Thursday, March 28, 2024

Review & Giveaway - - One Dangerous Night

One Dangerous Night
by Cathy Maxwell
The Gambler's Daughters - Book 2
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: March 26, 2024
Reviewed by PJ



Elise Lanscarr is furious—her very own sister has married the man Elise had marked for herself. Feeling betrayed, she flees London, determined to return to the one place where everything was once as it should be: her family home in Ireland. But when her stagecoach crashes in a storm, she finds herself cast adrift in the wilds with no one to help but a rough-looking, albeit handsome, stranger—one who has obviously never been informed of the “proper” rules of society.

Christopher Fitzhugh-Cox, the missing Duke of Winderton, has fled all responsibility, preferring the persona of the devil-may-care rake “Kit.” He proudly lives hand-to-mouth, rubbing shoulders with commoners and thieves alike. But while he values his freedom, he’s never been one to leave a lady in trouble—even one as opinionated, albeit intriguing, as Elise.

But this night of booming thunder and flashing lightning is just the beginning of an unexpected, often dangerous, adventure. And two disillusioned souls who have been caught up in their own webs of expectations and disappointments are about to learn that life always holds surprises, and gifts. And all it asks in return is that they risk everything for Love . . . 


PJ's Thoughts:


Okay, I'll admit, I wasn't looking forward to reading this book. After reading A Kiss in the Moonlight (Michael and Dara), book one of  The Gambler's Daughters series, I was fed up with Elise and didn't much care what happened to her. I felt much the same about the Duke of Winderton after reading His Secret Mistress (Brandon and Kate), book one of the A Logical Man's Guide to Dangerous Women series. So then, how did these two unlikeable characters end up being one of my favorite couples? It's all due to the authorial excellence of their creator, Cathy Maxwell. 


First of all, I adore a good road romance and One Dangerous Night is among my favorites. Elise needed to be taken away from her comfort zone and challenged in order to grow. Kit also needed growth from the spoiled, entitled man-boy he was when first introduced in His Secret Mistress. The obstacles faced in their journey offered both exactly what was needed to evolve individually as well as bond as a couple. I loved watching them slowly adapt, change, and grow through the adventures that awaited them. Some were filled with humor, others with danger, and one in particular, for Elise, with heartbreaking emotion. 


I loved the steam between Elise and Kit, the adventure, the dog (especially the dog), and the gradual bond that slowly deepened into much more. I appreciated the way in which their family complications were addressed. There were amends that needed to be made for both and I was satisfied in the ways in which that was accomplished. In the end, I found myself firmly in the corners of two individuals I had heartily disliked, cheering them on to a happily ever after as a couple and as families. 


One Dangerous Night can stand well on its own but for a complete understanding of the events that brought Elise and Kit to where they are at the beginning of this book, I would encourage you to read both His Secret Mistress and A Kiss in the Moonlight



Have you read Cathy Maxwell?


Do you enjoy redemption romances?


Are there any secondary characters you'd like to see get their own book?


One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, March 30 will receive a print copy of One Dangerous Night


*U.S. only

*Must be 18







Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Review - - Wilde for You

Wilde for You
by Jennifer Ryan
Dark Horse Dive Bar - Book 2
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: March 26, 2024
Reviewed by PJ


Welcome to the Dark Horse Dive Bar, where the Wildes throw one hell of a party and love could be a barstool away!

Landscape artist, Layla Brock, knows what it feels like to love someone so completely you’d do anything for them—even take their secrets to the grave. Widowed after her husband’s betrayals and tragic death, Layla is searching for a new scene to paint, a new life to live. And Wyoming feels like the perfect place to get lost and find herself again.

Jax Wilde runs the family ranch, but has a few side hustles: wrangling his sisters, covering shifts at the Dark Horse Dive Bar, and renting out cabins to tourists looking for the ranch experience. His busy schedule, plus a bad breakup, equals no personal life. And then she showed up. And the woman he thought he had nothing in common with turned out to be his perfect match.

