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Abby and Mitch are back, and the stakes are higher than ever. The Exchange picks up 15 years after the ending of The Firm. Mitch and Abby, out of hiding, are enjoying life in NYC: Mitch works for a high-end international law firm, and Abby edits cookbooks.
Once again, the McDeere family finds themselves in the thick of a nefarious plot, but this time, the bad guys zero in on Abby. As Mitch frequently reminds her, “They picked you.” The book takes readers back to Memphis for a spell, bouncing us around the world from London to Italy, Morocco, and beyond, with a cameo of a familiar but not so friendly face from Mitch’s previous life.
While some might argue that the pace of The Firm was on the slower side, the opposite could be said for The Exchange. I found The Exchange to be extremely fast-paced. If I had one criticism, it would be that the ending kind of snuck up on me and felt rushed. Overall, this was a solid legal thriller, and the international aspect added a good spin. It’s a quick read that you won’t want to put down.
Grisham is one of my all-time favorite, auto-buy authors. This book most certainly lived up to its predecessors.
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Nathalia Holt, a New York Times bestselling author renowned for uncovering untold stories, delivers another gem with Wise Gals: The Spies Who Built the CIA and Changed the Future of Espionage. Diving into the hidden history of the CIA’s early days, the book introduces readers to four extraordinary women—Adelaide Hawkins, Mary Hutchison, Eloise Page, and Elizabeth Sudmeier—who defied societal norms to play pivotal roles in the Agency’s formation and operations.
These aren’t your average femme fatales from spy novels or the stereotypical honey traps that normally come to mind when you think about female spies. No, these women are intellectual powerhouses with nerves of steel. Their remarkable stories span from World War II through the Cold War era, touching on ongoing international crises. In what was described as a “male, pale, and Yale” dominated workspace, Adelaide’s cryptographic genius, Mary’s diplomatic skills, Elizabeth’s daring field intelligence, and Eloise’s groundbreaking scientific contributions all shine through.
What sets this book apart is Holt’s meticulous research, evident on every page. Drawing from first-hand interviews and declassified documents, Holt doesn’t give readers a James Bond-esque narrative but instead offers a grounded account of these women’s determination and significant contributions. This includes crucial roles in predicting the Soviet Union’s early development of atomic capabilities and intelligence gathering that contributed to the Cuban missile crisis.
However, the book doesn’t shy away from the grim realities these extraordinary women faced, particularly their battles for equal pay and recognition in a notoriously misogynistic environment. A poignant example is Jane Burrell, another key figure who has yet to receive a star on the CIA’s Memorial Wall—an oversight that Holt brings into focus.
Wise Gals serves as a significant addition to both historical non-fiction and discussions about the challenges and triumphs of women in the workforce. Reading it leaves you with a complicated mix of pride for these women’s achievements and frustration at the societal barriers they had to fight. It’s a fight many continue to this day. While the book may not offer high-octane thrills, it provides a long-overdue homage to these unsung heroines of American history. Whether you’re interested in untold stories of women instrumental to our country’s security or simply a well-crafted narrative, this book is an excellent read.
A huge thank you to the author Nathalia Holt not only for an advanced copy of this book, but for shedding light on these crucial but long-overlooked narratives. And thank you to the publisher Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book.
As always, I encourage you to read this one for yourself and formulate your own opinion.
On sale now, you can get your copy by clicking Here
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I was just telling my work wife last week that I really needed a good political thriller. As someone who devoured James Patterson and John Grisham growing up, this was the perfect book to satisfy my craving. (FWIW, those are still two of my auto buy authors.)
Of course I had to read While Justice Sleeps before diving in here, since it sets the stage for the events of Rogue Justice. While I suppose you could read it as a stand alone, I strongly recommend you read While Justice Sleeps before Rogue Justice.
In Rogue Justice, Stacey Abrams captivates us with her skillful blend of political intrigue, current events, and meticulously researched fiction. A direct sequel to her previous work, While Justice Sleeps, this novel continues the story of the ballsy Supreme Court clerk Avery Keene, who we’ve all grown to love.
Abrams effortlessly brings us back into the world she built in the first book. We’ll get reacquainted with the disgraced President, the on-the-run Major Vance, Jared Wynn, Dr. Ling, Noah Fox and Special Agent Robert Lee. Their stories expand as we uncover that the events in the first book were just the tip of the iceberg. And we can’t forget about the new players who will reek havoc of their own, including an expat female assassin.
The story picks up as Avery, attempting to regain stability after exposing an international conspiracy, is drawn into yet another web of secrets and lies. She’s still ensnared in the aftermath of When Justice Sleeps, as President stokes has been reinstated and there is a looming impeachment trial. Avery is approached by Preston Davies, a law clerk who suspects that his boss, a federal judge, was being blackmailed before her unexpected demise.
