SPOTLIGHT: The New Mother by Nora Murphy

 I'm excited to share a Spotlight for The New Mother by Nora Murphy! I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher through the SMP Influencer Program! Thanks so much to Minotaur Books, St. Martin's Press, and Nora Murphy for letting me be a part of sharing this book. This is one I'd definitely recommend giving a read.

Title: The New Mother

Author: Nora Murphy

Published by: Minotaur Books

Released: May 30, 2023

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

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Synopsis: A relatable and nerve-wracking, sympathetic and bone-chilling story — a fresh new twist on motherhood and murder in suburbia.

Isolated. Lonely. Tired. It's hard being The New Mother. Sometimes it's murder.

Nothing is simple about being a new mom alone in a new house, especially when your baby is collicky. Natalie Fanning loves her son unconditionally, but being a mother was not all she wanted to be.

Enter Paul, the neighbor.

Paul provides the lifeline she needs in what feels like the most desperate of times. When Paul is helping with Oliver, calmed by his reassuring, steady presence, Nat feels like she can finally rest.

But Paul wants something in return. It’s no coincidence that he has befriended Nat—she is the perfect pawn for his own plan. Will Nat wake up in time to see it? (Synopsis from Goodreads)

NORA MURPHY attended law school in Washington, D.C., then worked as a judicial law clerk before transitioning to private practice. A practicing attorney who writes as much as she can, usually on her phone, Nora resides in Maryland with her husband, two sons, and four rescue pets.

BLOG TOUR: The Duchess Takes a Husband by Harper St. George

 I'm excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for The Duchess Takes a Husband by Harper St. George! I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Berkley and Harper St. George for letting me be a part of this tour!

Title: The Duchess Takes a Husband (The Gilded Age Heiresses #4)

Author: Harper St. George

Published by: Berkley

Released: May 23, 2023

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

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Synopsis: A scandalous arrangement between a London rogue and an American duchess leads to lavish stakes.

Despite her illustrious title, Camille, Duchess of Hereford, remains what she has always been—a pariah. Though her title means she’s technically accepted by London Society, the rebellious widow with her burgeoning interest in the suffrage movement and her American ways isn’t exactly high on every hostess’s guest list. But Camille starts to wonder if being an outcast is not without its perks when the tantalizing answer to her secret fear appears in the shape of Jacob Thorne, the illegitimate son of an earl and co-owner of London’s infamous Montague Club.

Jacob is used to making deals with his club members—he’s just not accustomed to them being beautiful women. Nor have the terms ever been so sweetly seductive as Camille’s shocking proposition. To finally buy his own club and gain the crucial backing of investors, Camille offers Jacob the respectability of a fake engagement with a duchess. In return, the tempting widow has one condition: she wants Jacob to show her if it’s possible for her to experience pleasure in bed.

The lure of such a bargain proves too delicious to resist, drawing the enterprising rogue and the wallflower duchess into a scandalous game and an even more dangerous gamble of the heart. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book! This is more of a slow burn romance, but it was satisfying. This is also book 4 in a series, and I think it's a great series to start. The beautiful covers contain enjoyable historical romances.

I liked both Camille and Jacob. I was rooting for them the whole time.

If you like historical romance, then this is a series that you definitely need to pick up. This book was just as good as the rest of them. If you're craving historical romance, give this one a try!

 Harper St. George was raised in the rural backwoods of Alabama and along the tranquil coast of northwest Florida. These were settings filled with stories of the old days that instilled in her a love of history, romance, and adventure. By high school, she had discovered the historical romance novel, which combined all of those elements into one perfect package. She has been hooked ever since. She lives in the Atlanta area with her family and loves to hear from readers.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for The Duchess Takes a Husband by Harper St. George. Thank you to Berkley and Harper St. George for letting me be a part of the tour. I definitely recommend giving this one a read.

BLOG TOUR: The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer

 I'm excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer! I received a free electronic copy for an honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Algonquin Books and Bronwyn Fischer for letting me be a part of the tour!

Title: The Adult

Author: Bronwyn Fischer

Published by: Algonquin Books

Released: May 23, 2023

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

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Synopsis:  "Soon, but not yet, Nora will look up and she will see me, sitting at a distance.  In the wet grass, the imprints of Nora’s shoes will fill back slowly, and I won’t suspect that she is walking towards me.
After Nora meets me on the bench, it will be difficult to recall that in the beginning, when I first arrived at school, there were moments so plain and unconsumed that I felt I could watch them like a distant view. Like hills rolling away.

