Lisa's Cubby

Is it possible for two anxiety ridden adults both who have emotional challenges such as social anxiety disorder and panic attacks, both who are lonely and feel they are missing out on life, but are afraid to take a step ahead out of fear, can meet and fall in love? Bet on it!!

Aja Owens has fled to Greenbelt a small town because big cities give her too much anxiety. But even in a small town she still finds some things difficult, which is where she finds herself when at the Piggly Wiggly in the frozen food section she feels the panic coming. Using the tools she has been given by her therapist she tries to calm down, but nothing seems to be working until a handsome stranger comes over to her, takes pity on her and helps her through the crisis.

Walter Abbott fled Greenbelt years ago to live in a big city. He knows all about small town gossip and being made to feel like a loser. His parents had both been drug addicts and when they couldn’t take care of him, his grandmother stepped in. Of course, the whole town knew his story and taunted him from a young age. He began to have anxiety in social situations because he never knew what he would be facing. So, even though he loves his Gram he left for the city after college and has not returned since. Yes, he misses his Gram and the peach cobbler at the local restaurant, but nothing will ever get him to return. Until Gram has an accident and needs his help.

But when he takes his Gram to her weekly bingo game which accident or no accident, she cannot miss, lo and behold there sitting next to his Gram and talking to her no less as if they are long lost friends is the beautiful woman he helped at the Piggly Wiggly. He certainly knows the signs of a panic attack and although he did not want to embarrass her, he wanted to give her some encouragement.

Aja is shocked to see her knight in shining Piggly Wiggly armor and cannot believe he is related to the one person she is not too afraid to talk to, but to her surprise he never mentions their first encounter. Is he too good to be true? Aja, who has never won at bingo only goes for the companionship of Walter’s gram.

As they begin to get to know about each other and both awkwardly flirt, what starts out as a new friendship starts to become something more. Something neither of them knows really what to do with. And with Walter already saying he can’t wait to get back to the city, Aja decides to take this slow and agrees to go to a date with Walter to a different bingo hall because he has never won at bingo either!

After their first bingo date, and neither coming out a winner, they decide to continue going and place a bet on which of them will win bingo first, and let’s just say the prize is not money…

As their story continues and they realize they have so much in common and can feel each other’s fear and begin to understand that they are good for each other in so many ways, they still have certain obstacles which somehow, they are unable to get past. Knowing Walter will be going back home, Aja knows she can’t go with him, her anxiety too deep to go back there again. How do they proceed when it’s time to end this romance when Gram is back up on her feet again?

Bet on It is a wonderfully funny, yet empathetic look at what anxiety and stress can do to someone. And no one’s story is the same. But it hopefully will show those who suffer from this that they are not alone and if you keep at it, perhaps even if the anxiety never goes totally away, you can live a full life, by being honest with those who know you, get stronger and with that strength you can win whatever prize you dream of.

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #BetonIt #JodieSlaughter for the advanced copy.

The Charmed List is an adorably sweet, touching young adult story about two teenagers and their families who were best friends for years until they were not. Although neither has forgotten the other the awkwardness they feel has made it difficult for them to connect again, let alone speak to each other. Oh, and to make the story more interestingly fun the families live in a secret area of town and use magic which mortals are forbidden to know about.

Ellie Kobata is awkward, with no self-confidence who believes she is non-existent to the other students where she is a soon to be senior in high school. She has one friend, a best friend named Lia who she could not live without. Lia unfortunately is mortal and knows nothing of Ellie’s secret magical life. Her best friend for years, Jack Yasuda from the magic community, suddenly ditched her for reasons she still does not quite understand, but as angry as she is at him, she still finds herself thinking about him constantly.

As their junior year comes to a close and Ellie and Lia are about to begin an exciting road trip to deliver merchandise to some of the magical shops her parent’s store services, (Lia thinks it’s just a fun road trip), Ellie has decided that she would prepare a list of items she would like to accomplish this summer to hopefully bring her out of her shell so she can have a fabulous senior year! She has made a list of 13 accomplishments she would like to succeed at even though they scare her to death. It is called The Charmed List.

