Romantic Comedy

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In April of 2018, Sally Milz is a writer for a live sketch comedy television show in New York City.  One week that month, Noah Brewster is both the guest host and musician.  They meet and hit it off when Noah comes to Sally for assistance in writing a sketch, though Sally doesn't believe a superstar could possibly be romantically interested in a regular, non-gorgeous, non-famous woman, so after an intense week of rehearsals and the live performance, she panics and says something hurtful to him during a conversation at the after-party.  Regret and pain follow, but life returns to normal...until the global pandemic shuts the world down in March of 2020, and by the time summer rolls around, Noah is bored and lonely enough to try reaching out to Sally via email.  That medium allows the pair time and space to be vulnerable and honest, rebuilding and strengthening what both had believed to be irretrievably lost.  But can their renewed relationship survive the reality of in-person contact? 

I loved the behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of TNO (The Night Owls--i.e. the thinly veiled SNL), and it was completely believable to me that Sally would be confident in her professional abilities as a comedy writer, yet insecure in her personal life. This story had two things working in her favor, though: first, Sally & Noah met in a place where she felt confident, which is an attractive quality to most men, and second, Noah was old enough and had been through enough therapy to be tired of shallow connections. The story wouldn't have worked with younger characters, I don't think.

Actually, I'll add a third: COVID lockdowns. For those of us who lived through the pandemic (which is everyone reading this), we experienced the duality of this chaotic era that both caused massive upheaval but also gifted us with time to reevaluate our lives. And the latter is what allowed Noah to slow down enough to forgive Sally's verbal sabotage of their budding relationship and to reach out and reconnect.

While I couldn't always decide whether I wanted to hug Sally and give her a pep talk or shake her for making so many unhelpful assumptions about what Noah was thinking or feeling, I could definitely relate to her and rooted for the relationship to flourish.

For readers' advisors: character and setting doorways are both strong. Plenty of swearing, sexual references, references to bodily functions, mention of past alcohol abuse and recovery, and some cracked-open-door sex scenes. No violence.

My thanks to Bookbrowse for the free copy in exchange for participating in their online book discussion.

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Remember Love

Remember Love by Mary Balogh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Gwen Rhys and Devlin Ware grew up as neighbors, each secretly infatuated with the other until they realize their mutual attraction the day of the annual summer fete and become engaged.  But that same night, the pair discover Devlin's father with his mistress, and Devlin's strong sense of justice and love for his mother lead him to confront his father in public.  Devlin is banished, joins the army to fight Napoleon, and doesn't return for six years, two years after he inherited his father's title. 

I liked this story, but I didn’t love it. Mostly, I think, because we don’t witness Gwen & Devlin falling in love. They never really get to know each other, just go from childhood crushes they believe to be love to insta-love after being reunited 6 years later. They respect each other, which is a good start, but they don’t actually know enough about each other to be in love.

I also really hated that Devlin had sex with SOOOO many women during the war. Historically accurate? Probably. But really, what are the odds he didn’t come home with multiple sexually transmitted diseases, which he would then have passed on to Gwen?! Ruined all romance for the rest of the book, especially the one sex scene, which I just had to quickly skim because all I could think about was how he was almost certainly giving her syphilis. *shudder*

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The Proposal

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I bought and read this book months ago because I love Jasmine Guillory's books, but this one wasn't my favorite. It was mostly good, and there were parts I really liked, but what stands out most in my head is the scene where (slight spoiler ahead) Carlos tells Nik he loves her, she freaks out because she's in dire need of some therapy to work out her issues, and then--what drove me nuts--she uses the word "care" in the way that men use that word, and he responds to her use of the word in the way that women respond to it, which is to say, Not Well. I'm all in favor of gender-flipping things usually, but that part had me arguing with the book out loud, and months later that is what I remember most. I may need to re-read the book to remind myself of the rest of the story.

For readers' advisors: some steamy sex scenes and a fair amount of swearing.  One person (who deserves it!) gets punched.  Two secondary female characters meet & begin falling in love. Trigger warning: discussion of domestic abuse, specifically emotional abuse.

