Review & Giveaway - Pole Position

Pole Position

by Rebecca J. Caffery

Publisher: One More Chapter/Harper Collins Publishers

Release Date: March 11, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

Kian Walker has always been the golden boy of motorsport. The four-time Championship winner has racing in his DNA – his father was a legend on the track, just don’t let him catch you comparing the two. As reckless and unreliable at home as he was behind the wheel, there’s nothing Kian wants less than to be just like his dad.

Enter Harper James. This year’s rookie called up to compete with the big boys – and Kian’s new teammate. Cocky, hot-headed and with a reputation for breaking as many hearts as he does new track records, Harper’s the opposite of Kian in every way. But when the season starts, there’s no getting away from him.

This might be one of the most dangerous sports in the world, so why then does Kian’s heart feel safer flying around the track at 220mph than when he's anywhere near his teammate?

PJ's Thoughts:

What a ride! Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery pulled me in and refused to let go. Even when I was rolling my eyes at some of the highly-fictionalized racing scenes/shenanigans/management decisions (if you don't follow F1 racing, you probably won't even notice) or wanting to throw Harper off the nearest cliff (seriously, dude, what were you thinking???), I still found myself riveted to the action and immersed in the emotions of this story.

Caffery has crafted an action and emotion-packed story about two adrenaline-fueled elite athletes who, on the surface, could not be more different. From their ages to their attitudes to their career approaches, to their life views, they appear to be complete opposites. And yet, once they begin to sort through the hidden layers beneath the public personae, it's apparent they each provide a missing puzzle piece for the other. Together, they begin to discover a relationship they never dreamed possible...that is, if one of them who hasn't quite managed to work through some significant emotional baggage doesn't totally trash it first. 

Pole Position is a fast-paced, spicy, deeply emotional, and surprisingly endearing story set within the highly competitive world of F1 auto racing. Even when I wanted to throttle them (mostly, one of them), my heart still ached for this unlikely couple and I couldn't bring myself to set them aside until they had managed to navigate their way to their hard-won happy ending. 

 

Do you watch F1 racing? 

Do you enjoy opposites-attract or rivals-to-lovers romance?

What books are keeping you glued to the pages these days?

One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM, March 15 will receive a print copy of Pole Position. 

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

 

Review - - The Christmas Boutique

THE CHRISTMAS BOUTIQUE

by Jennifer Chiaverini

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: October 1, 2019

Reviewed by Hellie 

  

Just weeks before Christmas, severe wintry weather damages the church hall hosting the Christmas Boutique—an annual sale of handcrafted gifts and baked goods that supports the county food pantry. Determined to save the fundraiser, Sylvia Bergstrom Compson offers to hold the event at Elm Creek Manor, her ancestral family estate and summertime home to Elm Creek Quilt Camp.

In the spirit of the season, Sylvia and the Elm Creek Quilters begin setting up market booths in the ballroom and decking the halls with beautiful hand-made holiday quilts. Each of the quilters chooses a favorite quilt to display, a special creation evoking memories of holidays past and dreams of Christmases yet to come. Sarah, a first-time mother expecting twins, worries if she can handle raising two babies, especially with her husband so often away on business. Cheerful, white-haired Agnes reflects upon a beautiful appliqué quilt she made as a young bride and the mysterious, long-lost antique quilt that inspired it. Empty nesters and occasional rivals Gwen and Diane contemplate family heirlooms and unfinished projects as they look forward to having their children home again for the holidays.

But while the Elm Creek Quilters work tirelessly to make sure the Christmas Boutique happens, it may take a holiday miracle or two to make it the smashing success they want it to be.

Hellie’s Heeds:

This was a very perfect kind of Christmas gift--and one I saw was intended for the avid fans of the Elm Creek Quilts novels. It was a cozy, sweet with moments of bittersweet, and small town drama-filled story revolving around the dilemma of where to hold the much loved and needed fundraiser after a disaster strikes the church hall where it is typically held. Each chapter is told from the point of view from an Elm Creek citizen, and ones I believe who’ve had their own stories told in previous Elm Creek novels. While technically the book can be read alone, I believe my enjoyment of it would have been more if I had read the other books in the series. I would have had a familiar understanding of the author’s writing style as well as an investment in the characters. 

