Bibliojunkies News

Hi Everyone!

Bel here and I wanted to let you know of some changes here at Bibliojunkies HQ.

Over the last two years, the three of us - Shel, Bel and Nat - have experienced some significant life changes that have required our attention elsewhere. We still love to read but blogging has not been something all three of us could sustain regularly.

So with that being said, I have decided to continue reading and reviewing books, and to continue working with publishers and promotional organizations on releases, cover reveals, sales promos, etc. I have transitioned to Instagram and Twitter; find me at @lvndrgms3 on both platforms.

This is both exciting and bittersweet. Bibliojunkies has been a great platform for us to showcase our love of books, and to meet other avid readers and fantastic authors. We've attended book cons, book signings, and met some amazing folks along the way. We will forever be grateful for the opportunities book blogging has given us, and how it helped to expand our worldview.

Much love to Nat and Shel as they continue on with their pursuits. In the meantime, I hope you'll stick around and join me as I take on my next phase.  

~ Bel

Connect with Bel:

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A Lady for A Duke by Alexis Hall

* * * * *

A lush, sweeping queer historical romance from the bestselling author of Boyfriend Material—perfect for fans of Netflix’s Bridgerton, Evie Dunmore, and Manda Collins!

When Viola Caroll was presumed dead at Waterloo she took the opportunity to live, at last, as herself. But freedom does not come without a price, and Viola paid for hers with the loss of her wealth, her title, and her closest companion, Justin de Vere, the Duke of Gracewood.

Only when their families reconnect, years after the war, does Viola learn how deep that loss truly was. Shattered without her, Gracewood has retreated so far into grief that Viola barely recognises her old friend in the lonely, brooding man he has become.

As Viola strives to bring Gracewood back to himself, fresh desires give new names to old feelings. Feelings that would have been impossible once and may be impossible still, but which Viola cannot deny. Even if they cost her everything, all over again. 

Source: NetGalley; ARC generously provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

It's always so interesting to read one of your favorite authors when they're switching up genres and in Alexis Hall fashion, he's delivered a queer historical romance featuring a trans heroine which I was excited about, and seriously how awesome is it that we can be reading something like this?!

Viola, in her former life when she was known as Marleigh, had been unhappy in his body and the world his body inhabited.  When Marleigh was severely injured during the Battle of Waterloo, he took advantage of being presumed dead to disappear for a while and eventually rebuild her life in a way that finally felt true to herself.  Now as Viola and reunited with her former best friend Gracewood, she sees what the loss of Marleigh's presence and their friendship has done to him.  Gracewood has thought all along that Marleigh was dead.  In a way, yes, the Marleigh he knew no longer exists.  But meeting Viola, and sensing a connection he hasn't felt in a long time, pulls him from the deepest recesses of his grief and addiction back into the light. 

The story is heartbreaking but also so, so sweet.  There's so much pain and doubt and some regret yet so much to love as Viola is determined to live her life without apologies.  I felt all her fears as well because as much as she feels free in one sense, she's also bound herself to a life and a role that limits women, something she's getting used to.  And she's nervous about being recognized, outed and shunned.  It becomes more complicated with Gracewood as she wants to, on the one hand, reveal herself to him to ease his pain and because she loves him.  She misses their camaraderie as much as Gracewood does, and can't help but slowly fall in love with him.  On the other hand, she wants him to live a happy life free of any trouble, with a beautiful wife and children, and that would certainly not happen should they give in to their feelings. 

Y'all, my heart broke for them so many times!  I think that's the grueling part of this story - seeing how much their pain and trauma have consumed them, and how society would never accept or condone Viola's choice over her own body or Gracewood's choice to love whom he chooses. Then there are the most spectacular moments of the most intimate connection between two people and all I could do was swoon and want to rail against the world and remake it just so that they could exist as they'd like. You know that's some good writing when you feel that way!

Now I am not LGBTQIA+  so I can only review this story from my perspective as a reader who enjoys a good story and wants to grow and gain a better understanding of the world.  It gets a bit slow in the middle but picks back up with the help of some entertaining side characters the way only Hall can create them. As a romance it hits the markers of drama, the great love of your life, second chance, redemption, and of course, the happily ever after.  But I defer to folks within the LGBTQIA+ community to comment on the rest. For me, A Lady for a Duke is breathtaking and romantic and I'd definitely recommend it.

~ Bel

CW: grief, abusive father (memories), addiction, panic attacks, PTSD (war), bullying (side character), kidnapping (side character)

Our Last Days in Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton

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When Isabel Perez travels to Barcelona to save her sister Beatriz, she discovers a shocking family secret in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s new novel.

Barcelona, 1964. Exiled from Cuba after the revolution, Isabel Perez has learned to guard her heart and protect her family at all costs. After Isabel’s sister Beatriz disappears in Barcelona, Isabel goes to Spain in search of her. Joining forces with an unlikely ally thrusts Isabel into her sister’s dangerous world of espionage, but it’s an unearthed piece of family history that transforms Isabel’s life.

Barcelona, 1936. Alicia Perez arrives in Barcelona after a difficult voyage from Cuba, her marriage in jeopardy and her young daughter Isabel in tow. Violence brews in Spain, the country on the brink of civil war, the rise of fascism threatening the world. When Cubans journey to Spain to join the International Brigades, Alicia’s past comes back to haunt her as she is unexpectedly reunited with the man who once held her heart.

Alicia and Isabel’s lives intertwine, and the past and present collide, as a mother and daughter are forced to choose between their family’s expectations and following their hearts.

Source: NetGalley; advance copy provided by Berkley in exchange for an honest review

What can I say about Chanel Cleeton's Perez Sisters series that hasn't been said already? These books have absolutely captivated me, swept me away and taught me so much history as well. Our Last Days in Barcelona is gorgeous, a little suspenseful and delivers on the happily ever after.