The plot intensifies as Avery uncovers a list of names of all the judges on the FISA Court, America’s “secret court” that authorizes wiretapping and spying on suspected terrorists. What follows is a series of alarming revelations that suggest a grave threat to the nation’s judicial branch.
As this story is deftly woven with details lifted from today’s headlines, I can’t help but admire how Abrams has manipulated certain character traits to keep readers on their toes. For instance, while the depiction of the President might echo real-life figures, he’s no caricature. This unexpected portrayal challenges readers’ preconceived notions, ensuring an engaging read as we sift through truth and deception.
What sets “Rogue Justice” apart is Abrams’ detailed exploration of the FISA Court, a topic of growing concern in America. As Avery unravels layers of deceit and power plays, she grapples with threats to her life, her loved ones, and the sanctity of the nation’s judicial system.
While the book is undoubtedly thrilling, it’s Avery Keene’s eidetic memory and relentless pursuit of justice that truly make it shine. She navigates through a complex maze of legal and political challenges with ease, serving as a beacon of truth in a world where power often trumps honesty.
Blending suspense, mystery, and political insight, Abrams’ once again proves her talent for storytelling is as potent as her understanding of the real-world political landscape. The scariest part about this legal thriller…it could actually happen. Rogue Justice is a must-read, ensuring you’ll be on the edge of your seat from start to finish, eagerly anticipating the next move in this masterful game of chess. Undeniably, Stacey Abrams’ second novel in the Avery Keene series has surpassed its predecessor, leaving me wondering and anticipating what’s coming next. No matter what that is, rest assured, I’ll be eagerly waiting.
As always, I encourage you to read Rogue Justice and come to your own conclusions. Thank you to the author Stacey Abrams, the publisher Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing the ARC copy of this book.
On sale now, click here to grab your copy here. While your at it you can pick up a copy of While Justice Sleeps here.
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One of the joys of reading is stumbling upon a story that surprises you, takes you on a roller-coaster of emotions, and leaves you with a lingering sense of satisfaction. ‘Hello Stranger’ by Katherine Center does exactly that, weaving a tale rich with humour, character development, and a unique take on romance.
Center takes us on a journey with Sadie Montgomery, an aspiring artist who quite literally does not see what’s coming. After a monumental achievement of making it to the finals in the North American Portrait Society competition, life throws her a curveball in the form of face blindness. Every face Sadie encounters is a jumbled puzzle, a foreign language that she struggles to comprehend.
However, Center doesn’t let this situation define Sadie. Our protagonist battles not only her newfound condition but also familial tensions and the demands of her artistic career. And of course, let’s not forget her loyal canine companion, Peanut, adding another layer of heart to this story.
At the heart of ‘Hello Stranger’ is a comedy of errors fueled by mistaken identities. It’s a testament to Center’s writing prowess that she weaves these plot elements together seamlessly, producing a story that keeps the reader intrigued.
One of the key strengths of ‘Hello Stranger’ is its colorful cast of characters. Sadie is undeniably engaging, and her duality of being sunshiney and stubborn makes her relatable. The men in her life are equally compelling and nuanced, further enhancing the narrative.
The secondary characters too, like the best friend Sue, although a tad insensitive at times, brings in her own share of humor and conflict. Sadie’s parents and her step-sister Piper are portrayed as caricatures, yet they serve the purpose of furthering Sadie’s journey and personal growth. Notably, the transformation of Sadie’s father and stepmother is satisfying, while Piper’s fate provides a sense of poetic justice. Even if we a glimpse of why she’s such an asshat, I hope her cat eats her.
I do love how Joe calls Sadie on her preconceived notions. Like with “Busty McGee”, who ends up being the exact opposite of Sadie’s made up persona for her. Joe ends up challenging Sadie (and us, the readers) to reevaluate our quick judgments.
Now, I won’t pretend that ‘Hello Stranger’ is perfect. For a romance novel, it does fall a little short on the spice scale. Readers expecting steamy romance might find themselves yearning for more. Yet, Center’s focus on character development and plot progression gives the novel its own unique charm.
Despite the occasional stumble, ‘Hello Stranger’ is a triumph of character-focused storytelling. Katherine Center has created a heartwarming, hilarious tale that embraces the complexity of human relationships and the myriad ways of seeing the world. As Sadie learns, sometimes what we find when we’re not looking can be the most surprising thing of all.
As always, I encourage you to read for yourself and see how you like it for yourself!
As always thank you to the author, the publisher St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for sending me this amazing book for my review. It’s on sale now and you can pick up your copy by clicking here
Potential spoiler- stop now if you haven’t read the book yet….
Still here? I am not unconvinced that this chick has not had some kind of face blindness or issue recognizing people her whole life. I don’t know how you can think that there are two different barista‘s a.k.a. Hazel one and Hazel two based on someone putting their hair up. End of rant.