But days before their adventure is to begin, thanks to Jack Yasuda, not only will Lia not be allowed to go, but she may have lost her only friend and she thinks it might be forever. To make matters worse, as punishment for what happened Ellie and Jack’s families decide that they will have to make the delivery trip together. Now she must spend time with someone she dislikes, does not want to talk to but deep down can’t seem to forget.

And just when she thinks it cannot get any worse, Jack finds her list! He offers to help, but she is mortified that he has seen some of the “activities” and makes him promise not to mention it ever again!

But as they begin the journey, they both start to see who they really are and what they have lost over their years of not speaking. They begin to understand how misunderstandings can happen and although they know they can never go backwards to what they had, you can truly move forward into a different relationship with better communicating and well, maybe a little bit of magic. Oh, and that list? Well, you’ll just have to read this “charming” book to see how it ends…

Thank you #NetGalley #WednesdayBooks #JulieAbe #TheCharmedList for the advanced copy.

Her Darkest Secret is a twisted murder mystery about a serial killer who has been dormant for years who reemerges and begins his morbid killings again while stalking the two FBI special agents who were in charge of the case years ago, with one seeming to be the killer’s main obsession.

There is good reason for this infatuation. As a young girl, now FBI special agent Fiona Kelly was abducted, along with her sister and her sister’s friends by this madman aptly named the Nursery Rhyme Killer because the dead were staged as characters from nursery rhymes. Fiona’s sister and friends were killed. For some unknown reason, he let her go.

Her partner at the time Asa Kodiak, whose own mother was murdered in front of him and his sister when they were young, worked well together and had a very special relationship, built on what they both had witnessed as children. “Rhyme” as they named the killer, even seemed to kill when they had gone away, which brought them back to work, it seems much to the killer’s glee.

No one can understand Rhyme’s resurgence. Why now? Fiona and Asa are no longer even partners. But one thing is for sure; he is getting bolder leaving flowers for Fiona and seems to be stalking and taunting her.

As the two awkwardly reunite to try and solve this mystery working together while dealing with their own unfinished history, Rhyme is on another killing spree and they need to act quickly. The team spends hour trying to figure out if today’s suspects knew the victims from years ago. Fiona and Asa begin to feel these new killings are somehow trophies for Fiona.

As the list of suspects is reduced and they set their sights on who Rhyme could possibly be, the danger to both agents heats up as Rhyme sets his sights on them. As Fiona must deal with the guilt of letting this person somehow run and ruin her life for years, she also feels she in some way must be to blame for his actions. Why did he let her go and not kill her years ago? Asa is dealing with his own guilt as he relives his mother’s murder. He himself has guilt from years ago and what he may have done to prevent what happened.

Fiona and Asa are both tested in so many ways as they try and not only capture Rhyme but find a way to heal individually as well as together. But, as Rhyme’s anger becomes more intense, and the pieces of the crime begin to fall into place, will they both live? Her Darkest Secret is a thrilling gripping story with a surprise ending. We can only root for Fiona and Asa to come out of this alive.

Thank you #LisaWray #Harlequin #JessicaR.Patch #HerDarkestSecret for the advanced copy.

What was supposed to be a fabulous bachelorette (hen) party weekend for a group of girlfriends from England on a beautiful Greek Island to celebrate the upcoming marriage of Lexi, a woman who everyone adores turns into a weekend of hostility, jealousy and death. Why? Well secrets…

Lexi fell in love with Ed quickly and their relationship turned into a marriage proposal less than a year in. Although her friends are a bit hesitant, they support Lexi’s decision. Lexi on the other hand is excitedly anxious and deep-down wonders if she is making the right decision. But Lexi has a secret.

Bella is the maid of honor who is known to be loud and carefree and very protective of her best friend Lexi. She is also a bit jealous of Lexi’s relationships. She is not a fan of Ed’s. A former nurse, she is here with her girlfriend Fern, whose house they are staying. But Bella has a secret.

Robyn is a lawyer who has just divorced her husband. She has a young son and now lives with her parents. Robyn is a people pleaser who has changed her life to accommodate everyone, except for herself. This trip has begun to remind her of the way she used to be and how much she misses her old self. This weekend will be a rite of passage she never imagined. But Robyn has a secret.

