Tag: Fall

Book Review:: Is She Really Going Out With Him? | Sophie Cousens

Despite personal grievances against the title of this contemporary romance novel, Is She Really Going Out With Him cannot be further faulted. This is my third Sophie Cousens read and the first that has pushed itself into five-star territory (for me). She seems to have a penchant for high concepts, and the same is true here, but this time the romance of it really outshined the cheesiness.

Is She Really Going Out With Him by Sophie Cousens Book Cover

Anna is a thirty-eight year old divorcee with two children and a job as a columnist at a failing magazine. In a desperate attempt to bring some much needed readership into the audience, the team comes up with the idea for her to go on a series of dates her children choose for her and writing about them. Will, a colleague who seems to be gunning for her column, is tasked with writing a complementary piece for each column that will help theme the issue. Anna is still struggling to adjust to her life as a single mom and having to work with Will is the last thing she needs. What she does need, though, is a friend, and when she needs one, he always seems to be there. Most of the dates turn into quite a fiasco, but they each teach Anna a little something more about herself.

This is a feel-good book. A girl power book. An utterly romantic book. Anna is the every woman with problems and insecurities and doubts, but the way she doesn’t shy away from any of it is inspiring. I really enjoyed the personal growth elements, and there were a few.

The romance, though, is what shines. For me the balance between the two was done very well. There were no long breaks from the romance plotline for her to go off and work on herself, the learning was integrated in to everything else and that’s why it worked so well for me.

Will is a winner. He’s everything you could want in your leading man. He’s a cinnamon roll. A golden retriever. An emotional, sensitive, tall, strong, thoughtful, and romantic man. We love to love him.

The story also doesn’t end in quite the way you might expect, which I can appreciate.

Sophie Cousens is going on my list of authors to watch! I have a few backlist books of hers to get through – does anyone have any suggestions for what I should read next?
(the others I’ve read are This Time Next Year and Just Haven’t Met You Yet)

Details

Title:: Is She Really Going Out With Him?
Author:: Sophie Cousens
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
Length:: 368 pages
Audio Length:: 11h 42m
Audiobook Narrator:: Kerry Gilbert
Audiobook Publisher:: Penguin Audio
Published:: November 19th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Rating:: 2

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

The Rom-Commers | Katherine Center
Funny Story | Emily Henry
My (Not So) Perfect Life | Sophie Kinsella
Perfect Fit | Clare Gilmore

Book Review:: Ghosted | Sarah Ready

Sarah Ready does it again! This is the second book of hers I’ve read and I think I liked it even more than Wished. I especially recommend her if you’re a fan of magical realism at all. If you ever watched the movie Just Like Heaven with Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon, this story has similar vibes (but the twist isn’t what you think). It’s heartbreaking and oh so romantic.

Ghosted by Sarah Ready Book Cover

When Jillian moves into a new apartment in NYC, it seems to be already occupied…by the spirit of a man named Daniel. Her best friend (who works at CERN) seems to believe he could be the real deal, and he seems friendly enough. When he finds out she has trouble communicated with anyone of the opposite sex due to a past trauma, he wonders if this is the key to unlocking his passing into the great beyond and vows to help her. Because he’s not ‘real’, Jillian can communicate with him freely. Through a series of ‘practice’ dates Daniel coaches her though, Jillian realizes what she wants, and what she doesn’t.

It is a story about healing, and family, and fate. It’s about optimism and faith and trust. It’s an unconventional tale in a layered story I just couldn’t put down.

It’s a longer book for a romance. It could almost be two different books, but instead we get one big romantic epic with a midpoint that really does change everything.

Jillian’s story is one of self-discovery, compassion, and healing trauma. She works as a columnist with a floundering audience. The office staff is a quirky cast that is bonded through the company’s harder years. Every facet of the book was entertaining, and I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed it. Absolute yes, read this one!

Details

Title:: Ghosted (Ghosted #1)
Author:: Sarah Ready
Genre:: Contemporary Romance/Magical Realism
Publisher:: Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC
Length:: 457 pages
Audio Length:: 14h 3m
Audiobook Narrator:: Sarah Naughton & Rob Brinkmann
Audiobook Publisher:: Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC
Published:: September 26th, 2023
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Rating:: 2

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Hardcover] [Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Wished | Sarah Ready
If I Were You | Cesca Major

Book Review:: The Vanishing Year | Kate Moretti

Tis the season for suspenseful, twisty books, and The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti will certainly scratch that itch for you.

