PLBR Book Reviews 2018 - ELLES BOOK BLOG

ELLES BOOK BLOG

THE NIGHT SWIM BY MEGAN GOLDIN

12/7/2020

The Night Swim is by far one of my favorite books of 2020! It's a relevant thriller with all the pieces of a well woven mystery too. I highly recommend it!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: August 4, 2020
Genre: Crime. Thriller. Suspense.
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 352 pages
Format: Hardcover. Book of the Month Box.

In The Night Swim, a new thriller from Megan Goldin, author of the “gripping and unforgettable” (Harlan Coben) The Escape Room, a true crime podcast host covering a controversial trial finds herself drawn deep into a small town’s dark past and a brutal crime that took place there years before.

Ever since her true-crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall has become a household name—and the last hope for people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.

The new season of Rachel's podcast has brought her to a small town being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. A local golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under

A VERY BOSSY CHRISTMAS BY KAYLEY LORING

11/27/2020

A Very Bossy Christmas is the first book I've read by Kayley Loring and I am officially obsessed! This is a hilarious novel, one I fell in love with the second I started reading. I highly recommend it!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: October 26, 2020
Genre: Romantic Comedy | Holiday Romance
Series: Complete Standalone
Pages: 255ages
Format: eBook. Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited.

What’s the actual last thing you’d ever want your executive assistant to see you doing the morning after you had hot, drunk, angry sex with her in a terrible hotel room? Dancing around your terrible hotel room to “Come and Get Your Love” like Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy—naked? Yeah. Me too.

And yet, here we are.

This isn’t even the most unprofessional thing that’s happened between us in the past couple of weeks.

The first was when I agreed to let her have Christmas Day off, but only if she goes with me to three family gatherings as my fake girlfriend.

The second was when she caught me belting out a Christmas song on stage in the awful hotel bar.

BREAK ME BY MEAGAN BRANDY

11/22/2020

I've been looking forward to Royce's book since the beginning of the Brayshaw series and this one did not disappoint! Ladies, you are going to love this brooding bad boy!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: November 18, 2020
Genre: Enemies-to-Lovers, new adult romance.
Series: Brayshaw series #5 (can stand alone).
Pages: 500 pages
Format: eBook. ARC kindly provided by the author.

I had a plan, and it was solid.

Track down what was hidden away and take pleasure in toying with it.
Toying with her.

That plan, it worked like a charm.
Until it didn’t.

Turned out, the feisty little thing I found was far from what I hoped for.
She was different from all I knew and more than I expected.

She was light, and I’m the bastard who led her into darkness.
But this girl... she followed with a smile.

I told her I break pretty things. She asked me to promise.

SEE ME AFTER CLASS BY MEGHAN QUINN

11/12/2020

See Me After Class is a hilarious romantic comedy about two teachers who can't stand each other (at first). I loved this book so much! It has all the belly laughs I needed and more!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: November 12, 2020
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Series: Complete Standalone (so far...)
Pages: 430 pages
Format: eBook. ARC kindly provided by the author.

"Did you have relations with my brother . . ."

Good question.

I’d like to preface this by saying it was never my intention to ever get involved in a workplace romance, let alone get involved with the most surly, agitating, and pompous man I’ve ever met who just so happens to be my new friend’s brother.

My intentions were to show students how English and reading books could actually be fun and make a new life for myself in the suburbs of Chicago.

But so far, I’ve managed to be called into the principal’s office.

Coerced into participating in the teacher's badminton league.

And instigated into passionate fights with Arlo Turner over

HYDRA BY MATT WESOLOWSKI

10/31/2020

Hydra is the second standalone in the Six Stories series by Matt Wesolowski. This is such a unique series as each book depicts a podcast that discusses an old cold case murder. I loved it!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: December 24, 2017
Genre: Crime. Podcasts. Suspense.
Series: Six Stories series #2 (can stand alone).
Pages: 251 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

A family massacre
A deluded murderess
Five witnesses
Six stories
Which one is true?

One cold November night in 2014, in a small town in the north west of England, 21-year-old Arla Macleod bludgeoned her mother, father and younger sister to death with a hammer, in an unprovoked attack known as the Macleod Massacre.

Now incarcerated at a medium-security mental-health institution, Arla will speak to no one but Scott King, an investigative journalist, whose Six Stories podcasts have become an internet sensation.

King finds himself immersed in an increasingly complex case, interviewing five witnesses and Arla herself, as he questions

IN HER PUMPKIN PATCH BY ALINA JACOBS

10/24/2020

In Her Pumpkin Patch is a hilarious romantic comedy that takes place during the Halloween season! So if you're looking for a fall themed book then look no further because this is a must have!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Genre: Chick Lit. Romantic Comedy.
Series: The Svensson Brothers series #3 (can stand alone)
Pages: 415 pages
Format: eBook. Borrowed with Kindle Unlimited.

