The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams

2*

Spoilers ahead.


As a huge fan of Williams’ books, it pains me to have to review this one so poorly. I’m so thankful that this wasn’t the first of her novels I’ve read because it might otherwise have been the last. If you’re reading this review and haven’t read others, please give her another try, perhaps starting with The Summer Wives. Williams is an excellent writer who just needed better editing this time around.

Unfortunately, I found The Golden Hour exceedingly difficult to follow, about 100+ pages too long, and very depressing. I was very tempted not to finish it. There was way too much repetition and the story got lost in the overly-descriptive text. Generally, I love time-slip novels, but the choice of using two voices (Lulu telling her own story in an overly-familiar way, as if taking the reader into her confidence, and an unknown narrator telling Elfriede’s), combined with the multiple time periods, was just too confusing. To explain, there was Lulu in Nassau and then later in London and then Elfriede in 3 different time periods (none of them chronological).

The choice of using the Duke and Duchess of Windsor was an intriguing one, but the mystery was too heavy on innuendo and too light on solid clues. Even when the story reached its conclusion (the one satisfying part of the book), there were too many unanswered questions. What was in the envelopes Lulu delivered to the Windsors that made her and Thorpe accuse them of treason? When Lulu and Thorpe confess to each other, why does he respond “Christ in heaven, what a miracle”? Who was behind Thorpe’s capture? Why was Freddie framed? Who was Harold Christie and did he kill Sir Harry Oakes and for what reason? Why did Miami police investigate rather than British Intelligence? Was Thorpe in Nassau to spy on the Windsors because there was suspicion that they were Nazi sympathizers or collaborators? Was the entire story built around the public image the Windsors wanted to project (thus why they hired gossip columnist Lulu to write flattering fluff pieces about them), one they would protect at all costs, even murder?

In her other books, Williams cleverly connects two parallel stories, but, in this one, the only apparent connection is the genetic one between Lulu’s lover Benedict Thorpe and Elfriede, Thorpe’s mother. As for Elfriede’s relationship with Wilfred Thorpe, the biggest frustration for me was that he chose not to tell her about why he was spending so much time in Paris, even though it would have laid her suspicions of his infidelity to rest. Their tragic love was just all so heart-breaking and, to me, unnecessarily cruel. As I mentioned, it’s only in the last few pages that I was able to take a relaxed breath, but not before I found myself cursing Williams for her choices. Despite this, I still look forward to her next book.


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from William Morrow through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish by Grace Burrowes

5*

Lady Sophie Windham, beautiful, independent, and, at 27, nearing spinsterhood, is stuck at the family's London mansion with an abandoned baby while a fierce snowstorm rages. Luckily for her, a handsome and kind stranger, Wilhelm "Vim" Charpentier, Baron Sindal, arrives at her door and helps feed and change the baby. There’s just something so appealing about a man who loves and takes care of babies. The concept of a 19th century aristocrat changing nappies is pretty unrealistic, but who cares? At first, he mistakes her for a servant, so the social proprieties are ignored and they are able to act on the passion that flares between them. Then, all too soon, her 3 brothers arrive to take her to the ducal estate in Kent and her true identity is revealed. Given that Vim has nursed a 10-year grudge against her father, the going gets very rough until they work through their issues and can be together. Like any good Regency romance, there are misunderstandings, temporary heartbreak, and family dynamics at work, but the resolution is the sweeter for it.

My only disappointment in reading this book is that it’s the last in the series for me (originally published in 2011 and recently reissued). It's been such a treat reading about the large, loving Windham family. I read them out of order, and I definitely saved the best for last. Burrowes is one of the best contemporary authors of historical romances, so if you are a fan of the genre and haven't treated yourself to one of her books, I highly recommend beginning with the two novellas that started the Windham saga, The Courtship and The Duke and His Duchess. You won’t be disappointed!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

5*

In this equally charming and sexy successor to The Kiss Quotient, Hoang again features a lead character with Asperger’s Syndrome whose funny internal thoughts keep readers laughing. As the book opens, we are re-introduced to Khai (the cousin of Michael from the first book) at a wake for his 16-year-old cousin Andy, his best (only) friend who died in a motorcycle accident. Autism makes it difficult for him to show emotion (including crying) or tolerate touching, so he’s accused of not caring. All his young brain registers is that, if he can’t grieve, then he can’t love either. Ten years later, he’s so firmly convinced of this that his interfering mother finally takes matters into her own hands to ensure that he gets married and gives her grandchildren. She heads to Vietnam and devises a bride test to find a woman worthy of her son who won’t just want him for his money. There she meets My (Esme), a single mother who was abandoned by her daughter’s father when she got pregnant (just as her own American father abandoned her mother), and promptly offers her a chance to spend a summer in American getting to know Khai and hopefully convincing him that she is a woman he’d want to marry.

