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

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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

Murder Most Actual by Alexis Hall

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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

 

With Love from London by Sarah Jio

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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)

The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

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At the end of the nineteenth century, three revolutionary women fight for freedom in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s captivating new novel inspired by real-life events and the true story of a legendary Cuban woman–Evangelina Cisneros–who changed the course of history.

A feud rages in Gilded Age New York City between newspaper tycoons William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. When Grace Harrington lands a job at Hearst’s newspaper in 1896, she’s caught in a cutthroat world where one scoop can make or break your career, but it’s a story emerging from Cuba that changes her life.

Unjustly imprisoned in a notorious Havana women’s jail, eighteen-year-old Evangelina Cisneros dreams of a Cuba free from Spanish oppression. When Hearst learns of her plight and splashes her image on the front page of his paper, proclaiming her, “The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba,” she becomes a rallying cry for American intervention in the battle for Cuban independence.

With the help of Marina Perez, a courier secretly working for the Cuban revolutionaries in Havana, Grace and Hearst’s staff attempt to free Evangelina. But when Cuban civilians are forced into reconcentration camps and the explosion of the USS Maine propels the United States and Spain toward war, the three women must risk everything in their fight for freedom. 

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

It's been one of the highlights of the last few years for me to read each new novel in Chanel Cleeton's based in or about Cuba. I've delighted in the stories she's brought to life about the people in the era.

In The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba, set in the late 1800's, she introduces three women who are unyielding in their principles. There's the idealist, Grace, who has aspirations to become a journalist eager to cover the hard-hitting stories but that are only trusted to the men. Evangelina is a young Cuban woman who opposes Spanish rule and is determined to help her country get out from under its thumb. And finally, Marina who along with her husband has been fighting for the revolutionaries. In a nice bit of coming full circle, this Marina who secretly transports messages, is the ancestor of the Perez family we met in Next Year in Havana. These women's lives, so drastically different, intersect and the impact is forever life changing. 

Grace captured my attention probably because she's this wide-eyed ambitious young woman determined to succeed so she walked away from her family's money to do this on her own terms. Considering the time period, it's a courageous choice. I was especially taken with her composure. Her storyline introduced me to "yellow journalism" and the rivalry between William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. I can't tell you the number of times I set aside the book so I could look up more about the two men. And it's also through Grace's eyes that we see how Hearst played a role in getting America to intervene on Cuba's behalf. It's amazing how much influence he exerted. Once he heard about the plight of Evangelina Cisneros who was imprisoned by the Spanish government, he got personally involved in the plot to help her escape.

Evangelina's story both scared me and angered me. There's unfortunately not much historical information about her personal life, especially after she escapes, but Cleeton pieces together what is available to show us a picture of an impressive woman, often stoic in the face of the injustice thrown at her. Unaware at first of the media sensation that is built around her imprisonment, she becomes the poster girl and rallying cry for Cuba's freedom in America. Once she's free, she's booked for several tours around America, meeting with high-level officials and organizations to garner support among Americans for Cuba's freedom. The tone of Evangelina's story changed once she arrived in America as she went from an imprisoned woman to a woman putting on the persona that the media created for her. It made me mindful of how to this day the media does still latch onto an idea or a person, making them the face of whatever the topic is, and just runs with it. Evangelina's experience highlights that. I'll admit to being a little bored with her story as it wore on because her life in the spotlight became repetitive, and I sensed that Evangelina herself got weary of playing to the public's expectations. She probably wanted to be more directly involved in the revolutionary efforts but accepted that her role was to be the face and mouthpiece of her country and people.

Marina's is probably the most suspenseful story here. As a courier, she's tasked with delivering messages within a secret and tight-knit network of individuals plotting against Spain. Like Grace and Evangelina, she's given up the comforts of home and family. Unlike her wealthy family, she's chosen her side and fixed firmly there. She recalls stories of a thriving Cuba and longs to see that again. Marina is the everyday civilian who gives us a glimpse of a devastated country, and of its people struggling to put food on the table. Now with a resolute sense of duty, she willingly and without hesitation puts herself in the midst of danger. Her chapters were a tense experience as I was either worried for her or her daughter's safety.

