I type these words because I’m like a bouncing puppy, eager to share my excitement about the books I love. But sometimes, (and yes, I mean right this minute!), I’d so much rather get back to one of those marvelous books and forget about everything else! My laptop is in my lap, allowing me to type, but my phone, with FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston on audio, is just inches to my left, and it’s calling me to get back to it! I’m a little more than half-way through, and it is captivating. A young, decent woman, whose life has involved more than a fair share of sorrow, ends up a foot-soldier to a crime boss with tentacles seemingly everywhere. Life deprived her of a college education, but Evy (the name we know her by when the story opens), is whip-smart, and her latest assignment has her ensconced in an everyone-knows-everyone town in Louisiana, posing as the live-in girlfriend of a businessman her boss seeks to control. Or bring down. I can’t say for sure because I haven’t finished it yet, but take my word for it: I’m going to, pronto!
On the opposite end of the edge-of-your-seat scale, but somehow equally engrossing, an ARC of the upcoming SIPSWORTH, by Simon Van Booy held me spellbound. This is a beautiful, quiet tale of an elderly British woman and the mouse she accidentally brings into her house. Yes, you read those words correctly. The only analogy I can draw is to a cave tour: you start off through a relatively mundane entrance, preoccupied by the long wait you endured, but every step down makes you open your eyes wider in delighted surprise until finally, you stand in a grotto where the magnificence takes your breath away. The mouse is just a mouse; there is no magical realism here, but you will walk away changed and grateful for the privilege of having shared time with Helen Cartwright and her unexpected houseguest. I’m hoping I receive a printed copy as a Mother’s Day gift, and I know I’ll be gifting it myself to several people I love.
As the calendar continues its hyped-up disdain for speed limits, Abby Jimenez is back with a timely new title in the Minnesota-based world she’s created: JUST FOR THE SUMMER. Emma and her best friend Maddie work as travel nurses, jobs that preclude roots or entanglements. But when Emma makes online contact with Justin, a spark is lit that proves hard to douse. You don’t have to have read any of the author’s earlier books to enjoy JUST FOR THE SUMMER, but Emma and Maddie interact with many of the Jimenez characters we’ve come to love. As in all of her stories, the characters deal with painful issues that make trust and commitment difficult: this time it’s child abandonment and overwhelming family responsibilities. Nadia’s Cakes, the author’s real-world award-winning bakery, makes its customary fleeting appearance, and I had to exercise serious restraint and not pull out all her books and just settle down for a long-reread.
Also dealing with serious issues, but more generous with the comic relief, Kate Meader’s fifth volume in her Rookie Rebels series, DEAR ROOMIE, was a delightful 2021 offering that I missed until recently. Do I watch hockey on tv or attend actual games? I do not. Do I love Kate Meader’s hockey books? YES!! And if I knew I could watch her players and then hang out with them afterwards (and admire their sexy physiques), you’d better believe I’d be a regular attendee. Reid Durand is dealing with difficult, domineering daddy issues, while Kennedy Clark is a master at avoiding ties that bind. But throw a loveable drowning puppy in the mix, and all bets are off. Their agreement to share quarters and temporary care of the puppy is a cute premise that makes a mockery of their determination to stay unattached and keeps the reader both happily engaged and eager to reach the inevitable happy conclusion.
Finally, if you have the energy and fortitude for a heartbreaking look at life for Black and Jewish Americans in an early-20th century Pennsylvania town, I heartily add my voice to the chorus of recommendations for THE HEAVEN AND EARTH GROCERY STORE by James McBride. The travails of the residents of Chicken Hill will simultaneously make you want to turn away and never say goodbye. I was sobbing when I reached the end of the book, but I know it is one I will eagerly reread.
About Meg Napier
Meg’s friends during her high school years all expected her romance novels to hit the shelves decades ago, but she foolishly allowed “serious pursuits” to get in her way. Now that her beloved children can feed, clothe, and most importantly, support themselves, she’s free to turn her attention to her first passion – putting words to paper that capture your attention and make your heart sing in quiet joy. Her stories tell most frequently of second chances–in life, love, and sometimes even at rediscovering a soul-mate from a previous life.
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