Let Us Dream by Alyssa Cole

Let Us Dream book coverLet Us Dream is another slim but packed novel like Cole’s Let It Shine—and it’s equally good. This one’s set 50 years earlier, in 1917 Harlem. The heroine is Bertha Hines, a cabaret owner who has a secret that keeps her constantly nervous and a past that keeps her fairly buttoned-up. Amir Chowdhury is a Muslim Indian in the U.S. illegally, trying to make his way.

Bertha isn’t satisfied with the status quo at all and is trying to participate in the suffragette movement, but the white women who run it aren’t welcoming to a black woman cabaret owner (ostensibly because of her career choice, but probably really because of her race). So instead she educates her employees on politics and encourages them to advocate for the vote for women among their male clientele.

Amir is an experienced cook, but his options are limited because of his status, so he ends up washing dishes at Bertha’s establishment. They butt heads early on. However, they find they each have something the other needs—Bertha can teach him about American politics and he can teach her how to dance more authentically (she does an Indian-inspired dance for the club). Working closely together brings their simmering attraction to the forefront. And when Amir and Bertha help one of Bertha’s employees give birth, they bond over the moment and realize there really is something between them.

But it’s not easy. Bertha’s got the police wanting to shut her down and Amir’s illegal—and they’re not even the same race. That last point was an interesting one for me—could they even marry (or were the laws written solely to protect the “purity “—ugh—of whites?)? Because nowadays, they could marry and Amir could come in legally (I mean, it would take some work, but could be done). But I wasn’t sure how it would work back then. Cole doesn’t even go there, but it didn’t stop me from wondering.

There are some fairly heartbreaking moments, like when Amir sees a white man outside the club and instinctively calls him “sir.”

He cringed at how the honorific slipped out. Why should he call some White man lounging in an alley like an urchin “sir”? The only power that the man held over him was the color of his skin, but that was all that was necessary in America, it seemed. Back home, too, now.

Overall, this is a nice book. Not too steamy but full of interesting historical details in another period you don’t see much (especially in romance). If you liked Let It Shine, definitely check this one out, or if you’re just curious about a different time.

Waiting on You (Blue Heron #3) by Kristan Higgins

Waiting on You book coverI devoured this second-chance romance in a day because I had to see how everything played out. This is the third in the Blue Heron series and is Colleen O’Rourke’s story.

Colleen’s as entertaining as ever, running her Manningsport, NY bar with her twin brother, Connor, and flirting with every guy who comes in, all while playing town matchmaker. She thinks of herself as happy, but really she’s lonely because she’s never truly gotten over her first love. She and Lucas Campbell were the real deal back in high school and college, but a minor overreaction on her part and a misunderstanding on his part caused them to break up when they were in their early twenties. We don’t really know how that happened until a ways into the book because Higgins tells this story with the same flashback approach she has used in the other books. So we get the whole history while seeing how things develop now.

Lucas has been living in Chicago for his entire adult life (they had a long-distance relationship in college) but he’s back in Manningsport for a family emergency. This naturally brings Colleen and him into contact. Colleen, despite her big and confident personality, becomes a bit of an idiot around Lucas because she just isn’t over him. He looks as good as ever and their chemistry hasn’t dissipated, either. She experiences verbal diarrhea around him, which is generally funny.

As always, the story is full of family dynamics. In this case, it’s three of them—Colleen’s mom, dad, and stepmom; Lucas’s cousin, uncle, and aunt; and Lucas’s original family (his mom and dad). We don’t see much of Lucas’s dad, but we understand the impact both his mom’s early death and what happened with his dad had on him. Lucas’s “adoptive” family plays a very important role in the story, as its his uncle’s illness that brings him to town. Colleen’s family is complicated but not as troubled as Lucas’s.

There are also some subplots and numerous minor characters. The most notable one is her matchmaking attempt with Paulie and Bryce (Lucas’s cousin). I never really got into that one. Bryce was pretty clueless about everything and a total player who I had trouble imagining changing. But Lucas’s uncle’s illness is really important for Lucas, as is his uncle’s request that he help Bryce grow up. That’s a little funny at times, but I just never liked Bryce. Despite that, the main story made up for it for me.

Since this is a Higgins book, the writing is top notch. She is just one of the best writers out there for taking the reader on an emotional journey. The dialogue is crisp and witty and the (primary) plot is satisfying and well laid out. The heat level is not very high, due to her way of writing around the details while still giving you a good idea of what’s going on.

Obviously if you’re a Higgins fan, you’ll want to read this one. But if you like contemporary romances with a big cast, you’ll probably like it, as well. I’ve got book #4 on my desk waiting to be read.

