Inverted Hillbilly Elegy. That really is the easiest way to have a general idea about this book. Take nearly everything about Hillbilly Elegy, invert it, and you have a pretty solid approximation of Grant's thinking. Told as a native of the eastern/ southern side of Appalachia rather than the western/ northern side, this is a man who went to prestigious Southern schools (his dad was shot in the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting) rather than prestigious Northern schools ("the" Ohio State and Yale). Instead of going into the military as a way out of Appalachia, Grant had already left Appalachia long ago as a businessman and came back during COVID to work in a purely peaceful, yet also Constitutionally guaranteed, service - the United States Postal Service, with its own sworn oath remarkably similar to that of the military's. Instead of "spreading Democracy" as a desk jockey PR flack in Baghdad, Grant was the first person outside their homes and families that many people in his rural area of Virginia saw during the global shutdowns of COVID, spreading hope person to person in a manner somewhat reminiscent of the titular Postman of both David Brin's original book and Kevin Costner's movie (neither of which Grant ever mentions, to be clear). Instead of learning to fire a rifle from ROTC, Grant learned from his family and friends - including his avid fly fisherman dad. Instead of never really needing one in the safe zones of Baghdad (as Vance himself noted, to be clear), Grant speaks of the necessity of his John Browning designed 1911 pistol in the hinterlands of Appalachia - even against explicit USPS policy, as Grant notes more than once. Instead of the dangers of a broken family, Grant's dangers come from both his own mind and the natural world around him, including an incident with a hornet nest as well as the burning and freezing of working out of a largely uninsulated metal box. Now, Grant doesn't seem to have any ambition for public office - even when Hillbilly Elegy came out, Vance was already running for US Senate - and that is truly one key distinction here. And yet, there are so many other similarities that the dichotomies really do speak to how you, the reader of my review of this book, can begin to get an idea of the overall nature of the book and whether you might be interested in reading it. In all honesty, this is absolutely one I would recommend for anyone even remotely interested in learning about the lives of a "normal" (if any of us really are) American in a job most of us will never have, but who came to that job during a period where most all of us experienced massive upheaval. (To be clear, I was atypical during that period - the *only* difference in my job was that suddenly I was doing it from my home rather than driving across town to a cubicle I largely hated being in anyway. At the time I was working for a Fortune 50 global bank, and had been for a couple of years already. I wouldn't leave there until long after the world had regained most normality, such as it had by the mid 2020s at least.) Now, you may be asking me, "Jeff, why didn't you deduct a star for relying on COVID so much? You literally did that in your very last review for a book set in that exact same year." Which is a fair question, because I did do that and I do maintain that I largely don't want to read anything about that year at all. But it is also a *nonfiction* and specifically *memoir* based look at that year (which also spared it the star deduction for lack of bibliography, as this was purely memoir), and it was clear from the description - that mentions Grant losing his job in March 2020 specifically and becoming a mail carrier after that point - that this book would be covering that period in some manner. Thus, I can't exactly deduct a star for a real life look at that period that I was explicitly told up front was exactly that. Overall a truly solid work perhaps more in the vein of the relatively unknown One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Frick (which told of a Dartmouth graduate's experience as a Marine officer who was among the first "boots on the ground" in both Afghanistan and Iraq in the post 9/11 era) than Hillbilly Elegy, yet also with the direct contrasts between itself and Hillbilly. In other words, compelling, interesting, and... Very Much Recommended.

