ARC Review: Take Me With You by Steven Rowley

 

A poignant, hilarious, and wholly original love story, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Celebrants and winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor.

College professor Jesse del Ruth has been abandoned. Thirty years into their relationship, Jesse witnesses his husband Norman get out of bed late one night, walk into their Joshua Tree backyard, step into a strange beam of light and . . . disappear. How could Norman desert him after a lifetime together? Where did he go? And, most confoundingly . . . will he ever return? Jesse knew they were longing for something, both feeling stuck. But had Norman been so stuck that his only option was to leave Jesse behind?

As Jesse struggles to understand Norman’s disappearance, he tries to piece together his new reality. Is he expected to wait patiently for a partner who may never come back? Or is this an opportunity for reinvention? He is, after all, alone for the first time in his adult life. Should he return to the classroom? Put in a pool? Get a dog? Call his estranged mother? What does it mean to be alone when you’ve always been one half of a whole?

When Norman’s sister Lally lands on Jesse’s doorstep with an urgent request, Norman’s absence becomes even more profound. Add to Jesse’s grief and confusion a conspiracy-theorist neighbor, a strange man following him, and suspicions that he may have had a hand in Norman’s disappearance, and Jesse starts to crack under the pressure. With his husband missing and the world closing in, all eyes are on Jesse. Before he can understand how Norman could leave it all behind, Jesse must confront what it means to stay.

In Take Me With You, Steven Rowley brings his resonant wit and emotional insight to an epic love story – an exploration of the forces that draw two people into the same orbit and the gravity that threatens to pull them apart.

Title: Take Me With You

Author: Steven Rowley

Publisher: G.P. Putman's Sons

Expected Publication Date: May 19, 2026

Review:

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I have so far adored everything I've read from Rowley. He has such a knack for fun and entertaining story telling, I was really excited to jump into this one. I didn't even read the blurb because he's just an auto-read author for me.

This story was a bit slower than Rowley's previous titles that I've read. At least at the beginning. There is a lot of build up for the story. A lot of heart ache, emotional turmoil, grief, and anxiety to be had. Heavily laid background so we can get to know the characters and watch them change and grow. I loved that Rowley chose to write each section from a different point of view. I'm always happy to get the POV of various characters. It makes me feel more drawn to them and helps me understand them more. And I loved the relationships Rowley chose to build. Family, yes, but also found family which I feel like can be even more important than blood relatives because the characters choose those people.

Jesse and Norman have been together for 30 years. Their meet cute is nothing short of fun. I enjoyed that Rowely chose to show us this particular scene in the beginning and then came back to it later in the book. But something has been brewing within their marriage. A rift that neither man seems to know how to fix. When Norman disappears, Jesse finds himself lost. What Rowley chooses to show is that one must find and understand oneself prior to being able to give themselves to someone else.

Lally, Norman's sister, has her own chapters in the book. I will say I was not expecting to hear from her. But those chapters really made me love her. Her struggle with her age, wanting children, and worrying about her brother jumped off the page for me. 

The mystery surrounding Norman's disappearance really had me invested in the story and kept me turning pages to find out.. I needed to know what happened and how. Rowley weaves a bit of science fiction into the story a la Area 51 and the potential for life beyond our stars. We never truly find out where Norman went but we have an idea through how Rowely presents Jesse's final chapters.

What I love about Rowely is he knows when to use humor to help you understand a scene and when to use more emotional writing to keep your investment in the characters throughout the story. This helps keep a great pace throughout his story and also moves the plot along well.

I will admit, some parts of this book were a bit slow for me. I still pushed through because I wanted to see what would happen with all the characters, but I felt like some parts were longer than they needed to be. For the first half of the book, I was sure I was going to have to really push to get to the good parts. But at about the 50% mark, the book really picked up for me. The ending felt just a bit rushed for me, given how much time we had spent with Jesse. I wish I could have seen Norman's struggle with what Jesse went through, but the book just skips over that and goes straight to the resolution.

And I truly loved the setting Rowley chose for this book: Joshua Tree. I have never been but I have seen pictures and also have seen shows/movies that were filmed in that area. It is a vast desert where one could get truly lost. Rowley's descriptions really help me visualize where Jesse and Norman chose to live.