Ana is a single mother of a teenager. She recently met Lexi at a yoga class Lexi teaches and they became fast friends. She is new to this group of women, much to Bella’s dismay. But Ana has a secret.

Eleanor is Lexi’s soon to be husband Ed’s sister. She is a sculptor. She should have been married, but her fiancée tragically died right before their wedding. She is still in mourning for the relationship she never thought she would ever have and now lives a lonely life wishing for what she could have had with her soulmate.

As they all congregate on this magnificent island, one by one the secrets, like dominos begin to fall. What began as a group of women enjoying each other’s company, begins to turn into a fierce battle for Lexi’s attention. friends turning on each other, shocking skeletons, hidden agendas and death.

One Of The Girls is an exceptional thriller which grips the reader and shocks them as one by one they reveal their revelations. The lesson of the story? Well, their are many, but the main one is your past will always come back to haunt you. But be careful because those past skeletons may just cause death.

Thank you #NetGalley #G.P.Putnam’sSons #OneOfTheGirls #LucyClarke for the advanced copy.

Meg Williams wants revenge. At a young age she and her dying mother were conned out of their home by an unsympathetic con artist. This left Meg homeless, motherless and in debt trying to pay off her mother’s funeral. She swore that she would someday make him pay for what he did to them. She decides then and there to beat him at his own game someday when he least expects it.

Over the years she practiced the “con game” on unsuspecting targets carefully honing her “craft” by using aliases and becoming an expert at many technological and psychological practices. She was able to never leave a paper trail. One day, many years later, she finally sees a chance to ruin him and make him pay. She was able to put her plan together, a plan years in the making.

Unbeknownst to Meg, there is one person who has been waiting to see what her next move would be. And when Kat Roberts sees a google alert with the name Meg Williams, she can hardly believe it. As a young newspaper intern years ago, she was on Meg’s trail after she had conned a school principal out of money and then up and disappeared. But unfortunately for Kat, a phone call she took at the newspaper would forever change her life and end her career. But Kat always knew their paths would one day cross again.

Kat sees that Meg has become a real estate agent and is coming into town. Odd, that this is the first sign of life from Meg after so many years. Kat decides to put herself in the position to finally meet Meg, figure out her scam, catch her and expose her. She will con the con. Her plan is simple. Become friends with Meg and figure out who the target is, what the con is and why and stop the fraud. What Kat never imagined is that she would begin to really like Meg as a real friend. But are they really friends?

In this thrilling cat and mouse story, you start to not know who is really telling the truth or lying for the sake of their con. As you follow both of their complicated past and present lives you try to pinpoint who the hero will be. As the author Julie Clark writes so eloquently, “The difference between justice and revenge comes down to who’s telling the story.” As the reader begins to learn what is motivating both women, you can’t help but root for them both.

Thank you #NetGalley #Sourcebooks #JulieClark #TheLiesITell for the advanced copy.

Sugar and spice and falling in love is the sweet premise of the lovely story behind Fake It Till You Bake It, a funny and warm hearted plot with a delicious ending!

When Jada Townsend-Matthews goes on a reality love show and is proposed to by the perfect guy on television and she says no, her life turns into its own reality story as she becomes one of the most disliked women on social media and in person.

After this episode, one of many missteps in Jada’s life, her grandmother who owns a football team gives her one last chance to figure out what she really wants to do with her life and ground herself or she will not be able to gain access to her trust fund.

As much as her grandmother believes in her, her own parents feel quite differently. You see, Jada comes from a hard-working science-based family who owns a lab. Jada, who is dyslexic has always had a hard time in school and was not able to follow in the family business.

So, she has tried many other careers such as DJing, working as an actress and finally her most embarrassing career, as a reality star. Her parents have had enough of her antics and have cut her off financially. She must now find a job and pay her own bills.

Enter Donovan Dell, hunky professional football player and co-owner of an up and coming, struggling cupcake bakery called Sugar Blitz. Begrudgingly and as a favor to Jada’s grandmother, his boss, he agrees to give Jada a job at his bakery. Jada is not a baker.