Layla knows what it feels like to lose everything. Jax is a man who wants it all—a wife, children, a life filled with happy memories. It’s a beautiful picture of a life Layla thought she’d had but turned out to be a lie. This could be her second chance…

Until her secrets begin to unravel and a new threat is revealed. There’s one difference this time: she has Jax Wilde on her side…



PJ's Thoughts:


Wilde for You is another book by Jennifer Ryan that kept me up reading well past my bedtime. Whether it's contemporary romance, romantic suspense, or women's fiction, this author has the ability to pull me into her stories and hold tight until I turn the last page. Even then, her characters linger in my mind for days after finishing their story. 


This is the second book in Ryan's Dark Horse Dive Bar series and one of my favorites from this author. She always brings her western settings to life on the page but especially so in Wilde for You. Maybe it's because Layla is an artist and we see the scenery through her eyes but I found the sense of place to be exceptionally immersive and vividly depicted. I felt like I was right there with her as Jax showed her all the special places on his ranch, absorbing the soul-stirring majesty of nature's beauty. 


The setting wasn't the only thing that captured my attention. Ryan has given readers a cast of characters I want to be friends with. I love the Wilde family and am totally invested in their happiness and well being. I want to stay at one of the cabins on their ranch, ride horses, go fishing, and dance the night away at their bar. These are characters it's fun to be around, characters who make me feel good, which is a large part of why it was so heartwarming to watch Layla be absorbed into the warmth of their family after coming through her two years of grief. 


Ryan excels at weaving suspense into her stories, as is the case with Wilde for You. I liked that that portion of the story didn't show up until later in the book, devoting necessary time to growing the relationship between Jax and Layla before introducing the danger. Once it became part of the story though, I was on my toes trying to figure out what was going on and who was behind it. 


If you enjoy contemporary romance with a western flavor, a thread of suspense, and a couple it's easy to cheer for, pick up a copy of Wilde for You. I loved it.


While Wilde for You is the second book in a series, it stands well on its own. You should be aware, however, that Lyric and Mason (the main couple from book one, Wilde Love, feature prominently in this book as well. 


Content warning: suicide, abortion, miscarriage, adultery (all occur off page and before the story begins)



Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Review - - A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril

A Governess's Guide to Passion and Peril
by Manda Collins
Ladies Most Scandalous - Book 4
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: March 26, 2024
Reviewed by Santa 


Jane Halliwell once dreamed of a home of her own—but those dreams (and her dowry) died with her father. Now, she works as a governess, preparing her charge for a future no longer within her reach. When her employer is murdered during a house party, however, Jane is forced back into the world of the 
ton. But stepping in as hostess will require working with the same lord who once broke her girlish heart.

Lord Adrian Fielding was too consumed with his job at the Foreign Office to pay young Jane much heed, but he always considered her a friend. Which is why he’s confounded by her icy demeanor now. More troubling still is his desire to melt the tensions between them. But his mentor’s murder means he must first find the culprit—and ensure Jane’s safety as she manages a house full of foreign dignitaries.

Only Jane insists on joining the investigation, and Adrian, despite all his diplomatic skills, finds himself seduced by her sharp wit and sparkling eyes. But with a vicious killer circling ever closer, will it soon be too late for their chance at forever?



Santa Says:

A Governess’s Guide To Passion and Peril by Manda Collins is another solid five star story. It is the fourth in this delightful series. It had me quickly turning pages. I just had to see what the main characters Jane and Adrian were up to as they worked together to solve what turned out to be a series of murders within the Foreign Office community. 


We met Jane Halliwell and Adrian Sterling in the previous book. I was excited to see how their story would evolve and I was not disappointed. Adrian is the younger brother of the Duke of Langham who went to work at the Foreign Office. He met Lady Jane Halliwell in Rome early in his career while working with her father. Tragically, her father committed suicide because of massive gambling debts. This threw Jane and her mother into diminished circumstances. Society was unforgiving and Jane was forced to seek employment as a governess.


Jane and Adrian are reunited several years later in the home of her latest employer, Lord Gilford, who is also a respected member of the Foreign Office. A house party turns to tragedy when her employer is found dead in his study by Jane and a lock down of the home is enacted. A mysterious message is found on Lord Gilford. 


