Running Wild

By: K.A Tucker
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: K.A. Tucker
Pages: 370

Amazon Barnes & Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Veterinarian Marie Lehr knows unrequited love all too well after pining for her best friend, only to watch him marry another woman. It’s a mistake she will never make again, especially not when she can practically hear the clock ticking on her childbearing years.

The trouble is, she can’t seem to find anyone who appeals to her even a fraction as much as that burly bush pilot did. Competitive musher Tyler Brady certainly doesn’t, especially not after the heated altercation with the handsome but arrogant, spiteful man.

Or so she thinks.

While volunteering at the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, Marie discovers that first impressions may have been false, and her attraction to Tyler is very real. But his heart belongs to someone else, leaving him with nothing to offer but friendship. Marie’s been down this road before and knows how that ends. Yet, no matter how hard she works to keep from falling for Tyler, it seems she’s doomed to follow her own trail once again.

From the internationally bestselling author of The Simple Wild comes the story of a woman at a crossroads in her life, struggling between the safe route and the one that will only lead to more heartbreak.

First Impressions

I loved the first Simple Wild book and enjoyed the second one as well so I was very excited to see a third one coming out. I was a bit surprised that this was not about Calla and Jonah, so it dampened by excitement slightly, but also we had gotten so much of them I was ready to see what was next. I also adore these covers. They are so beautiful and make me want to go to Alaska.

What I thought

This book lived up to all of my hopes and expectations.

Marie is a veterinarian in rural Alaska. She took over her father’s clinic outside of Anchorage, but at 38 years old she is starting to wonder if she will ever had more in her life. Tyler just bought a farm in the town and has come from Finland to run in the Iditarod. He is shrouded in mystery and Tyler and Marie do not get along from the first time they meet.

Marie did appear in the first two novels. She was in love with Jonah and considers him her best friend. I don’t think anyone who has read the first two books in this series would say that they liked Marie. I was curious to see how Tucker was going to bring us into her world and make us root for her. If nothing else, I figured I would be cheering for her to find her own love story and get over Jonah!

I loved this book. I thought Marie was great and I actually really liked her character. I also adored Tyler and the immediate banter and chemistry that he had with Marie. One of my favorite characteristics of Marie is how strong of a woman she is. She is the best veterinarian in the area and volunteers for the Iditarod. She isn’t afraid to stand for a cause when it comes to the animals.

However, that also balances with the one part I got a little annoyed with over time and that was her age and desire to have a child. Marie is 38 and it is repeated over and over and over how much she wants a family and a child and how worried she is she will never have that since she broke off an engagement and Jonah got married. I understand where she’s coming from, but it did get a little repetitive at times.

I was surprised how the Iditarod occurred to early in the book. I wish there had been a little more build up to that and then maybe not as quite occurring afterwards. But I also understand that the timeline works well to have months for Tyler and Marie to get to know each other.

It was also interesting because Tyler is a widow. I think, for the most part, it’s written well without being over the top. I got a little frustrated towards the end, but I think it was mostly me just wanting them to get together already!

Tucker does it again! Another great book in the Simple Wild series. Yet again, she makes me want to move to Alaska and find a grumpy, semi-anti-social man and make him love me. I would highly recommend reading he first two books first, but this one is just as good as the first one. There also are a great amount of Calla and Jonah cameos which always makes me happy in romance series.

Blackmail and Bibingka

By: Mia P Manansala
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley Books
Pages: 288

Amazon Barnes & Noble

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this novel.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): It's Christmastime in Shady Palms, but things are far from jolly for Lila Macapagal. Sure, her new business, The Brew-ha Cafe, is looking to turn a profit in its first year. And yes, she's taken the first step in a new romance with her good friend, Jae Park. But her cousin Ronnie is back in town after ghosting the family fifteen years ago, claiming that his recent purchase of a local winery shows that he's back on his feet and ready to give back to the Shady Palms community. Tita Rosie is thrilled with the return of her prodigal son, but Lila knows that wherever Ronnie goes, trouble follows.