Overall I laughed, cried, and truly understood the struggles of the characters. Rowely touches on relationships and the need to be individual within them; to hold on to who you are while building something with someone else. To accept others as they are but also realize change can happen and we must adjust and grow with those changes. Rowley will remain an auto-read author for me for sure!

Author:

Steven Rowley is the bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus, a Washington Post Notable Book of 2016, The Editor, named by NPR and Esquire Magazine as one of the Best Books of 2019, and The Guncle, a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist for 2021 Novel of the Year and semi-finalist for The Thurber Prize in American Humor. His fiction has been published in twenty languages. Rowley lives in Palm Springs, CA with his husband, the writer Byron Lane.

ARC Review: The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O'Clover

 

A bed-and-breakfast for the brokenhearted might hold the key to another chance at love in this achingly hopeful debut romance.

Louisa Walsh emerged from a tumultuous childhood with a degree in counseling, a wealthy boyfriend, and her sunny outlook on life mostly intact. But that optimism is tested when she’s dumped and left unable to afford rent on their gorgeous house in the mountains of Colorado. Even with her life in disarray, Lou knows losing the one stable place she’s ever called home is not an option.

She asks her reclusive landlord, Henry Rhodes, to let her stay for free in exchange for renting out the house’s many rooms as a bed-and-breakfast. She’s shocked when he agrees to her terms, and even more surprised to discover Henry is a handsome thirtysomething veterinarian with silver at his temples and sadness in his eyes. One who does not take it well when Lou starts marketing her B and B as a retreat for the recently heartbroken.

But as the Comeback Inn opens its doors to its weary, hopeful guests, Lou and Henry find themselves dancing around both their undeniable connection and the closely held secrets that threaten to topple this fragile new start. A chance at love, here, could be too close to home…or it could be exactly where their hearts finally heal.

Title: The Heartbreak Hotel

Author: Ellen O'Clover

Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group

Expected Publication Date: September 23, 2025

Review:

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I always get worried when there are a lot of great reviews on a book. More often than not I've been unhappy with such popular titles. This time is not one of them. Ellen O'Clover too my heart, smashed it to pieces and then slowly put it back together with so much tender care it made me weep. This title is full of some very heavy themes so if you are one who has triggers; cheating, death of a child, death of a spouse, animals in danger/sick animals, mental illness, I do suggest checking the note from the author prior to beginning your read. When I say I was wrecked, that word doesn't really capture how I felt. But also, my connection to the main character, Louisa, and her sister, Goldie, was like a live wire. While I don't have experience with the mental illness their mom has, I do have experience with taking care of everyone around me and how that molded me into the person I am today.

Lousia's (Lou's) character truly captures what it is like to take on the parent role as a child but also what it's like to always be taking care of those around you. To be a fixer. To always be taking care of those who should be taking care of you because they are just unable to care for themselves, O'Clover captured the toxicity that can occur when such relationships exists. I will say I didn't love the relationship between Goldie and Lou, though I am pretty sure that is the point of the relationship as it does help the characters have some growth. Goldie really made me mad. While there was a bit of resolution to this, I didn't necessarily believe it's conclusion. Though, perhaps, that is O'Clover's point: that you have to continue to work on relationships to make then stronger and better. I wanted to see more of a clash and fight from Lou as she stood up for herself with Goldie. However, the complicated family relationships O'Clover built were a big plot point of this book so it's understandable that perhaps not everything will get solved and wrapped up in a neat bow at the end. I appreciated this direction once the book concluded. What I did love about this relationship (and the one with her mother) was Lou's recognition of who she was and how she functioned and that it wasn't something that made her a bad person. It was something she could use to help others.

Henry was a pretty easy character to figure out. He wore his grief right on his sleeve for everyone to see. And, I figured out pretty early on what that grief would consist of so when O'Clover revealed it, I wasn't totally surprised. I also figured out his relationship with one of the characters in the book early on, so that didn't come as a shock when it was revealed, But he was genuine and caring and so much more than what he appeared to be at first. So often I wanted to reach through the page and just give him a big squeeze. He is gentle and kind despite his crushing heartbreak that is revealed. At the same time, I hated the secrets he was keeping. He made me very angry, much more angry than Lou and that surprised me. I'm not sure I could have been as forgiving as she was. And it's never fully explored, It's just kind of forgiven and that bothered me. I needed to see it worked through on the page more than it was.