Rich And Multilayered Story Marred By Emphasis On COVID. At one point during/ after the world collapse due to COVID-19, I had an ironclad star deduction policy for any mention of COVID whatsoever. One line referencing it even obliquely was usually enough to trigger it. I've relaxed that policy over the years and no longer apply it for such one off/ tangential references, so long as they are minimal and don't actually impact the story beyond an attempt to acknowledge the reality of setting any story in that period of world history. This noted, I absolutely still apply it religiously when a story makes COVID a primary focus of the story... and unfortunately that happens here. Borgos could have used almost literally anything else to achieve some of the same ends he uses COVID for here, and it would have worked reasonably well - hell, some of them could have even tied into themes from earlier in the series. But he chose to use COVID, and that is damnable to many - and a major issue for me. Enough to warrant the star deduction, at minimum. One of the other major themes here is perhaps just as volatile, if more locally - that of Nevada's wild horses and what should be done about them. This story plays out across the entire book, and Borgos seemingly does a solid job of showing the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. I say "seemingly" here as as a native of the borderlands between Appalachia and Atlanta, I can certainly count on both hands the number of times I've even been west of the Mississippi River - and I'm pretty sure I can count them on one hand. I've only been west of Texas *once* - a weekend nearly 20 yrs ago in Phoenix, Arizona. Thus, I don't really know anything at all about how Nevadans feel about this issue one way or the other, and unlike Borgos, this isn't something I've spent a lifetime in and around- culturally, at minimum. (Now, if the issue is the American Civil War... different story. But that particular topic doesn't apply to this book. :D) Outside of these issues (and even inside of them, to a degree), this is a police procedural in form and format, if a more interesting/ less typical version of the sub genre in its particulars. Throughout this series, Borgos has made a truly interesting and compelling character in Porter Beck, a fully fleshed out, heroic yet flawed in his own ways, man of his world. Supporting characters, including Beck's dad and sister, are equally compelling, and even other relationships come across as all too realistic, particularly as things develop further in this book with these relationships. Even secondary characters such as the various suspects of this book are fleshed out much better than other authors generally do, including some rather horrific backstories that have enough detail to them that they seem based on at least generalizations of specific real world people and events. Indeed, once one gets beyond the COVID and beyond the horse issue- both central to this particular story, to be clear - and perhaps beyond the issues of foreign ownership and mining also discussed here, though less prominently and in far less detail, the actual story here between the various characters themselves is actually quite strong, and everyone plays their roles rather superbly. Borgos has done an excellent job of building this world in a realistic, complex manner that reflects on the real world issues of its place and time in a manner that provides food for thought for all involved and for those completely unfamiliar with the area or its issues, and in so doing presents a solid story for all readers, but particularly male readers who may be looking for more male-oriented books that don't have the problems that more extreme forms of entertainment and/ or discussion all too often have. Very much recommended.

Sun Drenched Suspense. From South Florida to a luxury island near St Maarten (itself, I can personally testify, an extravagance that needs to be experienced), this is one of those books that will transport you to its location quite well... but is it a Hotel California situation? ;) Featuring a female IT specialist as our lead - not an overly common occurrence, even with literal decades of focus in specifically trying to recruit exactly this demographic into both college Computer Science programs and professional level jobs (even long before anyone had ever heard the acronym "DEI") - this is a book that blends different forms of exotic with all-too-common petty jealousies and rivalries into a mashup that looks fresh and yet is also as old as time - well older, if you're a computer geek and know well "when time began". ;) The overall story here is well done, but in a dual timeline model that many will enjoy but some will not. This one isn't going to move the needle either direction for most readers as far as the dual timeline concept goes, but it *is* executed solidly here, with clear jumps and with the earlier timeline having clear and direct impact on the current timeline. Overall a well done tale that fans of Woods' previous book (as Woods), Ladykiller - one of my BookAnon.com Top 24 Books of 2024 - will enjoy, and fans new to this form of Woods' writing will get a solid view of how she now approaches stories and storytelling. I was excited to see where Woods would go coming out of Ladykiller, and I'm excited to see where she will go next after this book as well. Very much recommended.

Lonsdale At Her Absolute Best. Gah. These past couple of weeks. So very much going on. My wife had a widowmaker type heart attack, survived while having 2 stents placed in arteries 90 and 100% blocked, and is having a stent placed in her 80% blocked widowmaker artery later this week. Lonsdale herself suffering an unimaginable personal tragedy that is unfortunately all too common - even one of my own aunts has suffered it, and then we get to the dozens of people - including kids - dead in the Texas flash floods less than a week after Lonsdale's tragedy. Bill Goldberg is facing his retirement match in Atlanta this weekend, and his own father died a week before that match. All the neverending political bullshit. Even I'm facing direct challenges in my own life that in some cases even my wife isn't as fully aware of just how much they're weighing on me as maybe she should be, things that few beyond family would even care about - if even them - and which I doubt I'll ever publicly discuss. And then we get to this book. Escapism at its absolute finest, but with so many layers so expertly and intricately crafted that it pulls at the heart just enough for catharsis without delving into pain. That exquisitely powerful balance that the singular best description I've ever found of it (so far?) was the moment in XMen: First Class where Charles is teaching Erik to harness his full power and move the (60s era giant) satellite dish some distance away. Lonsdale, in this second chance romance book with various things that will irk various readers, manages to capture that feeling so well without ever even acknowledging it. This is a romance for the real person. The flawed person. The one with flawed parents. Even the one without parents any longer. The one who just wants to do their job, do it well, and go home to be with their cat and their friends. (Sorry, dog lovers. This is a cat book. Read it anyway.) If you need your romance books characters to be some idealized Superman or Wonder Woman, well, this book isn't really for you - but you should still read it anyway, because it will pull at even your hardened heart strings. If you need ghost pepper level spice in your romance books, again, this book isn't really for you - but read it anyway and discover how there is so much more to love than just the physical. If you need your books to have some kind of political messaging, again, not the book for you. Read it anyway and discover the power of *real* relationships, where love and community hold sway over the raw desire for domination and subjugation. Read this book because as excellent as Lonsdale's books have been over the years, whether it be the early "Everything" trilogy of romances or the more recent women's fiction books of the "No More" trilogy and Find Me In California, this really is Lonsdale at her absolute best yet. And I am 100% honest in saying that of the 90 books I've read this year upon finishing this one, this is absolutely in contention for best of the year, certainly for best of the year so far. Very much recommended.