Jane remembers a similar note she found on her father. Could her father’s suicide have been a homicide? There is more than one mystery to unravel here. This brings Jane and Adrian closer together as they assist Detective Eversham who some may remember from the first book in this series. Adrian’s brother the Duke and his wife Poppy also make appearances. I am a huge fan of other characters from the world Manda Collins created coming organically into a story.


This series always delivers a delicious recipe of romance with a hearty helping of mystery, a combination that keeps readers engaged throughout the book. I highly recommend this book and, really, this series to readers. Enjoy!



Monday, March 25, 2024

Review - - Wild Ride

Wild Ride
by Kate Meader
Rookie Rebels - Book 9
Publisher: Kate Meader, LLC
Release Date: March 26, 2024
Reviewed by PJ


Chicago Rebels hockey player Dex O'Malley has been a naughty boy . . . again.


Only his latest stunt isn’t quite like when he was caught with his pants down at a nightclub or was cited for drag-racing on Lake Shore Drive or even that time he said a few critical things about his teammates on a hockey podcast. Oops. This time, Dex is in real trouble, the kind that could get him kicked off the team and out of the league. And that can
not happen. Hockey is the only thing he’s ever been good at. The only thing he cares about. He’ll do whatever it takes to rehab his rep, even if it means cleaning up dog poop and suffering the steely-eyed disapproval of his new no-nonsense “boss” at the animal shelter, Ashley Adams.

Ashley has enough on her plate between her low-paying job, her high-maintenance family, and a love life she’s trying to resurrect after her divorce. She’s already mom to an amazing nine-year-old; the last thing she needs is to be stuck mothering a celebrity volunteer with more money than sense. But the troublemaking f-boy needs Ashley to sign off on his good deeds so he can get back to what he does best: lighting up lamps both on and off the ice. And while a guy like that could never interest her mind, it seems her body is not on the same page. Sure, Dex O’Malley is too young, too hot, too flighty for Ashley to take seriously, but a brief ride on the wild side might fit the bill …

Only that’s not enough for Dex. What happens when this notorious player decides the older, single mom is the hottest woman he’s ever met and that he wants to light her lamp . . . forever?

PJ's Thoughts:

Kate Meader is one of my favorite contemporary authors. Her books bubble over with sass, sizzle, and bone-deep emotion. Not to mention some of the best bromances around. Meddling, advice-giving, downright hilarious hockey teammates for the win. 

One of the things Meader does exceptionally well is the redemption of bad-boy heroes who are sometimes also total jerks. Enter the hero of Wild Ride, Dex O'Malley. If you've been reading Meader's Rookie Rebels series, you'll recognize Dex as heroine Tara's media-nightmare fake fiancé (but not hero) from book 7, Jock Wanted. He showed glimmers of good-guy contrition in that book but it's going to take more - much more - to turn the corner for free-wheeling, trouble-magnet, entitled f-boy, Dex. Enter Ashley, a no-nonsense, hard-working, single mom whose sense of desirability has been beaten into the ground by her louse of an ex. She knows nothing about hockey and is less than impressed by the entitled (though gorgeous) celebrity athlete who's been dumped on her. She's determined to not give Dex an inch. He's determined to loosen her up. And then the fun begins...

I adored this couple. They've become one of my Meader favorites. The evolution of their relationship is filled with unexpected layers, plenty of humor, poignant moments, sizzle, and growth. Ashley's arc takes her on a journey of self-discovery that had me cheering. Her ex really did a number on her self-confidence, especially in regards to her looks and body image. To see her begin to blossom because of time spent with Dex - Dex! - was both poignant and empowering. Who knew he had it in him? Well, obviously the author did. It was so much fun to watch a smitten Dex have to do the chasing for probably the first time in his life. The best things in life are worth putting in the effort and Ashley - and hockey - are at the top of Dex's list.

