Friday, June 24, 2022

Counterfeit

Straight A student, type A personality, Ava Wong has never gotten so much as a parking ticket. This Stanford educated lawyer has a surgeon husband that saves lives and a two year old little boy that does nothing but cry. Taking a break from her high pressured firm Ava has lost her confidence and her patience. As her nanny handles most of the day to day with her tantrum throwing child, her husband’s completely consuming career has left alone to figure out their lives as a family. One day Winnie Fang mysteriously reconnects with Ava. Long ago Winnie was an awkward college roommate from Mainland China who was decidedly not cool and quietly abruptly left school after one semester. Today Winnie shows up gorgeously outfitted, dripping in designer labels and exuding the self assurance Ava is currently lacking. She runs a luxury handbag business and squeezes herself into Ava’s life just when she needs a friend. Well aware that Ava needs some money of her own gives Winnie the perfect opportunity to reel her in. As these two women dive deep into unimaginable schemes laced with Chinese factories, mobsters, counterfeit designer bags and high end department stores it is never quite clear whose story is the truth. Unforgettable twisted drama will keep you on the edge of your beach chair! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thursday, June 23, 2022

Can't Look Away

Every day Molly Diamond focuses on moving one foot in front of the other in her new life. She has a wonderful attentive husband named Hunter and beautiful little girl Stella. Living in the suburbs can be lonely at times, the small town of Flynn Cove, not that many miles from Manhattan feels a world away. The local women are obsessed with labels, decorating and the fancy country club. Molly misses her old friends, the noise of the city and she hasn’t been able to write a word since the day she left. Trying to be optimistic, Molly welcomes Sabrina into her life. The two meet at yoga and then again at a fertility clinic. With instant chemistry Molly feels like she finally found a friend. One day on the radio she hears a recent remake of Jake's greatest hit called Molly's Song. Molly has spent every day of the last ten years trying not to think about her old love Jake Danner, a beautiful and talented musician that lit Molly’s heart on fire. Their tumultuous and passionate affair tore their young hearts apart. Just thinking about Jake fills Molly with pain and confusion. As their story unravels flashing back between the past and present, it is clear that not everything is as it seems. Fast paced suspenseful romance, I devoured this perfect beach read with a twist! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Monday, June 13, 2022

The Italian Job

In the blink of an eye, Anna Roberts has lost her boyfriend, job as a chef and apartment. Devastated she moves back home with her father, a retired policeman to come up with a new plan. Immediately annoyed by her neighbor - handsome Jake has always been trouble - Anna works hard to avoid him and his loud motorcycle. One day Anna finds an ideal opportunity online, to manage and cook at a magnificent private castle in Italy. There is one catch, the owners are looking to fill the caretaking position with a couple. Initially discouraged Anna begins to think Jake might also be searching for a brand new start. The two apply and shockingly get the job. Now they are off to the beauty of Italy, the splendor of this gorgeous castle and the quaint town nearby. They are to spend a year pretending to be in love. After accomplishing one or two hurdles it is quite clear they actually work well together and make a dynamic team. When a “fake” kiss shoots off more than a few fireworks Anna realizes that maybe it won’t be that hard after all. Loved this story, love the setting and steamy flirting. Another perfect getaway for the armchair traveler. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bloomsbury Girls

As the world adjusts to post WWII, London is slowly coming back to life. The women held it together and many men have heartbreakingly not returned. Centered around a charming century old shop called Bloomsbury Books, three lovely women struggle to find their place in this strange new world. Vivien is a beautiful, talented writer whose wealthy fiancĂ© went missing along with her future plans. Grace is married with two feisty boys and a husband that has become an unmanageable angry shell of his former self. She would rather be at the bookshop than at home. Evie, one of the first females to graduate Cambridge is a shy brilliant young woman who discovers first love and a literary mystery that can change their lives. As they live and work amongst the men of the shop the women realize they want more than fetching tea and standing at the register. These women want to rock the literary establishment by changing the way books are sold. This small, witty cast of characters revolve their lives around books, publishing and the literary salons of the time. As they meet and befriend some famous figures the women gather the confidence they need to carry on. Not exactly historical fiction but felt like it. This novel has quite a lot of characters and is literally all about books. I loved it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Bodyguard

When Jack Stapleton’s mom gets sick he heads straight to their Texas ranch to be by her side. Jack is a world famous movie star in every sense of the word, he is literally a household name. Hannah Brooks gets assigned to a task force to protect Jack. She shows up at his house to go over the details and Jack is not a happy camper. Laughing at Hannah’s freckled girl-next-door school teacher appearance and the idea that she is going to save his life seems like a joke to him at first. Hannah quickly demonstrates her capabilities which are deceivingly hidden in her petite stature. Forced by his manager Jack has no choice but to accept Hannah’s help. The twist is she must pretend to be his girlfriend so his parents don’t panic. Being a bodyguard is all Hannah knows. She is a complete professional and very likable so naturally fits right in at the ranch. Away from the cameras and screaming fans, Jack turns out to be a pretty normal, kind and funny guy who just happens to be extraordinarily handsome. Dealing with a stalker situation that could escalate at any moment, a brother Jack is completely at odds with and her own recent breakup, Hannah must juggle a lot of emotional energy all at once. This extremely fast paced romantic comedy is another adorable must read by Katherine Center. The perfect laugh out loud beach getaway. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nora Goes Off Script

Nora is a single mom living in the small town of Laurel Ridge struggling to pay the mortgage and keep their eclectic home from crumbling. She exists paycheck to paycheck writing screenplays for The Romance Channel while her no-good husband Ben takes off in search of his real happiness. Nora realizes she is better off without him but that doesn’t mean the hurt isn’t real. So what does a good writer do? She pours her heart into something little different. Nora works in a little cabin in their yard called The Tea House and writes a movie called The Tea House. Not the Hallmark happy ending her agent is used to but its a powerful story loosely based on her own heartbreak. Quickly purchased and filmed with the sexiest man alive as the main character, Nora is thrown for a loop when they do a bit of filming in her yard and she and Leo Vance (absolutely sexiest man she has ever seen) fall into their own surprising romance right out of the movies. Her 8 and 10 year old instantly warm to Leo’s charms and it is only when he is called away for another film that Nora begins to panic. When plans don’t go as expected Nora wonders if she actually imagined the whole thing. A script within a script, Nora once again pours her story to the page but even she is struggling to find the right ending. This evenly paced, witty five star summer fun is pure joy and days later I find myself still smiling. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Monday, June 6, 2022

This Time Tomorrow

Alice is about to celebrate her birthday. She has a good job at the school she attended as a young girl, a somewhat likable boyfriend and a rent controlled apartment. Things are not great, but good enough. Then Alice’s father falls ill. An accomplished and somewhat famous author her father raised her on his own and has been her lifelong source of joy and happiness throughout her 39 years. As Alice sits by his bedside in the ICU she has a hard time accepting his fate and cannot imagine life without him. Drinking way too much on the eve of her big 4-0 Alice walks towards her father’s home on Pomander Walk, her idyllic childhood home on the Upper West Side. When she wakes in the morning she doesn’t feel quite right. Glancing down Alice sees a young woman’s body and an unlined face in the mirror reflects her 16 year old self. It is her birthday in 1996. After adjusting to this incredible time hop Alice relives this day over and over again desperately searching for a way to change the outcome. Every choice she makes sends her future in a different direction. In a Sliding Doors sort of way this parallel universe teaches Alice what she had in her heart all along. Completely devoured this wonderfully written, clever time-travel drama filled with lovable characters and lots of life lessons. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️