Falling from the Sky (Gravity #2) by Sarina Bowen

Falling from the Sky book coverThis is another sports-themed winner from Bowen. As the second in the Gravity series, it’s still snow sports. Hank “Hazardous” Lazarus is a renowned snowboarder on his way to the Olympics and Callie Anders (who we know from the first book in the series—she’s Willow’s doctor friend) meets him at the beginning of the book right before he mistimes a jump and gives himself a serious spinal injury. She ends up seeing him in the hospital not long afterward, when it’s not clear if he’ll walk again.

Nine months later, she sees him in the hospital again—this time for alcohol poisoning. He asks her out but of course she says no because he’s her patient. But they both make an impression on each other anyway. A little later, Hank signs up for a study that’s supposed to help with mobility and because his parents are basically funding the study, he gets away with stipulating that he’ll only participate if Callie runs it. So this puts them in regular contact, and because he’s technically not her patient, Callie might be able to date him (she’s not entirely clear on the ethics).

They do get to know each other better and spend some time together, but it’s a bumpy ride. Hank still has a little more work to do to accept his condition (though he’s not doing too bad, really). Callie’s struggles aren’t quite as life-altering. Her ex—a doctor who cheated on her—is still around at the hospital, reminding her of her loneliness. But she can’t take Hank too seriously, as she knows he was a player before his accident and is used to beautiful women throwing themselves at him. She doesn’t want to be the one he settles for. Hank’s got to convince her he is serious.

Bowen is just so good. Her dialogue is sharp, the feels are real and deep, the heat level is high, and she goes in depth into the challenges the characters are facing. There are so many wonderful details that only someone who knows what they’re talking about would know. For instance, she talks about how Callie quickly learns to stand a bit away from anyone in a wheelchair so that when they’re talking, they don’t have to strain their neck looking up at her. And the concept of the zone of transition—the area between regular feeling and the damaged area, which has heightened sensitivity. Plus there are some of the doctor things Callie thinks and does.

Of course, if you love Bowen as much as I do, you have to read this one. But I think anyone who likes a good story that deals with genuinely challenging issues would also like it.

Love Hacked (Knitting in the City #3) by Penny Reid

Love Hacked book coverThis is a slightly weird book. Not that that’s a bad thing, but it is a thing. That’s because of the hero, Alex Greene, who’s got some serious secrets. He also lacks social skills, but not in the normal socially-awkward way. No, his confidence is fine. He just behaves weirdly at times, like looking at people slightly too long and intensely when he’s taking their order at the restaurant he works at.

Sandra Fielding is an interesting character herself and the book’s told entirely from her perspective. She’s a psychotherapist in her late twenties who focuses in pediatrics, but she can’t help accidentally delving into adult therapy when she encounters men who clearly need some help. Specifically, she makes all her first dates cry by getting them talking about problems in their lives. She doesn’t do this on purpose, but it has happened on almost every date she’s had over the last three years, each of which happened at the Indian restaurant Alex works at. So she’s a bit physical-affection-starved. She has a Spank Naughty list and Alex the 21-year-old waiter is on it.

They seem to have nothing in common, so I wondered how they’d end up together. But Alex surprises Sandra on their first date by taking her to a taping of Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me! (the NPR current events quiz show). He’s a very smart guy who cares about things that happen in the world (he even reads The Economist—Sandra’s main response was to wonder about why the font was so small, which cracked me up). So there’s obviously more to him than what she sees in the restaurant.

It turns out that he has something to do with bitcoins and that he was a young and very successful hacker with a federal record and a couple of NSA agents constantly watching him. When Sandra gets involved with Alex, she gets tangled up in all that mess, too, which leads to Alex’s very strange dating behavior. For example, he insists she not have her phone with her and tries to take her places that the NSA can’t watch or hear them. They communicate via notes left at the Indian restaurant.

Most of the conflict comes from Sandra’s need to fix people and Alex’s refusal to share with her the pertinent details of his life. Basically, he refuses to change and she has to learn to accept that. This is actually one area where I thought the book could be better. Alex felt slightly underdeveloped to me. Or maybe it’s not that, but I just didn’t think he changed that much in the book, and I felt he should have.

Sandra has a very distinctive voice. For one, she randomly uses the German language for homemade expletives and other purposes.

Sometimes, when I’m alone, I like to speak in German. I can’t actually speak German. I only know a few phrases, but I like to pretend I can. It makes me feel worldly.

My favorite is “shitzerhozen,” which means “shitpants.“ She’s snarky and clever and very honest with herself about her sexuality.

I wondered what his other areas of expertise were and whether they included going downtown.

Yes. That’s right. I went there. Because I’m an oddly prim pervert, and a girl needs some relief.

So the dialogue is great with Sandra involved in it. And the other women in Sandra’s knitting group are as entertaining as they are in the rest of the series.