The Vanishing Year Kate Moretti Book Cover

Zoey has a pretty great life – a life she never expected. After fleeing a dark, haunting past, she didn’t know what she might make of herself, but now years later she’s the wife of a wealthy New York businessman. Since her marriage, she’s drifted away from the friendships she’d made in her new life, and her old goals – for one, discovering the identity of her birth mother. With the help of a reporter who covered a story for her charity (pasting a picture of her in the newspaper), she pulls on that thread. In the meantime, someone from her past is hungry for revenge.

If you are a sensitive thriller reader, you might want to skip this one. This one was pretty gruesome and dark. Psychopathy, human tr*fficking, drugs…it’s a lot. But there are also a lot of very compelling factors: her own hidden identity, the mystery around her birth mother, her husband’s odd behavior, the new friendship with the reporter…I think it was just balanced enough that I didn’t have to put it down. If you like dark stories…I found one!

The tension starts pretty low at the beginning, but once it starts ratcheting up, it doesn’t stop until the brutal end. It held my attention all the way through. It’s the kind of story that leaves you questioning why any and everything is being included. Is it important? Is it going to tie back in? What is happening!

Details

Title:: The Vanishing Year
Author:: Kate Moretti
Genre:: Suspense/Thriller
Publisher:: Atria Books
Length:: 304 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 50m
Audiobook Narrator:: Mandeleine Maby
Audiobook Publisher:: Simon & Schuster Audio
Published:: September 27th, 2016
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check these out…

Wrong Place Wrong Time | Gillian McAllister
The Midnight Feast | Lucy Foley

Book Review:: The Haunting of Maddy Clare | Simone St. James

What a perfect read for spooky season-a historical ghost story mystery, The Haunting of Maddy Clare.

The Haunting of Maddy Clare Simone St. James Book Cover. A decrepit barn with the sun setting behind it and a murder of crows surrounding it.

Ms. Sarah Piper is recruited by an eccentric world war veteran needing an assistant for his latest project: hunting a ghost who’s been haunting an old barn. He’s an academic writer searching for solid proof of the otherworldly, and Sarah rapidly agrees. The spirit is very much alive, and vengeful, especially of men. Sarah turns into an integral part of the investigation into what happened to Maddy Clare, and how they might be able to help her spirit settle.

What is there not to love about this book? Okay, the subject matter is pretty dark. Maddy Clare was horrifically traumatized before she died, and that subject matter is very heavy. I feel like it was brought to justice in the end though, which helps to pacify the discomfort of reading about such difficult events.

I loved the mid-century setting, the ghost hunting characters being respectable (albeit damaged) gentlemen, the supernatural phenomena, the ongoing mystery, and the slow burning romance that simmers beneath it all. I ate it up. I can see myself returning to this book every fall in the future. What a way to set the tone for the season!

What is your favorite ghostly mystery book?

Details

Title:: The Haunting of Maddy Clare
Author:: Simone St. James
Genre:: Historical Ghost Mystery
Publisher:: Berkley
Length:: 318 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 45m
Audiobook Narrator:: Billie Fulford-Brown
Audiobook Publisher:: Penguin Audio
Published:: October 4th, 2022
The Litertarian Rating:: #-Stars
Spice Rating:: 2.5?

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Haunted Ever After | Jen DeLuca (ghost story rom-com)
Every Moment Since | Marybeth Mayhew Whalen (murder mystery)
The Truth About the Devlins | Lisa Scottoline (murder mystery)

Book Review:: I Think I Was Murdered | Colleen Coble & Rick Acker

I Think I Was Murdered by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker is a thriller that’s unafraid of modern technology. With elements of AI, bitcoin, and blockchain included as major plot drivers, the read somehow doesn’t feel too tech-heavy for a reader who isn’t completely on the up-and-up with these emerging technologies (like me). It maintains its balance with the incorporation of the very organic realm of relationships, family, and friendship.

I Think I Was Murdered by Colleen Coble & Rick Acker Book Cover

The company Katrina works for in Silicon Valley is beta testing a new AI system, and she’s fed in all her recently dead-husband’s electronic records in to test it (but really as a coping tool as she grieves his unexpected death). Texting the program is really communicating with him. He even sends her photographs of their memories. One day she asks him to tell her something she doesn’t know. “I think I was murdered,” he tells her. He died in a car accident, so this is the last thing she ever expected.

Meanwhile, her grandmother died, so Katrina has come back to her hometown, inherited her family’s restaurant, and reconnected with an old friend. Her Silicon Valley career is in shambles and being investigated, and it turns out her husband may have left something behind for her. It turns into a race against time for her to find before whoever killed him for it.

