A new month means new

books to add to my summer

TBR! This week's list of new

releases is posted below.

Enjoy!

New Release & Review:

The Lies That Bind

By Emily Giffin

*Top Recommendation!*

The only drama that I flock

to is within the pages of the

books that I choose to read,

and this book provided

plenty of that. I’ve had

some ups and downs in

my reading over the past

couple of months, but this

book drew me in from the

very beginning and was

impossible to put down.

The Lies That Bind was an intriguing read. I was completely invested in Cecily’s story. She was heartbroken, missing her ex-boyfriend, and was seriously considering getting in touch with him. I think I was even shaking my head while I was reading it and thinking No, girl, don’t do it! Luckily, a stranger was able to change her mind before she did something that she might have regretted. She and this handsome stranger enjoyed a couple of drinks and each other’s company and shared a connection that seemed as though it was meant to be.

*Read my full review...

New Releases!

- Layover Lover: A Hero Club Novel – By Jeannine Colette & Lauren Runow

Flying the friendly skies has been more than just a job to me. It’s my home.
Ten years ago I ran away from everything I’ve known and vowed never to return. That is, until my flight is cancelled due to weather, and I’m stuck in San Francisco.
Fate is not on my side when I end up in an Uber ride share with the one man I thought I’d never see again.
Zack Hunt was my high school sweetheart, and the boy I walked away from without a note saying goodbye. Except, he’s no longer a boy. No, this man is gorgeous, intense, and heated at the sight of me.
The anger searing off him is nothing compared to the way my heart pounds from seeing him again. Words are said. Feelings are crushed. But when he invites me in to his bar to hash out our past, I find myself following him in, desperate for more.
The line between past and present is blurred when Zack challenges me to a dare—come back home with him to see what I walked away from.
Call me a glutton for punishment, but I do...

- The full list of Hero Club Novels

- Fortuity (Transcend Series #3) – By Jewel E. Ann – Can be read as a standalone. I highly recommend reading the whole series! I five-star loved Transcend & Epoch!

Read my reviews.

- Catch Me When I Fall – By A.L. Jackson - Rock star romance!

- At First Sight – By Katy Regnery – An Aladdin retelling!

- Forty Day Fiancé – By Erin McCarthy - Romantic comedy!

- Fractures (Echoes #2) – By Alice Reeds

- If You Must Know – By Jamie Beck

Sisters Amanda Foster and Erin Turner have little in common except the childhood bedroom they once shared and the certainty each feels that her way of life is best. Amanda follows the rules—at the school where she works; in her community; and as a picture-perfect daughter, wife, and mother-to-be. Erin follows her heart—in love and otherwise—living a bohemian lifestyle on a shoestring budget and honoring her late father’s memory with a passion for music and her fledgling bath-products business.
The sisters are content leading separate but happy lives in their hometown of Potomac Point until everything is upended by lies that force them to confront unsettling truths about their family, themselves, and each other. For sisters as different as these two, building trust doesn’t come easily—especially with one secret still between them—but it may be the only way to save their family.

- His Road Dog (Patches: Tarkio MC #1) – By Debra Kayn

Releasing on June 2nd!

- The Lies That Bind – By Emily Giffin - Top Recommendation! Read my review.

It’s 2 A.M. on a Saturday night in the spring of 2001, and twenty-eight-year-old Cecily Gardner sits alone in a dive bar in New York’s East Village, questioning her life. Feeling lonesome and homesick for the Midwest, she wonders if she’ll ever make it as a reporter in the big city—and whether she made a terrible mistake in breaking up with her longtime boyfriend, Matthew.
As Cecily reaches for the phone to call him, she hears a guy on the barstool next to her say, “Don’t do it—you’ll regret it.” Something tells her to listen, and over the next several hours—and shots of tequila—the two forge an unlikely connection. That should be it, they both decide the next morning, as Cecily reminds herself of the perils of a rebound relationship. Moreover, their timing couldn’t be worse—Grant is preparing to quit his job and move overseas. Yet despite all their obstacles, they can’t seem to say goodbye, and for the first time in her carefully constructed life, Cecily follows her heart instead of her head.
Then Grant disappears in the chaos of 9/11. Fearing the worst, Cecily spots his face on a missing-person poster, and realizes she is not the only one searching for him. Her investigative reporting instincts kick into action as she vows to discover the truth. But the questions pile up fast: How well did she really know Grant? Did he ever really love her? And is it possible to love a man who wasn’t who he seemed to be?