This is a required read for fans of Reid and anyone who enjoys romances about smart people.

The Best Man (Blue Heron #1) by Kristan Higgins

The Best Man book coverSo despite some of my earlier reservations, I’m clearly a Higgins fan now since I can’t stop reading her books.

The Best Man was an enemies-to-lovers one. Faith Holland grew up being in love with Jeremy and intimidated by Jeremy’s best friend, Levi Cooper. Levi was never nice to her. Especially when he convinced Jeremy to come out of the closet just as the two of them were about to say their vows in front of the entire town of Manningsport, New York. After that humiliating debacle, she moved to San Francisco. Jeremy stayed on as the town’s doctor. Levi left the Army and moved back to Manningsport and became the town police chief.

Three years later, Faith returns to Manningsport—temporarily—in response to a mild family crisis. She’s a landscape designer and intends to fix up the family’s old barn so they can do weddings (they own one of the local wineries). She’s also got to keep her father from marrying a rather unpleasant and apparently gold-digging woman.

On her way into town from the airport, she’s pulled over for speeding by none other than Levi. It doesn’t go well for Faith, but it’s also evident they have some serious hostility between them.

He glanced at her license then at her.

“Yes, it’s a bad picture,” she snapped. “Want a tissue sample?”

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary. This has expired, though. Another fine.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms under her chest. Still had that great rack.

“How was Afghanistan?” she asked, looking over his shoulder.

“Really great. I’m thinking of getting a summer place there.

They clearly have a ways to go before they get together.

Most of the book centers around Faith and her family and their antics. Faith’s relationship with her family is good, but there’s some tension that doesn’t come to a head until late in the book. When she was twelve, Faith survived a car wreck that killed her mom and she’s always felt that her family sort of blamed her for the wreck. Still, Faith’s voice is great and full of humor.

Faith had dressed for the occasion, oh, yes. One does not meet one’s gay ex-fiancé without looking fantastic. Her cutest San Francisco dress, a bright yellow confection with good seaming and tulle flowers bunched along the hem. In SF, it had seemed like sunshine itself; now, seeing Jessica dressed in black skinny jeans and a black V-neck sweater, Faith felt like a giant kindergartener. Well. At least she had on slutty shoes.

With Levi, it’s the whole town’s antics instead. People call him for the most mundane things, and it’s pretty funny. He crawls under a deck to rescue a chicken from a dog that just wants to be friends. He’s resigned to it.

Levi sighed. More days than not, he imagined that he would die at the hands of Officer Everett Field’s general ineptitude. Alas, Everett was the only child of Marian Field, Manningsport’s mayor, and basically had a job for life. He wasn’t a bad kid, and he had a wicked case of hero worship where Levi was concerned, but he drew his weapon roughly six times a day.

We also see Levi and his younger sister Sarah, who’s in her first semester of college and struggling to adjust. Their mom died a year earlier. Sarah keeps wanting to come home and Levi’s constantly fighting her because he wants her to have the opportunity he didn’t have.

Faith stays with her grandparents at first, but that’s draining so she rents an apartment over the opera house, which turns out to be the same place Levi lives. And Levi happens to be around when she has a medical emergency so he can save the day—and they can get a little closer. It takes some missteps, but they gradually begin to see each other in different lights. It helps that Faith is finally coming to terms with what happened with Jeremy and Levi’s role in it. She and Jeremy are friends again and she’s handling it.

Overall, this was another enjoyable Higgins novel. I laughed out loud several times, cringed in appropriate places, and rooted for Faith and Levi despite the fact that he was kind of a jerk to her. He changes (believably) and so does Faith. You’ll like it if you’re already a fan or if you just like humorous small-town romance.

Speakeasy (True North #5) by Sarina Bowen

Speakeasy book coverHere’s another installment of my favorite series. Needless to say, I was excited to read it and pretty much devoured it in two days. This one is May Shipley and Alec Rossi’s (Zara’s brother) story.

I admit, I was a little confused when I first read the back blurb, since I’d been under the impression that May was a lesbian from previous books. However, it’s clear pretty early that she’s bi (which I’m sure fits the previous books just fine).

The book opens with May catching her girlfriend of ten months brazenly cheating in Alec’s bar, The Gin Mill. Alec fortunately keeps her from actually injuring the obnoxious woman her girlfriend is cheating with. He helps her move out that night and back into her parents’ house. Which is of course, humiliating. She’s got a history of being a little unstable, especially as a recovering alcoholic. Still, she’s finished law school and has her own firm (with a partner) doing real estate law (okay, fortunately that only comes in as significant at the very end of the book—phew).