There is so much more to Dex than meets the eye. I love how Meader uses the shelter animals to slowly unveil the layers of this character, showing parallels in the troubled journey of one particular rescue with Dex's own life journey. There may have been heart-tugging tears. Okay, there absolutely were. Then there are his encounters with Ashley's awkward, hockey-loving daughter which shine a light on his unexpected compassion, understanding, and goodness. It was heartwarming to watch him grow into this kind, caring, protective man without losing the mischievous, sexy flirt (but now with only one woman). 

The supporting cast in this book is flawless. As in earlier books, Meader uses the current and retired members of the Rebels to perfection. There is not a grandma out there who can rival these hockey players when it comes to romance meddling. The scenes where they start doling out romantic advice are pure gold. Several of the Rebels wives are also featured in this book with Tara (the former fake fiancé, now best friend/confidante/cheerleader), leading the way. The woman is a force of nature.

If you enjoy contemporary romance with both sweetness and sizzle, complex, multi-layered characters, emotional depth, meddling friends, humor, and a happily ever after, don't miss Kate Meader's Wild Ride. It's an excellent addition to the Rookie Rebels series. 

~~~~~~~~~

Note: For those of you who prefer classic (man chest) covers to the new illustrated ones, check out the online store at Kate Meader's website where her books can be purchased in the cover format of your choice. 

 

Friday, March 22, 2024

Winner - - The Love Remedy

 




The randomly chosen winner of

a print copy of

The Love Remedy is:

Sharyn L

Congratulations!

Please send your full name and mailing address to:

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com


Thursday, March 21, 2024

Review - - Cut the Cake

Cut the Cake
by Leigh Duncan
Heart's Landing - Book 1
Publisher: Gardenia Street Publishing
Release Date: March 29, 2024
*Previously published by Hallmark Publishing
as A Simple Wedding (March 10, 2020)
Reviewed by PJ




Will a fake bride miss her chance at real love?


From the time she and her cousin played dress-up and took turns pretending they were brides, Jennifer Longley has dreamed of the day she’d have her very own Heart’s Landing wedding. Now, she finally has her chance to visit the charming seaside village where lovers stroll arm in arm past Bow Tie Pasta, Dress For A Day and Forget Me Knot Flowers. But there’s a catch—as the personal assistant to a famous movie star, Jenny’s only in town to make wedding arrangements for her boss, and to avoid a media circus, she must pretend she’s the one getting married. But once Jenny reserves the venue, orders the bouquet and, best of all, samples the cake for the simple wedding her boss described, the movie star changes all the plans.

While the other store owners grumble about a wishy-washy bride who can’t seem to make up her mind, Nick Bell is intrigued by the bride-to-be who visits his bakery every afternoon for sweet treats and conversation. He can’t help but befriend her. But when sparks fly between the town’s most eligible baker and Jenny, Nick finds it more and more difficult to remember that she’s already spoken for.

As Jenny deals with her boss’s ever-changing demands, she tries to hide her attraction to Nick. But things get more and more complicated … and what will happen once everyone learns the truth about the woman who is only pretending to be a bride?

PJ's Thoughts:

If you're a fan of Hallmark Channel movies there's a good chance you're going to love Leigh Duncan's Cut the Cake. This book brings the small, wedding destination town of Heart's Landing to life with vivid descriptions and fills the wedding-related businesses with likable people readers will want to know better. The story flows smoothly, like a gentle summer's ride down a lazy river, with occasional bumps but a sweet landing at the end. 

Jenny is an engaging character and I easily became invested in her, happily nudging her along the path of friendship with Nick and hoping for more. Nick is such a good guy...and he bakes! I fell for him right along with Jenny. Duncan does a good job of strengthening their friendship, and deepening their emotions, without crossing any relationship boundaries. Remember, Jenny is pretending to be engaged to someone else and planning her own wedding. I also appreciated the decisions made near the end of the story, giving Jenny and Nick the necessary time to strengthen their feelings without secrets between them. Kudos to Duncan for giving them the time to grow and solidify their relationship after all is revealed. 

If you're looking for a sweet, fun, feel-good romance filled with likable main characters, plenty of colorful secondary characters, and one high-maintenance cousin, I recommend giving Cut the Cake a try.  

