Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank by Elle Cosimano

From New York Times bestselling author Elle Cosimano, comes Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank—a hilarious short story diving into Finlay Donovan's partner-in-crime Vero's past.

Anyone can spot a window of opportunity, but not everyone can manage to fall straight through one.

Veronica Ruiz is on the run for the first time in her life—though certainly not the last. After being falsely accused of stealing money from her college sorority, she packs up and heads to her cousin Ramón's apartment, planning to change her name and rebuild start over away from backstabbing girls and university drama (and far, far away from her arrest warrant in Maryland).

At the local bank on the first morning of her new life, it occurs to Vero that she'd be a better bank teller than most of the current employees: she may not have much money, but what little she does have, she knows how to manage. Unfortunately, the only available position is a cleaning job and so, desperate for a fresh start, she takes the bank manager’s offer.

But nothing in Vero's world has ever been simple, so of course shortly after she begins work, she overhears a conversation between her new boss and a security guard: someone who works there has been stealing. Seeing a window of opportunity, Vero sets out to find the identity of the thief, present the evidence, and then push for the perfect job. All of which would be easier if her irresistibly infuriating childhood crush Javi wasn’t living in the same damn town.

Offering the insight that listeners have been craving into fan-favorite Vero's past and a closer look at the moment Finlay and Vero first meet, Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank is a can't-miss addition to the Finlay Donovan series.

Audiobook, 2 hours, 27 minutes

Published November 7, 2023

 by Macmillan Audio

3.5/5 stars

This is book 3.5 in the Finlay Donovan series. a novella/short story coming in just over 125 pages or 2 hours 27 minutes audio, which is the route I went.

My only disappointment with this book started with a different reader than the rest of the series. Maybe I was just used to her voice and can't handle the change, but suffice to say the other is spot on for Vero's voice.

The previous three books in the series hint at something that happened in Vero‘s past and here we finally get the story of what took place. It was a short listen/read, but gave insight into more of her character and what she is running from. It also offers more insight into how Finlay and Vero first meet.  Not required reading for this series but a fun break.

I obtained the audiobook via CloudLibrary

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano

Author and single mom Finlay Donovan has been in messes before―after all, she's a pro at removing bloodstains for various unexpected reasons―but none quite like this. When Finlay and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero accidentally destroyed a luxury car that they had "borrowed" in the process of saving the life of Finlay's ex-husband, the Russian mob did her a favor and bought the car for her. And now Finlay owes them.

Mob boss Feliks is still running the show from behind bars, and he has a task for Finlay: find and identify a contract killer before the cops do. The problem is, the killer might be an officer themself.

Luckily, hot cop Nick has just been tasked with starting up a citizen's police academy, and combined pressure from Finlay's looming book deadline and Feliks is enough to convince Finlay and Vero to get involved. Through firearm training and forensic classes (and some hands-on research with a tempting detective), Finlay and Vero use their time in police academy to sleuth out the real contract killer to free themselves from the mob's clutches―all the while dodging spies, confronting Vero's past, and juggling the daily trials of parenthood.

Audiobook, 9 hours, 45 minutes

Published January 31, 2023

 by Macmillan Audio

3/5 stars

The 3rd book in this series was another audio read for me, so far I’ve read the whole series this way and with the accents and personality of the reader it was very nicely done.

So here we are again with Finlay and her nanny/partner in crime Vero where they get themselves caught in another hot mess. Continuing right where book 2 left off the Russian mob is still on Finlay‘s back and Nick the cop gets more time on the pages.  I loved the first book in this series but I find each consecutive one just becomes a bit more outlandish, convoluted, but it still has that fun vibe, even though it does deal with some serious subject matter.  I laughed at some of the antics and rolled my eyes at others.

The setting mostly took place at a Citizens Police Academy, which didn’t totally work, but still an entertaining read. It also paves the way for book 4, Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice (review coming soon).

My audiobook copy was obtained through CloudLibrary.

