Everything After by Jill Santopolo

I usually cry when reading Jill Santopolo, but I was not mentally prepared for the emotional rollercoaster of this heart-wrenching novel.

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Emily has come a long way since she lost her two passions fifteen years ago: music, and Rob. She's a psychologist at NYU who helps troubled college students like the one she once was. Together with her caring doctor husband, Ezra, she has a beautiful life. They're happy. They hope to start a family. But when a tragic event in Emily's present too closely echoes her past, and parts of her story that she'd hoped never to share come to light, her perfect life is suddenly upturned. Then Emily hears a song on the radio about the woman who got away. The melody and voice are hauntingly familiar. Could it be? As Emily's past passions come roaring back into her life, she'll find herself asking: Who is she meant to be? Who is she meant to love?

Pub Date 09 Mar 2021

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

"And while my story is terrible, every woman has faced a man's wickedness to some degree. Even you."

There is nothing terrible about this novel. I just HAD to know what happened to the characters before I fell asleep. I desperately want to go mudlarking (Yeah, I didn't know what it was either, look it up! It sounds fun!) and down a research rabbit hole now with Sarah Penner. When's the next book coming out?

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Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.

Meanwhile in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.

With crackling suspense, unforgettable characters and searing insight, The Lost Apothecary is a subversive and intoxicating debut novel of secrets, vengeance and the remarkable ways women can save each other despite the barrier of time.

Pub Date 02 Mar 2021 

Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron

Note to self, do not read this on an empty stomach. Otherwise, be prepared to place an order on instacart and grubhub. I'm preordering this romance for my overseas friends and starting a bookclub.

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When it comes to bread, Reena Manji knows exactly what she's doing. She treats her sourdough starters like (somewhat unruly) children. But when it comes to Reena's actual family -- and their constant meddling in her life-well, that recipe always ends in disaster.

Now Reena's parents have found her yet another potential Good Muslim Husband. This one has the body of Captain America, a delicious British accent, and lives right across the hall. He's the perfect, mouthwatering temptation . . . and completely ruined by the unwelcome side dish of parental interference.

Reena refuses to marry anyone who works for her father. She won't be attracted to Nadim's sweet charm or gorgeous lopsided smile. That is, until the baking opportunity of a lifetime presents itself: a couples' cooking competition with the prize of her dreams. Reena will do anything to win -- even asking Nadim to pretend they're engaged. But when it comes to love, baking your bread doesn't always mean you get to eat it too.

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Pub Date 02 Mar 2021

The Stills by Jess Montgomery

Reading this novel made me feel so much better about quarantine and the craziness of 2020 and 2021. I'm so glad that we aren't living in Prohibition right now! Also so grateful for my modern life in Appalachia and having broken through poverty.

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Pub Date 09 Mar 2021

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

I'm hooked on the first four chapters and buying the book. Whose this Daniel guy and what is his angle? 

Sips tea and squints eyes. Flips page.

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Samiah Brooks never thought she would be “that” girl. But a live tweet of a horrific date just revealed the painful truth: she’s been catfished by a three-timing jerk of a boyfriend. Suddenly Samiah-along with his two other “girlfriends,” London and Taylor — have gone viral online. Now the three new besties are making a pact to spend the next six months investing in themselves. No men, no dating, and no worrying about their relationship status . . .

For once Samiah is putting herself first, and that includes finally developing the app she’s always dreamed of creating. Which is the exact moment she meets the deliciously sexy, honey-eyed Daniel Collins at work. What are the chances? When it comes to love, there’s no such thing as a coincidence. But is Daniel really boyfriend material or is he maybe just a little too good to be true?

Pub Date 09 Jun 2020

Up for Air by Christina Berry

I've always had the rule of not sharing sexual partners or toothbrushes, but after this novel, damn if I ain't curious about the "what-ifs".

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At a funeral on her 29th birthday, Ari takes stock of her life and comes to a startling conclusion: she’s not happy. Mired in a relationship that’s gone stale, she approaches her husband Greg about opening their marriage. To her shock, he agrees.

Ari throws herself headlong into an adventure through the bars and bedrooms of Austin. For the first time in her life she’s living in the moment – sex and kink, karaoke and drink – new friends, new lovers, new boundaries to cross. It’s all just innocent, no-strings fun…until she meets Alex.

Alex changes everything. While Ari and Greg grapple with their changing relationship, Ari struggles to control her heart. During hedonistic self- discovery, has she stumbled across love?

Book one of the Lost In Austin series, Up for Air is a sexy, funny, heartfelt romp through life, love, and adulthood.

Pub Date 11 Feb 2021

RomCom Author Panel

I was so happy to virtually attend the RomCom Author Panel event with Waseca-Le Sueur Regional Library System where Abby Jimenez, Helena Hunting, and Lyssa Kay Adams talk about writing and reading romance. Tune in at the 10:00 mark to hear my question answered! Abby and Lyssa's answer was so empowering. 

