Review & Giveaway - - Waiting for the Flood

Waiting for the Flood

by Alexis Hall

Spires - Book 2

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Release Date: February 20, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

Quietly heartbroken, Edwin Tully lives alone in the house he used to share with the man he once loved. He tends to damaged books and faded memories, trying to build a future from the fragments of the past. Then the weather turns, and the river spills into Edwin's quiet world, bringing with it Adam Dacre from the Environment Agency. An unlikely knight, this stranger with roughened hands and worn wellingtons offers Edwin the hope of something he thought he would never have again.

As the two men are drawn together in their struggle against the rising waters, Edwin slowly lets down his guard as he comes to accept he can't shield his heart from everything—and perhaps he doesn't even need to try. Because love doesn't only leave scars…sometimes, it heals them, too.

PJ's Thoughts:

What a lovely, lovely story. I am awash in all the feelings. Hall is a master of language and emotion, crafting a gentle, thoughtful story that flows with a lyrical, almost poetic quality. Like the impending flood, I was swept away by the pain, the healing, and the hope within Edwin's world.

Sometimes our hearts are broken. We feel we aren't worthy of being loved. The grief of losing the life we were certain we were meant to live sets us adrift. Those are all facets of Edwin that Hall deftly addresses with an honest but nurturing hand, creating a deeply emotional journey of moving on that I was hard pressed to put down. He made me laugh, touched my soul, and certainly brought about a flood of tears. Through Edwin, and Adam, he shows us that love that ends is not love wasted. Worthy of grief and sadness, certainly, but not a waste. Sometimes, it's just not the right time for that love to continue. And, sometimes, a new love will come along. A love that's better, deeper, healthier, and right for the person you have now become. I'm pretty sure I'll be thinking of these characters and their story for some time to come. 

Alexis Hall wrote Edwin's story almost a decade ago. This book is a reissue of that original story but includes new content. The author has now penned a story for Marius, the former boyfriend of ten years who left Edwin and broke his heart, sending him into a two-year spiral of quiet grief. "Chasing the Light" follows Marius as he deals with the fallout of the events he set into motion when he left Edwin and the possibilities of forgiveness, acceptance, and moving on. It's edgier than Waiting for the Flood, as Marius is a flawed character with a sharpness that at times leans to cruelty. His journey is an interesting character study of both him and the man who comes into his life at a vulnerable moment, illustrating once again that we are all worthy of love and, if we're lucky, will meet that right person who will love us, flaws and all. I appreciated the crossover of characters in the two stories, bringing much needed closure to both Edwin and Marius, enabling them to move forward with a healed heart. 

Waiting for the Flood is a book I'll be visiting again. I have no doubt that each time I read it I'll be moved by something new in Alexis Hall's gentle, masterful prose. 

Have you read any of Alexis Hall's books?

Do you have a favorite?

One person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, March 1 will receive a print copy of Waiting for the Flood. 

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

Review - - Fish Out of Water

Fish Out of Water

by Katie Ruggle

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Release Date: February 13, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

When Dahlia Weathersby's sister disappears on what should have been a simple day hike, Dahlia immediately heads deep into the Colorado Rockies to find her. Knowing she'll never survive the mountains alone, she convinces the local hermit—adorably grouchy survival expert Winston Dane—to be her guide. All it takes is a good helping of Dahlia's charm…and just the teeniest bit of blackmail…before she's got all six-foot-something of him wrapped around her finger. But even with her very own mountain man in tow, things aren't going to be easy. There are:

• Long hikes through gorgeous wilderness? Check.
• Bears? Check.
• A single shared sleeping bag? Check.
• Enough sparks to set the Rockies ablaze? Check, check, check.

With everything the wilderness has to throw at them, it'll take more than charm and some city girl ingenuity to make this trek anything but a disaster waiting to happen…and an adventure she'll never forget.

PJ's Thoughts:

I've been reading Katie Ruggle since her debut novel. Her slightly offbeat characters, complex storylines, and slow-building, edge-of-your-seat suspense have landed her first two series on my keeper shelves and cemented her as an auto-buy author. After a few years publishing hiatus, Ruggle is back with something a little different. There's still the quirky characters and terrific banter of her earlier books but Fish Out of Water is lighter in tone, more romcom than suspense, though still with a bit of danger.

