Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell

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Available Now

Content warning for partner abuse.

All the positive hype and joyful squeeing you are hearing about this book is extremely well deserved. I first heard of this book through a podcast, surprising I know, that was listing off all the modern Shakespeare retellings and Winter’s Orbit was getting some rave reviews in that episode. As someone who could care less about Shakespeare retellings, I was actually curious how it would translate into a sci-fi novel set in space. Also, don’t ask what play this was inspired by-I don’t have a clue.

Winter’s Orbit would be a perfect gateway book for romance readers who want to add in a new genre to their reading. We have two characters who are forced to marry each other to uphold an important treaty between two worlds. Add in a boatload of physical attraction, major pining, fake dating, only-one-bed, trapped-in-the-snow, and a lot of tip-toeing around situations because of diplomacy reasons and you have the perfect romance novel, it’s just set in space. 

Prince Kiem is the palace playboy who fills his days enjoying life and ending up in the gossip pages. When his cousin dies in a tragic shuttle accident, he is forced to marry the now widowed Count Jainan, the diplomat from Thea, to maintain a decades-long treaty. While Kiem has known his whole life that he would marry for duty, he never believed that marriage would be forced on someone who just lost their partner and is still grieving. But what Kiem doesn’t know is that Count Jainan didn’t have a fairytale marriage and is just as uncertain at how to approach this new relationship. As the two negotiate how to become friends and balance their new royal duties, they discover that there is a real attraction between the two but there is an evil force who wants to sabotage their relationship and even more, the treaty between the two worlds. Now, the two men must try to find out how Jainan’s husband really died and who is trying to pin the murder on Jainan. 

I flew through this book. It is such a wonderful, fast-paced political thriller with a ton of romance elements thrown in. If you are a fan of watching two characters pine over each other for hundreds of pages, this is definitely your book. These two have some serious feelings for each other from the first moment they meet but because Kiem is convinced that Jainan had this amazing marriage and is grieving, he tries to do his best to respect his space and feelings. Jainan sees all this as Kiem not being interested in him and disappointed in having to marry him and feels like a failure as a husband. Trust me, there are so many times I yelled at both of them to just talk about what is going on but for very important political reasons, they really can’t. Prince Kiem is an actual Prince and Count Jainan is a very important diplomat so neither wants to upset the other. So. Much. Pining. 

Prince Kiem’s homeworld of Iskat has an interesting way of distinguishing genders amongst their people. Women wear flint jewelry, men wear wood, and some people choose to wear neither, which I interpreted as everyone got to choose their gender. Throughout the book,both Kiem and Jainan make some goofs in missing those cues but it doesn’t seem like that was a huge deal as there was such a wide range of people in very high and important positions of power. It also meant that when Kiem and Jainan finally realize that there is only one bed and they’re just going to have to share it, it all fades to black and I think that was such a smart choice. 

There is far more focus on the relationship between Kiem and Jainan than on the political and planet world-building, but I still thought there was  more than enough to make the story very interesting. Also, Bel Siara, the assistant to Kiem, is a complete badass with a shady past and I think this would make an excellent series with her as the next main character. Her book would be the perfect vehicle to give us more background on the Empire and how it came to be. 

This is a fantastic debut from Everina Maxwell and I can’t wait to see what they put out next. If you would like to add this to your collection, or finds more information to rec it to your Library, you can do that here:

 







This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. 




New Releases for March 23, 2021

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It’s New Book Day!

The new Dogman comes out today, that’s all you need to know for kid’s books. Not really, but this series has delighted every kid at the Library and what more can you ask for? Click on the covers for more detail and ordering information. As always, request these from your Library! Librarians love to hear what people are interested in.

For the kids:

For the adults:


This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

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Available Now

In a secret apothecary shop, Nella spends her days providing simple cures for her neighbors as a cover for her more secret services. The women in the area know who to come to for help with abusive and oppressive husbands, and Nella saves those services only for women. When a young woman seeks help for her mistress, Nella’s apothecary services are put in danger. 

