A Cowboy’s Wish Upon a Star
Texas Rescue #5
Caro Carson
Contemporary / Western / Hollywood Romance
Harlequin
November 21, 2016
Paperback
224
Goodreads First Reads
June 7 - 17, 2023
From Hollywood…
A cattle ranch is the perfect place for movie star Sophia Jackson to escape her scandalous past and the paparazzi hot on her trail. But foreman Travis Chalmers makes it clear who's running the ranch. When their constant clashing ignites unexpected attraction, Sophia takes on her greatest acting role: pretending she isn't falling for the sexy, domineering cowboy.
…to Motherhood
Once Travis sweeps her into his arms at her sister's wedding, she knows the feeling's mutual. But a precious secret followed Sophia to Texas. And now a Hollywood hurricane is about to blow through Travis's peaceful Texas town. Is the mother-to-be ready to fight for her future and see her most passionate Christmas wish granted—she and Travis vowing to love each other forever?
I’ll be real with you, I 100% thought this was going to be a quick romance with zero depth that made me roll my eyes every other page.
I was wrong.
Sophia is a Hollywood A-List actress who fell in with a bad boy rockstar who’s trashed her reputation. In order to avoid more scandal, she’s agreed to lock herself up at a Texas cattle ranch.
Enter Travis, the ranch’s foreman, who wants nothing less than to “babysit” this city girl. Except, from the moment he lay eyes on her, he’s enchanted. He sees below the facade she wears, but knows nothing can happen between them.
What Travis doesn’t know, and Sophia won’t admit even to herself, is that she’s pregnant, and her isolation is also to keep her pregnancy a secret until she gives birth and gives the baby up for adoption.
Despite a rocky start, these two find a connection. But can it last with Sophia’s big secret looming between them?
This was such a charming story. It wasn’t too country/cowboy western, and it wasn’t too Hollywood. It was really just the story of two people. Absolutely recommend this one to fans of the romance genre.
Suddenly a Murder
Lauren Muñoz
YA Mystery
G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
September 5, 2023
E-ARC
320
NetGalley
July 12- 28, 2023
Seven friends throw a 1920s-themed party, where it's all pretend—until one of them is murdered. One of Us Is Lying meets Knives Out in this killer locked-room mystery.
Someone brought a knife to the party.
To celebrate the end of high school, Izzy Morales joins her ride-or-die Kassidy and five friends on a 1920s-themed getaway at the glamorous Ashwood Manor. There, Izzy and her friends party in vintage dresses and expensive diamonds—until Kassidy's boyfriend turns up dead.
Murdered, investigators declare when they arrive at the scene, and now every party guest is a suspect. There's the girlfriend, in love. The other girl, in despair. The old friend, forlorn. The new friend, distressed. The brooding enigma. And then, there's Izzy—the girl who brought the knife.
To find the killer, everyone must undergo a grueling interrogation, all while locked in an estate where, suddenly, the greatest luxury is innocence.
The blurb for this book compares it to One of Us is Lying and Knives Out… and while I can see the parallels, honestly, I think Suddenly a Murder is far more entertaining. I was engaged in the story from the very beginning.
Izzy is a student at a high school for rich kids, and the only reason she’s able to go there is because her mother is a teacher at the school. She and her bestie, Kassidy, are both obsessed with the 1920s and for a graduation gift, Kassidy rents out a beautiful historic house on a private island for Izzy, Kassidy, Kassidy’s boyfriend Blaine, and a group of their fellow graduates to celebrate their freedom from high school—bonus, this house was where one of their favorite 1920s movies was filmed!
Kassidy, being the dramatic young woman that she is, insists that in order for the week to be authentic, nothing modern is to be allowed on the island. That means no cellphones, no modern clothing, nothing! She’s stocked each room with period clothing for each guest and after instructing them to change, has everything modern shipped back to the main land. The week is going to be epic.
But not everything is champagne and glitter when one of them ends up dead. And we know from almost page one that Izzy brought the murder weapon to the island.
Enter the detectives who work to read between all of the lies and piece together the real story of what happened to Blaine, Kassidy’s boyfriend-of-four-years-turned-murder-victim. Everyone loved Blaine, who could do such a thing? But as the friends tell their stories, we quickly learn that more than one person has motive for murder.