*Cut the Cake is a retitled reissue of A Simple Wedding which was originally written by Leigh Duncan and published by Hallmark Publishing. Hallmark has closed their publishing arm and the rights to the book have been restored to the author. Duncan is reissuing the three books in her Heart's Landing series with new covers and titles but the same heartwarming stories. Watch for book two, Save the Dance (formerly A Cottage Wedding) on May 31, 2024 and book three, Kiss the Bride (formerly A Waterfront Wedding) on July 30, 2024. 

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Review & Giveaway - - The Love Remedy

The Love Remedy
by Elizabeth Everett
The Damsels of Discovery - Book 1
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: March 19, 2024
Reviewed by PJ
  


When a Victorian apothecary hires a stoic private investigator to protect her business, they learn there’s only one way to treat true love—with a happily ever after.


When Lucinda Peterson’s recently perfected formula for a salve to treat croup goes missing, she’s certain it’s only the latest in a line of misfortunes at the hands of a rival apothecary. Outraged and fearing financial ruin, Lucy turns to private investigator Jonathan Thorne for help. She just didn’t expect her champion to be so . . . grumpy?

A single father and an agent at Tierney & Co., Thorne accepts missions for a wide variety of employers—from the British government to wronged wives. None have intrigued him so much as the spirited Miss Peterson. As the two work side by side to unmask her scientific saboteur, Lucy slips ever so sweetly under Thorne’s battered armor, tempting him to abandon old promises.

With no shortage of suspects—from a hostile political group to an erstwhile suitor—Thorne’s investigation becomes a threat to all that Lucy holds dear. As the truth unravels around them the cure to their problems is clear: they must face the future together.

PJ's Thoughts:

Elizabeth Everett returns to Victorian London with the first of a new series featuring intrepid women, social causes, a bit of mystery, and romance. Set within the same world as her Secret Scientists of London, The Love Remedy offers fans of the earlier series guest cameos and a connected adversary while also providing a great starting point for readers new to Everett's books. 

I enjoy getting to know Everett's characters. These are layered, complex individuals with relatable challenges and flaws. I appreciate that she doesn't make things easy for them, taking them through various obstacles that elicit growth and change. Thorne, in particular, undergoes an evolution that is necessary for him to realize some self truths and move forward. Same for Lucy, her relationships with her siblings, and her acceptance - and celebration - of her whole self. Two of my favorite characters are Thorne's 9-year-old daughter, Sadie and apothecary customer Mr. Gentry. Both are given the time and attention needed to fully develop these important characters who bring humor, poignant emotion, and surprising wisdom to the page (Sadie's participation in the "Grand Grovel" is pure gold). I adored both of them. I don't know if we'll see Lucy's brother or sister again in future books but I would have liked a bit more development of them and especially the interactions between them and Lucy considering the complexities of their actions.  

Something else I enjoy about Everett's books is her willingness to address the social issues of the time, in particular women's issues, some of which women still face today. She meets them head-on, unapologetically, through her characters, their personal experiences, and the services they provide, especially to the poor. 

Fun fact: It's amazing the historical trivia one can learn while eavesdropping on characters working in an apothecary shop. It keeps things lively while providing a source of humor, education, and possible answers to Jeopardy clues. Why yes, I did know that crocodile dung was once used to make medicinal salves. ;-)

I'm looking forward to returning to Victorian London for more stories in Elizabeth Everett's The Damsels of Discovery series. 


Have you read Elizabeth Everett yet?

Do you enjoy Victorian "workplace" romances or do you prefer the ballrooms of the Regency period?

Have you ever answered a Jeopardy clue correctly because of the romances you read? (I have!)

One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM, March 21 will receive a print copy of The Love Remedy

*U.S. only
*Must be 18


Monday, March 18, 2024

Review - - The Catch

The Catch
by Amy Lea
The Influencer Series - Book 3

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: February 13, 2024

Reviewed by Hellie

 

 


In a last-ditch effort to rescue her brand from the brink of irrelevance, Boston fashion influencer Melanie Karlsen finds herself in a rural fishing village on the east coast of Canada. The only thing scarier than nature itself? The burly and bearded bed-and-breakfast owner and fisherman, Evan Whaler—who single-handedly disproves the theory that Canadians are “nice.”