Right after that, May has a function she has to go to that the now ex-girlfriend will be at, so she asks Alec to go with her as her fake date. He agrees and afterward they surprise each other with a hookup. Their chemistry is as strong as you’d expect with Bowen writing it. They eventually decide to have a no-strings-attached fling, which is great for a while. May’s still struggling with the end of what she thought would be a long relationship and Alec’s commitment-phobic, so they’re perfectly suited.

As ever, the book has funny moments but still deals with serious issues on both sides. Alec’s full of really bad jokes and there’s an ongoing funny with May claiming to have a relationship with “Selena from law school,” who is actually Alec. But then May’s alcoholism recovery is significant, though it’s not beaten into the ground or anything. I’d say there’s even less of it than Jude’s addiction fight in Steadfast, so Speakeasy’s not as heavy a book as that one. Still, her “addiction is an asshole,” as she puts it. Alec’s problems are less dramatic, but they shape him just the same. He’s running a successful bar, but he knows he needs to expand his offerings a little to stay competitive. His uncle could help him, but the guy thinks Alec’s still the thoughtless party boy he was as a teenager.

Of course the voice and dialogue are great as usual. Alec comes across at the beginning as a carefree guy who really isn’t interested in anything serious, even though he changes dramatically over the course of the book. May thinks his attitude will help her loosen up and live a little. Again, this time without alcohol.

There was a time in my life—in college—when I ran a little wild. I like thinking that Alec can see the fun girl in me. Maybe she isn’t totally gone.

Her self-esteem’s a little down and he’s helping her feel desirable again. As he later puts it,

“I want all of this. I want the whispered late-night conversations. And the holidays where we have to touch each other quietly in a bed that’s too small so we don’t become one of your grandfather’s jokes at the table.”

“I want to wake you up in the middle of the night to talk. And I want to wake up and see your bedhead and drink coffee together when we’re too tired to talk. It won’t always be a party, but it will always be us”

He won’t win any awards with that speech, but it hits all the important points.

Speakeasy’s required reading for fans of Bowen and anyone else who likes substantive contemporary romance.

Let It Shine by Alyssa Cole

Let It Shine book coverLet It Shine is a slim book, coming in at a little over 100 pages, but it doesn’t feel short. I mean that in the good way—it’s complex and substantive and I really enjoyed it.

Sofronia Wallis—Sofie for short—is a young black college student in Virginia during the heart of the Civil Rights movement in 1961. Cole does a fantastic job of painting a realistic and detailed picture of the movement with just a few spare details. She makes it personal. Sofie’s a good church-going girl who always does what she’s supposed to do. But she’s finding this role stifling: “…when people described her, they used words like nice and quiet and docile as if they spoke of the cows on Harris Withers’ farm instead of a young woman.” But that’s all about to change as she finds herself in the cause.

Ivan Friedman’s family escaped Europe just before WWII, although many of his extended family members did not survive the Holocaust. He’s in an odd position. The U.S. is still anti-Semitic in a lot of ways (though the book doesn’t go much into that), but he’s still white, which puts him in a better position than Sofie. In fact, when they were young, Sofie’s mother worked for his mother and he and Sofie were good friends who played together. That came to an abrupt end when the kids were twelve because Sofie’s mother suddenly died (of an aneurysm) while trying to save Ivan from some bullies.

They haven’t seen each other in the six years since then when they run into each other at a protestor’s organizing meeting (the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, SNCC). When they meet, it’s clear that what used to be a childhood friendship has turned into a very adult attraction. But it’s not as if they can just start dating or even hanging out, as at at time such a relationship was not only socially frowned upon, it was actually illegal in the South until 1967 (there’s even an ugly word for it that I want to pretend I never learned).

However, this is a romance so you know they’re going to figure out a way. But it sure isn’t going to be easy, and neither will be the individual paths they choose. All of which makes for a very engaging read.

If you want a good book with a few bites of heat set in a period you rarely see in romance novels, this one’s definitely for you.

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan

The Bookshop on the Corner book coverThe Bookshop on the Corner is lovely, even if the name doesn’t quite fit. The main character’s bookshop is too unique to be that simplistically summed up.

I should mention that this isn’t a romance, but there is a significant romance in the book—it just doesn’t really get going right away. So it doesn’t follow the traditional course of a romance novel, even if it does start off with a major problem for the heroine.

Nina Redmond is a librarian passionate about her job—she adores the matchmaking process of finding the right book for the right person. So it’s pretty devastating when she’s laid off. She doesn’t have a lot of options because the library system in Birmingham (that would be the one in England) doesn’t care about books anymore. They’re trying to cater to the younger crowd and focus on different media. The library offers all the staff made redundant a team-building/career training and during the training, Nina admits to always wanting to own a bookshop. Somehow this idea warps into owning a mobile bookshop.

