2 Book Lovers Reviews
My Ride or Die
By Leslie Cohen
Week of March 1/21
See more from the Year of the Zombie..
The Lost Spear
By N.J. Croft
Week of March 1/21
I’ve now completed book seven in the Department Q series, it really speaks to the strength of Adler-Olsen’s characters that I’m still so invested in the series; I find all too often with a series that it will go stale over time, but these characters are continually refreshed, with back-ground secrets still just around the next turn.
Hello, March! Let's kick
this month off with three
reviews & this week's list
of new releases. Let's read!
In a year without travel,
this novel swept me away.
If you’re looking for a book
that is filled with seafaring
adventure, personal growth,
and a slow-burning
romance with intense
chemistry, then this book
is for you.
*Read my full review...
This novel was pure slow-burn goodness! Okay, it may not have been that pure, but you know what I mean. In my opinion, there’s nothing better than a novel that builds a reader’s anticipation. If you’re a patient reader, you’ll love Yes & I Love You. If patience is not your forte, trust me, keep reading it, you’ll fall in love with this book, too.
*Read my full review...
Trust no one. That was my mantra when I began reading this novel, and it served me well throughout the book’s entirety.
The novel is told from multiple perspectives in alternating chapters. This method worked perfectly for this book. It enabled me to become completely engrossed in the characters’ lives, discovering information about them and their complex personalities. It propelled the story forward and kept me wanting to just read another chapter…and maybe another.
New Releases!
- The Speed of Light – By Elissa Grossell Dickey
Simone is trying her best not to think of what she’s lost. Diagnosed with MS, she awaits the results of another anxiety-inducing MRI. She’s just walked away from Connor, “a fixer” but possibly the love of her life. And nearing the holidays, the sights and sounds of winter in South Dakota only prick memories of better years gone by. Then, on a December morning at the university where she works, jarring gunshots pierce the halls. In a temporary safe place and terrified, Simone listens and pretends this will all be over soon.
As she waits for silence, her mind racing, Simone’s past year comes into focus. Falling in love and missing it. Finding strength in family and enduring friendships. Planning for the future, fearing it, and hoping against hope in dark places. Her life has been changing at the speed of light, and each crossroad brought Simone here, to this day, to endure the things she can’t control and to confront those that she can.
- The Wedding Game – By Meghan Quinn
Luna Rossi is a veritable crafting genius—she can bedazzle and bead so hard her Etsy site is one of the hottest in the world. So it’s only natural that Luna would convince her brother and his husband-to-be to compete on The Wedding Game, a “do-it-yourself” TV show, for the title of Top DIY Wedding Expert.
As a jaded divorce lawyer, Alec Baxter scoffs at weddings and romance. But when his recently engaged brother begs him to participate in The Wedding Game, Alec grudgingly picks up a glue gun and prepares for some family bonding.
Both fierce competitors, Luna and Alec clash on national TV as harsh words and glitter fly with abandon. But as they bicker over color swatches and mood boards, they find themselves fighting something else: their growing mutual attraction...
- After Alice Fell – By Kim Taylor Blakemore - Gothic thriller!
- Smashed Steel (Steel Crew) – By MJ Fields - Sports romance!
- The Arrangement (The Darkest Lies Trilogy #1) – By Bethany-Kris - Mafia romance!
Criminal. Spoiled. Entirely out of control.
Roman Avdonin has heard it all. None of it stops him from crossing the line one more time. Sent to Chicago to answer for his wrongs, he’s an outsider beneath the cruel gazes of men who are nothing like his own. He should have minded his business and paid his dues—a better man would.
But then he laid eyes on her.
Karine Yazov.
She’s forbidden—already promised.
Fragile in every way.
And he just can’t help himself.
Agreements like these?
They can’t be undone.
- Cowboy (The Busy Bean) – By L.B. Dunbar
- Sweetheart (The Busy Bean) – By Sarah Mayberry
Releasing on March 2nd!
- Float Plan – By Trish Doller - Read my review.
After a reminder goes off for the Caribbean sailing trip Anna was supposed to take with her fiancé, she impulsively goes to sea in the sailboat he left her, intending to complete the voyage alone.