The Honeymoon Crashers by Christina Lauren

A perfectionist maid of honor and a carefree, surfer-bro best man team up to plan a wedding and end up finding a spark of their own in the first audio original from author duo Christina Lauren, a full-cast sequel to their New York Times bestseller The Unhoneymooners.

Ami is determined to break the Torres family wedding curse. Her own disaster of a reception ended with all the guests getting food poisoning, and she left her cheating husband soon after. But even though she’s still processing her own divorce, Ami won’t let her twin sister Olive’s day be anything but perfect. Olive may think she wants a private ceremony in Maui, where she and her fiancé Ethan first fell in love, but Ami knows better and secretly flies the whole Torres family out to surprise the couple. Now she and her meticulously organized binder have less than two weeks to get everything together for the big day, thousands of miles from home.

Enter Brody, Ethan’s best man, who happens to be living in Maui and insists on helping with the preparations. His playfully elaborate schemes and happy-go-lucky attitude are the last thing Ami needs. When sparks start to fly, could it derail all her carefully laid plans?

Equal parts hilarious and swoon-worthy, this full-cast production is your ticket to the ultimate destination wedding, bringing to life both a captivating couple and an unforgettable family. The Honeymoon Crashers is Christina Lauren at their charming, hilarious best.

 Audiobook, 4 hours, 47 minutes

Published August 1, 2023

 by Simon & Schuster Audio Originals

3/5 stars

A cute follow-up to The Unhoneymooners, that takes place in Hawaii.  This novella/short story is one I would have preferred to read vs listen to.  It was different from any audiobook I've listened to before, with sound effects and more dramatization.

The story itself was fun, predictable and a nice addition to its predecessor. Though it would have been nice to have been a little longer, maybe see more of Ami's life after her divorce, amongst other things (possible spoiler).

I listened to this audio via CloudLibrary.

Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar

For the first time, discover the unedited truth about the Duggars, the traditional Christian family that captivated the nation on TLC’s hit show 19 Kids and Counting. Jill Duggar and her husband Derick are finally ready to share their story, revealing the secrets, manipulation, and intimidation behind the show that remained hidden from their fans.

Jill and Derick knew a normal life wasn’t possible for them. As a star on the popular TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting, Jill grew up in front of viewers who were fascinated by her family’s way of life. She was the responsible, second daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle’s nineteen kids; always with a baby on her hip and happy to wear the modest ankle-length dresses with throat-high necklines. She didn’t protest the strict model of patriarchy that her family followed, which declares that men are superior, that women are expected to be wives and mothers and are discouraged from attaining a higher education, and that parental authority over their children continues well into adulthood, even once they are married.

But as Jill got older, married Derick, and they embarked on their own lives, the red flags became too obvious to ignore.

For as long as they could, Jill and Derick tried to be obedient family members—they weren’t willing to rock the boat. But now they’re raising a family of their own, and they’re done with the secrets. Thanks to time, tears, therapy, and blessings from God, they have the strength to share their journey. Theirs is a remarkable story of the power of the truth and is a moving example of how to find healing through honesty.

Audiobook, 7 hours 7 minutes

Published September 12, 2023 

by Simon Schuster Audio

4/5 stars

Although I don't usually read a lot of nonfiction, especially memoirs about celebrities, I found myself drawn to "Counting the Cost" by Jill Duggar. Jill is one of the older children from the TLC show "19 Kids and Counting." I decided to listen to the audiobook version, which was narrated by the author herself.

This book was truly eye-opening. Even though I had never watched the show, I was aware of it, especially in recent years due to the charges against Jill's older brother, Josh.

Hats off to Jill for bearing her soul and giving us a glimpse into what life was like when the whole world is pretty much watching your every move. I did not realize the role that Bill Gothard and IBLP played in their lives. I am familiar with him and could never get past him being an expert on marriage, and child rearing when he himself is a single man. But apparently lots of people do .