I enjoyed this book that pairs a chatterbox makeover artist from the city with a Mr. Grumpy Pants, reclusive author from the mountains. Dahlia and Winston are hilarious, endearing, and more than a little quirky. It's a vibe Ruggle has used before and does well. Even during the spicy bits I found myself grinning and chuckling along with the unlikely couple who somehow seem perfect for one another. I admit that there were times when I found myself wondering if they had forgotten about Dahlia's missing sister. I had to suspend belief a bit there but I willingly did so because this book was more romcom than suspense and, also, I was having fun with these two. Even when the danger showed up around the 80% mark, I was so entrenched in the lighthearted vibe of the story by that point that I took it for granted that all would be well.   

Did I miss the complex character development, emotional depth, and breath-stealing tension of Ruggle's earlier books that I love so much? Yes, I did, but once I realized that this was a different type of book I was able to appreciate it for what it is: a lighthearted, laugh-inducing, slightly bonkers, adventurous romcom...with a touch of danger and a happy ending. 

Review - - Any Duke in a Storm

Any Duke in a Storm

by Amalie Howard

Daring Dukes - Book 4

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Release Date: January 9, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

 

Historical romance takes to the high seas. Famed spy Lady Lisbeth Medford is on a ship bound for the West Indies, and the only thing more dangerous than her mission is the elusive Duke she's trying to capture.

Lady Lisbeth Medford, Countess of Waterstone and famed international spy, is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. She's determined to infiltrate a notorious smuggling ring in the West Indies while on a covert mission as a ship's captain. But even when her identity is compromised and she's forced to flee, the men chasing her are still hot on her heels.

The trouble in front of her, however, might be even worse. Raphael Saint, the Duc de Viel, is her ship's new aggravating and dangerously charming sailing master, who might very well be part of the smuggling ring Lisbeth must bring to justice. But when a new deadly threat on the high seas looms, the only way out of danger is to face it…together.

PJ's Thoughts:

She had me at high seas romance...then followed up with much, much more. I was ripe for a good high adventure romance and this one ticked my happy reader boxes. 

Lisbeth is definitely her own woman: daring, capable, and fierce.  She's a respected, and feared, sea captain with a secret identity and a secret mission. Saint's actions show him to be much more than a sailing master but he's keeping secrets too. The sparks fly between them from the get-go and only get hotter. The verbal banter is fast, snappy, and on point. The respect grows slowly but is absolute. The chemistry darn near burns the ship down. And the tender, protective caring within Saint's heart had me ready to follow him anywhere, even if that ended up in the heart of a smuggler's den. The storyline twists and turns through the Caribbean, keeping me on my toes the entire way. I honestly did not know how these two were going to end up together, and at least one of them out of jail, until the very end. I love that!

This book is my favorite of what has been a really good series from Amalie Howard. I read it in one day - these characters refused to let me walk away from them - then went back to the beginning and took the journey all over again, more slowly this time to savor each word and nuance. It's filled with danger, adventure, betrayal, vengeance, secrets, and set-the-sheets-on-fire chemistry. It also has a fair amount of humor. A young island girl with the mouth of a salty sailor, in particular, both had me laughing out loud and wanting to hug her close. I loved the path her journey took and the impact she had on both Lisbeth and Saint.

The characters are diverse, both racially and sexually, with intriguing characteristics (tattoos, piercings, and such) that are backed up with fascinating historical research. Be sure to read the author's notes at the end. I enjoyed their complexity, the many layers that make up the whole of who they are, the journey they traversed, and the love, and happiness, they found. This is a book I'll be revisiting again. 

Review - - The Comeback

The Comeback

by Lily Chu

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Release Date: May 9, 2023

Reviewed by PJ

Ariadne Hui thrives on routine. So what if everything in her life is planned down to the minute: that's the way she likes it. If she's going to make partner in Toronto's most prestigious law firm, she needs to stay focused at all times.

But when she comes home after yet another soul-sucking day to find an unfamiliar, gorgeous man camped out in her living room, focus is the last thing on her mind. Especially when her roommate explains this is Choi Jihoon, her cousin freshly arrived from Seoul to mend a broken heart. He just needs a few weeks to rest and heal; Ari will barely even know he's there. (Yeah, right.)