But after a treacherous night’s sail, she realizes she can’t do it by herself and hires Keane, a professional sailor, to help. Much like Anna, Keane is struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned. As romance rises with the tide, they discover that it’s never too late to chart a new course.
- Yes & I Love You (Say Everything #1) – By Roni Loren - Read my review.
Everyone knows Miz Poppy, the vibrant reviewer whose commentary brightens the New Orleans nightlife. But no one knows Hollyn Tate, the real face behind the media star...or the anxiety that keeps her isolated. All her life, Hollyn's tried to hide her true self behind an online façade, but when her boss tells her she needs to reveal the truth to the world or lose her job, she's forced to rely on an unexpected source to help face her fears.
Enter Jasper Deares: actor, newly minted fake boyfriend, and way, way out of her league. Hollyn thinks Jasper must be joking when he offers private lessons to help overcome her fears. Getting up on a stage? Hello, worst nightmare. But Jasper's infectious charm has her saying yes despite herself. They're only supposed to be playing a few improv games, but as the lessons run longer and the lines grow blurrier, Hollyn can't help but wonder if she's acting at all...or if a relationship with Jasper might help give her the confidence she needs to say yes to every imperfect part of herself.
- Too Good to Be True – By Carola Lovering - Read my review.
Skye Starling is overjoyed when her boyfriend, Burke Michaels, proposes after a whirlwind courtship. Though Skye seems to have the world at her fingertips—she’s smart, beautiful, and from a well-off family—she’s also battled crippling OCD ever since her mother’s death when she was eleven, and her romantic relationships have suffered as a result.
But now Burke—handsome, older, and more emotionally mature than any man she’s met before—says he wants her. Forever. Except, Burke isn’t who he claims to be. And interspersed letters to his therapist reveal the truth: he’s happily married, and using Skye for his own, deceptive ends.
In a third perspective, set thirty years earlier, a scrappy seventeen-year-old named Heather is determined to end things with Burke, a local bad boy, and make a better life for herself in New York City. But can her adolescent love stay firmly in her past—or will he find his way into her future?
On a collision course she doesn’t see coming, Skye throws herself into wedding planning, as Burke’s scheme grows ever more twisted. But of course, even the best laid plans can go astray. And just when you think you know where this story is going, you’ll discover that there’s more than one way to spin the truth.
- The Lake – By Natasha Preston – Thriller!
- Dotted Lines (Runaway #5) – By Devney Perry
- Maybe One Day – By Debbie Johnson
The truth changes everything.
For years Jess believed that Joe—the father of her child and the only man she ever loved—had abandoned her during her greatest time of need. That belief nearly destroyed her. Seventeen years later, when cleaning out her mother’s house, Jess unpacks a box of cards and letters hidden in the attic and makes a discovery that changes everything about life as she knows it.
Shaken but empowered, Jess—and her two stalwart best friends—set out on a remarkable journey to follow a set of faded postmarks around the world. Is Joe still alive? Does he know that Jess never forgot him? Maybe their love story isn’t over.
Maybe one day they’ll find each other again…
- Love Like Her (Against All Odds #3) – By Claudia Burgoa
Eros Brassard and I met at JFK years ago while trying to catch two different planes. We had an instant connection that was too powerful to deny. Love happened, and we hooked up.
After our crazy romp, we agreed we couldn’t be together. We live too far away to make it work. Yet ever since, destiny has brought us together. Our paths have crossed so many times it’s obvious fate has intervened in our lives.
But there’s always something else—or someone else—getting in the way. Until now...
- Accidentally Engaged – By Farah Heron
When it comes to bread, Reena Manji knows exactly what she's doing. She treats her sourdough starters like (somewhat unruly) children. But when it comes to Reena's actual family—and their constant meddling in her life—well, that recipe always ends in disaster. Now Reena's parents have found her yet another potential Good Muslim Husband. This one has the body of Captain America, a delicious British accent, and lives right across the hall. He's the perfect, mouthwatering temptation . . . and completely ruined by the unwelcome side dish of parental interference. Reena refuses to marry anyone who works for her father. She won't be attracted to Nadim's sweet charm or gorgeous lopsided smile. That is, until the baking opportunity of a lifetime presents itself: a couples' cooking competition with the prize of her dreams. Reena will do anything to win—even asking Nadim to pretend they're engaged. But when it comes to love, baking your bread doesn't always mean you get to eat it too.