Despite her friends’ reservations, Nina seeks out a van, finding one in Kirrinfief, a village up in the Highlands in Scotland, that looks perfect and affordable. She travels there and the owner of the van balks when he sees she’s “just a tiny woman,” someone he can’t envision driving his van. She goes back to Birmingham downtrodden and van-less, only to find out that a couple of the men she met at the local pub before meeting the van’s owner have offered to buy it from him and sell it to her. Everything seems great—until she can’t obtain the permits she’d need to park the van on her street in Birmingham. So she makes another decision that surprises everybody: she moves to Kirrinfief. She’s lucky enough to find a lovely modernized barn apartment on Lennox Farms, which is run by a gruff farmer (that would be Lennox himself).

Nina meets a variety of people through an early mishap involving a deer, her van, and a train and through her work, which goes pretty well. There’s a love interest in Marek, a lonely Latvian train driver, before Lennox really comes on scene for the main course. Nina’s life seems to be turning around. A lot of things are going well, but there are still a few challenges she has to face.

As I implied earlier, it’s a charming book. The setting of the Scottish Highlands is wonderful and so well-drawn. Colgan puts in just enough of the local flavor to give us the sound of the language with her ayes, coudlnaes, disnaes, an occasional Scots word, and even some overheard Gaelic, all without overdoing it. She paints the rural countryside and farm colorfully, too. It all made me miss being there.

The characters are all excellent and highly distinctive. Nina herself is so likable and relatable. She’s shy but got a streak of bold buried in her. Her best friend Surinder is entertaining. Marek is interesting and Lennox is intriguing from the beginning, even before I was sure he’d be a love interest. There are a few stereotypes among the secondary characters, but Colgan’s populated a whole town, so it’s all in fun. My favorite was the sullen teenager who Nina befriends.

I was not familiar with Colgan before this book, but I can say I’m definitely likely to read another one by her when I’m looking for something feel-good. I can recommend it to anyone who likes a complicated love story, hearing about books, or reading about rural Scotland.

Coming in from the Cold (Gravity #1) by Sarina Bowen

Coming in from the Cold book coverI’ve had this book a little while and was sort of saving it, not wanting to run out of Bowen’s novels. She’s prolific, but not that prolific. (If only…)

This is a slim book—not even 250 pages with a larger font than you sometimes see. And probably for that reason, there’s not as much going on in the book as there sometimes is in hers. That made this a lighter read for me, even though it did delve into some emotionally demanding territory.

Willow Reade’s made some non-ideal life choices that have landed her in rural Vermont with an underwater mortgage. She’s alone after her boyfriend left her for a rich girl. Something Willow is not. One of her bad choices was to “temporarily” abandon her Ph.D. in psychology.

Some kind of wasting disease runs in Dane Hollister’s family, and he assumes he’s got only a few years of mobility left. He’s trying to make the most of it by living as a sponsored downhill skier competing at the world level. He’s training in Vermont this season to be close to his brother, who’s in a nursing home.

Willow and Dane’s paths cross at the onset of a nasty winter storm, where they nearly wreck their cars and both end up stuck. They decide to huddle together in Dane’s car in the hopes of a snow plow coming by. When one does but doesn’t help them (it’s dark), they know they’re there for the night. So they chat. Dane reveals more about his life than he normally does to strangers and Willow tells the latest chapter in her sad story. Soon they act on their attraction and make the most of their confinement—but not before Dane makes it clear it’s a one-time thing, as he’s not a relationship guy. After all, he knows he can’t put anyone else through what he’s going through with his brother.

The consequences of their tryst shake up both of their lives. Dane in particular has to face his fears. Willow has to do some soul-searching, too, but not as much as Dane. As I sort of implied earlier, I feel like this book doesn’t go as deep as some of her others. The chemistry between Willow and Dane is good, but not amazing. This is one of her earlier books, though, so it’s not shocking. The book’s still very good. And the love scenes are definitely up to her standard.

Any fan of Bowen will want to read this. And anyone who likes books that deal with challenging, real-life issues will also enjoy it.

Beard in Mind (Winston Brothers #4) by Penny Reid

Beard in Mind book coverNow it’s finally Beau Winston’s turn. The overly pleasant, charming guy has been watching his brothers and sister get their HEAs started and he’s a little more jealous than he’d like to admit to himself.

Enter Shelly Sullivan. She’s not the kind of woman Beau usually goes for. I mean, she’s gorgeous, but she’s troubled and very unpleasant to be around. She’s rude to Beau and to the customers of their auto shop. She’s awkward, has no filter, and doesn’t shake hands. She has a foul-mouthed parrot and big dogs that attack people with slobbery enthusiasm.