I adore the dual timeline format that Cleeton adopted for these books, even more so as I'm so keen to see how all the dots connect. This time we also get a glimpse of the matriarch of the Perez family, Alicia, and I was surprised by the less than perfect start to her marriage. It's this mystery that ties into Beatriz's disappearance that has Isabel worried, flying from Florida to Barcelona to locate her whereabouts. While on this mission, she learns other family secrets that unsettle her.

Our Last Days in Barcelona highlights the strained, complex relationship Cuba has with Spain. With Alicia's timeline set in the late 1930's, there's a heightened sense of trepidation in Spain with the threat of pending civil war. I know that Spain's political history is complicated, but Cleeton keeps the focus zeroed in on this specific moment and the terrifying impact it was having on its citizens. 

I so appreciate this series for all that it has introduced me to Cuba's rich multi-cultural heritage and the turbulent decades that these books have spanned. The Perez family with all of their ups and downs and uncertainties, have become real to me and I feel grateful for being included on this journey.

~ Bel

The Emma Project (The Rajes #4) by Sonali Dev

* * * * *

Emma gets a fresh Indian-American twist from award-winning author Sonali Dev in her heartwarmingly irresistible Jane Austen inspired rom com series.

No one can call Vansh Raje’s life anything but charmed. Handsome—Vogue has declared him California’s hottest single—and rich enough to spend all his time on missions to make the world a better place. Add to that a doting family and a contagiously sunny disposition and Vansh has made it halfway through his twenties without ever facing anything to throw him off his admittedly spectacular game.

A couple years from turning forty, Knightlina (Naina) Kohli has just gotten out of a ten-year-long fake relationship with Vansh’s brother and wants only one thing from her life…fine, two things. One, to have nothing to do with the unfairly blessed Raje family ever again. Two, to bring economic independence to millions of women in South Asia through her microfinance foundation and prove her father wrong about, well, everything.

Just when Naina’s dream is about to come to fruition, Vansh Raje shows up with his misguided Emma Project... And suddenly she’s fighting him for funding and wondering if a friends-with-benefits arrangement that’s as toe-curlingly hot as it is fun is worth risking her life’s work for.

Source: NetGalley; advance copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

I am declaring this fourth installment in The Rajes series as my favorite! Why? Because Vansh and Naina make excellent adversaries-turned-something-more in The Emma Project. 

Yes, Vansh has a magnetic personality that attracts people but he also makes them feel safe and heard. When you look past the Raje family legacy and the looks, there is an authentic soul in that body. He's someone who's strived to prove himself beyond the Raje name to find his life's purpose. Naina is not quite charismatic nor does she care to be. At the moment she's still dealing with the fallout from the revelation of her fake relationship with Yash. The press feels sorry for her, the Raje family are all but giving her the cold shoulder thinking that it was she who manipulated Yash all these years. None of those problems compare to what is currently her biggest problem which is working with a finicky benefactor who revels in power trips. Naina's had to deal with difficult men all her life, her father being the worst of all. She has a strained relationship with her parents, especially her father who's disappointed he never had a son, and who is only ever worried about his status in the community. He's essentially a bully to her and her mother, and her mother has never fought back. Now she's facing another man who wishes the pull the strings as far as her life's work is concerned. The last thing Naina wants to do is allow even an inch of space for Vansh to step in and take away her access to funding. But when it looks like there's no other option, she grudgingly agrees to work with Vansh to share the funding and hopefully out-maneuver their patron. 

Out of all the Rajes novels, I consider The Emma Project to be most like a rom-com and it's definitely due to Vansh's personality and Naina's often biting retorts to his attempts at charming his way through things. He's irresistible and is quick with the one-liners as well. I think I enjoyed this best of all because their chemistry ignites from the word "go", which made me realize that it's been a while since I've felt that kind of spark in the characters I've read recently. This is friends-to-lovers or better yet, frenemies-to-lovers with Naina obviously viewing Vansh as her competition in acquiring the financing she needs for her project.

Romance aside, there's also a good amount of time spent on how women are viewed and how Naina's had to overcome both her father's disappointment in not having a son, and his ambitious desire to have his daughter married off to a family that can elevate his standing, and specifically his ego. She has grown up in a household where women are torn down and stripped of their own desires. She saw the maltreatment her mother silently accepted. Naina has refused to be that kind of person. She wants to be a stronger woman who doesn't need a man at her side because a man would only demand she give up what she loves. But her father has also demonstrated how men behave and she's learned her lesson well, using that to work around her oftentimes misogynistic benefactor.

It was an absolute joy to read The Emma Project and I'm still smiling about it. Sonali Dev gives you heart and soul in her storytelling and it's been a privilege getting to know The Rajes. I'm glad this series is ending on such a high note!

~ Bel

Sari, Not Sari by Sonya Singh

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This delightful debut rom-com follows the adventures of a woman trying to connect with her South Asian roots and introduces readers to a memorable cast of characters in a veritable feast of food, family traditions, and fun.

Manny Dogra is the beautiful young CEO of Breakup, a highly successful company that helps people manage their relationship breakups. As preoccupied as she is with her business, she’s also planning her wedding to handsome architect Adam Jamieson while dealing with the loss of her beloved parents.

For reasons Manny has never understood, her mother and father, who were both born in India, always wanted her to become an “All-American” girl. So that’s what she did. She knows next to nothing about her South Asian heritage, and that’s never been a problem—until her parents are no longer around, and an image of Manny that’s been Photoshopped to make her skin look more white appears on a major magazine cover. Suddenly, the woman who built an empire encouraging people to be true to themselves is having her own identity crisis.

But when an irritating client named Sammy Patel approaches Manny with an odd breakup request, the perfect solution presents itself: If they both agree to certain terms, he’ll give her a crash course in being “Indian” at his brother’s wedding.

What follows is days of dancing and dal, masala and mehndi as Manny meets the lovable, if endlessly interfering, aunties and uncles of the Patel family, and, along the way, discovers much more than she could ever have anticipated. 

Source: NetGalley; ARC provided by publisher in exchange for a honest review

As a South Asian who grew up outside of the community and looking to learn about her own roots, Sari, Not Sari's premise spoke to me on a deeply personal level, but that's about as far as it went.

