#BlogTour! Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell by Taj McCoy

Friends, here’s a glimpse into my brain:

• I was so excited by this title that I immeadiately requested an arc

• Promptly got caught up reading a different series

• Saw an ad for the beautiful book box offered by the author and ordered it

• Whined about waiting a month to read this book

• Found it on my ereader and promptly read this funny and charming romance!

Yes, it was a journey to get here but it was absolutely worth it. This book is full of great female friendships and I love when there are strong friendships in romance novels. Savvy goes on quite the journey to become the person she wants to be and I really appreciate how she kept her focus on what she wanted, not what anyone else wanted her to be.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A debut rom-com about a plus-size heroine who gets a full-life makeover after a brutal breakup, with the help of an irresistible cast of friends and family, a kitchen reno, and a devastatingly handsome contractor.

Savvy Sheldon spends a lot of time tiptoeing around various aspects of her life: her high-stress and low-thanks job, her clueless boyfriend, and the falling-apart kitchen she inherited from her beloved grandma who taught her how to cook and how to love people by feeding them. When Savvy’s complacency (and her sexy new lingerie) reaches a breaking point, she knows it’s time for some renovations.

Starting from the outside in, Savvy tackles her crumbling kitchen, her waistline, her work/life balance (or lack thereof,) and last (but not least): her love life. The only thing that doesn’t seem to require effort is her ride-or-die squad of close female friends. But as any HGTV junkie can tell you, something always falls apart during renovations. First, Savvy passes out during hot yoga. Then, it turns out that the contractor she hires is the same sexy stranger she unintentionally offended by judging based on appearances. Worst of all, Savvy can’t seem to go anywhere without tripping over her ex and his latest ‘upgrade.’ Savvy begins to realize that maybe she should’ve started her renovations the other way around, beginning with how she sees herself (and loves herself,) before she can build a love that lasts.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books a Million

BookShop.org

Google Play

 Read on for an excerpt from Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell!

“Shit!” Savvy whispered. A bubble of bacon grease popped on her arm, and she jumped back. Rubbing away the grease, she turned down the white knob on her gas stove to calm the crackling bacon, flipping thick slices of applewood-smoked goodness with a pair of tongs. Crisper this time.

Other than her occasional muttered curses, the only sounds in the house came from the sizzling on the stove and the deep hum of a cranky old refrigerator. The kind of hum that keeps you guessing whether it actually still functions. Tugging on the door, she ducked her head in to pull out baby portobello mush­rooms, fresh spinach, and a red bell pepper from the crisper. She grabbed Gruyère cheese, a carton of eggs, and a pint of fresh strawberries, closing the door slowly to avoid its signature creak.

Savvy skillfully ran her chef’s knife through mushrooms, peppers, and onion more slowly than usual. She took great care not to wake the man sleeping down the hall. She eyed the black silk camisole and lacy short set hanging nearby, and a shiver of excitement ran down her spine. She looked down

at Jason’s old basketball shirt, a relic from some college in­tramural tournament that he and his boys played in. Not ex­actly a seductive look. Whoever those guys were that enjoyed women with their hair tied back and no makeup on, Jason was not one of them.

She separated egg yolks from whites and tossed the veggies into a heated omelet pan, adding handfuls of fresh spinach as they softened, then the beaten egg whites a moment later. Using a handheld cheese grater, curls of Gruyère sprinkled onto the omelet, slowly expanding and flattening into a melty pool.

Savvy had moved into her childhood home eight months ago, right after Mama moved to San Jose with her new husband, leaving it empty. Very little had changed in the house since her childhood. Carpets still covered pristine hardwood floors, and plastic runners lined the hallway leading to the bedrooms. Dingy from years of wear and tear, the edges of the runners were yellowed with age. Mama’s house, with its floral decor, took clutter to hoarding levels—she never threw anything away.

The faded yellow paint on the walls, dry and peeling, re­minded Savvy of the lists of contractors Mama had given her, tucked between the milk crate and the French press. She in­tended to renovate the house to make it feel more like her own, but work was too busy to take on a project. The tea kettle hissed hot steam, and she snatched it from the stove be­fore whistling interrupted the morning quiet. Boiling water cascaded over finely ground Kona coffee, the aroma carrying just enough caffeine to raise her energy level.

After peeking over her shoulder, Savvy reached into the oven and grabbed a slice of chewy bacon from the tray. If it’s eaten straight from the pan, it has no calories. These are the Bacon Rules.

Sliced strawberries and cubed mangoes with a chiffonade of fresh mint joined the omelet and crispy bacon, making for a colorful, drool-worthy presentation. Savvy ran a paper towel around the rim of the plate before capturing the aesthetic for her IG Story.

She kicked off her slippers and lifted the enormous T-shirt over her head before realizing with a flash of embarrassment that the kitchen curtains were wide open. She rushed to shut them, stubbing her toe on a loose piece of tile and yelling si­lently into the morning. Once she regained her composure, she slipped the camisole over her head, sucking in her breath and running her fingers over the slightly taut, black fabric. Don’t overthink it, Savvy. With her silky cream kimono robe with pale pink peonies framing her sexy new pj’s and Jason’s meal on an enameled wooden tray, she shook out her hair one last time and headed down the hall.

“Good morning, Baby I have breakfast for you,” Savvy cooed softly as she reached the doorway.

Jason opened his eyes slowly, rolling toward her onto his side as he yawned. “How long you been up, Savs?” His beard was flattened on his left side from being pressed into the pil­low. He smoothed a hand over the crown of his head, flatten­ing the top of his fade, then grabbed his phone before turning to look at her. Jason took in her attempt at seduction, his deep voice thick from sleep. “What you got on?”

Dammit. “Just something new. I thought you’d like it. I was up for maybe an hour?” she lied. More like two. “Couldn’t get back to sleep, so I thought I’d surprise you.” Setting the tray on the nightstand, she stole a quick kiss.

“I taste bacon on your lips.” He dug into his plate, shov­ing bacon and mango into his mouth at the same time. His hooded eyes chastised her before returning back to his meal.

How does he even taste his own food eating that fast? She sat down next to him with a bowl of fresh fruit, resting her ped­icured toes on the edge of the bed frame. “What do you have going on today?”

“Need to stop by my momma’s after she gets out of church, go home and walk Ginger, and then play a couple of pickup games with the fellas. What’s on your plate today? You cookin’ tonight?” He crunched through his bacon with enthusiasm, moving half of his omelet onto a piece of toast.

“I need to check on my uncle before I go shopping for some work clothes. You could come over for dinner later.”

He grunted, looking up from his omelet on toast, cheeks threatening to burst. “What you cookin’?” he repeated.

She rolled her eyes as she fixed her mouth to give him op­tions, but her phone pinged.

Jason hit her with a side-eye, shaking his head. His mouth bursting with food. “Is that who I think it is?” His voice peaked, like a kid three seconds away from a tantrum.

Grabbing her phone from the nightstand, Savvy eyed him carefully. “Yes, Babe, it is.” Her voice calm, she scrutinized the request from her boss. He needed data about insured mil­lennials to present to a new insurance client, and she’d forgot­ten to incorporate that into her presentation slides.

“He’s interrupting quality time, Savvy.” Jason stood, bare chested in basketball shorts, his deep voice booming with dis­pleasure. Athletic, but not overly muscular, he ran his fingers over his flat stomach, stretching his long limbs, as she pounded away on her phone’s keyboard with her thumbs. “Why am I just waking up on Sunday morning, and you’re already working?”

Shit. “Just one sec, Jay, I promise.” Biting her lip, she ran through report data in her head to pinpoint the figures her boss wanted. She’d always had a good memory for numbers. She typed her response as quickly as her thumbs allowed, not­ing that she would be in the office for a few hours in the af­ternoon if he had any additional questions. Jason didn’t need to know that last part. “There, see? Done.” Savvy smiled up at him, willing him to sit next to her.

He did. “I don’t know anyone else who is okay with their boss interrupting their weekend. He can’t just wait till to­morrow?”

“Well, I’m not working now…” Nuzzling his shoulder, she traced her fingertips down his back. “You know, Babe, I was hoping that we could…you know.” The kimono robe slipped suggestively, exposing her shoulders.

Jason avoided eye contact as he handed Savvy his empty tray. “You ain’t got time for all that, Boss Lady.” Tsking, he shook his head, making his way to the bathroom. The sound of a shower curtain being shoved aside and water raining from the showerhead followed. As steam spread across the bathroom mirror, he called out to her. “You should probably see if you can take them clothes back. Fit’s too tight.”

Savvy set the tray down on the bed next to her, then stood, wrapping the kimono tightly around her middle. Shoulders rounded, she returned to the kitchen with Jason’s empty plate, helping herself to another slice of perfect, chewy bacon. So much for quality time.

Jason left as Savvy showered, calling out to her that he’d come back for dinner. After getting ready, she pulled contain­ers of last night’s leftovers out of the fridge and shoved them into a heavy cloth grocery bag. Baked chicken breasts with sautéed mushrooms covered in a marsala wine sauce. Parme­san and asparagus risotto. Mixed greens with grape tomatoes and a mason jar of fresh lemon and shallot vinaigrette. After grabbing her purse and a sealed envelope from her desk, she walked out into the sunshine. The sky swirled a perfect blue, a breeze ruffled through the treetops kissing wind chimes on her neighbor’s porch. A good-looking Black man in dusty jeans, a torn T-shirt, and work boots walked by with a beauti­ful chocolate Lab. He raised a hand in greeting as they strolled by, and she nodded in response.

Her surroundings changed from lush greenery to concrete skyscrapers and industrial buildings, as she navigated south on the 5 freeway, past Downtown LA. Spotting USC on her right, she threw a strong side-eye at the home of the Trojans. Bruin blood for life, baby.

