Monday, June 30, 2025

Michele's Monday Picks #73

Angela is so generous to let me pop in with my little series, Michele’s Monday Picks!  I’m not a blogger or bookstagrammer, but I love getting excited about new releases with the rest of you.  Here I’ll be sharing new books I’m really looking forward to!

***********************************************************************


By Sarah MacLean
Expected Publication: July 8, 2025

From Goodreads:
New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean’s first foray into contemporary fiction, with a sharp, sexy novel about a wealthy New England family's long-overdue reckoning with hidden desires, destructive secrets…and one week that threatens to tear them apart.

Alice isn't like the other Storm siblings. While the rest stayed to battle for their parents' approval, attention, and untold billions, she left, building her own life beyond the family’s name and influence. Nothing could induce her to come back, except the shocking death of her larger-than-life father. Now back on the family’s private island off the Rhode Island coast, she plans to keep her head down, pay the last of her respects, and leave the minute the funeral is over.

Unfortunately, her father had other plans. The eccentric, manipulative patriarch left his widow and their grown children a final challenge--an inheritance game designed to humiliate, devastate, and unravel the Storm family in ways both petty and life-altering. The rules of the game are clear: stay on the island for one week, complete the tasks, receive the inheritance.

One week on Storm Island is an impossible task for Alice. Every corner of the sprawling old house is bursting dysfunctional chaos: Her older sister’s secret love affair. Her brother’s incessant mansplaining. Her sister-in-law’s unapologetic greed. Her younger sister’s obsession with "vibes". Her mother’s penchant for stirring up competition between her children. And all under the stern, watchful gaze of Jack Dean, her father’s enigmatic, unfairly good-looking, second-in-command. It will be a miracle if Alice manages to escape the week unscathed.

A story about the transformative power of grief, love, and family, this luscious novel is at once deliciously clever and surprisingly tender, exploring past secrets, present truths, and futures forged in the wake of wild summer storms.

I have enjoyed Sarah MacLean’s historicals and am really excited for a contemporary from her! Do you think you’ll be picking this one up?

Friday, June 27, 2025

Recent Reads

 Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey (2025)

Sig and Chloe's immediate attraction to each other faces a big problem when they soon realize they're about to be stepsiblings.  Knowing a relationship between them would be seriously taboo and may have serious consequences for their careers, the two try to stay away from each other, romantically at least.  But can they truly fight their feelings?  I didn't really feel the "forbidden love" aspect of this - being related by marriage is way different than being related by blood, and especially when I figured out how Bailey was going to get around the issue, it seemed like it was making too big a deal out of the stepsibling deal.  I loved the way Sig was so protective of Chloe and wanted to help her become independent from her mother, but Chloe was a bit frustrating at times - she knew NOTHING about how to live on her own.  Like, stop buying eye cream and pay your rent!  You seem like a shopaholic who has no regard for actual life responsibilities.  In any event, I also enjoyed the interactions with Sig's fellow sports guys - always good for a laugh!  And Bailey is killing it with the epilogues in this series - I love the glimpses into the future - they make me feel all warm and cozy! 3.5 stars


A Gentleman and a Thief: The Daring Jewel Heists of a Jazz Age Rogue by Dean Jobb (2024)

During the 1920s, conman and thief Arthur Barry executed many heists, eventually stealing millions of dollars' worth of jewels.  His preferred method was to slip in and out of a house through an upper window, sometimes while the residents were downstairs eating dinner or even while they were sleeping just feet away.  Eventually, he was caught and sentenced to prison, but when his wife Anna became sick, he broke out so he could be with her.  This was an interesting, although sometimes repetitive, book.  It tells the life story of Arthur Barry in great detail and the many crimes he admitted to (and others he was suspected of).  Despite being a criminal, Barry came across as quite a gentleman, often dressing in a dapper suit and speaking politely to his victims.  Violence was a rarity for him.  His victims included some of the most famous people of the time; he was even accused of kidnapping the Lindbergh baby.  Fans of narrative nonfiction, true crime, and the Jazz Age will enjoy this book.  4 stars


* This post contains affiliate links; I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Release Event with Hazel Gaynor

Last week, my sister and I headed to Thunder Road Books in Spring Lake, New Jersey, to attend a release event celebrating Hazel Gaynor and her newest book, Before Dorothy.  Hazel was in conversation with Kate, the store manager, and they talked all about Hazel's Wizard of Oz inspiration for the book, the research she did into the Dust Bowl to bring the setting to life, and what she's working on next (spoiler: nothing!  She's taking a much-deserved break to be with her family for awhile).  



The event took place in the store, and there were no more than 30 or so people in attendance, making it an intimate evening.  I like small events like these because they feel so personal.  Hazel was so lovely and charming and funny; her passion for this book really came through!  The audience was given time to ask some questions, as well.

After the interview, we were all given a chance to meet Hazel, chat for a minute, get the book signed, and snag a picture!  I always get a little star-struck and tongue-tied when meeting my favorite authors, and this was no exception.  But, I managed to squeak something out that was hopefully coherent!



We had a great time at this event and look forward to hopefully attending more there someday!