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The Ex Hex

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Nine years ago, Vivi and her cousin Gwen got drunk and cursed Vivi's boyfriend after she broke up with him because he told her he was (sort of) betrothed to someone else back home in Wales.  Now he's returned to her small witchy town to recharge the ley lines, and she discovers her curse wasn't all wishful thinking.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Too much angst, swearing, and sex. I was listening to the eAudiobook, and I could only listen when my children were either in school or asleep--yikes! It might not have been as bad had I read the ebook instead and could more easily skim over the excessive bits, but I did at least take advantage of the 15-second-skip-ahead button quite a few times.

It wouldn't have bothered me so much if there had been more of a foundation for the relationship, I think. But I was never convinced they had enough in common besides magic to build a life together. They initially broke up because they failed to communicate or be honest about their feelings, and neither one really did enough growing in the intervening nine years before the present-day part begins. So when they reunite, they still can't properly communicate, and when would they fit it in between All The Sex anyway? Seriously, if you have a town full of witches and clueless non-witches with all magic going spectacularly haywire, maybe stop with the sex long enough to focus on figuring out a solution?? And maybe in doing so, you could figure out whether or not you make good partners? I honestly thought for a long time that maybe the sex was in there because it was going to turn out to be somehow related to breaking the curse, but no.

So, meh. I think this book might appeal to folks who are in the mood for an angsty, steamy, witchy fall romance and don't care about character development, multi-dimensional characters, or a well-thought-out plot, though.

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Bewitched

Bewitched by Darynda Jones
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

After a 6-month suspended animation nap, Defiance Dayne is once again awake and getting into and out of trouble. While she was sleeping, her dads and her best friend moved across the county to join her in Salem, MA, in her magical house, Percival, haunted by the ghost of her grandfather. Defiance tries at first to lie and say her magical powers have vanished, but that doesn't work, and soon she is tracking down all sorts of missing objects and people, trying desperately to figure out how to keep everyone alive, or at least keep them from dying again.

This volume in the series could have used some heavy editing, particularly the endless repetitions of how sexy Roan was and what his inked existence did to Defiance's "nether" or "girl" parts. That got old REALLY fast, and the book would have been much improved if we could have just skipped over most of that. Roan's backstory was a key subplot, so I wish Defiance had acted her age (45) and dialed back the lust in favor of really getting to know Roan for who he was and not just fixated on the heavily tattooed, kilted outer package. If readers are supposed to go for the pair as a serious couple by the end of the series, there has GOT to be more to the relationship than electricity. In both directions, though mercifully we are spared the recitation of Roan's lustful thoughts.

I LOVE Darynda Jones' books, but this is my least favorite. Some excellent parts, though! And I do still want to listen to the next book to see how the loose ends get tied up.

For readers' advisors: story doorway is primary. Tons of sexual content, though really only one actual sex scene. Plenty of profanity, some violence and threats of violence, but not overly graphic. Trigger warnings for spousal and child abuse. LGBTQIA-adjacent, as Defiance was raised by her two dads, one of whom is Latinx. Her grandmother's love interest, the police chief, is African-American. Other characters are either white or not memorably specified.

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Book Lovers

Book Lovers by Emily Henry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nora Stephens has been dumped not once, not twice, but FOUR times by men who leave New York City for a Hallmark-movie-ending in the country. If her life were a romance novel trope, she'd be the "Evil City Girlfriend." Nora adores NYC, though, and has zero desire to live anywhere else. She is a classic workaholic, devoted to her clients and dedicated to securing the best publishing deals she can in her role as a fierce literary agent. She is also devoted to her younger sister, nieces, and brother-in-law, so when Libby begs her to take a month-long sisters' vacation to the very small town that's the setting of a client's best-selling novel, she acquiesces. Little does she know her sister has ulterior motives for the trip and is on a mission to give Nora her very own Hallmark movie experience. Not long after the women arrive, it's not a handsome stranger they run into, though, but the very editor who once turned down the book that put this town on the map, so to speak, and Nora begins to learn that everyone has a backstory, and sometimes first impressions are dead wrong.

