You won't want to miss Alyson Richman's latest novel...plus a book giveaway

Credit: Jeanine Boubli 

We are pleased to welcome Alyson Richman back to CLC today, as her latest novel, The Missing Pages, is now available. The Titanic, a library, and a ghost make a great combination for a novel and we look forward to checking it out. And isn't the cover fabulous?!? Thanks to Get Red PR, we have THREE copies to give away!

Alyson Richman is the USA Today bestselling and #1 international bestselling author of several historical novels including The Velvet Hours, The Garden of Letters, and The Lost Wife, which is currently in development for a major motion picture.  Alyson graduated from Wellesley College with a degree in art history and Japanese studies.  She herself is an accomplished painter and her novels combine her deep love of art, historical research, and travel.  Alyson's novels have been published in twenty-five languages and have reached the bestseller lists both in the United States and abroad. She lives on Long Island with her husband and two children, where she is currently at work on her next novel. (Bio courtesy of Alyson's website.)

Visit Alyson online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram

Synopsis:
1912:  Harry Widener, a promising and passionate book collector, boards the Titanic holding tight to a priceless volume he’s just purchased in London. After catastrophe strikes the ship, Harry’s last known words are that he must return to his cabin to retrieve his latest treasure. Neither the young man nor the book are ever seen again. Honoring her son’s memory, Harry’s mother builds the Harry Widener Memorial Library at Harvard to house his extensive book collection and ensure his legacy.

Decades later, Violet Hutchins, a Harvard sophomore recovering from her own great loss, is working as a page at the Widener Library. When mysterious things begin happening at the library, Violet wonders if Harry Widener’s ghost is trying to communicate with her, seeking Violet to uncover a long-buried secret that the ardent young Harry took with him to the grave. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“Lyrical, unexpected, and soul-stirring—I can't remember the last time I was so charmed by a novel.”
―Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of Finding Margaret Fuller

“Just when you thought you knew everything about the Titanic, along comes Alyson Richman’s The Missing Pages, an exquisite story that is both the tender chronicle of a secret love and a love letter to everyone who adores books. . . . An ingeniously wrought masterpiece.”
―Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Family and Those Who Save Us

“The Missing Pages is a ghost story, a love story, and a library story that every bibliophile will cherish.”
―Lynda Loigman, bestselling author of The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?  
When I was on my book tour for The Lost Wife, a reader shared with me that before reading my novel World War II was always distant to her. As though she were looking at an old black and white film reel.  But I made her feel like she was seeing it in Technicolor.

What is one thing you would tell the debut novelist version of yourself?
I would tell myself that having a creative life is not always linear, that there will be lots of setbacks, but to have confidence that when you look back at it all, everything will come from one radiating center. Your desire to create and to leave something beautiful behind when you’re no longer here.

If The Missing Pages was made into a movie, what songs would be on the soundtrack?
“The Ghost in You” by Psychedelic Furs
“Marjorie “ by Taylor Swift
“On the Nature of Daylight” by Max Richter

What is the last book you read that you would recommend?  
 The Artist and the Feast by Lucy Steeds. 

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it?
Helen Mirren

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
The beach that’s walking distance from my house. I love discovering beach glass and beautiful shells. I keep them in a bowl on my desk.

My local bakery, Fiorello Dolce. It has the best pastries and my favorite place to reward myself after a long day of writing.

The Next Chapter, a charming local independent bookstore that feels like you’re stepping back in time with its backroom filled with antiques and cozy sofas where you can grab a book and read.

Thanks to Alyson for chatting with us and to Get Red PR for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Gleam to enter the giveaway. (Rafflecopter is shutting down at the end of September, so we are switching over to Gleam.) If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Gleam on our blog, enter the giveaway here.

The Missing Pages (3 print copies)

Giveaway ends October 21st at midnight EST.

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Book Review: Dealing with a Desperate Demon

By Sara Steven

Nancy has just about given up on finding her special person when Jack Jackson—big, scary and the town loser—walks into her bookstore. He’s apparently even more desperate for help in the romance department than she is. And after a bit of gentle persuasion, he finally accepts her guidance in securing his dream girl. Practice dates, lessons in tenderness—you name it, she can teach it.