To be honest, a lot of the characters blurred together. I don’t think this was poor writing, more just a me problem. I read this book in small pieces over a longer period of time than it would’ve taken me if I only read one book at a time, and when there are as many characters as this book has, and they’re all introduced relatively quickly, I sometimes struggle to keep them straight. I was able to keep up well enough and it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story at all.
All of the characters in this book were enjoyable but my favorite was Pilar de León, the detective merely consulting on the investigation. She was a woman seemingly full of secrets, who could easily act like your best friend one moment only to arrest you the next. She was wonderful. I’d love to read more books based on her investigating crimes and mysteries.
As for the books ending…I didn’t call it. At all. I love when a book is able to literally keep me guessing until the very last pages and Lauren Muñoz succeeded in doing so. This is an author I will keep on my radar. I can’t wait to read what she comes up with next!
The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the cover (sorry!)
5 glorious stars for Suddenly a Murder and, hands down, one of my top reads for 2023.
* Shout out to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a review in exchange for my honest review!
People We Meet on Vacation
Emily Henry
Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction
Berkley
May 11, 2021
Audiobook
364
Public Library
May 31 - June 8, 2023
Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love.
Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.
It’s a hard thing to determine, but I think this may be my favorite Emily Henry book so far.
Poppy and Alex met in college. They both grew up in the same small town in Ohio and ended up at the same Chicago college, but that’s where the similarities end. And yet, thanks to a shared road trip home from college that first year, they quickly became the best of friends.
Just. Friends.
Bouncing back and forth between present day and the many annual summer trips the pair have taken over the past decade or so, we watch Poppy and Alex’s friendship grow and change. No matter what happens to the other, a bad breakup or a serious illness, the other is always there for them. They have the friendship dreams are made of.
Except something happened two years before the story begins. We don’t find out what that something is until later in the book, but we know that whatever it was, it led to Poppy and Alex not speaking for two whole years.
Feeling lost in her life and career, Poppy sends a text to Alex and asks him if he’s open to joining her on one more vacation, for old times sake. Turns out, he can’t, his brother is getting married in Palm Springs, but…would she like to come? With that, Poppy winds up in Palm Springs with Alex on the worst vacation ever. From the joke of a rental car to the Air B&N’s AC failing. Basically, if it could go wrong, it will.
But despite all that goes wrong, Poppy is just so happy to have Alex back in her life again. But is their friendship beyond repair? Can they go back to the way things used to be?
I love these characters. So much. I love all of Emily Henry’s characters, but these two were by far my favorite. Poppy, the wild free-spirit big city girl and Alex, the quiet and reserved home town school teacher/writer.
Their journey’s, both independently and together, were a joy. I felt like I was there with them on every trip they took.
This is a 5 star read and I would absolutely read it again.
Beach Read
Emily Henry
Women's Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Berkley
May 19, 2020
Audiobook
358
Public Library
May 6 - 11, 2023
A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters. Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast. They’re polar opposites.
It is my firm believe that Emily Henry is unable to write a bad book. Every book of hers I’ve read (and I’m quickly working my way through her entire backlist) has been varying degrees of amazing. Beach Read is no exception.
January is in a writing rut. Little does she know, her college nemesis, Agustus, is also in a rut. And fate has thrown them together.
When January’s father passes away unexpectantly and his secrets come to light, January begins to doubt everything she believed about love. When your lifelong example of a perfect couple experiencing true love turns out to be a sham, how are you supposed to write a believable love story? She’s blocked.
It’s as January is attempting to clear out the house her father owned in a small town she never knew about, that she reconnects with Agustus. He is also a writer struggling with his latest book. The pair exchange words and a bet is presented. He could never write a book with a happy ending, and she could never write a book where terrible things happen to the characters.
With the bet going strong, the pair take turns opening the others eyes to the romance and the darkness of the world, respectively.
What I love most about Emily Henry’s books is the characters. No two characters she writes are the same, each one has their own quirks and personality, and I love them all.
In the end, will January find her passion for romance again, or will her writing take a darker turn? And what about Agustus? And during their bet, will the pair move past their old college rivalry?
Look, if you read this review you’ve wasted time. Go find a copy of an Emily Henry book. This one, another one, I don’t care. They’re all amazing.
