2 Book Lovers Reviews
Hemlock Island
By Kelley Armstrong
Love Me Do was everything
that I was hoping it would
be. A Cyrano de Bergerac-
esque love story with plenty of
heart, humor, and romance.
Phoebe is taking a two-week
vacation to visit her sister
in Los Angeles. She’s
hoping for some rest and
relaxation, a bit of sight-
seeing, and some quality
time with her sister. What
she wasn’t looking for was
a gorgeous, interesting,
sweet neighbor to get her
heart racing.
September's Anticipated Reads!
The kiddos are back in school, fall is right around the corner, and pumpkin spice everything will be inescapable. While I hate to say goodbye to the summer months, I do look forward to the cooler weather and curling up with some amazing books. So, here are the books that have made their way onto my TBR list!
- September 5 – Love Me Do – By Lindsey Kelk
I do love this author, so, of course I want to read it. Read my review.
Greetings card copywriter Phoebe Chapman knows a good romantic line or two – and it makes her a fantastic Cupid.
So when she lands in the Hollywood Hills – a place that proves film stars, golden beaches and secret waterfalls don’t just exist in the movies – she can’t resist playing matchmaker for her handsome neighbour, carpenter Ren.
But you can’t hide from love in La La Land.
And isn’t there something a little bit hot about Ren, her own leading man next door?
- September 5 – Things We Left Behind (Knockemout #3) – By Lucy Score
It’s confession time. I have never read a book by this author. I know, I know. This series is a favorite among readers, and I definitely do want to see what all of the fuss is about.
- September 12 – You, Again – By Kate Goldbeck
Can they stop hating each other long enough to fall in love?
A commitment-phobe and a hopeless romantic clash over and over again—until heartbreak and unexpected chemistry bring them together in this clever enemies-to-friends-to-lovers debut romance...
- September 12 – Hemlock Island – By Kelley Armstrong
With fall right around the corner, there’s nothing better than a horror novel to get the blood pumping. Stay tuned for my review.
Laney Kilpatrick has been renting her vacation home to strangers. The invasion of privacy gives her panic attacks, but it’s the only way she can keep her beloved Hemlock Island, the only thing she owns after a pandemic-fueled divorce. But broken belongings and campfires that nearly burn down the house have escalated to bloody bones, hex circles, and now, terrified renters who've fled after finding blood and nail marks all over the guest room closet, as though someone tried to claw their way out...and failed…
- September 12 – Black Sheep – By Rachel Harrison
This novel may make you appreciate your own family more.
Nobody has a “normal” family, but Vesper Wright’s is truly...something else. Vesper left home at eighteen and never looked back—mostly because she was told that leaving the staunchly religious community she grew up in meant she couldn’t return. But then an envelope arrives on her doorstep.
Inside is an invitation to the wedding of Vesper’s beloved cousin Rosie. It’s to be hosted at the family farm. Have they made an exception to the rule? It wouldn’t be the first time Vesper’s been given special treatment. Is the invite a sweet gesture? An olive branch? A trap?
- September 19 – The Quiet – By Linda Kage
Get ready to head to Peril, Nebraska!
Welcome to Peril, Nebraska: small-town population, small-town energy, small-town through and through.
It’s got everything you need, including outcast bad boy, Zac Topper, who gets arrested weekly, fired for speaking his own mind, and accused of perpetuating every crime around.
Or maybe its new, heart-of-gold waitress would interest you more. Not that many locals realize just how bright and sweet Miss Mariana Ruiz is. Being the only mute they know, she tends to get shrugged off as inconsequential.
But Zac sees her.
And Mari sees him right back…
- September 26 – The Wake-Up Call – By Beth O’Leary
This sounds like a fun read!
Two hotel receptionists—and arch-rivals—find a collection of old wedding rings and compete to return them to their owners, discovering their own love story along the way…
- September 26 – Love, Holly – By Emily Stone
This book sounds heartwarming. I enjoyed reading Always, in December by this author, so this one is definitely on my TBR list!
Sometimes it takes a stranger to bring you back to yourself.
Ever since a car accident tore her family apart, Holly has been part of a lonely-hearts holiday letter–writing club. Each December, she writes to a stranger who is also spending Christmas alone, and receives a letter from another lonely person in return.
Usually, the letters go unanswered. That’s the point—the letters are anonymous, and the senders write whatever is in their heart. But this year, the letter Holly receives is different; not only is the letter full of a grief she knows all too well, but its writer, Emma, mentions a place that Holly has visited. When she realizes that she might actually be able to find the letter’s author, Holly becomes determined to reunite Emma with the estranged grandson, Jack, with whom Emma is desperate to reconnect.
When Holly finally tracks him down, she remembers that she’s met Jack once before . . . and the connection was electric. The spark between the two of them is still there—until a misunderstanding risks their burgeoning romance and his strained relationship with Emma, too. But Holly is determined; if she can fix Emma’s family, she might also be able to fix her own. Though as it turns out, Holly might have less time to put things right than she thought.