Manny is a successful CEO of Breakup, a company that she built from the ground up. Her expertise is in relationships and specifically how to help people end relationships cordially with minimal damage when those relationships come to the end of the road. It's a lucrative business and people are noticing as evidenced by articles and tv interviews. A recent write up in a high-profile magazine is supposed to catapult the company into the stratosphere, but the excitement is dimmed when Manny sees that they've photoshopped her cover to make her lighter-skinned. Being that her darker skin tone is one of the few things she feels ties her to her Indian heritage, it sends her into a frenzy, and now she wants to find out more about the culture she comes from.

You know, I get all of this because I feel it, too. It's just that I found the way Manny goes about it to be a head scratcher. She agrees to help Sammy, a client and fellow South Indian, with a temporary breakup on the condition that she accompany him to his family's wedding so she can learn all about everything Indian. I have two reactions to this. One, the idea that attending a weeklong wedding celebration is enough to learn all about a culture that's as diverse as the number of dialects within the Indian subcontinent is a faulty one. Two, one of her best friends and colleague, Anjali is Indian so it makes no sense to me that she'd never sought to connect to the culture through their longtime friendship. But going to a wedding with someone she barely knows will solve her identity crisis problem. See? Head scratcher.

Full disclosure - I started Sari, Not Sari with the sincere hope of finding something meaningful for myself through Manny's experience, but it all fell flat from the beginning. I wasn't into their romance, either. I would've liked to see Manny learn about her family's roots and culture through genuine connection outside of a wedding celebration. Instead, she only saw the showy parts, the ostentatious celebratory stuff that's all surface level and part of what she's seeking. It's a small fraction of a rich culture and that's all she takes from it to feel fully Indian. It didn't jibe with me in the least.

What I was hoping for and what I read were two completely different things. Upon reflection, I think I wanted the content of Sari, Not Sari to be more women's fiction, and in a rom-com format there's only so much deep-diving that can happen into a question as loaded as "What does being Indian mean?". I'm disappointed this didn't work out for me but I think this story works for a reader who wants to get lost in the joyful experience of an Indian wedding.

~ Bel

Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall

* * * 1/2

From the acclaimed author of Boyfriend Material comes a delightfully witty romance featuring a reserved duke who’s betrothed to one twin and hopelessly enamoured of the other.

Valentine Layton, the Duke of Malvern, has twin problems: literally.

It was always his father’s hope that Valentine would marry Miss Arabella Tarleton. But, unfortunately, too many novels at an impressionable age have caused her to grow up…romantic. So romantic that a marriage of convenience will not do and after Valentine’s proposal she flees into the night determined never to set eyes on him again.

Arabella’s twin brother, Mr. Bonaventure “Bonny” Tarleton, has also grown up…romantic. And fully expects Valentine to ride out after Arabella and prove to her that he’s not the cold-hearted cad he seems to be.

Despite copious misgivings, Valentine finds himself on a pell-mell chase to Dover with Bonny by his side. Bonny is unreasonable, overdramatic, annoying, and…beautiful? And being with him makes Valentine question everything he thought he knew. About himself. About love. Even about which Tarleton he should be pursuing.

*Source: purchased copy

Since I read my first Alexis Hall book a few years ago I've felt that I can never really go wrong reading his novels. He makes me laugh, snicker, look up words in the dictionary...I just always enjoy them. Something Fabulous somewhat rested that for me.

I loved Valentine right off the bat. Yes, he's a bit clueless about matters of the heart but his clueless heart is sincere. And he believes in duty which is why he proposes marriage to Arabella. Except Arabella is repulsed by this idea because he's doing this out of a sense of duty, and he has no genuine feeling for her. Neither does she have any for him. I commiserated with her up to this point because she shouldn't have to be in a loveless marriage. She wants romance and she should have that. It's just that she wants the drama, too. She runs off in the dead of night away from her family, from Valentine, and then her brother Bonny shows up the next morning to insist Valentine set everything right again. Bonny's worried for his twin sister since they've never been far from each other, and he knows that she was not the least bit impressed by Valentine's attempt at a marriage proposal. This is all fairly understandable. But what ensues can only be described as consistent bullying towards Valentine.

In truth, I enjoyed the story more than I was irritated by it. Arabella is a drama queen to the nth degree and I did not like any scene she was in. All her melodrama and machinations only served to torture Valentine - emotionally and physically - and put him in harm's way several times. She does this in the name of self-preservation and above all, adventure, and seems only too delighted to thrust Valentine into danger. Her behavior does not elicit sympathy in the least. Bonny messed with Valentine, too, but mostly in a teasing and crossing boundaries way. The thing is Valentine is not a bad guy. He's just oblivious, and part of that comes from the fact that he's never felt anything real before. All he has comprehended so far is that he's part of the upper class and with that comes responsibilities and expectations. He has tried to live up to them, but there's never been anything that has caused him to question his life until now. This bizarre traumatic series of events has disrupted his world so abruptly, and yet somehow, Bonny has squirreled his way into Valentine's ambivalent heart.

I want to say this was a fun read but it doesn't feel right to say that when the comedic aspect comes at the expense of Valentine's agony and abuse. A lot of it is repetitive, and while forced proximity can be an exciting trope, it feels so ... wrong here because of the other cast of characters involved. I mean, Bonny is not as terrible as his twin but it's not like he readily jumped to Valentine's defense. So I'm not particularly fond of Bonny, either, for playing along with Arabella's games.

It might sound like I'm dissing this story but I don't think Something Fabulous was a waste of time. I stuck around for Valentine and in the end I came around to Bonny, and the idea of them together. I wish their union wasn't borne out of all the chaos, but I'm certainly wishing them a happily ever after.