Fall. Autumn. It doesn't matter what you call it, I hate it.

I despise pumpkins, Halloween, and the overwhelming sense of dread as the cold and damp move in.

But when my new chauffeur drives up in a hearse, Halloween carols blaring, I realize there will be no escape from the holiday.

Penny is the self-proclaimed Queen of Fall.

And it's her mission to turn me into a pumpkin spice fiend.

Penny

Fall is the best time of the year! I love pumpkin spice everything, cozy scarves, and nostalgic movies. But most of all, I love

FALLEN CREST HIGH BY TIJAN

10/10/2020

Fallen Crest high is just as juicy as I had hoped! This stepbrother romance is filled with the best angst and drama around! I can't wait to finish reading the series!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: November 18, 2012
Genre: New Adult. High school Romance. Stepbrother.
Series: The Fallen Crest series #1
Pages: 375 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased.

Mason and Logan Kade are two brothers who did their own thing. They were rich and expected to attend Samantha's school, Fallen Crest Academy. They chose public school and now she has to live with them. The problem is that she doesn't care at all: about them, about her friends, about her cheating boyfriend, or even about her parent's divorce.

But maybe that's a good thing. Maybe change is a good thing.

This book contains adult/mature young adult situations.

ONE TO WATCH BY KATE STAYMAN-LONDON

9/30/2020

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London just may be my absolute favorite book of 2020! I was enthralled and captivated by this tale of reality tv and love. I highly recommend it!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: July 7, 2020
Genre: Chick Lit. Romantic Comedy.
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 418 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased.

USA TODAY BESTSELLER • Real love . . . as seen on TV. A plus-size bachelorette brings a fresh look to a reality show in this razor-sharp, “thoroughly charming” (Hillary Clinton) debut.

Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger who has amazing friends, a devoted family, legions of Insta followers—and a massively broken heart. Like the rest of America, Bea indulges in her weekly obsession: the hit reality show Main Squeeze. The fantasy dates! The kiss-off rejections! The surprising amount of guys named Chad! But Bea is sick and tired of the lack of body diversity on the show. Since when is being a size zero a prerequisite for getting engaged on television?

Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition—under no circumstances will she actually fall in love.

THE SHADOWS BY ALEX NORTH

9/26/2020

Alex North does it again! The Shadows is a creepy psychological horror novel mixed with a murder mystery. His books are fantastic and I know after reading this one and The Whisper Man that I'll be a long time fan!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: July 7, 2020
Genre: Murder Mystery. Psychological Horror.
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 336 pages
Format: Hardcover. BOTM box.

The haunting new thriller from Alex North, author of the New York Times bestseller The Whisper Man

You knew a teenager like Charlie Crabtree. A dark imagination, a sinister smile--always on the outside of the group. Some part of you suspected he might be capable of doing something awful. Twenty-five years ago, Crabtree did just that, committing a murder so shocking that it’s attracted that strange kind of infamy that only exists on the darkest corners of the internet--and inspired more than one copycat.

Paul Adams remembers the case all too well: Crabtree--and his victim--were Paul’s friends. Paul has slowly put his life back together. But now his mother, old and senile, has taken a turn for the worse. Though every inch of him resists, it is time to come home.

DRIVE BY KATE STEWART

9/19/2020

What everyone was saying about Drive was right. This is one epic romance! I think it may even be one of my favorite romances ever written! I highly recommend it.

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: October 13, 2017
Genre: New Adult Romance. Epic Romance.
Series: None. Complete Standalone.
Pages: 412 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

2017 Nominee for Best Contemporary Romance-GOODREADS
Named one of the Top 10 hottest romance reads of 2017 by Huffington Post and New York Daily News!

Music . . . the heart’s greatest librarian.

The average song is three and a half minutes long; those three and a half minutes could lead to a slow blink, a glimpse of the past, or catapult the soul into heart-shattering nostalgia.

At the height of my career, I had the life I wanted, the life I’d always envisioned. I’d found my tempo, my rhythm. Then I received a phone call that left me off key.

You see, my favorite songs had a way of playing simultaneously. I was in love with one man’s beats and another’s lyrics. But when it

THE SETUP BY MEGHAN QUINN

9/8/2020

The Setup by Meghan Quinn is a quirky friends to lovers, college romance and I loved it to pieces! As with most of Meghan's books, you get a cast of sensational characters and a plot that will make you smile HARD! I highly recommend it!

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: September 10, 2020
Genre: College Romance. Friends to Lovers.
Series: Part of a greater series. Can Stand Alone.
Pages: 312 pages
Format: eBook. Arc.

