Saturdays at the Café

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.

Midnight Series

How good are you at keeping a secret?Because I, Juniper Perry, have been keeping a big one.
For over a decade, I’ve been crushing on the guy with the easy smile, warm brown eyes, and charismatic charm. He’s all the perfect things that, when you add them up, spell out Man of my dreams.

I know that doesn’t sound bad at all, but there’s more to this story…

We work together. I’m a lowly intern, and he’s a high-powered executive.

He’s my newest neighbor. No joke—he’s temporarily living next door to me.

And to top it all off, he’s my best friend’s older brother.

I’ve spent what feels like an eternity keeping my crush on him a secret, but recently, I’ve found a way to have him and my anonymity too. A way to chat and flirt and get close to him.

My best friend doesn’t know about these Midnight chats.

And he doesn’t know I’m the girl he’s talking to night after night.

Beau Banks might be completely off-limits, but what happens at Midnight stays between us…

 

She’s the rich party girl; he’s her brother’s wild, adrenaline junkie best friend.
Avery’s had her eye on her brother’s best friend for years. But when she finally gives in to her attraction to Henry, what was meant to be a fling might just turn into something more.
Now, Avery and Henry’s infamous back and forth might just pull them into uncharted territory… falling in love.

I was offered the second book for review and accepted so I bought the first on sale at Libro.fm.

From amnesiac vampire slayers to fallen angels, space vampires to cursed tattoo artists, sleep paralysis demons to ancient wish-granting entities—six stories prove that even monsters deserve a happily ever after. Treat yourself to a collection that’s equal parts spooky and steamy.
Hot for Slayer by Ali Hazelwood

When vampire Aethelthryth—”Ethel”—finds her nemesis, vampire slayer Lazlo Enyedi, with no memory of who or what they are, an ancient hunt becomes an unexpected chance at forbidden passion. He’s crashing on her couch, solving her sudoku puzzles and looking at her like she’s his eternal flame (minus the whole bursting-into-ashes part). As his memories return, Ethel realizes she might be in danger of losing more than just her head.

Beautiful Nightmare by Katee Robert
When sleep paralysis demon Gemma’s first solo haunting goes hilariously wrong, she finds herself captivated by her intended victim. Caleb, a romantic who believes in all things supernatural, finds her adorably pink skinned horned form more alluring than alarming. As their steamy night unfolds and unexpected feelings bloom, Gemma must choose between her demonic duties and the human who makes her feel anything but monstrous.

Falling by Christina Lauren
Cat should be afraid of Brigan—the gorgeous stranger at a Halloween party whose presence makes everyone else fall at his feet. But while his supernatural allure drives others to obsession, Cat somehow keeps her wits…even as she surrenders to temptation. When this cursed being realizes she alone can see his true nature, one night of passion could break a centuries-old spell—or doom them both.

Space Vampire by Ruby Dixon
Dana, the human pet of an alien scientist, and Vlad, a genetically engineered vampire with a taste for more than just blood, find themselves suddenly alone on a deserted space station. As they plot their escape, they’ll have to navigate cramped quarters, steamy encounters and the growing realization that they might be each other’s perfect match. But with their captors in hot pursuit, will their budding romance survive the emptiness of space?

My Boyfriends Are All Monsters by Kimberly Lemming
Lucy Sawyer’s wish for true love lands her in an enchanted town where the men are supernatural, the chemistry is off the charts and everyone wants to date her. But they say that things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon Lucy may need to decide if she’s willing to pay the cost of her happily ever after.

Spicy Little Curses by J.T. Geissinger
Petra is skeptical when it comes to the French Quarter’s urban legends. Until she meets Dax Rousseau, the proprietor of the House of Ink and Blood. The markings on his flesh tell more than the tale of a doomed bloodline. They come alive. And the nearer Petra gets to the deeply sexy Dax, the closer she is to being the next victim of his ancient family curse.

I’ve enjoyed so many of these short story collections and this was a no brainer when I saw the two by Christina Lauren and Ali Hazelwood. I have it for audio review.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Christmas classic The Christmas Boxand the #1 Netflix movie Noel Diary comes a powerful and thought-provoking holiday story about hope, love, and the mysterious workings of heaven.
Sometimes the universe sends us exactly who we need…

Three years after losing his family in a Christmas Eve accident, grieving Paul Wanlass hasn’t just given up on Christmas, he’s given up on life. He can’t imagine anything to keep him here—not his work as a computer repairman, not the residents in his Salt Lake City neighborhood, and certainly not the idea of connecting with someone new. When a stranger knocks on his door, claiming to be picking up a laptop, Paul allows him in—but discovers the man has a very different mission in mind.

The mysterious stranger’s name is Gabriel, and when Paul finds himself opening up to his visitor, Gabriel tells him, “I wouldn’t, if I were you. It’s not what you think.” He then departs without another word.

Paul brushes the experience aside as some trick of the imagination…until he crosses paths with a young widow and her bullied son, who’ve also received a visit from Gabriel. Before he knows it, these two fill his life with chaos, commotion, and excitement he hasn’t felt in years. The three of them are convinced Gabriel brought them together for a reason…but why? And who—or what—really is this Christmas stranger?

I enjoyed his last Christmas story, Christmas in Bethel and this sounds wonderful. It’s an audio review hopeful.

In 2001, John J. Lennon killed a man on a Brooklyn Street. Now he’s a journalist, working from behind bars, trying to make sense of it all.
The Tragedy of True Crime is a first-person journalistic account of the lives of four men who have killed, written by a man who has killed. Lennon entered the New York prison system with a sentence of 28 years to life but after he stepped into a writing workshop at Attica Correctional Facility, his whole life changed. Reporting from the cell block and the prison yard, Lennon challenges our obsession with true crime by telling the full life stories of men now serving time for the lives they took.

These men have completely different backgrounds — Robert Chambers, a preppy Manhattanite turned true crime celebrity; Milton E. Jones, a seventeen-year-old coaxed from burglary into something far darker; and Michael Shane Hale, a gay man caught in a crime of passion — and all are searching to find meaning and redemption behind bars. Lennon’s reporting is intertwined with his own story, from a young man seduced by the infamous gangster culture of New York City to a celebrated prison journalist. The same desire echoes throughout the lives of these four men: to become more than murderers.

A first-of-its-kind book of immersive prison journalism, The Tragedy of True Crime poses fundamental questions about the stories we tell and who gets to tell them. What essential truth do we lose when we don’t consider all that comes before an act of unthinkable violence? And what happens to the convicted after the cell gate locks?

I learned of this from a trusted Goodreads friend and as I watch a lot of true crime, I quickly requested and got this for audio review.

What books did YOU add to your shelves this week?