There’s just one his dream girl might have more than an issue with his dating skills. Because Jack isn’t just a little clueless; he’s actually the demonic son of Satan, from the deepest depths of hell. He’s spent his entire long underlife dragging evildoers to their fates, while really trying not to live up to his Dad’s expectations.

Now, it isn’t just about getting a date with his dream girl. He needs to become a better man to win over the woman he’s been cosmically bound to, in a Beauty and the Beast style pact. If he fails, everyone he cares for will face a terrible fate. Luckily for him, Nancy may well be the witch she’s always tried to pretend she wasn’t. She can save him, he knows it—and she’s starting to know it too. Even if every day spent with him is an agonising reminder that she isn’t the girl he’s fated for.

But as the deadline approaches she’s starting to wonder... Could it be that she’s finally found her Prince? Or is she about to lose her heart to hell? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

Jack has always been the grumpy, grouchy neighbor–someone Nancy has feared, given the neighborhood lore about him. Despite the rumors, there’s something about him that Nancy can’t help but be drawn to, and it’s not just his looks or his “aww shucks” charm. The dynamic between the two characters reminded me of Beauty and the Beast, with Nancy and her sweet, patient Beauty disposition, and Jack with his gruffly Beastly veneer. The reader quickly learns that Jack has built an emotional wall up around himself due to societal perceptions, and Nancy doesn’t subscribe to that way of thinking. Once she’s really gotten to know Jack, all bets are off.

Nancy is under the impression that Jack is working on becoming a better man for the woman of his dreams, prompting her to lend her skill and knowledge on the subject, even though she’s never really experienced that herself. Over time, she sees just how different Jack is; how he doesn’t know social cues or current events. That it seems tough for him to endure any sort of affection, physical or otherwise. A large reason that Nancy can see through the man Jack pretends to be has a lot to do with her past and who she really is, with background information provided throughout the book regarding Nancy’s special talents. It isn’t a huge stretch that two characters who come from a mythological background could become bound to one another, so when Nancy witnesses Jack’s true self, where most of us would run away screaming with fear, she finds beauty from within her beast.

Having read Charlotte Stein’s When Grumpy Met Sunshine (reviewed here), I’d been fully aware of just how steamy her books can get, but dang! It was projected up a notch or two for Nancy and Jack; as steamy and hot as the place Jack was born from. Nancy doesn’t pull any punches while she teaches him how to woo the ladies, just as pleasantly surprised as Jack is when he discovers how fun it can be to not only give, but to receive, as well. 

I appreciated how both characters are so vastly different but they find common ground in so many ways. Both are afraid to be themselves. Both have spent a lifetime (or for Jack, eons) not feeling worthy enough, whether that comes from outside influences or how they feel inwardly. Both have a lot to lose, and that only strengthens their bond. I liked Jack’s cute, dorky personality, and Charlotte seemed so sweet and nice, with a sultry undertone to her that unleashes with Jack’s persuasion. Dealing with a Desperate Demon was a fun, intriguing reading experience!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Charlotte Stein:

How to Help a Hungry Werewolf (first book in The Sanctuary for Supernatural Creatures series--standalone)

My Big Fat Fake Marriage

While You Were Seething

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Spotlight: Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon

Introduction by Melissa Amster

Today we are celebrating the publication of Matthew Norman's latest rom-com, Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon! This sounds like a great story and I look forward to adding it to my queue soon. I enjoy holiday movies and am pleased to share my marathon list with you. I'd love to see yours, so please share it in the comments.

1. While You Were Sleeping

2. Home Alone

3. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

4. Love, Actually

5. The Holiday

6. Any good sounding movies that are new to Hallmark channel or Netflix, especially if they are about Hanukkah.

Be sure to add this novel to your winter holiday reading TBR!