She's soon proven right when Ronnie is accused of murder, and secrets and rumors surrounding her shady cousin and those involved with the winery start piling up. Now Lila has to put away years of resentment and distrust to prove her cousin's innocence. He may be a jerk, but he's still family. And there's no way her flesh and blood could actually be a murderer...right?

First Impressions

This book is the third in a series that I haven’t read. I had heard about Arsenic and Adobo, the first book in the series, and it had seemed really cute. The cover of this one was fun and festive and when given then opportunity to read it for review, I knew I had to squeeze it in.

What I thought

If you enjoy cozy mysteries, recipes, and Filipino culture, this book will be for you.

Lila works at a bakery in a town in central Illinois. Her bakery focus on coffee and Filipino inspired treats. When her good for nothing cousin moves back to town to take over the city winery, her aunt gets a suspicious blackmail letter. Then one of the investors is murdered. Lila takes it upon herself to figure out what’s going on.

One of the best parts of the story is Lila’s family. I know that in Filipino culture, family is essential. In other stories I’ve read, they’ve always been close knit with lots of aunties. I loved how Manansala wrote the family relationships and friendships in this story. You could see how close Lila was to her Tita and her Lola as well as how integrated their family businesses were.

The other nice thing was that, while I felt I was probably missing some nods to the earlier books, almost like inside jokes, I never felt lost. I knew who everyone was and how they were connected, even if I didn’t necessarily know how they got there. It made it easy to pick this series up in the middle which I appreciated.

The one thing that did start to bother me after a while was Lila and her tact for the investigation. Long story short, she had none. She very blatantly put her nose in other people’s business and never did it in secret. In fact, she confronted people violently multiple times. Like girl, come on. Don’t aggravate people and make it worse. The amount of times she verbally and even physically attacked her cousin was excessive. Pull him aside and have a conversation. I felt really bad for him after a while because any time he tried to defend himself he would get completely berated.

One other thing that I appreciated in this book was the very beginning. First, Manansala added a trigger warning. Even though this is a lighter mystery, there are still some difficult topics addressed. I appreciated the thoughtfulness. In addition to that, there was an entire glossary of Filipino terms with their definitions as well as pronunciations. I know that this is something that POC authors shouldn’t ever feel obligated to include, but I feel like it helps to educate those outside their culture who choose to read their books. I read books with characters from other cultures to help educate myself, so I greatly appreciate that it isn’t assumed that every reader will know these terms or make it their jobs to look it up.

This book is definitely more along the lines of a Hallmark Movies and Mysteries type of story. In fact, I would love to see them adapt this. It would be adorable and the next Aurora Teagarden. It’s not going to win any awards for its creativity or even the mystery itself. But it was cute and fun and I enjoyed how the holidays were woven in without being over the top. I will definitely keep an eye out for the next book in the series and a fun, quick read.

Once Upon a December

By: Amy E Reichert
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 336

Amazon Barnes & Noble

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): With a name like Astra Noel Snow, holiday spirit isn't just a seasonal specialty--it's a way of life. But after a stinging divorce, Astra's yearly trip to the Milwaukee Christmas market takes on a whole new meaning. She's ready to eat, drink, and be merry, especially with the handsome stranger who saves the best kringle for her at his family bakery.

For Jack Clausen, the Julemarked with its snowy lights and charming shops stays the same, while the world outside the joyful street changes, magically leaping from one December to the next every four weeks. He's never minded living this charmed existence until Astra shows him the life he's been missing outside of the festive red brick alley.

After a swoon-worthy series of dates, some Yuletide magic, and the unexpected glow of new love, Astra and Jack must decide whether this relationship can weather all seasons, or if what they're feeling is as ephemeral as marshmallows in a mug of hot cocoa.

First Impressions

This cover is very cute and felt very wintery to me. I was all in on a romance that involved Kringles, Milwaukee, Christmas, and a little bit of magic. That’s all I needed to know.

What I thought

Astra lives in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Jack lives in a magical world called Julemarked. Every time he visits Milwaukee, he falls more in love with Astra. Astra never remembers meeting him. Until she does.