Big brick buildings blurred into dilapidated warehouses and older residential neighborhoods. Exiting at Century Boulevard, she steered toward Uncle’s house, which he’d inherited from Savvy’s grandparents, since Granny and PopPop had already bought the Los Feliz house for Savvy, her mom, and her broth­ers. Mama complained that Uncle’s place was an old money pit, always needing repairs, but Unc and Savvy loved that house.

Pulling up in the driveway, she took in the dip in the roof that Uncle described on the phone. He’d sunk the last of his savings into the front porch when the steps needed replacing. The upkeep crept up faster now, but there was no letting go of Granny and PopPop’s most prized possession.

Whenever she needed money in college, Savvy’d called her uncle to avoid stressing Mama, who worked hard to put three kids through school. Unc helped whenever he could, treating her like the daughter he never had. Now, with the stability she found at work, Savvy reciprocated as often as she could, while still building a renovation fund for her own house.

Walking up the steps, Savvy looked through the screen door into the sitting room. “Unc! Where you at?”

“Now, why do you always have to holler like you ain’t got no home training?” Uncle’s husky voice rang with amuse­ment. He leaned hard against a crutch, swinging open the screen door for her to walk through.

Savvy grinned at him, planting a big kiss on his cheek as she walked past. “Any home training I received was undone by a certain someone.” In her childhood, Unc had been her hero; he helped to raise her and her brothers when their dad took off. Ma’s older brother, Uncle Joe always came by to check on them. When money ran short, he stepped in and made sure they were never without.

“Mmm-hmm.” His smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. “What you up to today, Baby Girl?”

Inside, her uncle’s security uniform hung on the back of a chair in a plastic cover from the dry cleaner. A retired police officer, he’d taken on part-time work as a night watchman for an office building in Inglewood. On his limited retirement pay and meager income handling security, making ends meet had been a challenge, especially after he got injured on the job. At the time, Savvy had shaken her head at his explanation. “They vandalized the side of the building—of course I chased after them.” Who did he think he was, Usain Bolt? Unc sprained his ankle running after the vandals, and, under doctor’s orders, had to take time off until he could put full weight on his foot.

Savvy waved her bag of food containers at him, carrying it into the kitchen. She put the containers in the fridge and placed the sealed envelope on the Formica countertop; she had written “ROOF” on the front with a Sharpie. “I’m sup­posed to run an errand, but I think I’m just going to go into the office for a few hours. How was your week?”

He stood in the doorway, rolling his eyes. “I’m bored. I want to be back at work, but they want me to be off the crutches first.”

“I support that decision.”

“Yeah, well. Ain’t got much to do, other than checkin’ in on Mabel.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Miss Mabel, huh?” Mabel Win­slow lived across the street from Savvy’s grandparents’ house most of her life. Like Unc, Miss Mabel grew up in her house.

She’d moved away when she married but returned after a bad divorce to help care for her parents. When her parents passed within a month of each other, they left Mabel the house and their golden retriever, Samson. A smile curved across her lips. “You’ve been jonesing after Miss Mabel since I was in high school. Tell me you finally asked her out.”

Uncle Joe shook his head, fighting a smile, his upper lip curled slightly with amusement. “I’m a gentleman, Baby Girl.”

“Uh, gentlemen go on dates, Unc.” She winked at him, coaxing laughter.

“We ain’t there yet. I just stopped by to see how she’s doing. You know she was in that car accident a couple weeks ago. Tweaked her back.”

“Is she okay?” She leaned against the counter.

“Says she is, but I think she might need a couple rounds of physical therapy. Doesn’t hurt to make sure she’s fully re­covered.”

Savvy eyed her uncle. “Sounds like somebody can dish ad­vice he isn’t willing to take…”

He tsked, pursing his lips at her. “Thank you for the help with the roof, but listen, Baby Girl. You workin’ too much. And you should be putting this money toward your own house.”

She rolled her eyes, following him into the den, where his favorite leather recliner faced a big screen TV. “You are for­ever saying I work too much. And I want to help, Unc.”

He sat gingerly, leaning his crutch against one of his arm­rests. “You need a vacation.”

“You know I work the way I do because of what I learned from you and Mama. It’s just what we do.”

“Nah. We worked hard so that you wouldn’t have to, Savvy. Your mama pushes you because she thinks you have to climb the corporate ladder to stay on it.” He wagged a finger at her.

She groaned, rolling her eyes. “Well, I am my mother’s daughter, and I feel most secure knowing that if either of you need me, I am in a position to help.”

Mama carried two, sometimes three jobs when Savvy and her brothers were little to make sure they were fed, that their shoes fit, and that they could participate in sports or other activities. Their dad had a wandering eye and left to be with another woman, leaving Mama to be Wonder Woman for the family. Savvy missed one first grade field trip due to a lack of funds, and Mama worked herself ragged to avoid that ever happening again. Pops never really got his shit together, los­ing touch with Savvy when he started his third family.

“The roof money is from a rainy-day fund, and if you think about it, those rainy days are exactly what we need to keep out of this house. I can do my renovations anytime.” She of­fered Uncle a crooked smile.

He shook his head, annoyed at her humor. “I know you’re itchin’ to redo that kitchen.”

She stood, ready to leave before he could march into an assessment of her current setup. An updated kitchen was at the very top of her bucket list. “I am. But you always came through for me. Let me do that for you.”

He pursed his lips, offered his cheek, and she leaned in to kiss it.

“You’ll be back on your feet in no time. In the meantime, call me whenever you need. Got that?”

“Mmm-hmm. Love you, Baby Girl.”

“I love you more, Uncle.” Savvy winked at him and turned to leave. “Let me know when you and Miss Mabel go out on your hot date!”

Excerpted from Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell by Taj McCoy © 2022 by Taj McCoy, used with permission by MIRA/HarperCollins.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Oakland native and attorney Taj McCoy is committed to writing stories championing black and biracial women of color, plus-sized protagonists, and characters with a strong sense of sisterhood and familial bonds. When she’s not writing, she may be on Twitter boosting other marginalized writers, trying to zen out in yoga, sharing recipes on her website, or cooking private supper club meals for close friends.

Social Links:

Author website: https://www.tajmccoywrites.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tajmccoywrites?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the1whowill/?hl=en

Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20626681.Taj_McCoy

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 affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Release Day! Off the Grid by J.S. Wood

I am so excited to share this hilarious and steamy small-town romance with all of you! Off the Grid is an absolute delight and I had so much fun reading it!

Quinn Green has packed up herself and her daughter to go live in the mountains of Colorado.

While she's excited for this adventure for them, she isn't expecting it to be so much work. Or to have to call on help so soon.

Graham Trevors is an army veteran who now makes his living fixing other peoples problems, house problems that is. Traveling around as a handyman in a small farm town isn't all that exciting, until he gets an inquiry from someone new.

The moment Graham meets Quinn Green is the moment his life changes forever. Through fun times and rough times, these two grow closer as the months pass, then, when one oversteps, the other backs away.

But they won't let that stop them from a happily ever after... right?

Off The Grid is Book 1 in the Average Gents series and is an interconnected standalone. Always a happily ever after.

Purchase Links

Amazon ➜ mybook.to/OffTheGrid

Apple ➜ https://apple.co/3uofBiA

Nook ➜ https://bit.ly/3ulvmHh

Kobo ➜ https://bit.ly/34KqikM

Book: Off the Grid

Author: J.S. Wood

Release Date: March 17, 2022

Heart and Hand by Rebel Carter

Available now

Back in November, I received the most delightful book mail after winning the monthly paperback giveaway from Lucy Eden. Included in that giveaway was my very first Rebel Carter romance and Reader Friends, it’s definitely not my last! I loved this book! Absolutely loved it. I’m not typically an early American historical reader, but this book involves the interracial marriage between a New York socialite and two ex-Union soldiers living in the Montana territory.

Two Husbands!!! How does anyone pass up a book with two husbands in 1886 Montana? I know I don’t.

Julie Baptiste is tired of society life and is looking for something more fulfilling in her life. When the opportunity to move west and become a school teacher, as well as a wife to a couple of ex-Union soldiers, is made available to her, Julie decides to take a leap of faith. Forrest and William are both settled in Gold Sky, Montana as local lawmen and want a wife and children to complete their family. After months of letters between Forrest and herself, Julie knows that moving to Gold Sky offers her the best chance at the happiness and fulfillment she’s been searching for.

Oh, how I love this book! Not only do we get to see Julie bravely take the risk of moving halfway across the country, by herself, to marry two men she’s never met, but we also get to see her fall in love with teaching and become a respected member of Gold Sky. Julie has to take a train, by herself, for nearly a month to travel to Gold Sky from New York. The thought of being stuck on a train for a month sounds horrifying and I can’t imagine how miserable it would have been. I also love how Julie knows from the beginning that she’s marrying both Will and Forrest. There is no bait and switch here-she goes in, eyes wide open, to marrying these men. And did she ever get lucky! Both Forrest and Will go out of their way to make her feel comfortable, cared for, and respected. They really take care of her down to the smallest details like choosing a house with many bedrooms, including one for herself if she’d like. They also left much of the decorating for her so the house felt like hers, not just theirs. When the school fundraiser gets thrust on her last minute, they both step up to help in any way they can. Such a good guys.

It was also really beautiful to watch how the trio learned to navigate their new relationship and the intricacies of this type of marriage. The respect they all had for each other and for their relationship was really to satisfying to see. It’s just so good! I wish I had the words to tell you how good it is!

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

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

#BlogTour! Smile and Look Pretty by Amanda Pellegrino

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A juicy, fun yet piercing debut novel, Smile and Look Pretty tells the story of four assistants working in media who band together to take on their toxic office environments in the ultimate comeuppance—pitched as Sweetbitter meets Whisper Network.