O'Clover does a nice job with the slow burn between the characters. There is a lot of push and pull as they get to know one another and their attraction slowly ramps up. The chemistry build is tense but also satisfying.

I think my favorite thing of all with this book was the found family in the hotel guests and how they not only come and heal but also help Lou to heal. Not only are they supported but they in turn support Lou. Everyone wins from the situation Lou has created. And so many wonderful friendships are born and nurtured. 

The attention to detail O'Clover includes in her descriptions of Colorado and the area where the inn is makes me want to go there and stay (and I hate the cold weather). She sets the scene so serenely, it's hard not to picture it in your mind. The trees, the snow, the mountains, the warmth the house/inn wraps around you. O'Clover captures the beauty of this place so well. 

There are a few plot lines O'Clover includes in the book. Each one essential to the growth of the characters she presents. I liked how she tied them all in and made them make sense. It moved the book along. There was never a time she introduced something I didn't see as being an essential part of making the book bloom. It gave the book excellent pacing and made me want to continue to read and find out exactly what traumas the characters had endured and how they were going to deal with them. And there is a lot of trauma in this book. And it is not totally healed despite the HEA you get but something that continues to need attention. This was so realistic because I truly believe trauma can never be fully healed but you can learn to recognize it, work on it, and realize how it's shaped you as a person.

This is probably one of my most favorite books this year. It's beautifully written and poignant. I really wasn't expecting to be so invested in the story or the characters. O'Clover wasn't afraid to introduce some truly hard topics with her characters. And she wasn't afraid to show that healing is a lifelong process. This book made me go and buy her other two, which are YA, but also makes me want to push her right to the top of my list of new favorite authors. I will definitely be picking up anything else she chooses to write. I hear the audio of this book is excellent and have already requested it from my library so I can re-read it when the book is released. If you're a lover of Abby Jimenez or Tarah Dewitt, you'll enjoy O'Clover's writing and themes.

4.5 stars rounded to 5

Author:

Ellen O’Clover writes stories about love, identity, and belonging for both teens and adults. She grew up in Ohio and studied creative writing at the Johns Hopkins University before moving west to Colorado. Her debut young adult novel, Seven Percent of Ro Devereux, was named a Best Book of the Year by The Bank Street Center for Children’s Education and a finalist for both the Colorado Book Award and the Florida Sunshine Young Readers Award. Her debut adult romance, The Heartbreak Hotel, comes out in September 2025 with Berkley/Penguin Random House. Ellen lives near Boulder with her rocket scientist husband and two perfect bulldogs.

Review: Lovelight Farms (Lovelight #1) by B.K. Borison

Two best friends fake date to reach their holiday happily ever after in this first romantic comedy in the Lovelight series.

A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.

In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a kid, Stella enters a contest with Instagram-famous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, Stella might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on her application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only…there is no boyfriend.

Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just stopped by for some hot chocolate and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process. But fake dating his best friend might be the best Christmas present he’s ever received.

Title: Lovelight Farms (Lovelight #1)

Author: B.K. Borison

Publisher: Berkeley

Publication Date: November 10.2021

Links: Amazon Barnes and Noble BAM

Review:

I think I've found my new favorite romance author! Did Borison just suck me in and make me want to read every last thing she puts to paper? Why yes, yes she did!

Wow, I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this! I'm honestly not even sure where to begin.

Stella has lived her life cautiously and fins herself in financial woes with her Christmas Tree farm failing right under her nose. What can go wrong always does. So when she enters and wins a contest from social media influencer Evelyn St. James, she's hoping it's what will throw her farm back into the black. But Stella needs the farm to be the romantic place she made it out to be in her application, and Stella is not sure she believes in romance. Desperate to save her life's love, she entreats her best friend Luka Peters to pretend to be her fake boyfriend.