I don’t know how to describe this book without rambling on for ages. It’s a bit complicated. Julemarked is a magical universe that exists out of time. It essentially only exists in December and it shows up in different Christmas markets all over the world on December 1st. Sometimes it’s in a chronological order of years, other times it’s not. But one thing is consistent; no one ever remembers Julemarked after it’s gone.

What I truly appreciated about this story was the explanation about Julemarked and some of the rules. I think sometimes when you have these types of stories you’re left just having to ignore giant holes, in hopes of just enjoying the story for what it is. Reichert does a great job filling in those holes. When I was explaining this book to some of my friends, they obviously had a bunch of questions. I found that I was actually able to answer most of them with what had been provided for me in the book!

At the beginning, the book alternates with Astra’s present day life and Jack’s memories of the other time’s they’ve met. I loved being able to see him fall in love with her without her remembering who he is. They were cute together and I think it helped to get over the fact that they only got to “know” each other over the course of 24 days. In reality (well… in magical reality?), it had been 15 years.

Being a Midwestern girl, I adored that this book took place in Milwaukee. It felt very true to what I know of Wisconsin in winter, even though I’ve never been to their Christmas market. The friendships between Astra and her girlfriends was very well written. I loved reading about women supporting women and how they had been friends for so long.

My biggest issue with this book was trying to figure out how it was going to end. In order for them to end up together, either Astra was going to have to leave the real world and all of her family and friends to live in Julemarked, or Jack was going to have to leave his family, friends, and magic behind to live in the real world. Neither of these felt like good solutions to me, so in a way, I knew I was going to be disappointed no matter what. I will admit, that it didn’t turn out as badly as I worried that it would.

I know it’s a little early, but if you’re looking for a cute Christmas romance to get you in the season, this one might be it. It’s got the magic and romance as well as some lighthearted moments and some really good friendships. I loved the core group of friends that Astra had. The ending was a bit tough for me to swallow, but not in a dislikable way. I would definitely read more by Reichert and enjoyed this book. Even if I would’ve preferred reading it in December.

Book Club October 2022- Hana Khan Carries On

By: Uzma Jalaluddin
Published Year: 2021
Pages: 368
Publisher: Berkley

Amazon Barnes & Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Hana Khan's family-run halal restaurant is on its last legs. So when a flashy competitor gets ready to open nearby, bringing their inevitable closure even closer, she turns to her anonymously-hosted podcast, and her lively and long-lasting relationship with one of her listeners, for advice.

But a hate-motivated attack on their neighbourhood complicates the situation further, as does Hana's growing attraction for Aydin, the young owner of the rival business. Who might not be a complete stranger after all...

What I thought

This book was my pick. I heard about it in reference to Mindy Kaling and Amazon Studios buying the rights to make it into a movie. I knew that I wanted to read it before the movie came out, so I figured that choosing it for book club would be extra fun.

Hana lives in Toronto and works part time at her mother’s restaurant, Three Sisters Biryani Poutine. When a new Halal restaurant moves into town and threatens her family’s already struggling business, Hana isn’t happy. Then she meets the restaurant owner’s cute, but rude, son. When not at the restaurant, Hana has an internship at a radio station, where she is working towards one day having her own show. She also has an anonymous podcast where she has been communicating with a stranger for months.

This book was advertised as a modern day re-telling of You Got Mail. I would say that’s accurate, but I also think this book is a lot more. It tackles a lot of cultural and racial issues in addition to just being a romance story.

I really enjoyed Hana as a character. I thought she was strong but had just enough of the insecurity to make it feel like she was truly 24 years old and not a 40 year old being passed off as 24. At times, this book even read a little more like a YA novel to me, but not in a bad way. I also really liked Aydin and I appreciated their chemistry. I loved how she didn’t take his shit.

I did feel at times the story wandered and got a little bit long. The first half of the book definitely focuses on the forbidden romance side of the story. The second half dives head first into racism against Muslims and women who wear hijabs right in central Toronto. While I appreciated the story line and acknowledge that it needed to be told, I felt a little bit of whiplash with the transition. I also felt that way a little bit with how the story ended, so I wonder if that’s just the author’s style. Personally, I think it could’ve been a little smoother at times, but it wasn’t anything that made me dislike the story.

