All the Missing Pieces by Julianna Keyes
Romantic Suspense/Mystery Thriller
September 21, 2020
Review by Melinda
I’ve read this author before in more of a straight up contemporary romance genre so I was really interested in reading this but throughout the whole book I was unsure if this was romance or suspense so I kept thinking HEA or NO!?! Let me put your mind at ease that there *is* an HEA!
Reese was a spoiled rich girl whose life got turned upside down when her father was sent to prison for embezzling 20 million dollars. She’s not exactly likeable, but I think that was the point – that she’s changed because of everything she’s gone through in the public eye, and yikes, is she in the public eye. The chemistry she has with Chris, who is a mysterious stranger, is off the charts and throws her life into eve more chaos than before.
Reese is definitely the star of the book and she’s lived a complicated life, I liked that the author was able to show how paranoid she’s become from not being able to trust anyone. Her life had evolved into one random encounter after another. Chris showing up has her questioning everything and the fallout from that was really enjoyable and kept me on my my toes the whole time.
Grade: A –
To be Alone With You by Jodie Slaughter
Contemporary Romance
March 7, 2021
Review by Melinda
This novella was quick and steamy, which is exactly how I like them so it was basically perfect for me! Naomi had made a fool of herself over Ira a long time ago and hadn’t seen him since but was in desperate need of an escape so decided to stay at his home in the middle of nowhere when it’s offered. The sexual tension is intense between the two and the 10 year age gap was apparent but didn’t bother me at all.
I wouldn’t recommend this to people who do not want to read about anything related to COVID, which I get, but I really liked how Slaughter incorporated it into the plot. It was integral to the story but also wasn’t extremely heavy. The story would literally not work without COVID as Naomi would have left and gone back to her apartment if it weren’t for COVID. But what I appreciated about this story is that because they were not in a city or a packed area so the characters were not constantly worried about being close to other people, so neither was I. Which was such a relief.
This book is a reminder that love always finds a way, even in the worst of times. Ira and Naomi have a hot and steamy love, but it’s also sweet and romantic.
CW: COVID
Grade: A –
Julianna Keyes wrote one of my all-time favorite romances, TIME SERVED, and the Charleston Thrashers baseball romances (TEAM PLAYER & BENCH PLAYER). I understand she is going to start writing mysteries & thrillers under the name Elaine Sutton, iirc. I hope that doesn’t mean she’s no longer going to be writing romances.
I LOVED Time Served so much! I hope she doesn’t quit romance completely as well. There have been a few romance authors in the last few years who’ve branched out into suspense that I’ve really enjoyed so I’m happy to follow her to this genre too…but I do hope for at least a tiny romance subplot!