Things turn from bad to worse when she is recognized by a customer as that woman who dumped that doctor on television. That’s when with her quick thinking she devises a scheme to get her reputation back. A plan which throws Jada and Donovan and the bakery into chaos. Antics soon ensue but Jada thinks she has everything under control until she finds out she has a few enemies who would like to see her fail. But Jada may surprise everyone and come out of this smelling like a fresh vanilla!

This adorable story is a definite beach read filled with lighthearted witty dialogue and a charming love plot which, if I may suggest being read with your favorite treat, perhaps a cupcake!

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #FakeItTillYouBakeIt #JamieWesley for the advanced copy.

Can’t Look Away is a uniquely gripping love story/thriller with so many twists and turns which continue to come at the reader until the very end of the story.

In 2013 a young graduate student who wants to be a writer named Molly Diamond goes to a rock concert in Brooklyn. While there, she locks eyes with the lead singer, Jake Danner and they fall madly in love. As the saying goes, the eyes are the widow to the soul, and they believe they are truly soul mates with Jake even writing a song about Molly which shoots him into stardom.

Fast forward to the present and Molly is a yoga teacher and a loving mother and wife (not to Jake) in a small town in Connecticut. She and her husband have been trying for years to get pregnant again and are in the midst of what could possibly be the last IVF treatment because they are running out of money. She has not written in years and the women in Flynn Cove where they live are not really her type of friends, with most being country club gossiping snobs. To say she is just a little depressed would be an understatement.

Suddenly Jake Danner pops onto her radar with a new rendition of his hit Molly’s Song. She hasn’t thought about him in years and begins to relive the memories of the two of them together and although they never really fell out of love, what led them to go their separate ways and the heartbreak which came with the parting.

Her only salvation right now is a new friend she has made named Sabrina. She has just moved into the town with her husband, and she is going through IVF as well. But Sabrina has more than just friendship on her mind when it comes to Molly. She blames Molly for ruining her life and wants to make sure everyone Molly knows realizes what Molly did. And then she introduces Molly to her husband….

Can’t Look Away has so much heart and love with so many shocking twists and turns you will be riveted. You will love the relationships and friendships; you will be sad at the heartbreaks, and you will especially root for what could/should have been and the strength it will take to make everything right.

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #CarolaLovering #Can’tLookAway for the advanced copy.

Island Time is a humorously warm and quirky family love story which embraces two very different families who must come together and try to get along and endure a vacation for the love of their families.

First there is the Lee family. They are very proper and unrelaxed Americans whose daughter has married an Australian woman. The young couple is in the process of planning to have a child. Neither parent really wants to be there. They are extremely routine oriented.

Then there are the Kelly’s. They are a boisterous family who like to fight with each other, but in the end would kill for each other. They unfortunately are all going through changes. The parents are in the process of separating, unbeknownst to their girls, one of which is married and about to start IVF but has been having second thoughts, and one who planned this Australian getaway so the families could meet the man she is sure she’s going to marry.

But what was to be a week’s vacation has turned into an utter disaster, literally! Due to a volcanic eruption on the secluded island off Queensland, they are now stranded for six weeks until help will be able to get them home.

So now these two families, who know so little about each other, and two employees of the resort who just happened to have still been on the island must somehow unite, be friendly and tolerate each other for what seems like hell in paradise!

And of course, during these torturous days of having to pretend, secrets are discovered, tears are shed, decisions are questioned, love is found, love is lost AND there is bird watching bonding! All this in six hilariously rite of passage life changing weeks in which no one will go home as the same person they arrived.

Island Time would be a wonderful beach read as the reader could literally be listening to the waves and sipping pina coladas as they read about the Lee and Kelly (mis)adventures in their own tropical paradise, and root for the underdogs and feel all the love which is found.

Thank you #AtriaBooks #KatelynPhillips #IslandTime #GeorgiaClark for the advanced copy.

Marrying the Ketchups is the humorous heartwarming story of three generations of a Chicago restaurant family who live for their restaurant, each other and the Chicago Cubs.