What book club thought

We all agreed that the characters were the best part of the story. A few members commented how much they liked reading a story about the culture, as they had never really read anything like it before. I think for people branching out into reading stories by authors of color, this is a good first step. We also adored Hana’s Aunty and her cousin. I would hands down read a sequel just for their shenanigans. Overall, I think this is a great book club choice. There are a lot of discussion points that tackle some heavier issues, but it’s a light quick read. Plus, you’ll eventually have a movie you can all see together!

Lockdown on London Lane

By: Beth Reekles
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: W by Wattpad Books
Pages: 304

Amazon Barnes & Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): For the inhabitants of London Lane, a simple slip of paper underneath each of their doors is about to change their lives in a hundred different ways.

URGENT!!! Due to the current situation, building management has decided to impose a seven-day quarantine on all apartment buildings on London Lane.

With nowhere else to go . . .

Ethan and Charlotte wonder whether absence really does make the heart grow fonder when they end up on either side of a locked door.

A fierce debate over pineapple on pizza ignites a series of revelations about Zach and Serena’s four-year relationship.

Liv realizes rolling with the punches is sometimes much harder than it looks after her bridesmaids’ party goes off the rails, leaving the group at each other’s throats.

Isla and Danny’s new romance is put to the test as they jump ten steps ahead on the relationship timeline.

And Imogen and Nate’s one-night stand is about to get six do-overs they never really asked for—not awkward at all.

Through make ups, breakups, love-ins, and blowouts, friendships are tested as everyone scrambles to make it through the week unscathed. Amidst all the drama, one thing remains constant: life is full of surprises.

First Impression

This book definitely grabbed my eye when I was at the library. Even since the first lockdown in 2020 my friends and I have predicted how long it would take for a quarantine romance to come out. There have been a few but this was the first one I’ve seen out in the wild and that caught my eye.

What I thought

This book was so cute and the perfect lockdown romcom. I don’t think I would’ve handled it well a year ago, but it hit the spot right now.

This story follows a small apartment complex that is put on lockdown after one of their residents tests positive for COVID (though in the tory it’s just referred to as ‘the virus’). One apartment follows a one night stand that lasts for 7 nights, another follows a wedding planning part with four girls all stuck together, a couple who has been together for four years but never discussed important matters, a boyfriend whose girlfriend gets locked out and he has to spend the week alone, and a new couple who has only been together for a month.

I loved seeing all of these different characters dealing with the reality of COVID. So many of the bits and pieces the characters went through was relatable. I also felt like Reekles did a great job making some of the apartments feel connected without the fantasy that they were all best friends.

My favorite apartment to follow was the new couple. As someone who dated during the pandemic, it was probably the one I related to the most. I loved watching Isla and Danny’s relationship blossom under the stress. Nathan and Imogen were also fun to read about as Imogen had come over to Nathan’s with the intent of it being a one night stand and now they need to live with each other for a week. Imogen did irritate me a little but it was interesting to see her grow over a short amount of time.

Liz’s storyline brought a bit of fresh air to the apartments as hers was the only one not dealing with a romantic relationship. It was interesting to see what happens when you get stuck with our best friend in a super stressful situation as well as two strangers.

Some people will say this book is silly or cheesy, but I loved it. It was the perfect book to read at the end of the school year when I was super stressed out. I loved all of the characters and I found myself laughing and grimacing with them. Reekles wrote the Netflix hit The Kissing Booth, so she definitely has a talent for writing books that would translate well to screen. I would watch a mini-series about this book in a heartbeat. If you think you can handle reading fiction about the pandemic I highly recommend checking this one out.

Book Club September 2022- Sorry I Missed You

By: Suzy Krause
Published Year: 2020
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Pages: 313

Amazon Barnes & Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): A poignant and heartwarming novel about friendship, ghosting, and searching for answers to life’s mysteries.