- September 26 – Bright Lights, Big Christmas – By Mary Kay Andrews
Who doesn’t enjoy a feel-good holiday novella? Stay tuned for my review.
When fall rolls around, it’s time for Kerry Tolliver to leave her family’s Christmas tree farm in the mountains of North Carolina for the wilds of New York City to help her gruff older brother & his dog, Queenie, sell the trees at the family stand on a corner in Greenwich Village. Sharing a tiny vintage camper and experiencing Manhattan for the first time, Kerry’s ready to try to carve out a new corner for herself.
In the weeks leading into Christmas, Kerry quickly becomes close with the charming neighbors who live near their stand. When an elderly neighbor goes missing, Kerry will need to combine her country know-how with her newly acquired New York knowledge to protect the new friends she’s come to think of as family,
And complicating everything is Patrick, a single dad raising his adorable, dragon-loving son Austin on this quirky block. Kerry and Patrick’s chemistry is undeniable, but what chance does this holiday romance really have?
Happy Reading!
Week of Sept. 25, 2023
Hemlock Island
By Kelley Armstrong
September's Anticipated Reads!
Well, here we are, September. Summer may not be officially over, but it sure feels that way; the kids are back in school, there is more traffic on the roads, and the summer spirits are slowly making room for the autumn nights. Now that the summer activities are winding down, there may be a bit more time for some reading, and there are a whole lot of great new books to fit that bill.
- September 5 – Holly – By Stephen King
It’s Stephen King, you know it’s going to be a great story. Nothing left to say.
- September 5 – Herc – By Phoenicia Rogerson
These are some of my favorites right now, retellings of Greek mythology. Phoenicia Rogerson, show me the Hercules that I don’t know.
This should be the story of Hercules: his twelve labours, his endless adventures… everyone’s favorite hero, right? Well, it’s not.
This is the story of everyone else: Alcmene: Herc’s mother (She has knives everywhere), Hylas: Herc’s first friend (They were more than friends), Megara: Herc’s wife (She’ll tell you about their marriage), Eurystheus: Oversaw Herc’s labours (He never asked for the job), his friends, his enemies, his wives, his children, his lovers, his rivals, his gods, his victims.
- September 5 – With Regrets - By Lee Kelly
This sounds like a really great story. I get the feeling that it is one of those books that gets into your head. The shit is hitting the fan and you're stuck in a wine cellar with a group of people you can’t stand. This sounds like a good one.
- September 5 – The Neighbors We Want – By Tim Lane
I love the cover for this one with its upside down house; something is definitely off here. Then there is the synopsis: dad dealing with his job loss and suddenly becoming a stay-at-home dad, creeping on the neighbor. This one seems to have some familiar tropes, but my curiosity is piqued. What is Tim Lane going to do with all of these secrets and lies?
- September 5 – Reykjavik: A Crime Story – By Ragnar Jónasson & Katrin Jakobsdóttir
Ragnar Jónasson is a known commodity for me. He does excellent, dark, cold suspense/thrillers. His stories are set in Iceland with its dark, cold setting. If you’re in the mood for a great mystery, you can’t go wrong with Ragnar Jónasson.
- September 12 – Hemlock Island – By Kelley Armstrong
It is about high time I take on a Kelley Armstrong book; I’ve got a bunch in my wish list and wouldn’t be surprised to find a couple on my Kindle. The synopsis for Hemlock Island is really pulling me in. It has that trapped on an island thing going on, but I like the twist. It just feels more modern, with the whole Airbnb thing going on.
- September 12 – Rouge – By Mona Awad
I’ve been having a great time lately going outside of my comfort zone, reading quirky stories with eccentric characters. Rouge is giving me that kind of impression. They are billing Rouge as a Snow White meets Eyes Wide Shut; those are some interesting shoes to fill.
- September 19 - Starter Villain – By John Scalzi
Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place.
Every line of this synopsis just screams out READ ME!
- September 19 – Red Rabbit – By Alex Grecian
I have come to the conclusion that there just isn’t enough good horror westerns. Ghosts, demons, and gunslingers, oh my.
- September 26 – Cunk on Everything – By Philomena Cunk
Once in a blue moon, a book comes along that changes the world. The Origin of Species. War and Peace. 1984. And now, Cunk on Everything: The Encyclopedia Philomena, by Philomena Cunk.
This is bound to be a lot of fun. I had such a great time watching Cunk on Earth.
Week of Sept. 25, 2023
I was a huge fan of Claire North’s first book in the The Songs of Penelope Series. This is my bag, retelling of the ancient Greek epics. North is keeping this to a trilogy, which I think is perfect, long enough to really dig into the details, yet not so long and dragged out that the reader will lose interest.
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