In the present day, Caroline finds herself in London celebrating her tenth wedding anniversary alone. On a whim, she joins a mudlarking group combing the banks of the Thames and discovers a unique apothecary bottle. As her historian instincts kick in, Sarah finds herself lost in the research of the bottle’s origins, she discovers the truth behind the bottle and the truth about herself. 

Lushly told through alternating timelines, The Lost Apothecary is a beautiful blend of history, mystery, and the dark secrets of women and medicine. Caroline’s journey of self discovery blended beautifully with the dark tale of Nella’s apothecary. The Lost Apothecary also highlights the value of female friendships. Nella rescues Eliza from the gaze of her employer through an apprenticeship at the apothecary and Caroline strikes up a friendship with the Librarian who helps her research the bottle’s origins and reignite her spark for history and academia. Through those friendships, the women find the strength they need to make life-altering decisions for themselves. 

Combining the history of London with the history of Nella’s apothecary, Penner provides a gripping story of women’s survival. Whether it be an abusive marriage, a brutish employer, or a cheating and manipulative spouse, all three women survive and learn to grow within their own new realities.  

I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves history, a good mystery, and tales of found family and deep friendship.  Nella’s story was really interesting and while I know she was helping commit murder, it was very easy to find sympathy for all involved. Except the men. They really should have been nicer. Caroline’s story running parallel to Nella’s did feel a little too on the nose at times, but overall, her marriage difficulties were easy to relate too. Nothing had ever really gone Caroline’s way and all of her major life decisions were to help her family or husband. Her husband was a major jerk and I was so proud of her every time she stood up for herself and did something she wanted to do. Overall, this was a very interesting blend of genres and I really liked it. Also, isn’t that most gorgeous cover? I love the color choices and since I have a new office to decorate, this cover is starting to spark some inspiration.

If you want to add this book to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

 




Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title, all opinions and mistakes are my own. 

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.




Root Magic by Eden Royce

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Available Now

Reader Friends, this book is amazing. While it's audience is 8-12 year-olds, this 30-something, I have a couple years left, was absolutely enthralled from start to finish.

Set in 1963, Jezebel and her twin brother Jay have just lost their grandmother days before their eleventh birthday. Struggling with their grief, their small family has to deal with harassment from the local police and stares and whispers from the neighbors and classmates who don't understand their use of root magic. As Jezebel and Jay begin root magic lessons with their uncle, they discover there was more to the stories their grandmother would tell them, and the simple cures and potions their uncle mixes up for neighbors are just the beginning of their powerful heritage.

This books truly has everything. There is history, family drama, school drama, two children coming of age, magic, and adventure. These characters are written with such love and care you can feel it pouring from the page. Jezebel and Jay are very close and have a very realistic relationship. Many children will be able to see themselves in the studious and kind Jezebel as well as in the fun-loving and practical Jay. I really loved how the author showed the strain on their relationship when Jezebel was asked to skip a grade while her brother was not. While you know Jay is proud of his sister, it has to hurt to know that your twin is better at something than you. This dynamic is shown again as the twins discover more about their magical gifts and develop those gifts in different ways.

I loved how the author really focused on family and history in telling the adventures of Jez and Jay. Their deep connection to their family's practice in root magic grounds and guides both children. As the twins discover more and more about the magical world around them, knowing that they have a connection to their family gives them courage and hope to deal with some very scary situations.

If you have a middle grade reader who loves magic and adventure, this will be a perfect book for them. I absolutely love and adore it and I can't wait for more children to discover it.

If you would like to add this wonderful book to your collection, you can find ordering options here:

 

 

This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. I read my Library's copy of this book and as always, request books from your Library. Librarians love to buy books.

Baby Goats!