While I was a new reader of the setting and author, I was able to follow easily with the storyline and the common dramas and issues at play, and the author’s writing style was such that she shared enough details from past stories (alluding to the other books, I believe) to catch up a new reader while reliving beloved moments for fans. The descriptions of the quilts made and/or being made are gorgeous, elaborate, and make even the most novice crafter long to be taught by this fun-loving group of ladies. The conflicts and reactions of characters--those beloved and those that were a struggle to like--felt authentic and well-rounded. It’s not unlike sitting with your family at Christmas. There’s a good chance not all your relatives are all ones you welcomed into the house with an authentic Merry Christmas, but in the end, you find you enjoyed yourself despite your family being a little crazy. You might even come away understanding their (wrong) point of view a little better. It is the season of miracles. 

One of the very clever things I think the author did was introduce us very quickly to a character who I imagine was not likeable in other books. However, because I met her first--I rather bonded with her first and her issues and felt she was justified for her behavior. I did realize she was a bit Type A and really needed to realize she was creating this havoc--which she didn’t until it was too late and even then had issues accepting it--but I still felt like I could identify with her fears and issues more so than the other character who had been in other books, who had been picked on by my character, and who I felt was trying to be obnoxious on purpose. Eventually we even get that character’s POV and even then she’s unapologetically herself (read: obnoxious) but still with a certain charm. All this to say: these characters felt real and authentic. 

For fans of the author and series, I can see this being a five star read, but for newcomers like me, the writing may feel slow and/or lots of infodumping. I believe the slow style and narrative writing is simply how this author creates stories while I am a reader who prefers more fast-pace scenes with lots of snappy, sassy dialogue. It’s not that kind of book; and I don’t think it’s that kind of series. But for what it is, it is very good--and I believe a welcome addition to your Christmas reading, if you’re in the mood for a cozy, small-town story.

Review - - The Wedding Bees

The Wedding Bees
By Sarah-Kate Lynch
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: January 28, 2014

There’s an equation involved in finding “the perfect read,”  the first of which, though rarely recognized, being timing.

I was coming off a cold, hard winter when I picked up THE WEDDING BEES, a story in which the author has written summer to flavor everything from clothing to activities to food.  

Yes, please. 

First “perfect read” requirement met.   Especially right now.

But timing isn’t enough, I’m afraid.   Timing would mean nothing if the author didn’t have the chops to write her summer setting in such a way as to warm my bones, where reading a chapter has made me feel as though I’ve just absorbed a potent shot of Vitamin D through her words, where even her characters--some terribly sad and damaged--seem sunny at the core. THE WEDDING BEES has them all:  original, funny, sad, vulnerable characters.  And I cared for the extended cast nearly as much as I cared for the hero/heroine.   Which brings me to the heroine.

Sugar Wallace, a former debutante with a past she’s trying to escape, lets her honeybee queen decide each year where she will live next.   After all, the bees have never steered her wrong.  The reason she escaped her past in the first place was because the bees gave her a sign.   So when her queen bee stops on New York City on an old map, Sugar moves there.  

She finds herself in an East Village walk-up full of strange neighbors who need a little of her honey, care and Southern-bred manners.   So after setting up her bee hives on the balcony of her tiny rooftop apartment, Sugar throws herself into helping each one of her them, making each a part of her eccentric little family.   

But then there’s Theo Fitzgerald, the Scottish lawyer who falls for Sugar the moment he meets her.  And even though the smallest contact of his hand on hers feels like “a blowtorch on crème brûlée,” it’s too quick.  He’s too much, too charming; the happiness he promises her, too threatening.  Sugar is not interested.   She can’t be.  She’ll help other people find love but for herself, honey is the sweetest thing she’ll allow in her life.  Though her bees may have other ideas.  After all, they’ve never steered her wrong. 

THE WEDDING BEES isn’t your typical romance with pounding sexual chemistry or white knuckled suspense.  It’s quiet.  Different.  And yet I found myself making excuses to friends and family so I could read.   Lynch breathed fresh, sunny air into my otherwise stale winter.   Perhaps her new take on this contemporary American romance may have something to do with being a New Zealander--she gives New York City a homey, small-town feel which may, in part, have to do with being a visitor, with shrinking down a place to make it more accessible.   Or it may be she’s just a lovely writer who sees the world as her own little beautiful neighborhood.   Either way, the book is utterly charming. 