Jill Duggad, now married with a couple children, speaks of her growth and maturity as she begins to question the actions of her parents, which is mostly geared towards her father. His reactions are disheartening to hear, from the whole situation with Josh and how the finances are/were handled. For a book that comes in just under 300 pages with the audio around the seven hour mark it does pack a punch, and made for an interesting and enlightening read.

Both the ebook and audio were obtained through CloudLibrary.

Sleeping Dogs Lie by Samantha Downing

From the internationally best-selling author of My Lovely Wife and He Started It comes a twisted, entertaining novella about a dog walker swept into a criminal investigation when her client winds up dead.

Shelby works as a dog walker in Northern California, and she’s just finished up her biweekly trip to the park with a husky named Pluto. When she brings him back to his house, she finds his owner—Todd Burke, a well-known local businessman and founder of an organic supplements company—dead on the bathroom floor. As a detective interviews Shelby, a medical examiner inspects the body, and more cops search Todd’s home, it becomes clear that the victim’s life was less picture-perfect than his clean-cut persona might lead you to believe.

Kobo Edition

Published March 15, 2022

 by Berkley

4/5 stars

This is a novella written by one of my favourite authors, Samantha Downing.  For awhile it was only available on Audible, but recently it is available for download on kindle/kobo. What I love about Samantha Downing is that she doesn’t shy away from unique stories with twists, a bit of comedy and of course, always mayhem.

Sleeping Dogs Lie is the story of dogwalker Shelby who discovers a body after taking Pluto, a husky for his walk. Along with Shelby is a detective who is trying to solve this case.

This was a fun, well written, and addicting read. I was caught up in the criminal investigation myself and love the direction this story took. It was comical at times, deceptive and kept me on my toes. The ending...ya that was good.

The audio book comes in just over two hours. Well worth the listen or read

My digital copy was obtained through CloudLibrary

Shelter, Seconds Away and Found by Harlan Coben

Mickey Bolitar's year can't get much worse. After witnessing his father's death and sending his mom to rehab, he's forced to live with his estranged uncle Myron and switch high schools.

A new school comes with new friends and new enemies, and lucky for Mickey, it also comes with a great new girlfriend, Ashley. For a while, it seems like Mickey's train-wreck of a life is finally improving - until Ashley vanishes without a trace. Unwilling to let another person walk out of his life, Mickey follows Ashley's trail into a seedy underworld that reveals that this seemingly sweet, shy girl isn't who she claimed to be. And neither was Mickey's father. Soon, Mickey learns about a conspiracy so shocking that it makes high school drama seem like a luxury - and leaves him questioning everything about the life he thought he knew.

First introduced to readers in Harlan Coben's latest adult novel, Live Wire, Mickey Bolitar is as quick-witted and clever as his uncle Myron, and eager to go to any length to save the people he cares about. With this new series, Coben introduces an entirely new generation of fans to the masterful plotting and wry humor that have made him an award-winning, internationally bestselling, and beloved author.

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published September 15, 2011

 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

4/5 stars

This review is for the whole series not just the first in this YA trilogy.  Not only did I want to read this because of the author but I pushed it to the top of my reading pile so that I was prepared for the Amazon Prime Series.  I made it in time.

Still a new Coben reader I'm still learning the who is who in the world of the Bolitar's.  Plus I only included the blurb for the 1st book, Shelter to avoid spoilers.

Shelter begins as Mickey is still mourning the loss of his father and the subsequence addiction issues his mothers faces in her grief. Living with his estranged uncle, in a new town, is new for Mickey.  It's when the town crazy lady, aka The Bat Lady, tells Mickey his father is still alive that sets this book in motion.  There are strange happenings, disappearances and unfriendly classmates.  But there is also Spoons and Ema, who turn into reluctant and unexpected friends. 

This series is about loss, mystery, family, friendships and much more. As each book has its own drama, ultimately it is about Mickey and his family and the friendships that develop. As to what happened with Bat Lady and her statement, well you will have to read the book to find out.