Rare (Possibly Unique?) Genre Bender/ Blender From The New God Of Science Fiction. Every damn time I say "this is Jeremy Robinson at his absolute best", he comes out with another book even better - usually with the very next book. :D Here, we get the kick ass scifi action Robinson gained his following for - he's never going to go far from that, in my experience having read every book he's written. But we *also* get an emotional depth that is sometimes less prevalent in his tales, and here we get it to the levels of his most emotional books to date such as The Distance or Alter. Indeed, it even harkens back all the way to The Last Hunter in some ways, with being even more blatant about just how much a father loves his son. But then... the genre bending. Some of it, I'm not going to even hint at here, as it would be a massive spoiler. But I *can* say, given that Robinson has used this particular blend at other times (notably in the "Infinite Timeline"'s The Dark), that the horror here is some of the darkest, sickest, most vile horror I've seen on page in quite some time - the kind of horror that makes you question even friends you've known online for approaching two decades and have even shared a few meals with in real life over the years. The other bit of genre bending though... you're going to have to read this book. It was done at least as well as anything else here, but you'll get no hints from me as to what it is. I will say that as good as the scifi/ horror itself is, this particular addition makes the story here *that much stronger*, and even though Robinson has never gone this direction before, he actually manages to pull it off at least as well as others who write in this space for their careers. Maybe even better. As with so many of his books of late, there is also a fair amount of meta-commentary here, including one bit where even I had to tell him "You're starting to convince me that you actually enjoy the frequent political complaints from both sides thinking they know you. 😃". So before you even get to that line in particular (and no I'm not revealing it), just know that *I* have known this man for nearly 20 yrs. We met in *Myspace*. I've read every book he has written, and I've even hung out with him at the annual (since 2015 or so) Robinsonfest event a few times, including both 2023 and 2024 when it was in St. Augustine, FL, near my home in Jacksonville. And even *I* can't tell you his actual positions on any political or religious point. So if you think you know him better than I do... a few people do. His family. His long time editor. Several close friends, including several fans. Outside of those specific people... no, you most likely do not. Still, I invite you to read this book and write your own review of it, and if you feel you must call him out for some perceived political or religious sin... so be it. Just know that I for one am going to laugh my ass off when I see you do it. :) Overall, this really was Robinson at his absolute best to date, pushing himself in directions I honestly never saw coming from him. Thus, almost no matter what your particular reading preference is... you need to put this one on your TBR. You're going to want to experience this tale from a true Master of his craft. Very much recommended.