Jihoon is kindness and chaos personified, and it isn't long before she's falling, hard. But when one wrong step leads to a shocking truth, Ari finds herself thrust onto the world stage: not as the competent, steely lawyer she's fought so hard to become, but as the mystery woman on the arm of a man the entire world claims to know. Now with her heart, her future, and her sense of self on the line, Ari will have to cut through all the pretty lies to find the truth of her relationship…and discover the Ariadne Hui she's finally ready to be.

PJ's Thoughts:

This is a book that probably wouldn't have landed on my radar had I not received an email from a publicist whose opinion I value. She loved it, thought I might love it, and sent me a copy. Celebrity romcoms aren't books that I typically gravitate to and I freely admit that I know next to nothing about the K-pop industry so this one would have likely slipped on past me without a look. I am so glad it didn't. I gobbled up this book in one greedy gulp, wanting it to never end. 

RomComs have evolved over the years as anyone who reads them can attest. Yes, there's humor in this book but there's also much more. For Ari, there's the stress of a career she hates, the weight of fulfilling her father's expectations, the heartache of a broken relationship with her sister, and the navigation of an industry where she will always be an "other," which only makes her work that much harder to succeed. She basically has no personal life...until she's thrown off stride by the unexpected arrival of Jihoon. Where Ari is focused and driven, with sharp edges, Jihoon is shy and endearing, more in touch with his emotional side. But don't mistake that for a lack of depth or drive. There are many layers waiting to be revealed within this man and his surprisingly complicated life.  

Chu skillfully guides her characters through a gradual, relatable evolution, complete with complex family dynamics, soul-searching career decisions, heart-opening romantic connection, necessary character growth, and compelling, world-stage challenges, laying it all out in a way that completely immersed me, the reader, in their world. I laughed, cried, ached, and celebrated right along with them. I wanted so badly for these two people from different countries but, really, different worlds, who complement one another so beautifully, to find a way to move forward in happiness and creative fulfillment, individually but also together. Spoiler alert: they do, but you'll have to read the book to discover how it all comes about. 

Lily Chu now sits firmly on my must-buy author list. I've already downloaded her debut, The Stand-In and am looking forward to whatever she writes next. This is an author with a bright future. 

Review - - Glitterland

Glitterland

by Alexis Hall

Spires - Book 1

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Release Date: January 17, 2023

Reviewed by Santa

Once the golden boy of the English literary scene, now a clinically depressed writer of pulp crime fiction, Ash Winters has given up on hope, happiness, and—most of all—himself. He lives his life between the cycles of his illness, haunted by the ghosts of other people's expectations.

Then a chance encounter throws him into the path of Essex-born Darian Taylor. Flashy and loud, radiant and full of life, Darian couldn't be more different...and yet he makes Ash laugh, reminding him of what it's like to step beyond the boundaries of his anxiety. But Ash has been living in his own shadow for so long that he can no longer see a way out. Can a man who doesn't trust himself ever trust in happiness? And how can someone who doesn't believe in happiness ever fight for his own?

Alexis Hall's iconic Glitterland has been revised and expanded, with extensive bonus content and a stunning new cover by Elizabeth Turner Stokes. Bonus content includes:

• Author Annotations: Alexis Hall's insights and commentary threaded through the novel
• Shadowland: a brand new scene exploring Niall and Max's complex relationship
• The Glass Menagerie: an entertaining look at an in-universe Rik Glass novel
• A Letter from the Author discussing the experience of writing Glitterland
• Darian's Nanny Dot's Cottage Pie and Aftermath, brought together from the original release

Santa Says:

Glitterland by Alexis Hall is a re-issue of the first book in his Spires series. I would give it a four out of five stars. I have read some of the other books in the series. I unknowingly read them in no particular order and never got to this one. It is not your typical grumpy meets sunshine book. A. A. Winters, also known as Ash is a writer of some renown who grapples with his bi-polar disorder and crippling anxiety. These permeate so much of his life. It was heart wrenching for me to read as I know people who fight these battles for survival. Sometimes it is a daily battle and at other times they thrive.  

I usually do not like books that have such heavy characterizations but Alexis Hall never shies away from some harsh realities in life and he creates such a light even in the darkest times. He brought that light into this story with the brilliantly be-dazzled Darian. Darian is all that is lightness to Ash’s darkness.  Where Ash shrinks into the background, Darian struts into the center dragging Ash out of his comfort zone. 

