Goodreads

Release date: July 27, 2021

Publisher: Montlake

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

When Dillion Stitch left her hometown, she had no intention of going back. But when her brother gets into trouble, Dillion reluctantly agrees to return home to take her place at the family business.

Being back in Pearl Lake after all these years feels familiar, but also brings a few surprises. She’s quick to notice that someone new has shown up at the cottage next door. Dillion gets more than an eyeful when she goes to check out the newcomer and meets Donovan “Van” Firestone—her beloved neighbor’s grandson—in all his unclothed glory.

Having gotten off to a rocky start, it’s not long before they begin bickering with each other all over town. All that back and forth inevitably sparks an undeniable attraction. But Dillion’s family has issues, Van’s family resents him, and neither Dillion nor Van feels truly at ease in the small town. For these Pearl Lake exiles, home isn’t just where the heart is—it’s where things get complicated.

Review:

Say hello to my new favorite HH read. I absolutely adored this one from start to finish and cannot even tell you how excited I am that it’s the start of a brand new series. I’m a sucker for a small town romance and combine that with the authors trademark humor and sexiness and this was an awesome summer read.

I felt like this was slight departure from some of the authors other books, this had a more mature feel to it that I really appreciated. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed all of her past books that I’ve read but this one seemed more sweet and tender and I am here for it. Dillion and Van had an amazing connection, both physically and emotionally and there’s just something about a romance with feelings that just gets me right in my feels. I loved the quaint little lakeside town and could see so many options for additional books, I see the breadcrumbs HH was laying out and I’m following them for sure. There were a couple of side plots that were interesting as well and they only added to my enjoyment instead of distracting from the main plot. All the stars for this one, romance fans shouldn’t miss this!

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: July 27, 2021

Publisher: Dutton

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Andrea, Lauren, and Ronnie all see themselves as good, loving moms who are trying their best, but they each arrive at the Silver Swans preschool Welcome Breakfast with something to hide. Andrea is running away from a past on the East Coast, which she cannot afford for the other parents to discover. Lauren is recovering from a postpartum condition her husband has warned her not to disclose. And Ronnie is hiding herself and her daughter from the one man who could at any moment appear in their lives and ruin everything she holds dear. They already feel like impostors among the school’s community of polished parents. But then notes appear in their children’s backpacks after the first day at school. Notes that indicate that someone knows their deepest, darkest secrets and needs them gone. Does someone not want them in the community? Or is it something more menacing—does someone know everything?

When the principal of the school is the victim of an almost-fatal attack, it quickly becomes clear that the Silver Swans community is not as flawless as the brochures and website would have you believe. The three moms must band together to uncover the school’s many secrets before the other suspicious parents and town police close in and use their outsider status to blame them . . . and before they lose what they have worked so hard for.

Review:

I’ve been a big fan of the author since her PLL books and have enjoyed a couple of her adult thrillers as well but her books always seem to be missing a little something for me in the end. It’s kind of weird because while I’m reading I’m usually engrossed and entertained but when I finish I often find myself thinking, that’s it? So I’m not sure but I do know that I always end up finishing her books, I just find them to be a little lacking in some way.

I’m a sucker for any book that explores motherhood, even more so if the book is a thriller so I was hooked from the start here. The setting of a ritzy private preschool also appealed to me and then three women with secrets is basically my catnip. Like I said earlier, I’m always reeled in enough to read SS books quickly, but I think what was missing for me here was a more mature quality to make this feel like an adult thriller. I think where this author shines is her YA books so maybe next time I read her I just need to remember to go into it pretending it’s YA and I’ll like it more? Who knows honestly, I’m sure I’ll read her books in the future she does come up with some interesting premises. I think if you don’t mind a juvenile feeling “thriller” this may work for you, because her style is compelling for sure and while some parts of this were easy for me to predict I definitely didn’t see everything coming either. Clearly I have mixed feelings.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Release date: July 20, 2021

Publisher: Berkley

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

With his passion for romance novels, it was only a matter of time before Vlad wrote one.

Elena Konnikova has lived her entire adult life in the shadows. As the daughter of a Russian journalist who mysteriously disappeared, she escaped danger the only way she knew how: She married her childhood friend, Vladimir, and moved to the United States, where he is a professional hockey player in Nashville.

Vlad, aka the Russian, thought he could be content with his marriage of convenience. But it’s become too difficult to continue in a one-sided relationship. He joined the Bromance Book Club to learn how to make his wife love him, but all he’s learned is that he deserves more. He’s ready to create his own sweeping romance—both on and off the page.

The bros are unwilling to let Vlad forgo true love—and this time they’re not operating solo. They join forces with Vlad’s neighbors, a group of meddling widows who call themselves the Loners. But just when things finally look promising, Elena’s past life intrudes and their happily ever after is cast into doubt.