Phenomenal Esoteric Tale of American History You've Likely Never Heard Of Marred By Dearth Of Bibliography. Looking back on my own ancestry off and on over the years, I've traced at least some lines to within a generation or two of when Europeans were in the Americas at all, and most of those lines come from somewhere in the British Isles - mostly England and Ireland (indeed, 5 of 6 historic Counties of Ireland), with a few Rhineland region relatives tossed in at different points for good measure. The ones that I've traced that far, they generally showed up in the Americas in Virginia or so and ultimately worked their way along the eastern side of the Appalachian foothills until they reached its southern end in the northwest corner of Georgia, not far from the border with North Carolina and Tennessee in the region known as the Great Smoky Mountains. There, I can trace nearly every line of my family tree to that same region for the past 180 years or so - including one multiple-great grandfather who died fighting for the Union in a battle in northeastern Alabama during the Civil War. As it turns out, there was a reason my family took the geographic path it did once it got to the region now known as the United States - apparently quite a few immigrants made their way mostly down one particular road that wound its way along this very region from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania all the way to Augusta, Georgia - where even I spent a few years living directly across the river in Aiken, South Carolina. But what do you care about all of this? Well... long before the Oregon Trail or the Trail of Tears or other famous trails that took Americans west from the Appalachian Mountains ultimately to the Pacific Ocean, there was the Old Wagon Road. The road that fueled expansion inland *to* the Appalachians, and along which quite a bit of American history took place from the colonial years right up through the Civil War years in particular. This book reveals a lot of that history in stories not as well known by many, even when some of them involve names known by most Americans. Names like Benjamin Franklin and Robert E. Lee and Woodrow Wilson, just to name a few you'll hear about in this text and recognize. The real magic here though is in the names you *don't* recognize. The tales you've *never* heard of before. This is where the "real" history of America lies - the history that is rapidly being forgotten and overwritten. The so-called "esoteric" history that supposedly only matters to fanatics and those whose ancestors directly played roles in or who were directly affected by, But one could argue - and Dodson makes a truly excellent case for throughout this book - that this is the very history that builds communities and tightens bonds within them. It is the history that binds people to place and whole to piece. It is the vagaries of one man choosing one path over another - and walking into the history books (for good or ill, at differing times) because of the path he chose that night. It is the history of families and communities coming together to celebrate the great times - and mourn the bad times. It is our history as Americans, and it is my personal history - even though Dodson's tales here don't touch on a single name I recognize from my family tree - because it is the history of how the nation came together via the individual and community actions of those who came so long before. Narratively, this book is both memoir and history, following one man through time and space as he travels the road - as best as he can know it - from its origins in Philadelphia to its terminus in Augusta, learning the history of each place along the way and reflecting on his experience with it. It is a stirring narrative, both in the communal and personal histories and in Dodson's ability to craft his words in such an evocative way. And yes, there are sections where no matter your own personal politics, Dodson is likely going to say something you don't overly like, whether it be espousing support for the so-called "1619 Project" in one chapter or supporting the right for Confederate monuments to exist in seemingly the very next chapter. But don't defenestrate the book, no matter how tempting iq may be in the moment. Read Dodson's words, and carefully consider them. This is no polemic. It is a pilgrimage, and one that we're brought along for the ride on and asked to experience for ourselves via Dodson's narrative here. Overall a particularly strong book about histories largely forgotten and certainly far too often ignored. And yet it is this particular strength that also leads to its one flaw: For a book that shows so much history and even references quite a few texts along the way, for the bibliography to be only a page or two is damn near criminal. While the book did contain quite a few personal and direct interviews, there is also quite a bit of history discussed, and it would serve Dodson's readers to have a more complete bibliography so that they could read up on the same sources he used in his own research. Very much recommended.

Strong Southern Gothic Tale. Perfect for those who love to start "spooky season" on July 5th (with no other major (decorative, at least) holidays in the US before Halloween), yet also has a strong small town mystery and even a touch of romance, this is one book that checks a lot of boxes - yet manages to do them all quite well. Even as a native of the South, specifically the borderlands between southern Appalachia and exurban Atlanta, I had never heard of the concept of a "grave bird", yet Elemndorf both (quickly) explains it well... and then uses it particularly well throughout the novel whose title notes that it is all about these creatures. ;) But seriously, the titular grave birds give this tale a magical realism/ fantasy tone that is exactly what one would expect in a Southern Gothic tale, but really the core of this book is one woman's dreams and the depths she will go through to achieve them - even if it means unravelling a decades old town mystery so well hidden that virtually no one even actually knows there is a mystery to solve! Truly a strong and stirring sophomore effort (for adult audiences, at least), this really is a strong tale told particularly well, and one that is both familiar enough to be understood and even relatable, yet innovative enough so that the reader will still be caught quite breathless at times. Very much recommended.