As for the Prime Series, yes there were changes made and as usual I enjoyed the books more - which really isn't unusual for me.

My print copies of this series was obtained through my public library as well as audiobooks via Scribd.

Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney

Sometimes bad things happen to good people, so good people have to do bad things. Alice Feeney, returns with another thrilling mystery filled with drama and her trademark surprises.

Twenty years after a baby is stolen from a stroller, a woman is murdered in a care home. The two crimes are somehow linked, and a good bad girl may be the key to discovering the truth.

Edith may have been tricked into a nursing home, but at eighty-years-young, she’s planning her escape. Patience works there, cleaning messes and bonding with Edith, a kindred spirit. But Patience is lying to Edith about almost everything.

Edith’s own daughter, Clio, won’t speak to her. And someone new is about to knock on Clio’s door…and their intentions aren’t good.

With every reason to distrust each other, the women must solve a mystery with three suspects, two murders, and one victim. If they do, they might just find out what happened to the baby who disappeared, the mother who lost her, and the connections that bind them.

In the style of Daisy Darker and Rock Paper Scissors, Good Bad Girl is a thriller in which nobody can be trusted and the twists come fast and furious.

Kobo Edition, 306 pages

Published August 29, 2023

by Flatiron Books

4/5 stars

This is my first time reading an Alice Feeney book. With how much I’ve seen her on social media I figured it was time to dive in. Good Bad Girl is her latest, which was released just a few weeks ago.

Starting off with a bang.  A baby is stolen in broad daylight out of her stroller, with nar a witness, fast forward 20 years and the case remains unsolved.  Told from multiple POVs, it was hard at first to keep them straight but honestly this is such an eclectic group that it didn't take long to know the lay of the land, so to speak.

There is Edith, an 80 year old escapee from a nursing home. There is Patience,  who happens to work at said nursing home. Throwing Clio who is Edith's daughter and the one responsible for her mother's care. And finally there is another viewpoint, of a mother who’s 18-year-old daughter ran away from home a year ago.  Oh and before I forget, there is the murder that took place ats... you guessed it, the nursing home.  There are 3 prime suspects that confound the detective (yea we get bits of her POV also).

So how do these characters connect?  This story is done in an almost whimsical fashion. The chapters are short, with some humor added, but it's also sad because someones baby did disappear..  When things finally come to ahead I was not just surprised, but also kicking myself for not totaling figuring things out before the big reveal.

Suffice to say this is an author I will be reading more of.

My copy was obtained through CloudLibrary.

The Lost English Girl by Julia Kelly

The acclaimed author of The Light Over London weaves an epic saga of love, motherhood, and betrayal from World War II to the 1960s.

Liverpool, 1935: Raised in a strict Catholic family, Viv Byrne knows what’s expected of her: marry a Catholic man from her working-class neighborhood and have his children. However, when she finds herself pregnant after a fling with Joshua Levinson, a Jewish man with dreams of becoming a famous Jazz musician, Viv knows that a swift wedding is the only answer. Her only solace is that marrying Joshua will mean escaping her strict mother’s scrutiny. But when Joshua makes a life-changing choice on their wedding day, Viv is forced once again into the arms of her disapproving family.

Five years later and on the eve of World War II, Viv is faced with the impossible choice to evacuate her young daughter, Maggie, to the countryside estate of the affluent Thompson family. In New York City, Joshua gives up his failing musical career to serve in the Royal Air Force, fight for his country, and try to piece together his feelings about the family, wife, and daughter he left behind at eighteen. However, tragedy strikes when Viv learns that the countryside safe haven she sent her daughter to wasn’t immune from the horrors of war. It is only years later, with Joshua’s help, that Viv learns the secrets of their shared past and what it will take to put a family back together again.

Telling the harrowing story of England’s many evacuated children, bestselling author Julia Kelly’s The Lost English Girl explores how one simple choice can change the course of a life, and what we are willing to forgive to find a way back to the ones we love and thought lost.

