Carries Book Reviews

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Title: How to Hide in Plain Sight

Author:  Emma Noyes

Publisher: Berkley

Publication Date: Sept 10, 2024

Page Count:  394

My rating: 3 1/2 stars

About the book:

The unbreakable bonds of family and love are explored in this brilliant and tender story from the author of Guy’s Girl.

On the day she arrives in Canada for her older brother’s wedding, Eliot Beck hasn’t seen her family in three years. Eliot adores her big, wacky, dysfunctional collection of siblings and in-laws, but there’s a reason she fled to Manhattan and buried herself in her work—and she’s not ready to share it with anyone. Not when speaking it aloud could send her back into the never-ending cycle of the obsessive-compulsive disorder that consumed her for years. 

Eliot thinks she’s prepared to survive the four-day-long wedding extravaganza—until she sees her best friend, Manuel, waiting for her at the marina and looking as handsome as ever. He was the person who, when they met as children, felt like finding the missing half of her soul. The person she tried so hard not to fall in love with… but did anyway. 

Manuel’s presence at the wedding threatens to undo the walls Eliot has built around herself. The fortress that keeps her okay. If she isn’t careful, by the end of this wedding, the whole castle might come crumbling down.

How to Hide in Plain Sight by Emma Noyes is a book that is on the harder side to define with this being partly a contemporary romance with a darker side to the topic making it more realistic fiction with a side of drama to it too. The main character in the story suffers from OCD and deals with her mental health along with dealing with her dysfunctional family so it’s not a sunny slice of romance.

Eliot Beck left her home and her family as soon as she could after high school fleeing to Manhattan where she didn’t feel as out of place among the sea of strangers as she did growing up in Canada. Eliot buried herself in her work and learned to cope with what she found out was OCD that had the thoughts in her head all wrong when she was younger.

Now three years after her departure Eliot is heading home after getting the invite to her brother’s wedding. Eliot vows that she can handle three days with her dysfunctional family and will quickly return to her safe haven in Manhattan once the wedding is over but Eliot didn’t realize her family had invited, Manuel, Eliot’s once best friend and the one person she regretted leaving behind.

How to Hide in Plain Sight by Emma Noyes is one of those books that while I wish I could rate it higher as I appreciated a lot of what the author did in the book I was left at rating this one three and half stars when it was said and done. The story is a heavy one overall but did have some more light hearted humor to it now and again as it dealt with OCD in a way I’d never read about before and I felt like I did learn a thing or two along the way. The problem though was this one felt that as long as the book was it didn’t feel finished in the end, like something was missing or needed to feel fully satisfied. While glad I’d read it I was just left wanting a bit more.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Emma Noyes told her mother she wanted to be an author when she was six. She grew up in a suburb outside Chicago and attended Harvard University, where she studied history & literature. She started her career at a beer company, but left because she wanted to write about mermaids and witches—eventually publishing her first YA fantasy series, The Sunken City. She now lives in Chicago with her Swedish boyfriend and accident-prone Pomeranian. GUY’S GIRL is her adult debut.

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Ice Ice Maybe
Rich Amooi
Publication date: September 24th 2024
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

“I want you to date my daughter.”

Those seven words hit Nolan Reid like a puck to the head.

Once destined for NHL stardom, a skiing accident left Nolan driving the Zamboni for the San Diego Sea Lions. But his humble life of maintaining the ice is about to get complicated.

The billionaire owner’s insane plan? Nolan fake-dates his daughter Zena to ignite her ex’s jealousy. The twist? Said ex is the team’s star player, and his green-eyed monster apparently fuels goals.

Suddenly, Nolan’s navigating a minefield of pretend kisses, all-too-real feelings, and death glares from a human sequoia oozing enough testosterone to give him secondhand chest hair.

With sparks flying, the playoffs looming, and her ex itching to use him as a toothpick, Nolan is playing a high-stakes game of Jealousy Jenga that could crumble any moment.

But for a shot at love with Zena? He might just risk it all.

Ice Ice Maybe is closed door, fake-dating, opposites attract, forced proximity, hockey romance with humor, heart, and loads of romantic comedy fun. No third-act breakup.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Author Bio:

Rich Amooi is a Taleflick Discovery Winner, Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Recipient, Holt Medallion Finalist, and the bestselling author of 24 romantic comedies. A former radio personality and wedding DJ, Rich now writes romantic comedies full-time in San Diego, California, and is happily married to a Spanish Princess. He believes in silliness, infinite possibilities, donuts, gratitude, laughter, and happily ever after.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Bookbub

 

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Late update this week but only one new title added to my ever towering TBR to share this week!

As always clicking the covers will take you to the book on Amazon!**

New additions from Netgalley Oct 6th  – Oct 13th

A fresh take on the classic conman chase novel following two adult siblings forced to play nice in hopes of tracking down the man they believe killed their mother and ran off with their sizable inheritance.


Hazel and Kagan have never really gotten along, but the siblings have certain things in common: they’ve both been cut off from the family fund, they’re not on the best terms with their mother, and they aren’t fans of their stepfather, Perry.

When the siblings receive the tragic news of their mother’s suspicious passing, an investigation quickly follows, and the police seem to have them both high on their list of possible suspects.

After an awkward, yet revealing conversation with Perry, the man disappears. A call to the family lawyer confirms Perry didn’t leave empty handed—the family money was cleared out.