~ Bel

Witch Please (Fix-It Witches #1) by Ann Aguirre

* * 

Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls in this adorable witchy rom-com with:

• A bisexual virgin baker with a curse
• A witch looking to avoid romantic entanglements
• And a chemistry between them that causes literal sparks

Danica Waterhouse is a fully modern witch—daughter, granddaughter, cousin, and co-owner of the Fix-It Witches, a magical tech repair shop. After a messy breakup that included way too much family “feedback,” Danica made a pact with her cousin: they’ll keep their hearts protected and have fun, without involving any of the overly opinionated Waterhouse matriarchs. Danica is more than a little exhausted navigating a long-standing family feud where Gram thinks the only good mundane is a dead one and Danica’s mother weaves floral crowns for anyone who crosses her path.

Three blocks down from the Fix-It Witches, Titus Winnaker, owner of Sugar Daddy’s bakery, has family trouble of his own. After a tragic loss, all he’s got left is his sister, the bakery, and a lifetime of terrible luck in love. Sure, business is sweet, but he can’t seem to shake the romantic curse that’s left him past thirty and still a virgin. He’s decided he’s doomed to be forever alone.

Until he meets Danica Waterhouse. The sparks are instant, their attraction irresistible. For him, she’s the one. To her, he’s a firebomb thrown in the middle of a family war. Can a modern witch find love with an old-fashioned mundane who refuses to settle for anything less than forever?

Source: borrowed from HooplaAudio

Witch Please started off well. It seemed to live up to its clever, cutesy title. Danica and Titus seemed like the classic rom-com couple that readers and viewers always adore, and it was all going swimmingly until...until several details popped up that made the story not so great overall.

As the blurb suggests, Danica and Titus are both looking for love, though they have differing requisites for their long-term relationships. Danica needs to end up with a fellow witch to appease her grandmother and continue their witchy legacy. Titus just wants to be with someone who actually wants to be with him wholeheartedly. Commitment has always eluded him and he has this debilitating tendency to fall head first for any person. It feels so right and so different with Danica, whereas all she wants is a quick fling with a non-witch before she agrees to her grandmother's terms. I was okay with this setup because forbidden love is kind of sexy, but then it veered into an unpleasant direction.

Danica's grandmother is distrustful of humans. History has treated woman and witches badly. However, her distrust is full on bigotry when you get further into the story, and she uses it to manipulate Danica and her cousin, Clem. She'd previously shut out Danica's mother because she married a non-witch, a big no-no, so she's willing to do the same to Danica. Clem also goes along with the grandmother and is outright hostile and unsupportive of Danica's relationship with Titus. The part that's frustrating is that Danica can see her grandmother's unreasonable and unfair behavior. She sees it towards non-witches, she see how her grandmother treats her mother, yet she doesn't say anything. She and her cousin are so indoctrinated that they simply accept their grandmother's bullying. Danica spends most of the story worrying about pissing off her grandmother instead of confronting her. It was incredibly annoying.

Another plot detail that was horrifying - and I'm sorry but this is a spoiler - is that Titus' unfortunate love life is because of a curse that was placed on him by Danica's mother. Her mother had simply arranged for Danica's true love to never be able to connect with anyone so that he'd only be available to Danica when the time was right. It was her way of providing a happy outcome for her and to counteract the  grandmother's meddlesome ways. WHAT??? NO!!!!! This is not romantic in the least. Instead it's manipulative and just so WRONG! Rather than up to her own mother, she took the coward's way out and effectively robbed Titus of his choice over his own fate. Not only was he not aware of it, he also thought that something was wrong with him. How is that remotely acceptable? This is not a fairytale of centuries past so we shouldn't have to deal in that kind of backwards scheming in a story in today's climate. Yet Danica accepts it with no qualms and reacts like it's a loving gesture. 

The one small bright spot in all this is Titus and his sister providing a home to their younger stepsister. Their parents are essentially clueless about how their kids feel left out and now shoved aside with a baby on the way.  Titus has a big heart and it was so sweet of him to create a safe, welcoming space for her. There's more involved in that bizarre family dynamic but this really was the one thing that warmed my heart in this story.

I can generally handle flawed characters and scenarios and wade through the storm with them. Do I expect my heroines to be perfect? No. But I expect some awareness or smarts. Danica's complete inaction to call out inappropriate behaviors were problematic. She didn't seem like an adult with her own mind but a child restrained and too afraid to venture outside the bubble. Even when she did finally stand up for herself she never addressed all the issues. And while she and Titus got together, I did not celebrate it because it was due to magical manipulation instead of free will. I did not find it endearing at all. Witch Please might conclude with a happy ending, it's the issues that weren't treated with any kind of gravity - the bigotry, manipulation and complacency - that make that ending unsatisfying. 

~ Bel

Murder Most Actual by Alexis Hall

* * * *

From the author of Boyfriend Material and Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake comes a cozy mystery that revisits the Golden Age of detective fiction, starring a heroine who’s more podcaster than private eye and topped with a lethal dose of parody -- perfect for fans of Clue, Knives Out, and Only Murders in the Building!

When up-and-coming true crime podcaster Liza and her corporate financier wife Hanna head to a luxurious hotel in the Scottish Highlands, they're hoping for a chance to rekindle their marriage - not to find themselves trapped in the middle of an Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery with no way home. But who better to take on the case than someone whose entire profession relies on an obsession with all things mysterious and macabre? Though some of her fellow guests may consider her an interfering new media hack, Liza knows a thing or two about crime and – despite Hanna’s preference for waiting out the chaos behind a locked door – might be the only one capable of discovering the killer. As the bodies rack up and the stakes rise, can they save their marriage -- and their lives?

Source: NetGally; ARC provided by Kobo Rakuten for an honest review

Alexis Hall writing a cozy mystery? Sign me up! Murder Most Actual is delightful mystery that pays homage to Clue and the current obsession with true crime mystery shows. 

When Liza and Hanna check into their hotel they weren't to know that their getaway, which is an attempt to repair their strained marriage, would be hijacked by multiple murders and a snow storm. The hotel is filled with the quintessential quirky characters including a Poirot-like detective who refers to himself in third person. The first murder when it occurs naturally unsettles all the guests, but Liza's inquisitive mind is drawn to the intrigue. As much as Hanna wants her wife to keep away from danger, she knows that this falls squarely into Liza's area of interest. As the bodies pile up, Liza gets deeper into the mystery potentially risking her own safety and that of Hanna's.

