Natalie Caña turns up the heat, humor and heart in this debut rom-com about a Puerto Rican chef and an Irish American whiskey distiller forced into a fake engagement by their scheming octogenarian grandfathers.

Kamilah Vega is desperate to convince her family to update their Puerto Rican restaurant and enter it into the Fall Foodie Tour. With the gentrification of their Chicago neighborhood, it’s the only way to save the place. The fly in her mofongo–her blackmailing abuelo says if she wants to change anything in his restaurant, she’ll have to marry the one man she can’t stand: his best friend’s grandson.

Liam Kane spent a decade working to turn his family’s distillery into a contender. Now he and his grandfather are on the verge of winning a national competition. Then Granda hits him with a one-two punch: he has cancer and he has his heart set on seeing Liam married before it’s too late. And Granda knows just the girl…Kamilah Vega.

If they refuse, their grandfathers will sell the building that houses both their businesses. With their futures on the line, Kamilah and Liam plan to outfox the devious duo, faking an engagement until they both get what they want. But soon, they find themselves tangled up in more than either of them bargained for.

I’ve been excited to give this one a read ever since I first heard of it. I’ve definitely been in need of some good rom coms, and this one did fit the bill. That’s not to say there weren’t some serious topics, such as PTSD, but I do wish some of those topics had been explored a bit more. In some ways it felt like they were glossed over.

Some of the characters absolutely made the story for me, I did really like the main characters even though they weren’t perfect. The grandfathers took the cake though. With that said, I did feel there was room for more character development and details. I did want it to be a light read, but I also don’t want it to be so light that it’s vague.

In the end I did really enjoy the story and it was a super easy read that flew by as I read it. I did really enjoy the different tropes and overall plot, so would definitely read from this author again.

Happy reading!

Meet 25 brave, compassionate scientists, veterinarians, activists, and others who fight for animal rights and conservation. Animal Allies takes readers all around the world—to the tops of trees and the bottom of oceans, deep into the jungle and high into the mountains.

Swim with the sharks alongside Eugenie Clark, build bat houses with Amanda Lear, nurse a baby hippo to health with Christina Gorsuch, and protect endangered seahorses with Amanda Vincent and Heather Koldewey.

With a foreword by zoologist Lucy King and activities curated by conservationist Bindi Irwin, this book is sure to inspire animal lovers everywhere. Plus, scannable codes let you listen to longer stories on the Rebel Girls App!

I love love loved this installment in the Rebel Girls series! Any kind of animal advocacy and conservation is a dear subject to me and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about so many girls in the wildlife space that I did not know about. As with other installments in the series the interactive aspect, art and activities included were perfect for the tone of the book and series itself.

Happy reading!

The Second First Chance is a big, wonderful, messy love story about family, heartbreak, strength and courage. It shows us that sometimes what we want is what we least expect, and that everything we need is often right in front of us.

Strength comes in many different forms.  

Riya Desai and Dhillon Vora grew up together. Sharing secrets, hiding in their tree house, they were playmates, best friends and later—as teenagers—almost something more. Until the devastating house fire that ripped them apart, claiming the life of Dhillon’s father and Riya’s big brother, Samir. Riya and Dhillon have barely spoken since that terrible night, but they both made big decisions based on that fire.

Riya has chosen to fight fire with everything she’s got, but it’s not easy. As the only female firefighter and one of the only people of color at her fire hall, she has to prove herself over and over. Plus, she’s hidden her career from her family.

Dhillon wanted to heal things, so he became a veterinarian. When a chance encounter with a rescue dog throws Riya and Dhillon together again, he’s furious at her career choice. After what happened to them, how can she run into fires on purpose? For Riya, Dhillon’s anger is unacceptable: How can he not see that she’s protecting others from the very losses they both experienced?

This book sounded like a fun, possibly second chance lovers or enemies to lovers, so I wanted to give it a read. First and foremost, I really enjoyed the culture that was woven into the story. It featured dynamic characters, especially Riya and a ton of emotion as the two leads as well as others went through the process of healing and reconciling after the traumatic event that impacted them and altered their lives.