The new year has barely begun when Grace White and Henry Adler both lose their spouses. Now, nearly a year later, the first holiday season since their "Great and Terrible Sadnesses" approaches. Although their book-club mothers scheme to matchmake the two, it’s clear neither is ready to date again. Yet no one understands what the two surviving spouses are going through better than each other, and a delicate friendship is born.

When Henry sees an ad for a Christmas movie marathon—once an annual tradition for him and his wife—Grace offers to watch some films together, despite her aversion to a few of his picks. Her two young kids, Ian and Bella, also join in whenever possible—bedtimes permitting, of course.

With each movie, Grace and Henry’s shared grief begins to ease as they start to see a life beyond the sadness. But as they draw closer, other romantic possibilities leave them both uncertain about their future together. Is their bond merely the result of loneliness and shared circumstances, or have they found something more long-lasting that’s worth taking a shot at . . . again?

“Hands down, one of the best rom-coms I’ve ever read. No one can make me laugh (and cry) quite like Matthew Norman, and I know I'll be re-reading this warm hug of a book every holiday season for years to come.”

—Colleen Oakley, author of Jane and Dan at the End of the World

“Between the snappy dialogue, lovable characters, and pitch-perfect emotion, Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon is a delightful gem of absolute perfection. Literally only Scrooge couldn’t fall in love with this book.”

—Allison Winn Scotch, bestselling author of The Rewind

“There’s an intimacy of thought in Matthew Norman’s books that creates the sense of feeling, as the reader, that you are understood and welcome, that you would also be cared for in the world of his characters. I didn’t just love Grace and Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon. I lived in it, and actively missed it as soon as I turned the last page.”

—Allison Larkin, author of The People We Keep

Courtesy of Matthew's website

Matthew Norman lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife and two children and holds an MFA from George Mason University. His previous novels include Charm City Rocks, All Together Now, Last Couple Standing, We're All Damaged, and Domestic Violets.

Visit Matthew online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram * BlueSky

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Book Review: Match Me if You Can

By Melissa Amster

For five years Ashira Wernick has thrown herself into the company her mother built, continuing her work as a matchmaker in the Orthodox Jewish community. But when a small (read: huge) faux pas lands her in hot water with one of the most powerful families in Brooklyn, Ashira's future starts to look a little shaky.

Now, her only hope of saving her mother's legacy is to make the match of the century and she has just the person in mind: New York City's most eligible (and eternally single) bachelor, Caleb Kahn. Her older brother's best friend, and the man she is determined to keep her distance from.

As each match goes from bad to worse, with Caleb seemingly intent on sabotaging every date she sets up, Ashira will need to take a more hands-on approach if she is going to repair her damaged reputation. She just never figured that her heart would be on the line too... (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

After enjoying Unorthodox Love a couple years ago (reviewed here), I was excited to read Match Me if You Can. Heidi Shertok is now two for two with charming Jewish rom-coms and I already can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Match Me had a nice mix of humor with heartbreak and the chemistry was off the charts! Ashira was put through the wringer between her past pain and grief and having someone deliberately trying to ruin her business, yet she tried to maintain a positive and hopeful outlook. 

Caleb was definitely swoonworthy. Their banter was great and had me grinning often and laughing out loud. I also loved her elderly neighbor Bernice. She was really funny! Ashira and Caleb also had a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. There was a lot of Jewish joy throughout the novel, which I appreciated. I always enjoy seeing a Shabbat meal or a holiday ritual in a novel.

What I really liked was that Heidi featured some LGBTQ+ characters, such as Ashira's brother (whom I just realized was also in Unorthodox Love) and one of her close friends. The inclusion was really nice to see in a Modern Orthodox story. 

I had one concern that I addressed with Heidi early on, which is the breaking of shomer negiah (when men and women aren't supposed to touch until they get married). What I learned from her was that plenty of Orthodox Jews have broken shomer negiah before getting married. Obviously it's not something that is publicized. I grew up Reform and lived with my husband for two years prior to getting married, so it clearly doesn't bother me now that I'm more observant. However, I did want to give other observant readers a heads up. I appreciate that Heidi tried to show Orthodox Judaism in a different light because there are people who judge unfairly, even in other sects of Judaism. (Like with the "hole through the sheet" assumption.)