I absolutely adored this book! Yes, the solution the characters struggle to see was obvious to me from the moment we learn what Libby's secret is--and it crossed my mind even before that--but the journey they took to get there was necessary, heartwarming, and sometimes even heart wrenching. Plus the witty banter was perfect, like an R-rated Gilmore Girls, and had me laughing out loud or at least grinning 'til my face hurt though most of the story.

What I don't understand is why the official synopsis of this book says Nora and Charlie are rivals. They barely know each other until Nora & Libby arrive in Sunshine Falls. The only time they've ever interacted was 2 years prior at the meeting where Nora pitched Charlie the manuscript for Once in a Lifetime, and he turned it down because he hated the setting. In fact, when Nora does spot Charlie in the coffee shop, she isn't sure it's him and has to look up his address to send an email as a test to see if the man ahead of her in line responds. Which he does, because apparently they both have email notifications turned on--something I would never do because the constant pinging would make me insane, but I suppose it makes sense for their business email accounts. At any rate, they aren't rivals; they are acquaintances who become colleagues and friends with enough electricity sparking between them to start a wildfire.

For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary, language secondary (for the banter). There is no violence, but there are a few steamy sex scenes and some profanity sprinkled throughout.

Many many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the free eGalley copy in exchange for my honest review!

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Someone to Romance

Someone to Romance by Mary Balogh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thirteen years ago, Gabriel Thorne fled England for Boston out of fear, falsely accused of rape and murder. Now he has returned to claim his title before he's officially declared dead and his odious cousin Manley is named the Earl of Lyndale in his place. It's been nearly seven years since his uncle, the previous Earl, died, and Gabriel had been happy to let everyone believe he was dead as well, until a letter arrived from the one person in England he still loved--his aunt's sister--informing him that the would-be heir was planning to evict her from her home, leaving her destitute. So he turned over his prosperous business to his trusted business partner and boarded a ship. But if Gabriel hopes to make things right, he's going to need help. And an aristocratic countess.

Lady Jessica Archer, sister of the Duke of Netherby, has a court of admirers, none of whom have ever tempted her--even the slightest bit--into matrimony. Suddenly, though, at the advanced age of twenty-five, she realizes she no longer wants life to pass her by, no longer wants to punish herself for surviving her family's Great Disaster unscathed, no longer wants to remain unmarried. On the road back to London, she concludes this will be the year she chooses a husband. She just never imagines it'll turn out to be the rich cit she first encounters in an inn when her arrival deprives him of the private dining room he'd already paid for. To win her hand, though, he must prove he sees her, not just her aristocratic persona.

I love these books so much. The characters suffer real, painful hardships, yet the overall atmosphere of the stories is that of being surrounded by warm, loving family. Well-intentioned matchmaking generally goes awry, but everything comes out right in the end.

This delightful series should be read in order, if only to help keep track of the dizzying array of names and titles in the extended Westcott family. The large family tree printed in the beginning of each book comes in very handy, and bookmarking it can be useful if it's been a while since a reader spent time with these characters.

For readers' advisors: character doorway dominates the first half of the book, and then story doorway comes to the fore. References to rape, murder, and attempted murder, but nothing at all depicted in any detail. A handful of mild swear words. Two sex scenes that are steamy but not terribly explicit (mostly description of the removal of the many articles of clothing). The setting is almost entirely London, England, in 1819.

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The Other Miss Bridgerton

The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Poppy Bridgerton did not intend to get kidnapped (does anyone?), and Captain Andrew James (Rokesby, but his crew doesn't know that) never intended to hold anyone captive, but life has a funny way of turning out sometimes. If only Poppy had chosen to walk the opposite direction on the beach that day. If only Andrew hadn't needed to ensure the cave remained secret and the documents got safely delivered tomorrow. But she did, and it did, and they did, so Poppy awoke to discover herself confined to the nicely appointed captain's quarters aboard the privateer ship Infinity enroute to Portugal.