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It’s been a busy few weeks on the Fat Farm. After many false starts and a huge miscalculation on our parts, our two oldest goat mama’s, Emma and Emily finally gave birth. We’ve been lucky with these two mamas before and I had my fingers crossed for smooth sailing from both of them. Sure enough, we caught Emily in the early stages of labor so I was able to monitor her pretty closely. In less than two hours, she had birthed twin boys. I can emphasize enough what a relief it is for a smooth labor. I’ve helped with a goat c-section and I still have nightmares about it. ***the goat was fine, the vet was amazing, it’s just a weird, bloody event, ok?***

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The next evening, Emma was apparently feeling left out and wanted our attention focused on her so she gave birth to twin girls. As I was doing the evening check on the mama’s and babies, we realized that she had a secret baby hidden away and the farm’s tiniest member was born. Not twins, but triplets! Triplets sound wonderful: more babies to sell, more money to be made, why not? Because then you get itty bitty little runts and you have to name them Little Bit. Little Bit was far too small to latch on to her mother to nurse so she’s currently, and luckily our only only baby, needing bottle feedings.

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Bottle feeding goat babies is pretty much like bottle feeding human babies. Your counters are covered with bottles, nipples, measuring bowls and whisks. There’s formula powder everywhere because you’re not sleeping through the night and forgot to make a bottle earlier when you were more clear headed. Goat babies also cry, like really cry, and it breaks your heart because you weren’t outside sooner to get them a bottle before they started crying. Just like a human baby but luckily there are no diapers to change.

These are just the first two to have kids. We should have the other four mamas giving birth before too much longer but I’m awful about tracking pregnancy so every day is belly watch around here.




Burning Girls and Other Stories by Veronica Scanoes

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Available Now

Burning Girls and Other Stories is a fascinating and magical collection of short stories from Veronica Schanoes. Showcasing the resilience of women, this collection draws on historical events and folktales and paints them in a new light. In Phosphorus, my favorite of the collection, we learn of the horrors of an unsafe workplace and the devastating and deadly consequences that can be found when workers, often women, are left with no power. In Among the Thorns, the opening story, a young woman seeks revenge on the people who murdered her father. Powerfully told, you can feel the anger and grief grown inside Ittele as she learns of her father’s death and the way the village that murdered him gloated about his death. After her mother dies, she sets out to seek revenge and learns there is more to the world than she knows. 

How to Bring Someone Back from the Dead explores the tortuous journey of grieving someone you love and the understandable reaction to want them back. 

While many of the stories focus on the grief and loss, at the heart of it, this collection highlights the strength and resilience of women. In the end, the women move on under their own terms and in their own way. 

Beautiful, dark, and expertly put together, this collection is one that should be on everyone’s shelf. If you would like to get your own copy, you can find ordering information here:

 



The Future is Yours by Dan Frey

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Available Now

If you could take a peek into your future, would you look? It sounds like such a simple question. Of course I would! Who wouldn’t? The Future is Yours by Dan Frey examines what happens when ordinary people are given an extraordinary ability and the cost that ability has on the world. 

Told through a series of text messages, emails, news articles, and television transcripts, The Future is Yours tells the story of two friends, Ben and Adhi, and their computer that is able to read the internet of the future. As their computer proves more and more successful, the two men become exponentially richer and more driven. Pushing the limits of their computer’s ability also pushes their relationship, and the relationships they have with friends and family, to the limit. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It brings up so many interesting and thoughtful questions about humanity and its relationship with time. When we think about wanting to see our future, we tend to assume that we will see ourselves doing something somewhat expected, just in the future. But what if you didn’t see yourself? What if you found your obituary? What if you found yourself the victim, or perpetrator of a crime? What if? What if? What if? There are so many what ifs that this book brings up that I couldn’t wait to find out how it would end. 

The Future is Yours is also an examination of the bonds of friendship and how much those bonds can handle. Ben and Adhi begin as mutual acquaintances but it’s their individual interests that bring them together. Ben wants nothing more than to be a successful entrepreneur. Adhi is a brilliant genius who can create intricate software programs. When Ben wants to pursue a future in the booming silicon industry, it’s obvious that Adhi is his key to success. As the two pursue their business venture together, the two become better and better friends, and as their success becomes more and more, their friendship begins to show signs of strain. Seeing their relationship grow and change from both points of view provides an intimate look at how they really felt towards each other, and how their relationship changes with their increasing success.

