PLBR Book Reviews 2018 - ELLES BOOK BLOG

ELLES BOOK BLOG

PIE HARD BY KIRSTEN WEISS

2/28/2019

I just love this series! There are delicious recipes to try, engaging and fun characters, and a mystery that readers can crack right along side the characters! I very much recommend it.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: February 26, 2019
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Pie Town Mystery series #3
Pages: 352 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

Will Val pie hard on national TV?

Business at the bakery may have slowed down, but Val Harris isn't about to eat humble pie--not until a reality cooking show decides to whip the struggling Pie Town into shape. If Val can tolerate criticism from an abrasive pastry chef during filming, the free publicity might turn the unusual opportunity into the sweetest deal she didn't know she needed.

Except no one in San Nicholas has an appetite for dessert once murder steals the spotlight. When the show's bossy producer gets pushed to her death, Val and her flaky, septuagenarian pie crust expert, Charlene, follow crumbs in hopes of finding the killer. But with cameras still rolling and the shocking identity of the victim's replacement a guaranteed recipe for disaster, Val needs to stay cool long enough to solve the crime and keep Pie Town from falling apart--or else she just might go up in smoke before she ever graces the small screen.

ZERO F*CKS BY S.M. SHADE

2/27/2019

Zero F*cks is the fourth book in the Violent Hill Circle series and it is absolutely hilarious! I was giggling the whole way through. Please note: each book can be read as a complete standalone.

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: February 27, 2019
Genre: Romantic Comedy. New Adult.
Series: The Violent Circle series #4 (can stand alone)
Pages: 156 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

Mr. Rogers did not prepare me for the people in my neighborhood. A cut in financial aid for college and a lot of bad luck have landed me not only on Violent Circle, but in the apartment known as Frat Hell.

I can handle myself, so living with three guys isn’t a problem. Even the madhouse disguised as a low income neighborhood isn’t an issue. The trouble is Denton, the man with the mischievous grin in the room across from mine.

I can resist the lean, muscled body. I’m stronger than the quick smile and adorable dimple. But his kindness, that may be the straw that breaks the vagina’s crack.

I just need to keep my head down and my legs together while I focus on making my dream of owning my own tattoo shop a reality.

TUMBLE BY ADRIANA LOCKE

2/24/2019

Tumble by Adriana Locke is the first book in the Dogwood Lane series. It's a small town, second chance romance with a single dad! I can't wait for the next one.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: February 26, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance.
Series: Dogwood Lane #1 (can stand alone)
Pages: 279 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

From USA Today bestselling author Adriana Locke comes a witty romance about first love and second chances.

After being burned by her dream job in New York City, sports journalist Neely Kimber suddenly finds herself jobless and paying a long-overdue visit to her hometown in Tennessee. Her plan? Relax, reset, and head back up the corporate ladder. There’s just one unexpected step. Neely’s back in Dogwood Lane for barely a day when she sees the man she ran from nine years ago: the bad boy next door who was her first kiss, her first love, and her first heartbreak.

Devoted single dad Dane Madden knows he hurt Neely in the worst way. He’s got a lot to make up for. And as passionate as their reconnection is, it’s a lot to hope for. Having her back in his arms feels so right. But falling

RESTAURANT WEEKS ARE MURDER BY LIBBY KLEIN

2/22/2019

I love this series so much! I hope Libby Klein will write a ton of Poppy McAllister books because I really can't get enough! If you are a cozy mystery reader this is a must read book/series for you.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: February 26, 2019
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Poppy McAllister series #3
Pages: 304 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

Cape May, New Jersey, is the site of a big culinary competition—and the knives are out . . .

Poppy McAllister is happy about opening a Jersey Shore B&B—but working in a professional kitchen has always been her real dream. Now it’s coming true, at least briefly, as she teams up with her former fiancée, Tim—and his condescending partner, Gigi—during the high-profile Restaurant Week challenge. Poppy’s specialty is pastries, despite her devotion to a Paleo diet. But if anyone can make glorious gluten-free goodies, it’s Poppy.