I truly enjoyed this book! It felt old-timey in a way and I absolutely go for that stuff being that I grew up on Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and Poirot series. I never got into the true crime frenzy, however, I did enjoy reading Liza's process and getting a bit of an idea of it.

Aside from the mystery, I was incredibly taken with the subplot of Liza and Hanna's relationship. The reason for their holiday is that their marriage has felt a little off recently. Hanna distracted by work, Liza who spends the bulk of her time researching and working on her podcast with her co-host means a lot of time has been spent apart and losing touch with one another. Hanna booked their getaway hoping that would be a kind of refresh button for them. It's not easy closing a gap that's been steadily widening. I think Hall did spectacularly at capturing the nuances of a long-term relationship that has stalled, of a couple who feel so distanced from each other that where the little things they used to like about the other become the things that irritate. All the subtle changes that steadily occur over a period of time that end up gaining momentum and that eventually change the face of the relationship. I understood that so well. 

I've read a few Alexis Hall books and I've become used to his style of writing and the self-deprecating ways most of his characters have. So I was impressed by how easily he switched to mystery-mode and by how it felt different. He's still excellent with the eccentric characters, but the way he wrote Liza and Hanna as more serious-minded and steady individuals with their humor intact was what felt different for me.  I've already said I enjoyed it and yes, I'd recommend Murder Most Actual to any mystery fan or any Alexis Hall fan.

~ Bel

 

One Night on the Island by Josie Silver

* * *

Spending her thirtieth birthday alone is the last thing that dating columnist Cleo wanted, but she is going on a self-coupling quasi-sabbatical--at the insistence of her boss--in the name of re-energizing herself and adding a new perspective to her column. The remote Irish island she's booked is a far cry from London, but at least it's a chance to hunker down in a luxury cabin and indulge in some quiet, solitary self-care while she figures out her next steps in her love life and her career.

Mac is also looking forward to some time to himself. With his life in Boston deteriorating in ways he can't bring himself to acknowledge, his soul searching has brought him to the same Irish island in search of his roots and some clarity. Unfortunately, a mix-up with the bookings means both solitude seekers have reserved the same one-bedroom hideaway on exactly the same dates.

Instantly at odds with each other, Cleo and Mac don't know how they're going to manage until the next weekly ferry arrives. But as the days go by, they no longer seem to mind each other's company quite as much as they thought they would...

Written with Josie Silver's signature warmth, charm and insights into the human heart, One Night on the Island explores the meaning of home, the joys of escape and how the things we think we want are never the things we really need.

* Source: NetGalley; ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

One Night on the Island sees two individuals at pivotal moments in their lives crashing into each other's orbit at a most inconvenient time. Cleo is supposed to be at Salvation Island 'self-coupling'. She's an online columnist who's turning 30 and she and her editor decided that she should go to the island to celebrate that milestone by marrying herself as a way to embrace herself as she enters into her thirties. It's so weird even to Cleo. Then of course Mack shows up to the same cottage that Cleo booked claiming that he's supposed to be there as well. He rented it from his distant cousin so he could immerse himself in his photography while he gives his estranged wife space after she asked for a divorce the year before. Neither he or Cleo are willing to budge and there's really nowhere else to go on the island. Their solution is to draw a chalk line through the house and they can each reside on their own side. Stuck on the island, they have to make do and be civil.

This was a strange kind of romance and I have to tell you, I was on the fence through most of it. I was unsettled by the initial hostility between Cleo and Mack because some of it felt so unnecessary. Cleo seemed to put on tantrums and Mack was so closed off. It just comes down to that fact that I didn't want to encounter this kind of vibe in my reading. Things between them thaw when they start to find some common ground and make peace. And yes, it's weird again how they swing from antagonists to buddy-buddy and start revealing their secrets. Mack is distraught over the breakup of his marriage and still after over a year apart can't accept that it's over. Cleo is finally embracing her single life and keeps lobbing truth bombs Mack's way about the state of his relationship. Her honesty is brutal but one thing that's a no-go zone is is two boys. He adores them and wants everything for them. While he and Cleo get cozy and attraction builds, he's still hesitant to let go of his marriage. Even if it's his wife wanting the divorce and already off with someone else. His vows are sacred to him.

There were times I felt that the book should've been two different books. What Cleo and Mack were going through independent of each other was more interesting to me than their 'thing'. I liked being in on their thoughts and self-analysis when they were off by themselves. I normally enjoy a forced proximity romance, but this didn't get its hooks in me. It just felt that the other person was conveniently there and they thought, why not? It's difficult to explain because there are profound moments between them where I understood the sentiments they shared, but as far as the romance goes, I didn't feel their heat.

I did appreciate the residents of Salvation Island. They're all such engaging characters making anyone feel at home amongst them. I liked how they'd tease Mack and Cleo about their accommodation snafu and hint at any budding romance between them. They all had their own interesting stories and I thought they were absolutely delightful.

I adored Silver's other book, One Day in December because I liked those characters and I liked what they were working through so I was hoping I'd feel the same about One Night on the Island. It's a quiet, subdued story and romance that worked in parts, but this time it wasn't for me.

~ Bel

With Love from London by Sarah Jio

* * * * 1/2

A librarian inherits a bookshop from her estranged mother, leading her halfway across the world on a journey of self-discovery that transcends time and honors the unbreakable bonds of love and family.

When librarian Valentina Baker was a teenager, her mother, Eloise, unexpectedly fled to her native London, leaving Val and her father on their own. Now in her thirties and fresh out of a failed marriage, Val feels a nagging disenchantment with her life--and knows she is still heartbroken over her mother's abandonment.

In a bittersweet twist of fate, Val receives word that Eloise has passed away, leaving Val her Primrose Hill apartment and the deed to a bookshop Val never knew she'd owned. Though the news is devastating, Val finds herself more determined than ever to discover who her mother truly was. She jets across the Atlantic, departing Seattle for a new life in charming London.