Online they’re The Aggressive One, The Bossy One, The Bitchy One, and The Emotional One. In real life, best friends Cate, Lauren, Olivia and Max all have one thing in common—they’re overworked, overtired, and underpaid assistants to some of the most powerful men in the media and entertainment industries. When they secretly start an anonymous blog detailing their experiences, their posts go viral and hundreds of other women come forward with stories of their own. Confronted with the risks of newfound fame and the possibility of their identities being revealed, they have to contend with what happens when you try and change the world.

Gripping, razor-sharp, and scathingly funny, Smile and Look Pretty is a fast-paced millennial rallying cry about the consequences of whistleblowing for an entire generation, and a testament to the strength of female friendship and what can be accomplished when women come together.

Smile and Look Pretty : A Novel 

Amanda Pellegrino

On Sale Date: March 8, 2022

0778311120

Trade Paperback

$16.99 USD

368 pages

Read on for an excerpt from Smile and Look Pretty by Amanda Pellegrino

1

The signs were always there. He was late to a few meetings. He started happy hour at 2:00 p.m. He promoted from within. 

The signs weren’t noticeable at first. Until they were. 

He was late to Marjorie’s meetings, not Ben’s. He offered scotch on the rocks to the guys. Most of his former male assistants were now editors. 

It took years of working with him for Cate to learn those things. To realize they were signs. 

But he had a reputation. That she knew from the beginning. 

“You’ll need a thick skin,” he’d said on her first day. A warning. 

She didn’t extend him the same courtesy.

Cate could tell you every book Larcey Publishing had ever released in its twenty-year history, and how old she had been when she first read it. The red LP stood out on all the spines in her dad’s “home office,” which was really the walk-in closet of her parents’ bedroom converted into a small library lined with bookshelves, the clothing rails outfitted with a plank of painted wood to form a desk. When she got home from school, she’d sneak into her parents’ room and read whatever book was on her dad’s nightstand that week—no matter how age inappropriate the title. By the time she was ten, she knew she wanted to spend her life helping people tell stories. Important stories that no one would hear otherwise.

Matthew Larcey was a literary prodigy, not just to her dad, but to the world. Before he was thirty, he was known as the next Maxwell Perkins and by thirty-five he used that acclaim to start his own publishing house. Jobs there were the only ones Cate applied to during her senior year of college. She started as a production assistant ten days after graduation, and when the position of Matt’s executive assistant opened a year later, she was the first to apply.

Matt’s assistant at the time was a lovely girl from Texas named Eleanor, who tried and failed to suppress her Southern accent. (Cate later learned Matt forbid y’all from conversations. Sign.) She interviewed Cate in a conference room with dull gray walls and two suicide-proof windows that looked out onto Sixth Avenue, forty-nine f lights below. Cate wore her go-to black dress with a leather trim and had prepped in the bathroom a few minutes before: whispering her elevator pitch while applying more mascara; detailing her current responsibilities as an assistant while running some Moroccan oil through her frizzy hair; listing her favorite books while swapping out f lats and a cardigan for heels and a blazer.

Twenty minutes into the interview, Matt Larcey walked in, wearing jeans and an AC/DC T-shirt with a small hole in the neck. Eyes wide, Cate and Eleanor watched him slowly sit down at the opposite side of the long conference table, typing on his phone. Despite having worked there for a year, Cate had never met the company’s founder. He wasn’t good-looking in the traditional sense—he was far too old for Cate anyway—but his salt-and-pepper hair paired with his tailored jeans emitted a kind of effortless power that Cate found enigmatic. She felt reassured knowing he had smile lines. Maybe it meant he wasn’t as difficult as his reputation implied.

Eleanor’s gaze darted to Matt and then back to Cate. “Um, as I was saying—”

“Did you tell her why you’re being replaced?” he interrupted, looking up at them. His phone buzzed against the table four times while Eleanor went as red as the LP on the company’s logo.

“I wasn’t available enough,” she said quietly. 

“Be specific.” 

Eleanor took a long breath and offered Cate a tight-lipped smile. “I was on vacation and missed an urgent email.” 

Cate wanted to crawl under the table and come back when the tension was gone.

“If I’m working, you’re working,” Matt said. “That’s the deal.” 

Seems logical, Cate thought. Sign. 

“I know why you’re here.” He looked at Cate with an arched brow. “You’re a reader. Right? That’s what your Twitter bio says? You want to publish something that matters. The next great American novel, a book that will change the course of literature forever.” 

Eleanor seemed to be shrinking in front of them, getting smaller and smaller with every word. 

“If that’s what gets you through the day, great,” Matt continued. “By all means, try to find the next Zadie Smith. If you play by the rules, maybe you will. But there are a lot of others out there who would kill for this job. So don’t think you’ll get any favors. If you earn the book, you’ll get the book. Otherwise it will be you here picking out your own successor.” 

When Eleanor appeared at Cate’s cubicle a few weeks later, offering her the job, Cate immediately accepted. Because she was a reader. She did want to find the next great American novel. And, despite its founder’s reputation, Larcey Publishing was the best place to do that.

Exactly two years later, Cate sat at her desk in the forty-ninth f loor bullpen, moving her eyes slowly across the f loor-to-ceiling color-coded bookshelves packed with LP titles, thinking about how she was officially the longest lasting assistant in Larcey’s history. When she had first started, each day she would look up from her desk at the wall of books in awe, like a tourist admiring the Chrysler Building, and dream about the day books she discovered and edited would join those shelves. Now, she had trouble remembering why she wanted to work there so badly in the first place. 

She let out a deep breath. A wall of color-coded bookshelves was pretty to look at until you realized how painful it was to put together. 

The executive assistants’ desks were located in the EAB, or Elusive Assistant Beau monde, as Cate called it before she got the job with Matt. It actually stood for Executive Assistant Bullpen, but hardly anyone knew that. To Finance they were Evil Annoying Babies; to editors, Eager Ass-kissing Brownnosers; and to Marketing, Expendable Agenda Builders. Whatever they were called, she was one of them. In the center of the rectangular room were two circular velvet couches around a glass coffee table with a bouquet of f lowers Cate was somehow in charge of buying and maintaining each week. Lining the perimeter of the room were seven desks, perfectly positioned outside each boss’s glass office so that each assistant was always being watched. Like fish in a bowl. 

Cate glanced over her shoulder toward the shadows behind the now-curtained glass wall of Matt’s office, listening to the mumbles of the third editor in two months getting fired, and wondered—as they all did at that point—when she should expect the email from HR inviting her to meet them in Matt’s office at 6:30 p.m. on a Thursday. 

Lucy, the CFO’s assistant, wheeled her chair toward Cate. “Maggie, huh?” she said, folding her long blond hair behind her ears as if that would help her gossip better. 

“Seems that way,” Cate responded. 

“Do you know what happened? I thought the self-help category was doing well.” 

Cate shrugged. “I’m not sure.” She tried to look busy, maximizing and minimizing documents, opening and closing her calendar. Lucy was a great work wife, but she only got the job because her third cousin twice removed was Stephen King’s neighbor or something. This made her a “must hire,” thus untouchable. And Lucy knew it. She was more often found scooting across the bullpen in her white wheelie chair spreading rumors than actually working. 

“Of course you know, Cate. You’re probably on the HR email.” 

As Matt’s assistant, Cate was on all his emails. About the rounds of golf he planned next week. About every book that each editor wanted to acquire this season. About all the firings. She knew that Maggie, a self-help editor, was being fired for considering a position at Peacock Press. Not only were they Larcey’s main competitor, but Cate once heard a rumor that Matt dated its publisher in college, and she broke up with him in favor of his rugby-playing roommate. Either way, the rivalry seemed personal. They had offered Maggie $10K more and a nearly unlimited budget to acquire all the self-help books she could get her hands on. Cate knew everything. And that power was not something she was about to give up for Lucy. It was all she had.

“I guess self-help isn’t doing as well as we thought,” Cate said. 

Before Lucy could reply, Maggie threw open Matt’s door. The entire room started furiously typing as Maggie stomped past the EAB, two suited HR reps scurrying behind her. Lucy picked up the first paper she could find on Cate’s desk and examined it so closely you’d think she’d just discovered the Rosetta Stone. 

As soon as Maggie was out of earshot, Lucy said, “God, that was awkward.” She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “I heard she’s going to Peacock.” 

“Do you really think it’s Peacock?” Spencer Park whispered from his desk. “What, are they trying to poach everyone?” 

“Poaching the people you want is more cost-effective than buying a company and paying for all the people you don’t,” Lucy responded. Cate could have sworn Lucy’s head cocked toward Matt’s office for the latter part of that statement. 

Lucy returned to her desk and everyone went back to normal until a few moments later, when the heavy glass door behind her opened again. Cate didn’t need to turn around to know it was Matt leaving. Her back might be facing his office all day, but she knew his movements by heart. In the same way, she imagined, he probably knew hers. 

Matt moseyed to the front of her desk, moving his worn, expensive leather briefcase from his right hand to his left. He’d been kayaking that weekend, and he always got blisters on his dominant hand when he kayaked. Cate hated that she knew that. “Why are you still here?” he asked, as if his I’m working, you’re working, that’s the deal speech didn’t play on a loop in her head 24/7. As if that wasn’t why she kept her phone on loud all the time, why she woke up panicking in the middle of the night about missing an email, and why she was that girl who showed up to bars on Saturdays hiding her laptop in her purse. 

“Just finishing up some work.” Cate glanced at her nearly empty inbox. She was supposed to be on her way to The Shit List, a much-needed weekly vent session with her friends. Instead, she was going to be late. Not that that was unusual for her. If Matt was there, Cate was there, after all. 

He looked at Cate, then at the other assistants, all furiously typing again to seem occupied. “Looks like everyone else is working a lot harder than you are right now.” 