Once she holds out her hand and asks, do you mind if I sit, it will be impossible for any other memory to exist without touching backwards or forwards over the view of her eyes looking down at me. The soft and penetrable skull of the world will suddenly harden and everything will be seen through the damp and willful light of our first meeting."

Eighteen-year-old Natalie has just arrived at her first year of university in Toronto, leaving her remote, forested hometown for the big, impersonal city. Everyone she encounters seems to know exactly who they are. Chatty, confident Clara from down the hall, who wants to be her friend; intense, determined Rachel from her poetry class, who is going to be a writer. Natalie doesn't know what she wants. She reads advice listicles and watches videos online and thinks about how to fit in, how to really become someone, who that someone even is.

Just as she is trying to find her footing, she meets Nora, an older woman who takes an unexpected interest in her. Natalie is drawn magnetically into Nora's orbit. She begins spending more and more of her time off-campus at Nora's perfect home living in her beautiful, quiet world. She lies to her floormates about her absence, inventing a secret boyfriend called Paul, and carefully protects this intimate, sacred adulthood she is building for herself. But when it becomes clear that Nora is lying, too, her secrets begin to take an insidious shape in Natalie's life, even as Natalie tries to look away. What, or who, is Nora hiding?

Award-winning writer Kate Cayley writes, “This novel is that rare thing that combines profound feeling with the cool detachment and sharp insight of deep intelligence. A coming of age story, a school story, a coming out story, a morally dubious love story and a comic tragedy of modern manners, distractions and disastrous miscalculations, The Adult looks at moving to the city, finding love, finding sex, thinking you are older than you are, watching idiosyncratic videos on YouTube while having your heart broken, and getting out of your depth.” (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: This is definitely an interesting book and unlike what I usually read. It's always fun to experience something different. Natalie is really trying to find herself in this story. She's trying to figure out who she wants to be. It was interesting watching her go on that journey.

I personally would not have been as captivated by Nora as Natalie was. Natalie was so young and unsure of herself, and I think Nora kind of took advantage of that.

This wasn't what I usually pick up, but it was an intriguing read.

 Bronwyn Fischer is a graduate of the University of Guelph’s MFA program in creative writing. She also holds a BA from the University of Toronto. She was born in Bahrain and now lives in Toronto with her wife, Emma.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer. Thank you to Algonquin Books and Bronwyn Fischer for letting me be a part of the tour. If this book sounds good to you, you should definitely give it a read.

BLOG TOUR: Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up by Charish Reid

 I'm excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up by Charish Reid! I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Canary Street Press and Charish Reid for letting me be a part of the tour!

Title: Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up

Author: Charish Reid

Published by: Canary Street Press

Released: June 6, 2023

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Goodreads          Amazon

 

Synopsis: Total opposites. Totally irresistible.

Mickey Chambers is an expert at analyzing modern literature. But when it comes to figuring out her own story, she’s feeling a little lost. At thirty-three, she’s an adjunct instructor with a meager summer class schedule and too many medical bills, courtesy of her chronic illness. Picking up a bartending gig seems perfect. Sure, Mickey’s never done this before, but the gorgeous, grumpy bar owner, Diego Acosta, might be the perfect man to teach the teacher…if he wasn’t so stressed.

Diego is worried he’s running his late wife’s bar into the ground. Add the pressures of returning to college part-time at forty-two, and it’s no wonder he’s making rash decisions. Like hiring the sunny, sexy woman who looks more at home in a library than slinging beers to rowdy barflies, and who turns out to be teaching his online writing course, a complication neither was expecting…

It’s not long before Mickey starts reenergizing The Saloon with cocktails, karaoke and an optimism even Diego can’t ignore. They need to fight their feelings if they want to keep things professional, but all it takes is one sip, one kiss, to shake both their worlds forever… (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: l love an opposites attract romance, so it should be no surprise that I enjoyed this. This book was a lot of fun. I definitely enjoyed the bar setting, seeing Mickey learn to work in a bar and deal with the patrons. 

I liked that Mickey is a teacher, and it's fun that Diego becomes one of her students.