The novel’s epistolary form, especially the modern nature of the text messages, emails, and social media threads lends an intensity and urgency to the plot. Seeing the differences in how the characters write and express themselves gives us a clearer and more in depth picture of them as people. The novel is full of so many twists and turns, each one better than the last, that I was kept guessing all the way to the end. It’s another novel that kept my attention from start to finish, and I read the entire book in one sitting. 

Absorbing and fascinating, The Future is Yours is a thrilling look at money, power, and humanity. 

Interested in adding this title to your collection? You can find ordering information here:

 


Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. 




This post also contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. 




We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire by Joy McCullough

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Available Now

CW: rape, bullying, intentional misgendering

Many novels have tackled the trauma inflicted upon victims of sexual assault, but this is the first I’ve read that focuses on how the family members deal with that trauma. When a rapist’s guilty verdict lands him no jail time, the Morales family finds their hopes for justice for Nor completely devastated. After an already excruciating public trial, the public backlash against them for “disrupting” the beloved local college team is overwhelming for the entire family. While Nor tries to find some sense of peace and stability at college, Em finds herself obsessed with seeking justice online for her sister. As Em discovers that the wide online support she and her family received during the trial has waned for other victims of crimes, her ability to cope with the trauma becomes more than she can bear. As she spirals out of control with unauthorized columns in the school paper, onlines posts that create an unsafe environment for her sister, and a new found obsession with a legendary French noblewoman turned warrior, Em will push everyone who loves her away. It is only at her very lowest point that Em will find the strength and focus to help her family heal and move forward.

The Morales family felt incredibly real and relatable. Nor and Em’s relationship becomes increasingly strained as Em’s reactions to Nor’s silence make life harder for Nor, triggering a vicious cycle of Nor becoming angry and hurt and pushing Em away. Em parents are at a complete loss over how to handle any of it, both frustrated that they can’t get justice for their daughter and long to move on and go back to being a happy family. They’re an incredibly close family with strong bonds over food cooking. It’s that bond that slowly brings them back together when Em’s new friend Jess begins to spend more and more time at the Morales home. Jess has their own struggles with their family. Parents who are divorcing and possibly moving far apart, coming into their own sense of self and identity, and losing their best friend for the summer to a performance camp. As Em and Jess try to find the balance in their friendship, Em begins to find the way toward mending her relationship with her sister and parents. 

As Em struggles to find a way for her family to heal, which is a burden she has taken on herself, Jess introduces her to a fascinating historical figure and triggers an obsession. Em writes the life story of a fifteenth-century French noblewoman, Marguerite de Bressieux as Jess illuminates the pages. Marguerite’s story is written in verse and the back and forth between the prose and verse was beautiful to read. Em holds nothing back in describing the pain and hardship of Marguerite’s journey, just as McCullough holds nothing back in describing the pain and anguish of the Morales family.
We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire is an incredible story of revenge, trauma, and the bonds of family. It is an unflinching look at how women are treated within the legal system and how misogyny infiltrates our everyday lives. 

If you would like to add this to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

 

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post also contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.


New Releases for February 23, 2021

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It’s New Book Day!

This past week has been quite a doozy for many. I hope wherever you are, you are safe and healthy. With so much going on in the world, if you are in the headspace to do so, I highly recommend getting lost in a good story. I have found a lot of escapism in some wonderful romances this last week and I’m going to get started tackling the numerous books that are piled around my house. I don’t know about you, but I have a huge TBR that I don’t know if I’ll finish, but it’s still fun to try! Click on the covers for more details and ordering information.


For the Kids:

For the Non-Kids:


This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.