Faced with the reality of their current dire financial situation becoming permanent, Hazel and Kagan frantically scramble for any leads on their stepfather’s whereabouts.

With their futures at stake, the siblings must find a way to work together to outsmart a long-operating mastermind conman who is nothing at all like the man they thought they knew.

A thrilling chase packed into a stirring commentary on the complexities of family, Trust Issues delivers an unexpected twist at every turn.

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Title: Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop

Author:  Emmeline Duncan

Publisher: Kensington Cozies

Publication Date:  July 23, 2024

Page Count:  269 

My rating: 3 1/2 stars

About the book:

Bailey Briggs adores her year-round Halloween-themed town of Elyan Hollow, Oregon, but when she takes over her grandfather’s beloved bookshop, Lazy Bones Books, she accidentally discovers the town’s secret dark side . . .

 Normally, spooky season is Bailey Briggs’ favorite time of year, and her Halloween-themed small town’s time to shine. But between managing Lazy Bones Books, working on her graphic novel-in-progress, and running the Spooky Season Literary Festival, Bailey hardly has a moment to enjoy Elyan Hollow’s spot-on seasonal vibes. Not to mention, at every turn she seems to be tripping over the contentious crew of Gone Ghouls, a ghost-hunting reality TV show currently filming around town. Bailey tries to stay focused on the Lit Festival, which is supposed to kick off Elyan Hollow’s annual Halloween Fair; instead, this year’s festival begins with a murder . . .

It’s bad enough Bailey discovered the victim, but now, as a lead suspect with some (admittedly) damning evidence pointing her way, she’s got to clear her name! With the help of her librarian friend, Colby, and Jack Skeleton, her world-class bookshop dog (and the absolute bestest boy ever), Bailey sets out to solve a murder . . .

As her investigation weaves through family secrets, professional rivalries, and town feuds, the list of suspects is growing fast . . . and unfortunately, so is the list of victims. If Bailey doesn’t find the killer soon, Elyan Hollow’s haunted reputation will get a little too real . . .

Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop by Emmeline Duncan is the first book in the new cozy Halloween Bookshop Mystery series. The Halloween Bookshop Mystery series is like most cozy mystery series in which each book of the series is going to contain it’s own mystery to be fully solved by the end of the book so they will be able to be read as a standalone or in any order if choosing to do so.

Bailey Briggs is from the Halloween-themed town of Elyan Hollow, Oregon and has just taken over running Lazy Bones Books, her grandfather’s beloved bookstore. With the spooky season upon the town that celebrates the season year round things are certainly ramping up around town with Bailey also running the town’s first ever Spooky Season Literary Festival.

Bailey has lined up plenty of authors for her festival but seems to be spending a ton of time avoiding the crew of a ghost-hunting television show, Gone Ghouls, who want to film from her bookstore. Just as Bailey gets a moment to explore the local hay bale maze with her good friend Colby things go even more awry when the two stumble upon a dead body and when it’s found that a murder has occurred Bailey herself ends up a suspect.

I have to say that Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, Christmas is great and all but I love all things kooky and spooky so of course the Halloween Bookshop Mystery series stood out to me. This one had all the elements that I enjoy in a cozy with an even more appealing small town charm aspect being all Halloween all the time. With likable characters, a cute furry companion and a fun mystery to solve I’ll definitely be returning to this series with this first book falling in at three and a half stars as I began to know the characters and town.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Emmeline Duncan is a mystery writer based out of Portland, Oregon. She’s the author of the Ground Rules Mystery Series, which includes Fresh Brewed Murder, Double Shot Death, Flat White Fatality, and the upcoming Death Unfiltered (April 2024). The first book in her Halloween-bookstore-themed series, Chaos At The Lazy Bones Bookshop, will arrive in August 2024.

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Barristers & Bones
J. L. Brannick
(Las Vegas House of Spades, #1)
Publication date: October 15th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Dark Comedy, Dark Romance, Romantic Suspense

A hot, morally gray mentor out for revenge. A sprawling funeral home. Torture, mayhem, and a Las Vegas wedding she can’t remember.

Luna needs to complete an internship to graduate, but staying alive suddenly takes priority when she’s paired with the cold, starkly handsome attorney from hell. Roman Fowler is an infamous partner at the most notorious law firm in Las Vegas, and he’s harboring deadly secrets and searching for retribution. And when he forces her hand, their chemistry explodes.

But she’s not a helpless, scared child anymore. The House of Spades–her adopted family–is a powerful, violent, oddly close-knit clan that has a hands-on, DIY approach to taking care of “life’s little problems.” They’re still deciding if Roman is a problem when Luna’s dark past threatens.

Can they fight the danger and menace together? Or will the monsters win again?

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

He smirked and walked over, wrapping his arms around me. “Why do I feel there’s no right answer here?”

My lips quirked. “Because you’re smart, but you never listen.”

He bent down and sniffed my neck. “I do listen to you, especially when you’re

making those sexy little whimpers while I’m–”

I put my hand over his mouth. “If you start with the dirty talk, we’ll never make it

to Ezra’s house for dinner.”

 

Author Bio:

J. L. Brannick lives in the desert with her family and fur babies. She works as an attorney, and detoxes by taking long hikes and exploring old Western ghost towns while plotting her novels. She graduated from law school in Las Vegas, Nevada where she quickly realized that truth can be stranger than fiction.

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