- The New Normal – By Tracy Brogan

Since Carli Lancaster’s divorce, she’s worked hard to keep life as normal as possible for her daughters. When she lands a job as cohost of a local morning show, it looks like a fresh start. So does the arrival of a handsome new neighbor, who has more in common with Carli than just a property line.
Ben Chase is also new to single parenthood. And like Carli, he’s focused on the future.
From navigating neighborhood gossip to decorating for holidays to reaching out in times of trouble, they quickly learn to rely on each other. Just like a couple but without the complications of coupling! Sure, there’s attraction. They’re only human. But they’re also friends, and who wants to ruin a perfect relationship with romance?

- Again Again – By E. Lockhart

If you could live your life again, what would you do differently?
After a near-fatal family catastrophe and an unexpected romantic upheaval, Adelaide Buchwald finds herself catapulted into a summer of wild possibility, during which she will fall in and out of love a thousand times--while finally confronting the secrets she keeps, her ideas about love, and the weird grandiosity of the human mind.

- Falling for Her – By Monica Murphy

Jake Callahan. Prince of the popular crowd.
My mortal enemy.
Gorgeous. All the girls want him.
Quarterback. All the boys want to be his friend. He’s the most popular boy in the senior class.
And he hates me.
Or so I thought.
What I mistook for hatred turns out to be…interest. There’s that thin line, right? It makes me crazy. I can’t stand it. Attraction, chemistry, whatever it is, I also can’t resist it.
And neither can he.
Together, we make no sense. The odds are against us. His friends definitely don’t approve. I’m not a part of their crowd. Not one of the cool kids. I don’t fit in, or so they say.
But that doesn’t stop him from falling for me.
And it won’t stop me from fighting for him.

- Conventionally Yours (True Colors #1) – By Annabeth Albert - M/M romance!

Charming, charismatic, and effortlessly popular, Conrad Stewart seems to have it all...but in reality, he's scrambling to keep his life from tumbling out of control.
Brilliant, guarded, and endlessly driven, Alden Roth may as well be the poster boy for perfection...but even he can't help but feel a little broken inside.
When these mortal enemies are stuck together on a cross-country road trip to the biggest fan convention of their lives, their infamous rivalry takes a backseat as an unexpected connection is forged. Yet each has a reason why they have to win the upcoming Odyssey gaming tournament and neither is willing to let emotion get in the way—even if it means giving up their one chance at something truly magical.

- The Second Home – By Christina Clancy

- A Song Below Water – By Bethany C. Morrow

- The Guest List – By Lucy Foley - Thriller! The author of The Hunting Party!

The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner – The bridesmaid – The body
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.
And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

- The Summer Deal – By Jill Shalvis

Releasing Later This Week!

- June 4 – When the Walls Come Down: A Standalone Office Romantic Comedy – By Aly Martinez & M. Mabie

Did you ever hear the joke about the guy whose wife cheated on him with his best friend? So he quit his job, moved into his parents’ basement, and gained fifty pounds?
No? Because that wasn’t a joke. It was my life.
Four years later, I'm back with a dream job, a killer apartment, and a set of abs that are better than ever.
So, when Maggie Light, a stunning, snarky blonde moves in next door, and we spend the hottest weekend of our lives together, I think this could be the greatest comeback story ever.
That is until I realize Maggie has moved to town to do one thing—steal my job.
Maybe this isn't a comeback story after all. Maybe this is war—one I intend to win.
What I never anticipated was that maybe I’d rather win her.
Perhaps, if I’m lucky, the universe has finally run out of jokes and I can somehow win both.

- June 4 – Silver Mayor – By L.B. Dunbar

- June 5 – One Click Love – By T. Gephart

- June 5 – The House on Firefly Beach – By Jenny Hale

- June 5 – Cutter – By Laramie Briscoe

Happy Reading!

Week of June 1/20

The Only Good Indians

By Stephen Graham Jones

Week of May 25th, 2020

Book Review:
The Glass Hotel
By Emily St. John Mandel

I was intrigued by the premise of The Glass Hotel, I’ve heard a lot of great things about Station Eleven and I had an Audible credit burning a hole in my pocket, so I thought what better time than to dive into The Glass Hotel.

*See my full review...

Week of May 19th, 2020

Book Review:
The Book of Koli
By M.R. Carey

The first thing with apocalyptic/dystopian fiction is the author needs to make it new and different, no one wants to read about a group of people stuck in a shopping mall surrounded by zombies or a young girl who volunteers to put her life at risk to save her little sister. We’ve been there; we’ve done that. The second thing is that it has to be about the characters.

*See my full review...

Week of May 11th, 2020

My Next Listen!
Goldilocks
By Laura Lam

The Handmaid's Tale meets The Martian!

