Jennifer Trethewey's Blog

In case you haven’t seen my posts on Facebook, here another reminder to join the party on January 31st.

*Over 50 authors have signed up to take part in the Historical Romance Lovers Cozy Socks & Cocoa Party on Facebook. This fantastic and fast-paced event is your chance to meet authors, play games, and win lots of prizes, including books! The party is only for one day, but the group lets readers interact and talk romance all year long. Readers can chat and ask questions with their favorite romance authors! https://www.facebook.com/groups/historicalromanceloversgroup

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Having thoroughly enjoyed A Princess in Theory last month, I scooped up book 2 in Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals series. Happy to say, I loved A Duke by Default every bit as much. And yes, I’m aware of the gaffes related to titles, etc. but really, Cole could ask me to believe in fairies and I would. The peerage is a tangle for most American readers as well as a majority of UK readers, if I’m guessing right. So, none of that stuff mattered anyway. What mattered was the story, the romance, the changes and growth that took place in the characters. I listened to the audio book and, although the narrator was outstanding in book 1, she did not handle the Scots accent as well. Still, it didn’t diminish how much I enjoyed the story. Next up, book 3, A Prince on Paper featuring 2 favorite characters from the first two books! #23for23

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The promotional description of the male main character, Cash Evans—an alphamellow bad boy hero—is perfect. Lots of readers like a good alphahole hero. But I don’t find alphaholes as much fun as Alphamellows like Cash. Mellows are much easier to like. In this short holiday novel, the best part of Cash Evans’s day is a trip to the coffee shop where he exchanges a few words with the beautiful barista, Bailey Cooper. Until one day, their mutual concern for a homeless man brings them closer together. It’s one thing for Cash to make small talk once every three days with Bailey. It’s another kind of temptation altogether to have her working in as his receptionist in his tattoo parlor. Cash has a hard and fast rule: a 90 day limit on all relationships. But everything is telling him that he’s about to break that rule when it comes to Bailey Cooper.

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I love shifter romances. And shifter dragons? Yes ma’am. Add to that a Fated Mate trope and I’m all in. Saving Silver is a quick read, thoroughly engaging and somehow, Xavier Neal managed to combine sweat romance with hot romance. Because, believe me, the attraction is super-hot in this story but the two main characters, especially the silver dragon, are the sweetest lovers ever. I snacked on this novel. Now I need to scoop up the rest in the series! #23for23

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Happiness Falls by Angie Kim is admittedly a hard read, but so worth the effort. For every wonderful thing that happens in this story, there is a price to pay. This is a missing person mystery wrapped around a family drama dealing with a neurodivergent teen. I’m not going to write a book report. There are plenty of reviews describing the plot. The synopsis for the book is very detailed, as well. I can tell you that there is much to be learned within these pages if you let it seep in. It’s not meant as a springboard for the autism debates. What the author hasn’t experienced first-hand, she has researched thoroughly.  I appreciated the author’s notes at the end of the book. What I loved most about the story is the raw emotional moments and the narrator’s voice. Thank you, Angie Kim. #23for23

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In A Princess in Theory, Alyssa Cole manages to fuse my favorite fairytale, Cinderella, with my favorite Eddie Murphy movie, Coming to America. Naledi, a graduate student, lab tech, and catering waitress has no time for internet scammers from Africa or drunk friends showing up at all hours of the night or the damn fine-looking man who lives across the hall. She needs to keep her shitty jobs, pay her school loans, and secure a good summer internship if she plans to support herself. She doesn’t have rich parents or a Prince Charming waiting in the wings to take care of her. Until one day, a stranger comes to town and turns her carefully managed life on its head. The emails from Africa are not scammers, she does, in fact, have family, her Prince Charming is a real-life Prince from Thesolo to whom she’s been betrothed since childhood. The narrator for the book was fabulous and I got completely swept up in the romance. What is not to love about an Alyssa Cole book! #23for23

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I don’t think I can describe The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store better than Danez Smith of the New York Times Book Review, “smart, heart-blistering, heart-healing,” because this book is all about heart in the metaphorical sense. The story is set in Pennsylvania during the first half of the 20th Century—a time when segregation masquerades as integration, and a place where promises of prosperity, opportunity, and equality only apply to whites. That may sound grim but the resounding message of this story is one of love, endurance, and justice. This may seem like a small story about Pottstown, Pennsylvania and a neighborhood called Chicken Hill, but it is a better historical representation of America at that time than any history book. I don’t want to give away anything because I would want readers to have the same revelatory experience I did. I listened to the audio version. The narrator, Dominic Hoffman, is excellent. I highly recommend this book to every reader and thank the person who recommended it to me. #23for23

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I loved Natalie Caña’s first novel, A Proposal They Can’t Refuse. So, I was doubly excited to be back with the Vega family again in book 2, A Dish Best Served Hot. It’s a second chance love story featuring the oldest Vega brother, Saint, a man who is all about responsibility for his family, his country, and now his little daughter. There’s no room in his life for romance, but when his childhood sweetheart returns to the neighborhood after years apart, he feels the old tug in a big way. Lola León has returned to Humboldt Park to care for her grandfather. She’s a warrior for social justice and cannot turn her back when a shelter for homeless youths is under threat. Equally unable to resist her attraction to Saint, they quickly become blissfully entangled. Saint wants to help Lola but gets concerned when her activism captures the media’s notice. Saint may have to choose between love and his daughter’s safety, when Lola’s high-profile involvement draws attention from some dangerous people. Caña creates an immersive world of rich characters, complex story, and deep romance. I also adore the grandpas, their mischief, their love, and their heroism. Natalie Caña’s narrator, Valentina Ortis, is outstanding. I only wish I could listen to the next book NOW! Look for Sleeping with the Frenemy in June 2024. #23for23

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The cover of Jace City includes this subtitle: Family is Duty. Magic is Power. Honor is Everything. These are the core principles in the world Fonda Lee has created in Jade City. It’s a world readers will recognize. The names of places and car brands are different. The 1950’s technology is familiar. And the structure of municipal government has taken a left turn somewhere. But one doesn’t need a glossary to keep track. The main difference between our world and Jade City is the power of jade. In this novel, some people are immune to jade, some are adversely affected, and some derive physical power from the stone—the more stones, the more power.

I got lost in this novel from day one. I would recommend this to readers of speculative fiction, fantasy, paranormal or sci fi readers. I would also recommend it to anyone who loves a great action and adventure story. For example, if you love The Godfather, this book is for you. If you love Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, this book is for you. The good news is that there are 3 books in this series! Five Stars. #23for23

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This is book 2 of Primas of Power which delights me because there’s more where this came from. I love second chance romances and this one will take you around the romance bend. I mean, if the love of your life, the only person in the world you have ever loved enough to want to marry, splits town without a word, seemingly without any reason, and stays away for 13 years, you can reasonably write that person off, right? Of course, you do. But what are you going to do if, out of the blue, he sends you a text that reads I miss you? And what if he comes back to town looking unforgivably gorgeous, better looking than when he left? You make him pay, that’s what you do. You wring every excuse, every I’m sorry, and every how can I make it up to you out of him before you fall right back in love again. That’s what you do. Oh man, Alexis Daria knows how to write romance. #23for23.

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