Well, I’m talking to you, Cate wanted to say. I stopped typing to talk to you. 

What actually came out of her mouth was, “Have a good night.” 

She watched him walk across the EAB and offer a wave and a smile to three executive assistants standing at the bookshelf, peeling some titles off the wall. “You all work too hard. This place would be in shambles without you,” he said to them before turning the corner toward the elevator bank. 

After answering a few more emails, Cate poured some whiskey into her Bitches Get Stuff Done mug, grabbed her Board Meeting Makeup Kit out of the bottom drawer of her desk and walked into the bathroom. She was already going to be fifteen minutes late to The Shit List; what was another fifteen to look presentable and rub some slightly off-colored concealer on the under-eye circles that seemed to grow darker throughout the day? 

She had discovered the necessity of a makeup kit on her second day as Matt’s assistant. He had a board meeting, which was one of the only times she saw him in a suit. 

“At exactly four fifteen, I need you to come into the meeting and bring me a cup of coffee,” he said. “Just put it in front of me and walk out. Don’t look at me. Don’t look at anyone. Just in and out. And, you know—” he looked her up and down “—look…presentable.” 

Cate could feel her cheeks flame as he walked away. She didn’t wear a lot of makeup, but she did always at least look presentable for work. 

“Here,” said the CMO’s assistant at the time. She dropped a small pink-and-white Lilly Pulitzer bag on Cate’s desk. “That’s code for put on some makeup.” 

“I have makeup on.” Cate rubbed her cheek as if the pressure from her fingers could force blush to suddenly appear. 

She nudged the bag forward. “Not the kind men notice.” 

Reluctantly, Cate unzipped it and inside found one of everything: powder foundation, mascara, eyeliner, eye shadow, blush, red lipstick. No variety. Bare minimum to look like the maximum. 

“Put it on my desk when you’re done. You should keep a board meeting kit here, too. This won’t be the only time you’ll need it.” 

After two years of board, author, and literary agent meetings, dropping things off at home for his kid, picking his wife up in the lobby, and countless other occasions for which Cate was told to “look presentable,” getting ready for margaritas with her friends was the only time she used the kit to show herself off, rather than be shown off. 

Happy two-year-work-aversary, Cate thought to herself as she put her makeup bag back in her desk. She took another look at the bookshelf on her way out. Two years too many. 

The weekly calendar invite for The Shit List pinged on Cate’s phone as she darted up the Union Square subway staircase. The late May humidity combined with 6-train rush hour crowd left small beads of sweat on her upper lip and made her curls wild and frizzy. She passed the produce market closing up shop for the night and the men playing chess under the streetlights. 

When Cate arrived at Sobremesa, she waved at the hostess and then at their favorite bartender as she beelined past the crowded bar to join everyone at their usual booth in the back. Sobremesa was a strange place: corporate but lowbrow. That was strategic. Find a bar where they were the only group under forty so no one around would recognize their bosses’ names when Lauren said Pete, an Emmy-winning screenwriter, had been avoiding her all day; or Max complained that Richard, a morning news anchor, had stared at her butt for the entire live shoot; or Olivia yelled about Nate, a washed-up actor who refused to realize he was no long relevant. They didn’t need their work gossip on Page Six. 

Cate stopped when she saw the three of them in their usual spot, laughing at something Olivia said, a half-empty pitcher of spicy margaritas moving between them. Lauren was squinting through her black-rimmed glasses, always refusing to consider a new prescription until she got promoted and could afford the co-pay. Olivia’s topknot bounced side to side on her head as she spoke enthusiastically with her hands, one of her dramatic tendencies as a budding actress. Max sat in the corner, plucking salt crystals off the rim of her glass and licking them off her pointer finger. 

“Wow,” Lauren said when she spotted Cate. 

“What?” Cate sank into the booth next to her. Lauren was making too much eye contact, the way she did when she was annoyed. Max poured the remainder of the pitcher into a fourth glass and pushed it toward Cate. 

Lauren took a long sip from the tiny straw before saying, “Nice shirt.” 

Shit. Cate was wearing Lauren’s top. The black T-shirt she told Lauren she’d wash and return to her closet three wears before. The one that now had semipermanent white deodorant circles under the armpits and was ever so slightly stretched out around the chest to fit Cate’s larger cup size. “Sorry,” she said to Lauren, who would hold a grudge until the freshly cleaned and folded shirt was back in her dresser. It would be at least a month before Cate could borrow anything from Lauren again, which was a bummer because she’d had her eye on a black pleated midiskirt for a date next week. 

“Whatever,” Lauren said with a sigh. “Should we just start?” She motioned toward the waitress and, when she arrived, ordered another pitcher of margaritas in Spanish. 

In the center of the table was a small stack of cash to which Cate added her five-dollar contribution. She ripped a napkin into quarters and handed them out, scribbling onto the thin paper, the words bleeding together. I booked Matt’s $37,000 first-class tickets for his family’s Kenyan safari an hour after realizing that unless I get a raise or my student loans disappear into the ether, I can’t afford to go home to Illinois for Thanksgiving for the fourth year in a row. Then she crossed out the latter half. No one she knew could ever afford to leave New York then, which was why the four of them always ended up doing Friendsgiving instead. It wasn’t the same as cooking with her mom and then watching her dad unbutton his pants to fall asleep in his La- Z-Boy in front of the football game, but it was something. 

After everyone finished scribbling on their napkins, the storytelling began. 

Lauren complained about wheeling an industrial printer covered in blue tarp from the writers’ trailer to Pete’s trailer parked four long city avenues away during a thunderstorm. Then, upon showing up to work drenched, was asked by one of the writers to get coffee for everyone since “she was already wet.” 

Olivia had spent an entire day this week trying to sneak into the W Hotel Residences by schmoozing a young security guard so that she could do Nate’s laundry there because he liked the smell of their detergent. “It’s The Laundress,” Olivia said, rubbing her temples as if the mere mention of the brand’s name gave her a headache. “It’s what he uses too. Bought it for him myself. But he insists it’s different.” 

Max had to pretend Sheena’s five-year-old son was hers so she could pick up his ADD medication before the anchor’s weekend getaway to a resort in New Mexico. The pharmacist had seemed skeptical, but Max couldn’t return to the newsroom without it. “I made a comment questioning how we still live in a world where young motherhood is challenged,” Max said. The pharmacist had stopped asking questions. 

The best part about their four-year friendship, Cate found, was the lack of explanations. They didn’t have to preface names in their stories with “my boss” or “my friend” or “the cashier at my bodega.” They never needed to fill anyone in on what they missed. Because they didn’t miss anything. They knew everything about each other’s lives. Cate knew that Lauren hadn’t brought a guy home in at least a year and hadn’t had sex in at least that long as well. She knew that Olivia rolled her eyes at her Southern Peachtree roots but would secretly perk up whenever a familiar accent was within earshot, reminding her of home. And Cate knew that Max’s parents wielded enough old money power and privilege to get her promoted anywhere, but Max insisted on earning it herself. 

Knowing everything about her friends also meant knowing everything about their bosses. Lauren’s boss kept bottles of tequila, whiskey, and gin underneath the couch in his trailer. Cate could tell by looking at a paparazzi photo of Olivia’s boss in People Magazine whether it was a coincidental shot or he had Olivia tip them off about his whereabouts. Cate could recognize by Max’s outfit whether she expected Richard, the handsy morning anchor, to be in the office that day. 

Once all the stories were told and the napkin scraps circled the tea light on the table like a strange sacrificial ceremony, Lauren said, “Can I make the executive decision that Olivia wins?” Everyone agreed; folding your boss’s stiff boxers, regardless of how good they apparently smelled afterward, should win you more than twenty dollars. 

Cate took the piece of napkin in her hand and looked down at her chicken scratch handwriting. This was her life. These were the things she spent her days doing. It was her two-year anniversary as Matt’s assistant, and the day went on just like any other. Cate wasn’t expecting a cake with her face on it or anything. But some kind of acknowledgment would have been appreciated. Something that said couldn’t do it without you or I hope these two years have been worth it or, at least, a simple thank you. 

What did Cate learn about the publishing industry from booking Matt’s vacations? What did she learn by organizing the papers on his desk in alphabetical order? What did she learn from spending a week every November opening up his cabin in Vermont for the season? She did learn that he spent $600 every year on a new Canada Goose coat; that the couch in their basement was incredibly uncomfortable to sleep on; and that his wife kept a dildo in the bottom drawer of her nightstand (but what did Matt expect, sending his poorly-paid assistant to his rich vacation house?). 

And what had happened while she’d been 340 miles north, spraying salt all over the cabin’s front walkway? Spencer filled in on Matt’s desk and was asked to “sit in on” three author meetings and one board meeting. She’d met only one author in two years, and the closest she came to board meetings was delivering coffee with strict instructions not to speak. Did anyone tell Spencer to “look presentable”? 

For the last two years, Cate had only focused on what was at stake: money, access to stamps for mailing rent checks, free food after author meetings, a foot in the door for her dream job. But it was starting to feel…fine. Uninspiring. Empty. What was she working toward? 

Cate took one last look at the napkin before dipping the bottom right corner into the tea light’s f lame. She held it between her fingers, watching Matt Larcey’s name burn in her hand as the text slowly turned to ashes and fell onto the wooden table. 

After she swept the ashes to the f loor, Cate held up her margarita. “Here’s to the day when we can make money without doing something degrading.” 

Their glasses met in the middle, and Cate looked at her friends, the assistants busting their asses, making the rules from behind the scenes. What if they all got together? What if they called bullshit? 

What if they all said no?

Excerpted from Smile and Look Pretty by Amanda Pellegrino, Copyright © 2021 by Amanda Pellegrino. Published by Park Row Books.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Amanda Pellegrino is a TV screenwriter and novelist living in New York City whose writing has appeared in Refinery29 and Bustle. Smile and Look Pretty is her debut novel.