I also liked that these characters we more adult age, not young adult, but in their 30's and 40's, that was refreshing.

I really liked this story. I loved the grumpy sunshine vibes. I just had a lot of fun reading it. I think a lot of people would enjoy this one.

 

Charish Reid is a fan of sexy books and disaster films. When she's not grading papers or prepping lessons for college freshmen, she enjoys writing romances that celebrate quirky black women who deserve HEAs. Charish currently lives in Sweden, with her husband, avoiding most forms of exercise.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up by Charish Reid. Thank you to Canary Street Press and Charish Reid for letting me be a part of the tour. This is a perfect book for reading in the sunshine.

BLOG TOUR: The Nightingale Affair by Tim Mason

 I'm excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for The Nightingale Affair by Tim Mason! I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Algonquin Books and Tim Mason for letting me be a part of the tour!

Title: The Nightingale Affair (Inspector Charles Field #2)

Author: Tim Mason

Published by: Algonquin Books

Released: May 9, 2023

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Goodreads          Amazon

 

Synopsis: In this twisty new Victorian detective thriller from the author of The Darwin Affair , Inspector Charles Field hunts a serial killer with a sinister signature targeting Florence Nightingale’s nurses in Crimea and women in London.

Who is stalking Florence Nightingale and her nurses? Is it the legendary Beast of the Crimean, or someone closer to home? In 1855, Britain and France are fighting to keep the Russians from snatching the Crimean Peninsula from the Ottoman Empire, and Nightingale, a wealthy young society woman, has made it her mission to improve the wretched conditions in the British military hospitals in Turkey—despite fierce objections from the male doctors around her. When young women start turning up dead, their mouths sewn shut with embroidered fabric roses, Inspector Charles Field (the real-life inspiration for Charles Dickens’s Inspector Bucket in Bleak House) is sent from England to find the killer among the doctors, military men, journalists, and others swarming Turkey’s famous Barrack Hospital. Here Field meets both the famous Nightingale as well as Nurse Jane Rolly, the woman who will become his wife, and as he races to protect them, the prime suspect takes his own life.

Case closed. Or is it?

Twelve years later, back in London, amid the turmoil surrounding the expansion of voting rights, women again start turning up dead, their mouths covered by that telltale embroidered rose. Did Field suspect the wrong man before, or is he dealing with a deviant copycat? Either way, he must race against time to stop the killer before more bodies are discovered, and before his own family gets pulled into danger. Populated by real figures of the day, from Benjamin Disraeli to novelist Wilkie Collins to, of course, Florence Nightingale herself, and steeped in historical details of 1860s London, The Nightingale Affair plays out against a backdrop of a rapidly changing society. Most of all, it is a pure reading delight, offering shocks, unforgettably vivid scenes, and surprising twists. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: I'm always a fan of a Victorian Mystery, so I knew that this one would be right up my alley. I enjoyed it. I liked how the story was peppered with real historical figures.

This book really tries to stay true to history as it really happened. It's not a lighthearted story, but a dark one. Not only do we have murders, but the story showcases how bleak the times actually were. It wasn't a good time for everyone in Victorian England.

This was a solid mystery and I enjoyed reading it. I think it's a good addition to the Charles Field Series.

Tim Mason is a playwright whose work has been produced in New York City, throughout the United States, and around the world. Among the awards he has received are a Kennedy Center Award, the Hollywood Drama-Logue Award, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Rockefeller Foundation grant. In addition to his dramatic plays, he wrote the book for Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical, which had two seasons on Broadway and tours nationally every year. He is the author of the young adult novel The Last Synapsid. The Darwin Affair was his first adult novel.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for The Nightingale Affair by Tim Mason. Thank you to Algonquin Books and Tim Mason for letting me be a part of the tour. This is a fun one, especially if you love Victorian Mysteries!

BLOG TOUR: The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead

 I'm excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead! I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Graydon House and Ashley Winstead for letting me be a part of the tour!

Title: The Boyfriend Candidate

Author: Ashley Winstead

Published by: Graydon House

Released: May 9, 2023

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Goodreads          Amazon

 

Synopsis: As a shy school librarian, Alexis Stone is comfortable keeping out of the spotlight. But when she’s dumped for being too meek—in bed!—the humiliation is a wake-up call. She decides she needs to change, and what better way to kick-start her new more adventurous life than with her first one-night stand?