So they don’t seem particularly “suited” (in Winston brothers’ terminology). However, when Beau notices that she’s a cutter, or at least has been in the past, he worries about her. He’s unearthed a secret of sorts, and she gives him to full story soon after he talks to her about it. She’s got OCD (the real one, not the term we casually throw around) with severe touch aversion.

You might think that wouldn’t make for a good romance, but Reid pulls it off. It starts off a little rocky with an awkward proposition from Shelly, which Beau fends off. But once Beau starts to see her as more of a flawed human than a rude bitch, things shift. Fortunately for Beau and Shelly (and readers), she’s not opposed to all touch… and it turns out that Beau’s willing to help her with some tough therapy that’s supposed to get rid of the aversion altogether.

There is a big Winston family news bombshell that’s dropped on us in the middle of the book that some readers may not love, because it’s a big deal and kind of distracts from the main story. However, it added complexity to the story that I liked. I always enjoy books with a lot going on, and this definitely counts. On top of that one, Shelly’s got her own family issues that need to get resolved. It’s wonderful and satisfying to watch everything unfold.

I love the fact that Reid gave us a kind of character we don’t often see in a romance in this book. She did a great job of making Shelly believable and real. And I also loved to see how Beau went from being a kind of average ignorant-about-mental-illness kind of guy to an informed and helpful one. That too was believable.

Any fan of Reid’s will want to read this book. If you’re interested in reading about a very unusual heroine (or just curious about how that will play out), you’ll want to pick it up, too. I’m looking forward to the next ones.

Anything for You (Blue Heron #5) by Kristan Higgins

Anything for You book coverEven though usually the main main character of an mf romance is the female lead, Anything for You is Connor O’Rourke’s story. Jessica Dunn is important, but we start and end with Connor and it was kind of fun that way.

Connor’s been in love with Jess ever since she rescued him from being mauled to death by her family’s mean pit bull when they were both twelve. But she was never interested in him back when they were kids, too busy handling her own tough life to really consider him.

And Jess has had a very tough life. She grew up in a trailer park with criminally neglectful and drunk parents and a younger brother (Davey) born with fetal alcohol syndrome. She has taken care of him basically all his life. And it hasn’t been easy. She felt the need to seek external protection for him from the boys in her high school, and her approach to this was to sleep with them to earn a favor. So she became known as the Manningsport town slut, all while being probably the most decent, hard-working person in the whole town and not remotely interested in “a good time.”

Connor, on the other hand, hasn’t had it too bad. Although he’s never been close to his jerk of a father, said father’s a well-off lawyer and Connor’s been pretty comfortable. He has disappointed his parents by going to culinary school, however. But then he and his twin sister received an inheritance that allowed them to open a new restaurant in Manningsport so he moved back.

When the book opens, they’re both thirty-two and Connor is proposing. Jess doesn’t take it seriously, calling him a “doofus” and “big guy” in the process of saying no. They’ve been secretly dating on-and-off for ten years and he’s done. He wants their relationship to be real and in the open. But the way Jess sees it, she has responsibility for her brother, who hates Connor. Because Davey blames Connor for the death of Chico, the dog that mauled him, and Davey loved Chico more than anything. So, since Davey comes first, that’s that.

Although the story starts there, in the next chapter, we drop straight back to the mauling incident twenty years earlier. Then we see the first time Connor and Jess hang out and hook up, at a wine class he’s teaching at the culinary institute (her boss at her waitressing job sent her). He ruins it by saying something stupid and hurtful. She says goodbye and that’s that for a while. The book proceeds by telling the rest of their history before jumping back to after the proposal.

As usual for a Higgins book, there’s a lot going on in both Connor’s and Jess’s lives. Jess has worked so hard and is living in a rental house working toward buying her own. She’s managed to go to college and even get a master’s in marketing. And now she works at the Blue Heron winery in Manningsport and is well-loved there. Connor’s busy with his restaurant and attempting to get a brewery started up. Then he finally comes up with an idea to win Davey over, which he believes will change everything for him and Jess. It’s not a bad idea, even if it doesn’t go quite as planned.

The book’s loaded with humor that doesn’t come at anyone’s expense and a fair amount of sexy times. Higgins is a master of details that appear to effortlessly pull the reader into the story. Her dialogue is crisp and entertaining. There are numerous interesting side characters—most notably Colleen, Connor’s twin, and a new hire at the winery.

Overall, it’s a great read that any fan of a good romance will enjoy.

Friends Without Benefits (Knitting in the City #2) by Penny Reid

Friends Without Benefits book coverThe first Penny Reid book I read was the first in this series and I loved it, so I was anticipating reading the rest of the series (in order, of course). So Elizabeth’s story came next.

