All Books Considered

Can't Help Faking in Love by Swati Hegde Blurb from Goodreads : A young woman with Bollywood roots hires a barista to act as her boyfriend for her cousin’s wedding—only to learn you can’t fake chemistry like theirs—in this desi romance from the author of Match Me If You Can Harsha Godbole has never felt love from her family, but she’s always been surrounded by their Bollywood business mogul wealth. Now back in Bangalore after studying in America, Harsha is ready to start her adult life without their money. But that becomes impossible when everything she’s worked so hard for comes crumbling down. Fearful of showing up to her cousin’s upcoming wedding as a failure—and worse, a single failure—Harsha decides to put her trust fund to good use . . .  Veer Kannan does everything for his family. He even gave up his dreams of becoming a Bollywood star to get a more consistent gig . . . although working as a barista wasn’t r...

The Perfect Rom-Com by Melissa Ferguson Blurb from Goodreads : She’s written dozens of smash-hit romance novels. Too bad no one knows it. Aspiring author Bryony Page attends her first writers conference bursting with optimism and ready to sell her manuscript with long-shot dreams of raising awareness for The Bridge, her grandmother’s financially struggling organization where she teaches ESL full-time. But after a disastrous pitch session, she stumbles into correcting another author’s work in a last-ditch attempt to make a good impression with the agent. And she, as it turns out, is spot on. No one is more surprised than Bryony when the agent offers her the opportunity to be a ghostwriter for Amelia Benedict, popular rom-com novelist. Bryony agrees on one she’ll write books for this vain, demanding woman just as long as Jack Sterling, literary agent of the legendary Foundry Literary Ag...

Beta Vulgaris by Margie Sarsfield Blurb from Goodreads : A young woman’s seasonal job working a sugar beet harvest takes a surreal turn in this surprising and vivid debut. Elise and her boyfriend, Tom, set off for Minnesota, hoping the paycheck from the sugar beet harvest will cover the rent on their Brooklyn apartment. Amidst the grueling work and familiar anxieties about her finances, Elise starts noticing strange threatening phone calls, a mysterious rash, and snatches of an ominous voice coming from the beet pile. When Tom and other coworkers begin to vanish, Elise is left alone to confront the weight of her past, the horrors of her uncertain future, and the menacing but enticing siren song of the beets. Biting, eerie, and confidently told, Beta Vulgaris harnesses a distinct voice and audacious premise to undermine straightforward narratives of class, trauma, consumption, and redemption. My Review: This was so...

The Crime Brûlée Bake Off by Rebecca Connolly Blurb from Goodreads : An unexpected romance. A haunting mystery. Pastries to die for. The Great British Baking Show meets a cozy mystery with a contemporary romance and a Regency-era twist. Amateur baker Claire Walker is thrilled to be a contestant on Britain’s Battle of the Bakers. She can almost smell the fresh pastries wafting through the air. If she can win the grand prize, she can ditch her teaching job and launch her baking career. The Viscount of Colburn, Jonathan Ainsley, is the custodian of Blackfirth Park and an eligible bachelor. He reluctantly agrees to allow the cooking competition show to film on his estate, but when a contestant is found dead soon after filming begins, Jonathan is forced to get involved. To make matters worse, the baker’s death stirs up rumors of the legendary death of the t...

Hope by Andrew Ridker Blurb from Goodreads : The Greenspan family are the envy of Brookline, Massachusetts. Scott Greenspan is a successful cardiologist. His wife is a pillar of the community, his daughter works at a distinguished New York publishing house and his son is at medical school, preparing to follow in his footsteps. They are an exceptional family, living in exceptional times. But when Scott is caught faking blood test results, he sets in motion a series of scandals that threatens to shatter his family. HOPE is a painfully funny account of the tumultuous year that follows, written by one of the most brilliant young American novelists at work today. My Review: This was billed as funny but I didn't find it funny at all.  Well written?  Yes.  But such a disturbing, messy family that it made me sad.  Although i will say that the book kept taking me places I did not expect!  If you lik...

Too Soon by Betty Shamieh Blurb from Goodreads : Arabella gets an unexpected chance at love when she’s thrust into a conflict and history she’s tried to avoid all her life. Zoya is playing matchmaker for her last unmarried granddaughter and stirring up buried memories. Naya is keeping a secret from her children that will change all their lives. Thirty-five-year-old Arabella, a New York theatre director whose dating and career prospects are drying up, is offered an opportunity to direct a risqué cross-dressing interpretation of a Shakespeare classic—that might garner international attention—in the West Bank. Her mother, Naya, and grandmother, Zoya, hatch a plot to match her with Aziz, a Palestinian American doctor volunteering in Gaza. Arabella agrees to meet Aziz, since her growing feelings for Yoav, a celebrated Israeli American theatre designer, seem destined for disaster... With biting hilarity, Too Soon introduces ...

Comedic Timing by Upasna Barath Blurb from Goodreads : Naina Rao is ready for this to be her She’s entered her mid-twenties, landed a steady job, broken up with her intensely passionate older girlfriend Sofia, and committed to hustling her way into a creative career. But the city doesn’t exactly embrace her with open arms – at least not until she meets David, an aspiring filmmaker and collaborator who makes New York start to feel like home. But is this a professional connection or a romantic one? And does opening herself up to a relationship with David mean compromising her sexual identity and her aspirations? The third book from 831 Stories, a modern romantic fiction company that prioritizes pleasure reading and the genre’s enthusiastic fans. For more pleasure reading, follow @831storieshq. My Review: 831 Stories are quickly becoming must reads.  I've read all the ones that have been released so far and have ...

She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke Blurb from Goodreads : With a colorful cast of characters and a cellar full of wine, anything can happen―from murder to a second chance at love―in Jenny Elder Moke's half mystery, half romance adult debut set at a lavish destination wedding. A high-end wedding on a private island off the coast of Seattle sounds like something out of a magazine. But for bestselling mystery author Kate Valentine, it’s more like a nightmare. Why Kate agreed to attend her ex-fiancé’s wedding is its own enigma, but she’ll plaster on a fake smile for two nights, with the aid of free champagne, naturally. And because the groom happens to be her editor, she’ll try to finish a draft of her latest Loretta Starling mystery as a wedding gift. But when the bride is poisoned and Kate stumbles across a dead body, she finds herself i...

Night of a Thousand Darlas by Brooke Abrams Blurb from Goodreads : Liza Day’s mother isn’t dead, but leave it to Darla Day to throw herself a funeral anyway. It’s the kind of attention grab Liza left behind to build a quiet life for herself and rebellious teenage daughter, Avery. But between her students discovering her old daytime TV show and putting her teaching job at risk to her mother’s unexpected funeral invitation, Liza’s life feels truly like a soap opera. When Liza returns to her family’s historic Day Ranch for her mother’s premature farewell, she’s not sure what to expect. Darla’s always been known for eccentricities, both on-screen and off-screen. Thankfully, Liza has her siblings to help navigate Mom’s antics, which include everyone dressing as one of Darla’s many iconic film characters, a harem of white rabbits, and one surprise Liza’s for...