Sweet Tea at Sunrise
The Sweet Magnolias #6
Sherryl Woods
Contemporary Romance
MIRA
April 27, 2010
Audiobook
392
Public Library
May 26 - 31, 2023
Emotionally wounded single mom Sarah Price has come home to Serenity, South Carolina, for a fresh start. With support from her two best friends—the newest generation of the Sweet Magnolias—she can face any crisis. But sometimes a woman needs more than even treasured friends can provide. Sexy Travis McDonald may be exactly what Sarah's battered self-confidence requires. The newcomer is intent on getting Sarah to work at his fledgling radio station…and maybe into his bed, as well. Sarah has learned not to trust sweet words. She'll measure the man by his actions. Is Travis the one to heal her heart? Or will he break it again?
Hands down, this is the best book in the Sweet Magnolia’s series. I was going to quit listening to these books after #4, but #5 was Annie’s story, and I loved her character arc in book #2, so I stuck it out for her book. And it was kind of disappointing and not fully fleshed out. But they introduced Sarah in that book, and I liked her. She seemed like she had a good story to tell. And I was right!
Sweet Tea at Sunrise was actually sort of a work place romance. When newcomer Travis McDonald shows up in town, he takes a liking to Sarah, who is the waitress at the restaurant he’s been frequenting. He admires her ability to chat so effortlessly with all of her customers, and when he decides to buy the old defunct newsstand and start up a new radio station in Serenity, he knows Sarah would be the perfect voice to put on air.
Sarah, however, has reservations about Travis. As a former pro baseball player, he has a reputation for having his way with women. Having just come out of an emotionally abusive relationship, Sarah is in no place to let herself get hurt. Reluctantly, she accepts his offer to put her on the radio, and she finds herself shocked to realize she’s quite good at the job.
Sparks are flying between the pair, but will Sarah let him in? Will Travis prove to her that he is worthy? This is such a cute book. Solid character growth and plot progression, and, of course, it’s set up to continue with another character from Serenity in book #6… which yes, I will read, but not yet because I have a bunch of library holds all coming in at the same time!
Gone Tonight
Sarah Pekkanen
Mystery / Suspense
St. Martin’s Press
August 1, 2023
Audiobook
352
NetGalley
New from the #1 bestselling co-author of The Golden Couple and The Wife Between Us!
"I'm a huge fan of Sarah Pekkanen's books, and GONE TONIGHT is her best yet." —Colleen Hoover
Catherine Sterling thinks she knows her mother. Ruth Sterling is quiet, hardworking, and lives for her daughter. All her life, it's been just the two of them against the world. But now, Catherine is ready to spread her wings, move from home, and begin a new career. And Ruth Sterling will do anything to prevent that from happening.
Ruth Sterling thinks she knows her daughter. Catherine would never rebel, would never question anything about her mother's past or background. But when Ruth's desperate quest to keep her daughter by her side begins to reveal cracks in Ruth's carefully-constructed world, both mother and daughter begin a dance of deception.
I love a good mystery/suspense novel, but this one just fell flat for me.
The entire build up of Catherine believing her mother has alzheimer’s and Ruth questioning if her daughter has violent tendencies just didn’t work for me.
To be honest, most of the book I was bored. Everything happened in the past, which is filled in so slowly it was painful at times, or in the climax of the book, which I admit, was pretty good!
What would have worked better for me would’ve been if we’d learned Ruth’s story in real time, and then time jumped to the present time to learn how it ends. The format the author chose just dragged for me. I also needed more about Catherine’s father, to really establish his character, I felt he was very glossed over. He felt one dimensional.
What I did enjoy was the background of Ruth and the secrets she’s hiding. The climax was very engaging and I didn’t want to stop listening to the audiobook at that point.
Overall, this was a good story that was executed in a way that I personally did not find as enjoyable as I would’ve liked.
You Won't Believe Me
Cyn Balog
Mystery / Thriller / Horror
Sourcebooks Fire
June 27, 2023
E-ARC
368
NetGalley
May 29 - June 4, 2023
Brace yourself for the unexpected in this chilling novel that will thrill suspense and horror readers alike! Willow can't remember what landed her in captivity, but she'll do anything to survive. For fans of Natasha Preston and Stephen King.