Kindle Edition, 320 pages

First published March 7, 2023

March 7, 2023 by Gallery Books

4/5 stars

This story begins in 1935 as Viv prepares to get married.  She was raised in a strict Catholic household and has defied her parents' belief by marrying outside of their circle to avoid bringing shame upon the family.  Fast forward 5 years and Viv is a single mom raising her almost 5-year-old daughter Maggie.

Set in Liverpool, a city that is not immune to the war and Operation Pied Piper.  Viv goes against her better judgement and evacuates her daughter to the countryside to live with a well-to-do family.

As the title suggest, The Lost English Girl is a story of separation caused not only by the war but also poor decision making.  Told from Viv's point of view, the emotional impact of her separation from her child, parents and dealing with Maggie's foster mother is explored.  Viv second-guesses her decision all the time, especially as the bombs fall with destructive force. 

 The other perspective is from Joshau, Maggie's father.  Although that was interesting I found myself more connected to Viv's storyline.

The Lost English Girl is a story of family dynamics, religion, and standing up for oneself. This lighter historical fiction read was predictable at times but still entertaining.

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them...right?

Paperback, 309 pages

Published September 4, 2018

 by Gallery Books

Audiobook, 7 hours, 16 minutes

by Simon & Schuster Audio

4/5 stars

This was an impulse audio read.  I can't really say that the writing duo named Christina Lauren is a new to me author.  I've read a couple books last year that I loved.  So for 2023 my goal is to read her backlist.

Josh and Haley is the story of reunited friends (with a past from high school days).After Josh's breakup this pair sets out to create blind dates for each other, but these blind dates are also double dates.  What follows was a laugh out loud read - yes I did almost spit wine on my puzzle a couple times.

Would I have enjoyed it as much if I had read the book?  I can't really say. Nevertheless the plot was fun, the characters well developed, personalities authentic making an entertaining story.

That being said there were a few things that niggled at me.  Josh & Hazel haven't seen each other in over a decade and within moments are the best of friends -bester than their teen years. Plus the epilogue felt a bit over the top IMHO.

But other than that this was an entertaining audio read where I followed along with my print copy.

Audiobook was obtained through CloudLibrary with the print copy being a recent thrift shop rescue.

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.

They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.

Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek—the man she never thought she’d have to live without.

For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family’s restaurant and curling up together with books—medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her—Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart.

When Percy returns to the lake for Sam’s mother’s funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she’s spent punishing herself for them, they’ll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.

Told over the course of six years and one weekend, Every Summer After is a big, sweeping nostalgic look at love and the people and choices that mark us forever.

Paperback, 320 pages

Published May 10, 2022

 by Berkley

5/5 stars

Are you on Instagram?  Then I am sure you have seen all the hype for Every Summer After by debut author Carley Fortune. It reads nothing like a debut.

I know summer reads are really just whatever you want in the summer time when life tones done and relaxes a little (well hopefully it does). But this book is actually the perfect summer read.  The Canadian setting with cottage country, ice cream shops and the lake grabbed me right away. As did the characters, bookish people spending lazy hazy days on the dock reading, jumping in to cool off and swimming The author put me right there and I didn't want to leave.

Every Summer After is a well written story of relationships, guilt and second chances.  There is wit, realistic bantering and young love in this coming of age story.  Told in dual time periods beginning when Percy is 13 years old. This budding friendship, though predictable (at times) was a pleasure to read - which I might add I did in a matter of days.

Definitely adding Carley Fortune to my auto buy list for her future books. 

The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of That Summer comes another heartfelt and unputdownable novel of family, secrets, and the ties that bind.

When her twenty-two-year-old stepdaughter announces her engagement to her pandemic boyfriend, Sarah Danhauser is shocked. But the wheels are in motion. Headstrong Ruby has already set a date (just three months away!) and spoken to her beloved safta, Sarah’s mother Veronica, about having the wedding at the family’s beach house on Cape Cod. Sarah might be worried, but Veronica is thrilled to be bringing the family together one last time before putting the big house on the market.