Reading this felt very "real time" to me, like I was transported there to see these events unfolding. Evangelina's story, Cuba's fight for independence, America's stake in Cuba, Heart's and Pulitzer's rivalry ... all of it riveted the entire nation, and me. One common thread in all these novels is that her heroines are brilliantly resilient in the face of adversity. They wear their pride and love for country on their sleeves. Cleeton beautifully brings out the richness and complexity of Cuba's long history so it shouldn't be a surprise that The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba is as spellbinding as her previous novels. 

~ Bel

 

Harlequin Spring Fling Blog Tour - Day 2 - Twin Games in Music City by Jules Bennett

The second of our featured books on the Harlequin Spring Fling Blog Tour today is 

TWIN GAMES IN THE MUSIC CITY by Jules Bennett.

Price: Ebook $3.99 USD / MMP $4.20 

On sale date: Ebook April 1, 2021 / MMP April 13, 2021 

 

 

Book Description:  

It’s a twin swap, Nashville-style, in the launch of the Dynasties: Beaumont Bay series from USA TODAY bestselling author Jules Bennett! 

 

Country singer Hannah Banks wants what she shouldn’t have. 

 

The owner of her new label—the man in charge of her career—is way too hot. So hot he’s all she can think about… So to put distance between them, she poses as her quieter twin sister. That should keep temptation away… 

 

Except Will Sutherland doesn’t play games. He wants the real Hannah—in his studio and in his bed—as long as what’s between them stays their secret. But when an old rival uncovers the truth, Will must choose between playing the press or playing for keeps… 

 

From Harlequin Desire: Luxury, scandal, desire—welcome to the lives of the American elite. 

 

Love triumphs in this uplifting romance, part of the new Dynasties: Beaumont Bay series. 

Book 1: Twin Games in Music City by Jules Bennett 

Book 2: Second Chance Love Song by Jessica Lemmon 

  

Heartfelt or thrilling, passionate or uplifting—our romances have it all. Visit TryHarlequin.com to sample FREE books from among 12 different series. It’s just a taste of the new books published each month—every story a journey guaranteed to leave you with That Harlequin Feeling. 

 

Buy Links: 

Harlequin    I      IndieBound     I      Amazon     I       Barnes & Noble 

Apple Books      I      Google Play     I      Kobo 

 

 

Author Bio 

Photo source: Goodreads

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Jules Bennett has penned more than 50 novels during her short career. She's married to her high school sweetheart, has two active girls, and is a former salon owner. Jules can be found on Twitter, Facebook (Fan Page), and her website julesbennett.com. She holds contests via these three outlets with each release and loves to hear from readers! 

  

Author Links 

Website     I      Goodreads     I      Facebook     I       Twitter     I      Instagram 

 

Excerpt

  

Will Sutherland settled into the corner leather booth and watched as Hallie Banks wound her way through the tables at Rise and Grind.  

This little meeting shouldn’t already have him irritated, but it did. Will didn’t want to meet with Hallie—he wanted to meet with her twin sister, Han- nah.  

But obviously, Hannah Banks, country superstar and America’s sweetheart, couldn’t be bothered with such mundane things as setting up her recording schedule for the next album or going over the tour dates and venues.  

He’d only met her a handful of times in passing at various events within the industry. Will had al- ways found her attractive; he’d have to be dead not to. Hannah Banks could make any man do a double take and he was no different.  

As far as knowing her personally, he couldn’t re- ally say much, but this first official meeting wasn’t going as planned.  

Her selfish way of thinking might have worked for her old record label, but now that she’d signed with Elite, she was going to have to accept the very real fact that she wasn’t in charge. He was.  

Hallie offered a soft smile and reached to shake his hand. “Good morning. Have you been waiting long?”  

Will came to his feet and gripped her hand, sur- prised by how soft and delicate she seemed. He didn’t recall noticing Hallie’s hands before...and he shouldn’t be noticing them now.  

He’d already found himself fantasizing about Hallie’s sister, Hannah. The last thing he needed was an attraction to twins. That wouldn’t be good for business, and being attracted to either of them didn’t fit his professional style.  