All in all this was a very emotional and touching story that was full of culture, growth and healing. The writing was easy to read and flowed really well, making the story easy to progress through. Shroff is definitely an author I would pick up again after reading this.

Happy reading!

A young woman’s life is torn apart when her wealthy ex-lover is found dead—along with his wife.

Vera is ruthlessly ambitious, beautiful, and knows how to get exactly what she wants—no matter who stands in the way. When she meets a wealthy older man on an exclusive dating app, she thinks nothing of the wife he tells her he’s separated from. But days later, when the man and his wife are found dead in their home, Vera is immediately blamed for their deaths and branded as good as a murderer.

A year later, she emerges from a cocoon of self-pity and tries to reenter the world, but the specter of scandal still clings to her. Then she’s invited to a memorial for the wife of her former lover. As she learns more about the family, and about the couple and their friends, she begins to suspect there was more to the story than an affair gone wrong. In a quest for redemption, Vera uncovers layers of lies and close-kept secrets held by an inner circle of filthy rich tech millionaires who will go to any lengths to protect their reputations.

Slow burns in any genre can be a hit or miss for me, sometimes I find they can’t hold my attention, but this one didn’t have that problem. I was engaged from the get go and invested in the story.

I did enjoy how dependent on the story the characters were and though I didn’t always like Vera, I was always engaged by her story as the facts came to light and the mystery unraveled. There are some real life issues woven in, which was nice to see, as well as the complexity in the characters, especially Vera.

There were definitely some reveals that were predictable, but overall it was an enjoyable and captivating read.

Happy reading!

There are summers that will change your life.

There are summers that may end it.

In the lush green hills beyond Florence sits the Villa Medici—a graceful pensione surrounded by manicured gardens. Rachel, a college student from an unfashionable London suburb, can’t believe her luck in landing a summer job here. Especially when she’s drawn into a circle of privileged young sophisticates, including her glamorous coworker Diana, who promises to help Rachel win the affections of handsome, confident Sebastian.

But as champagne flows and rivalries fester in the Tuscan countryside, Rachel realizes that Diana has motivations of her own. Adrift in a world of backstabbing and bed-hopping, lavish parties and easy betrayal, Rachel feels the stakes rising along with the temperature until, one night, something snaps. Someone dies. And nothing will ever be the same…

In this atmospheric thriller set in sun-drenched Tuscany, Lizzy Barber weaves a deadly web of manipulation and desire that will keep readers enthralled until the breathtaking last page.

If you’re looking for a book full of twists and turns, plus lots of surprises, this is definitely one for you. At times some of the reveals seemed a little much, especially when none of the characters end up being overly likeable for a number of different reasons. By the end it seems no one is wholly good. I did really enjoy the way the pace was as well as the anticipation that was set up throughout the book, there wasn’t really any lull that would make you want to put down the book. The writing style was engaging as well, which really helped with the overall flow of the book. There certainly was some over the top elements, but in a dark and twisty book that’s not always a bad thing.

Happy reading!

A family gathering

This Christmas the Miller siblings have one goal—to avoid their well-meaning family’s endless stream of prying questions. Ross, Alice and Clemmie have secrets that they don’t intend to share, and they are relying on each other to deflect attention.

An uninvited guest

Lucy Clarke is facing a Christmas alone and the prospect of losing her job. Unless she can win a major piece of business from Ross Miller, the season promises to be anything but festive. She’ll just deliver her proposal to his family home and then leave. After all, she wouldn’t want to intrude on the Miller family’s perfect Christmas.

A Christmas to remember

When Lucy appears on the Miller family’s snow-covered Highland doorstep, she’s mistaken for Ross’s girlfriend. By the time the confusion is cleared up, they’re snowed in—she can’t leave, even if she wants to! But does she want to? As secrets spill out like presents from an overstuffed stocking and the chemistry between her and Ross ignites, this is going to be either Lucy’s worst Christmas ever or the best mistake of her life. 

It’s the time of year for Christmas books and this one definitely fit the bill. I really enjoyed all the twists and turns to this one as well as the dynamics between all of the characters. The setting was wonderful and the story well paced, making for a very enjoyable read. This wasn’t just a romance but had multiple characters with real issues or triumphs in their lives coming together in the story. This was a great story for that Christmas feeling and another winner from Sarah Morgan.