Overall, another really enjoyable story to add to your TBR when it releases later this month. You don't have to be Orthodox to read it and you may even learn something new.

(Trigger warnings at the bottom of this post.)

Movie casting suggestions:
Ashira: Yael Grobglas
Caleb: Daveed Diggs
Bernice: Rhea Perlman

Zevi: Max Rhyser (returning from the previous book)

Thanks to Embla for the book in exchange for an honest review.

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TW: Death of mother, parental abandonment, loss of finances

Book Review: Cinematic Destinies

By Sara Steven

Legendary actor Finn Forrester and his wife philosopher Ella Sinclair Forrester met on the location shoot for Jean Mercier’s film Celebration. The world has been captivated by their fairy-tale romance since Finn famously proposed on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. As the couple now prepares to celebrate their thirtieth wedding anniversary, they wonder if their children will ever find love.

Eldest daughter Betty is excelling in a medical residency program in New York City—and has convinced herself that distancing herself from emotions is the path to success. Youngest son Albert, a recent college graduate, is trying to find his footing in Boston as he struggles with his identity. Free-spirited Georgia, her mother’s spitting image and an actress following in her father’s footsteps, has been cast in Jean Mercier’s final film, mysteriously titled Beauty. When she arrives on set in Iceland and meets her costar, sparks fly. Is history repeating itself? How has growing up in the shadow of the world’s most iconic love story affected each of the Forrester children? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

I found it interesting that the love affair between Finn and Ella had polarizing effects on their three children. It could be assumed that given they’d seen how much in love their parents had been when they were children and even now as adults, they’d embrace love. But Betty doesn’t want to fall for fairy tales. She wants to be a realist at all cost, even if it means letting a potential relationship slip through her fingers. Albert is afraid of letting his father know who he really is, which only forces his relationship into the shadows, a tough place to be in for Albert’s partner. And Georgia doesn’t want to be captured. She wants to remain free. I liked that none of the children fall into their parents’ footsteps, because it added a nice contrast to the sweetness provided by the elder Forresters. 

Told in four perspectives–The Forresters, Betty, Albert, and Georgia–it was a great way to allow the reader into deep, internal thoughts for each character. Out of all of them, I felt I identified with Georgia the most. When I was a young adult, I also didn’t want to be “tied down” or have my freedom infringed upon. It was a nice parallel of what she experiences with one of her costars, Roo, and the same experience her parents had decades ago when they also met during filming. I think that really added depth to why Georgia feels the way she does. Despite her parents and their happiness, do they regret dropping their own individual independence to become a couple? 

Out of everyone’s perspectives, I liked Albert’s and Betty’s viewpoints the most. It seemed Georgia’s experiences were the most highlighted, with several chapters devoted to her, but I felt it was a bit of a disservice, because I was more invested in what Albert and Betty are going through. Betty has to open up more to feel, and Albert has to trust more in who he is. Feeling those struggles really tied me to their situations and I wanted to see resolution and growth. I felt like that was shown and warranted as the chapters progressed. Maybe there is something to the great love affair Finn and Ella have, and maybe everyone else learns to find what that sort of relationship means to them. It doesn’t have to look the same. 

Jean was a bonus character, and much appreciated. I liked the scenes with him in it, because he tosses in acerbic lines and grouchy sensations that helped to break up the saccharine sweetness of newfound love between Georgia and Roo. He’s like the anchor keeping them grounded, preventing anyone from floating into chaotic bliss. Cinematic Destinies was a great romantic experience!

Thanks to BookSparks for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Patricia Leavy:
Hollyland
Shooting Stars Above
The Location Shoot

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Spotlight and Giveaway: Overdue

Stephanie Perkins' adult romance debut, Overdue, is now available and we're excited to feature it here today! It sounds really intriguing and the cover is so comforting to look at. Thanks to Saturday Books, we have FIVE copies to give away!

Is it time to renew love or start a new chapter?