Slowly but surely, Val begins to piece together Eloise's life in the UK, falling in love with her pastel-colored flat, cozy neighborhood, and tucked-away storefront. But when she discovers that The Book Garden is in danger of going under, Val must work with its eccentric staff to get it in working order. In the process, she learns more about Eloise than she ever thought possible. And as Val races to save the shop, Eloise's own story unfolds, leading both mother and daughter to unearth revelatory truths.

Source: NetGalley; ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

The main draw of With Love from London for me, and I suspect loads of other readers, is that it's a story about the love of books. How they transport you, how they comfort you and how magical they can be. As a librarian, Valentina knows all about this, having a love for books she inherited from her mother at a young age. Even after her mother disappeared from her life, Val continued to find solace in books, both old and new discoveries. Soon after her divorce, she receives word that her mother has passed away and that she is the beneficiary of her mother's treasured bookshop and flat. It fills Val with conflicting emotions. On the one hand, she's still traumatized by her mother walking out on her. On the other, she's curious to learn what drew her mother back to her homeland and kept her there. And since she's divorced and has nothing at the moment to tie her down, she could use the the change of scenery.

With Love from London is charming from the get go. I could easily understand Val's apprehension about what lies ahead, just as easily as I could sense the wounded child within. She's looking for answers and doesn't realize how much she wants to understand her mother's motives until she arrives in London. I appreciated that the story was told in two POVs - Eloise's and Val's first person voice. In a way, both storylines are tragic. Both women in different ways experience perfect timing and bad timing, the paths taken and not taken, new opportunities that are born out of disappointments. It's also a joy to see how similar they are like when they have the same visceral reaction to the same book but decades apart. Val's journey to discover her mother's story is laid out through several riddles Eloise had set out for her before she passed. 

I did cry a little at the end. I couldn't help it, it was just so darn sweet and poignant. Even with some predictable elements I thought the the story was engaging and lovely. I looked forward to it every time I picked it up because I knew that after the heartbreaks and grieving would come second chances. If anything, With Love from London is an ode to any passionate booklover out there of any age or genre, who appreciates how a good book is good for the soul!

~ Bel

Content warning: 

- divorce, illness (Eloise - ovarian cancer; brief mention of the diagnosis but no graphic details)

Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly

* * * * *

The first openly nonbinary contestant on America’s favorite cooking show falls for their clumsy competitor in this delicious romantic comedy debut “that is both fantastically fun and crack your heart wide open vulnerable.” (Rosie Danan, author of The Roommate)

Recently divorced and on the verge of bankruptcy, Dahlia Woodson is ready to reinvent herself on the popular reality competition show Chef’s Special. Too bad the first memorable move she makes is falling flat on her face, sending fish tacos flying—not quite the fresh start she was hoping for. Still, she's focused on winning, until she meets someone she might want a future with more than she needs the prize money.

After announcing their pronouns on national television, London Parker has enough on their mind without worrying about the klutzy competitor stationed in front of them. They’re there to prove the trolls—including a fellow contestant and their dad—wrong, and falling in love was never part of the plan.

As London and Dahlia get closer, reality starts to fall away. Goodbye, guilt about divorce, anxiety about uncertain futures, and stress from transphobia. Hello, hilarious shenanigans on set, wedding crashing, and spontaneous dips into the Pacific. But as the finale draws near, Dahlia and London’s steamy relationship starts to feel the heat both in and outside the kitchen—and they must figure out if they have the right ingredients for a happily ever after.

Source: NetGalley; advance audio copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

I'll describe Love & Other Disasters in one word: PRECIOUS. It's a memorable experience when a book starts off so well and carries that momentum through to the end. I was wowed from the get go and couldn't help but smile every time I listened to it.

Dahlia and London meet on their first day of taping the cooking show, Chef's Special. They're both wracked by nerves that come from being on live tv, the jitters from competition and also all the personal stuff that lingers in the back of their minds. Each has come to the cooking show with a clear agenda - win the competition and show the naysayers that they can make a success of themselves. Dahlia has the kind of personality that easily makes friends. Everyone is instantly at ease with her. She's one of my favorite characters because she's forthright and speaks with absolute sincerity which I find to be an admirable trait. London is equally straightforward and has learned over the years that they don't want to deal with bull. Coming on to Chef's Special took guts because they're announcing to the world that they're nonbinary while back at home, their father has yet to accept them. Dahlia somehow endears herself to London and the instant connection and acceptance surprises them.

Listening to London's journey educated me about how one can question their sexuality and struggle to find a space that accommodates their sense of self. That London was able to do that and have so much support behind them was heartwarming. That it isn't always sunshine, roses and acceptance, as demonstrated by her strained relationship with her father, is heartbreaking. Dahlia's journey has also taken her in a different direction. Married at a young age, happy until she realized that she no longer wanted the same things as her husband, she made the bold move to divorce and then to pick up the pieces and remake her life. Both of them have much to prove to themselves and anyone else who has ever doubted them.

While Dahlia and London's relationship takes off with the cooking show as a backdrop, what happens away from the show is equally interesting. I lived for the little details they'd pick up about each other, the inevitable closeness that brought them together as friends and then even more. I loved some of the high jinx they'd get into like when they crashed a wedding, and I was floored by their raw, vulnerable moments like when Dahlia admitted her insecurities aloud after getting drunk at said wedding. That moment seriously got me in the gut and also broke my heart. I felt the weight of that and it's so incredible to come across a writer's words that so uniquely and perfectly captures what feels like a universal sentiment. 

I was pleased to see the nonbinary, queer and trans rep, and I was glad to read a story that wrote from those perspectives. London does have to deal with a fellow contestant's hostility towards their presence, but they don't give that person much energy, and Kelly doesn't make that a central issue in the story, either. Instead she devotes time to London's relationship with their father. London gives energy to the relationships that matter, but will set boundaries and is prepared to walk away from a toxic situation if it risks their well-being. 