Elizabeth Finney was the friend Janie stayed with at the beginning of book #1, so we got to know her a bit there. She’s finishing up her residency as an ER doctor, so she’s obviously a smart and high-achieving person, which makes her instantly likable. I definitely liked her in the first book, especially since she was so supportive of Janie.

In this book, we get to know her a lot better. Part of her backstory is very important to the book—specifically, that she was in love with her boyfriend Garrett who died when she was fifteen and he was sixteen. She still feels heartbroken over it, fifteen years later. As a result, she considers herself someone who just uses men she’s not genuinely interested in because love is out of the question for her (even though her number is very low).

The other part of her backstory is Nico Manganiello. Nico was Garrett’s best friend while they were all growing up, so Elizabeth knows him well. In fact, she lost her virginity to him a couple years after Garrett died and right before she moved to Ireland—and she hasn’t seen Nico since. Despite that ending to their relationship, most of her memories of him are negative, as he tormented her over the years. She finally finds out why after Nico and his mom and niece show up to the hospital for the little girl to join a study to help her cystic fibrosis. Elizabeth hasn’t seen him in nearly fifteen years, and Nico acts really weird at first. But when she sees him again, he proposes they become friends. She makes him clarify that that’s without benefits because she’s so surprised and confused by him. Because apparently, he’s been in love with her this whole time.

From there, the story develops with Elizabeth basically repeatedly turning Nico down while he tries in every way to convince her that she loves him, too. I have to admit that I grew a little frustrated with Elizabeth here. I didn’t fully understand her inner conflict—why she resisted so much when she was definitely attracted to him. It kind of bugged me throughout the book and I kept wishing she would just give in and go out with him, even if it would make the book shorter. However, the story continues and finally one of the subplots comes to a head in an exciting way, making her see things more clearly.

Still, I’m glad I read this, as I really do like the series and the women in Elizabeth’s knitting group. The book’s told entirely from Elizabeth’s point of view (except for the epilogue). And it’s definitely funny like the rest of Reid’s books are. Both characters are reasonably complex, even if we don’t get to see as much of Nico’s internal struggle as we might if we got his perspective, too. Nico’s mom and niece are both enjoyable, as well.

You’ll definitely want to read this if you are into the series, even if you end up a little frustrated with Elizabeth, too. Personally, I’m looking forward to Sandra’s story in book #3, which I have in a stack on my desk.

A Night to Surrender (Spindle Cove #1) by Tessa Dare

A Night to Surrender book coverI’m pretty sure this is the first regency romance I’ve read (excepting Jane Austen) since I usually stick to contemporaries. This book reminded me of why that is—the men in that time were pretty horrible. Even the “good” ones. Also, corsets. Why do people think those are romantic? You can’t breathe in them. Breathing is important. It keeps you from passing out and stuff.

Anyway, Dare still does a good job with the story, even if it isn’t really for me.

Susanna Finch is pretty awesome. She’s clever and highly accomplished in a range of pursuits and very respected in the village (Spindle Cove) near the estate she lives on with her father. Her father is a well-known inventor, especially for his gun which is used extensively by English troops. And Susanna has grown up trying to please him, for example by learning to shoot, even though she can barely get his attention.

Enter Victor Bramwell. He’s an oversized officer with an injured leg who’s humoring Susanna’s father in an effort to get his command back. The man wants Bram to gather a militia in order to help him get back to the war. The problem? There aren’t too many men in Spindle Cove, as it’s basically a resort town catering to unusual or sickly ladies, thanks to Susanna’s efforts.

Susanna and Bram clash early on in this enemies-to-lovers story. She has no real interest in men, who failed to impress her during her one season in London. She’d much rather reign over the town as the helpful Miss Finch, solving any and all problems. Bram finds her irresistible but keeps telling himself that he’d better stay away from her since angering her father could endanger his career. Still, they keep running into each other and Susanna finds that she too is powerfully drawn to him.

As I’ve mentioned, I really liked Susanna, even if she was a little naïve in a way that didn’t quite fit her character in the beginning of the book. But Bram was another story. He wasn’t the worst kind of man for his times, as he liked the fact that Susanna was smart and capable. But he was still always wanting to possess her in a way that annoyed me. And he took liberties he shouldn’t have, such as when they first met, when he tackles her (for acceptable reasons) and kisses her (for fun). And he was always saying things like, Go over there and sit with the women, where you belong. She calls him a beast when he does stuff like that but basically laughs it off. Still, Bram grew on me a little and bugged me less in the second half of the book. The story itself gets more fun in the second half, too, when the women of the town get involved in helping the militia come to be.

Despite my reservations with Bram, Dare is a talented writer, creating a good story with witty dialogue and interesting secondary characters. And something happens with Susanna’s father that I wasn’t expecting, and I appreciated the surprise. The world-building is great, as I was definitely taken back to 1813. There are several laugh-out-loud moments, too. Perhaps more importantly, this is a steamy book and Susanna and Bram get creative when necessary.