Hilarious (If In An Absurdist/ British Manner) And Heartwarming. I'm going to do this review in two parts, because there is a very key similarity between this book and a (possibly now somewhat obscure) movie that was at one time decently well known - but to reveal which movie is a *massive* spoiler. So here's the spoiler free part: This book is going to make you laugh. It is going to make you cry. It is going to make you reach out to speak with and hold those closest to you, and it is going to make you think about your own life. And it is going to do all of that via allowing you to see through the eyes of a loner recluse that nobody gives a damn about who happens to be mistaken for a dead neighbor. Goodhand does another amazing job of telling a story in such a low key way, yet managing to hit exactly the notes he seems to have been going for. Truly an awesome story that will be a great counter weight to both the bubble gum pop or hyper macho action books you're reading this summer as well as the extreme dark horror tales some (weirdos - joking, to be clear) look to this time of year or even the nonfiction books that a lot of ppl seek to read in the summer. And yes, guys, put down the nonfiction and read this book. It is absolutely for you, and you're going to be able to have quite a bit of "teh feelz" in a safe space with this book. Ladies, don't let the last sentence fool you, you're going to enjoy this book at least as much as the guys, as there is quite a bit here for you too - just not quite as prominent, more in the sub story with some stuff that is going on throughout the book. And now... the spoilers. DO NOT READ BELOW HERE IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Giving. People. Who. Don't. Want. To. Be. Spoiled. Time. To. Leave. Ok, at this point I've given everyone's eyes a chance to leave before you read what I say next, so HERE COME THE SPOILERS. Mr. Holland's Opus has to be one of my favorite movies of all time. Its final scene in particular, where Mr. Holland comes to school ostensibly to pick up his last remaining boxes from his classroom after a lifetime of teaching at this school, only to hear some noise coming from somewhere... then following it to find an auditorium full of his former students and colleagues, all there to celebrate him... simply phenomenal. If you love that movie, and particularly that scene, as much as I do... well, you're already in the spoiler section of this review. Suffice it to say, without giving *everything* away, that there is a very similar scene here, and it is just as phenomenal as that one. *Maybe* even a touch better. I don't *know* that Goodhand was aware of this scene, but it at least seems possible. Now, my job as a reviewer is to both describe my experience with a book and, ultimately, to try to help sell it, even on books I absolutely detest. So particularly when a book was as excellent as this one, I need to talk about the things that I think could help it sell, and thus I *needed* to mention this movie. Plus, I couldn't help but immediately think of that movie as the scene here was playing out, so I'm also being true to my own experience with the book in mentioning it. But I do know it is a massive spoiler, so it has been embedded in these spoiler tags. And. Now. We. Come. Back. Out. Of. The. Spoilers. Ultimately, this was truly an excellent book that I think most anyone will truly have a great time with, and in the lower half of the 300 page range, it isn't a tome that will take weeks to read either, so it should be accessible to most readers. Very much recommended.

I Thought I Was The Only One. It is no secret that my book reviews are in part confessionals, that is my entire schtick as a reviewer and literally the basis of my brand name. So here's one I don't talk about often, but which those who have known me since I was a kid are aware of - it actually caused a bit of drama a couple of times back then: The dream sequences that happen in this book? The ones that our lead character feels are so vivid and real, that they really could be glimpses into the future? I've lived with those same types of dreams off and on for over forty years now. And no, it isn't deja vu. It is pretty well exactly as Constantine describes here - so real and visceral that you *know* you've lived those very events before. Except unlike our lead character - or in some ways perhaps exactly like her - I learned early on, from a couple of blunders that caused the drama I referenced above, to not (obviously) act on the dreams, but instead to prepare myself for the outcomes they warned me of so that I could at least be prepared if or when they happened. So for me in particular, that part of this book was *phenomenal*. It was easily relatable to one of those aspects of my life that I virtually *never* talk about anymore, because as our lead character in the book learns, people - even those closest to you - rapidly begin to think you're crazy when you so openly talk about it. (Which is one reason I'm not going into any real details about my own experiences, and indeed I can actively state that these types of dreams don't happen nearly as often anymore as they did when I was younger. My overall life is also *dramatically* different than it was, and I suspect this plays a role.) But that aspect is only roughly half this tale, the setup. And while a phenomenal setup, it *is* a rather slow one. It takes time for those less accustomed to these types of dreams to wrap your head around what is going on with this character, and Constantine gives you that kind of time. She needs to, because the later stages, where the action picks up and indeed becomes rather breathtaking, *need* you to understand that part of this character and believe it as much as she does. Thus, when the action picks up, the dreams become less a part of the active story and more a part of what is informing the action sequences as they play out. At this point, it becomes a far more typical thriller, one of the exact type Constantine is known for and excels at, and it shows brilliantly here. Overall truly a great thriller that shows a side of life that most likely aren't as familiar with, and does so in a way that rings true to at least my own experiences with similar experiences in real life. Very much recommended.

Solid Sophomore Effort. This book picks up shortly after Rules For Second Chances, the author's debut, ends - even though even two weeks after release it isn't listed or marketed (that I've seen) as a sequel or series. Which is critical information, because both of our leads here actually debuted there, with one of them (the male) having a decent sized role in that book that helps explain some of his actions in this book. Here, North shows growth as a storyteller in that she is breaking away from what she knows as an Autistic and is exploring things from neurotypical perspectives... yet still in manners that are all too real for just how messy things can get. From physically messy - mud in a river camp - to emotionally messy (most everything going on with both of our leads and their relationship prior to the beginning of this book, explained briefly in the book's opening sequences). Overall this is a solid romance/ women's fiction tale of healing from various traumas and maybe finding love along the way... with a fair amount of laughs and a touch of spice - let's call it jalapeno level - along the way. Read the first book first, but then you'll absolutely be ready for this one, and while it won't be "I MUST HAVE THE SEQUEL RIGHT THIS SECOND", I do believe you'll both enjoy having this book on hand ready to read immediately after and that this book will make more sense for more readers who have read the two books in close succession. I personally read the books a year nearly to the day apart, with 201 books between them, but fortunately I was still able to follow along reasonably well. This may not be a talent/ ability all readers enjoy though as like North, I too am Autistic, so I'm confident that my recommendation to read them closer together than I did will hold more true for more readers than not. Very much recommended.

