Till There Was You

 In this book blog review, I reviewed Lindsay Hameroff’s Till There Was You.This lovely and swoon-worthy romcom debut hits all the right notes for a delightful romance novel. For Alexa Berman, she’s a culinary student learning the ropes of being a chef, when she meets Jake Taylor at a dive bar in NYC. They’re both embarking on the start of their careers. After a fling, they haven’t seen each other in a year, when Lexi’s working in a restaurant and Jake’s a rising rock star. Things get complicated, when he arrives back in her life at her apartment unexpectedly. As they hook up again to pick up where they left off, she experiences what it's like to date a celebrity with gossipy tabloids and jealous encounters. But it becomes magical for Lexi as they spend lots of time together and face obstacles that stood in their way, until it became too much. After her break-up with Jake and being let out for her job, she found a new passion for food in her culinary career, and Jake removed his toxic manager from his life, until they can find their way to become together.

This amazing romcom  stirred all the heartfelt emotions for a lovely romcom to pit two people  who belonged together. I cared for Lexi on how she managed to let out of the past to focus on her future, and adored Jake for making promises to be there for her in spite of the press. I love the Atlanta and NYC locations which gave us some breath-taking scenic settings for day and night. The dual themes of the story are follow your bllss, and don’t believe the hype in tabloid news.

If you love adoring romcoms  with plenty of heart-stopping romance, and lots of comic bits, you’ll be reading TIll There Was You right away. This novel is recommended for fans who watch Hallmark movies, and those who read Emily Henry, Jill Shalvis, and Kristan Higgins to name a few.

Her Many Faces

 In this blog post, I reviewed NIcci Cloke’s Her Many Faces.This twisted psychological thriller is breath-taking and keeps you at the edge of your suspense. Told from various people who knew her and close to her from her father to the journalist, this thriller is riveting since it’s about Katherine Cole, who’s been charged with poisoning four prominent people in London for their deaths. We get to know her backstory and where she was today, standing trial for four murders. From each POV, you’ll learn more about her more closely to the shocking twist at the end that explains it all.

This captivating  thriller has all the right elements to keep you hooked from the first page. It kept me second guessing, and made me wonder if she had a multiple personality disorder of some sort, just by the title alone. I really cared about Katie Cole, and the personal hell she had been through since her adolescence to her adulthood.  I really liked the settings in London that set the scenery well for the location.. The theme is don’t believe the stories you read online and in print, because it might be considered as “Fake news.”

If you like complex thrillers with plenty of heart-stopping drama, and lots of intense psychological suspense, Her Many Faces will deliver. This is recommended for fans who read Tana French, Nicci French, Tawny O’Dell, and many others.

Keep Your Friends Close

 In  this blog post, I reviewed Leah Konen’s Keep Your Friends Close. This thriller will keep you in suspense from start to finish. It would deliver you goosebumps and gasping breaths in every turned page. For Mary Haywood, all she wanted is to move to Old Forge New York with her young son Alex. But her husband George is making it difficult for her to do so with vile threats and intimidating tactics. But when she meets Willa, her looks could kill, they would be more than deceiving when she befriends her, and later learns who she was, when she discovered her husband’s dead body at her home. At first, she’s a prime suspect, but she didn’t know who would be vindictive to kill him in cold blood. She later becomes hesitant and doubts Willa after she ghosted her for a time. In the end, she later discovered the shocking truth on who killed him and why… that would leave you breathless.

This nitty-gritty dark thriller has all the right elements of a psychological thriller. It has plenty of shocking twists and turns to leave you second-guessing everything. I really cared about Mary and how she wanted freedom with her son. I remained on the fence about WIlla, since the novel is turned in her POV and WIlla’s, back and forth. I really liked the settings in New York near Woodstock that made it picturesque for the location. The theme is be careful what you wish for and to who to trust in the end.

If you like twisted thrillers with plenty of non-stop drama, and lots of intense suspense, Keep Your Friends Close will send you shivers. This is recommended for fans who read Mary Lubica, Erica Spindler, Shari LaPena, LIsa Jackson, and many others.

Anything for You

 In this blog post, I reviewed Kristin Higgins’s Anything for You, the fifth installment in the Blue Heron contemporary romance series. This romance is about star-crossed lovers with the opposites attract trope nestled inside. For the past decade, Connor O’Rourke have been in love with Jessica Dunn since 6th grade, even if she lived on the opposite side of the tracks. He would do anything to win her love, but it wasn’t easy as it seemed, since she needed to take care of her special needs younger brother, who hated Connor ever since the dog mauling incident years ago. She worked two jobs, and dealt with her absentee father who was always on a bender. But every time he proposed to her, she said no.  While she fell hard for him, Connor made sure they kept their relationship a secret, until he found a way to befriend him to earn his trust, to win her heart. But when she thought she couldn’t trust him, she learned the hard way that he always took care of her, and would do anything for her, until she professed her love for him.