I can’t find anything really to fault in this novel. I thought it was done incredibly well. It managed to surprise me a few times, while I was also able to anticipate a few twists and feel that sense of self-satisfaction, too. There are plenty of plotlines to keep us busy, and all of them play into the main story in some way by the end. There is plenty to capture your interest as a reader, and the story felt very robust.

I was provided with an advanced listening copy of this book by the publisher and netgalley. The audio narration is also very good, if you’re an audiobook listener like me.

On the scale of wimp to true crime fanatic, I am way down on the wimpy side, and though there are moments of violence included in this book, it never gave me that haunting anxiety feeling as I read. I always like to know where thrillers end up on that spectrum because you can’t unread stuff! That’s not to say it didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat-just that I didn’t pee my pants all the way through. ha.

Details

Title:: I Think I Was Murdered
Author:: Colleen Coble & Rick Acker
Genre:: Thriller/Mystery
Publisher:: Thomas Nelson
Length:: 352 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 46m
Audiobook Narrator:: Karen Peakes
Audiobook Publisher:: Thomas Nelson
Published:: November 12th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Hardcover] [Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Every Moment Since | Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
Wrong Place Wrong Time | Gillian McAllister

Book Review:: Perfect Fit | Clare Gilmore

There’s nothing I love more than a romance novel that blows away my expectations. By the cover and description, I figured this would be a light, not-that-deep rom-com that would be entertaining while it lasted, but likely wouldn’t leave much of an impression. I probably should have known better with a cover blurb from Tarah Dewitt, but I’m happy to report I was wrong. This book has pressed itself into my memory, and will not soon be forgotten.

Perfect Fit Clare Gilmore Book Cover

Josephine is the CEO of her own fashion brand, Reventant, based in Austin, TX. For a side-gig she started as a hobby in college, it has grown into something she never expected: an online phenomenon with dozens of employees. In an effort to keep aligned with her values, she’s after a new certification which will tell customers how dedicated the brand is to quality and sustainability. To that end, Revenant is hiring a consultant to help, and the man who wants the job happens to be a ghost from her past she’s been afraid to run into in town. They did not part in high school on the best of terms, and she’s not sure she wants to open the door back up on all the hurtful feelings from the past. But he’s a skilled professional and has taken an interest in her business. A few months of working together should be tolerable, right? Especially if it pushes her company, which is everything to her, in the right direction.

So what do I love about this book? The romance felt realistic. These two didn’t fall in love over the course of a hot weekend, or a single business trip, or basically just a big firework of an event that ‘changed everything’. They build a genuine friendship. Yes, it might be colored by burning crushes on both sides, but over time and many interactions, the two of them form a genuine connection that is strong and true and flush with meaning. Not to mention Will Grant is a walking, talking green flag. Oh my gosh, the romance in this book is everything you could want. It reminded me of all my favorite summer romances that came out this year (reviews for my favorites are linked below)!

There were also deep themes of friendship woven into the fabric of the story. Josephine was best friends with Will’s sister Zoey in high school, and they had a falling out way back when. It happens. It’s happened to me. But it’s about recognizing your mistakes, realizing there are sometimes greater things playing into things that happen that can exaggerate or cause hurtful things to happen, and that it’s okay to forgive, and grow, and repair. The author balances these themes through several characters and really created a big impact for me.

This was my first Clare Gilmore book, but gosh dang it, she’s going on my watch list cause this book was something special. I was provided an arc copy from netgalley and the publisher, and what do you know, I hit pre-order as soon as I was finished! I will be reading it again, and I think you should too!

Details

Title:: Perfect Fit
Author:: Clare Gilmore
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: St. Martin’s Griffin
Length:: 352 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 47m
Audiobook Narrator:: Katharine Leonard
Audiobook Publisher:: Recorded Books
Published:: October 29th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
Spice Rating:: 2

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

The Rom-Commers | Katherine Center
Summertime Punchline | Betty Corrello
Funny Story | Emily Henry

Book Review:: Book of the Month | Jennifer Probst

What do you do when you’re out of inspiration? F*ck off to North Carolina.

Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst. Typography cover with silhouettes of the characters and book stacks.

Aspen fears she is a one hit wonder when her second and third books don’t earn out their advances after her bestselling debut. She’s under a lot of pressure to Make The Next One Count, and under the advice of her agent, she takes off to spend the summer with her sister on the North Carolina coast. The problem is she wrote that bestselling book after the biggest heartbreak of her life, and she hasn’t been able to tap into that same deep well of emotion ever since. She’s convinced another devastating heartbreak is the only way to tap into her potential again. Enter Brick, the sulky hotter-than-sin man who moved to town to take over his grandfather’s dying touring business and is a known heartbreaker. Everyone advises her against it, and he isn’t interested either, until she strikes up a deal he can’t refuse.