I absolutely adored this book, especially the banter between Poppy and Andrew and the way that they each slowly realize this person they are stuck with is actually someone they want to spend time with, is in fact a kindred spirit. I love that each really sees and appreciates the other in a way that no one else ever has. This is a character-driven story for sure, but with a plot twist I didn't see coming.

For readers' advisors: character and language doorways are primary, setting (at sea headed to Portugal in 1786) is secondary. A few mild swear words. The threat of violence in one scene about 3/4 of the way into the book, but no one gets hurt. Two steamy but not terribly explicit sex scenes near the end.

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Undercover Bromance

Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Liv Papandreas is a brilliant pastry chef with a horrible boss. Braden Mack is a wealthy nightclub owner who wants to settle down with his current girlfriend so he can experience the kind of relationship he has helped his friends achieve. When Mack decides to splurge on a fancy dinner and $1000 cupcake at the restaurant where Liv works, the evening ends in disaster, with Mack's girlfriend dumping him, and Liv witnessing a young server being forced into performing sexual acts by their boss. Liv's defense of the girl costs Liv her job.

Realizing her former boss clearly has a history of harassing and coercing women, Liv goes on the offensive, trying to discover his previous victims, regardless of their fear, shame, and reluctance to come forward and accuse this powerful celebrity chef of his crimes. She demands Mack make up for costing her her job by offering a job to the server in an attempt to protect her. The girl initially refuses the help, but Liv is determined to put a stop to the abuse. Eventually the entire Bromance Book Club (plus a few others) cooks up a plan to break in to Royce's office and steal his computer files containing information on the women he's harassed and paid off so they have hard evidence with which to confront him.

All this plotting and planning means Liv and Mack are spending large amounts of time together, and despite Liv's initial disdain for Mack, she discovers there is more to him than she imagined. Mack, in turn, comes to realize he's going to have to face the trauma of his childhood if he wants to create something real with Liv, who has her own emotional baggage to deal with.

Book #2 in the series reveals more about how the Bromance Book Group got started and why Braden Mack, a bachelor, is a member. Spoiler alert: he started it! Getting to know more of Braden's backstory was one of my favorite aspects of the book. Also, the best thing about a hating-to-dating romance is the lack of insta-love. I generally prefer a slow burn story.

For readers' advisors: character and story doorways via for prominence. Profanity is pervasive, there are some steamy sex scenes, and a rooster gets pretty violent when men come to the farm where Liv resides. Trigger warning for anyone sensitive to issues of domestic violence and sexual harassment.

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The Bromance Book Club

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gavin Scott messed up. Badly. The love of his life, his wife of three years and the mother of his twin 3-year-old daughters, wants a divorce. He hadn't even realized they had grown so far apart until the night he found out she'd been faking it in bed for their entire marriage. The pain of her revelation sent him into a tailspin, shutting both his mouth and his ears until she got fed up and kicked him out of the house.

The thing is, Thea is furious because somehow over the past three years she lost herself, subsumed her identity and morphed from an artist into a stereotypical baseball wife, one whom Southern Lifestyle magazine called "wholesomely pastel." What Gavin doesn't grasp is that it's not just sex she's been faking, but everything, and she is D.O.N.E. being a stranger to herself.

Gavin, though, is desperate to save his marriage. So desperate, his best friend drags him to a very unique book group. A dozen or so alpha men of Nashville society--business owners, athletes, city officials--meet to read romance novels ("We call them manuals") and save each other's relationships. What?! Gavin thinks he's being punked, but the men are completely serious. What better way to learn the language of women than to read books "written by women for women...entirely about how they want to be treated and what they want out of life and in a relationship"? The men formulate a plan for Gavin to win Thea's heart all over again. In short? Backstory. It's ALL about backstory, and Gavin needs to understand not only Thea's, but his own if he is to have any hope of success.

I am so glad this is just the first in the series, because it's hilarious, heartwarming, and I wish men would try this strategy in the real world! Seriously, so many relationships could be saved and strengthened.

