B O O K R E V I E W :: Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson

Thank you so much to @berkleyromance /@berkleypub for sending me a copy of Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson which goes on sale tomorrow, August 16, 2022.

When Phoebe Walsh moves to Florida for the summer to prepare her late father’s house for sale, she also plans to finish her dissertation. She’s turned her lifelong obsession with true crime into a research topic, analyzing the genre for her thesis. With murders, cons, and others crimes always on her mind, she can be forgiven for being less than trusting or thinking Sam, her next door neighbor who keeps strange hours and has a soundproof garage might just be a serial killer.

Actually doing any writing may be a challenge as Phoebe stays busy wrangling her always positive but not always responsible little brother, Connor, reconnecting with her childhood best friend, dealing with her complicated feelings about her father with whom she hadn’t spoken in years, and evaluating Sam’s threat level. Returning to her hometown, though, gives Phoebe a new perspective on her future, her relationships, and the things that truly scare her.

I found this book delightful and laughed out loud several times. Phoebe was very relatable to me with her preference for messy buns and leggings. Because I have a PhD, I also empathized with Phoebe’s issues with her advisor and struggling to convey her thoughts on paper. As much as I liked Phoebe, I got so frustrated with her, but I appreciated her character arc. Sam, Connor, and Allison were all great characters, too!

Though I love true crime, I don’t love it as much as Phoebe! She does see the world through a suspecting lens and often discusses cases, many familiar to me. Readers should no that no murders are committed during the book. Alicia Thompson provides content warnings at the beginning of the book, and I’d encourage readers to preview those.

I enjoyed this so much, I can even imagine rereading it soon. I’d definitely recommend to romance fans.

B O O K R E V I E W : The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth

The Younger Wife 
Sally Hepworth 
St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: April 5, 2022

Tully and Rachel Aston can’t believe their fifty-something father, Stephen, is dating Heather, a woman younger than them who he met when she redecorated the house he shared with their mother before her dementia became so bad she had to go to a nursing home.

When the couple announce they are engaged, Tully and Rachel are sure Heather only wants to marry Stephen for his money. And their father is so swept up in the romance, he’s determined to divorce their mother to expedite his wedding.

The sisters begin asking questions, trying to uncover Heather’s past. In doing so, however, they also excavate mysteries of their own family, laying bare long-held secrets and seeing family members differently, unearthing truths some want kept buried.

The Good Sister was one of my favorite reads of 2021, so I was so excited to read this year’s The Younger Wife. Like Hepworth’s other books, The Younger Wife has excellent writing, interesting characters, and lots of family drama. I particularly liked the social contagion—how the hint of an idea spread and the characters started seeing evidence for it everywhere. Rachel, a baker, has a suitor who is very into puns which I loved!

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for sending me an advanced readers copy!

B O O K R E V I E W : Business Not As Usual

Thank you to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the eARC of Business Not As Usual by Sharon C. Cooper, publishing Tuesday, Tuesday, April 5, 2022.

Dreamy Daniels, assistant to a brilliant software engineer who unfortunately is also a micromanager treating his his employees poorly, can’t wait to start her own non-profit helping female entrepreneurs. She just needs to finish her degree (only one more semester)—and win the lottery!

Dreamy and her grandfather have been playing the same numbers for years, and she’s sure their lucky day is on the horizon. Meanwhile, her charm, vibrant personality, and eclectic style win over those she meets, including Karter Redford, a potential investor in her boss’s company. Although her boss flubbed the meeting, Dreamy salvaged the opportunity.

Karter, son of a famous actor and Hollywood socialite, and successful businessperson himself, knows better than to mix business and pleasure, but he can’t stop thinking of Dreamy. And although Dreamy swore off men after her last boyfriend, she can’t deny the attraction between them. Yet, the two come from radically different worlds.

A light-hearted romance, Business Not As Usual has great representation, a fabulous female lead, and a wonderful cast of secondary characters, including Dreamy’s cousin and grandfather and Karter’s sister, driver, and assistant.

It was difficult to see the impact of class differences on Dreamy’s self-esteem, though Cooper contextualizes it with information from Dreamy’s past. I also had a hard time with Dreamy’s belief in and reliance on the lottery and almost wish that hadn’t been part of the story.

This would be a good option for those looking for a quick, feel-good age-gap romance.

B O O K R E V I E W : If You Ask Me by Libby Hubscher

If You Ask Me
by Libby Hubscher
Publication Date: March 8, 2022

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for a gifted copy of the book!

Violet Covington, aka North Carolina’s most popular advice columnist “Dear Sweetie,” revels in her idyllic life, living with her husband, Sam, in their dream home in a gorgeous neighborhood. However, when she comes home early one afternoon and finds Sam in bed with another woman, she realizes her life was perfect only on the surface.

Full of hurt and anger, Violet’s done with politeness. She strikes a new, take-no-prisoners tone in her column, and her posts quickly go viral. At the same time, her behavior off the job becomes reckless. One night, she drags mosts of Sam’s belongings into the cul-de-sac, dousing them with his expensive scotch before igniting them.

When the fire department arrives to extinguish the blaze, Violet meets Dez, a handsome and compassionate firefighter. While others in Violet’s life try to reign in her newly discovered voice, Dez accepts Violet for who she is. As much as she loves being with him, though, she’s not sure the timing is right or that she can give him everything he wants and deserves.

If You Ask Me has both extremely hilarious moments and poignant moments, some of them in the letters to Dear Sweetie and her replies. As much as this is a romance, it’s also a story of Violet letting loose and finding her authentic voice after realizing she’s been following unspoken rules of behavior and ignoring her own desires. At the same time, she develops more compassion for her true friends. There are also several serious themes, including infertility and racism and privilege in the workplace.

I found the book a satisfying and even inspiring read, though I did wish for more of Dez’s backstory and more communication and less assumption-making on Violet’s part.

This is a great book for readers who like stories of self-discovery and resilience.

TW: infidelity, infertility, miscarriage, drunk driving

B O O K R E V I E W: The Hated Ones

The Hated Ones
Mike Fiorito
Bordighera Press
Publication Date: October 12, 2021

In this interconnected series of short stories, Mike Fiorito offers a raw, vivid bildungsroman set during the 1970s in Ravenswood Houses project in Queens. Vinny, a third generation Sicilian lives with his parents—a mother who drinks and father who gambles—and older brother, Virgil.

Although his family is poor, crime rampant, and drugs easy to come by, Vinny survives through cunning, a group of loyal friends, and the comfort of music. Vinny’s voice is so authentic, I had to keep reminding myself that the book was a novel, not a memoir.

The book’s title comes from the name of a gang, The Hated Ones: “To be a member you had to be resigned to your death. Death could come in any way. Getting stabbed in the face, shot, or pummeled by a brick to the head.” So resigned, the threat of danger failed to deter Vinny, his friends, or others in the neighborhood from making poor decisions, cruelly hurting loved ones and behaving short-sightedly. Even so, I found it impossible not to root for Vinny, and ended the book hopeful for him.

This is an under-appreciated gem, recommended for those who enjoy coming of age and NYC stories.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours and Mike Fiorito for including me on the tour and for a gifted copy of the book.