They meet and hook up for what Ash hopes is a one and done deal but Darian calls out to him and drags him out of his shell even when well-meaning but overbearing friends like Naill try to shield Ash and keep him needy.  Darian puts no pressure on Ash who puts more than enough on himself. He asks nothing of him even after Ash spectacularly insults their relationship by making it out to be no more than a meaningless fling. 

Glitterland is a great title for this book. It’s happily ever after for Ash and Darian feels authentic and lifted up my spirits. I have a feeling that they are in it for the long haul. I look forward to seeing how the other books in the series have been re-edited.

Trigger Warning: Potential triggering elements in this book include attempted suicide and subsequent hospitalization, acute social anxiety and panic attacks, bi-polar disorder.

Review - - The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks

by Shauna  Robinson

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Release Date: November 1, 2022

Reviewed by Nancy

 

When Maggie Banks arrives in Bell River to run her best friend's struggling bookstore, she expects to sell bestsellers to her small-town clientele. But running a bookstore in a town with a famously bookish history isn't easy. Bell River's literary society insists on keeping the bookstore stuck in the past, and Maggie is banned from selling anything written this century. So, when a series of mishaps suddenly tip the bookstore toward ruin, Maggie will have to get creative to keep the shop afloat.

And in Maggie's world, book rules are made to be broken.

To help save the store, Maggie starts an underground book club, running a series of events celebrating the books readers actually love. But keeping the club quiet, selling forbidden books, and dodging the literary society is nearly impossible. Especially when Maggie unearths a town secret that could upend everything. 

Maggie will have to decide what's more important: the books that formed a small town's history, or the stories poised to change it all.

Nancy's Thoughts: 

Shauna Robinson’s The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks is a delightful romance that’s also about a woman finding her place. The story opens with Maggie’s arrival in the town of Bell River. She’s there take over her friend Rochelle’s bookstore when Rochelle goes on maternity leave. The town’s claim to fame is that the writer Edward Bell was from there. The town is named after him (a change from its original name), and there are statues—yes, plural. Tourists come to learn about him and to see where he lived and worked. There’s so much about him, though, that Maggie has a niggling feeling that this is a little cult-like. 

It's more cult-like than she knows. Ralph Bell, who operates the museum dedicated to Bell, owns majority shares in many of the town’s businesses, including Rochelle’s bookshop, and closely controls how they’re run. For example, the bookshop cannot sell any books other than those by Edward Bell and acclaimed classics published before his death in 1968. The nearest place to find popular fiction is the next town over. 

Ralph even has an employee, Malcolm, keep tabs on the businesses to be sure they comply with his rules. Unfortunately, Maggie doesn’t hold Edward Bell in the same esteem as Ralph and his cohorts, and Malcolm happens upon Maggie and Rochelle joking about him. He cautions them and says he won’t report it this time, but this can’t happen again. He’s clearly torn between doing is job and being reasonable, which makes him sympathetic. He becomes more so when we learn his reasons for staying in this job. 

Unfortunately, Maggie runs afoul of Ralph with serious consequences for the bookstore. She’s desperate to keep Rochelle, who is already on leave because of pregnancy complications, from finding out about Ralph’s new restrictions. A local romance author, Evelyn, stops in to see if the changes at the store leave room for more popular fiction. Selling anything not sanctioned by Ralph will be disastrous if he finds out, but the store can’t survive under his new orders.  

One thing leads to another, and Maggie and Evelyn devise a plan to do a mashup of Moby Dick and romance (along the lines of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies)—but secretly, working with a very small audience. Maggie’s trip to a local book lovers convention turns unexpectedly complicated when Malcolm shows up. And more complicated yet when they discover that they like each other and want to spur each other’s interest in different kinds of books. In the back of Maggie’s mind, though, is the awareness that she absolutely cannot let Malcolm find out what she’s doing to bring in revenue in the store.  

At the semi-secret gathering, Evelyn’s reading of her mashup, Hunting for Dick, is a huge success. It also brings in people who convince Maggie there’s a real demand locally for popular fiction and for other such events. If she can meet that demand, that will solve the store’s revenue problems. So she begins selling books banned by Ralph, a choice that gives the book its title.  

Maggie is likeable despite not having found her niche in life. She knows what kind of job she doesn’t want—something restrictive, the position her sister arranged for her as an assistant at a brokerage firm. But she doesn’t know what she actually wants. She’s still trying, though, and is happy to help her friend and take that time to try to figure out a next step. Although she makes choices she knows are risky, she’s doing it to protect her friend from stress and keep revenue up.  

