Woooooooo August! 'Tis the season for peaches and school/office supplies, so get yourself some fancy Post-Its, a smoothie and some wonderful books.
Bellewether, by Susanna Kearsley - August 7
"The house, when I first saw it, seemed intent on guarding what it knew; but we all learned, by the end of it, that secrets aren't such easy things to keep."
It's late summer, war is raging, and families are torn apart by divided loyalties and deadly secrets. In this complex and dangerous time, a young French Canadian lieutenant is captured and billeted with a Long Island family, an unwilling and unwelcome guest. As he begins to pitch in with the never-ending household tasks and farm chores, Jean-Philippe de Sabran finds himself drawn to the daughter of the house. Slowly, Lydia Wilde comes to lean on Jean-Philippe, true soldier and gentleman, until their lives become inextricably intertwined. Legend has it that the forbidden love between Jean-Philippe and Lydia ended tragically, but centuries later, the clues they left behind slowly unveil the true story.
Part history, part romance, and all kinds of magic, Susanna Kearsley's latest masterpiece will draw you in and never let you go, even long after you've closed the last page.
Ana - I have been waiting for this book forever, so it seems almost impossible that it is finally out on the 8th of Aug. I haven’t even read the blurb, but Kearsley is an auto-buy, so I can’t wait for it to land on my ereader!
Suzanne - SAME. I'll be reviewing this for you!
Buy a copy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, The Ripped Bodice
Sometime After Midnight, by L. Philips - August 7
Late one night in a dingy Los Angeles club, Nate and Cameron meet and discover they have much more in common than their love of an obscure indie band. But when Nate learns that Cameron is the heir to a soul-sucking record label—the very one that destroyed his father’s life—he runs away as fast as he can. The only evidence of their brief but intense connection is the blurry photo Cameron snaps of Nate’s Sharpied Chuck Taylors.
When Cameron’s sister Tess—a famous model and socialite—posts the photo on Instagram for her legions of fans, the internet just about breaks with the news of this modern fairy tale. “Anyone know the owner of these shoes?” she writes. “My Prince Charming brother is looking for his Cinderfella!” But while the viral sensation begins to bring the pair back together, their own demons and pasts might get in the way of any happily ever afters . . .
Andrea - A queer, modern Prince Charming meets Romeo and Juliet meets Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist in a story where both boys are already out and celebs are involved? Sign. Me. Up!!
Buy a copy: Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, The Ripped Bodice
Surprise Baby, Second Chance, by Therese Beharrie - August 7
Reunited for one night…
Bound forever by the consequence!
Determined never to become a burden on the person she’s loves most, Rosa walked away from her husband, Aaron. Now she’s back on his island home for a family party, and they end up stranded together during a storm! Forced to confront the past and their infinite attraction, a kiss leads to one more night… And when she discovers she’s pregnant, Rosa knows it’s time to fight for their future.
Ana - Therese Beharrie’s Surprise Baby, Second Chance is a marriage-in-trouble/forced-
Buy a copy: Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo
The Governess Game, by Tessa Dare - August 28He’s been a bad, bad rake—and it takes a governess to teach him a lesson
The accidental governess
After her livelihood slips through her fingers, Alexandra Mountbatten takes on an impossible post: transforming a pair of wild orphans into proper young ladies. However, the girls don’t need discipline. They need a loving home. Try telling that to their guardian, Chase Reynaud: duke’s heir in the streets and devil in the sheets. The ladies of London have tried—and failed—to make him settle down. Somehow, Alexandra must reach his heart . . . without risking her own.
The infamous rake
Like any self-respecting libertine, Chase lives by one rule: no attachments. When a stubborn little governess tries to reform him, he decides to give her an education—in pleasure. That should prove he can’t be tamed. But Alexandra is more than he bargained for: clever, perceptive, passionate. She refuses to see him as a lost cause. Soon the walls around Chase’s heart are crumbling . . . and he’s in danger of falling, hard.
Ana - I’m eagerly anticipating The Governess Game by Tessa Dare, whose heroine is Filipino, a first for Dare. I’m hoping it is as tender & emotionally true as The Duchess Deal which was one of my favorite books of 2017.
Suzanne - I have a date with this audiobook. We're going to hang out with some nail polish and a face mask and generally just self-care the hell out of a day after the kids start school again. Dare's books are fluffy, funny, sexy goodness and I decided not to review this one so I could maximize the luxury of reading.