After a boating accident lands Evan unconscious in the hospital, Mel is mistaken for his fiancée by his welcoming yet quirky family, who are embroiled in a long-standing feud over the B&B. In a bold attempt to mend family fences, Mel agrees to fake their engagement for one week in exchange for Evan’s help with her social media content.


Amid long hikes and campfire chats, reeling in their budding feelings for each other proves more difficult by the day. But is Mel willing to sacrifice her picture-perfect life in the city for a chance at a true, unfiltered love in the wild?


Hellie’s Heeds:


I’ll be honest–I read this for the fisherman. Mel’s profession is such that I was like, “Ugh, so she’s basically a Kardashian?” and I almost passed up this gem. However, I have to commend Amy Lea for creating a character so likable and even relatable that I was on Team Amy by the end of the third chapter. Evan is a delightfully grumpy fisherman–but oh, so much more. It could be that I too adore a great plaid flannel shirt and that I don’t understand the allure of multiple steps for makeup and serums to create the “perfect flawless look.” I mean, sure, yes, people who do all those steps do have a very flawless pretty look–but at what cost? 


This premise was basically a premise of the famous rom-coms, While You Were Sleeping and The Proposal–taking the best of both worlds (i.e. Sandra Bullock, most beloved heroine of all time; and Betty White, most beloved mamaw of all time) and adding laugh-out-loud scenarios like The Time Evan Took Mel on a Boat and She Nearly Drowned Him and also, What Not to Do When Peeing in the Woods. There is lots of laughter and also lots of poignant and thoughtful moments that really humanize both Evan and Mel–they feel like your besties that you hope will work out in the end. 


I also live for a heart-tugging Black Moment for our characters–and it was there in spades–but also, oh, the Make Up (Grovel) scene! This was just a very satisfying story that hit all its beats that felt true to the characters and the stories. Please add it to your reading list–I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.


Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Review - - Lady Codebreaker

Lady Codebreaker
by K.D. Alden
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: March 12, 2024
Reviewed by PJ




Grace Smith has never been one to conform to society’s expectations. She flees small-town Indiana to seek adventure—and finds more than she bargained for when she’s hired by an eccentric millionaire to learn codebreaking. Soon she’s using those skills to help head the government’s fledgling cryptanalysis unit.


During Prohibition, Grace takes up the fight against rumrunners—not to mention Al Capone himself. And as the country careens from one Great War to another, it’s Grace who must crack the secrets of foreign governments, catch spies, and derail saboteurs . . . before it’s too late.

With wry wit and sheer grit, she forges her own path as a codebreaker, wife, mother. She’s spent a lifetime going up against powerful men and winning. But as war rages and the stakes grow impossibly high, Grace faces a truly impossible choice: her family or her country?

PJ's Thoughts:

When a book keeps me eagerly flipping pages until the wee hours of the night then sends me scurrying down internet rabbit holes to uncover all the information I can find about the real woman upon whom it's based, that's a book I'll be encouraging all my friends to read. 

Spanning four decades (1917 - 1958), Lady Codebreaker is a seamless blend of fact and fiction based upon the life of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, widely recognized as American's first female cryptanalyst and instrumental in key events within 20th century American history. Opening the book in 1958 with a startling scene that hooked me immediately, the book then goes back to 1917 where it all began for main character Grace (and real life Elizebeth) and takes readers on a fascinating, sometimes dangerous, frequently suspenseful, ride through two world wars, Prohibition, inter-agency intrigue, and the evolution of a unique marriage (for the era) as well as an extraordinary career. One of my favorite parts of the book was watching how Grace and Robert evolved over the course of four decades, both in their personal relationship as well as their individual careers. This is not only a story of intrigue and suspense. It is also a complex, deeply emotional love story told in such a way that I felt as if I was right there with them through every peak and valley, wholly invested in their love, their health, their happiness, and their success. 