Told in alternating times, Lovelight farms frames the friendship between Luka and Stella over the last ten years that has led to the present. I loved watching their relationship build. Luka is sunshine and warm days and light. Stella is the grump who's not sure romance even exists. But their chemistry is undeniable, even if Stella pushes it away.

Usually you don't see many FMCs as the grumps. Granted, you see more grump from the farmhand Bennett (I know he gets his own book!) but Stella definitely gives off that vibe. She holds herself back. She doesn't believe she's deserving, even when all her best friends tell her she is. I really enjoyed her development in this book. How she slowly let herself have the good things and see that she was allowed to want them.

Luka, oh my Luka. I really liked him. I will say it was harder to get to know him only seeing him through Stella's POV. I would have loved him to have his own POV so we could really see what was going on in his head. I think his longing would have made the book even better for me. But, alas, we see him through Stealla's eyes. And, while his POV would have been amazing, I get the need to let Stella show him to us. It let's us see how she realizes his longing and desire. It let's us see her own growth and change so much more.

Borison paces this book perfectly. The right amount of slow burn. The right amount of things going wrong, then going right. The right amount of side characters giving their opinions and showing us who they are for when we finally get their stories. Plus, the plot was great. The social media influencer stance was fun. I liked watching Stella be uncomfortable and then realize she could just be her and that was enough.

The spice is spot on, as well. The longing leading to it's culmination is fantastic. Lingering looks and touches showing where it will eventually lead. Or at least where you hope it will lead.  It's not a ton but it is done so, so well. It's hot and made me squirm a bit. Definitely not closed door but also not the main plot point.

Did I read it after Christmas, I did. Do I wish I had read it before? Maybe? But it truly can be read whenever because it's not about the Christmas part, though that part is fun, it's about how the relationships are built. It's about opening yourself up to possibility and love and romance. It's about being your authentic self and that being enough.

A book set on a picturesque Christmas tree farm? Characters who have their own distinct personalities and shine even if they are not the main ones? Found family trope? A slow burn love story that builds and builds until it busts? YES! YES! YES! And HECK YES! I don't think this author will write anything I don't want to read and I'm ready for it all!

Author:

New York Times, Sunday Times, and USA Today Bestselling author B.K. Borison is the author of cozy, contemporary romances featuring emotionally vulnerable characters and swoon-worthy settings. When she’s not daydreaming about fictional characters doing fictional things, she’s at home with her family, more than likely buying books she doesn’t have room for.

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Audio ARC Review: Fiasco (Uncharted Hearts #2) by Constance Fay

Equal parts steamy interstellar romance and sci-fi adventure, Constance Fay's FIASCO is a perfect wild romp amidst the stars.


Cynbelline Khaw is a woman of many names. She’s Generosity, a cultist who never quite fit in. She’s Bella, the daughter who failed to save her cousin’s life. And then there’s Cyn, the notorious bounty hunter who spaced a ship of slavers.

She’s exhausted, lonely, and on her very last legs―but then a new client offers her a job she can’t refuse: a bounty on the kidnapper who killed her cousin. All Cyn has to do is partner with the crew of the Calamity, a scouting vessel she encountered when she was living under a previous alias. One tiny little issue, she’s been given an additional deliver the oh-so-compelling medic, Micah Arora, to the treacherous Pierce Family or all her identities will be revealed, putting her estranged family in danger.

Hunting a kidnapper doesn’t usually mean accidentally taking your sexy new target to dinner at your parent’s house, a local mystic predicting you’ll have an increasingly large number of children, or being accompanied by a small flying lizard with a penchant for eating metal, but, as they field investigative hurdles both dangerous and preposterous, Cyn and Micah grow ever closer. When a violent confrontation reveals that everything Cyn thought about her past is wrong, she realizes that she has the power to change her future. The first part of that is making sure that Micah Arora is around to be a part of it.

Title: Fiasco (Uncharted Hearts #2)

Author: Constance Fay

Publication Date: June 4, 2024

Publisher: Tor Bramble

Review:

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Bramble Books for providing me with an audio galley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

In this follow up to Calamity, we are reacquainted with Cyn Khaw: a bounty hunter who goes by many names disguising herself as a private investigator who has spent her life hunting her cousin's killer. When she gets a chance to hunt the killer down, she's paired with the crew of the Calamity. But she's given an ultimatum by one of the family's: save her family and herself by turning in Micah, the ship's medic, or lose everything.