SOCIAL LINKS:

Author Website: https://www.amandapellegrino.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/amandagpellegrino/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amandapellss?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor 

BUY LINKS:

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She Wolf by Maya Morrison

Available now

CW: parent death, threats of sexual violence, alcoholism

After Edith’s father loses his place as pack alpha in Sibyl Falls, her family becomes ostracized and her life of comfort is quickly replaced by poverty and violence. When her mother is senselessly killed by the new pack alpha, her father finds solace in the bottom of the bottle while Edith is left to mourn alone, defenseless against their abusive pack. When she meets a boy, Tiam, in the Forbidden Forest, their friendship becomes one of her few sources of comfort and joy.

As Edith grows older, her feelings for Tiam grow into something more than friendship but pack laws ensure the two can never be together. Also, Edith has an enormous secret that she has spent her whole life hiding, even from Tiam. When a chance to leave the oppression and abuse of her pack finally becomes available, Edith flees. But when girls start to disappear from her pack, including her only friend, Edith finds herself working with an unlikely ally to discover not just where her friend is being held, but Edith’s possible connections to the disappearances.

I was very excited to receive this book from the fabulous Book Fairy Polly, as I’ve been wanting to get back into paranormal romance and finding myself coming across far more misses than hits. When I picked it up, it was just to read the first few chapters to get a feel for it but then I blinked and it was dark outside. I love when that happens. This does land on a HUGE cliffhanger but luckily for you, the next book comes out at the end of the month.

I really love this book. Edith is a total badass who has spent most of her teen years gritting her teeth and dealing with the abuse and nastiness from the other kids, and adults, in the pack. Their wolf shifter pack is kept very isolated from the outside world so Edith has to deal with the pack’s disdain for her family on a daily basis. It would be so easy for her to turn bitter or give up and instead, she walks through her day finding ways to figuratively, and sometimes almost literally, give the pack the middle finger. She refuses to be intimidated and keeps her focus on saving enough money to escape. Her relationship with Tiam is incredibly complicated, not just by them meeting in a literal forbidden forest, but also because he is the heir to his pack’s alpha and his life is already laid out by his father. Of course, both Edith and Tiam are hiding secrets from each other, secrets that can jeopardize both their lives, so when the fates match them as mates, Edith has to reject him to save him. I love that it was Edith that did the rejecting for “saving his life” reasons and not Tiam. Nice little trope twist.

I really enjoyed the world Morrison created for her characters. The bar Edith works at is magically cloaked and requires a little chanting to enter. Her work as a bartender influences later events and I really enjoyed the cocktail descriptions. Working there with her best friend gave her a small escape from the constant harassment of her pack. The magic system was also really well thought out and I like how it influenced and revealed aspects of the characters to the reader. At one point, Edith finds herself in a magical tree house that can alter it’s form and dimensions in really interesting ways. Edith’s inner wolf is far different than any wolf found within her pack, something only she and her parents suspected but had no proof of, and I’m very curious as to how this will play out in the coming books.

Really loved this one. It’s full of action, tons of angst-so much angst, mystery, drama, some politics, and tons of sexual tension. There’s a dinner scene-you’ll know what I’m talking about when you read it-that I nearly screamed when I read it. I’m really hoping Edith gets some revenge! I also hope she gets to throw some well deserved punches.

If you would like to order this fabulous book for your shelf, you can find ordering information here:

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Horror Quickie: Sundial by Catriona Ward

Available March 1, 2022

I recently had the experience of reading Ward’s The Last House on Needless Street so I knew I was in for something dark when I came across her latest title. Readers, it might be even darker than Last House. That’s saying something.

Cw: graphic child abuse, death, murder, animal abuse, animal death

Growing up in the Mojave Desert, Rob desperately wanted to move away and have a normal life. Growing up in a commune, surrounded by research students and a wild pack of dogs, Rob and her sister were constant companions. Years later, Rob has achieved her dream of children, a husband, and degree. But all of that begins to fall apart when her daughter begins acting strangely. Desperate for answers, she takes Callie to Sundial, her childhood home, and discovers there was so much more to her childhood than she ever realized.

This is a haunting and dark psychological thriller that explores the complexities of trauma and abuse. Compelling characters and a harrowing ride through memory lane combine for a devastating story of love and loss. Absolutely brilliant storytelling.

This is definitely not for the faint of heart but Ward’s writing is not to be missed.

Interested? Click on the cover for ordering information.

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 affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Three of Hearts by Lillian Lark

Available Now

After devouring Stalked by the Kraken, I immediately went to KU to find every book available from Lillian Lark. Not only was there more, but we get to find out a tiny bit more about Sophia, the harpy from Stalked by the Kraken who was banned from the bathhouse. Sophia is one of three sisters, all harpies are born in groups of three, each beautiful and talented in their own right. Zephyrine, a no-nonsense software developer, is the perfect person to play the bait in a bounty collection operation. While Zeph is well aware of the dangers involved, she is not prepared for the handsome shifter on the team.

Gregory is also not prepared for his reaction to Zeph. His inner wolf had already chosen Asa as his mate but when his wolf began to search for a new mate, Greg is left confused and heartbroken. Is it possible for his wolf to want two mates? What does this mean for his relationship with Asa, a demon who has not only fallen in love with Greg, but made plans for them to be together as both lovers and business partners.

If trying to navigate this new relationship wasn’t complicated enough, generations of societal expectations, illegal shenanigans, and good old family drama threaten them at every turn.

Reader friends, Lillian Lark seriously made our big, gruff wolf shifter a baker! A baker! i loved it so much.

I’m really enjoying this world that Lark has created for these characters. I’m a sucker for a fated mate and it was really interesting to see it play out within a poly relationship. Adding to the complexity of navigating a relationship between three people, it was interesting how the harpy family dynamics greatly influenced Zeph’s reactions to her new mates. In this world, it’s extremely rare for a harpy to remain with her mate after becoming pregnant and staying with a mate is seen as a sign of weakness and an affront to the harpy species. Zeph grew up in a family that was nearly ostracized from the community after her mother chose to stay with her husband and raise their children together. Naturally, this creates a huge source of conflict for Zeph in both her relationship with her family and with Greg and Asa.

We also get a bit of a second chance romance between Greg and Asa. Greg, understandably has a bit of a freak out over his wolf’s reaction to wanting another mate and doesn’t handle ending things with Asa well. There’s some really good groveling, and making up, throughout the book. Gotta love a book that can weave together multiple romance tropes.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and will definitely continue on with the series. I’m curious how the stories will weave together the characters from both series and the criminal shenanigans that occurred in both. Also wondering if Sophia or Amara get the next book…

If you would like to add this book to your collection, you can find it in Kindle Unlimited or order it here:

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As always, these are just my opinions and all mistakes are my own.

The Magic of Discovery by Britt Andrews

Available Now

Reader friends, if you’ve been here before, you know that there is a list of tropes that will definitely get me to pick up a book:

• Witches

• Witches who own a magical shop with a cute name

• Small town filled with interesting characters

• Nosy older neighbors who have magical abilities-big plus if they’re oracles

• A furry sidekick

• A hot steamy romance between the witch and mysterious newcomers

When I discovered all of these are found within the Emerald Lakes series from Britt Andrews, I had to pick it up. Now, full disclosure: while I had seen these on KU and was very interested in reading them, the entire series was sent to me by the editor (Thanks Polly!) in the most delightful way. Friends, it was literal pigs who brought together me and The Mystical Piglet. No joke.

Saige, a 20-something green witch, is the owner of The Mystical Piglet, aka The Pig, an occult shop in the small idyllic town of Emerald Lakes. Her quiet days of gardening, hanging out with friends, and spending time with her eccentric grandmother are thrown upside down with the arrival of a group of business consultants checking out the local real estate listings. But of course they’re not actual business consultants. They are secret agents that work for a secret magical corporation and are searching for a woman with ties to the company. What they don’t intend to find, is the beautiful and sassy Saige who is both their landlord and the woman of their dreams. All of their dreams.

As the four mages carry out their investigation, they also begin to investigate their feelings for Saige. As the group spends more time together, they all realize that they are quickly falling into a polyamorous relationship. Saige is such a lucky witch. But it’s not all roses and orgasms. There’s a prophecy that seems to have Saige at the center, her magic is changing in unexpected and devastating ways, and the mages are still keeping their reasons for being in Emerald Lakes a secret. The Magic of Discovery is the first book in a five book completed series so get ready for a wild ride!

This is a really fun series! Emerald Lakes is a quaint and quirky place where everyone knows everyone and secrets are pretty hard to keep, so it makes for an interesting backdrop for the incredibly hot relationship Saige is having with these four mages. You would think this would be gossip city but they’re all so hot for each other it just isn’t an issue. The dynamic between the five is also very interesting. Everyone has a unique set of powers and gifts and the men have worked together for long enough that they are a tightly bonded group. They all want to see each other happy, even if that means dating the same woman. Even the guys that have a sexual relationship together are on board with being with Saige and being part of the larger relationship. The way they all fall into a relationship together happens naturally and with the smallest amount of drama. And the steam! The steam is off the charts and over the top but it fits perfectly with the characters who take everything to the next level. This is seriously hot so keep some water on hand to stay hydrated.

Saige and her grandmother have a really fun and quirky relationship and granny is one horny lady! Their dynamic is even more fun once the men become more involved and Gran doesn’t hold anything back when it comes to them. Nothing. The lady has no filter.

This does end on a cliff hanger but I’ll give the smallest of spoilers-

Ready?

It’s going to end with Saige finding happiness with her guys but they have a bigger journey to go on so don’t stop after book 1. It’s worth it! Especially since the entire series is in KU so you can fly through them. I just finished book 3 and it’s just getting hotter and wilder!