When Twilight Breaks by Sarah Sundin

Evelyn is a strong, independent woman and is an inspiration to fight for what you believe in. I went down a rabbit hole because character names were so familiar to me and I needed to know more. The number of times I held my breath while reading caused hiccups; I regret none of it.

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Munich, 1938. Evelyn Brand is an American foreign correspondent as determined to prove her worth in a male-dominated profession as she is to expose the growing tyranny in Nazi Germany. To do so, she must walk a thin line. If she offends the government, she could be expelled from the country--or worse. If she fails to truthfully report on major stories, she'll never be able to give a voice to the oppressed--and wake up the folks back home.

In another part of the city, American graduate student Peter Lang is working on his PhD in German. Disillusioned with the chaos in the world due to the Great Depression, he is impressed with the prosperity and order of German society. But when the brutality of the regime hits close, he discovers a far better way to use his contacts within the Nazi party--to feed information to the shrewd reporter he can't get off his mind.

Pub Date 02 Feb 2021

The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan

I enjoyed how the characters intertwined and how their stories converged with fate. This resonated with me—

“..it is only as teenagers that we plunge into love as if we were going to die the next day. The older we get, the more we hem and haw; as if time no longer mattered. Isn’t it funny?”

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When Anne-Lise Briard books a room at the Beau Rivage Hotel for her vacation on the Brittany coast, she has no idea this trip will start her on the path to unearthing a mystery. In search of something to read, she opens up her bedside table drawer in her hotel room, and inside she finds an abandoned manuscript. Halfway through the pages, an address is written. She sends pages to the address, in hopes of potentially hearing a response from the unknown author. But not before she reads the story and falls in love with it. The response, which she receives a few days later, astonishes her…


Not only does the author write back, but he confesses that he lost the manuscript 30 years prior on a flight to Montreal. And then he reveals something even more shocking—that he was not the author of the second half of the book.

Anne-Lise can’t rest until she discovers who this second mystery author is, and in doing so tracks down every person who has held this manuscript in their hands. Through the letters exchanged by the people whose lives the manuscript has touched, she discovers long-lost love stories and intimate secrets. Romances blossom and new friends are made. Everyone's lives are made better by this book—and isn't that the point of reading? And finally, with a plot twist you don't see coming, she uncovers the astonishing identity of the author who finished the story.

Pub Date 12 Jan 2021 

The Garden of Promises and Lies by Paula Brackston

I didn't download this NetGalley book in time before the publish and archive date, but my local library came to the rescue with the audiobook. This was my first audiobook experience and I am so grateful to our libraries because being able to "read" while taking care of my toddler has been my newfound favorite thing.

 I am absolutely enthralled with the Found Things series and can't wait for the next release! If someone would make a fanfiction copy of the spinner's book, my life would be complete. (Paula, please do write this as well. Also, could we create merch that involves teapots and such for you? I'm in, take my money.)

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New York Times bestselling author Paula Brackston's second novel in the Found Things series, Secrets of the Chocolate House, was called a "time-swapping romance [that] will please fans of Alice Hoffman" (Publishers Weekly). Now, Brackston returns to the Found Things series with a third book, The Garden of Promises and Lies.


As the bustle of the winter holidays in the Little Shop of Found Things gives way to spring, Xanthe is left to reflect on the strange events of the past year. While she's tried to keep her time-traveling talents a secret from those close to her, she is forced to take responsibility for having inadvertently transported the dangerous Benedict Fairfax to her own time. Xanthe comes to see that she must use her skills as a Spinner if she and Flora are ever to be safe, and turns to the Spinners book for help.

It is then that a beautiful antique wedding dress sings to her. Realizing the dress and her adversary are connected in some way, she answers the call. She finds herself in Bradford-on-Avon in 1815, as if she has stepped into a Jane Austen story.

Now in Xanthe's time, Fairfax is threatening Xanthe into helping him with his evil doings, and demonstrates all too clearly how much damage he is capable of causing. With Fairfax growing ever more powerful, Xanthe enlists the help of her boyfriend Liam, taking him back in time with her. It is a decision that might just ensure she prevails over her foe, but only by putting her life—and his—on the line.

Pub Date 15 Dec 2020

Casting Shadows by Dziyana Taylor

West Virginia has a piece of my heart, as do authors that write about it. The time pieces were beautifully interwoven and immersed me in her thoughts. Well done!