Blog Tour! Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

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Reader Friends, this book blew me away. It’s a raw, emotional coming-of-age story that features an honest look at the pressures we put on people to stay on the path that was set for them, even when that path is no longer what they want. In Honey Girl, Grace Porter is a driven, focused, Type A scientist who is finished her doctorate and is awaiting to start her dream job. But before she goes back to the real world, she and her two best friends take a quick trip to Las Vegas for some fun and relaxation. Except Grace, known to everyone as Porter, wakes up on her last morning in Vegas hungover and married. Married to a beautiful woman named Yuki with rosebud cheeks who lives across the country and hosts a late night radio show about the supernatural. For someone as straight-laced and focused as Porter is, this is wildly out of character but deep down, she desperately wants to learn more about her new wife and wants to take a chance on love. But Porter has to deal with her overbearing father, known to all as the Colonel, and his constant pressure to begin her new career. Porter is burnt out and doesn’t know how to deal with all the changes in her life and this struggle will lead her across the country to discover if she can make a relationship work with a woman she knew for less than a day, and if she can overcome her own hang-ups about the life she set out to have, but no longer is convinced for her.

Honey Girl is a gorgeous story of family, the power of friendship, and the fear of risking everything for love. I fell in love with Grace and Yuki’s story and the wonderfully eclectic, tight-knit group of friends that were vital to each of them.

Read on for an excerpt from Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers:

One

Grace wakes up slow like molasses. The only difference is molasses is sweet, and this—the dry mouth and the pounding headache—is sour. She wakes up to the blinding desert sun, to heat that infiltrates the windows and warms her brown skin, even in late March.

  Her alarm buzzes as the champagne-bubble dream pops.

  Grace wakes in Las Vegas instead of her apartment in Portland, and she groans.

  She’s still in last night’s clothes, ripped high-waisted jeans and a cropped, white BRIDE t-shirt she didn’t pack. The bed is warm, which isn’t surprising. But as Grace moves, shifts and tries to remember how to work her limbs, she notices it’s a different kind of warm. The bed, the covers, the smooth cotton pillowcase beside her, is body-warm. Sleep-warm.

The hotel bed smells like sea-salt and spell herbs. The kind people cut up and put in tea, in bottles, soaking into oil and sealed with a little chant. It smells like kitchen magic.

She finds the will to roll over into the warm patch. Her memories begin to trickle in from the night before like a movie in rewind. There were bright lights and too-sweet drinks and one club after another. There was a girl with rose-pink cheeks and pitch-black hair and, yes, sea-salt and sage behind her ears and over the soft, veiny parts of her wrists. Her name clings to the tip of Grace’s tongue but does not pull free.

The movie in Grace’s head fast-forwards. The girl’s hand stayed clutched in hers for the rest of the night. Her mouth was pretty pink. She clung to Grace’s elbow and whispered, “Stay with me,” when Agnes and Ximena decided to go back to the hotel.

Stay with me, she said, and Grace did. Follow me, she said, like Grace was used to doing. Follow your alarm. Follow your schedule. Follow your rubric. Follow your graduation plan. Follow a salt and sage girl through a city of lights and find yourself at the steps of a church.

Maybe it wasn’t a church. It didn’t seem like one. A place with fake flowers and red carpet and a man in a white suit. A fake priest. Two girls giggled through champagne bubbles and said yes. Grace covers her eyes and sees it play out.

“Jesus,” she mutters, sitting up suddenly and clutching the sheets to keep herself steady.

She gets up, knees wobbling. “Get it together, Grace Porter.” Her throat is dry and her tongue sticks to the roof of her mouth. “You are hungover. Whatever you think happened, didn’t happen.” She looks down at her t-shirt and lets out a shaky screech into her palms. “It couldn’t have happened, because you are smart, and organized, and careful. None of those things would lead to a wedding. A wedding!”

“Didn’t happen,” she murmurs, trying to make up the bed. It’s a fruitless task, but making up the bed makes sense, and everything else doesn’t. She pulls at the sheets, and three things float to the floor like feathers.

  A piece of hotel-branded memo paper. A business card. A photograph.

Grace picks up the glossy photograph first. It is perfectly rectangular, like someone took the time to cut it carefully with scissors.

In it, the plastic church from her blurry memories. The church with its wine-colored carpet and fake flowers. There is no Elvis at this wedding, but there is a man, a fake priest, with slicked back hair and rhinestones around his eyes.

In it, Grace is tall and brown and narrow, and her gold, spiraling curls hang past her shoulders. She is smiling bright. It makes her face hurt now, to know she can smile like that, can be that happy surrounded by things she cannot remember.