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

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

#BlogTour! The Night She Went Missing by Kristen Bird

Months after she disappeared, a high school senior is found floating in the town’s harbor, alive but unconscious. Where has Emily been, and how did she get into the water? In Kristen Bird’s “gripping” (Publishers Weekly) debut The Night She Went Missing, three friends-to-frenemies mothers in a close-knit, wealthy Texas community decide to investigate after the police hit a dead end. While each woman has secrets to protect, they’ll all be forced to look at their own children – or each other’s – to uncover the truth.

With the relentless pacing and complex female characters of Big Little Lies and an expertly crafted small town setting, The Night She Went Missing introduces Kristen Bird as a new force in the world of domestic suspense. Her novel goes well beyond that, exploring complex questions about mothers and daughters, loss, and the line between taking chances and living dangerously. 

Read on for an excerpt from The Night She Went Missing

Buy Links: 

BookShop.org

Harlequin 

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Books-A-Million

Powell’s

Murder by the Book (Houston, TX)

EMILY

They find me faceup in the murky water of the harbor on the day of my funeral. Or memorial service. Whatever. It’s not like there’s much difference. Dead is dead.

Except I’m not. I. Am. Not. Dead. I would pinch myself if I could move.

“Can you hear me? Hey, what’s your name? Can you open your eyes?”

My eyes are as dense and heavy as basalt. Basalt: rich in iron and magnesium, Mr. Schwartz penned on the board during our volcanic rock unit in eighth grade. I fight to come out of the emptiness that has held me for the past…the past what? Hours? Days? Weeks?

I attempt to whisper my name even though my eyelids remain anchored. Emily. That’s right. Emily. I can’t remember the last time I voiced those three syllables.

“Pull her up.” 

Hands yank at me, jerking me from the arms of the water. Two hands wander up my body—over my feet, my legs, the arch of my hips, my arms, onto my neck, stopping at my forehead. This touch is not like the familiar plying of the boy I love, so fiery that it almost stings. This touch is necessary, cold, perfunctory. Perfunctory, Mrs. Abbot, my sophomore English teacher had pronounced for us students as we learned the word for the first time. P-E-R-F-U— 

The voice cuts in. “Tell them we have a girl, a teenager. No broken bones as far as I can tell but looks like she’s been out here for hours. Unconscious, but breathing on her own.” His voice muff les as he turns his head. “I think she might be Emily.” 

Suddenly, a brilliant choir of tenors and baritones and basses burst forth. “The Emily?” 

Emily. Yes, that’s me. What a comforting thing to hear one’s name spoken by those who can point the way home. I breathe in gratitude and descend into the lightness of sleep before a hand touches my cheek again. 

“You awake, Emily?” 

The swooshing of the waves calls to me, a reminder that the song of the deep is steady despite all the new sounds: The bustle of work boots, the hum of the boat waiting to churn to life and set out across the open sea. 

“Your mama’s been looking for you, Ms. Emily. You gave us all a fright. You hear me?” The man seems to sense that I can hear his words while my body remains frozen despite the warmth of the water and the sun overhead. “You’re gonna be okay, sweetheart. Yes, ma’am, you’re gonna make it just fine. Got a daughter about your age, and I woulda been worried sick if my girl had gone missing for weeks on end. Your mama sure is gonna be happy.”

A nasally voice now. “Where you think she’s been all this time? Turned into a mermaid?” The boy chuckles. 

“Hush, Beau.” 

The man’s hand touches my forehead, his fingers sandpapery with callouses. “Now, sweetheart, if you can open your eyes for a sec, I can introduce you properly to the crew. We’re getting you help as fast as we can, but you can go ahead and open them eyes before all the medics arrive. They’d be good and relieved to see you looking around.” 

I try. Oh, how I want to f licker them open, but my head aches and oblivion pulls harder. The siren call of the void is too tempting to resist.

Excerpted from The Night She Went Missing by Kristen Bird, Copyright © 2022 by Kristen Bird. Published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

Social Links:

Author Website

Twitter: @kbirdwrites 

Facebook: @kristen.bird.writes 

Instagram: @kristenbirdwrites 

Goodreads

Author Bio: 

Kristen Bird lives outside of Houston, Texas with her husband and three daughters. She earned her bachelor’s degree in music and mass media before completing a master’s in literature. She teaches high school English and writes with a cup of coffee in hand. In her free time, she likes to visit parks with her three daughters, watch quirky films with her husband and attempt to keep pace with her rescue lab-mixes. THE NIGHT SHE WENT MISSING is her debut novel.

Electric Idol by Katee Robert

Available Now

This just might be my new favorite Katee Robert series! Electric Idol is the second book in the Dark Olympus series and brings us the smoking hot marriage of convenience between Psyche Dimitriou and Eros Ambrosia. Katee Robert has described this book on her socials as what happens when someone is nice to a feral cat one time and he follows her home. That perfectly describes Eros and his reaction to Psyche showing him the bare minimum of kindness for literally fifteen minutes.

As Psyche is doing her best to avoid an introduction to Zeus by her matchmaking mother, she finds herself looking for any chance to escape the ridiculously lavish party thrown by the Thirteen. When she spots the incredibly handsome, and deadly, Eros injured in the hallway, she can’t help herself and offers to help him bandage his wounds. Thrown by her kindness and honesty, Eros doesn’t know how to react and asks her question that they will come back to many times: How can Psyche help a monster?

Spoiler: He’s not a monster to her! If you think Hades lost his cool over Persephone, get ready for Eros to completely lose himself with Psyche.

When the two of them are caught by the paparazzi in a compromising situation, Eros’s mother Aphrodite calls for heart. Unable to bring any harm to Psyche, Eros suggests that marriage will be the only way to guarantee Psyche’s safety from his ruthless mother.

What follows is a glamorous, thrilling, and incredibly hot story of love, acceptance, and smoking hot passion.

I love Psyche so much! She is incredibly smart and savvy when it comes to her social media presence and uses her skills as an influencer to protect her family’s secrets and maintain distance between their real life and the very public life that comes with being in the Thirteen. Those skills become critical when it comes time to out-maneuver those that want to bring harm to her and Eros. Psyche is a curvy girl who is comfortable in her skin and knows which designers to promote and which do not take plus size fashion seriously. Since Psyche doesn’t fit the “ideal” image for a member of the Thirteen, she has also learned to ignore the hate that fills the comments in all of her posts. When Eros first discovers this-whew! Talk about a man looking to do some harm. Eros is incredibly protective of Psyche and is still able to come off as not being a complete alphahole. His childhood was ruled by his mother’s desire to always portray the picture of perfection, no matter the cost. She emotionally manipulated him from an early age and those scars are still visible as Eros tries to be the man Psyche deserves. And, goodness, does he try hard!

They are such a perfect balance for each other and watching their relationship develop was really beautiful. Also, there’s a summary for Wicked Beauty, the next book in the Dark Olympus series, and OMG!!!! I am so excited to see what Katee has in store for Helen, Achilles, and Patroclus! Did I list 3 names??? I sure did!!!

If you would love to add this amazing book to your shelf, you can find ordering information here:

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

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Available Now

This is a brutal, violent book that deals with death, abuse, suicidal ideation, assault, alcoholism, and torture.

If you, like me, get excited when you find out a book is 400 pages of feminist rage, this is the book for you! Zetian Wu has lived her whole life at the mercy of her family. Her sole purpose is to sacrifice herself so the family may succeed. When her older sister dies, Zetian focuses her rage on the person responsible and vows revenge.

Set in a future China, a battle rages between humans and the massive aliens beyond the Great Wall. Using Chrysalises, giant mechanical robots (kind of, it’s so complicated) that require one male and one female to join their life forces to pilot. One extremely unfortunate side effect of this arrangement is that the female pilots die in nearly battle, sacrificing themselves to save the male pilot. Shortly after enlisting, much to the disappointment of a young, wealthy man who offered to marry her, Zetian is given her chance to kill the pilot who sacrificed her sister. His death was fast, brutal, and gave her the title of Iron Widow. Unfortunately for the higher ups, Zetian is an incredibly powerful warrior and with nothing to lose, they have no leverage against her and she’s too valuable to kill.

When Zetian is paired with the terrifying and notorious Li Shimin, Zetian believes it’s a death sentence. Addicted to alcohol, known for violent outbursts, and convicted of killing his entire family, Li Shimin appears to be as volatile as he is deadly. What Zetian quickly realizes, is that Li Shimin is a pawn in a twisted government plot and feels deeply about the girls who have died as his partner. Luckily for both Zetian and Li Shimin, that young, wealthy man who wanted to marry Zetian has found his way to her and is able to work with both of them in an official capacity.

As Zetian points out over and over again, is a triangle is the strongest shape…

Iron Widow is a fast paced, thrilling, scream of a book. Zetian’s rage is palpable and she holds nothing back. She is an absolute force and a joy to follow in her adventures. I loved this book so much! It looks like it’ll be part of a duology and I’m really excited to see how the story moves further.

If you would to hear the author pronounce all the characters names, you can find it here.

If you would like your own copy, you can find ordering options here:

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

The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson

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CW: Physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, animal death, graphic violence

Even with all that said, I was fortunate enough to read this book in 2021, but I can already tell you, it’s going to be both my favorite book of 2021 and 2022. I love this book so much! It’s fierce, it’s funny, it’s emotional, it’s rage-filled-bring-down-the-patriarchy-burn-the-world-down joy. I really, really love this book.

When the world is quickly overtaken by a mysterious and deadly disease that turns it’s victims into ruthless killing machines, one woman finally sees her way out of an abusive marriage. After years of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse from her husband David, Chelsea Martin finally has a way to escape and save herself and her daughters. But the road to freedom is far from smooth and along the way, Chelsea discovers that she, and all the women in her life, are far stronger and resilient than she ever thought possible.