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For two years, Rebecca Grimwood has been plagued by the same dream: an overturned ambulance vehicle, a long winding road, a motorcycle, and a man whose face she can’t make out. Dreams are just dreams, though, and she tries not to pay them much notice. Yet when a fortune teller tells Rebecca that her destiny involves a sacrifice, Rebecca seeks the answers she didn’t know she needed. To find them, she returns to the beginning: her old hometown of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

There’s always been something haunting about Harpers Ferry— maybe because it’s old Civil War ground, or the fact that ever since arriving, Rebecca has started seeing things she can’t explain. Things lurking in the shadows, in the farthest corners of streets, their voices whispering. Things out to get her. But one night, when a man named Derek saves her from certain death, Rebecca can’t help but feel that some good can come from the shadows.

Pub Date 12 Jan 2021 

A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe

It is so refreshing to have characters that are neither completely enthralled with motherhood nor pretending that motherhood is the end-all of the dreams and goals that make their life complete.

"It’s this motherhood thing that is making you look so cadaverous,” she said, giving me another once-over. I shrugged. “Small children are terrible, Katharina. Everyone knows it, but nobody says it out loud. It makes us look weak and cowardly. Unfeminine.”

It is truly frustrating that society still expects motherhood to make us fulfilled and to never complain about our children, or how exhausting it is mentally and emotionally.

I related with Katharina so much; post-partum depression, missing my career, not having "a village" to raise children on the hard days, a husband always working, and completely clueless on what it takes to survive daily. I'd take this woman for cocktails immediately.

Buy this novel. Seriously. Pour a martini and lock yourself in the bathroom. Make the spouse deal with the kids while you read this.

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A Fifth Avenue address, parties at the Plaza, two healthy sons, and the ideal husband: what looks like a perfect life for Katharina Edgeworth is anything but. It’s 1954, and the post-war American dream has become a nightmare.

A born and bred New Yorker, Katharina is the daughter of immigrants, Ivy-League-educated, and speaks four languages. As a single girl in 1940s Manhattan, she is a translator at the newly formed United Nations, devoting her days to her work and the promise of world peace—and her nights to cocktails and the promise of a good time.

Now the wife of a beloved pediatric surgeon and heir to a shipping fortune, Katharina is trapped in a gilded cage, desperate to escape the constraints of domesticity. So when she is approached by the FBI and asked to join their ranks as an informant, Katharina seizes the opportunity. A man from her past has become a high-level Soviet spy, but no one has been able to infiltrate his circle. Enter Katharina, the perfect woman for the job.

Navigating the demands of the FBI and the secrets of the KGB, she becomes a courier, carrying stolen government documents from D.C. to Manhattan. But as those closest to her lose their covers, and their lives, Katharina’s secret soon threatens to ruin her.

With the fast-paced twists of a classic spy thriller, and a nuanced depiction of female experience, A Woman of Intelligence shimmers with intrigue and desire.

Pub Date 20 Jul 2021

Wild Women and the Blues by Denny S. Bryce

This novel was an amazing stroll through Chicago’s history of jazz music and a beautiful blend of past, present, and how they intertwine. Five stars!

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1925: Chicago is the jazz capital of the world, and the Dreamland Café is the ritziest black-and-tan club in town. Honoree Dalcour is a sharecropper's daughter, willing to work hard and dance every night on her way to the top. Dreamland offers a path to the good life, socializing with celebrities like Louis Armstrong and filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. But Chicago is also awash in bootleg whiskey, gambling, and gangsters. And a young woman driven by ambition might risk more than she can stand to lose.

2015: Film student Sawyer Hayes arrives at the bedside of 110-year-old Honoree Dalcour, still reeling from a devastating loss that has taken him right to the brink. Sawyer has rested all his hope on this frail but formidable woman, the only living link to the legendary Oscar Micheaux. If he's right--if she can fill in the blanks in his research, perhaps he can complete his thesis and begin a new chapter in his life. But the links Honoree makes are not ones he's expecting...

Piece by piece, Honoree reveals her past and her secrets, while Sawyer fights tooth and nail to keep his. It's a story of courage and ambition, hot jazz and illicit passions. And as past meets present, for Honoree, it's a final chance to be truly heard and seen before it's too late. No matter the cost...



Book Release Date 30 Mar 2021

Jackson by LaQuette

I need a fan and a glass of sweet tea on the front porch after reading this novel. I never realized that Texas Rangers were real until now (yep, 32 and thought they were only fictional), but man do I want a trip to Texas now. 

If you want a mysterious-thriller-romance this is for you. 

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Aja Everett longs to turn her old family ranch into a place where anyone can find rest and healing. But her big heart's bound to get her in trouble if she's not careful—someone wants her gone, and they'll do whatever it takes to drive her away from the land that's her lifeblood. Whether she's willing to admit it or not, she needs help.

She needs a man like Ranger Jackson Dean.

Jackson doesn't trust love. He once made the mistake of following his heart and all he'd gotten was pain in return. But when city-slicking do-gooder Aja Everett asks for his help, he can't stay away...and as attraction sizzles and protective instincts flare, she may be the only woman able to restore the heart of this Texas Ranger.

Pub Date 23 Feb 2021