There is so much to love about this book. One of my favorite quotes is from a funny-but-serious moment in chapter 5 when one of the men says, "Don't be ashamed for liking them. The backlash against the PSL [pumpkin spice latte] is a perfect example of how toxic masculinity permeates even the most mundane things in life. If masses of women like something, our society automatically begins to mock them. Just like romance novels. If women like them, they must be a joke, right?" OMG, yes! Well, I don't know about the PSL--I hate coffee-flavored anything--but Ms. Adams is Spot On about the pervasiveness of toxic masculinity and the constant condescension toward the romance genre in particular.

My biggest beef with this book is that I really wanted Gavin to have more of an Aha! moment after he and Thea are cleaning up the puking toddlers and he has zero idea where the extra towels are. I mean, DUDE. It's your own house, how can you not know where the linen closet and clean towels are? A telling moment, no? But Ms. Adams moves on and passes up the chance for Gavin to have a meaningful awakening there, and I SO wanted him to.

I also kept forgetting the main characters were supposed to be in their mid-20s. Most of the time it seemed more like they were in their early or mid-30s. But given the belly laugh I had in the scene where Thea and her sister Liv come home earlier than expected and interrupt book group in progress, I forgive Ms. Adams entirely!

For readers' advisors: story doorway is primary, character and language secondary. There is no violence, but there is a lot of swearing amongst the witty banter and some very steamy sex scenes. Gavin struggles with a stutter and all the self-esteem issues that can crop up around that. The main characters are presumed white, but there are a few POC secondary characters.

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Party of Two

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

A fun rom-com about an African American attorney moving to L.A. to start her own firm with her best friend who meets a charismatic, idealistic white senator in a hotel bar without recognizing who he is. When they meet again by chance, they decide to start dating discreetly, despite Olivia's misgivings relating to Max's high-profile job.

I enjoyed the book very much. It's the fifth in the series, but only the second one I've read so far. It probably helps to have read the others, but it isn't necessary, particularly for this installment. I personally would have liked a bit more time to develop the characters and the relationship, and a bit less angst from Olivia, but it was a fun read nonetheless.

For readers' advisors: story doorway was primary. Several steamy sex scenes, but not terribly graphic. No violence, but plenty of swearing.

I read an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in return for my honest option.

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A Good Day for Chardonnay

A Good Day for Chardonnay: A Novel by Darynda Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sheriff Sunshine Vicram is back in the second installment of the hilarious series that bears her name. A few months have passed since we last saw Sun, and since then her parents managed to con her into going on some really terrible blind dates. The current one is definitely the worst, so it's a huge relief when her deputy calls with an emergency, cutting the date short. A raccoon emergency. At his own house. But hey, it got her out of a creepy coffee date, so there's that!

All too soon her attention is diverted from Randy the Attack Raccoon to a stabbing and hit-and-run at the bar owned by Levi Ravinder, the man she's been in love with since childhood. One man is taken to the ICU, one refuses medical treatment, and a third has his body dumped down a nearby ravine. But before she heads out to track down witnesses to an altercation between the stabbing victim and unknown assailants earlier in the day, Sun receives a message from one of Levi's uncles, claiming to have information about her abduction 15 years ago, and her destination changes. Upon returning to Del Sol, Sunshine is stunned to recognize the face of a young kidnapping victim on security camera footage from the previous day--a child who went missing years ago. Meanwhile, Sun's daughter Auri decides to enlist the help of her boyfriend and best friend in investigating a serial killer from decades ago.

I absolutely LOVED this book. The witty, snappy dialogue and multiple plot threads interwove with tender personal moments. One minute I was laughing out loud, and the next (OK, mostly later in the book) I was sobbing and trying to explain to my kids why Mommy was so sad. I am grateful some questions from the first book were answered or at least partially resolved, even if the answers to the biggest were completely obvious the entire time to everyone but Sun. As per usual, the breakneck pace made putting my iPad down nearly impossible. Plus, I just wanted to spend more time with the characters. And hug them. And join the secret club.