This amazing heartfelt romance makes your heart weep and sigh for relief. I instantly cared for Jessica and Connor, who had been through a lot together. They both wanted to reach for the stars to work at their dream jobs in New York City. I adored the location in New York for the restaurant and the vineyard. Perfect settings.  The dual themes of this story are opposites attract, and forgiveness goes a long way.

If you like emotional heartfelt contemporary romance novels  with plenty of heated romance and drama, and lots of sparks of loveswept moments, Anything for You hits all the right notes.. This is recommended for fans who love Jill Shalvis, Kristen Hannah, Hallmark romcoms, and classic romance stories.

Dairy Dairy Quite Contrary

 In this blog post, I reviewed Amy Lillard’s Dairy Dairy Quite Contrary, the first installment in the Sunflower Cafe Amish cozy mystery series. (I finished this book last month.) You’ll be enchanted and intrigued in this debut novel. For Sissy Yoder, she left her hometown of Tulsa to live with her aunt and her cousin Lizzie. In Yoder, Kansas. It was supposed to be a temporary visit, while she helped her cousin at the cafe, until she had gotten caught up in a mystery. Who killed Kevin, the local milkman? And when she was the first one to find him, she became the prime suspect, though she’s new to town? To clear her name, she gathered up clues on Kevin, and learned about his family life, while running into some unwelcomed guests who didn’t want to pry into their business. With help from Gavin, who’s a reporter from the local newspaper, they team up to discover the clues to lead them to the true culprit right under their noses, before it would be too late.

This Amish cozy mystery is quaint and pretty charming. I cared for Sissy who’s learning a bit more of the Amish life, and her cousin Lizzie. I could see Gavin is sweet on Sissy. Though Yoder could’ve been better named (other than from her last name and from other characters), it’s a nice small town with the perfect location and settings for this storyline.  The theme of this story is family comes from different places. 

If you like cozy mysteries with an Amish twist, non-stop drama, plenty of intrigue and lots of red herrings, and sparks of intrigue to leave you in suspense, Dairy Dairy Quite Contrary is the cozy mystery for you. This is recommended for fans who love Amish mysteries, Laura Childs, MC Beaton, and Amanda Flower.

The Skull Beneath the Skin

 In this blog post, I reviewed PD James’s the Skull Beneath the Skin, the second installment in the Cordelia Gray mystery series. (I finished reading this book in mid-September last year.) This mystery has all the fixings of a locked-room mystery set in an island.  For Cordelia Grey, this was her first installment as a female private eye, when Clarissa Lile’s husband asks her to protect her from vile death threats and other mishappenings on the sunlit island of Courcy, Scotland. But it was anything but a simple assignment for Cordelia. She met the people who were closest to her, and discovered shocking secrets about her, up until when she discovered Clarissa was dead in her room. That’s when the local police were brought in, when more shocking twists and turns to the end would leave you guessing whodunit literally.

This compelling mystery will leave you in suspense from the first page to the last. I instantly cared about Cordelia, and how she would handle this most complex case, when danger all but surrounded her. I didn’t like Clarissa at all, but I  felt bad for her stepson Simon. I liked the far-off island of Courcy  set in the United Kingdom, which suited it as the best for the location and the settings. The theme of the story is that secrets always have a way of coming out of the dark.

I rated this intriguing mystery four stars, because it was a bit dark in nature.  If you love locked-room dark mysteries with non-stopping suspense, red herrings, surprising twists and turns, and a good book to hook you, The Skull Beneath the Skin should be read this year.  This book is recommended for fans of Knives Out, Britbox Mysteries, and Agatha Christie.

Wild About You

 In this book blog post, I read Kaitlyn Hill’s Wild About You. This YA romcom will give you all the feels on every turned page. For Natalie Hart, she embarked on a new adventure, when she signed up to become a contestant in the WIld Adventures reality competition show to win some money to pay for financial aid. She was paired up with Finn Markum as her partner during the competition. For Finn, he mourned the loss of his father, and missed him much. During the challenges, they faced their fears, made new friends, and discovered new insights about each other, when they’ve gotten closer together. But when Natalie had gotten high anxiety, she feared she would let Finn down as partner and potential boyfriend. Her parents had neglected her, and she didn’t want to become a failure. With help from Finn and Harper, they excelled every challenge along the Appalachian Trail, and won more than a handful of money in the end.

This excellent YA romcom will move your heart and have you laughing in stitches. This romcom deals with anxiety, friendship, and finding your true love. I cared for Natalie, who had been dealt with a lot, but managed to endure and conquer them all. I loved how she made new friends and discovered her abilities without doubting herself. The location along the AT made me realistic and picture perfect for this novel. The dual themes are asking for help when you have stress or anxiety, and accepting yourself for who you are.

I rated this amazing YA romcom five stars. If you love romcoms with a twist, and a fan of the Amazing Race, Wild About You is a must read this mid-summer. This book is recommended for fans who love YA romcoms and diverse characters.