Across from her, their hands intertwined, is the girl. In the picture, her cheeks are just as rose-pink. Her hair is just as pitch-black as an empty night sky. She is smiling, much like Grace is smiling. On her left hand, a black ring encircles her finger, the one meant for ceremonies like this.

Grace, hungover and wary of this new reality, lifts her own left hand. There, on the same finger, a gold ring. This part evaded her memories, forever lost in sticky-sweet alcohol. But there is it, a ring. A permanent and binding and claiming ring. 

  “What the hell did you do, Porter?” she says, tracing it around her finger.

She picks up the business card, smaller and somehow more intimate, next. It smells like the right side of the bed. Sea salt. Sage. Crushed herbs. Star anise. It is a good smell.

On the front, a simple title:

ARE YOU THERE?

   brooklyn’s late night show for lonely creatures

  & the supernatural. Sometimes both.

   99.7 FM

  She picks up the hotel stationery. The cramped writing is barely legible, like it was written in a hurry.

 

I know who I am, but who are you? I woke up during the sunrise, and your hair and your skin and the freckles on your nose glowed like gold. Honey-gold. I think you are my wife, and I will call you Honey Girl. Consider this a calling card, if you ever need a—I don’t know how these things work. A friend? A—

 Wife, it says, but crossed out.

 A partner. Or. I don’t know. I have to go. But I think I had fun, and I think I was happy. I don’t think I would get married if I wasn’t. I hope you were, too.

What is it they say? What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas? Well, I can’t stay.

Maybe one day you’ll come find me, Honey Girl. Until then, you can follow the sound of my voice. Are you listening?



Excerpted from Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers, Copyright © 2021 by Morgan Rogers

Published by Park Row Books

 
 
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Morgan Rogers is a queer black millennial. She writes books for queer girls that are looking for their place in the world. She lives in Maryland and has a Shih Tzu named Nico and a cat named Grace that she would love to write into a story one day. HONEY GIRL is her debut novel. 

Author Website

Twitter: @garnetmorgue

Instagram: @garnetmorgue

Goodreads

Buy Links: 

Harlequin 

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Books-A-Million

Powell’s


Thank you to Park Row Books for the advanced copy of this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

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Available Now

I was very fortunate to have this gem with me while on my forest getaway and it was the perfect way to spend an afternoon cuddled under blankets, watching the snow fall. I have loved everything Gailey has previously written and I had no doubts they would deliver an amazing and thrilling adventure in The Echo Wife. 

Readers, this is an amazing  book.

Imagine being the scientist who perfects cloning. Now, imagine that scientific discovery being stolen by your husband to not only clone you, but to leave you for your own clone. Yeah, completely messed up. As if that isn’t enough drama for you, imagine that clone coming to you for help burying your ex’s body. 

Uh huh. I told you, this book is amazing!

From the beginning page, Gailey has given us a story that starts off running and never slows down. From the moment we are introduced to our main character, Dr. Evelyn Caldwell, we know that she is driven, brilliant, and has a complicated childhood which drives her every decision. It was fascinating to see her next to her clone, Martine, and see the nature vs. nurture argument play out in real time. Dr. Caldwell was an interesting character in that she is written as your typical “ice queen” and could care less. She loves science and is determined to be the best in her field. She chose career over family and doesn’t feel guilty about it. When problems come up, she approaches them with an almost clinical calm and thrives on the stress of solving them. 

Gailey’s writing is gripping and compelling, driving the story forward through a never-ending series of twists and turns. Very bizarre and creepy turns, but many, many twists and turns. It’s a fascinating exploration of marriage, identity, family, and the effects of abuse. 

I absolutely loved this book and if you love a good psychological thriller, you will too. 

If you’d like to add this book to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

 





Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.




Blog Tour! Back in the Texan's Bed by Naima Simone

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Available Now

It is such a pleasure to share this smart, steamy romance from Naima Simone with you! Naima Simone has accomplished what no one else has been able to: make me a fan of a secret baby romance. Back in the Texan’s Bed is the perfect combination of my favorite romance tropes. We get a former flame returns to town, an overbearing, wealthy family, add in some rich people problems and a secret baby and it’s the perfect amount of drama, heat, and fantasy that transports you away to another world for a few delicious hours. I loved it and it should make it’s way to the top of your romance TBR pile right now.