Despite the wacky way they are thrown together, the relationship between Esme and Khai is beautiful and full of humor, and they both blossom with the care and concern they show each other. Although Khai struggles with the disruption Esme brings to his well-ordered life, she is committed to being indispensable to him so that she’ll be able to remain in the U.S. and have her family join her. When Khai helps Esme look for the father she’s never known, their bond strengthens, but he continues to believe he is unloveable despite his actions to the contrary. Will Esme eventually pass the bride’s test and be the woman who gets through to Khai or will she end up back in Vietnam after the summer? Pick up this wonderful book and find out! Readers who have fallen in love with The Kiss Quotient may have a third book to look forward to…perhaps with Khai’s older brother Quan? Here’s hoping!


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper

3*

Andrew is a 40-something UK government employment whose job it is to go into the homes of deceased people who died alone (and, in many cases, weren’t found for days, weeks or even months) to look for any evidence of family or friends and finances to cover the cost of the funeral. If that weren’t depressing enough, he’s also living a lie: that he has a wife and kids at home in a lovely townhouse. His reality is that he lives alone in a shabby walk-up flat with only his model trains, fellow online enthusiasts, and Ella Fitzgerald recordings for company. When new employee Peggy joins him on his visits, a friendship develops with stirrings of romantic feelings, but Andrew will need to decide if he will perpetuate the lie or risk losing Peggy’s affection by telling the truth.

This is truly a dark comedy with gallows humor and central themes of death, PTSD, loneliness, emotional abuse, and deceit. Although depression makes it exceedingly difficult, Andrew learns that there are potential friends all around if he is willing and able to reach out to them. The ending was rather abrupt, and the mystery of Andrew’s downstairs female neighbor with the lovely perfume is inconclusive which will leave readers to wonder why she’s even present in the book. Triggers: depression, death, and PTSD.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from G. P. Putnam's Sons through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

You'd Be Mine by Erin Hahn

4*

Clay Coolidge is a bad boy of country music, drinking, sleeping around, and fighting too much, mostly to mask his feelings of abandonment and grief. He needs to clean up his image before his fledgling career is derailed, so the record label wants him to convince Annie Mathers to join his tour. Annie’s parents were country music royalty, but the dark side of the industry led to their tragic deaths. She’s determined to avoid a volatile relationship like theirs, so she’s very hesitant being Clay’s opening act on the summer fair circuit, even if it will help her career. Although this is billed as a YA romance, it’s a very slow burn with the main emphasis on country music and friendship. For much of the book, it was hard to warm up to Clay because he continued to sleep with his casual hook-up even after being blown away by his first kiss with Annie. He teases her, then pulls away several times, but he has some heavy emotional baggage that masks his goodness. It’s hard to watch this young man spiral. In contrast, Annie is very mature, sweet and focused on her goals. Hahn’s debut novel is extremely well-written and packs an emotional punch with heart and humor, much of it provided by friends of the main protagonists. Even if you’re not a fan of country music, pick this one up.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Wednesday Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

5*

Nina Hill, die-hard bookworm and trivia champ, lives a relatively solitary life in Los Angeles surrounded by books both at home and at work. Her favorite friend is her cat Phil with whom she has two-sided conversations, a consequence of her over-active imagination and loneliness. It’s not difficult to see that her need for structure and extreme social anxiety are the result of abandonment, first by the father she never knew and then by her successful, globe-trotting mother who left parenting to a nanny. Her “anxiety was like her anti-superpower, the one that came out unbidden in a crisis.” So what’s she to do when, on the cusp of her 30th birthday, she learns that her father has died and left her an inheritance and a motley group of relatives? Add to the mix a trivia adversary, who occupies too much of her thoughts and whose presence seems to cancel out her anxiety, and her carefully constructed life starts pulling apart at the seams. Is the possibility of belonging and loving worth the risk or will she push everyone away to keep safe in her cocoon?

