, a man of enormous means who claims to have been alive for centuries, and who is
either an unhinged lunatic, or humanity's best and only defense against unspeakable evil.
Week of July 27th, 2020
Book Review:
The Twelve
By Justin Cronin
The Twelve, like its predecessor The Passage, was epic in scale. Add the voice of Scott Brick to the Audible and it became biblical in nature. This book pulled me in and never let me go.
When dealing with books of this magnitude, patience is essential.
*See my review...
2 Book Lovers Reviews
Week of Nov. 30/20
What's Worth Keeping
By Kaya McLaren
The Awakening
By Nora Roberts