For readers' advisors: story, character, and language are all very strong doorways. There is quite a lot of swearing, some sexual content, some on- and off-screen violence, some alcohol, and a couple of scenes where children or teens are in danger (they survive).

Many many thanks to NetGalley, Darynda Jones, and St. Martin's Publishing Group for letting me read an eGalley copy in exchange for my honest review. Um, when does the next book come out? Is it soon? Please may I read it right away? Please??

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A Bad Day for Sunshine

A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's Sunshine Vicram's first day on the job as Sheriff of Del Sol County, New Mexico. She got elected despite being unaware she was even running, thanks to her parents, who were determined to both bring her back to Del Sol and get rid of the corrupt, inept incumbent. Within minutes of her arrival, homemade muffins are delivered, horrifying her staff, who have long since learned that the size of the muffin basket portends the scope of the crazy or catastrophic cases coming their way. Today's basket is huge, and sure enough, a short time later a Mercedes crashes through the front of the sheriff station, driven by a desperate mother whose teenage daughter has just been kidnapped--an event the daughter has been predicting since she was a little girl. Sunshine and her deputies have only three days to find Sybil before her captor kills her.

I stayed up WAY past bedtime because I couldn't stop reading until I finished this book. The writing style is very witty (quite similar to Jones' Charley Davidson series) and just as fast-paced as the plot. In fact, the relationship between Sunshine Vicram and her daughter Auri reminded me a lot of Lorelei & Rory Gilmore of Gilmore Girls. Well, except that Lorelei knows from the beginning who Rory's father is, and Sunshine doesn't figure out Auri's until WAY WAY WAY after the reader catches on.

For readers' advisors: story doorway is primary, language is secondary. The closest genre this book/series fits into at the moment is humorous mystery/suspense. There is a strong romantic subplot, (well, two, actually, and a bit of a third) but it will probably take another book or two (or 5, at the rate Sun's going) to develop into anything like a real relationship. There is one dream sequence that counts as a sex scene and some sexual references. Since the plot of the book focuses on a current and a past abduction, there is also reference to rape, in case that is a trigger for anyone. Also some off-screen violence, a bit of profanity sprinkled throughout, and on-screen teen bullying of Auri by a Mean Girl & her lackeys.

The diverse, quirky characters include many with brown skin in various shades and from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, chiefly Latino, African, and Apache. The father of one character is deaf, and another character is on the autism spectrum, so ASL is mentioned semi-frequently. Unlike with Jones' Charley Davidson series, there is only a hint of anything possibly beyond normal human experience. It's not urban fantasy. A minor character from the Charley series has a small cameo, however, and that was fun!

I read a free ebook ARC courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martins Press in exchange for my honest review. The only bad thing about that is that now I have to WAIT for the next book in the series to be written. Waiting is HARD.

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Twice in a Blue Moon

Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Tate Jones is 18 years old, her grandmother takes her on a rare vacation to London. While there, Tate meets the 21-year-old Sam Brandis and his grandfather, Luther, also on a rare vacation in London. The quartet spend most of their waking hours together, and Sam and Tate fall deeply in love, telling each other their deepest secrets: Tate is actually the daughter of Hollywood's biggest movie star, raised in a tiny town since her parents divorced a decade earlier, and despite being kept strictly out of the spotlight, what she really wants to do is act; and Sam would rather be a writer than take over the family farm. When circumstances cause Sam to sell Tate's identity to the paparazzi, she's devastated...and also plunged into the very career she secretly desired. For fourteen years, the pair have no contact, until the day the now-famous Tate steps foot on the set of the new movie she's about to film and is shocked to discover that the screenwriter is, in fact, Sam. Old wounds are reopened, lanced, and given an opportunity to finally heal.

I really enjoyed this quieter tale of first love and the struggle to understand and forgive. The common theme among reviewers who didn't like this book seems to be that they were all expecting the type of humor found in most of Christina Lauren's previous novels, so if readers set expectations aside (or read something else if they are in the mood for banter and slapstick), the tone of this book shines.