...Valerie Black is spearheading the first all-female mission to a planet in the Goldilocks Zone, where conditions are just right for human habitation.
It's humanity's last hope for survival...
But when things start going wrong on the ship, Naomi begins to suspect that someone on board is concealing a terrible secret.

*Read more...

Week of April 27th, 2020

Book Review:
The Deep
By Alma Katsu

As far as I can tell, Alma Katsu has a thing. Her thing is that she takes historical events, adds a bit of the supernatural and creates a fantastic, yet unexpected story with it. That’s a thing that works really well for me.

Most great stories have a kind of “why in the hell would you do that” moment. For The Deep, that moment is when a survivor of the Titanic would take a job on its sister ship, the Britannic.

*See my full review...

Week of April 13th, 2020

Book Review:
Things in Jars
By Jess Kidd

Things in Jars was a tough one for me, I started reading it as this whole COVID-19 stuff started going on. It ended up taking me a month to read the book, not because I didn’t enjoy Kidd’s writing, not because she didn’t take me away from the horrors of reality; I was distracted.

*See my full review...

Week of April 6th, 2020

Releasing April 7th!
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
By Grady Hendrix

Steel Magnolias meets Dracula!

Patricia Campbell’s life has never felt smaller. Her husband is a workaholic, her teenage kids have their own lives, her senile mother-in-law needs constant care, and she’s always a step behind on her endless to-do list. The only thing keeping her sane is her book club..

*Read more...

Week of March 30th, 2020

Releasing March 31st!
Devoted
By Dean Koontz

Woody Bookman hasn’t spoken a word in his eleven years of life. Not when his father died in a freak accident. Not when his mother, Megan, tells him she loves him. For Megan, keeping her boy safe and happy is what matters. But Woody believes a monstrous evil was behind his father’s death and now threatens him and his mother. And he’s not alone in his thoughts. An ally unknown to him is listening...

*Read more....

Week of March 23rd, 2020

New Release & My Next Listen!
The Glass Hotel
By Emily St. John Mandel

Vincent is a bartender at the Hotel Caiette, a five-star glass-and-cedar palace on the northernmost tip of Vancouver Island. New York financier Jonathan Alkaitis owns the hotel. When he passes Vincent his card with a tip, it's the beginning of their life together. That same day, a hooded figure scrawls a note on the windowed wall of the hotel: "Why don't you swallow broken glass..."

*Read more....

Week of March 16th, 2020

Book Review:
The Sun Down Motel
By Simone St. James

We’ve all seen them on a road trip or family vacation, every town has one right on the pre-Interstate Highway system, the roadside motel. They were a place to stop and get a few winks on your way from point A to point B. In this day and age of chain hotels and frequent flyer plans, the old roadside motel has taken a hit.

*See my full review....

Week of March 9th, 2020

Book Review:
Ilium
By Dan Simmons

Can a science fiction book set in the future, also be an alternate history story at the same time?

Dan Simmons likes to take on some monolithic challenges. Ilium starts off with three separate storylines. I know they are going to come together, they have to come together, what would be the point if they don’t come together. The true beauty of this story is how they come together.

*See my full review....

Week of March 2nd, 2020

Book Review:
The Wives
By Tarryn Fisher

This one came highly recommended to me by someone very close to me, my wife. I had been hearing for quite some time, “You will really love it.” Then as luck would have it, I won a copy through a Goodreads giveaway, winner, winner, chicken dinner!

*See my full review....

Week of February 10th, 2020

Book Review:
Creation
By Gore Vidal

I really don’t like it when I feel like a book is trying to teach me something. Sorry, I should rephrase that, I hate it when an author uses their craft to step up on a soap box and tell me that I am wrong or the way I think is not “correct”. In Creation, Gore Vidal covers some deep topics: from how the world was created, to what is right or wrong, just or unjust, what happens to us when we die and what is the purpose or meaning of life.

*See my full review...

Week of January 27th, 2020

Book Review:
Noir
By Christopher Moore

What I love most about a Christopher Moore book is his complete irreverence, nothing is off the table. He wrote a film noir style book, set in the nineteen-forties and damn it he kept true to the time and place. Sorry snowflakes, this book is filled with “dames” and men who say and think things that would get them strung up today. That’s just the way it was back then!

*See my full review...

Week of January 20, 2020

Book Review:
The Thicket
By Joe R. Lansdale

Over the past few years I’ve heard Joe R. Lansdale’s name come up from time to time. I watched and enjoyed Netflix’s Hap and Leonard, and with a full-length movie in the works, I thought that The Thicket would be a great place to begin my own Joe R. Lansdale reading experience.

*See my full review...