Things get heated quickly—especially when some ingredients get switched and Tim’s accused of sabotage. Relatively harmless pranks soon escalate into real hazards, including an exploding deep fryer. And now one of the judges has died after taking a bite of Poppy’s cannoli—making her the chef suspect . . .

BOYS OF BRAYSHAW HIGH BY MEAGAN BRANDY

2/20/2019

OMG. I am so obsessed with this book! It's got perfectly blended dark notes, a sexy as hell group of guys, and a kick ass heroine that anyone would want on their side. I highly recommend it.

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: January 15, 2019
Genre: Young Adult Romance.
Series: Brayshaw High #1
Pages: 386 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

"Girls like you aren't exactly welcomed at a place like this, so keep your head down and look the other way."

Those were the exact words of my social worker when she dropped me in my newest hellhole, a place for "troubled teens".

I didn't listen, and now I'm on their radar.

They expect me to play along in their games of hierarchy, to fall in line in the social order they've deemed me fit.

Too bad for them, I don't follow rules.
Too bad for me, they're determined to make sure I do.

Inconceivably attractive and treated like kings...these are the boys of Brayshaw High.
And I'm the girl who got in their way.

TEQUILA TEQUILA BY EMMA HART

2/18/2019

Cute, fun, and quirky are the best words to describe Tequila, Tequila! If you are a fan of the friends-to-lovers trope this is a must read for you! I have been a huge fan of the authors books in the past and am always looking forward to her new releases!

Rating: ★★★
Release Date: November 13, 2018
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Series: None. Standalone.
Pages: 192 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

TEQUILA + YOUR BEST FRIEND + YOUR BEDROOM = UM. WHOOPSIE?

Don't sleep with your best friend.
Take it from me. I did it. And it was awful.

I-wish-the-tequila-made-me-forget kind of bad.

The problem is, Luke has forgotten. He swears that he can't remember a thing about that night beyond the trays of tequila shots being set on the tables.

Except I can't forget. I can't forget how good his hands felt until I fell over and hit my hip on the dresser, and I sure as hell can't forget the entire two minutes of tap-tap-squirt.

Awkward. Embarrassing. And the new subject of a couple of dirty

THE GREAT ESCAPE BY CAHRLOTTE FALLOWFIELD

2/16/2019

The Great Escape is another hilarious addition to the Dilbury Village series! If you enjoy laugh out loud chick lit novels, I very much recommend this book (and the series).

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: August 31, 2017
Genre: Chick Lit. Romantic Comedy.
Series: The Dilbury Village series #2 (can stand alone)
Pages: 214 pages
Format: eBook. Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited.

A tropical beach paradise in Mexico was the last place Georgie Basset expected her decimated heart to be jump-started again, not after she’d been jilted the year before by her fiancé, leading to said breakage. But when she spotted Weston Argent jogging along the beach, all bronzed with ripped muscles like some Greek God out of a modern day Baywatch scene, she nearly choked on her cocktail. She knew immediately she was in trouble, she’d never reacted so strongly to a man on first glance.

However, after a disastrous first date with him, she headed back home to Dilbury, resigned to never seeing him again. That is, until Weston turned up unexpectedly at her dog grooming parlour with Bertie the French bulldog, a species she had a real weakness for. She couldn’t help but wonder if fate was playing a helping hand. But each time she saw him, their encounters never went smoothly, resulting in some

PUCKED BY HELENA HUNTING

2/14/2019

Pucked is the first book in the standalone, romantic comedy series. It's a hilarious sports romance that centers around hockey, and a fantastic set of characters.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: May 3, 2015
Genre: Sports Romance. Romantic Comedy.
Series: The Pucked series #1 (can stand alone)
Pages: 380 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased.