Happy reading!

In this daring tale of female agency and revenge from a New York Times bestselling author, a girl becomes a teenage vigilante who roams Victorian England using her privilege and power to punish her friends’ abusive suitors and keep other young women safe.

Adele grew up in the shadows–first watching from backstage at her mother’s Parisian dance halls, then wandering around the gloomy, haunted rooms of her father’s manor. When she’s finally sent away to boarding school in London, she’s happy to enter the brightly lit world of society girls and their wealthy suitors.

Yet there are shadows there, too. Many of the men that try to charm Adele’s new friends do so with dark intentions. After a violent assault, she turns to a roguish young con woman for help. Together, they become vigilantes meting out justice. But can Adele save herself from the same fate as those she protects?

With a queer romance at its heart, this lush historical thriller offers readers an irresistible mix of vengeance and empowerment.

First and foremost, as soon as I saw the title I hoped there was at least a small Jane Eyre connection and I was not disappointed. I love the gothic feel of Jane Eyre and am always drawn to things that may be tied to it.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Adele was in fact the main character and while the beginning was slow, I appreciated the look at her younger story and how she got to where she was.

I did really enjoy the darkness to this story and how deep it went. As much as I love the original Jane Eyre, we all know it has it’s problems – and that Rochester is not the prince Jane necessarily made him to be.

This book did have some slow spots that did impact the reading journey, but the overall story made up for those little bumps in the road. I loved the dark, gothic feel of it and the story was very satisfying overall with Adele playing both a hero and villian.

Happy reading!

Alice Daniels has a problem. Her reflection keeps misbehaving when she looks in the mirror–and the longer she ignores it, the harder it tries to get her attention. On her eighteenth birthday, she learns why: she is a huntress, someone gifted with the power to enter mirrors and the magical world that exists beyond. But with this power comes immense responsibility, for in the Mirror Realm lurks an evil that has infected the human race for centuries: demons. It is up to her and her three huntress sisters–with the help of one handsome and overbearing protector–to hunt and banish this evil one demon at a time, thereby keeping the chaos in check. But when an ancient god pays Alice a visit that turns deadly, it is clear the Mirror Realm is more than it seems, and she soon finds herself in a race against time to save the life–and soul–of the one man the gods are determined to never let her have.

The Last Huntress is a story of redemption and sacrifice, the bonds of true sisterhood, and the impossible, sometimes frightening, things we’ll do for love.

I was really excited to pick this book up as it sounded right up my alley. The premise sounded like it was something I was really going to love. Anything with mythology is a must read for me, so I was ready to dive in.

First off, I found the world building to be done really well. I very much felt immersed in the world, I also felt like the magic system/traveling methods were really cool and a great concept.

There’s a great found family in the story and I felt like the characters were vibrant and individuals. It was hard to put down and was full of intrigue. It’s a great start to a paranormal romance series.

Happy reading!

From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of This Book is Anti-Racist, Tiffany Jewell, with art by Eisner-nominated illustrator Nicole Miles, The Antiracist Kid is the essential illustrated chapter book guide to antiracism for empowering the young readers in your life!

What is racism? What is antiracism? Why are both important to learn about? In this book, systemic racism and the antiracist tools to fight it are easily accessible to the youngest readers.

In three sections, this must-have guide explains:

– Identity: What it is and how it applies to you
– Justice: What it is, what racism has to do with it, and how to address injustice
– Activism: A how-to with resources to be the best antiracist kid you can be

This book teaches younger children the words, language, and methods to recognize racism and injustice—and what to do when they encounter it at home, at school, and in the media they watch, play, and read.

As soon as I saw this one I wanted to pick it up and give it a read. It’s extremely timely considering current events and I think a great addition to libraries or household collections to share with younger readers. I really enjoyed the characters that were created by the author and how they were crafted to help illustrate the concepts and issues being discussed. The way this was written is great for it’s target audience, the information is clear and presented in an open and conversational way. I can’t wait to see what the finished book looks like with all of the images as I think it will be a winner and great addition to anyone’s library.

Happy reading!