If you’re like me and don’t enjoy being reminded of how horrible things used to be for women, this book probably isn’t for you. However, I can easily recommend it to fans of spicy regencies with believably strong heroines.

My (Not So) Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella

My (Not So) Perfect Life book coverWho doesn’t love a story set in modern-day, crazy London?

Kinsella starts us off basically on the tube with Katie Brenner, who’s recently rebranded herself “Cat” in an attempt to escape from her country roots. Because being rural is just not cool in London. She works for a marketing (branding?) agency as a very junior research assistant, but she has hopes of moving up. She has the skill, but maybe not the luck.

Anyway, back to the opening. We get a hilarious picture of the morning commute. You might not think that could be funny, but in Katie’s voice, it definitely is. “Commuting in London is basically warfare,” but she still manages to provide us with some laugh-out-loud moments and this just sets the tone for the whole book, which is full of these moments.

Katie’s boss is a frazzled woman named Demeter who has a mild case of face blindness and can’t keep her employees—or her calendar—straight. Despite this, she’s known to be a bit of a branding genius and Katie’s constantly trying to get noticed by her. So she’s not happy when Demeter calls her in for some special task, only to find out she is to touch up Demeter’s roots in the office. Soon after that, she meets Alex, another rock star branding guy, but he’s actually young and pretty cute and even seems interested in Katie. She soon makes what appears to be a little headway in the office, getting herself into an important meeting. Then one of the other women in the office invites her to hang out. Things start to look up. Friends. Career growth.

Then the bottom falls out when she gets fired (I guess technically, laid off) by Demeter. She ends up back at her dad’s farm in Somerset, helping him get a new glamping business started. (Glamping is “glamour camping” for those not in the know.) She throws herself into that while desperately searching for a new job. Imagine her surprise when Demeter shows up at the newly opened glamping site… At first Katie actually goes a little mental and exacts some pretty funny revenge on Demeter, who doesn’t recognize her. But then everything changes when she finds out more about Demeter. And the book goes off in a direction that genuinely surprised me. When Alex appears at the farm, Katie doesn’t know what to think. Things are definitely not as they seem. I enjoyed the mild intrigue that follow.

The book’s really about being true to yourself and doing the right thing, and Katie’s a great character to experience it with. As I mentioned, it’s very funny throughout, but I should also mention that the dialogue is wonderful (humorous of course, but real and clever, too) and the characters are relatable. Katie’s great, Demeter’s surprising, Alex is sufficiently enchanting, and Katie’s dad and stepmom are both funny and engaging.

If you’re in the mood to laugh while getting a story that will still move you, then pick this one up.

It’s Your Move, Wordfreak! by Falguni Kothari

It's Your Move, Wordfreak! book coverI stumbled across It’s Your Move, Wordfreak! on a list of Indian romances. The book has a lot going for it. It’s a cute premise—Alisha and Aryan meet online playing Scrabble. They really hit it off and decide to go on a semi-blind date. Alisha’s a smart and successful divorce lawyer who’s a little commitment-phobic due to her own parents’ failed marriage. Aryan’s a hot man-about-town who also happens to be a wildly successful architect.

The characters are interesting and likable enough. It’s all a nice setup for the story, but I think the fact that the date is the opening scene is a critical problem. For one, we don’t get to see any of the original courtship, which is a shame. We know from later that their online chats were witty and at times risqué. It would have been fun to see this. Then, the date itself goes very well. She meets his family and they love her. He meets hers and they love him. Etc. There’s basically no conflict at all until about halfway through the book. The seeds of later conflict are set in the first half, sure (Aryan has issues with his father and Alisha has a difficult client). But everything goes swimmingly until a sudden breakup. That’s where things finally really get started.

Once that happened, the book got more compelling because it finally felt like things were happening. (Reading it was kind of an interesting lesson in plotting. Even though lots of ”stuff” happened in the first half, it didn’t feel that way because of the lack of conflict.) The subplots are interesting and get resolved nicely. As I mentioned, the characters are good—they’re compelling and believable and I definitely rooted for them once things started going wrong.

I did have to make some allowances for cultural differences, especially because one of the subplots has to do with domestic violence, and it’s just not handled the same way it would be in the US. Something happens to Alisha at one point and Aryan’s and the others’ reactions were hard for me to stomach. His ultimate response was to sort out the problem with old-fashioned testosterone-fueled violence, with some Indian bribery thrown in for good measure. Still, the novel stayed fairly cute as that was somewhat glossed over.

In summary, this book could easily appeal to fans for English romance set in India (Mumbai to be specific). Just beware a slow start.