With a famous NHL player for a stepbrother, Violet Hall is well acquainted with the playboy reputation of many a hockey star. So of course she isn't interested in legendary team captain Alex Waters or his pretty, beat-up face and rock-hard six-pack abs. But when Alex inadvertently obliterates Violet's misapprehension regarding the inferior intellect of hockey players, he becomes much more than just a hot body with the face to match. Suffering from a complete lapse in judgment, Violet discovers just how good Alex is with the hockey stick in his pants.

Violet believes her night of orgasmic magic with Alex is just that: one night. But Alex starts to call. And text. And email and send extravagant - and quirky - gifts. Suddenly he's too difficult to ignore and nearly impossible not to like. The problem is, the media portrays Alex as a total player, and Violet doesn't want to be part of the game.

THE NIGHT OLIVIA FELL BY CHRISTINA MCDONALD

2/12/2019

Woah! This book blew me away! I devoured it in a day because I simply couldn't take my eyes off the pages. I think this is one of the best domestic thrillers I have read in a long time.

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Genre: Domestic Thriller.
Series: None. Standalone.
Pages: 368 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

In the vein of Big Little Lies and Reconstructing Amelia comes an emotionally charged domestic suspense novel about a mother unraveling the truth behind how her daughter became brain dead. And pregnant.

A search for the truth. A lifetime of lies.

In the small hours of the morning, Abi Knight is startled awake by the phone call no mother ever wants to get: her teenage daughter Olivia has fallen off a bridge. Not only is Olivia brain dead, she’s pregnant and must remain on life support to keep her baby alive. And then Abi sees the angry bruises circling Olivia’s wrists.

When the police unexpectedly rule Olivia’s fall an accident, Abi decides to find out what really happened that night. Heartbroken and grieving, she unravels the threads of her daughter’s life. Was Olivia’s fall an accident? Or something far more sinister?

MOTORHOMES, MAPS, & MURDER BY TONYA KAPPES

2/11/2019

Oh, man! I just love Normal, Kentucky. It's also so much fun to visit this small town and the uproarious group of characters. If you are a cozy mystery fan, this is a must read series for you!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: February 11, 2019
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: The Camper & Criminals series #5
Pages: 300 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

Welcome to Normal, Kentucky, where nothing is . . . NORMAL!

Mae West, owner of Happy Trails Campground, never thought she would become an actress like her namesake. Calling herself an actress might be far stretch as she plays a minor role in the local Civil War reenactment BATTLE AT CAMP WILDCAT.

When the reenactment doesn't go as planned, not one but two of the town's folks aren't playing dead. . .they were MURDERED!
Come to find out there was a prison break and the serial killer is believed to be in Normal and someone has stolen a motorhome from Happy Trails Campground.

Are these connected?

Mae lets boyfriend and hunky detective, Hank Sharp, follow all the leads about the murders and on the trail of the serial killer because

THE GOOD ONES BY JENN MCKINLAY

2/10/2019

Squee!!!! I loved this book so much! It's a story about a soon to be bookstore owner (who is also a bookworm) and a cowboy single dad! This book made me SWOON and fall in LOVE.

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance.
Series: Happily Ever After #1 (can stand alone)
Pages: 336 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

A romance bookstore owner finds her own happily ever after with a single dad in a new romance series from the New York Times bestselling author of Every Dog Has His Day.

Ryder Copeland is an accomplished architect and one heck of a father...not to mention tall and sexy. He's everything a hero should be, and Lord knows, Maisy Kelly has read enough of her great-aunt Eloise's romance novels to recognize one when she sees one. But like all fairy tales, Maisy can't help but wonder if this Prince Charming is too good to be true...

Ryder is drawn to the shy, curly haired professor who hires him to convert the Victorian house she's inherited from her aunt into a romance bookstore. Attracted to a woman for the first time since his divorce, Ryder finds himself wishing for a future with Maisy that he knows is impossible. Ryder has never wavered from his plan to leave the small town of Fairdale, North Carolina, so he can give his daughter the life she deserves. But suddenly he's not so sure. And the closer he gets to Maisy, the harder it's going to be to walk away...