Willow is alone, confined to a bed with restraints. She can't remember how she got there…or how long she's been there.
An old lady appears in her room to feed her twice a day. Granny doesn't talk, but Willow can hear thumping from somewhere beyond her door. It's not Granny's shuffling steps. It's too loud to be Granny's cat. Is it someone? Something?
Then Granny's cat dies in Willow's room. And Granny follows a few days later. Willow will do anything to survive. But freeing herself from her bed is only the beginning… Because there is someone else in the house. Who is this mysterious teen who calls himself Elijah? And is he the reason she's hostage or the key to her escape?
When Willow wakes up tied to a bed with no memory of how she got there, she slowly begins to try and piece together what happened. She knows that a deadly virus had been wrecking havoc and that her father had been a lead scientist working on a cure. But beyond that… nothing. She’s fed every day by an elderly woman who calls herself “Granny”… until “Granny” succumbs to the deadly virus right in front of Willow, leaving her tied to a bed with nobody to help.
Except she’s not alone, there’s another captive. A teenage boy. In whispers, he explains that the world has been destroyed by the second wave of the virus. That all they have left is each other.
But, could it be true? And why can’t she remember what’s happened to her?
This book is all over the place in the very best way. You think it’s one type of book, then you realize it’s something else, only in the end to realize you were completely wrong. Some readers will absolutely hate that, but as someone who enjoys many genres, it was such a fun ride.
For much of the book, the chapters begin with text conversations between Willow and her crush from school, August, from before she found herself tied up. The significance of this isn’t truly revealed until the latter portion of the book and ooooh is it juicy!
If you’re looking for something different that will keep you guessing, this is the book for you! And with that ending, I really wish there was a sequel in the works!
The Music of Bees
Eileen Garvin
General Fiction
Dutton
April 1, 2021
Audiobook
322
April 21 - May 1, 2023
A heartwarming debut novel for readers of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, following three lonely strangers in a rural Oregon town, each working through grief and life's curveballs, who are brought together by happenstance on a local honeybee farm where they find surprising friendship, healing—and maybe even a second chance—just when they least expect it.
Forty-four-year-old Alice Holtzman is stuck in a dead-end job, bereft of family, and now reeling from the unexpected death of her husband. Alice has begun having panic attacks whenever she thinks about how her life hasn't turned out the way she dreamed. Even the beloved honeybees she raises in her spare time aren't helping her feel better these days.
In the grip of a panic attack, she nearly collides with Jake—a troubled, paraplegic teenager with the tallest mohawk in Hood River County—while carrying 120,000 honeybees in the back of her pickup truck. Charmed by Jake's sincere interest in her bees and seeking to rescue him from his toxic home life, Alice surprises herself by inviting Jake to her farm.
And then there's Harry, a twenty-four-year-old with debilitating social anxiety who is desperate for work. When he applies to Alice's ad for part-time farm help, he's shocked to find himself hired. As an unexpected friendship blossoms among Alice, Jake, and Harry, a nefarious pesticide company moves to town, threatening the local honeybee population and illuminating deep-seated corruption in the community. The unlikely trio must unite for the sake of the bees--and in the process, they just might forge a new future for themselves.
Beautifully moving, warm, and uplifting, The Music of Bees is about the power of friendship, compassion in the face of loss, and finding the courage to start over (at any age) when things don't turn out the way you expect.
The Music of Bees is a beautiful story of three unlikely people coming together and forming a found-family. Alice, a 50-something widow, who just wants to live her life and raise her bees. Jake, an 18 year old boy who’s recent status as paraplegic has put an end of his ever getting out from under his horrible father’s thumb. And Harry, whose severe anxiety has resulted in some bad life choices and trouble finding and keeping a job.
When these three come together, they unwittingly help each other, while finding themselves.
This book started out kind of boring, not gonna lie. I considered quitting early on because I just wasn’t feeling it. I stuck with it though, and I’m glad I did, because before long I was hooked. Watching these three characters come together and grow was wonderful. They’re a very unlikely trio, but somehow, together they worked.
When Alice puts out an ad looking for help with her beekeeping, Jake jumps at the chance to leave his parents home. Harry meanwhile, is terrified of bees, but he applies for the job because he loves doing the handyman work required to help Alice out.