I did find that certain aspects of this story strained credulity, however. For one thing, once the initial shock of betrayal wore off, why didn't Tate ever ponder what could have caused Sam to sell her out? She had to have known it would take something extraordinary, and she knew the name of his town, so it wouldn't have been that hard to locate him. Likewise, she was insta-famous, so surely Sam could have tracked her down to apologize and explain?

For another thing, how on earth could Tate have read the movie script and NOT recognized the story? It was completely obvious who wrote it and about whom. Even if she didn't recognize it prior to arriving on set, she should have caught a clue the moment she discovered Sam was the screenwriter.

Also, despite her fourteen years in the spotlight, Tate remains surprisingly naive. She really should know better than to believe anything her father says--she KNOWS it's all an act. So why is she stunned when he betrays her in order to garner media attention? Then again, perhaps that is a common mistake for children of narcissistic parents to make because they so badly WANT to believe their parents might for once put their kids' needs ahead of their own? So maybe that's more accurate than I'd like to think.

Nonetheless, the overall story was really well done, and I greatly enjoyed it. Many many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review!

For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary. Some profanity and a couple of sex scenes. No violence. Main characters are white, but best friend is half Asian, step-grandfather (Sam's) & costar are African-American, & best friend's assistant is gay.

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When Dimple Met Rishi

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dimple is adamantly opposed to a traditional life and settling down. She sees romantic relationships as a threat to her plans for using her coding skills to design an app that would change people's lives by helping them manage their chronic illnesses. Rishi believes in traditions to the point of suppressing his own passion for creating comic art (graphic novels) in favor of following in his father's engineering footsteps. He's totally on board with the idea of an arranged marriage to the daughter of friends of his parents. Dimple? Not so much! Despite a less-than-auspicious first meeting, their attraction builds, and the two turn out to be a better team than either could ever imagine.

This character-driven YA romance is absolutely delightful, and the narrators make it even better! I'd been seeing this book mentioned over and over on #AskALibrarian on Twitter on Thursday mornings, and decided to see what all the fuss was about. I'm so glad I did. I loved it!

For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary. Some swearing, no violence, a tasteful fade-to-black first-time sex scene, and lots of kissing/petting. Main characters and their families are Indian-American. Another character is, I think, Hispanic? I forget exactly. The obnoxious "Aberzombies" are rich white kids.

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Royal Holiday

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hardworking hospital social worker Vivian Forest takes a long-overdue vacation to the English countryside, accompanying her daughter, Maddie, who's been hired to fill in as stylist to the Duchess during the Christmas holidays. The first morning they are at Sandringham, Vivian visits the kitchen to get some breakfast and discovers not only the cook's scrumptious scones, but also the equally scrumptious private secretary to the Queen, whom Vivian mentally nicknames "Hot Chocolate." The usually reserved Malcolm is astonished to find himself offering to give Vivian a tour, and even more startled when their flirtation grows to include horseback riding lessons, an exchange of humorous handwritten notes, kissing under mistletoe, and a full-blown fling. Sadly, all vacation flings must end, however. ...Musn't they?

I absolutely love that both Vivian and Malcolm are in their fifties. It's so nice to read about characters with established careers and lives, who know who they are and what they like and aren't straining to prove themselves. I so enjoyed Vivian's problem-solving skills and quiet, confident manner in rescuing Malcolm's relationship with his nephew. It did take Vivian a ridiculously long time to decide what to do about her promotion opportunity and Malcolm to sort through his feelings for Vivian, though. But it was probably pretty realistic.

For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary. There is some swearing and sex, although not especially explicit. No violence. The story takes place mostly in England, but also partly in the San Francisco Bay area. It's book #4 in a contemporary romance novel series featuring African-American protagonists, which I didn't realize until after I started reading, but it didn't seem to matter much that I read out of order.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an eGalley copy!