David Needs To Open A Teepublic Store. Y'all Should Help Me Convince Him. :) This was another fun entry in the long and spiraling Dane Maddock saga, but also one that those new to Wood can pick up as their first book and neither have much spoiled nor miss much of anything, as it largely is a fairly solid standalone tale with a couple of links to a larger world - though one of those links in particular does play a larger role in the epilogue than it does in the overall tale here. Instead what we get here is an adventure thriller based in the American Southwest featuring its most famous of creatures - the Roswell Aliens and the various lore and objective facts that are known about that event all those years ago. As usual, Maddock himself has seen some things, but is still the more down to earth explorer. His partner "Bones" Bonebrake... is the more outlandish believer of many things who also happens to be *very* good at, well, breaking bones when the need arises. As with most of these tales, there is at least some plausibly achaeology-ish setup, a lot of being chased by people with bad intentions, a few key fights, and (particularly later in these adventures, as this book is), some element of scifi and/ or the supernatural. Though in this case it *does* have a more interesting spin on the concepts than I've seen in other works, and I've read a lot of interesting stuff related to these particular events. But the reason David needs to create a teepublic store: He has created a symbol for a group - and granted, these people are the antagonist for this novel - that is so badass I actually would consider getting a tattoo of it, and despite having several tattoos, many of them book-inspired, that isn't something I say very often. I would *absolutely* wear this on a shirt in a heartbeat, and I honestly think even just having stuff available with this image alone would have enough sales to at least warrant the effort of creating the shop and making it available. But y'all need to read this book and leave your own reviews of it, and tell David to create the shop so we can buy the shirts. Maybe if enough people har - I mean, gently ask him - he'll eventually do it just to get us to leave him alone? :D Very much recommended.

Solid Dramatic Romance Marred By Mismatched Cover/ Description. I'd had an ARC of this book for a few months before publication, despite only finishing it on publication day due to both life and a rather insane pace of reading - it was my 81st completed book of the year and 11th of the month. At least through this point, even the next day, the cover of the book and the description of the book both hint at a lot more visual and visceral travel based romance than what is delivered here, to the level that I felt the star deduction was warranted for this mismatch - a mismatch that can be corrected at any time, perhaps as soon as even within the very time I'm writing this review. Thus, if the cover and description have been updated by the time you read this review and reflect more of what I'm about to tell you, heh, my reason for deducting a star is no longer there and I would consider it a five star read instead. Now, as to what this book actually is... prepare for some very dusty rooms. While there is a lot more telling than showing here, due to the nature of how Mendez chooses to tell the story, and perhaps the events of the book - both good and bad - could have landed even harder with a more first person / showing narrative, the story still works quite well as is and I have no actual problem with it. Yes, some people won't prefer it, but others wouldn't prefer it if it *were* done in the first person/ showing kind of manner, so meh, your mileage will absolutely vary there. Still, the story as presented is powerful, if one of those romance tales that spans several years. This is far from an insta-romance, yet I'm also not sure that I would classify it as slow burn. Instead, this is a tale of life molding two people - mostly one of them - to the point where they *finally* realize they are what each other always wanted... even if they had to go through so much pain and hardship (along with fun and adventure) to get there. Thus, it actually works as a more serious balance to so much of the more "bubblegum pop" types of romances that are out there and thus a solid tale to stay within the romance space yet get a different taste and texture from a story than may be your typical. (Or perhaps this is your typical and you *need* some bubblegum pop. While that isn't this review, find my other reviews wherever you see this one and you can likely find some recs for some of those too. :D) This is one of those books where you need to be ready to read about life continually knocking our main character down... and sometimes she stays down perhaps longer than is healthy or wise. And that isn't the kind of book everyone can read at every stage of their lives, so you need to be prepared for that. It gets *deep* into the stages of grief and loss of different elements of our main character's life, and if that is too much for you... go grab some of that bubblegum. Heal up. Come to this one when you can handle this kind of tale. Because it *is* a good tale that deserves to be known, Overall truly a strong tale that I perhaps have a quibble or two with the manner in which it is told and a more serious problem with how it is currently marketed at release time, neither of which actually seriously detracts from the power of the story itself. Very much recommended.