Ingrid Dahl, a cheerful twenty-nine-year-old librarian in the cozy mountain town of Ridgetop, North Carolina, has been happily dating her college boyfriend, Cory, for eleven years without ever discussing marriage. But when Ingrid’s sister announces her engagement to a woman she’s only been dating for two years, Ingrid and Cory feel pressured to consider their future. Neither has ever been with anybody else, so they make an unconventional decision. They'll take a one-month break to date other people, then they'll reunite and move toward marriage. Ingrid even has someone in mind: her charmingly grumpy coworker, Macon Nowakowski, on whom she’s secretly crushed for years. But plans go awry, and when the month ends, Ingrid and Cory realize they’re not ready to resume their relationship—and Ingrid’s harmless crush on Macon has turned into something much more complicated.

Overdue is a beautiful, slow-burn romance full of lust and longing about new beginnings and finding your way.

"Overdue is a beautifully human love story―my favorite Stephanie Perkins book yet." 
― Rainbow Rowell, No. 1 NYT bestselling author of Slow Dance

"Joyful and exuberant, Overdue is achingly romantic! It will melt your heart and keep you turning pages long into the night." 

― Lauren Blakely, #1 New York Times bestselling author of My Favorite Holidate

Stephanie Perkins is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author and anthology editor of multiple books, including Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door, Isla and the Happily Ever After, and My True Love Gave to Me, as well as There’s Someone Inside Your House, which was adapted into a major motion picture for Netflix. She has always worked with books—first as a bookseller, then as a librarian, and now as a novelist. She lives in the mountains of North Carolina with her husband. Every room of their house is painted a different color of the rainbow. Visit Stephanie at her website and on Instagram.

How to win: Use Gleam to enter the giveaway. (Rafflecopter is shutting down at the end of September, so we are switching over to Gleam.) If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Gleam on our blog, enter the giveaway here.

Overdue (5 print copies)

Giveaway ends October 15th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: The Girls of Good Fortune

By Melissa Amster

She came from a lineage known for good fortune…by those who don't know the whole story. 

Oregon, 1888. Amid the subterranean labyrinth of Portland's notorious Shanghai Tunnels, a woman awakens in an underground cell, drugged and disguised. Celia soon realizes she's a "shanghaied" victim on the verge of being shipped off as forced labor, leaving behind those she loves most. Although well accustomed to adapting for survival—being half-Chinese, passing as white during an era fraught with anti-Chinese sentiment—she fears that far more than her own fate hangs in the balance.

As she pieces together the twisting path that led to her abduction, from serving as a maid for the family of a dubious mayor to becoming entwined in the case of a goldminers' massacre, revelations emerge of a child left in peril. Desperate, Celia must find a way to escape and return to a place where unearthed secrets could prove deadlier than the dark recesses of Chinatown.

A captivating tale of resilience and hope, The Girls of Good Fortune explores the complexity of family and identity, the importance of stories that echo through generations, and the power of strength found beneath the surface. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

It had been a while since Kristina McMorris had a new book out, so I was excited to learn about The Girls of Good Fortune and added it to my TBR as soon as I could. 

The Girls of Good Fortune is an adventurous novel, filled with danger and intrigue. I was so worried for Celia and just wanted her to catch a break. Everything that could possibly go wrong for her, actually did. I got so angry at people on Celia's behalf and was also stressed out for her with everything she had been through. Celia's narrative was great and kept me riveted throughout the story! I apologize for the brevity of this review, but I just really enjoyed this book and I also don't want to spoil anything. I was constantly surprised by all the twists and turns in Celia's journey.

If you're looking for a captivating read, definitely pick this one up!

(Trigger warnings at the bottom of this post.)

Movie casting suggestions:
Celia: Christine Mascolo
Lettie: Hannah Rose May
Owen: Ray Nicholson
Stephen: Taylor John Smith
Marie: Liza Lapira

Thanks to Sourcebooks for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Kristina McMorris:

Sold on a Monday

The Ways We Hide

The Pieces We Keep

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TW: Difficult birth. Imprisonment/abduction. Violence (including murder of people who are Chinese).