When Mackenzie, Sunna, and Maude move into a converted rental house, they are strangers with only one thing in common—important people in their lives have “ghosted” them. Mackenzie’s sister, Sunna’s best friend, and Maude’s fiancé—all gone with no explanation.

So when a mangled, near-indecipherable letter arrives in their shared mailbox—hinting at long-awaited answers—each tenant assumes it’s for her. The mismatched trio decides to stake out the coffee shop named in the letter—the only clue they have—and in the process, a bizarre kinship forms. But the more they learn about each other, the more questions (and suspicions) they begin to have. All the while, creepy sounds and strange happenings around the property suggest that the ghosts from their pasts might not be all that’s haunting them…

Will any of the housemates find the closure they are looking for? Or are some doors meant to remain closed?

What I thought

Mackenzie, Sunna, and Maude all live in a house split up into 3 apartments. These apartments are owned by Larry, who was left the home by his aunt with some pretty explicit rules as to what he can and cannot do with the house. All three women have been ghosted by someone important in their past, so when a letter (or basically half a letter) shows up at the house addressed to no one and asking to meet at a coffee shop, they all think it might be for them from their lost person. As a result, they decide to band together and see if they can figure out who the letter is for.

I’m not normally one for this type of book. It meanders a lot and there is A LOT going on. At time, there were a few too many plot points to follow, but overall it flowed really well. The book was a quick read and I enjoyed it as well as the message it tried to tell.

None of the characters were very likable, but they worked together in that way. I think if one of them had been significantly more likable than the others it would’ve made the other characters unbearable. Sunna was easily my least favorite. I ended up liking Mackenzie, though her story line maybe confused me the most. I also ended up liking Larry more than I thought I was going to. Maude irritated me, but not as much as Sunna.

There was a bit of confusion on my part with some of the conclusion and it didn’t wrap itself up quite the way I would’ve wanted. Though I was definitely surprised by the way things wrapped up. I also was a bit confused by the timeline of the book. The way the characters reacted to the letter it made it seemed like they had all been ghosted within the past few months. However, some of them had been ghosted years prior. Just threw me off a little.

What book Club Thought

Everyone agreed that the characters in this book are extremely dislikable. I think Meghan and I enjoyed it a little more than the others. We found it to be a good balance of silly without getting too over the top. Logan, however, listened to it on audiobook and she said that she thinks that made some of the characters intolerable. There were a lot of questions just because of the insane amount of things that happened in the book, so we had a decent amount to discuss. Overall, this was a cute and fun book. I would definitely recommend it.

Rivals (American Royals #3)

By: Katherine McGee
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Pages: 400

Amazon Barnes & Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Beatrice is queen, and for the American royal family, everything is about to change.

Relationships will be tested.
Princess Samantha is in love with Lord Marshall Davis—but the more serious they get, the more complicated things become. Is Sam destined to repeat her string of broken relationships…and this time will the broken heart be her own?

Strangers will become friends.
Beatrice is representing America at the greatest convocation of kings and queens in the world. When she meets a glamorous foreign princess, she gets drawn into the inner circle…but at what cost?

And rivals will become allies.
Nina and Daphne have spent years competing for Prince Jefferson. Now they have something in common: they both want to take down manipulative Lady Gabriella Madison. Can these enemies join forces, or will old rivalries stand in the way?

First Impressions

I was so excited to find out that there was going to be a third book after the way the second one ended. I like the cover and think it’s interesting that it’s the first one to have two people on the cover instead of one.

What I thought

This book gave me closure on some parts but opened up new holes in others. Since this is a sequel, there will be spoilers from the previous books.

Beatrice is hosting the League of Kings, her first big event as Queen. Samantha and Marshall are officially dating and out in the public. Daphne is back with Jefferson and Nina is back focusing on college.

I enjoyed this book for the most part but it did start to feel repetitive after a while. In addition to that, I had an issue with the message it seemed to be sending at the end which is that powerful women can never be friends with other powerful women. The only female friendship we see is Sam and Nina. Every other friendship is based off of lying and manipulation and all of the characters end up alone and decide that if they want to get what they want then they can’t afford to have female friends.

