December 16, 2023 10:30 am
Saturdays at the Café is a weekly feature hosted here to talk about and discuss the books I’ve discovered during the past week, added to my shelf and am excited about reading. They may be new/scheduled releases I’ve seen on NetGalley, at the library, or from publishers or they may be older titles my friends have reviewed and shared on Goodreads or blogs.
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wives
Iris Walsh saw her twin sister, Piper, get kidnapped—so why does no one believe her?
Iris narrowly escaped her pretty, popular twin sister’s fate as a teen: kidnapped, trafficked and long gone before the cops agreed to investigate. With no evidence to go on but a few scattered memories, the case quickly goes cold.
Now an adult, Iris wants one thing—proof. And if the police still won’t help, she’ll just have to find it her own way; by interning at the isolated Shoal Island Hospital for the criminally insane, where secrets lurk in the shadows and are kept under lock and key. But Iris soon realizes that something even more sinister is simmering beneath the surface of the Shoal, and that the patients aren’t the only ones being observed…
Nothing brings family together like crime.
Working alone as a private investigator is tough. Estranged from her PI family, Margo Angelhart does what she must to get by—including taking on sordid cases that pay the bills, even if she’d rather be helping those the justice system has failed.
That is, until a cheating husband case she’s working intersects with her siblings’ corporate espionage investigation, forcing Margo to cooperate with the Angelhart firm. Now, as the siblings compare notes, it’s clear they need to work together before a white-collar crime escalates to murder.
With far more questions than answers and a key suspect on the run, they’ll need the whole family to pitch in. But as they investigate the ever-twisting mystery, Margo isn’t sharing everything. Can she learn to trust her family and heal their once-close relationship before her secrets put those she loves most in danger?
What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn’t matter?
After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life.
But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast “Listen for the Lie,” and its too-good looking host Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one that did it.
When your life is chaotic, what’s one more complication?
Jane Tanner’s friends are settling down, while she’s been settling for less. She longs for adventure and the big city, but caring for her ailing grandfather means she’s shackled to her small town. She’s excited her vintage gift shop is finally up and running, but it’s not enough.
Longing to fulfill at least one dream—to become a mother before her biological clock ticks out—Jane drunkenly propositions the worst possible candidate for Dad . Kurt Elway is off-limits with a capital O . He’s a good friend, but he’s too young, too busy running his family’s ranch. Plus, he and Jane’s sister, Kate, used to date. That kind of off-limits.
Unbeknownst to Jane, Kurt’s pining for her. When he’s fully on board to father her baby, she sees him in a new light. Then lingering baggage between Kate and Kurt suddenly surfaces and Jane is reminded of just how messy life is. But…so is parenting. Maybe it’s time to embrace the mess?
In New York Times bestselling author Anthony Horowitz’s ingenious fifth literary whodunnit in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series, Detective Hawthorne is once again called upon to solve an unsolvable case—a gruesome murder in an idyllic gated community in which suspects abound.
Riverside Close is a picture-perfect community. The six exclusive and attractive houses are tucked far away from the noise and grime of city life, allowing the residents to enjoy beautiful gardens, pleasant birdsong, and tranquility from behind the security of a locked gate.
It is the perfect idyll, until the Kentworthy family arrives, with their four giant, gas-guzzling cars, gaggle of shrieking children, and plans for a garish swimming pool in the backyard. Obvious outsiders, the Kentworthys do not belong in Riverside Close, and quickly offend every last one of the neighbors.
When Charles Kentworthy is found dead on his own doorstep, a crossbow bolt sticking out of his chest, Detective Hawthorne is the only investigator they can call to solve the case.
Because how do you solve a murder when everyone is a suspect?
Ten years ago, a professional mermaid disappeared without a trace from the Sapphire Club in Saratoga Springs. Now, Rachel de Luca’s niece Misty is working at the same club, doing the same job. Coincidentally, (not) Misty’s college roommate has a mystery podcast about the very same cold case.
Rachel’s been having visions. One of a mermaid dying. One of her nieces, lying dead in the surf on Rachel and Mason’s wedding day. So when her sister expresses worry, Rachel and Mason agree to do a little snooping—only to find their niece Misty is not where she’s supposed to be, nobody knows where she is, and she left her phone behind.
Misty’s off the grid with her podcasting partner Zig, surveilling their favorite suspect in the ten-year-old disappearance of professional mermaid Eva Quaid. Misty has been on fire ever since Zig asked her to help. Investigating makes her blood flow faster. She thinks she’s found her true calling.
But will she live long enough to answer?
And will Rachel find her beloved niece before her visions come true—the way they always do?
From the New York Times bestselling author of Seven Days in June, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is an epic love story one hundred years in the making…
Leap years are a strange, enchanted time. And for some, even a single February can be life-changing.
