In this story, we meet Maddie Moore, middle sister of three, who has come back to Lucky Harbor to take over the Inn her mother has left her and her siblings. The Inn, if you can really call it that, is in total disrepair, not even able to be used. So the sisters are forced to put some elbow grease into the joint in an attempt to flip the place quickly and be on their merry ways (they are sort of estranged, but not really). Maddie really wants to stay in Lucky Harbor, so she isn’t interested in just flipping the property. She wants to have a new home, due to some nasty circumstances in her former life in L.A. Along the way, we meet Jax Cullen, town hottie, among other things (I won’t spoil it for anyone).

What I liked best about this story is that it wasn’t a big, dramatic saga between Maddie and Jax. Their relationship was nice, and although it had some bumps in the road, they seemed really good for each other. This book also set the stage for the books featuring the other two sisters, Chloe and Tara. Looking at Shalvis’s bookshelf for this series, looks like there are many other stories to tell, as well. What I didn’t like was that I finished the book too quickly. Sometimes I do that because I can’t seem to help myself with a good story! Can’t wait to read the rest!

Here’s the scoop: Parker Harrington Welles is the mom to Ethan Mirabelli’s son, Nicky, from The Next Best Thing, so we know a little about Parker already. She comes from a very wealthy family, is a writer of a saccharin-sweet children’s series, and she’s actually a nice person. Her and Ethan have a non-traditional parenting arrangement, as he’s now married to Parker’s friend, Lucy. No problems so far. The problem comes from Parker’s father, Harry, pulling a Bernie Maydoff-type investment scheme that lands him in the big house, and puts Parker, who up to this point has donated her earnings from writing to charity, out on her butt. She finds out her long-lost aunt has bequeathed a home in Gideon’s Cove, Maine, so she heads up there (with the cast from Catch of the Day) to flip the house. Harry’s attorney, James Cahill (whom Parker loving refers to as “Thing One”) joins her, as he’s out of work now and wants to help her out. They both end up working on the house and the rest, as they say, is history.

Whew! That was a lot, but the story takes off pretty quickly, and there really isn’t any need to read the other books to get any back story. What you need to know Higgins fills you in on, so no problems there. What I loved about this book was that it would be very easy to hate Parker. She’s a smart, independent woman, and her wealthy background would make it very easy for us to hate her. But we find out early on that Parker really has a gooey center to that crusty outer shell. She’s not the snobby princess that we might suspect, but a caring and thoughtful mother and a woman who has never really been given a chance to do anything of substance in her life. James is another character that I really liked. Other reviews referred to him as being a little too puppy-like, and that’s true, but he was a great guy. He’s the kind of guy that has old-school integrity. Since this is a romance, and you know that the book has it’s HEA, you know that Parker and James belong together. And they really do. Turns out they both have some healing to do, but I won’t spoil it with any details.

Best part of the story? I loved Nicky, Parker’s son. He was a HOOT! Great comic relief and very true to little-boy-form. The second thing I loved about this book was that it was written in the third person. If you are a fan of Higgins, then you know that she typically writes in the first person. It’s a nice change of pace, since (for me) many of the books that I read are in the third person, but I thought this writing style made it a little more contemporary romance. I find (and other reviewers have said this, too) that Higgins’s books run that fine line between contemporary romance and women’s fiction. This was definitely more CR. I loved it and I hope you do, too. This book was worth the wait until my semester was over and Higgins is one of the few authors that I will just buy without looking at reviews and will pay full price for. Fabulous read!

OK, so why did this book rate so high? I LOVE a smart heroine. But more than that, I love it when the author of a book, containing said heroine, actually knows what she’s talking about. So many romance novels, and novels in general, try to find fun occupations for their characters. Authors do a little research and you get the general idea when you read the book that this person has a clue. But there’s something different when the author is writing from an experienced point of view. In a former life, James was an attorney, got her JD from UIUC, and she lives in Chicago. These are all things that one can gleam from FB or the back jacket of any of her books. In this story, this is Rylann Pierce. She is what I imagine every young law student to be like and anyone interested in making an impact in the legal profession. She’s a tough, no-nonsense, and truly invested in her craft, and we see her before her career starts, and again once she’s been pretty seasoned. Her passion comes through in everything she does, all the choices she makes, and her personality. Some of my more nit-picky things: James stays true to things like reciprocity (Rylann was barred in both IL and CA, so she doesn’t have to wait to try cases as an attorney). It’s little details like this that really irk me when I read books with characters that it’s clear the author has no background or wants to tie up the story without tying up the details.

Now, let’s get to the hero. I loved Kyle. He was a great hero and a fun guy to watch through a few of James’s novels, as well. Yes, the Twitter stuff was a little weird, but sometimes you have to suspend your disbelief and just go with it. I’m not a huge fan of “billionaire” heirs, since they seem to be making the rounds in romance recently, but Kyle was different. He was genuinely an interesting guy and I really felt like his story stayed true to his character. The romance was fun. I actually had a hard time putting this book down at times, because I really wanted to see what happened next. Definitely a sign of a good read.

