Book #5:
What Really Happens in Vegas by James Patterson (Length: 368 pages) As much as James Patterson annoys me by partnering with various “co” authors who are the ones doing all the work, as someone who used to visit Vegas a bit in the past, I was excited to read this. This book contains lots of great factoids that I didn’t know, such as WHY exactly did Vegas transform from cheap food and free drinks to being super expensive (short answer: Steve Wynn). The behind the scenes looks at the various industries that support Vegas are fascinating. The book is well-organized and is well-written, no thanks to James Patterson of course. ;) Definitely worth a library check out.
Book #6:
The Drift by C.J. Tudor (Length: 418 pages). It takes a lot to scare me but this VERY creepy, apocalyptic, set in a pandemic (with a very scary virus that turns people into zombies called “whistlers”) gave me a few nightmares. The novel is set in a few different places–a school bus crash, a mysterious place called The Retreat, and a stalled cable car–all the action is taking place during a winter snowstorm. There are disparate characters in the novel who all end up having some connections, and it was a lot of fun to read this thriller to see what is really going on. The writing is strong, the plot is well-drawn and supremely entertaining. There are some murders but nothing super gruesome. Absolutely worth a read!
Book #7:
The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren (Length: 101 pages). This novella is #1 in a 6 book Valentine’s Day themed Amazon series called the Improbable Meet Cute collection, each written by a popular rom-com author. They are free with a Prime subscription. I decided to download and read the first five (I’ve heard the last one is not good so I just skipped it). This first novella is by one of my favorite authors and it’s adorable and my favorite of the bunch! Two high schoolers start an anonymous email/pen pal relationship on Valentine’s Day 10 years ago, so we are along for the ride. These authors can make even epistolary rom coms work as the writing is fantastic, the banter between the two love interests in adorable and they have great chemistry. LOVE this one!
Book #8:
Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez (Length: 61 pages). If I had to choose one favorite rom-com author, it’s Abby Jimenez. I recommend her to anyone who is interested in starting to read romances as her writing is excellent and she doesn’t write romances that are too open-door for the average reader. (Start with The Friend Zone of hers if you’re in the same boat). Anyway, this second novella in the series is the sweetest of the series in my opinion. This features a hospice nurse who trades notes with a condo complex maintenance man on the nurse’s car. The nurse just happens to be taking care of her grandma in her last days and her grandma is my favorite character here. But the two love interests are adorable and just plain good people, and I loved how they came together. I would’ve loved a full-length novel with all three of these characters but I’ll take what I can get from this author. (She’s a great follow on Instagram too).
Book #9:
Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne (Length: 44 pages). This one is more of a short story than a novella, but it’s a testament to this author’s writing prowess that she is able to develop such a good romance within so few pages. The set up her is one sister gets stuck in a precarious situation during a spa day with the other sister, and her rescuer just happens to be super-hot. This is the funniest of the series, and there are some LOL lines which I always appreciate in a good rom-com. I loved the unique set up and I’ve got this author’s The Hating Game on my TBR so I hope to check that one out soon.
Lora Terrill 