If you have not read the first book in this series, stop and go read it. Not only was it fabulous, but you will not understand many of the relationships in this book if you do not read that one first. This is definitely not a stand alone.

This is the first book I have reviewed in the audio format. I will saw I was skeptical at first; worried the narrator would be computer generated and I would have a hard time getting into the story. I was pleasantly surprised to be hearing Paige Reisenfeld's voice. This is my first audio by this narrator and I thoroughly enjoyed her. Her tone was perfect and she helped me to love the female main character and all her quirks.

Cynbaelline Khaw, aka Bella, aka Cyn goes by all the names trying to keep her true identity a secret. I remember her being introduced to us in the first book, though I didn't know it was her at the time. And once this was revealed, the story of her and Michah began to make much more sense. She's sassy and smart and is no stranger to being alone. She has spent her life in her own bubble, keeping her family at arms length and not allowing herself to be involved with anyone more than is necessary to her job. Cyn, to me, doesn't know her worth. And her character certainly develops around this in the book. She doesn't think she deserves to be loved or to have friends. She had to make some truly tough decisions in this book. And, while you initially believe she will only do what is good for herself, you find that's really not who she truly is. She has a big heart and that shines through as the book progresses.

Michah Arora is a character I know well from the first book in this series. I loved his character. He's smart and has a great head on his shoulders. He cares a lot about his crew; they are his friends and his found family since his exile.  He's super protective of those he loves. And he's got a sense of humor to him that shined for me in this book. He makes light of some more tense situations which helped to ease some of the more tense scenes in the book. I do wish I'd had more from him.

Speaking of romance, it's in the book, but it was not the main thing that drove the book. What drives this book is the off planet wonder of a different world, the challenge of finding people in such a large area of space, and the fight that ensues to ensure people are safe. The universe of this series is so large, reminding me of Star Trek or even Star Wars and all the planets and places that are visited in those worlds. The shining point of this book is the action and adventure it brings. Did I like the romance, sure, but it was definitely a very slow burn. And if you are looking for closed door, this is not that. The intimacy scenes are definitely a bit descriptive. But I enjoy that in my romances!

And the comedy aspect of this series is really what had me coming back and wanting to read this installment. Fay works it in so well to the story, just as she did with Calamity. Can I just say the ingenuity of creating a lizard that eats metal is genius! I absolutely adored that character and hope to see more of them in future books in this series.

Now, the ending has me a little worried as I would love to see more of Cyn and Micah in future books and the ending has me thinking that may not be possible. Though with Cyn's background, I think she could weasel her way into the next book (if there is one). 

If you're looking for a sci-fi space chases with mystery, romance, fight scenes, and found family, pick up this series and watch is unfold. As my second foray into the space romance genre, I can see it as one of my new favorites. I hope Fay continues the series as I'd love to see more of these space relationships unfurl.

Author:

Constance Fay writes space romance novels and genre fiction short stories. Her short fiction can be found in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Catscast podcast, and other publications. She has a background in medical device R&D and lives in Colorado with a cat who edits all her work first.

 

ARC Review: The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore

A.J. Fikry meets The Bookish Life of Nina Hill in this charming, hilarious, and moving novel about the way books bring lonely souls together.

Librarian Chloe Sampson has been struggling: to take care of her three younger siblings, to find herself, to make ends meet. She's just about at the end of her rope when she stumbles across a rare edition of a book from the 1960s at the local flea market. Deciding it's a sign of her luck turning, she takes it home with her―only to be shocked when her cranky hermit of a neighbor swoops in and offers to buy it for an exorbitant price. Intrigued, Chloe takes a closer look at the book only to find notes scribbled in the margins between two young lovers back when the book was new…one of whom is almost definitely Jasper Holmes, the curmudgeon next door.