Tropes hit: Enemies to Lovers, Slow burn, sweet romance, strangers, mistaken identity
I had to take a break from some of the romance I’ve been reading lately, and I don’t think that there is anything less romantic than some true crime.
We first meet Paul Holes in I’ll Be Gone In the Dark, the CSI who became as obsessed with GSK as Michelle did. (I’m actually re-reading this now, I should have done it before I picked up Unmasked.) Paul takes us through his life, how his career ruined his marriage, finding new love, and what is was like to tackle some of the most notorious cold cases we’ve ever seen.
It was extremely interesting to see the evolution of genetic and DNA testing as used for investigation. I wish there was more on some of his most memorable cases (there was a lot about GSK, maybe because it was his longest running cold case), but the book was full of information.
Be warned, this isn’t for the faint of heart or those who aren’t accustomed to reading True Crime. Holes doesn’t pull any punches with his descriptions.
Thank you so much to the author and @celadon for the ARC copy of this book.
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I’m not going to lie, when I got approval email from NetGalley for the new Sandra Brown book, I did a squeal and a happy dance around my kitchen. She introduced me to the romantic thriller genre, and I quickly devoured her books.
Overkill hits all of the best things I’ve come to expect from a Sandra Brown book:
⚫️ Rugged hero who prefers a hermit’s life, is wealthy and has a past claim to fame ✅
⚫️Pretty, smart heroine who is ballsy and confident ✅
⚫️A good mystery and driven story ✅
Zach Bridger was a former NFL Super Bowl hero, before an attack on his ex-wife, Rebecca, and the subsequent fall out jettisoned his career. He got his life in track, retired to a mountain side and hiked every day. It would have been happily ever after had his wife’s attacker not gotten out of jail early thanks to his daddy’s connections. Enter Kate Lennon, a up and coming star state prosecutor. She comes up with a way to put the slimy Eban away for good. Too bad it means Bridger facing the decision and confrontation he’s been avoiding for years.
This book is everything I want in a romantic thriller. Intriguing, full of suspense and a red-hot romance all in one.
Overkill is on sale August 16th, get your copy here
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I was in a major reading funk for most of the spring, then mix in a summer full of weddings and wedding related shenanigans, and I accomplished almost no reading. Unless you count listening to the Harry Potter audiobooks for the 1000th time and catching up on true crime podcasts. Then, out of nowhere, this book landed in my mailbox. I read the summary on the back and just like that, my reading bug was back. If adulting didn’t always get in the way of my reading, I would have finished this book in a day. As it is, it only took me 3 days. Before the great reading rut of 2022 ensued, I was deep into the romance books, with a good psychological thriller thrown in here and there so things don’t get too happily ever after. You know, need to balance out the meet cutes with a good psychopath every once in a while. I haven’t read any historical fiction in a while. But at this point, I had zero interest in reading anything anyway, so I figured why not.
Let’s break it down:
WWII historical fiction
A long-forgotten closet full of Dior gowns
Modern day mystery
Female RAF pilots
Good ole forbidden romance
ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE AMAZING ON THEIR OWN! But together, they were amazing. The publisher’s summary sums it up-
England, 1939: The Penrose sisters couldn’t be more different. Skye is a daring and brash pilot, and Liberty the one to defy her at every turn. Even if women aren’t allowed in the Royal Air Force, Skye is determined to help the war effort. She’s thrilled when it reunites her with her childhood soulmate, Nicholas. She’s less thrilled to learn Nicholas is now engaged to an enigmatic Frenchwoman named Margaux Jourdan.
Paris, 1947: Designer Christian Dior unveils his glamorous first collection to a world weary of war and grief. He names his debut fragrance Miss Dior in tribute to his beloved sister Catherine, who forged a friendship with Skye and Margaux through her work with the French Resistance.
Present Day: Fashion conservator Kat Jourdan discovers a priceless collection of Dior gowns in her grandmother’s vacant cottage. As she delves into the mystery of their origin, Kat begins to doubt everything she thought she knew about her beloved grandmother.
The book flips back and forth between past and present, with Kat trying to unravel her grandmother’s life. I don’t want to give too much away because every chapter felt like a new twist, turn, punch in the gut. I cried over this book. I generally avoid books that make me cry, but all the emotions (also, I’m pregnant, so…. hormones…) and I was a goner.
While there are multiple timelines going in multiple countries, the book is remarkably concise and clear. I was worried with all of the multiple POV that it would be confusing, but it wasn’t. It’s also clear the amount of research that the author put into this book. I was blown away not only by the story, but by the attention to detail that made the book come alive.
Stay tuned for Natasha Lester’s next book, The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre due out in January 2023. Click Here to get your copy of The Paris Secret. While this has been my first Natasha Lester book, it will most certainly not be my last.