I don't know how else to express what a gem Love & Other Disasters is. It took me a long while to even write this review because I didn't feel I could effectively say how much I liked this book. I strongly recommend listening to the audiobook, if you can. The narrator, Lindsey Dorcus, made Dahlia and London's personalities come to life so vividly. It's a wonderful thing to feel a book has enriched and expanded your perspective of life and I can say that Love & Other Disasters has definitely done that for me!

~ Bel

Southern Bombshell (North Carolina Highlands #5) by Jessica Peterson

* * * * 

The Wedding Planner’s Rulebook:
Keep the bride happy.
Keep the wedding party out of trouble.
Never let anyone know you’ve been in love with the groom for years.

I lived by these rules. Until Nate Kingsley.

The Capulets and Montagues have nothing on the Beauregards and Kingsleys. Our families have feuded for centuries, and Nate was always forbidden—which made fooling around with him that much more delicious. But then I fell for him, and he fell off the face of the earth, ghosting me without so much as a goodbye.

Fast-forward two years: as an expert in romance, I’m a wedding planner to the rich and famous. I never expected Nate to show up at my office, least of all with a shiny new fiancée on his arm. She’s got money to burn, and she wants me to plan the most extravagant wedding of my career.

It’s a make-or-break moment for my business. I convince myself I can do Nate’s wedding and keep my feelings for him in check, even if he does look good.

Really, really good.

But when the secrets we buried years ago come to light, what kept us apart suddenly binds us together. Even if my heart belongs to Nate, and his belongs to me, he belongs to someone else. And that’s a rule we absolutely cannot break.

Source: ARC provided in exchange for an honest review

Now that all those pesky older brothers are out of the way, it's Milly's time to shine! She's always just been kind of on the periphery, quietly doing her own thing while her brothers have been getting all the attention. So no one would know that Milly was quietly in love with Nate Kingsley, quietly had a steamy fling with him, and then quietly got her heart broken into a million pieces when Nate broke up with her. Milly quietly nursed her broken heart and threw herself into her work as a wedding planner, putting Nate firmly in the rear view mirror. That is until he walks into her office with his fiancée, ready to hire her as their wedding planner. Awkward doesn't even cut it. Milly, who's meticulously cultivated a poised, organized professional persona over the years is slightly thrown off her game. However, she'll set aside her personal feelings and do the job.

Nate still feels bad about walking out on Milly two years ago. Worse because he never revealed the reason why. He'll always regret how he did it but not why he did it. But they've since moved on and by all accounts, they both seem happy. Sure, having her plan his wedding to Reece will be weird as all get out but they can both be adults about this. 

It's apparent that though Reece and Nate love each other, they're missing the sizzling chemistry that Nate and Milly had. And as I worried about the potential of the story moving towards a cheating storyline, Nate and Reece simply drift apart leaving Milly and Nate to pick up from where they left off, like none of the preceding two years ever happened. They still need to address the circumstances of their breakup but they can put that off while they ... reconnect.

Nate and Milly create a lot of heat and intensity which is great when you're expecting that kind of drama in a romance. I liked that they're both a few years older, also wiser as they've had time to grow up. While Milly's been thriving at work with her borthers at the family's resort, Nate's been doing the same albeit without the supportive atmosphere that Milly's privileged to have. Nate's dad is a gambler and a walking nightmare. Everything he touches turns to trash and Nate does what he can to keep him away from the business aspect of their whiskey distillery. He also gets protective of Milly, not wanting her to be in the cross hairs of his ongoing fight with his father. Milly has enough to deal with what with her brothers' overprotectiveness and her own troubles with finding joy in her work again - something we all experience at some point or other - and it takes rekindling things with Nate again and honest conversations with him to reconsider what brings her joy. I liked this second chance love story. It's obvious these two were made for each other and I loved their moments together. Nate's pretty much the whole package and Milly is pretty terrific herself. 

I do have to address a couple of details. One of them is during Nate's point of view when he's recalling his family dynamics and he mentions that his mother passed away, and in parentheses it's mentioned from what disease she died of. Honestly, it was jarring and caught me off guard and was incredibly triggering. It took me out of the moment and I was upset to come across it, even more so when that specific detail ended up not having any bearing on the rest of the story. If it had nothing to do with the plotline as a whole then I don't understand why it had to be included. Then this "feud" between the Beauregards and the Kingsleys. The blurb compares it to Romeo and Juliet levels of rivalry but there wasn't enough in there to give said feud any weight or presence in the story. All I could get was Nate's dad's jealousy of the Beauregards' success, and that the feud started decades back, and I wish there'd been something more tangible and recent perhaps to make the feud seem insurmountable, therefore making Nate and Milly's reunion scandalous. 

I liked Southern Bombshell even if those couple of details bothered me. There's a lovely epilogue at the end from another family member we haven't heard from before and it's actually a fitting end to the series on the Beauregards, filled with all the happily ever afters for everyone in this big, loud, protective, unconditional loving family.

~ Bel

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Edit 1/27/21  -- CW for mention of brain cancer (Nate's mom); also mention of CTE (Beauregards' dad who was a NFL player; Beau has also been diagnosed with it and this was first mentioned in Southern Southern Seducer book 1 of the series); gambling problems (Nate's dad, and Nate's brother but his brother has recovered)

Her Big City Neighbor (Cider House Sisters #1) by Jackie Lau

* * * *

When small-town engineer Amy Sharpe inherits a house in Toronto, she decides it’s the perfect opportunity to start over and go back to school. Away from the family that takes her for granted, away from the ex who expected so much and gave little in return.

The new Amy enjoys wandering around the city and frequenting bubble tea shops, German beer halls, dim sum restaurants, and coffee bars serving Japanese pastries. She has a roommate with the same name as her favorite fictional character, and a group of friends who meet at a cider bar every couple of weeks.

The new Amy is also in lust with her brooding, tattooed next-door neighbor, Victor Choi, who is far from friendly but looks really hot cutting the grass without a shirt. Too bad the grass doesn’t grow faster.

As she starts telling him about her daily adventures—and as a little kissing in the garden becomes a regular activity—Amy begins to feel more than lust. But she fears she’s falling into her old patterns in relationships and refuses to let herself be underappreciated again.