I’m a little torn on this one, because I feel like it was executed well for what it is, but some of the premises got under my skin a little bit. The setting is idyllic and refreshing, but the gossip mongers in town make it sour. The romance between Aspen and Brick turns out to grow organically, but it’s set up under kind of a gross deal they strike up. A lot of things went a little too far over the top for me to give it a full five stars, but I would still recommend it to those who enjoy this genre.

I think my biggest gripe is actually with Aspen and her vice-grip on this idea of the suffering artist. That she can only make good art if her heart is in pieces on the floor. This belief is self-sabotaging and was frustrating to see her cling onto it for so damn long.

Once the romance got going, it was a really sweet story. These two characters had a real connection, and it was really nice to read. Their little adventures were so wholesome.

This was my first Jennifer Probst novel, but it looks like she’s quite prolific, and I’m excited to see what else she’s got on her backlist!

Note:: I received this title from netgalley & the publisher for free in exchange for a fair review.

Details

Title:: Book of the Month
Author:: Jennifer Probst
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Blue Box Press
Length:: 294 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 39m
Audiobook Narrator:: Alexander Cendese & Mia Hutchinson-Shaw
Audiobook Publisher:: Brilliance Audio
Published:: October 22nd, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars
Spice Rating:: 3

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Adam & Evie’s Matchmaking Tour | Nora Nguyen
The Slowest Burn | Sarah Chamberlain
Haunted Ever After | Jen DeLuca

Book Review:: Catch and Keep | Erin Hahn

She’s been fishing her whole life, but she’s finally ready to be caught.

This week I read a nice little palette cleanser romance, Erin Hahn’s new book Catch & Keep.

Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn Book Cover, Cute couple sitting at the end of a dock with a dog next to them. Fall foliage in the background. Illustrated.

When Maron’s boyfriend of a single year proposes in front of all her friends and family, she throws up on him and runs from California to Wisconsin, to the lake she grew up around. Her fishing mentor left her his old property (now in shambles), and she decided to tackle that project for awhile to get away from deuchetard. At the resort by the lake, Maron runs into his brother’s best friend, single-dad Josiah. Since the property is in worse shape than she thought, he lets her stay in one of the resort cabins in exchange for her running some fishing tours for their customers, a symbiotic relationship that leaves them spending quite a lot of time together.

I wonder how it ends, guys!

This is the only book I can remember…ever…wanting to give a half star rating to (on Fable, I did). I liked this book so much, except for one thing: the antagonistic characters were just too dumb (Ian and Kylie). If they would have been more realistic, I think this would have been a five-star read.

One of my favorite things about this story was how Maron fell for Jo’s kids, too. Maybe harder than she did for him. And Josiah is such a good dad. The way they fell into their relationship felt very natural and organic and I was all in for it.

The whole thing is kind of glazed in this film of escapism. It didn’t feel super realistic to me, more escapist. I think I’ve been reading too much romance! But it’s exactly what’s popular right now, for sure. It doesn’t look like this is technically part of a series, but I read the first book with characters mentioned in this one (Built to Last), and I have to say I liked this one far better. It was really nice. It’s also nice when you get an advanced readers copy of a book you already have on pre-order too 🙂

Erin Hahn, you have my thanks for this one, and I’ll certainly be keeping my eye on you!

Details

Title:: Catch and Keep
Author:: Erin Hahn
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: St. Martin’s Griffin
Length:: 320 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 6m
Audiobook Narrator:: Zura Johnson & Michal Normal Johnson
Audiobook Publisher:: Spotify Audiobooks
Published:: October 15th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 4.5-Stars
Spice Rating:: 3 (a few explicit scenes)

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

The Slowest Burn | Sarah Chamberlain
Wild Love | Elsie Silver
Business Casual | BK Borison
Play Along | Liz Tomforde

Book Review:: I Did Something Bad | Pyae Moe Thet War

I Did Something Bad by Pyae Moe Thet War is not your typical romance. There’s a dead guy in it, for one, not to mention a cover-up, a Vogue expose, and no shortage of commentary on illegal abortion in Myanmar, where the story takes place. I’d say it was one part romance, two parts murder conspiracy & complications thereof.

I Did Something Bad Pyae Moe Thet War Book Review. Figure of a woman in sunglasses, which are reflecting the portrait of a man.