He’s going to claim his child and the woman who got away…from USA TODAY bestselling author Naima Simone. Will they ever learn that giving in to desire is playing with fire? After discovering he has a secret son, oil heir Ross Edmond isn’t letting Charlotte Jarrett walk away again. He proposes they move in together—to share their son…and a bed. But Charlotte has secrets, and Ross doesn’t know the real reason his family’s former chef left town three years ago—and they still have a powerful enemy who could bring them both down…

Want to read more? Here’s an excerpt!

Excerpt for BACK IN THE TEXAN’S BED by Naima Simone

Love.

Russell “Ross” Edmond Jr. sipped his scotch, relishing the smoky flavor with hints of caramel, fruit and a bite of salt, while staring out the window of the Texas Cattleman’s Club meeting room at the beautiful couple currently wrapped around each other in a passionate embrace.

Ezekiel Holloway and Reagan Sinclair—Reagan Holloway now—had caused quite a scandal in Royal, Texas, some months ago when they’d eloped to Vegas against her family’s wishes. Especially since Zeke’s own family had been embroiled in a dirty criminal investigation that involved embezzlement and drug smuggling. But that had all been cleared up, their reputation restored, and now the newlyweds were living out their happily-ever-after.

Ross barely contained a derisive snort. Sure, the two appeared enamored and, yes, happy. The married couple kissed as if Ezekiel was heading off to sea for a months-long absence. Ross would say they were in love. Or, at least, they believed they were.

Unfortunately—or fortunately, in his opinion—he wasn’t a devout disciple at the altar of the emotion that seemed like a convenient excuse for people to lose control, validate idiotic behavior or justify satisfying any impulsive desire.

What did he believe in?

Raising his glass to his mouth again, he turned from the view of the couple and surveyed the elegantly appointed room. Due to recent renovations at the Club, the design was less dark wood and stone, and now boasted brighter colors, larger windows and higher ceilings. Yes, the hunting trophies and historical artifacts still adorned the walls, and the stables remained, as did the pool and tennis courts. Yet, now the Club had a day care and sported painted murals, as well. The whole effect exuded a warmth that had been missing before.

But it all still conveyed wealth. Influence. Exclusivity.

And those ideals he trusted.

Money and power. They could be counted, measured, handled, manipulated, if need be, and were unfailingly consistent.

They’d never let him down.

Unlike people. Unlike love.

Hell, he couldn’t even keep the sneer out of his inner voice.

“Ross, get over here,” Russell Edmond Sr. boomed as if Ross stood farther out in the club’s entryway instead of just several feet away from him. “Do that brooding shit on your own time. We have business to attend to.”

Rusty. Oil mogul. Texas Cattleman’s Club member. Tycoon. All things people called Russell Edmond Sr. Whereas Ross considered him brilliant, ruthless, domineering. And, on occasion, manipulative bastard.

They all fit.

With his tall, wide-shouldered and athletic build that had only gone a little soft around the middle, dark hair dusted with silver at the temples and intelligent, scalpel-sharp gray eyes, Rusty still possessed a powerful physique and commanded respect. Ross strode over to the long, cedar conference table, his gaze fixed not on his father but on the thin stack of documents in the middle of the table. His heart thumped against his sternum in anticipation. To others, those ordinary sheets of paper might seem innocuous. But to him?

Independence. Autonomy.

Identity.

Yes, this deal included the financial and marketing backing of The Edmond Organization, but this project—the luxury food, art and wine festival called Soiree on the Bay, which was to be held on a small, private island—was his baby. Well, more aptly, it was a baby that belonged to him, his siblings, Gina and Asher, and his best friend, Billy Holmes. But for the first time, he wasn’t a figurehead wearing the Edmond name and the ineffectual title of executive. Wasn’t a puppet tasked with carrying out Rusty-given orders. Wasn’t just the useless playboy son riding the coattails of his daddy’s success and reputation.