And when she begins following the clues left behind, she discovers this isn't the only old book in town filled with their romantic marginalia. This kickstarts a literary scavenger hunt that Chloe is determined to see through to the end. What happened to the two tragic lovers who corresponded in the margins of so many different library books? And what does it have to do with the old, sad man next door―who only now has begun to open his home to Chloe and her siblings? In a romantic tale that spans the decades, Chloe discovers that there's much more to her neighbor than meets the eye. And in allowing herself to accept the unexpected friendship he offers, she learns that some love stories begin in the unlikeliest of places.

Title: The Library of Borrowed Hearts

Author: Lucy Gilmore

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Expected Publication Date: April 30., 2024

Review:

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Chloe Sampson is struggling to keep her family going. Caring for her three young siblings as their guardian has been tough since her mom stepped out of their lives. Her librarian job helps her to just make ends meat. When she finds a rare copy of a book in the library, riddled with notes in the margins from two lovers, she's surprised to have it suddenly linked to her curmudgeon of a neighbor, Jasper. As she investigates his past, she finds this book is not the only one the lovers communicated through and slowly unravels their tumultuous and short love affair. Determined to see the scavenger hunt through, she builds a relationship with Jasper, as well as a local man named Zach who is determined to help her. 

This is my first Lucy Gilmore book. I saw a ton of great reviews for her Lonely Hearts Book Club, which I now have to read! I really enjoyed her writing. It flowed easily and had great pacing. She easily built her characters and made me invested in them. And books written about books are always going to be on my radar. So it was not surprise for me to want to pick this one up and see what it was all about.

Chloe's character is tough but also somewhat broken. Having to care for your three young siblings when you are barely an adult yourself is difficult. And she's determined to ensure they are cared for even if it means she gives up everything she has always wanted to do. Her love of books is what really got me. It's what helped me connect with her and care about her. It's also what helps her connect more with Jasper, which I love. If I were to start my life over again, I would absolutely go for a degree as a librarian or do something in the publishing world. 

Speaking of Jasper, he's definitely my favorite character in this book and has the ARC that progresses the most. He goes from a recluse who wants nothing to do with anyone, to figuring out there's more to life than stewing in your own thoughts. He's also a book lover, which helped me connect with him. I loved his love story, even if it was a little more sad than I would have liked.

My least favorite character was Catherine. I found her to be super selfish and it really bothered me. I wanted her to be so much more. But I also knew there wasn't a HEA coming for her and Jasper (you see this throughout the story so it's not a spoiler for their story ARC). 

I do wish there was more about Zach. I loved him, and how he wanted to connect with Chloe, but I was also mad at him for how he went about it (no spoilers here, you'll have to read to find out why). Mostly I adored his connection with Noodle. And the fact that he took Chloe, siblings and all, even when many would run from a young girl who comes strapped with kids.

The story is told from five points of view, which I would normally be annoyed about but worked really well for this story. It wasn't hard to keep the points of view separate while reading as the chapters were titled. The author also chose to bounce between the present and the past to tell the love story of Catherine and Jasper and how it progresses and ultimately how it ends. There was no point in the book where this story bored me. I truly wanted to find out what happened between the lovers, and wanted Chloe to also get her HEA.

The idea of found family is very much at the forefront of this story and I really love that. Family is great but some don't always have one that is super supportive. So to be able to find the community Chloe did at the end, people who want to help her and watch her succeed, was heart warming.

If you are looking for a romance read, this one isn't it. It has romantic elements for sure because it does ultimately focus on the love affair between Catherine and Jasper. But it is not a romance as much as it is chick lit or contemporary fiction.

The story does just kind of end. I was hoping for an epilogue, something, anything to show me what happens down the line. Chloe is given a great opportunity, but does she take it? What happens with Zach? Does her mother ever come back? How do the children fair? What happens with Jasper? I just needed something to tie up all the loose ends and it wasn't there. This is why I didn't give it 5 stars.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely read more from this author in the future.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Lucy Gilmore is a celebrated novelist in a wide range of genres, including literary fiction, contemporary romance, and cozy mystery. She began her reading (and writing) career as an English literature major and ended as a book lover without all those pesky academic papers attached.

She lives in Spokane, WA with her family.