Strong “Finale”. I use “finale” in quotes in the title of this review because it seems we are getting a Christmas “epilogue” for this series later this year, at least per book site listings as I write this review nearly a week before this book publishes. This noted, the story here absolutely reads like a genuine and strong finale of a series that has put its main characters through quite a lot… and has still more for them to go through. The laughs… and dusty rooms… are both timed and executed well, even as many of them seemingly come out of the blue – particularly the dusty rooms. Yet every aspect here remains perfectly true to who each of the main characters are, even as the situations they find themselves in through the course of this series finale are very unexpected. Even as someone who first came to this series at Book 4, and thus missed the developments of the first three books, this really was very well done – one of the better finale/ wrap-ups/ send-offs I’ve seen done in a series finale in any medium, and certainly *far* superior to the various infamous finales over the years. No one is waking up and claiming it was all a dream here, y’all. 😉 Read the rest of the series before reading this book. But then make sure you have some tissues ready, because when those dusty rooms hit in this book – and yes, I said “rooms”, as in plural – they *really* hit, and you’re going to need them. Fortunately each book in the series (at least those I’ve read) is at or under 200 pages, which makes them all fairly quick reads, even for busy parents (or others busy with whatever life you may lead). By the time you get to the end of this one, you’ll be satisfied with where Gilbert leaves these characters… but you’re also going to welcome that epilogue currently scheduled to release in late October 2025. 😉 Very much recommended.

Brennan Expands Her Storytelling In A New And Refreshing Direction. Long time fans of Brennan, and even those who have only started reading her this decade like me, know she is most well known for very *dark* murder tales and the teams investigating them. This book is not that. At all. While it retains *some* elements of that - bodies are piling up rather rapidly at a small private island resort - this is much more a pure romantic suspense with strong island vibes. Thus, we get a lot more tropical/ island feel here than is typical of Brennan's writing to date... and that is an *amazing* thing to see, as she executes it so well. About the only thing Brennan could have done to be even more different than her usual style would be to go pure bubblegum pop romcom, and while this is nowhere near that... there are certainly both comedic and spicy moments, making the reader literally laugh out loud at times while offering perhaps around a jalapeno level spice - more than a warm glass of milk, but also far less than the ghost peppers of books I read earlier in the week before reading this book. Truly well done, and a very welcome and refreshing departure from where Brennan has been these last several years at minimum, this reader at least is hoping both sides of her storytelling will continue. Very much recommend.

Sexual Exploration Romcom. The title of this review says it all. This is *easily* one of the actually closest to erotica romcoms I've ever encountered, with pretty well the entire plot focused around sexual exploration and a somewhat thin, yet still fun and compelling, plot wrapped around that to tie the sex scenes together. I would say the comedic elements here are fewer and further between than they were in Nine Month Contract, but they're still present - and the animals (primarily a cat in this tale, which first appeared in Nine Month Contract) don't quite steal the scenes as much in this tale, despite being nearly equally present. Instead, this book revolves more around healing from past traumas of both halves of our main couple, including one particular event seven years ago that may not have gone down exactly as each understood it to have. And yes, lots and lots of ghost pepper level "spice", though without some of the elements of Nine Month Contract that may have turned some off from that tale. And while this part of the tale may make some uncomfortable, it is actually handled quite well within the story being told. Overall still a compelling romance with comedic moments, this one is likely less problematic for some than its predecessor, while still being nearly as problematic as its predecessor - or even more problematic - for others. Still, for what it actually is, it really is quite good and any issues are with the reader, not with Daws' storytelling here. Very much recommended.