But the road to a wedding day usually comes with a few bumps. Ruby has always known exactly what she wants, but as the wedding date approaches, she finds herself grappling with the wounds left by the mother who walked out when she was a baby. Veronica ends up facing unexpected news, thanks to her meddling sister, and must revisit the choices she made long ago, when she was a bestselling novelist with a different life. Sarah’s twin brother, Sam, is recovering from a terrible loss, and confronting big questions about who he is—questions he hopes to resolve during his stay on the Cape. Sarah’s husband, Eli, who’s been inexplicably distant during the pandemic, confronts the consequences of a long ago lapse from his typical good-guy behavior. And Sarah, frustrated by her husband, concerned about her stepdaughter, and worn out by challenges of life during quarantine, faces the alluring reappearance of someone from her past and a life that could have been.

When the wedding day arrives, lovers are revealed as their true selves, misunderstandings take on a life of their own, and secrets come to light. There are confrontations and revelations that will touch each member of the extended family, ensuring that nothing will ever be the same.

Kobo (via CloudLibrary), 432 pages,

Published May 10, 2022 

by Atria Books

2.3/5 stars

I'm relatively new to Jennifer Weiner, this being my 4th read and my least favourite - yes I am going against popular opinion.

The Summer Place is the story about a young couple getting married 4th of July weekend in Cape Cod - post pandemic. With only months to pull this off, it’s where the past meets up with the present.

The majority of this book is back story as family members go back in time to revisit ghosts of the past. At times confusing and long winded with very little about the happy couple. With the volume of characters it was hard to connect and in some cases to even like them. Selfishness was a common trait as was infidelity along with many secrets.  Though I did like Ruby's mom and appreciated her views and honesty.

I started out by reading and alternated with the audiobook (via Scribd).  Both formats were good but I preferred the audio just to listen and get through the book.

The ending was almost comical on a couple levels. Suffice to say not my favourite Jennifer Weiner.

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson

Nine strangers receive a list with their names on it in the mail. Nothing else, just a list of names on a single sheet of paper. None of the nine people know or have ever met the others on the list. They dismiss it as junk mail, a fluke - until very, very bad things begin happening to people on the list. First, a well-liked old man is drowned on a beach in the small town of Kennewick, Maine. Then, a father is shot in the back while running through his quiet neighborhood in suburban Massachusetts. A frightening pattern is emerging, but what do these nine people have in common? Their professions range from oncology nurse to aspiring actor.

FBI agent Jessica Winslow, who is on the list herself, is determined to find out. Could there be some dark secret that binds them all together? Or is this the work of a murderous madman? As the mysterious sender stalks these nine strangers, they find themselves constantly looking over their shoulders, wondering who will be crossed off next....

Kobo Edition, 320 pages

Published March 15, 2022

 by William Morrow

2.5/5 stars

This is my first time reading a Peter Swanson book, it had quite the buzz on IG where I caved to peer pressure and grabbed a copy via CloudLibrary.

As the title implies this book starts with 9 people being introduced. With a digital copy it’s hard to flip back pages for a refresher on who’s who. I wish I’d kept a cheat sheet.

This is a murder mystery with some unsavoury characters and no clue what was going on. The story at times goes off in tangents that just aren’t relevant to the story - almost like filler. I was bored at times, even contemplating dnf'ing, but being somewhat curious I continued.  While the story was slow paced, the chapters were short and it turned into a quick read.

Part of my problem was there really wasn't any main characters that played central to this story, no one to rely on, which I think might have held this together. The investigation to these crimes lacked and honestly the big reveal came a little too late for me. Maybe if the back story was dispersed throughout the book that would have brought about of a more satisfying end for me.

Like I said this is my first Swanson book, I might try another one or I might not.  I'm not in any big hurry at the moment.