Waxman uses a third-person narrator who invites readers into Nina’s quirky, humorous thoughts and life accompanied by a cornucopia of wacky friends, family and the unique character of the City of LA. It’s a thoroughly engaging story with many LOL moments and a sweet romance, too. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

One Summer Weekend by Shannon Stacey

4*

Short and sweet and everything a friends-to-lovers romance should be! When Noah’s lie to his boss about Carly being his girlfriend catches up with him, he has no choice but to convince her to go to his boss’s weekend wedding with him. Although Carly’s cousin Zoe warns her that her life is about to resemble the romance novels Zoe is so fond of, Carly just laughs at the absurdity of it all…until their faked kiss results in real attraction. Can their What happens on the Cape stays on the Cape promise to each other stick or is Carly in for a mountain of heartbreak if she falls for commitment phobic Noah? Pick up One Summer Weekend and find out. Perfect for fans of Noelle Adams.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Carina Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Teach Me by Olivia Dade

5*

What a refreshing change from the typical romance! Not only has Olivia Dade given us a fabulous couple of middle-aged protagonists in Rose and Martin, but Rose is also a plus-sized woman who Martin describes with positive, affirming words like gorgeous, statuesque, curvaceous, “regally tall”. Both of them are carrying a lot of baggage that makes getting to know each other challenging, but, despite their difficult childhoods and divorces, they become friends. A big reason is their respect for each other as dedicated teachers. Rose is determined to be cordial but cold to the new hire who has been assigned her favorite classes and is invading her classroom during her two planning periods to teach them. However, she hadn’t expected him to be so kind, sensitive, and respectful. In fact, Martin is nearly the perfect man: a loving father, champion of women and LGBTQ youth, a sexy nerd, and a phenomenal, caring teacher. His lesson on female Egyptian Pharaoh Hatshepsut, taught while Rose was there to observe, encapsulates his qualities. “She just watched Martin – who knew full well she was observing him that particular period – walk his high school class through a well-considered discussion of gender, power, and the historical erasure of women and the marginalized. Heard him declare with quiet passion that their stories mattered. That, by inference, her story mattered. That she mattered.” It’s no wonder that he makes her feel safe and protected even if she is perfectly capable of fighting her own battles. But will she be able to let go of the past to have a future with Martin? An excellent contemporary romance that focuses on issues very pertinent today in a way that doesn’t seem patronizing or tokenish and which pays homage to hard-working, devoted teachers. Book one of Dade’s new There's Something About Marysburg series. Highly recommended!


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Hussies & Harpies Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Save Me the Plums from Ruth Reichl

5*

In her latest memoir, Reichl shares her journey from hippie foodie in San Francisco where she hung out with Alice Waters and others to New York Times food critic to final editor of Gourmet Magazine in a casual and humorous voice readers have come to know and love. After having had the pleasure of sitting in on a cookbook author panel in Los Angeles recently, I can confirm that the voice is authentically hers. It’s fascinating to read about her battle to stay true to herself, her family and her ideals when taking the helm of an unapologetically high-brow magazine where perks such as a full-time driver were the norm. In the ten years she was editor of Gourmet, she totally remade it into a publication that was more relatable to household cooks without sacrificing quality. Yes, she lost some long-time readers, but with the help of people like revered LA Times food critic Jonathan Gold, she vastly increased readership until the internet spelled its demise. Aren’t we lucky that, as unfortunate as this is, it freed up Reichl’s time to share her story and some delicious recipes as well?

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Random House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Never Deny a Duke by Madeline Hunter

4*

Davina McCallum claims that she is the heir to a Scottish estate ceded to the Crown when her great-grandfather, Baron of Teyhill, died at the Battle of Culloden at the end of the Jacobite Rebellion. The Crown requires more proof, so her goal is to find it by tracking down information on her grandfather, the rightful heir, who was sent away to avoid harm after Culloden. Eric Marshall, Duke of Brentworth, hasn’t visited his Scottish estate since a tragic fire years before and struggles with both guilt and remorse. However, he has no intention of giving it up to Davina. When asked by the Crown to marry her so he can retain control of his family’s estate, he initially refuses but then decides to accompany her in her quest. Will Davina find the proof she needs or will she lose her heart and her inheritance to the Duke?

Hunter has woven a double mystery in with the romance: Davina’s claim to the title and estate and Eric’s discomfort with going to Scotland because of the fire and probable cause of it. Otherwise, the story employs the usual historical romance tropes: strong-willed woman (usually orphaned) down on her luck; handsome, aloof aristocrat with a shadowy, painful past who avoids love and passion and is usually cool under pressure; situation that forces them together where they are initially antagonistic towards each other, but, as they work together, the passion and love grow; and love triangle including another man who usually has some ulterior motive to wanting to marry the heroine. This is a standalone, but the protagonists from the first two books are very instrumental in bringing Davina and Brentworth together. A fun, engaging romance that is a satisfying end to the series.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Kensington Books/Zebra through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.