Thank you to Nicole Andress at Hachette Book Group Publishing and the Author Natasha Lester for the copy of this book!
I received an ARC copy of the next book in this series, so I figured that I should probably read the first one before diving into the second. I really enjoyed Window Shopping (my first Tessa Bailey book) so I had high hopes for It Happened One Summer. When I read the summary I was expecting Paris Hilton The Simple Life vibes. That was a big womp womp. There are really only a couple of silly heiress moments in this book. Other than that, it was instalove and humping. Lots and lots of humping. Notice the 4 pepper rating.
Don’t get me wrong. I liked the story. It was cute, sexy and a fun read. But I wanted MORE. More of Piper almost burning the house down. More of Brandon helping her navigate her new reality. More bonding with Opal. Her getting an actual job and getting her first paycheck. Learning to really work for a living. The whole premise of the story is that Piper is being punished for taking her party girl ways one step too far. In an effort to teach her a lesson, her step father ships her off to her father’s hometown. Her sister, Hannah, comes along since she bailed Piper out of jail in defiance of her pursestrings holding stepdad. Refurbishing a bar with the money your dad put into a debit account for you after he cancelled your credit cards isn’t really “making it on your own”.
Piper ditches her sister to start boning the hot Capitan of Crab, he helps her fix up her father’s bar, and then in order to win her heart Brandon splurges on a fancy hotel and then says “Baby, I’m taking you shopping,” after which Piper exclaims that she’s learned the value of money because she just tried on a pair of $100 jeans. After getting it on in the dressing room, of course. It really just feels like Piper goes from her stepdad indulging her to Brandon taking over. And that coming from a woman who had earlier in the book considered a $4000 dress a steal. That’s a lot of progress to make in 5 weeks.
Piper does eventually get to a more self aware state. She does really sweet things like bonding with Opal, doing makeup tutorials for the local ladies, and walking a elderly man to his reading spot. And she figures out what she wants out of life, and that’s really nice. But getting there was kind of cringy at times.
Overall a good read if you’re looking for something quick, sexy and funny. I’m about 1/2 way through Hook, Line and Sinker and I already like it a lot more than It Happened One Summer.
The Wedding Crasher is the follow up book to The Worst Best Man (love love loves), and Dean, Max’s best friend, is getting married. Or so he thinks.
Dean was one of my favorite characters from the previous book so I was super excited that he was getting his own story line. Enter Solange, one of Lina’s cousins. She’s roped into helping out on Ethan’s big day, and inadvertently ends up interfering. So much so that she stops the wedding.
But, as fate would have it, Solange and Ethan both find themselves in need of a significant other. Ethan to woo a new partner at his work, Solange to cover for a fib her mom told to a snooty relative.
They’re contending with way too many people who can screw everything up. There’s Peter, a snarky sneaky brown noser from Ethan’s job, who is determined to catch them in a lie. I have to admit, without any spoilers that I was pleasantly surprised how that loop was closed. But if I’m keeping a list of book characters I want to throat punch, he’s on it. Then there’s all the various aunts and cousins who can’t lie to save a life.
(*side note, I just started a list of fictional characters I hate. I have a feeling it’s going to be large)
This book hits some of my favorite romance tropes- fake lovers, enemies to lovers, family interference, food and cultural influence.
This book is delightfully funny, steamy hot, and left me a little hungry and looking for a place that sells some Brazilian food. And not just the meat. I’m going to need some of that stuffed breakfast bread and Pao de Queijo ASAP.
And don’t be fooled by the tame cover, be still my heart this book was smokin. But the heat didn’t interfere with the overall story, and this was a slow burn for sure. A rom-com done really really well.
A special thank you to the author @miasosaromance @netgalley and the publishers @avonbooks and @harpervoyagerus for the advanced copy of this ebook!
JE is one of my all time favorite authors, and Stephanie Plum is one of my favorite characters. Her other series, also phenomenal. So when I got the chance to read an early copy of the first book of her new series, I will admit, I did a fan girl dance around my living room.
This series reacquaints us with Gabriella Rose, who we met in another book already. It also introduces her ex husband Rafer, assistant Marcella, and a wonderful supporting cast of characters. It takes us on a river rapid ride through jungles and cities alike. A quick, funny and satisfying read, I cannot wait to read more from this series.
I will note, it’s hard not to make comparisons. Maybe because we first met Gabs in a Stephanie Plum book, but she’s the exact opposite of Steph. Literally, on every sense of the word. The same can be said for Rafer (still bad ass) but so much more laid back than Ranger, and for Marcella, who seems to be everything Lula is not (competent, organized, dependable). Both women manage to step in 💩 frequently, but luckily Gabs has bullets in her gun and knows how to use it!
Thank you to the author @janetevanovich @netgalley and @atriabooks for the advanced copy of this book!
Feed The Bookworm 