Review:

I freaking love this series and was SO excited to finally get to read The Russian’s story! His backstory has been a bit of a mystery since the start and I’ve been dying to know more about this gentle giant and his wife, Elena. All I’ve known about him before this installment was that he’s a hockey player with a sensitive stomach and a heart bigger than Russia and now that I’ve finished I’m so happy to have learned more about him, he’s the sweetest.

I’m always eager to read a romance where there’s a marriage in crisis and I liked the unique spin here as Vlad and Elena were also in a marriage of convenience. Add in some forced proximity and Vlad writing his own romance novel and this was the sweetest and most tender book of the series. I adore Vlad and am a little in love with him myself, he’s this badass aggressive player on the ice and off he’s an amazing friend and the most sensitive of all the Bros, SWOON! As always I love checking in on the other boys and can’t wait to see who gets to shine in book five. If you haven’t read this series and you love romance novels as much as I do it’s a must, they’re all fantastic!

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Release date: June 29, 2021

Publisher: MIRA

Genre: Mystery/Contemporary Fiction

Synopsis:

Two women. Two families. Two lifetimes’ worth of secrets.

In the wake of her husband’s sudden death, Cassie Costas finds her relationship with her teenage stepdaughter unraveling. After their move to historic Tarpon Springs, Florida, Savannah hates her new town, her school and most of all her stepmom, whom she blames for her father’s death. Cassie has enough to contend with as she searches for answers about the man she shared a life with, including why all their savings have disappeared.

When Savannah’s rebellion culminates in an act that leaves single mother Amber Blair and her sixteen-year-old son homeless, Cassie empathizes with the woman’s predicament and invites the strangers to move in. As their lives intertwine, Cassie realizes that Amber is hiding something. She’s evasive about her past, but the fear in her eyes tells a darker story. Cassie wonders what the woman living under her roof is running from…and what will happen if it finally catches up to her.

Review:

Do you ever go into a book with the wrong expectations and that basically ruins the whole thing for you? I really thought this would be a domestic suspense/thriller and instead it was more women’s fiction with a side of lighter suspense and unfortunately that just didn’t work for me so well here. There were definitely still elements that I liked but overall I was hoping for more.

I do want to say that the narrator, Vanessa Johansson was fantastic and I credit her with me even finishing this one. I’m quicker to set a book aside in print versus audio and that’s especially true for me if the narrator is engaging and this one was. Between that and the fact that I was invested in the mystery aspect I felt compelled to finish and I’m mostly glad I did. This was character driven with two women who were interesting enough but anything related to the mystery of both Cassie’s husbands death and Amber’s past were both easy for me to figure out. I was hoping for more surprises than I got and I guess just overall I wanted more tension and suspense.

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: July 6, 2021

Publisher: Flatiron

Genre: Thriller

Synopsis:

A Black father. A white father. Two murdered sons. A quest for vengeance.

Ike Randolph has been out of jail for fifteen years, with not so much as a speeding ticket in all that time. But a Black man with cops at the door knows to be afraid.

The last thing he expects to hear is that his son Isiah has been murdered, along with Isiah’s white husband, Derek. Ike had never fully accepted his son but is devastated by his loss.

Derek’s father Buddy Lee was almost as ashamed of Derek for being gay as Derek was ashamed his father was a criminal. Buddy Lee still has contacts in the underworld, though, and he wants to know who killed his boy.

Ike and Buddy Lee, two ex-cons with little else in common other than a criminal past and a love for their dead sons, band together in their desperate desire for revenge. In their quest to do better for their sons in death than they did in life, hardened men Ike and Buddy Lee will confront their own prejudices about their sons and each other, as they rain down vengeance upon those who hurt their boys.

Provocative and fast-paced, S. A. Cosby’s Razorblade Tears is a story of bloody retribution, heartfelt change – and maybe even redemption.

Review:

Last summer you may remember me raving about this authors book, Blacktop Wasteland because I couldn’t shut up about it. It was such an incredible story and definitely still a favorite to this day. While this was another highly original story it had many of the same elements that I loved in BW which really solidified this authors place on my auto buy list, he’s outstanding.

I think where this author shines the most is that he is able to combine an action packed series of events with an emotionally charged motivation and that combo will always reel me right in. Ike and Buddy Lee’s sons have already been murdered when the book begins so the whole thing is about the two men teaming up to get revenge. The cops have no leads so it’s up to them and since both men failed their sons while they were alive, the only option left is to get them vengeance in death. This was powerful as you have not only two grieving fathers but two grieving fathers who don’t really have many nice memories to look back on with their sons. Both men were homophobic and totally unaccepting of Derek and Isiah’s marriage and seeing their raw struggle was such a powerful thing. It’s hard to say what’s better here, the depth of the characters or the high octane, action packed plot because both were just amazing. This one is a must read and definitely a favorite of the year for me so it’s highly recommended!

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.