Hallie was more conservative in her wardrobe than her usual blinged-out sister. Perhaps that’s because Hallie was the manager and worked behind the scenes in a quieter, calmer setting. Whereas Hannah was in-your-face, sparkly, over-the-top...and not at all the type of woman he should have been drawn to. Yet, he found himself noticing his new star more and more.  

He needed to get his thoughts under control.  

“I just got here myself.” He gestured to the seat across from him. “Please, sit.”  

She put her bag in the vacant seat and settled into the chair with curved arms. A barista came right over to take their orders before leaving them alone again.  

“So where did you say Hannah was and why couldn’t she make it today?” he asked, hoping to get a direct answer this time.  

Hallie blinked up at him. “Oh, I didn’t say. She just asked me to meet you. After we talk, I will go over the schedule with her. She did request that she record in her home studio, so that was the main thing I’m supposed to tell you.”  

Of course. Will shouldn’t have been surprised, though. Since that horrific storm had swept through Beaumont Bay only a few weeks ago, the town was still trying to recover. It was all hands on deck in this Nashville bedroom community to rebuild the multimillion-dollar homes that had taken a hit and the few businesses that had been affected.  

The Bay wouldn’t stay down long. This lakeside community was where Nashville came to play, where all the deals were done, where the country music elite hid their juiciest secrets. And it was a town that legendary music producer Mags Dumond pretty much owned...or thought she did.  

He’d give Mags her due. She’d built up Beaumont Bay with her late husband and former mayor. It had been her foresight—and her insistence on hosting all her parties here over the decades—that had made a home, or second home, in the Bay a necessity for anyone who was anyone in Nashville.  

Will’s family had been born here, and not to a country music bloodline. Travis and Dana Sutherland were in the real estate industry and owned nearly everything...unless Mags had claim on it.  

But the Sutherland brothers had made a name for themselves in the music industry by pulling themselves up by the bootstraps...and staying out of Mags’s way for the most part. The woman had been a thorn in his family’s side for decades, but he refused to think about that now. The next step in building his family’s music empire was his new star, Hannah Banks, and finishing the renovations to the studio that had been damaged.  

The reconstruction was taking much too long, although even a one-day delay was too long in this industry. He had music to make and singers relying on him, not to mention the trickle-down effect of the tours that were already being promoted to celebrate albums that were releasing soon.  

The whole damn situation was a nightmare and Hannah Banks—the superstar he’d stolen from Mags, whom he needed to make this whole plan a reality—couldn’t find the time for a courtesy, in- person meeting. Sending her sister/manager/twin wasn’t the same.  

“I would have to check out Hannah’s recording studio before I could commit to that agreement,” Will informed Hallie. “We are going to have to start the production process next week to keep up with the deadlines. Tell Hannah I’ll be at her house first thing in the morning to check out this recording room of hers.”  

Hallie pursed her pale pink lips and shook her head. “Tomorrow morning won’t work.” She pulled out her phone and scrolled, then tapped her finger on the screen. “How about Tuesday at ten?”  

Considering this was Friday, there was no way in hell he was waiting until Tuesday. Will pulled in a deep breath and sighed. Was Hallie going to be just as difficult as the country diva? The pout of her lips said yes, and something hard and dark moved inside him.  

And that’s when he knew something was off here.  

“I’m not sure how things went when she worked for Mags at Cheating Hearts, but now that she’s with Elite, I run the schedule and say when things are going to get done.”  

Hallie’s eyes narrowed. “Is that right? Well, maybe I should’ve just stayed with Cheating Hearts.” Will inched forward, resting his hands on the table. “Hannah? Are you kidding me?” 

 

She cursed beneath her breath and Will gritted his teeth. He’d known something felt off, but he’d never thought for a second his newest artist would play such a childish game as to pretend to be her twin. No way in hell would he fall for this swapped-twin trap. Hannah Banks was about to learn who was in charge real quick.  

*** 

Heartfelt or thrilling, passionate or uplifting—our romances have it all. Visit TryHarlequin.com to sample FREE books from among 12 different series. It’s just a taste of the new books published each month—every story a journey guaranteed to leave you with That Harlequin Feeling.