Is Victor really more than a hot fling? And what’s he hiding behind that grumpy exterior?

Source: borrowed; audiobook from Hoopla

It's been one of my goals to get to a Jackie Lau book and let's just say that I now understand why she posts so much about food!

I picked Her Big City Neighbor because I wanted something light-ish and also adventure-ish, and its blurb fit into what I was looking for. I loved Amy's wide-eyed, open to all possibilities attitude and I found it uplifting, something else I realized I needed as I listened along. Moving from a small town to having her own place in the big city is a bit of a culture shock in some ways but her excitement at exploring her new neighborhood and trying new things just made me smile constantly. Having a hot neighbor who's not bad to look at while he's out mowing the lawn is a definite bonus. I was amused by Amy's attempt to befriend Victor who only ever responded to her non-stop cheery commentary with grunts and monosyllables. Her good nature eventually wears him down and before you know it he's sharing beer with her in the backyard. Chatting turns into kissing which turns into ....

So here's what I most loved about the story - Amy's liberation. While she lived at home she was the reliable daughter and aunt who never said 'no' and did everything for everyone. No one in her family could understand or support her decision to move away and go back to school. She was so taken for granted and it was frankly annoying. Living on Toronto and having these new experiences showed her what she had been missing and more importantly, what she had every right to do. She also left behind a an ex boyfriend who didn't bring much to their relationship. In fully enjoying her single life and making new friends, she garnered the strength to set aside any lingering guilt to declare out loud exactly what she wanted and deserved whether it was family or a burgeoning relationship with Victor. For his part, Victor was learning to come out of his self-imposed bubble after suffering a loss that hit him hard. Numbness was his cure to life carrying on. Amy's enthusiasm and energy simply renewed his interest in things around him and gave him the courage to feel again.

The second thing I loved about the story - the food! Oh.My.God. I learned a hard lesson in the first chapter and that I should never read or listen to a Jackie Lau book on an empty stomach. The story is filled with serious food porn which made me ravenous half the time! There is serious joy in someone excitedly trying new things and gaining such pleasure from those experiences. I kind of wished that I was the one trying some of these new foods for the first time again. From pastries to bubble tea to dim sum ... it was all so delicious and I pretty much lived vicariously through Amy. 

I thought the audiobook narration by Emily Woo Zeller was well done. She was animated and captured all of the characters nicely. I especially liked how she captured Victor's mom. It was perfect and so very familiar to me. Her Big City Neighbor was a fun escape for me and I know for the next time I listen to a Jackie Lau book to make sure I have some delicious snacks on hand.

~ Bel

Star Mother by Charlie N. Holmberg

* * * * *

A woman’s heart proves as infinite as the night sky in a breathtaking fantasy by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg.

When a star dies, a new one must be born.

The Sun God chooses the village of Endwever to provide a mortal womb. The birthing of a star is always fatal for the mother, and Ceris Wenden, who considers herself an outsider, sacrifices herself to secure her family’s honor and take control of her legacy. But after her star child is born, Ceris does what no other star mother has: she survives. When Ceris returns to Endwever, however, it’s not nine months later—it’s seven hundred years later. Inexplicably displaced in time, Ceris is determined to seek out her descendants.

Being a woman traveling alone brings its own challenges, until Ceris encounters a mysterious—and desperate—godling. Ristriel is incorporeal, a fugitive, a trickster, and the only being who can guide Ceris safely to her destination. Now, as Ceris traverses realms both mortal and beyond, her journey truly begins.

Together, pursued across the Earth and trespassing the heavens, Ceris and Ristriel are on a path to illuminate the mysteries that bind them and discover the secrets of the celestial world. 

Source: gifted paperback

I've had the pleasure of reading my first 5-star novel of 2022. I hadn't heard of Star Mother until I saw my good friend's brief review of it on Goodreads which immediately caught my interest.  She loved it so much that she gifted me a copy and what I discovered was an exceptional story unlike anything I've read recently. 

Ceris is a young woman on the cusp of leaving home to be wed when the Sun God sends a signal to her village that he is looking for a new young woman to birth a star.  Two young women are up for the honor but it's Ceris who volunteers.  Realizing her betrothed is in love with one of the possible contenders for, and wanting to secure a legacy for her family that would make them proud, she gives up her mortal life.  She defies all expectations when she survives the birth of her star and  gets the Sun God to agree to let her return home.  Only it's 700 years later and Ceris fis now alone in a world that has moved on from her.  She resolves to find her descendants so she can make a home amongst them and on her journey encounters the godling, Ristriel.  Ristriel is running away from something and is cagey about himself. They make a pact to protect each other until they reach their destinations.

Star Mother is a truly unique experience in that as a reader, I had to leave my preconceptions at the door and allow the story to flow.  A majority of it feels abstract, like the idea of the Sun God needing a mate to birth a star, and then wrapping my head around the concept of how that unfolds.  Then there's a big section where Ceris is finding her way to another city and she befriends Ristriel.  Talk about abstract! Not only is he ethereal, there's also so much about him that's mysterious and jolting.  He carries a sadness within him that's so tangible, and even had one of the most heartbreaking lines in the novel.  In a way, parts of this story were challenging for me.  While the world-building is impressive it's also describing the obscure.  Midway through something just clicked for me and I couldn't set it down.  A lot of that had to do with Ceris who's a formidable personality.  She's astute, circumspect, and loyal.  Definitely not someone to be underestimated as evidenced when she questions the Sun God and the gods' laws.  The romance that eventually grows between her and Ristriel is one borne out of a shared understanding of their immeasurable losses.  Finally they are honestly loved for themselves. I was so entranced and moved by them.

When I finished Star Mother I was left with a deeply contented feeling. I couldn't believe how much I ended up loving it.  It challenged my own senses at first before I happily surrendered to the story.  I see that a sequel will be coming out in March, this time about the Sun God and I know I'll be getting my hands on that real fast. In the meantime,  for a quietly satisfying and mystical read, that feels like the creation of a new mythology, I wholeheartedly recommend reading Star Mother.

~ Bel