Apparently Controversial. Fucking Hilarious. Near-Perfect (If Unusual) Romcom. I picked up this book specifically because I agreed to work its sequel (Seven Year Itch) as a blog tour... before realizing that book was a sequel. When I found out, I knew I needed to read this book first. Now, upfront, I've read a LOT of books over the years that some will find disgusting or *well* against their moral philosophies for various reasons and rated most all of them fairly highly - 4 or 5 stars in every case I'm thinking of at the moment. Those have ranged from a look at sexual ethics through the eyes of a hyper conservative American Evangelical Christian lens all the way to a MM romance series that openly involved (adult) baby/ diaper kink. I'm *also* a guy who was introduced to porn because his Pastor, who would later become a President of the Georgia Baptist Convention, once spoke against videoing not only a baby's birth, "but also its conception". As a young and sheltered teenage boy who was very scientifically curious... I had to find those videos. (Here's a tip, Pastors: *Never do this in a mixed congregation.*) Thus, coming into a book involving a degree of breeding kink was nothing particularly shocking for me. (If it is for you, you *really* don't want to go into some of the Omegaverse type stuff. Seriously, just forget you ever even heard that word.) Yes, the entire setup is rather unusual - the book goes through great pains to explore that exact facet of the relationship, and indeed much of the drama in this romcom is specifically due to the unusual nature of how our male and female leads meet and begin to interact. Instead, most everything I've seen anyone complaining about in previous reviews of this book are largely played either for comedy or for enhancing the tension and drama, and both sides of this romantic comedy work quite well in their separate lanes, and indeed come together to make one of the more stand-out and interesting romcoms I've read in quite some time. Again, it won't be for everyone, for varying reasons. But for those that can allow your brains to accept this tale for just a few hours, you're going to come away with one of the more memorable romance tales I've read in literally years. Here, I speak as a man who reads on average 200 books per year across nearly all (non swords and sorcery fantasy) genres. Even the standard inclusion of who the next couple in the series will be is done well by including them when it makes sense in *this* story, but not having them dominate the screen in their scenes the way I've seen others do over the years. Spice level wise... y'all, breeding kink is a major thing here. Thus, the spice level is pretty well ghost pepper/ damn near erotica level at times, but with the main focus of the book being on the actual story. But when it goes to sex scenes... not only does it not fade to black, it gets into a lot of stuff that will make a lot of people fairly squeamish, and not always in good ways. So yet again, be prepared for this, and if this isn't really your thing... this book likely won't be for you, and that is perfectly ok. Truly an unconventional and thus memorable romcom, but again, it won't be for everyone. *And that is perfectly ok.* Very much recommended.

Orwellian. 1984 was originally published in 1949 - 76 yrs and 2 days before the publication of this book - so I don't feel bad at all about revealing its final line: Wilson loved Big Brother. Which ultimately made it a tragedy as well as a warning. Here, we get a very similar effect, if not a retelling of the overall story of someone rebelling against a thing they are tied to in so many ways before being abused back into loving the thing they originally rebelled against. Obviously without the political commentary, as (as another reviewer noted), Rouda is clearly making a name for herself in the trainwreck popcorn thriller market. Why insert any overt politics and piss off whatever segment of potential readers, after all? :) Thus, fans of Rouda will love this new entry. Those new to Rouda's writing will find a pretty spot on example of it here, at least in my reading of her last few books (though not all of them, yet). And yes, her style doesn't leave anyone looking particularly great or give the reader really anyone to "root for" 100%. Nobody is a truly "good" character, but all of the characters work reasonably well for their role in the story being told. And the story being told will have you on the edge of your seat much of the time, with little time for any "potty break" sections. If you're looking for a darkly entertaining thriller with minimal blood or sex or even really cursing... you've found exactly that. If you're looking for something that is not pretty well exactly that... this ain't what you're looking for. It really is as simple as that, as is the case with pretty well every Rouda book. (Some may have more sex than others, some may have more cursing than others, but largely if you're ok with reading about people doing horrible things to each other, up to and including murder both onscreen and off... you're going to be ok here.) Overall a darkly fun book that will be perfect summer reading for some, and that may be either too dark or even not dark enough for others. Very much recommended.

More About Influencer / Hyper Online Culture Of The Last Decade And How To Manipulate The Algorithms To Increase Your Reach. This is one of those books where I suspect most people will go into it with one expectation - to learn about the etymology of various terms used online and how the creation and propagation of these terms is shaping the future of language. Instead, what we largely get is a look at influencer and hyper-online culture of the last decade and tips on how to manipulate language so that the algorithms of social media don't shadow ban (or outright ban) you and even how to use them to gain more followers for yourself. In and of itself, this is a rather fascinating look at what it actually is... but that isn't really what was "sold" to us in the (current, one month to the day before publication) description of the book. But is it *quite* enough to justify a star deduction in and of itself? Normally, possibly, but here I'll allow it simply because Aleksic does do a truly great job of explaining what he actually wants to explain... even if this isn't what the description of the book (which isn't controlled exclusively by Aleksic) wants us to believe the book is about. Thus, the star deduction here is actually for the dearth of even really a modicum of a bibliography, at least in the Advance Review Copy of the book I read. Perhaps the final form will include one, and perhaps that bibliography will be roughly 15% or more of the overall text. That would be *awesome* - but that is NOT the version of the book I read, and thus is not the version of the book I must judge. Overall truly an eye opening book roughly about linguistics and etymology, but really more about influencer culture and how to manipulate the algorithms to your own personal gain, this one will be one that will likely fly about that high - perhaps gaining a modicum of attention for a few moments, before the algorithm instead pushes the next Big Thing. Very much recommended.