They bond over the bees and form a beautiful friendship. When big agro threatens the local pollinators, they band together to stand up for the bees.
I love the unlikely relationship between the three and the awareness of pesticides and their affect on our pollinators, especially the bees.
Lucky
Lucky Santangelo #2
Jackie Collins
Drama
Pocket Books
January 1, 1985
598
Own
March 5 - April 21, 2023
SHE’S A HOT-BLOODED BEAUTY IN LOVE WITH POWER, HUNGRY FOR PLEASURE… WILD, NOTORIOUS, TROUBLE… SHE’S… LUCKY. THE FABULOUS HEROINE OF CHANCES RETURNS. With the sensual grace of a panther, Lucky Santangelo prowled her Las Vegas casino, restless, ready, eager for action. That night began a dazzling odyssey, filled with dangerous passion and sun-drenched sex, sadistic vengeance and breathless suspense. From the decadent luxury of California, to Paris, New York and a private Greek island, Lucky fought for her father’s honor, for ruthless triumph, for the wild card of a fabulous love. Her rivals; an ice-cold Hollywood wife…a much-married heiress strung out on cocaine…a jaded magnate hooked on power…a crazed hoodlum lusting for murder. But Lucky was a gambIer and a lover, a woman who ruled her empire and pursued her man with the potent Santangelo strength … her way, on her terms, whatever the odds. Jackie Collins tops the sensational success of Hollywood Wives and Chances with Lucky, “so hot it will have to be printed on asbestos.”
The Lucky Santangelo series by Jackie Collins is pure trash. It’s wild, over the top, and pure fun. It’s filthy rich people doing a lot of awful things, both to themselves and to others. But dangit, I rooted for things to work out!
While this is book 2 in the series, Collins inserts plenty of excerpts from book 1 to catch up any readers who missed the first or refresh the memories of those who have read it.
Lucky is a great character. After a traumatic childhood and essentially being raised by nannies, all she wants is the approval of her father. Now that she’s a grown woman and has proved that she can stand with the men in the business world, she’s not going to let anyone stand in her way. She will do whatever it takes to make her goals come true. And right now? That goal is building her very own hotel in Atlantic City.
Other notable characters in this book:
Gino Santangelo, Lucky’s father, the former gangster and Vegas hotshot.
Octavia Stanislopolus: Lucky’s best friend from boarding school, whom she has lost touch with.
Lenny Golden: An up an coming comedian who keeps crossing paths with Lucky.
So much happens in this book, I can’t even describe it without spoilers.
This book is old, like… older than me… so finding a print copy may be a task. I found the whole series on eBay and it was well worth the $25 I spent. It is sold online in ebook format too though. But basically, it’s like reading a soap opera. And I hate soap operas.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Historical Fiction / Drama / LGBTQ
Simon & Schuster Audio
June 13, 2017
Audiobook
389
Public Library
May 1 - 11, 2023
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career. Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
I didn’t really know what to expect going into this book. I chose to read it because a good friend of mine said that “BookTok is raving about this book!” So, I put myself on the hold list at the library, and bided my time.
What an excellent book. When Evelyn Hugo sits down with unknown journalist, Monique Grant, all Monique expects to get is a story for the magazine she works for. Little did she know, Evelyn had bigger plans for her—she wants Monique to write her life story.
After a slow start (sorry Monique, you just didn’t hold my interest!) I was engaged from the moment Evelyn begins to tell her tale. From growing up a poor immigrant, to marrying a man as a teenager and running off to Los Angeles with him, and right up til present day. Who were Evelyn’s seven husbands? What led her to each of them? Why did her marriages end? And the biggest question of all—who was Evelyn Hugo’s one true love?
Now, from the get go we knew there had to be some reason Evelyn chose Monique to write her story, and I had theories! I was dead wrong. I was so convinced that my theory was right that I missed all the clues pointing to what the real reason was. This made it all the more fun!
Now, if you hate historical fiction, don’t worry. This doesn’t feel like historical fiction. Yes, Evelyn is talking about Hollywood in the 1950s and onward, but the Hollywood glamor shines so bright you forget you’re not in present time!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is an excellent book and I absolutely recommend it!
A Cowboy’s Wish Upon a Star