With this project, this event, he would finally step out from under his father’s shadow and show everyone he hadn’t just inherited the Edmond name—he’d earned it. Ross would play an integral role in raising the bar, in solidifying and expanding their legacy as he elevated The Edmond Organization from the national stage to the international one. Something even Rusty hadn’t managed to do in the company’s history.

But Ross would.

And in the process, maybe earn that thing that had eluded him the entire twenty-eight years he’d been Rusty’s son—approval.

Again, not love. Men like his father believed in that emotion even less than Ross did. Just ask Rusty’s four ex-wives.

Just ask his children.

“So this is it? The final contract?” Ross set his tumbler down on the table, trying not to stare down at the documents as if they were the Holy Grail and he a Texas version of Indiana Jones.

“This is it,” Billy Holmes, his college friend and future business partner, said, grinning. “The last step before Soiree on the Bay moves from dreams to reality.”

“Dreams,” Rusty scoffed. “Dreams are for men who don’t have the balls to get out there and pursue what they want.”

USA Today Bestselling author Naima Simone's love of romance was first stirred by Johanna Lindsey and Nora Roberts years ago. Well not that many. She is only eighteen...ish. Published since 2009, she spends her days writing sizzling romances with heart, a touch of humor and snark. She is wife to Superman--or his non-Kryptonian equivalent--and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They live in perfect, sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern US.

Author Links:

Website: http://naimasimone.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naimasimoneauthor/?ref=bookmarks


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Last Minute Valentine's Gifts for Book Loving Kids

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I love to give books as gifts for kids. The choices are endless and it’s a gift that can spark a life-long passion. Here’s a collection of my favorite books, grouped by age, for your special Reader. What are your favorite books to give as gifts? Do you have a favorite author or series?

Toddlers

Early Elementary

Late Elementary

Beginning Readers

Independent Readers

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Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

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Available Now

I was so excited to hear the news about Clarke’s long-awaited novel, Piranesi. As a fan of the television adaptation of Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell, I sincerely hoped that her ability to transport readers to dreamlike, magical worlds would continue in this latest novel. When I saw it was a choice for Book of the Month, it was a no-brainer. This had to by my monthly pick. Readers, this book is like reading someone’s wild and hallucenagenic fever dream and I was completely entranced throughout the entire book.

Unlike Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell’s 800+ pages, this book comes in at a quick 245.

Piranesi lives in an extraordinary house filled with a never-ending number of halls, doors, and innumerable statues. He spends his days mapping his home and collecting scientific data for his friend, The Other. In between caring for his statues and noting the changing tides amongst the various halls, Piranesi fishes and collects seaweed to sustain himself. On occasion, The Other shares gifts of new shoes, tools, and supplies to which Piranesi is incredibly grateful. While collecting data for The Other, Piranesi becomes convinced that another person is lurking amongst his halls. This is shocking news to Piranesi as only 15 people live in his world, he included. As Piranesi becomes more convinced of the new person’s threat to his and The Other’s search for A Great and Secret Knowledge, his investigation uncovers disturbing facts about Piranesi’s home and the reality of his own existence.

This book is beautiful, hypnotic, and completely enthralling. For me, it was like looking in on someone’s dreams and getting to experience it in real time. It starts off completely bizarre and a little unsettling, but still somehow familiar and plausible. As our story unfolds, it slowly becomes clear that the reality we are perceiving is a false one, but what can you trust in a dreamlike world? Can you trust your one and only friend? Do the statues that line the hall tell another story? Piranesi’s investigation into his world unfolds through the most beautiful sentences, slowly releasing it’s clues bit by bit. Clarke is such a wonderful storyteller and I was immediately immersed in the world of Piranesi. Her descriptions of the labyrinthian halls and mysterious statues were enthralling I was drawn to the mystery of both. Piranesi was an incredibly captivating story and I thoroughly enjoyed my time within his mysterious world.

If you would like to add this imaginative and transportive book, you can find ordering information here:

 


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