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.

A workaholic radio station manager does her best to resist the charms of her corporate enemy in this swoony, You’ve Got Mail–inspired romance from #1 New York Times bestselling author B.K. Borison.

Maggie Lin has been seamlessly running her retired father’s radio station for years, keeping 101.6 LITE FM thriving, often at the expense of her own personal life. Her only friends are her coworkers—and her anonymous online pen pal. But when the future of the station is threatened by a Fortune 500 corporation, Maggie has to get creative to outsmart their shark of an acquisitions executive.

Cooper West arrives in Baltimore determined to put an end to Maggie’s stonewalling and finally collect his next big promotion. Armed with advice from his anonymous online friend and plenty of charm, Cooper somehow seems to know every move Maggie makes—just before she makes it. But in between the verbal sparring and office plotting, something else begins to grow. Something neither of them wants.

There’s a fine line between love and hate, and Cooper and Maggie are tap-dancing along the edge. Will their fledgling feelings be enough to bridge the gap between them? Or is this merger bad for business?

I learned about this third book in the Heartstrings series from the author’s newsletter. Scheduled for release in February, it’s a library audiobook hopeful.

One quiet neighborhood

Three different families

Bound by murder

Klara never wanted the house with the white picket fence. Troy never wanted anything else.

Nothing is quite right with this happy couple, but they fit right in. The mother in the blue house, Mary, is cleaning out her son’s old room before she sells, haunted by the mistakes of her past and afraid of what her home has become. Next door, Henry, freshly laid off and back living with his parents, has plenty of time to watch everyone – especially wives. He knows something is wrong. But then then nothing is quite as it seems, and sometimes you miss what is right in front of you.

Murder will soon thread its way through this world in ways no one will see coming —unless you’ve been plotting all along.

Thanks to Kim @ It’s All About the Thrill for her great review. I’m in the library queue for the audiobook.

---

With duet narration, this audio edition will immerse you in the chilling world of the novel.

In the latest chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Linwood Barclay, a man’s world is upended after he finds his father and a woman who isn’t his mother dead in the family home—and his mother goes missing.

Every family has secrets, but when Reece visits his parents’ home he’s shocked to find his father and a woman he assumes is his mother in bed. Dead. At first glance it looks like a murder-suicide perpetrated by his father, but on closer inspection there’s clearly more to the story. For starters, inconsistencies in the crime scene suggest his dad may not have shot himself.

As Reece, shaken by his horrifying discovery, awaits questioning from the police, his phone lights up. It’s a call from his mom—his real mom. The dead woman in that bed is clearly not the person Reece believed her to be.

His mom is at a lunch date with friends, she says, and can’t raise her husband on the phone. Could Reece drop by and see if everything’s okay? At a loss for how to tell his mother her husband is dead in bed with another woman, Reece simply tells  “Come home now.”

But instead of rushing home, she disappears. Could she have been involved? Was she seeking revenge on her husband and a mistress? Or, just as frightening, did someone kill Reece’s father and that woman, thinking wrongly that Reece’s mother had been dispatched?

And what might this grisly scene have to do with the unscrupulous pharma company Reece’s father worked for years ago?

Soon Reece finds himself questioning how well he really knew his parents—who they were, what they did, and who they hurt. Most importantly, he needs to figure out who might want to hurt him and his own family now.

Thanks to a Goodreads friend for the heads up. Scheduled for release in August, it’s an audio review hopeful.

---

Raising my cousin’s three kids wasn’t in my five-year plan.
Actually, it wasn’t in any plan.

One minute I’m a single labor and delivery nurse living a quiet life and the next, I’m navigating guardianship hearings, meltdowns, and homework I’m pretty sure requires a math degree.

Enter Hayes Carlisle.

My best friend’s older brother.
Chicago Colts newest catcher.
And the man I once kissed and immediately pretended I didn’t.

So, when the custody battle I’ve been dreading becomes a reality, I shouldn’t be surprised that Hayes swoops in with a wild idea—a fake relationship. According to him, pretending we’re together will polish his image and prove to the court I’m not taking on an instant family alone.

But pretending to be Hayes’ girlfriend is a terrible idea.

Because he remembers how to make me laugh.
Because he looks at me like our kiss wasn’t a one-time mistake.
Because the kids start asking him to read bedtime stories.
Because my heart starts wanting things my life doesn’t have room for.

I can manage the chaos. I can fight for these kids.
But pretending not to fall for Hayes Carlisle?

That might be the one thing I can’t do.

I was offered the fourth book in the series (The Dugout) and, after research, was inspired to get this first one. I used a Libro.fm credit.

What books did YOU add to your shelves this week?