Enter Logan, the gorgeous, foul-mouthed stranger she meets at a hotel bar. Logan is audacious and filterless, making him Alexis’s opposite—and boy, do opposites attract! Just as she’s about to fulfill her hookup wish, the hotel catches fire in a freak lightning storm—and in their rush to escape, Logan is discovered carrying her into the street, where people are waiting with cameras. Cameras Logan promptly—and shockingly—flees.

Alexis is bewildered until breaking news hits: pictures of her and Logan escaping the fire are all over the internet. It turns out Logan is none other than Logan Arthur, the hotshot politician challenging the Texas governor’s seat. The salacious images are poised to sink his career—and jeopardize Alexis’s job—until a solution is proposed: to squash the scandal, he and Alexis could pretend to be in a relationship until election day…in two months. What could possibly go wrong? (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: This was a lot of fun!! I am a sucker for the fake relationship trope. As soon as I saw that in the synopsis, I knew I had to read it. I also love that Alexis is a librarian. Book people are the best people.

I've read one of Ashley Winstead's thrillers, and I'm definitely enjoying her rom-coms. I like that she can write many things.

I really enjoyed reading this one. 

Politics does play a part in this, which might seem like a given, but it's not just surface level politics. There are people that don't want politics in their books, and I feel that way sometimes. It never put me off, but I did want to warn that it's there.

I do wonder why someone running for political office would put themselves in that kind of situation. Logan's campaign staff were probably not pleased.

I had a good time reading this one. I think other people would enjoy it too.

ASHLEY WINSTEAD is an academic turned novelist with a PhD in contemporary American literature. She lives in Houston with her husband, two cats, and beloved wine fridge. You can find her at www.ashleywinstead.com.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead. Thank you to Graydon House and Ashley Winstead for letting me be a part of the tour. This is definitely one that would be fun for your warm weather TBR.

BLOG TOUR: Best Men by Sidney Karger

I'm excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Best Men by Sidney Karger! I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Berkley and Sidney Karger for letting me be a part of the tour!

 

 

Title: Best Men

Author: Sidney Karger

Published by: Berkley

Released: May 2, 2023

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Goodreads          Amazon

 

Synopsis: When two best men in a wedding party fall for each other, they realize love isn't a piece of cake in this hilarious and heartfelt romantic comedy debut by screenwriter Sidney Karger.

Max Moody thought he had everything figured out. He's trying to live his best life in New York City and has the best friend a gay guy could ask for: Paige. She and Max grew up next door to each other in the suburbs of Chicago. She can light up any party. She finishes his sentences. She's always a reliable splunch (they don't like to use the word brunch) partner. But then Max's whole world is turned upside down when Paige suddenly announces some huge news: she's engaged and wants Max to be her man of honor. Max was always the romantic one who imagined he would get married before the unpredictable Paige and is shocked to hear she's ready to settle down. But it turns out there's not just one new man in Paige's life--there are two.

There's the groom, Austin, who's a perfectly nice guy. Then there's his charming, fun and ridiculously handsome gay younger brother, Chasten, who is Austin's best man. As Paige's wedding draws closer, Max, the introverted Midwesterner, and Chasten, the social butterfly East Coaster, realize they're like oil and water. Yet they still have to figure out how to coexist in Paige's life while not making her wedding festivities all about them. But can the tiny romantic spark between these two very different guys transform their best man supporting roles into the leading best men in each other's lives? (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: This was cute. It had everything you could want from a wedding romance. I really enjoyed our cast of characters. It was just some good time reading. I really loved all the humor in this story. It made it really fun to read. Making a true romantic comedy can be so hard, and I feel like this did a great job.

I enjoyed this one and I think a lot of other people would too. It's romantic and fun!

 

 Sidney Karger is an award-winning screenwriter for film and television. He is a former writer/director with Comedy Central, MTV and AMC, among other networks, and contributing writer for Saturday Night Live, Billy On The Street and McSweeney's. He currently lives in New York City with his partner and their Australian Labradoodle, Zelda. Best Men is his debut novel.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for Best Men by Sidney Karger! Thank you to Berkley and Sidney Karger for letting me be a part of the tour. You should definitely pick it up if it sounds good to you!

BLOG TOUR: The Bride Wore White by Amanda Quick

 I'm excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for The Bride Wore White by Amanda Quick! I received free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Berkley and Amanda Quick for letting me be a part of this tour!