MY SISTER IS MISSING BY CARISSA ANN LYNCH

2/8/2019

My Sister is Missing is a fast paced, gripping read. It's also one that readers can easily get through in one sitting as the page count is just under 200 pages.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: February 8, 2019
Genre: Mystery. Thriller.
Series: None. Standalone.
Pages: 197 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

“Reminiscent of Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects" Christina Kaye, award-winning author of Presumed DeadA twenty-year-old local mystery that has never been solved.

A bone-chilling VHS tape depicting a horrific crime.

Neighbors with something to hide.

And a sister who is missing.

Emily has to find out the truth. But is her sister Madeline the victim…or the one to blame?

A creepy and chilling thriller that you won’t be able to put down. MY SISTER IS MISSING is the most gripping read of 2019.Readers can’t get enough of this book.

I OWE YOU ONE BY SOPHIE KINSELLA

2/6/2019

It comes as not surprise to me that Sophie Kinsella has written another fantastic and hilarious novel. One would think her quirky characters would eventually get old but this isn't the case! I absolutely loved this book. And I highly recommend it.

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Genre: Chick Lit.
Series: None. Standalone.
Pages: 448 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

Fixie Farr has always lived by her father’s motto: “Family first.” And since her dad passed away, leaving his charming housewares store in the hands of his wife and children, Fixie spends all her time picking up the slack from her siblings instead of striking out on her own. The way Fixie sees it, if she doesn’t take care of her father’s legacy, who will?

It’s simply not in Fixie’s nature to say no to people. So when a handsome stranger in a coffee shop asks her to watch his laptop for a moment, she not only agrees—she ends up saving it from certain disaster. To thank Fixie for her quick thinking, the computer’s owner, Sebastian, an investment manager, scribbles an IOU on a coffee sleeve and attaches his business card. Fixie laughs it off—she’d never actually claim an IOU from a stranger. Would she?

THE HIDING PLACE BY C.J. TUDOR

2/4/2019

The Hiding Place is a tense and original read that blew my mind! I got the chills, felt the tension, and wanted to scream in delight! I very much recommend this novel. It's one of my new favorites!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Genre: Suspense. Thriller. Psychological Horror.
Series: None. Standalone.
Pages: 281 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

The thrilling second novel from the author of The Chalk Man, about a teacher with a hidden agenda who returns to settle scores at a school he once attended, only to uncover a darker secret than he could have imagined.

Joe never wanted to come back to Arnhill. After the way things ended with his old gang--the betrayal, the suicide, the murder--and after what happened when his sister went missing, the last thing he wanted to do was return to his hometown. But Joe doesn't have a choice. Because judging by what was done to that poor Morton kid, what happened all those years ago to Joe's sister is happening again. And only Joe knows who is really at fault.

Lying his way into a teaching job at his former high school is the easy part. Facing off with former friends who are none too happy to have him back in town--while avoiding the enemies he's made in the years since--is tougher. But the hardest part of all will be

WE TOLD SIX LIES BY VICTORIA SCOTT

2/2/2019

Filled with major twists and turns that had my head spinning, We Told Six Lies is bound to be a major hit upon release! I personally liked this book. It's not the best I have ever read but I enjoyed it as I was reading (especially the twist).

Rating: ★★★
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Genre: Young Adult Thriller and Suspense.
Series: None. Standalone.
Pages: 352 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

Remember how many lies we told, Molly? It’s enough to make my head spin. You were wild when I met you, and I was mad for you. But then something happened. And now you’re gone.

But don’t worry. I’ll find you. I just need to sift through the story of us to get to where you might be. I’ve got places to look, and a list of names.

The police have a list of names, too. See now? There’s another lie. There is only one person they’re really looking at, Molly.

And that’s yours truly.

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