- Good Eggs – By Rebecca Hardiman
When Kevin Gogarty’s irrepressible eighty-three-year-old mother, Millie, is caught shoplifting yet again, he has no choice but to hire a caretaker to keep an eye on her. Kevin, recently unemployed, is already at his wits’ end tending to a full house while his wife travels to exotic locales for work, leaving him solo with his sulky, misbehaved teenaged daughter, Aideen, whose troubles escalate when she befriends the campus rebel at her new boarding school.
Into the Gogarty fray steps Sylvia, Millie’s upbeat home aide, who appears at first to be their saving grace—until she catapults the Gogarty clan into their greatest crisis yet.
- One Step to You – By Federico Moccia - Inspiration for the Netflix original series Summertime.
It begins with a chance meeting at a traffic light, one that draws a young woman’s attention to the stranger on a motorbike. In that one moment, the fates of Babi Gervasi and Step Mancini are altered. Babi, poised on the brink of a predictable future, will risk everything to be with Step. Step, running from his past, will find the one thing missing from his life. Sharing days on the streets of Rome and nights under a blanket of stars, they belong in each other’s arms.
Even as they fear their time together will be brief, they know their hearts will remember forever.
- Yolk – By Mary H.K. Choi
- Here Loves a Sociopath – By C.L. Matthews
- A Discovery of Secrets and Fate (Chronicles of the Stone Veil #2) – By Sawyer Bennett - Fantasy series!
- The Right Time – By Amanda Siegrist - Standalone.
- Marriage & Murder (Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries #2) – By Penny Reid
Releasing Later This Week!
- March 3 - Second Chance at Us (Berkeley Hills #1) – By Stacy Travis
In high school, I was the bubbly cheerleader and he was the quiet debate guy I didn’t even know existed.
But Blake Fulton made me believe in love after just one day.
Two weeks after my dad died, I was spiraling out of control and my friends had gone AWOL. Blake had never spoken to me before, but suddenly he was there. We ditched school, he bought me a burger, he made me laugh. And he kissed me better than any of those football guys ever did.
Then he ghosted me and broke my heart.
Fifteen years later, he’s back in my life. He wants to apologize and explain. He wants to prove he’s a better man now.
All I want is to resist.
But there’s something about him… the way his gorgeous gray eyes see me like I’m the only woman in the room, the way he ignites a fire that burns only for him, the way he knows what I need even before I do.
I could fall for him all over again.
I’ve never believed in second chances. Will he be the one to change my mind?
- March 4 – Forever Never – By Lucy Score
Under Brick Callan’s mile-wide chest beats a loyal heart with a few cracks in it. He’s the steadfast, overprotective type. Especially when it comes to the one woman he can never have. It’s a long, complicated history punctuated by fights, friendship, family, and an attraction that strains his iron willpower.
When Remi Ford returns to Mackinac Island in the dead of winter with a secret, Brick makes it his mission to find out what put the shadows in those green eyes. Even if it means breaking down the walls he’s built between them. Even if it means falling for the one girl he’ll never get over.
The free-spirited artist just needs to lay low for a few weeks so she can figure a way out of this nightmare. She’s definitely not staying. Not when the man who broke her teenage heart into splinters keeps showing up at her parents’ dinner table. Remi doesn’t need broody, bearded Brick riding to her rescue…again. Not when it will put them both in danger, costing them much more than their hearts.
- March 4 – The Dog Share – By Fiona Gibson
- March 4 – Street Smart (Work For It #1) – By Aly Stiles
- March 4 – Love and Lockdown – By Alyce Caswell
- March 4 – Together – By Jennifer Van Wyk
Happy Reading!
Week of February 22nd, 2021
Book Review:
The Sanatorium
By Sarah Pearse
The Sanatorium had all the makings of a great story: an isolated location with a serial killer on the loose, a broken detective trying to put herself back together again, more suspects than you can shake a stick at. Unfortunately, I felt nothing.
*See my full review...
Week of February 16th, 2021
New Release:
The Minders
By John Marrs
In the 21st century, information is king. But computers can be hacked and files can be broken into - so a unique government initiative has been born. Five ordinary people have been selected to become Minders - the latest weapon in thwarting cyberterrorism. Transformed by a revolutionary medical procedure, the country's most classified information has been taken offline....