Khin, a freelance journalist, has been offered the job that could make her career (so far): writing the cover story of Tyler Tun for Vogue. He’s a global mega-star actor, and he’s filming a new movie in Myanmar with his best friend Mai. She’s to shadow him for two months, and if she can get a major break for the piece, she’s all but guaranteed a lead journalist job for Vogue Singapore. As a recent divorcee, the opportunity is too good to pass on. When she meets him, she can tell he’s hiding something, but they get on well enough. Then on the first day of shooting, Khin is approached by a drunkard ‘white guy’ who assaults her. She shoves a monogrammed pen in his ear and drops him off a bridge. Tyler finds her and steps in to help at the last minute, and she somehow talks him into pretending nothing happened. When the police show up on set the next day, they team up to get the story straight.

To be honest, it felt like this book was a little confused. I’m not sure what exactly it’s trying to be. It reminded me in some ways of Finlay Donovan is Killing It, except the stakes didn’t really seem that high, and it didn’t have a really high degree of humor. There were detectives, but they were pretty despicable. It was a little odd that they seemed almost more concerned with the article she’d previously written about outlawed abortions than the dead guy in the lake. The romance wasn’t incredibly strong either. I liked Tyler, but nothing about their connection felt very profound.

I was lucky to receive this title as an advanced listeners copy through netgalley from the publisher. I will say I especially enjoyed the voice she chose for Tyler, but I kind of hated the voice she chose for best friend Mai. It wasn’t enough to detract from the story though.

Overall it was an entertaining story, it just didn’t blow me away in any of the several categories it spanned. I’m not really sure what kind of reader I would recommend it to.

Details

Title:: I Did Something Bad
Author:: Pyae Moe Thet War
Genre:: Romance/Thriller?
Publisher:: St. Martin’s Griffin
Length:: 336 pages
Audio Length:: 11h 47m
Audiobook Narrator:: Jacqui Bardelang
Audiobook Publisher:: Macmillan Audio
Published:: October 8th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Double Exposure | Elissa R. Sloan
Finaly Donovan Is Killing It | Elle Cosimano

Book Review:: Wish I Were Here | Melissa Wiesner

I looooooooved this book. In Wish I Were Here there is adventure, humor, drama, a heist, heart, community and the smidgiest smidge of magical realism that made it an experience I won’t soon forget.

Wish I Were Here by Melissa Miesner Book Cover

Catherine has it all. The life she’s dreamed of her entire childhood. A place of her own, every aspect of her life within her control, and she’s about to start the career of her dreams: a tenure track role in the mathematics department of the university. But when she shows up for orientation, she’s told there was a problem with her paperwork. Turns out, none of her forms of ID are valid. She’s not in the system & will lose everything she clings to so desperately for if she can’t get it fixed, and fast. With the help of her disorganized but compassionate doorman with connections all around the city, it’s a race against time to save her job.

Catherine and Luca are a perfect match for a romance novel. She craves organization almost to a point of pathology and that ranks low on Luca’s priority list. His actions shout at her to stay away, but there is something about him that she can’t deny she’s drawn to. He’s an excellent problem solver and Catherine happens to have a lot of problems that need solving at the moment!

Let’s talk about Luca Morelli. Oh my. Dream boat. This guy is Catherine’s nightmare, having so much in common with her literal clown of a father, but folks, he takes the time to dance with old ladies in the lobby, run them on their errands, listen to their stories, shows up every week to family dinners, and goes out of his way to help everyone every time. He’s a tatted-up teddy bear. He’s a keeper.

Kitty Cat (as the real ones call her) has quite the journey to traverse over the course of the novel. She’s got an identity crisis (literally), her father’s lost (another) job, and she learns about her mother for the first time in her 30 years of life, who might just be the answer to unlock everything else.

Not to mention the cast of side characters in this book are all fun, endearing, and incredibly special. The community aspect of this book is truly aspirational.

The romance in this book felt so…pure. It’s completely organic and hopeful and sweet and gah I just loved every bit of it. The personal journey Catherine goes on reminds me of the best Katherine Center books. This one blew me away. I got an arc copy from netgalley and the publisher, but before I was even halfway through I knew I was going to need a copy for myself to keep on my shelves. Absolutely wonderful. What are you waiting for?!

Details

Title:: Wish I Were Here
Author:: Melissa Wiesner
Genre:: Romance
Publisher:: Forever
Length:: 368 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 23m
Audiobook Narrator:: Helen Laser
Audiobook Publisher:: Forever
Published:: October 15th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

Linky Links!!

Goodreads
Author Website
Amazon Affiliate Links
[Paperback] [eBook] [Audible]

If you liked this book, check out…

Hello Stranger | Katherine Center
PS I Hate You | Lauren Connolly