As is often the case, one deception leads to another and another, increasing the secrets Maggie has to keep from Malcolm as their relationship deepens. Matters come to a head when Ralph makes a business choice that threatens a bookstore regular and all the businesses he controls. Maggie rallies the community to resist. The trouble that comes crashing down is predictable, but Robinson leads the reader to understand why Maggie and her friends don’t see it that way.  

Their salvation comes from an unexpected quarter, and I don’t want to spoil it. So I’ll simply say it was very satisfying. The foundation for it was laid in a way that made it believable. Even better, the resolution leads Maggie to see the solution to her personal issues and shakes Malcolm out of his rut.  

Although I love the characters and enjoyed the plot, I have two issues with the worldbuilding. The first is the description of Edward Bell as the founder of feminism. Maggie makes it plain early that she doesn’t see where this is coming from, which is fine. My problem lies in the fact that there are works considered feminist published well before this Edward Bell’s work. Little Women, while it’s a children’s novel, is considered a feminist book. So are Ibsen’s The Doll’s House and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper. Virginia Woolf and Dorothy L. Sayers also wrote about feminist themes. All these authors were published before the 1930s, when the story world’s Edward Bell wrote the purportedly feminist The First Dollar.  

When Maggie and Malcolm discuss the bookstore and its stock, he laments that Ralph’s sales policy keeps the inventory very white except for slave narratives because there were no Black authors on the New York Times bestseller list until 1970. Bestseller status, however, does not convey classic status, and there were Black authors published before Ralph’s 1968 cutoff whose books have come to be considered classics. Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man was published in 1952. Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God came out in 1937. James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, and Richard Wright were all published before 1968. 

Dismissing these earlier works by feminist and Black authors yanked me out of the story each time. It made me stop and go, “Wait. What?” I realize this is fiction, but it’s set in this world. So it would seem to me to have the same basic history and conventions and literature as this world. But that may be just me. Other readers may not be aware of these books or, if they are aware, care that they’ve been world-built out of existence. 

Maggie and Evelyn have a brief conversation about who gets to decide what’s a classic. Maybe the author had that in mind when she made her story choices. As I said, while these choices seriously did not work for me, they may be fine with others. 

The story moves at a good pace. The characters are well drawn and likeable. The supporting characters also have their moments to shine, and the mashups at the readings are delightful. Weighing all of that against being really bothered by the dismissal of the earlier authors for worldbuilding and knowing other readers may not mind so much, I settled on 4 stars. I do recommend the book because it was fun despite my other issues. 

4 Stars, Recommended 

~Nancy 

Review & Giveaway - - Up All Night with a Good Duke

Up All Night with a Good Duke

by Amy Rose Bennett

The Byronic Book Club - Book 1

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Release Date: June 28, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

 

Artemis Jones—"respectable" finishing-school teacher by day and Gothic romance writer by night—has never lost sight of her real dream: to open her own academic ladies' college. When Artemis is unexpectedly called upon by a dear friend, a fellow Byronic Book Club member, to navigate her first London Season, she comes at once. Who knows, perhaps she can court the interest of a wealthy patron for her school. As long as she can avoid her high-handed aunt's schemes to marry her off.

Dominic Winters, the widowed Duke of Dartmoor, needs a wife—someone who will provide him with an heir and help him to manage his spitfire adolescent daughter. The problem is, Society has dubbed him "The Dastardly Duke." Rumors are rife that he murdered his mad wife so his choices for a suitable bride are limited. But then he meets the ravishing and passionate Artemis Jones who might just be everything he needs.

PJ's Thoughts:

I discovered Amy Rose Bennett through her Disreputable Debutantes series - which I thoroughly enjoyed - and was excited to dive into a new series by her. I'm delighted to share that I found this first book in Bennett's The Byronic Book Club series to be charming, humorous, emotional, and deliciously satisfying. 

I'm always up for a misunderstood hero with a mysterious - is he the good guy or the bad guy - event in his past. Bonus points if he's a loving single father who has no idea how to deal with his moody, growing-up-way-too-fast, teenage daughter. Pair him with an intelligent, accomplished, slightly scandalous (she has a secret!) spinster and I'm beside myself with glee. 