Buy a copy: Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, The Ripped Bodice
Stripped, by Zoey Castile - August 28
Skilled, sculpted, and sexy, the men of adult entertainment are the kind of guys a woman reserves for her fantasies, not her reality. But is there more to these professional hotties than meets the eye? . . .
The day Robyn Flores meets Zac Fallon is one of those days. You know, when you’re already late for work. Mostly because you haven’t really slept since your best friend abandoned you for her fiancé and her exponentially better life. The kind of day you drag yourself to the cleaners to pick up your laundry, only to discover you’ve got the wrong bag—Star Spangled sequined thong, anyone? So Robyn is definitely not ready for the ridiculously gorgeous guy at her front door, except that they have each other’s clothes. But then, is any woman ever ready to meet the love of her life?
There’s just one problem: Zac Fallon is not the love of Robyn’s life. Zac knows, despite the all-too-intimate dinner they share, he doesn’t have a shot at her. Because the next time Zac sees Robyn, he’s front and center of the male revue headlining her best friend’s bachelorette party. So much for wooing the pretty schoolteacher, much less impressing her old-fashioned family, with his upstanding lifestyle. Now he’s only got one way to win his dream girl. It’s gonna be the steamiest, most irresistible seduction she’s ever seen. And this time it will be no act . . .
Ana - Stripped is inspired by Magic Mike XXL, and is about how you figure out what you actually want to do with your life when what you chose and used to love doesn’t quite fit you anymore. It was sexy & sweet. [Ana's review goes up on 8/16!]
Buy a copy: Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, The Ripped Bodice
Magic Triumphs, by Ilona Andrews - July 31
Mercenary Kate Daniels must risk all to protect everything she holds dear in this epic, can't-miss entry in the thrilling #1 New York Times bestselling urban fantasy series.
Kate has come a long way from her origins as a loner taking care of paranormal problems in post-Shift Atlanta. She's made friends and enemies. She's found love and started a family with Curran Lennart, the former Beast Lord. But her magic is too strong for the power players of the world to let her be.
Kate and her father, Roland, currently have an uneasy truce, but when he starts testing her defenses again, she knows that sooner or later, a confrontation is inevitable. The Witch Oracle has begun seeing visions of blood, fire, and human bones. And when a mysterious box is delivered to Kate's doorstep, a threat of war from the ancient enemy who nearly destroyed her family, she knows their time is up.
Kate Daniels sees no other choice but to combine forces with the unlikeliest of allies. She knows betrayal is inevitable. She knows she may not survive the coming battle. But she has to try.
For her child.
For Atlanta.
For the world.
Ana - As a longtime Kate Daniel’s fan, I’m eagerly awaiting Ilona Andrews’s Magic Triumphs, which concludes Kate and Curran’s story. I anticipate lots of tears, City-leveling threats and roaring.
Buy a copy: Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, The Ripped Bodice
The Bucket List, by Georgia Clark - August 7From the author of the critically acclaimed “lively and engrossing parable for women of all generations” (Harper’s Bazaar) The Regulars comes a deeply funny and thoughtful tale of a young woman who, after discovering she has the breast cancer gene, embarks on an unforgettable bucket list adventure.
Twenty-five-old Lacey Whitman is blindsided when she’s diagnosed with the BCRA1 gene mutation: the “breast cancer” gene. Her high hereditary risk forces a decision: increased surveillance or the more radical step of a preventative double mastectomy. Lacey doesn't want to lose her breasts. For one, she’s juggling two career paths; her work with the prestigious New York trend forecaster Hoffman House, and her role on the founding team of a sustainable fashion app with friend/mentor, Vivian Chang. Secondly, small-town Lacey’s not so in touch with her sexuality: she doesn’t want to sacrifice her breasts before she’s had the chance to give them their hey-day. To help her make her choice, she (and her friends) creates a “boob bucket list”: everything she wants do with and for her boobs before a possible surgery.
This kicks off a year of sensual exploration and sexual entertainment for the quick-witted Lacey Whitman. Ultimately, this is a story about Lacey’s relationship to her body and her future. Both are things she thought she could control through hard work and sacrifice. Both are things she will change by choosing to have a major surgery that could save her life, and will give her the future she really wants.
Featuring the pitch-perfect “compulsively delicious” (Redbook) prose of The Regulars, The Bucket List is perfect for fans of Amy Poeppel and Sophie Kinsella.
Andrea - As a 27-year-old not-as-sexually-adventurous-
Buy a copy: Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, The Ripped Bodice
What books are you excited for?