I think my biggest issue is I was enjoying this book a lot until the end. I liked the development with Daphne and Nina as well as Beatrice and the Queen Regent of France, Louise. But I hated how they ended up playing out and it made me feel a little like the whole book was for nothing. So much of what happened in the middle could have never happened and the end could’ve ended up exactly the same.

This book just seemed to be missing a little of the magic from the first two and didn’t feel like anything special.

When I first finished this book, I felt like it was a solid 3.5 and then was going to round up to a 4, but now it feels more like I need to round down. I like the characters, but the story in this one was not my favorite. A few things happened at the end that just made me mad. Obviously, I’m still going to read the next one, but it wasn’t my favorite in the series.

Memphis

By: Tara M. Stringfellow
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Dial Press
Pages: 252

Amazon Barnes & Noble

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): A spellbinding debut novel tracing three generations of a Southern Black family and one daughter's discovery that she has the power to change her family's legacy.

In the summer of 1995, ten-year-old Joan, her mother, and her younger sister flee her father's violence, seeking refuge at her mother's ancestral home in Memphis. Half a century ago, Joan's grandfather built this majestic house in the historic Black neighborhood of Douglass--only to be lynched days after becoming the first Black detective in Memphis. This wasn't the first time violence altered the course of Joan's family's trajectory, and she knows it won't be the last. Longing to become an artist, Joan pours her rage and grief into sketching portraits of the women of North Memphis--including their enigmatic neighbor Miss Dawn, who seems to know something about curses.

Unfolding over seventy years through a chorus of voices, Memphis weaves back and forth in time to show how the past and future are forever intertwined. It is only when Joan comes to see herself as a continuation of a long matrilineal tradition--and the women in her family as her guides to healing--that she understands that her life does not have to be defined by vengeance. That the sole weapon she needs is her paintbrush.

Inspired by the author's own family history, Memphis--the Black fairy tale she always wanted to read--explores the complexity of what we pass down, not only in our families, but in our country: police brutality and justice, powerlessness and freedom, fate and forgiveness, doubt and faith, sacrifice and love.

First Impressions

This cover is stunning! It immediately jumped out at me from a list on Goodreads Most Anticipated Books for 2022 that I saw at the beginning of the year. I then read the summary and it became one of my most anticipated books of the year.

What I thought

This story is beautiful and I now want everyone to experience it.

Memphis follows a family of women across multiple timelines and stages of life. We start with Joan who is 10 in 1995 and then we follow her mother Miriam, her aunt August, and her grandmother Hazel. This book is told in 3 parts, though I don’t necessarily understand why being broken up into parts was needed.

The story kicks off with Joan, her sister Myra, and her mother fleeing their abusive father and moving from North Caroline, into Miriam’s childhood home with her sister August. The first part does mostly occur during the 90’s with some flashbacks to Miriam’s youth, such as when she met her husband Jax. You also get to read August’s perspective of the first time she met Jax. In the second part of the book, you start to read Hazel’s youth and how she met her husband.

What I loved about this book is that it’s just the story of a family of strong black women and how they made their lives. The men in the story come and go, but the women always stay and that is powerful.

I don’t always love books that don’t have a point, but something about this one works. Maybe it’s because we get to learn the past that brought the women to who they are by the end. Each woman’s chapter intrigued me and I wanted to know as much about their lives as possible. If I had to choose, I would say Miriam and Joan were my favorite. Their stories were so different but so intertwined that I looked forward to learning more about them in their chapters.

The description of this book says that Stringfellow wrote Memphis as the Black fairytale she always wanted to read. I might describe it more as a folk tale than a fairy tale because it doesn’t have your typical dragons or princesses, but I can definitely picture these stories being told around campfires and dinner tables for years to come.

This is a powerful story about strong black women and how they adapt and survive against the odds that life throws at them. It hold no punches and is beautifully written. I think that this is a book that everyone should read because not only did it provide some insight, but it also felt relatable and I saw myself in each of these characters. If you’re looking for a unique story that is character driven, even if you’re not usually into character driven stories, I highly recommend it. I can’t wait to see what Stringfellow does next.