Delilah S. Dawson has given us an amazing story that is the epitome of life giving you lemons and you turning them into an artisanal cocktail. The Violence is an extremely contagious virus that causes uncontrollable rage and violent behavior in its victims. The rage is so intense, the infected person often has to memory of attacking another person, or animal, and has increased strength and speed. As cases begin to mount, Chelsea is able to use the world wide panic as a way to frame her husband, kind of, and create an escape route for her children. It’s through Chelsea’s journey to find independence and safety for her two daughters, one in high school and one in early elementary, that we see how Chelsea’s own mother’s behavior and and personality was shaped by an abusive upbringing. Knowing only heartbreak from her own parents, Chelsea’s mother parented her in the same cold, and emotionally abusive way and is distant towards her only grandchildren.

Dawson has created fully fleshed characters that draw you in to their pain and inspire you with their growth and determination. Patricia, Chelsea’s mother, grew up extremely poor and has married her away to a country club membership and sitting judge as a husband. With her new money and sophisticated lifestyle, she will go to any length to keep her history as a poor, single mother in the past. Her perfectionist attitude towards appearance and money made her relationship with Chelsea distant and cold. Chelsea, wanting a better life for her daughters, is scared to break the image of a perfect marriage and life she has made with David. Her days of keeping house, carpools, and hair appointments hide the carefully crafted home life designed to please her husband and her husband only. Seeing her mother cower from her father and the fights that occur night after night, Ella, Chelsea’s oldest daughter, has found herself in a precarious position with her first steady boyfriend. Dawson shows us, through these women, how strong the hold of abuse is and how hard it is to shake. Even with the best of intentions, it’s an incredibly hard cycle to break.

I loved this book and it’s fierce cry of pure, female rage. Time and again, our characters are thrown huge obstacles, often by men, and they come out on top, stronger and more confident than before. Their journey is incredibly hard, but it’s beautiful to see what they’ve made of themselves. Even with all the violence and darkness, there are many moments of hope to find within The Violence. Good people, strokes of good luck, and second chances are interwoven throughout providing light and hope. It’s a spectacular story that is both timely, and timeless. The Violence is an emotional roller coaster ride through overcoming trauma, finding the strength that was always within, and hope for a better future.

If you would like to add this amazing book to your shelf, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Erotica Quickie: A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon

Available Now

This book came highly recommended from Sarah and Amanda from the Smart Podcast Trashy Books podcast and those ladies are never wrong when it comes to bonkers romance novels. Can we all please take a moment to gaze at this incredibly gorgeous cover? It’s stunning! This is an incredibly steamy book centered around a brothel that caters to wealthy non-humans. Esther Reed, a maid in a respectable household is about to lose her job as her employers seem to have lost their fortune in a bad investment. When Esther is caught watching the Lady of the House receive a rather energetic “treatment” from her doctor, it opens the door for Esther to pursue a career more in line with her interests. Turns out, Dr. Underwood is also a client of Rooksgrave Manor and feels that Esther would the perfect for its clientele. See, Esther loves sex and loves the idea of having sex be her new profession. Among Esther’s new clients are a vampire, a sphinx, a Jekyll/Hyde handsome situation, and a golem. Oh, and an invisible man. That’s a fun one! There is literally a line where Esther screams, “I want to f@ck my monster!” This is 400 pages of pure erotic fun.

Friends, this book is an absolute masterpiece and I loved every single line on every single page. It’s amazing and I can’t recommend it highly enough. If you’re interested in your own copy, you can click on the cover for ordering options. If you’re a KU subscriber, you’re in luck! It’s totally in there.

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

#BlogTour! Light Years from Home by Mike Chen

Happy Book Birthday to Light Years From Home! It is my pleasure to share with you this emotional and heartfelt novel about family drama with a dash of space travel. I loved When We Were Heroes, which came out last year, so I was very excited to get the chance to be a part of this Blog Tour!

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Back again with his trademark "sci fi with feelings," Mike Chen brings us a Space Opera/Family Drama mash-up. When Jakob Shao reappears after fifteen missing years, he brings turmoil to his sisters, Kass and Evie, and intergalactic war on his heels.

Every family has issues. Most can't blame them on extraterrestrials.

Fifteen years ago while on a family camping trip, Jakob Shao and his father vanished. His father turned up a few days later, dehydrated and confused, but convinced that they'd been abducted by aliens. Jakob remained missing.

The Shao sisters, Kass and Evie, dealt with the disappearance end ensuing fallout in very different ways. Kass over the years stepped up to be the rock of the family: carving a successful path for herself, looking after the family home, and becoming her mother's caregiver when she starts to suffer from dementia. Evie took her father's side, going all in on UFO conspiracy theories, and giving up her other passions to pursue the possible truth of life outside our planet. And always looking for Jakob.

When atmospheric readings from Evie's network of contacts indicate a disturbance event just like the night of the abduction, she heads back home. Because Jakob is back. He's changed, and the sisters aren't sure what to think. But one thing is certain -- the tensions between the siblings haven't changed at all. Jakob, Kass and Evie are going to have to grow up and sort out their differences, and fast. Because the FBI is after Jakob, and possibly an entire alien armada, too.

Doesn’t this sound interesting? It’s not every day that you come across a novel that so elegantly shows the reality of desperately trying to save the world, while also having to deal with the real, everyday stress of life and family drama. I loved this novel and all the complexity these relatable characters bring to the story. If you love your sci-fi with a bit of heart, or, your family dramas with a bit of sci-fi, this novel strikes the perfect balance.

Read on for an excerpt from Light Years From Home:

Chapter 1

Jakob

Everything in front of Jakob Shao was dark.

His eyes adjusted after several seconds, turning the void into a black sheet laced with brilliant white dots, countless stars coming into focus.  Jakob raised a finger and poked at the nothingness, only to feel a magnetic pushback from deflective impulses. Force fields, really, as Jakob still used the Earth terminology brought from a childhood of movies and comic books. Whatever they were called, they kept the vacuum of space from sucking him out, freezing him, possibly imploding him. 

The atmosphere dock of the Awakened ship wasn’t much more welcoming than deep space. It didn’t help that he stood barefoot and nearly naked, only an ill-fitting cloth halfway between a burlap sack and a poncho draped over him. The Awakened probably used it more to maintain their hostage’s body temperature than comfort, and definitely not for fashion. But where were his captors?

Where was anyone?

Then a voice called out.

A familiar voice, a not-human one that strained to yell his name in a vocalization that came halfway between a crow’s caw and an electronic blip. The implanted chips between Seven Bells soldiers constantly translated for species, but nothing came through here. Something must have burned out the chip, leaving only natural expression, a human word forced into alien physiology.

It called Jakob’s name.

Jakob ran to the voice, tracing the sound while rumbles vibrated the floor. Spigots of steam and gaseous vapor burst onto him, and his bare feet crunched on jagged debris. He turned a corner and though different lights flashed and fluctuated through the dim space, he saw a familiar figure.

Henry.

The unmistakable silhouette of curling horns and humanoid frame of Henry’s native species stood out against beams of light, and Jakob called out. “Henry!”—The simplest name he could assign to his friend given the physically impossible way of pronouncing their culture’s names. A harsh draft blew dust in his face, fragments hitting his bare shoulders as he charged forward. “Henry! We need to go right—”

Except Henry would not be able to go anywhere.

Stripped of his standard armor and clothing, his friend’s set of eight eyes all focused on him, their face angling away. One arm reached out to Jakob, straining to move. 

The other remained frozen, a statue pose as the crystallization took over, organic matter gradually desiccating from the bottom up. Jakob paused, slowly putting together what it all meant.

Jakob was in the Seven Bells first wave of defense, but his power-armor mech had been damaged and he was captured in space. Henry was to lead the second wave, an on-the-ground defense squad that took advantage of his native planetary knowledge.

They must have failed. Which meant Henry’s homeworld had fallen to the Awakened, their technology analyzed and usurped, their population and wildlife crystalized to be used as building material.

Jakob took his friend’s hand, a pincer-like claw with small sensory tentacles in the palm. “I’m so sorry. So sorry,” Jakob said repeatedly, taking far too much time given the exploding craft around him. Henry’s shoulder froze, body crystalizing from elbow to forearm to claws until the whole appendage stiffened and the sensory tentacles stopped moving. Jakob leaned forward as an invisible weight suddenly pushed in on his skull, a pressure from the center outward.  He looked at Henry, only their head and neck remaining, eyes closed, but tilted his way. 

Jakob knew what to do, what Henry wanted. It was the way their species passed on generational knowledge during final moments. 

He let Henry in.

And several seconds later, Jakob absorbed information, secrets, devastation, all of the things that Henry saw and felt while Jakob had been captured. And a number. 

A sixteen-digit number that could change everything.

“Go,” Henry managed in their unearthly voice before the crystalization process inched upward, eventually taking over their entire head with a sparkly dead texture.

Then his friend collapsed, their transformed body falling apart like a sand castle imploding under its own wait. Henry's remains scattered, spilling everywhere and getting between Jakob's toes. When he turned, he felt the grind beneath his feet.

But there was no time to mourn or be disgusted. He needed to go. But where?

Jakob sprinted, checking all corners and hallways. But whatever had happened before he came to had caused the ship to be evacuated, mostly ransacked of anything useful. At a hanger bay, his captured half-wrecked mech sat, stripped of any useful tools. The only thing intact was a decryptor—a tool for espionage. Not escape.

That wouldn’t help here, though he grabbed the device anyway—technically, a neural encryptor/decryptor—and looked for a way out. In the corner, a holographic interface flickered on and off. 

That just might do it. 