Ricki Wilde has many talents, but being a Wilde isn’t one of them. As the impulsive, artistic daughter of a powerful Atlanta dynasty, she’s the opposite of her famous socialite sisters. Where they’re long-stemmed roses, she’s a dandelion: an adorable bloom that’s actually a weed, born to float wherever the wind blows. In her bones, Ricki knows that somewhere, a different, more exciting life awaits her.
When regal nonagenarian Ms. Della invites her to rent the bottom floor of her Harlem brownstone, Ricki jumps at the chance for a fresh beginning. She leaves behind her family, wealth, and chaotic romantic decisions to realize her dream of opening a flower shop. And just beneath the surface of her new neighborhood, the music, stories and dazzling drama of the Harlem Renaissance still simmers.
One evening in February as the heady, curiously off-season scent of night-blooming jasmine fills the air, Ricki encounters a handsome, deeply mysterious stranger who knocks her world off balance in the most unexpected way.
Set against the backdrop of modern Harlem and Renaissance glamour, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a swoon-worthy love story of two passionate artists drawn to the magic, romance, and opportunity of New York, and whose lives are uniquely and irreversibly linked.
A sharp and scintillating summer novel that will make readers laugh out loud and cry happy tears from the New York Times bestselling author of Yours Truly.
Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it’s now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They’ll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work.
Emma hadn’t planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.
It’s supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma’s toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?
Posted by Jonetta | Blue Mood Café
Categories: Meme
Tags: Saturdays at the Café
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Just for Summer was already on my list and I’m adding A Love Song for Ricki Wilde. I hope my library comes through on the audiobooks!
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By Jodie | That Happy Reader on December 16, 2023 at 10:47 am
I hope we both enjoy those two, Jodie💜
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By Jonetta | Blue Mood Café on December 16, 2023 at 12:02 pm
Fab haul Jo and thanks for the heads up about Just for the Summer!
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By nickimags @ Secret Library Book Blog on December 16, 2023 at 12:04 pm
Thanks and you’re welcome, Nicki💜
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By Jonetta | Blue Mood Café on December 16, 2023 at 1:37 pm
Some interesting new titles here that I didn’t know about. The podcast format in Listen to the Lie sure does sound great!
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By Inge | The Belgian Reviewer on December 16, 2023 at 1:46 pm
I thought the same thing, Inge💜
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By Jonetta | Blue Mood Café on December 16, 2023 at 3:13 pm
Thanks for the info on the Allison Brennan book. I knew you would be getting the Brown and de Luca book.
Anne – Books of My Heart
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By Northwoman on December 16, 2023 at 2:03 pm
You’re welcome💜 Yeah, you know me well.
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By Jonetta | Blue Mood Café on December 16, 2023 at 3:14 pm
Lots of great books here, Jo. I have not heard of the Brown and de Luca series, but that book sounds wonderful and one that I would really enjoy. I will have to see if I can find the previous ones. I hope your library gets them all for you. Enjoy!
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By Carla on December 16, 2023 at 4:35 pm
Thanks, Carla💜 A group of us discovered the series a few years ago and we created a cult following on Goodreads😏 It’s a unique plot with very clever writing. I hope you can find them.
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By Jonetta | Blue Mood Café on December 17, 2023 at 4:53 pm
Oh so many new books featured to add to my TBR! I just snagged a copy of a new book First to Lie which sounds positively salacious!
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By Mackenzie, PhDiva on December 16, 2023 at 7:59 pm
Glad to see you found something of interest here, Mackenzie💜 Is that the Hank Philippi book? I’m holding out for the audiobook.
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By Jonetta | Blue Mood Café on December 17, 2023 at 5:04 pm
Great picks Jo! I haven’t read Close to Death yet but you have reminded me that I need to get back to this series. Happy reading! 💕📚
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By sandysbookaday on December 17, 2023 at 3:16 pm
Thank you, Sandy💜 I became an instant fan of the series and can’t wait to get back to it.
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By Jonetta | Blue Mood Café on December 17, 2023 at 5:06 pm
I am always up for a new Allison Brennan. It’s on my list. My list for 2024 releases is already growing, and this year isn’t even over yet. I have The Missing Witness by Allison Brennan, Random in Death by JD Robb, The Bright Spot by Jill Shalvis, to name a few.
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By Hooked By That Book on December 19, 2023 at 5:10 pm
Check, check & check! All of them are on my TBR shelf, too, Rolé💜
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By Jonetta | Blue Mood Café on December 20, 2023 at 7:48 am
Hope you love them. We’ll have to compare notes.
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By Hooked By That Book on December 20, 2023 at 11:06 pm
Fingers crossed we will both enjoy Good Half Gone! And I had to add the newest Allison Brennan straight away. Great additions!
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By Yvonne (It's All About Books) on December 23, 2023 at 9:08 pm