I loved the chemistry between Artemis and Dominic. I loved their open and (mostly) honest conversations (she does have a good reason for keeping her books a secret). These are mature characters and behave accordingly. I could feel their emotions, the respect between them, and the solidity of the partnership they formed but also the sweetness, the humor, and the passion. These were characters I genuinely liked and cheered on, both individually and as a couple. Of course, there are potholes on the road to their sigh-worthy declaration of love - there always are - but I was happy with the way in which they were handled. 

The secondary cast of characters were richly depicted and contributed significantly to the story. I love strong female friendships and am already looking forward to the next two books featuring the other members of the Byronic Book Club. I especially enjoyed the evolution of Dominic's daughter, Celeste and her relationship with Artemis. It felt very authentic. The villains (with different agendas and not working together) were both despicable but dispatched in a very satisfying manner. I love when the bad guys get what's coming to them. 

If you haven't discovered Amy Rose Bennett yet, Up All Night with a Good Duke is a great place to begin. It has my enthusiastic recommendation. The second book in the series, Curled Up with an Earl, is scheduled to be released February 7, 2023. I already have it on pre-order and am eager to discover what Ms. Bennett has in store for scientific Lucy and covert government agent/Earl of Kyle, Will.

I received a print copy of this book from the publisher in today's mail so I've added a giveaway to the post. 

Have you read Amy Rose Bennett yet?

Artemis is a teacher by day but a secret author of Gothic romances by night. If you could choose, what would your secret occupation be?

One person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, July 7 will receive a print copy of Up All Night with a Good Duke.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

*Void where prohibited

Review - - The Best of Me

The Best of Me

by Sharon Sala

Blessings, Georgia - Book 13

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Release Date: April 26, 2022

Reviewed by Santa

There's never a dull moment in Blessings, Georgia:

• An orphaned little girl desperately needs a new home
• An eager couple is ready to welcome her with open arms
• Friendly neighbors are always there for each other
• In this southern small town, good things happen to good people

Ruby Butterman and her husband, Peanut, cannot have children, but they're given a second chance at a family when eight-year-old orphan Carlie is left in their care. It's a challenge for Carlie to adapt to a new town, a new school, and a new family, and when she gets bullied at school, Ruby and Peanut discover how to step up as parents, and how to make a forever family for their beloved little girl.

Santa Says:

The Best of Me by Sharon Sala is a book that helped this reader bid a fond farewell to the warm, embracing town of Blessings, Georgia. Sharon Sala provides a five star finish to the Blessings, Georgia series as two of the town’s favorite couples (in my humble opinion) - Ruby and Peanut Butterman -  welcome an unexpected bundle of joy.  

Shirley Duroy was dying. There was no mistake in this. She barely made it off the Greyhound bus and into the police station before collapsing. Tragically, she dies but not before making sure police chief, Lon Pittman, got a hold of Ruby Butterman. Shirley made sure she legally named Ruby as guardian of her seven year old daughter Carlie and provided monies for her daughter’s future. 

In the true Blessings way, the whole town rallies to help Carlie adjust with Ruby and Peanut giving all the joy and love they can to Carlie. They were truly blessed with the child they never thought they would be able to have. There are some trials that they face as a family. Carlie faces some bullying from a jealous schoolmate but both girls come out better at the end. 

Sharon Sala’s small town romances tell the story of true love. The Best of Me also has a secondary romance of two people who come home to help their aging parents and work their neighboring family farms. Deborah and Ladd were teenage lovers who went their separate ways. They are reunited here and rediscover each other and their love. 

These two storylines are as wonderful and delicious as the amazing biscuits served at Granny’s. I really enjoy Sharon Sala’s books. The Best of Me and all the other books in this series, can easily be read as stand alones. Enjoy a respite that the town and people of Blessings, Georgia provide.

  

Review - - Boss Witch

Boss Witch

by Ann Aguirre

Fix-It Witches - Book 2

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Release Date: April 5, 2022

Reviewed by Nancy

 

Clementine Waterhouse is a perfectly logical witch. She doesn't tumble headlong into love. Rather she weighs the pros and cons and decides if a relationship is worth pursuing. At least that's always been her modus operandi before. Clem prefers being the one in charge, always the first to walk away when the time is right. Attraction has never struck her like lightning.

Until the witch hunter comes to town.

Gavin Rhys hates being a witch hunter, but his family honor is on the line, and he needs to prove he's nothing like his grandfather, a traitor who let everyone down. But things in St. Claire aren't what they seem, and Gavin is distracted from the job immediately by a bewitching brunette with a sexy smile and haunting secrets in her eyes.