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Someone to Trust

Someone to Trust by Mary Balogh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This leisurely paced, delightful tale of a couple finding the courage to buck societal norms and say yes to love is a perfect cozy winter read. Elizabeth is nine years older than Colin--a fact which would be unusual but no big deal in modern society but which was practically unheard of in upper class Regency England. Since this is book #5 in the series (reading in order is recommended, as the many characters reappear in all books), I was cheering as two of my favorite secondary characters got their well-deserved HEA together.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an eGalley ARC copy!

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Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first time Hazel met Josh, she propositioned him and then threw up on his shoes. The second time, he walked in on her having sex with his roommate. The third time, he was the TA in her anatomy class. It's not an auspicious beginning for a relationship, but despite Hazel's wildly quirky personality, lack of a verbal filter, and propensity for mishaps, she's innately lovable. So when they meet years later at a BBQ at Josh's sister's house, and Hazel decides he's going to be her new best friend (in addition to his sister, who is her current best friend), she's absolutely right.  When Josh breaks up with his girlfriend, she talks him into setting each other up on a series of double blind dates.  Unsurprisingly, these don't go as planned.

I loved that this book was set in Portland, Oregon! Truthfully, it could almost have been set in any large city, but I enjoyed the local references nonetheless.

I laughed out loud so many times while reading, especially in the first half of the book. Once, I even laughed until I cried. Such witty banter and ridiculous chaos follow Hazel wherever she goes! I'm sure I would have a much harder time dealing with her in real life, but as a character, she's hilarious.

I also really appreciated that Josh and Emily were Korean, and I loved how Christina Lauren wove Korean culture into the fabric of the characters' lives. Made me miss my honorary Korean family so much!

One small thing that irked me, though, was that although Hazel has an (hysterically inappropriate) mnemonic device for remembering all eight types of pronouns, the author hasn't yet fully learned the difference between "who" and "whom"...and neither has her copy editor. Still, my issue was with only one scene out of a whole book, so that's a pretty minor complaint.

For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary, story secondary. There is a LOT of swearing and sexual content--from sex jokes and references to a few fairly explicit sex scenes. Also quite a bit of drinking or references to alcohol. No violence, other than Josh getting clobbered in the head a couple of times.

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Summoned to Thirteenth Grave

Summoned to Thirteenth Grave by Darynda Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After a hundred years, give or take, in featureless dimension with only wraiths for company, Charley is back on planet Earth! In the Sahara Desert, to be exact. But not for long, because the hell dimension she and Reyes accidentally opened in their apartment is spreading. Rapidly. And demons are infecting dozens of innocent humans, sometimes with fatal consequences. Time to gather her pals, both human and supernatural, and figure out a way to close the Shade dimension back up again before it swallows the planet and all of the coffee in the universe. Which would be a catastrophe of decaffeinated proportions.

The last book in the series! Thankfully, Ms. Jones leaves the door wide open for a spin-off series...most likely featuring Beep. Whew!

For readers' advisors: story and character doorways are strong. It's also got a language doorway (humor) for those who enjoy Charley's wise-cracking dialogue and have a high tolerance for profanity, including the "c" word that I personally loathe and wish had been omitted. There are descriptions of violence as demons (and a lion) rip people and ghosts to bits, and there are some steamy sex scenes.

Many many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eGalley copy in exchange for my honest review.

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The Shortest Way Home

The Shortest Way Home by Miriam Parker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hannah thinks she's got her life planned out: graduate, marry her boyfriend, take a high-powered job in NY, and live the "good life." And then a couple of weeks before graduation, a weekend getaway to wine country in California changes everything. Suddenly she's not sure whether she wants the life she's constructed.

I was expecting a romance, but she ends up breaking up with the boyfriend (smart) and backing off on starting a new relationship with the owner's son (after they sleep together), so it's not a romance novel. It's more of a finding-yourself-after-grad-school story.

I have no idea what's up with the title, as the main character seems to take the LONGEST way to figure out where home is and to come to terms with where she's from & call her mom back. Hannah had so much growing up to do--I never did quite grasp her need to flee her humble roots.

For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary. Contemporary setting, leisurely pace.

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