Alden brought both the characters and settings to life on the pages of this book, immersing me into the smoke-filled decoding rooms, tense family altercations, sparkling dinner parties, danger-filled Coast Guard raids, hospital psychiatric wards, and much more while shining her spotlight on a variety of topics including mental illness, inter-faith marriage, power hunger, and the inequality between women and men of the time. Key among those topics is the hurdles Grace, and other women in her field, were constantly forced to overcome simply because they were women; how they were patronized, dismissed, yet continued to give their all in support of their country when they knew they would not be the ones credited for their work. Alden took her time with each of them, giving the women - and some men also - distinct personalities, layers, and texture, making me care about them. The villains (both fictional and real) are also vividly portrayed, eliciting emotions in Grace (and me) that ranged from distaste to fear to outright revulsion. There may also have been cheering when justice prevailed, especially when due to Grace's efforts. 

If you enjoy compelling historical fiction that incorporates a fascinating blend of actual events and people with those of the author's imagination, that immerses you in our nation's history, and puts a human face on events you may have learned in class as well as those you discover in this book, give Lady Codebreaker a try. I couldn't put it down. 

Note: Once you finish reading the book, do look up the real Elizebeth Smith Friedman and William F. Friedman upon whom Grace and Robert are based. What they accomplished in support and defense of the citizens of the United States was amazing. 


Monday, March 11, 2024

Review - - This Could Be Us

This Could Be Us
by Kennedy Ryan
Skyland - Book 2
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: March 5, 2024
Reviewed by PJ


Soledad Barnes has her life all planned out. Because, of course, she does. She plans everything. She designs everything. She 
fixes everything. She’s a domestic goddess who's never met a party she couldn't host or a charge she couldn't lead. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette for that summer salad. But none of her varied talents can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes poof in a cloud of betrayal and disillusion.
 
But there is no time to pout or sulk, or even grieve the life she lost. She's too busy keeping a roof over her daughters' heads and food on the table. And in the process of saving them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground, something bold and new can rise.
 
But then an unlikely man enters the picture—the forbidden one, the one she shouldn't want but can't seem to resist. She's lost it all before and refuses to repeat her mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust 
herself?
 
After all she's lost . . .and found . . .can she be brave enough to make room for what could be?

PJ's Thoughts:

This story. OMG! I loved this story! If you haven't yet read Kennedy Ryan, pick up a copy of This Could Be Us and let her carry you away on a wave of emotion before gently depositing you onto an island of hard-earned happiness. It's a ride worth taking. 

There's so much to love about this book. I don't want to give away spoilers so I'll try to steer clear of specifics but here are some of the things that make it special. 

Autism representation: This is a topic with which Ryan has personal experience and it shows in her writing. Her characters on the spectrum are realistic, layered, whole individuals, written with a caring, relatable hand.  

Finding your voice again: Soledad's journey out of the ashes of her shattered life is a blueprint for all women. I loved how she gradually rediscovered her strengths, her persistence, her worth. I admired the example she set for her daughters, how hard she fought for them. And I cheered her on as she learned to once again love and trust herself. She's one of my favorite characters that I've met in a book this year.

The single dad we all deserve: It's the bad boys who get all the attention (don't get me wrong, I do love a bad boy as well as a redeemed rake) but Judah is the good guy we need, the one we all deserve. Best friends with his ex and her new husband, successful, loving co-parent of twin boys with Autism, worthy of trust, determined to do the right thing, respectful of Soledad's journey, supportive, and sensual in all the best ways. A lifetime love. 

The bonds of friendship: Get you some girlfriends like Soledad's. These women are the ride-or-die women you want in your corner. I love how these friendships are portrayed in this book, how they have one another's backs, the lengths to which they will go to support, lift up, encourage, and love one another. I love the example they set for the younger generation of girls in their lives. 

In short, this book is a shining star of emotion, friendship, mothers and daughters, starting over, self love, romantic love, and finding - and using - your voice. I loved it.