After a trip to research THE WEDDING BEES, Sarah-Kate Lynch wrote:  “I thought about what really mattered to me in my life at that particular point and I came up with six things:  love, friendship, manners, New York City, the South and honey.”

Include good writing and it all adds up to make THE WEDDING BEES my perfect end-of-winter read. 

~J Perry Stone

J Perry Stone is an aspiring Historical Romance writer who is a giant proponent of books and of love... romance being the place where the two live happily ever after.  She lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband and two children. 

Today's Special - - Carey Baldwin

I'm excited to welcome Carey Baldwin back to The Romance Dish.  Carey has a brand new book (released yesterday) and, let me tell you, it's fantastic! (Read my review) This former clinical psychologist knows how to craft a psychological thriller that draws in the reader and keeps them riveted to the story while at the same time scaring the daylights out of them.  I love her stories!

BONUS:  For a limited time you can download CONFESSION at only $1.99 for your Kindle or Nook!  

REMINDER:  Carey is hosting a Facebook release party for CONFESSION today from 1 - 5pm.  Details below in the Q&A. 

Welcome back to the Romance Dish, Carey.  The last time you were here your single-title debut, First Do No Evil had just been released.  Since then you’ve signed with a new publisher – HarperCollins – and your first book for their digital Witness Impulse line, CONFESSION was released yesterday.  Please tell our readers what they can expect from CONFESSION.

Thanks so much for having me, Patty! Readers can expect the unexpected from CONFESSION. I hope there will be lots of surprises in store for them. The book is about 30-40 percent romance and 60-70 percent suspense. It’s officially part of the Harper Collins suspense line- Witness Impulse, but the romance is an integral part of the story. One that I hope will tug your heartstrings. CONFESSION is a dark psychological thriller, along the lines of something you might see from Karen Rose or Allison Brennan in tone. So not for the faint of heart, as they say J.

CONFESSION has a tie-in to FIRST DO NO EVIL.  Should the two books be read in order or does each stand on its own?

The books definitely stand alone, but though they are not technically part of the same series, they are connected. Dr. Faith Clancy, the heroine of CONFESSION is the sister-in-law of Detective Daniel Benson, the hero of FIRST DO NO EVIL. Because one plot is independent of the other, readers can choose to read in any order. But I do think those who enjoy CONFESSION may want to go back and read FIRST DO NO EVIL and vice versa. Faith Clancy stays in the background in FIRST DO NO EVIL, and I think it might be fun for those readers of CONFESSION, who will have the inside track, to spot the hints in FDNE as to what’s really going on with good old reliable Aunt Faith. Both books have a similar mix of thrills and romance, so if you enjoy one, you’ll probably enjoy the other.

I loved both!

Carey, you always manage to throw an unexpected twist into your stories that never fails to take me by surprise.  Are your books plotted out in advance or does the direction they take sometimes catch you by surprise?

Hooray for taking you by surprise, Patty! The truth is I started plotting CONFESSION while I was still writing FIRST DO NO EVIL, so CONFESSION's plot was well over a year in the making- before I ever inked a single word. That said, many things changed during the actual telling of the story. So I guess the answer is I’m definitely a plotter, but I try to let the characters lead me as I write.

When I read your books I don’t do so as an observer but as a participant.  You have the ability to put me squarely in the middle of the action and into the minds of your characters; sometimes a very scary place to be.  I know they’re products of your imagination but do your characters ever scare you?

Thanks for the kind words! And, yup. In fact LABYRINTH, the book I’m finishing up now is scaring the dickens out of me. I told my critique partners, I’m actually quite frightened by the story. You’ve heard of reading with the light on? I’m writing with every light in the house on.

Oh, my.  Every light?  Yikes!

Will we be seeing any of the characters from CONFESSION in future books?  There are two secondary characters that I want more of!   