I’ve fallen victim to a heinous act.

An act so vile, so downright dirty, that I’m not sure as a twenty-year-old man I'll ever recover. Brace yourself, because what I’m about to tell you might have you gasping in secondhand horror.
Ready? Here it goes . . .

I’ve recently become the pawn of a meddling mom.

Yes . . . A MEDDLING MOM--who's been trying to set me up all summer.

Now, I understand it’s not a crime for a mother to want her child to fall in love, but when she makes it her relentless MISSION, the heinous act should be classified as a misdemeanor at least.

Of course, my mom, the evil matriarch in the devil’s leggings, made

IF I COULD BY B. CELESTE

8/31/2020

If I Could is author B. Celeste's first MM romance and she nailed it! I loved Ren and Reese together and watching them fall in love was extremely heartwarming! I highly recommend it.

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: August 31, 2020
Genre: Contemporary. MM Romance.
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 252 pages
Format: eBook. Arc.

I never considered myself a selfish man until I met Lawrence “Ren” McKinley.

When pro baseball’s “would have been” becomes Exeter High’s newest coach, it takes one look of those flirty brown eyes and cocky smile before everything changes.

I thought I knew exactly what I wanted out of life until he walked into it.

Now, the only thing I know for sure is that I don’t want Lawrence McKinley to pay attention to anybody but me.

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON BY SHARON SALA

8/25/2020

Sharon Sala has written another amazing book in the Blessings, Georgia series and I can't stop thinking about it! I absolutely adore this series and recommend all the books to readers.

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: August 25, 2020
Genre: Small town, southern, wholesome romance.
Series: Blessings, Georgia series #10 (can stand alone)
Pages: 352 pages
Format: eBook. ARC.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Sharon Sala brings you back to Blessings, Georgia

How often do you find a love like this?

Cathy Terry is tired of running. Full of fear and hope, she backpacked across the country to Blessings, Georgia, not knowing if or when her abusive ex-husband would catch up to her. In Blessings she glimpses a safe haven and the closest feeling to home she's had in a long time—even more so when she meets Duke Talbot. The sweet, strong, and handsome rancher provides a shoulder to lean on. The stakes get higher as the community embraces her and her relationship with Duke deepens—but can Cathy claim a new home and family before her past claims her?

"Sharon Sala's Blessings, Georgia series is filled with unforgettable charm and delight!"—Robyn Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author

MIDNIGHT LILY BY MIA SHERIDAN

8/20/2020

Midnight Lily is one of the most unconventional and unique romance novels that I have ever read. My mind is still reeling from that ending! I highly recommend this one.

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: March 1, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance. Mental Illness.
Series: The Sign of Love Series (can stand alone)
Pages: 244 pages
Format: eBook. Purchased.

A standalone romance from the New York Times bestselling author of Archer's Voice.

Holden Scott is the prince of professional football. At least he was before he lost it all . . . or more to the point, before he threw it all away. Now he's out of a job, out of the public's good graces, and perhaps just a little out of his mind. So when a friend offers up his remote lodge in the wilds of Colorado, giving Holden some time away to get his life back on track, he can hardly say no. The last thing he expects is to see a beautiful girl in the woods—one wearing a white, lace dress who appears in the moonlight, and leaves no footprints behind. Is she a dream? A ghost? A product of his muddled imagination? Or something entirely different?

Midnight Lily is the haunting love story of two lost souls reaching for each other in the dark. A tale of healing, acceptance, and the worlds we create to protect our own hearts. It is a story of being lost, of being found, and of being in the place between.

THE IDEA OF YOU BY ROBINNE LEE

8/18/2020

The Idea of You is an exquisite portrait of sex and love between two people leading opposites lives. I was drawn into this book and enamored by it. I highly recommend it.

Rating: ★★★★★
Release Date: June 13, 2017
Genre: Contemporary (age gap) romance. Musicians.
Series: None.
Pages: 372 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased.

When Solène Marchand, the thirty-nine-year-old owner of a prestigious art gallery in Los Angeles, takes her daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favorite boy band, she does so reluctantly and at her ex-husband’s request. The last thing she expects is to make a connection with one of the members of the world-famous August Moon. But Hayes Campbell is clever, winning, confident, and posh, and the attraction is immediate. That he is all of twenty years old further complicates things.

What begins as a series of clandestine trysts quickly evolves into a passionate relationship. It is a journey that spans continents as Solène and Hayes navigate each other’s disparate worlds: from stadium tours to international art fairs to secluded hideaways. And for Solène, it is as much a reclaiming of self, as it is a rediscovery of happiness and love. When their romance becomes a viral sensation, and both she and her daughter become the target of rabid fans and an insatiable media, Solène must face how her new

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