Title: The Bride Wore White (Burning Cove #7)

Author: Amanda Quick

Published by: Berkley

Released: May 2, 2023

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Goodreads          Amazon

 

Synopsis: Being Madame Ariadne, Psychic Dream Consultant, wasn’t Prudence Ryland’s ideal gig, but it paid well which was reason enough to do the work—until she realizes that her latest client intends to kill her. But Prudence, a master at reinvention, finds a new job and home as far away as possible and is finally able to relax—which turns out to be a big mistake. Letting her guard down means being kidnapped and drugged and waking up in a bloodstained wedding dress in the honeymoon suite next to a dead man. With the press outside the hotel, waiting with their cameras and police sirens in the distance, it’s obvious she’s being framed for the man’s murder. Prudence knows who is responsible, but will anyone believe her?

It doesn’t seem likely that rumored crime boss Luther Pell or his associate, Jack Wingate, believe her seemingly outrageous claims of being a target of a ruthless vendetta. In fact, Prudence is convinced that the mysterious Mr. Wingate believes her to be a fraud at best, and at worst: a murderer. And Jack Wingate does seem to be someone intimately familiar with violence, if going by his scarred face and grim expression. So no one is more shocked than Prudence when Jack says he’ll help her. Of course, his ideas for helping her involve using her as the bait for a killer, but Prudence feels oddly safe with Jack protecting her. But who will protect Prudence from her growing fascination with this enigma of a man? (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: Right from the synopsis, I knew I was going to enjoy this one. It definitely hooked me, reeled me in. I needed to know how Prudence was going to get herself out of this. 

I definitely enjoyed myself reading this. It was fun seeing how it was all going to play out. 

I enjoyed Prudence and Jack Wingate.

I also really enjoy this series. I definitely want to go back and read them all in order.

I think a lot of people will enjoy this one. Amanda Quick is a good author, there's a reason they have so many books on the shelves.

 Amanda Quick is a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, the author, under various pen names, of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. There are more than 35 million copies of her books in print. She is also the author of the Ladies of Lantern Street novels and the Arcane Society series.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for The Bride Wore White by Amanda Quick! Thank you to Berkley and Amanda Quick for letting me be a part of the tour. This one is an easy add to your TBR.

SPOTLIGHT: Super Bloom by Megan Tady

 I'm excited to share a Spotlight for Super Bloom by Megan Tady! I received a free copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Zibby Books and Megan Tady for letting me be a part of this tour and giving me the chance to check out this book!

Title: Super Bloom

Author: Megan Tady

Published by: Zibby Books

Released: May 2, 2023

Source: Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Goodreads         Amazon

 

Synopsis: If only there was a spa treatment for heartbreak.

In this sparkling, heart-warming debut set at a luxury Vermont spa, massage therapist Joan Johnston is wallowing in grief over the accidental death of her boyfriend, Samuel, and it’s now seriously jeopardizing her job and her friendships. Will she ever be able to move on?

Enter Carmen Bronze, a hotheaded bestselling romance novelist and the most demanding massage client Joan’s ever faced. When Carmen offers Joan a chance to pay down her debt and save her job, it’s hard to say no—even though it means funneling Carmen inside dirt on the spa for her next novel.

The task unexpectedly reawakens a dormant talent in Joan, and she’s irresistibly drawn to writing her own romance novel based on her relationship with Samuel that stretches into the bright future they didn’t get to share. Writing proves to be the therapy Joan desperately needs, and her heart begins to open to new romance... and even the possibility of becoming a successful author herself. But none of this is easy, not with a lunatic like Carmen breathing down her neck and threatening to steal Joan’s manuscript.



A heartfelt, hilarious look at taking second chances, in life and in love, Tady’s uplifting debut will have readers rooting for Joan on every page—and laughing out loud at her one-of-a-kind wit. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

Megan Tady is a writer and editor who runs the company Word-Lift. When she’s not scrutinizing copy, she can be found stocking her free neighborhood library, challenging anyone to a dance-off, or stewing over how Portlandia stole all of her jokes. She's hard at work on her next novel, Champions for Breakfast, which will also be published by Zibby Books. She’s a corn-fed Nebraska gal who now lives in a quaint New England town with her husband and two kids.