A closer look had Jakob laughing at his luck: the half-functioning interface was the ship's compressed-matter transporter system, something he was familiar with since the Seven Bells regularly scavenged them from downed Awakened craft. He craned his neck up at the too-tall interface next to him, fingers flying over controls he understood just enough to operate. It hummed to life, a low vibration nearly eclipsed by the ongoing rumbles of various decks exploding above him. A white glow signified it was ready to fire him across space. 

Him—and the knowledge he'd stolen. 

But what destination would provide safety until the Seven Bells recovered him?

A star chart glowed in front of him, and the vast pool of space lay at his fingertips. One of those tiny dots represented a chance. He just had to figure out which one—fast.

Jakob scanned the possibilities, already tensing for the brutal gauntlet of compressed matter transport: an invisible bubble sealing around the body, then throttling it through a newly generated wormhole that collapsed upon exit. He needed somewhere safe, somewhere primitive that the Awakened would completely overlook. Only then could he track his fleet without putting them in danger. Solar system upon solar system whirred in front of him, the options coming and going until he paused at one choice.

One obvious, hilarious, completely impossible choice.

Earth. The place he’d departed fifteen years ago. 

Jakob zoomed in on the image, examining its projected rotation. Pure dumb luck handed him a win here; they were passing through within three light years, perfectly within the edge of the transporter’s radius. The holographic light pulsed, indicating the system was ready to go. 

But what if the Awakened chased him, captured him again? He could hide his body, yet his mind still represented a risk: specifically, the device implanted in his head that connected to the Seven Bells command fleet, activated only when speaking the right words. The Awakened were known for torturing to the point of unconsciousness, trying to pry secrets that might tip the war one way or another, except he’d been trained to protect the activation phrase with his life.

His life for the entire fleet’s life.

But did the Awakened have other ways to extract that information, something more strategic than pain? If they tracked him down, could they try some type of mental probe or memory scanner?

Jakob turned to think, his bare foot kicking against a smooth object that suddenly caught his attention. 

The decryptor he salvaged—a basketball-sized device that could scramble certain parts of his memory. A way to blank out the activation phrase from his mind, guaranteeing its safety—and thus, the fleet’s safety—in any situation   until the Seven Bells located him.  Jakob calculated the risks. As one of the Seven Bells’ leading engineers, patching up damaged equipment in the heat of battle was standard procedure. But scrambling and patching up his own mind? 

There was a first time for everything.

Jakob held the decryptor to his forehead, pressing it firmly and thinking as hard as he could about the specific phrase to activate the skull implant’s emergency communications signal. A very quick, very sharp zap hit him, and with it, scrambled that memory, now unlockable solely with this very device. 

 But he suddenly realized that if the zap’s blast radius scrambled tangential memories, he might lose more: what had happened, what he needed, his whole mission. Jakob’s eyes darted around, searching the broken space for something that might provide a way to give himself tangible backup clues.

The pipes on the walls.

Whatever liquid they contained might be as good as ink.

He grabbed jagged shrapnel off the floor and smashed the line, neon blue dripping out. It didn’t produce steam or eat through the floor. Good enough. His finger stung a little under the viscous liquid, and with it, he wrote words on his exposed skin. 

SIGNAL. WEAPON.

Dizziness and nausea struck as details blurred out of existence, and Jakob knew disorientation would hit soon enough. He held the decryptor close, hugging it while activating the scan sequence of the transporter. A thin beam of light trickled over him, a tingle crawling over his skin while the transporter calculated the shape and strength of its protective bubble. It nearly finished when sparks flew from the far side of the room, another shake knocking him off balance.

“Shit, shit, shit,” he said while reinitiating the scan, uttering Earth curses that still stayed with him. The scanning beam re-appeared, only to stop halfway down his body. He tried again and then again, but each time, it refused to move past the decryptor.

Jakob squinted at the repeated message on the transporter’s interface, but without the supporting communications tech from Seven Bells on him, it was incomprehensible. He looked at the decryptor in his hand, then back at the interface, then over at the message.

Maybe that was it. Jakob with the device might be too much. 

He set the decryptor on the floor and retargeted the scan beam. Several seconds later, a planetary image indicated a target destination. The decryptor shot off across space, a simple white flash as it vanished.

He’d have to find it. But what if the decryptor's memory fallout erased those details? What if the transporter veered him off course on his own journey? How would he even know where to start?

Jakob turned back to the holographic map; the decryptor had been sent somewhere on the west coast of the North American continent. The Bay Area. Images flashed through his mind, faces surfacing after so many years of disconnecting from that life. 

Mom. Dad. Kassie. Evie.

Home. 

Such a word felt weightless, devoid of any meaning now. But it gave a shorthand to the decryptor’s location. 

He jabbed his finger into the smashed pipeline, dipping into enough alien goo to write  one more message. GO HOME, he wrote across his left shoulder. That would point him in the right direction, no matter where on Earth he started.

Jakob took in a deep breath, then hit the controls again on the transporter. The beam returned, scanning him up and down. Seconds passed and the air changed, like he was encased in a layer of plastic— pressurized energy protecting him across the vacuum of space. Around him, various hums and vibrations indicated the system would activate in moments. 

The room shook as a hole tore open in the ceiling, fire and shrapnel showering him. 

“Weapon. Signal. Go home.” He told himself, repeating the words. If all the writing dissolved or washed off, he could try to remember these few words. He readied himself, and only now did he notice bits of crystalline sand stuck to his legs and feet. Nausea hit Jakob, but whether it came from the decryptor process or seeing Henry’s remains, he wasn't sure. Fists formed with tight fingers and tensed arms, and he forced himself to picture Henry's crumbling body, a reminder of why he needed to do this.

“Weapon. Signal.” 

He had to make it to Earth safely. He had to retrieve the decryptor and contact the fleet.

Because he wasn’t just a Seven Bells soldier trying to find a way back. Those sixteen digits Henry had chiseled into his mind would win the war.

He just needed to tell them first.

“Go home.”

Excerpted from Light Years from Home by Mike Chen, Copyright © 2022 by Mike Chen. Published by MIRA Books. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mike Chen is the author of the award-nominated Here And Now And Then and featured in Star Wars: From A Certain Point Of View—The Empire Strikes Back. He has covered geek culture for sites such as Tor.com, The Mary Sue, and StarTrek.com and used to cover the NHL for Fox Sport and other outlets. A member of SFWA, Mike lives in the Bay Area with his wife, daughter, and rescue animals.

SOCIAL LINKS:

Author website: https://www.mikechenbooks.com/ 

Twitter: @mikechenwriter

Instagram: @mikechenwriter

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

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Available now

I barely made it through the first chapter of A History of Wild Places before I was on my Library’s app and putting every book by Shea Ernshaw on hold. The Wicked Deep is a YA supernatural thriller full of witches, teenage angst, and the effects of centuries of lies and mistrust.

When three gorgeous and enchanting sisters are accused of witchcraft in 1822, the townspeople are quick to bring about their execution. The waters they are drowned in quickly become cursed to kill young men for centuries to come.

Now, in the present day, 17 year-old Penny Talbot feels stuck in her life on the small island off the coast of Oregon. After her father’s disappearance three years ago, Penny’s mother has become lost to her grief and unable to care for herself and her daughter. Juggling the obligations of high school, friends, and the island’s lighthouse is difficult, but Penny knows that this is just the beginning of a long and lonely life on the island. As the Swan season draws near, that deadly time of year when the three Swan Sisters come back to take over the bodies of young women only to kill at least three young men in retribution for their unfair deaths, Penny finds herself drawn to Bo Carter, a young man who has just arrived in Sparrow with no knowledge of the centuries old myth. As Penny’s feelings for Bo begin to grow, the tensions on the mainland grow to new heights as victims of the Swan Sisters are discovered and a young woman is accused of their deaths. How can Penny keep Bo safe when no one is safe during the Swan season?

The Wicked Deep is eerie, dark, and very atmospheric. Penny and her mother living on the island alone, without cell phones and needing to boat across to the mainland for everything really reinforces how remote and cutoff from help they are. The entire town knows that young men will die and yet no one can truly do anything against the supernatural threat their ancestors created. Adding to the tension is how young the victims are. The Swan sisters were 17-19 years old and chose victims of similar age. Young enough to be stuck in their little town, yet so close to being old enough to escape. Penny and her mother are devastated by her father’s disappearance and the way the town doesn’t care about outsiders, including those that tried to settle roots in their community. I really loved how Ernshaw pulled off a big dramatic twist at the end and just drove home the power of love and hope.

If you would like to add this amazing supernatural thriller to your list, you can find ordering information here:

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

Weird Book Quickie: The Hike by Drew Magary

Available Now

This is one of those books that’s nearly impossible to talk about with spoiling the whole experience. And that’s what I think this book truly is, it’s an experience. I heard this book recommended on What Should I Read Next? and was instantly intrigued. In The Hike, a man named Ben goes to a remote hotel in the woods for a business meeting. Finding himself with a few extra hours before a business meeting, he asks for directions to the local hiking trails. When the hotel clerk declares that are definitely no hiking trails anywhere near their hotel in the woods, Ben decides to set out and find them himself. After discovering a path leading into the forest, Ben is both smug and delighted to find such a beautiful hiking spot. At the end of the trail, Ben decides he has plenty of time to explore further and takes a chance on some ATV tracks that he hopes will lead to more trails.

What Ben actually finds is a dark, twisted, and life-altering experience where reality seems to bleed away into madness.

I mean, there’s a talking crab at one point and an angry old woman who makes him work in the garden before she’ll provide any help and a giant! It’s wild. Absolutely wild. But it’s also really compelling and an interesting look at what truly ties us to reality and gives us hope in desperate times. It’s a really interesting twist on horror and fantasy and while I’m still struggling to process it all, I loved the adventure of reading this absolutely bonkers novel.

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