Monday, June 23, 2025

Michele's Monday Picks #72

Angela is so generous to let me pop in with my little series, Michele’s Monday Picks!  I’m not a blogger or bookstagrammer, but I love getting excited about new releases with the rest of you.  Here I’ll be sharing new books I’m really looking forward to!

***************************************************************************
 

By Amy Barry
Expected Publication: July 2, 2025

From Goodreads:
From the beloved author of Kit McBride Gets a Wife and Marrying Off Morgan McBride comes a ‘sweet, hilarious and totally delicious’ love story (Hannah Grace). Beau McBride wants a wife, and his meddling little sister Junebug is itching to find him a mail-order bride. But why stop at just one?

Beau McBride reckons he’s ready for marriage. But his ego is bigger than his brain, and his little sister Junebug can’t trust him to find the right woman. So they make a bet, both placing ads in the Matrimonial News to find the perfect bride. Junebug is set on winning, but there’s a hitch: Beau has made his pick, and she’s beyond beautiful. Junebug knows looks ain’t everything, so to even the odds she invites six more women to meet her brother.

Ellie Neale doesn’t expect much from life. Which is good, since life hasn’t given her much, except a head full of daydreams and her beautiful best friend Diana. But after answering an ad to be a mail-order bride, Diana is leaving for Montana. Ellie is happy for her, really she is ... after all, she was the one who wrote Diana’s letters for her.
Ellie can’t bear the thought of losing Diana, so she answers an ad from a man in the same town her friend is headed for. But when they arrive, Ellie and Diana discover they’ve answered an ad for the same husband. Along with five other women.

With seven brides vying for Beau’s attention, he needs to make a decision – fast. The only problem is, his heart is pulled to the one woman who wants nothing to do with him.


I have loved this series so far and highly recommend the audiobooks! Do you think you’ll be picking this one up?

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Overruled

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

Lana Ferguson
Expected publication date: July 1, 2025
Two divorce lawyers determined to share only beds but not hearts discover that love is something that can’t be overruled in this steamy contemporary romance by Lana Ferguson, USA Today bestselling author of The Game Changer.

Danica Pierce has one great love in her life: work. As one of the top divorce lawyers in Austin, Danica lets her caseload keep her warm at night and has no problem being married to her job, not when love only ends in hurt. When the biggest case of her career gives her a shot at making partner, it seems like nothing could possibly stand in her way...except for her infuriating secret: she's sleeping with the enemy.

Ezra Hart is known for charming his way in and out of a courtroom. In the matter of winning Danica Pierce's heart, however, he's been far less successful. With her verdict to keep things purely physical with no chance of appeal, Ezra struggles to show Danica he's more than the insufferable playboy she's pegged him to be--especially since they find themselves on opposing sides of Danica's most important case to date.

While Dani and Ezra battle it out in the courtroom, the real trial is the one happening between them. When Dani realizes that everything she knows of Ezra might be hearsay--and that she's not the only one with emotional baggage--she must choose between her fear of trusting again and the feelings blossoming between her and the man she thought was her worst enemy. - from Goodreads


Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Top Ten Tuesday: My Summer TBR

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is our summer TBR.  I've picked a mix of new and older titles, trying to hit both my unread shelf and my library!  Have you read any of these?  Where should I start?



Friday, June 13, 2025

Recent Reads

The Ship Beneath the Ice by Mensun Bound (2024)

Ever since I learned about Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 27 being marooned on the ice near Antarctica in 1914-1915 following the sinking of their ship, Endurance, and ultimately all surviving the ordeal, I have been fascinated.  I was so happy to come across this book by Mensun Bound, which details his two expeditions to the site of the sinking to attempt to locate the Endurance at the bottom of the Weddell Sea.  Bound is an incredible storyteller, setting up the book in a sort of diary format of each day of the voyages, giving background on Shackleton and his voyage mixed with happenings from Bound's own.  Even if you don't know the entire Shackleton story, Bound does a great job of providing you with details both big and small.  He also explains the technology and science behind his own expedition in an easy-to-read way.  Readers will feel his disappointment at not finding the Endurance during the first trip and elation at the discovery during the second.  Overall, a must-read for Shackleton enthusiasts but also a great read for those new to the subject.  4.5 stars


Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez (2025)

After a not-so-meet-cute and an unforgettable first date, Samantha and Xavier decide a relationship between them can go no further, as Samantha is moving 2,000 miles away to help take care of her mother.  But, the two can't seem to forget each other and commit to making it work.  This was a rough one for me, not in that it was a bad story at all, but it was just so heavy and often sad.  I loved Samantha and Xavier together, and the way Jimenez juxtaposed their desire to make lasting memories and create a life together with the way Samantha's mom was being lost to dementia was especially poignant.  But their time together was often pierced with hardship, and it made me wonder if, despite their love for each other, it was really worth it.  It just seemed like hardly anything went right for them, and that made it a tough read.  I felt like Xavier was perhaps a little too perfect - yes, he had a terrible childhood, but as an adult, he always seems to say and do the right thing at all times and it felt unrealistic.  And with Samantha's family, I was a little confused at the beginning; we were just kind of dropped into their situation with not much explanation.  3.5 stars


* This post contains affiliate links; I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.