Can the bossiest witch in town find a happy ending with the last person she should ever love?

Nancy Says:

Ann Aguirre is well known for her science fiction and fantasy action-adventure series, which include strong romantic elements. In Boss Witch (and presumably in the rest of the Fix-It Witches series), the romance comes to the fore. Unlike Aguirre’s other series, these contemporary paranormal romances are set in a small Midwestern town of St. Claire with no journeys to other worlds or exotic locations.

 

The heroine of Boss Witch, Clementine (but please call her Clem!) Waterhouse, and her cousin operate an appliance repair shop known as Fix-It Witches. Since the public doesn’t know about magic and witches, they conceal their use of their magic, known as technomancy, in making the speedy repairs that are their hallmark. They also belong to a close-knit, all-female coven.

 

The story opens with the coven discussing the arrival in town of a man they believe to be a witch hunter, someone who finds witches by tracing their magic. The hunter reports them to enforcers, who then sever their magic and turn them in to mundane humans—incidentally seizing some of their property as “compensation.”  Clem’s cousin, Danica, has had magical spikes in the local bakery because of her attraction to the baker, and these spikes have drawn the hunter to their town.

 

Clem resolves to distract the hunter from his quest. At the same time, she and the other local witches take steps to conceal their magic via wearing charms, raising wards, and drinking suppressive potions. They hope the hunter will be unable to locate any witches, lose interest, and move on. Matters don’t develop quite that way, of course.

 

The hunter, Englishman Gavin Rhys, doesn’t enjoy being a witch hunter. He persists in the job because he longs for his father’s approval and because, having been raised in this order of witch hunters and enforcers, he knows no other life. But his dissatisfaction is growing.

 

He and Clem meet in a bar, where she pretends to have been stood up, and lures him into protecting her from other patrons. Once they’ve met, she uses that as a springboard to a flirtation they both believe to be temporary. 

Under pressure from his father and unable to locate the witch who caused the magic spikes that had him sent here, Gavin rents an apartment and plans to stay for a month. His attraction to Clem is also an incentive, but he plans to use his time to question other residents about any odd events that might point him toward his quarry. 

As Gavin meets the townspeople, their warmth and friendliness draw him. They also give Aguirre a chance to showcase one of the upsides of small-town life, the close relationships of residents who’ve known each other a long time. Her characters are likeable and varied in personality and age. Similarly, Clem’s coven members include a range of ages and sexual orientations. Clem is bisexual though that’s mentioned only in passing. 

Clem is her family’s fixer, and tensions in her family generate a lot of stress for her. Danica, her cousin and partner in the fix-it shop, is so distracted by her budding romance that she isn’t carrying her share of the workload. This apparently isn’t unusual, but Clem is reaching her limit with it. Their grandmother has stepped up her meddling, trying to force a rapprochement between Clem’s mother and her ex, Clem’s dad, who’s famous for his philandering. The dad also wants to renew ties, though Clem is fed up with him. 

The family tensions swirling around Clem and the issues Gavin has with his father are developed well and present Clem and Gavin sympathetically. Even Danica isn’t purely annoying. She and Clem have layers in their relationship that prevent her from being a one-note character. 

One of my favorite scenes in the book occurs at the finale of the Lugnasadh festival, where witches from all around the region gather to celebrate. At the end, they join their magic in a rainbow whirlwind of energy. This big display of magic has a downside, though, and it propels the book toward its conclusion. 

The magic system is simple, not requiring explanation that would draw attention from the main plot. Technomancers are especially adept with gadgets, vivimancers with living creatures, and neuromancers with illusions. 

The relationship develops with unusual, creative dates Clem and Gavin devise and with a lot of humor. The downside for me is that they’re in lust with each other from their first meeting and sprinkle innuendo through their conversation. I tend to prefer a slower build and fewer lust references in the beginning. I realize that isn’t the case for everyone, of course, so I didn’t let my preference affect my rating. 

My one quibble with the book, which did affect my rating, is the spell the coven works near the end of the book. It has an important effect, so I was left wondering why they don’t just do that immediately. 

That one issue aside, Boss Witch is well written with sympathetic, layered characters and an intriguing setting. The loves scenes are explicit, tender and emotional. 

Highly recommended.