*Read more...
Week of February 8th, 2021
Book Review:
Lore
By Alexandra Bracken
With a gaggle of Greek gods and comparisons to some fantastic YA stories, Lore looked like it was written for someone just like me.
It’s funny how on paper a book can look like a perfect fit, but once you get into it something strange happens: it doesn’t work, you get annoyed at things, you find yourself saying, “That wouldn’t happen!”
*See my full review...
Week of February 1st, 2021
Book Review:
Darling Rose Gold
By Stephanie Wrobel
Some books are adventure stories, more about the “what” than the “who.” I love immersing myself in the adventure, the action and all that goes along with that; but there is something special about stories that revolve solely around the interaction of characters. It takes a talented author who can keep their audience captivated without distracting them with all of the action. Stephanie Wrobel did exactly that!
*See my full review...
Week of January 25th, 2021
Book Review:
We Hear Voices
By Evie Green
We Hear Voices piqued my interest with the mysterious imaginary friend. Where does it come from? What is it? How bad will it get? These are all questions that came to my mind when I read the synopsis of We Hear Voices.
I’ve never read (or listened to) a story that needed a disclaimer like this one.
*See my full review...
Week of January 18th, 2021
Book Review:
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
By George R.R. Martin
Like many other readers, I have been waiting for Martin to return to Westeros, back to the world of the Targaryan’s, Lannister’s and Stark’s. I’m going to assume that you want to return to this world as well; if you have not read A Song of Ice and Fire up to A Dance with Dragons and you have never seen the series, you may find a few spoilers here.
*See my full review...
Week of January 11th, 2021
New Release:
Cruel Summer
By Wesley Southard
Genre: Horror
Melissa Braun is a broken woman. Only wanting what’s best for her family, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to mend her fractured relationship with her abusive boyfriend. In a last ditch effort, she hopes the sun and sand of a much-needed Florida vacation will bring them and her son closer together...
*Read more...
Week of January 4th, 2021
Book Review:
Red Hands
By Christopher Golden
I find myself in a bit of a catch 22 with this book. This is book three in the Ben Walker series. If you don’t know Ben Walker, he is a government agent / scientist / special forces type. The adventures I’ve shared with him include unearthing Noah’s Ark on the side of Mount Ararat in Turkey and opening Pandora’s Box in a buried city in Iraq.
*See my full review...
Week of December 28th, 2020
Well, 2020 is coming to an end…it has been a remarkable year. Tough year of reading for myself. Even with my Audibles on my daily commute, my reading is down. I found the distractions to be numerous, I’ve watched more press conferences in the past ten months than I have in my entire life prior to the pandemic. This is time that I should have been reading.
*See my list of top books of 2020...
Week of December 21st, 2020
Book Review:
Last Christmas
By David Moody & Wayne Simmons
I’ve been waiting for the right time to take a bite out of Last Christmas. It is the type of story that I like to read to help get me into the holiday spirit.
Last Christmas was a quick fun trip into a zombie riddled office Christmas party, oh, we can only hope. I think that Moody and Simmons really enjoyed creating this tale; the enthusiasm comes shining through.
*See my full review...
Week of December 14th, 2020
Book Review:
The Awakening
By Nora Roberts
There is no doubt that Nora Roberts can write a good book. I’ve had a few excellent adventures with Nora’s stories. I was pretty excited when I saw that she was starting a new fantasy series.
The Awakening looked like it would tick off all of my boxes: fantastical realms, sword-wielding warriors, a down on her luck hero, dragons.
*See my full review...
Week of December 7th, 2020
Book Review:
Tyrant
By Christian Cameron
Christian Cameron took a novel approach with Tyrant; it is set during the reign of Alexander the Great, but the focus is elsewhere. Instead of narrowing in on the “big events” of the period, Cameron decided to show some of the other things going on while Alexander was conquering Asia. I enjoyed this different perspective.
*See my full review...
Week of November 30th, 2020
Book Review:
Krampus: The Yule Lord
By Brom
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.
*See my full review...
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!
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!
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...
What he's reading!
What she's reading!