Sullivan’s is a restaurant which was started by Bud and Rose the patriarch and matriarch of the clan. Family comes and goes at the restaurant, sometimes leaving to pursue their own dreams, get married or start their own career, but they always know Sullivan’s will be there when they need a place to crash, or an ear to listen. Somehow, they always end up coming home. Sullivan’s is the comfort food for the family’s souls.

Everything changes when Bud suddenly drops dead. It seems to put push the family into a chaos none of them have ever witnessed. Rose is heartbroken and disinterested in everything. No one seems to be able to make a decision for their life, and no new idea is welcomed or even appreciated. So how on earth does this family come together?

Teddy is a cousin coming out of a heartbreaking relationship who decided to come back to Sullivan’s to help manage the restaurant. He has so many ideas which he feels will push Sullivan’s into the stratosphere of restaurants. But all his ideas are met with doubt for fear of changing what Sullivan’s has always been. Even to the point of saying no to changing the color of the tablecloths. Sullivan’s is stuck.

Jane is married with two young children. She comes to Sullivan’s every Friday to do the books. She lives in a different city and is not happy with the community nor their politics. She also begins to find she is not happy with her husband as well.

Gretchen, Jane’s sister lives in New York City and is a singer in an oldies band. Years ago, she honestly believed the band was headed for stardom, but alas all they were actually headed for was becoming a band who does weddings. When Gretchen finds out some devastating news, she decides to ditch the band and head back to Sullivan’s and try to put her life back together.

Riley, the youngest and still in high school is a bit wild opinionated and bossy. But when she begins to get bullied at school, she decides to take the advice of her aunt and suffice to say everything explodes in their faces and social media!

But, through it all and including mandatory family dinner on Sundays, nothing can prevent them from loving and caring and defending each other in good times but more importantly the bad times.

Marrying the Ketchups takes place after the 2016 election and the cubs winning the World Series is the absolute perfect backdrop for this funny family story!

Last Call at the Nightingale is a mystery novel which takes place during the 1920’s in New York during prohibition and the Jazz Age. Within the story are aspects of the time period which are quite thought provoking. During this time women were looked down upon and those who were not well off and had menial jobs were not respected by men or by other upper-class women. These women felt the burden of poverty and trying to make ends meet at whatever cost. It was difficult for them to ever move up in society. Some did anything to make extra money in order to just eat and have a roof over their heads.

What was not talked about was sexuality. Although there was an underground gay community, both men and women had to hide their feelings for fear of being beaten or killed. They could even be arrested. It was best then to deny what you felt and conform to the norm.

Vivian Kelly is a seamstress, along with her sister Florence. Raised as orphans, their lives are hard. They barely make any money, work hard for very little, appreciate the handouts of their neighbors and tolerate the abuse of their boss who is herself a woman. But at night…Vivian lets loose at The Nightingale, a dance hall which sells illegal alcohol. She is fortunate as the owner of the establishment, Honor, a woman has taken a liking to her. She gets to dance with wealthy men and gets to drink for free. Flornce does not approve of Vivian’s behavior and feels it will get her into trouble.

And then it does. One night at the dance hall she finds the dead body of a wealthy man out back of the club. She is told by the club owner to forget what she has seen. The club cannot afford any trouble. But Vivian can’t let go of what she saw. She becomes fascinated and obsessed with what could have happened to him and why. But there are people who don’t want her poking around and when she finds herself arrested when the club is raided, it makes her life even harder. She knows she is in trouble but has no one to turn to. Then Honor makes an offer she cannot refuse.

Suddenly she is being accosted by sleezy gangsters who threaten to kill her and her sister if she doesn’t stop snooping into the murder. But she is in too deep at this point and in order to save herself she must figure out what happened and why. Will she get to the bottom of it before she becomes the next body? Will she ever feel safe again?

Last Call at the Nightingale is a wonderful old fashion mystery written in an old fashion way. It reads like a story from True Detective, a magazine from years ago. There is fast action, goons, murder, mystery, mayhem and a strong woman who decides to take them all on.

Thank you #Goodreads #MinotaurBooks #KatharineSchellman #LastCallattheNightingale for the advanced copy.