This book, like others by James, is very smart. So if you need a romance that’s a little brainier, give this one a try. I cannot guarantee you will like it, but I thought it was fun. James is a really good author to start with, too, if you are new to the genre.

If you are a fan of Dr. Sears, this book is, in some ways, the next step in that process. Like all parenting books, you take what you want out of it. You probably won’t like 100% of the book, but there are definitely some good ideas and concepts to take away from it. In general, this book was much better than I had anticipated (I have low standards for celebrity self-help/parenting books). The resource section at the end of the book also had some great reads. Not a book I’d recommend buying, but if you are interested in this type of parenting and have access to this book (through your library or someone you know has a copy you can borrow) give it a shot.

The thing I liked most about this book was that Marly was an unapologetic flirt. She went after (and got) what she wanted in life and in love. Many contemporary romances seem to still have the heroine be squeaky clean, including her sexual experience. Marly doesn’t try to hide the fact that she knows what she wants and how to get it. The hero, Joe, is similar in this regard, but this behavior never seems to be a problem for heros. The other thing that I really liked about Marly was her history of pulling herself up by her bootstraps. Working in a professional kitchen is tough work for anyone, but significantly harder on women. Marly was a great model, while she stayed true to the issues that professional kitchens run into. Usen will have a second book, Luscious, out in July and it is one that I will make sure that I download ASAP.

Susanna Kearsley wrote this novel and it’s not a book that can easily fit into one category or another. There’s some romance, there’s a little suspense, there’s time travel, there’s unrequited love, there’s tea. What more could you want? I must admit, I was very skeptical when I first started reading it–Time travel? Are you kidding me?!–but trust me, this book was hard to put down once the story got cooking. I’m not sure if Kearsley’s other books are along the same vein, but this book was a refreshing change. Highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something fun to read.

Steinberg’s book takes us through the laughs, the tears, the inadequacies, and the triumphs of working in a city prison library. Steinberg’s experience is that of a non-MLS librarian (he makes a few comments in the book that would probably not be made with the degree), but the experience he shares is truly inspiring. Reading the book the full way through (I won’t spoil anything), you know where things are going. At times, the stories are a kin to watching a car accident in slow motion. My experience working with former inmates in a library setting definitely helped me understand Steinberg’s perspective a little better. It’s tough to watch those you care about or see promise in make poor decisions.  Overall, a great read and one that I would recommend as both recreational reading and those interested in our prison system.

In this story, we meet author John Murphy and his next door neighbor, Livvy. John, we find out through the course of events, is an author of a Harry Potter-like young adult book series. He’s having a touch of writer’s block until he gets to know his sassy neighbor a little better. Livvy, the owner of a bakery called “The Sugar Shack” is trying to make ends meet and get her sister off and married. This story was fun, had some interesting themes and characters, and definitely kept me turning the page to see what was going to happen next. Since reading this book, I’ve downloaded all the Kindle books by this author. She’s fabulous and a new author that I would definitely recommend.

Suffice it to say that these books were a fun, quick read. I needed something to get my mind off of school and night-time feedings with my daughter, and these books fit the bill. Dahl has a fun and witty writing style that makes her books difficult to put down. Can’t wait for the next series, although I can see many opportunities for off-shoots based on this series alone.

I finished the Susan Mallery trilogy on the Hendrix Sisters (Only Mine, Only His, Only Yours), which were fantastic.  If you’ve kept up with this series, you know that the Hendrix sisters are triplets who live in Fool’s Gold, which is Mallery’s little HEA town.  These stories were a lot of fun, and I love series where you can keep up with a family or group of friends.  Mallery introduced us to many new characters who will have their own stories, I’m sure, including the holiday short novella Only Us starring the latest veterinarian Cameron McKenzie which came out today.  Can’t wait to read it, even if it is short.

Last week I also have time to read the latest by Susan Donovan, another fav of mine.  I read Cheri on Top, which is the first in a new series about two friends who lost a lot of money in the real estate crash and are forced to move back home to get their lives back together.  In true Donovan fashion, this book had a little bit of mystery/suspense to it, but nothing too intense.  Characters were funny and a great distraction for me while we were driving cross-country to attend class.

Today’s book was Turn It Up by Inez Kelley.  This is my first time reading her work, but I really liked it.  The story was about two friends who are, unknowingly, in love with each other.  Circumstances and relationships have stopped their friendship from becoming more, but now, both single, they are ready to give it a try.  What I loved about this story, in addition to the fun “bets” that these two had with each other, was the banter while they were on the air.  The two of them hosted a show called “Dr. Hot and the Honeypot” where they answered sex questions.  The dialogue was priceless and made me laugh out loud at times.  Definitely something I needed!

These books save my sanity, folks, so don’t knock romance until you try it.  I’ll try to do a better job of keeping track of my “fun” reading.  I happens more sporadically now, but it’s something I make time for just the same.