Well, since you mentioned two characters, I believe we’re on the same page.  Dr. Caitlin Cassidy, a forensic psychiatrist and Special Agent Atticus Spenser (aka Spense) an FBI profiler, are the protagonists of LABYRINTH –scheduled to release Sept. 16, 2014. I really love these two as individuals and I also love their chemistry. I plan for readers to see much more of Caity and Spense in future books (and, guys, whatever you do – do not call Spense by his first name!) In CONFESSION, Caitlin tells Faith that it’ll be a cold day in hell when she and Spense team up. In LABYRINTH, let’s just say the temperature in Hades has dropped dramatically.

Oh, yes.  We are most definitely on the same page!  

Many readers have what we call comfort reads, those favorite books that never fail to lift our spirits no matter how many times we read them.  To what books or authors do you turn when your spirits need a boost.

I must’ve read To Kill a Mockingbird a half-dozen times. It never fails to inspire me. Any Jane Austen book, any time will lift my spirits, and there’s nothing better than a fast-paced fun thriller by Harlan Coben. I’ve also had the good fortune to read many “works in progress” by some wonderful friends (I won’t list them because I wouldn’t want to leave anyone out and they are all so special) and those books- in- the -making genuinely inspire me to keep going, write my best book, and just feel plain happy. Also, I don’t place dark thrillers in the comfort read category, but I sure do love them. There’s something about watching good overcome evil, even in the most impossible circumstance, that keeps me coming back time after time and makes me realize how small my worries are.

What would readers be surprised to learn about you?

It’s in my bio, but I’ve followed a crooked career path. I have a PhD in clinical psychology and practiced for a while before going back to medical school to become a pediatrician. I think most people wouldn’t expect someone like me (a pediatrician who sings the alphabet song with her patients) to write dark and sexy books.

If you could insert yourself into the life of any fictional character (with a way back to your real life, of course), who would you choose and why?

I adore Laura Ingalls from the Little House on the Prairie series. I’d love to experience life as a pioneer girl/woman.  Although I’m not sure I’d classify Laura as a fictional character – since the Little House books depict a fictionalized account of Laura’s real life. Also, I’m pretty sure the pioneer men were hawt and manly, so reason enough for me!  

LOL!  Excellent reasons!  

Where can readers connect with you online?

Thanks for asking. I’d love for readers to visit my website  (www.CareyBaldwin.com ). I’m on also on twitter (https://twitter.com/CareyBaldwin ) and facebook (https://www.facebook.com/CareyBaldwinAuthor) and you can sign up for my newsletter to get info on my new releases here (http://www.careybaldwin.com/contact/)

Will you be attending any conferences or book signings this year where readers will have the opportunity to meet you?

Yes! But first I’d like to mention if I may that today (March 12) I’m having an online facebook party to celebrate the release of CONFESSION. I’d love for readers to join me between 1PM and 5PM EST 
(https://www.facebook.com/events/770999556263155/) I’ve got guest authors, games and prizes including a fifty dollar gift card, so please stop by!

Upcoming in person events I’m attending include:

The Desert Dreams Conference April 4-6 Phoenix, Arizona

The Romantic Times Book Lovers Convention May 13-18 New Orleans

The Romance Writers of America Conference July 24-26 San Antonio, Texas

Thanks so much for visiting with us today, Carey.  Would you like to ask our readers a question?

Thank you for inviting me! It’s always fun to visit with you and Andrea, and to get a chance to interact with your readers. I’d like to ask your readers so many things, but I think I’ll settle for this: Has anyone ever given you a really great piece of advice that you’re willing to share today?

One randomly chosen person leaving a comment on today's blog will receive a $10 gift card from Carey - winner's choice of Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  

They say the Santa Fe Saint comes to save your soul—by taking your life.

Newly minted psychiatrist Faith Clancy gets the shock of her life when her first patient confesses to the grisly Saint murders. By law Faith's compelled to notify the authorities, but is her patient really the Saint? Or will she contribute to more death by turning the wrong man over to the police?

Faith is going to need all her wits and the help of a powerful adversary, Luke Jericho, if she's to unravel the truth. But she doesn't realize she's about to become an unwitting pawn in a serial killer's diabolical game. For once he's finished with Faith, she'll become his next victim.