Lee Upton is just right...plus a book giveaway

Today we are pleased to welcome Lee Upton, to talk about her latest novel, Wrongful. We enjoyed getting to know her and we hope you will too. Thanks to Lee we have SIX copies of Wrongful for some lucky readers!

Lee Upton’s poetry has appeared in The New Yorker, The New Republic, Poetry, and in many other journals as well as three editions of Best American Poetry. She is the author of books of poetry, fiction, and literary criticism. Visit Lee at her website and on Instagram.

Synopsis:
When the famous novelist Mira Wallacz goes missing at the festival devoted to celebrating her work, the attendees assume the worst—and some hope for the worst. Ten years after the festival, Geneva Finch, an ideal reader, sets out to discover the truth about what happened to Mira Wallacz. A twisty literary mystery dealing with duplicity, envy, betrayal, and love between an entertainment agent and a self-deprecating former priest, Wrongful explores the many ways we can get everything wrong, time and again, even after we’re certain we discovered the truth.

"Nimble, funny, playful, versatile Lee Upton has long been one of my favorite writers, and what a multilayered treat Wrongful is. Here we have all the usual joys of Upton's prose—clever dialogue; great tonal range; psychological subtlety; a wit that's razor-sharp without ever feeling mean-spirited—in service of a well-made and engrossing murder mystery. Is there any genre she can't master, anything she can't do?"
—Michael Griffith, author of Trophy and Bibliophilia

"This book is addictive. Lee Upton has created a world of characters you won't want to say goodbye to. Her writing is sharp, surprising, and entertaining. I love Wrongful for its humor and wisdom, but also for the characters that keep you guessing."
— Olivia Clare Friedman, author of Here Lies

What is a favorite compliment you received on your writing?
I was told that two people laughed so long and hard during a reading from one of my books that they were afraid they would be kicked out of the auditorium.

What is something you learned from writing your previous novels that you applied to Wrongful?
I discovered new ways to describe landscapes and to heighten suspense.

If Wrongful were made into a movie, who would you cast in the lead roles?
For the role of the former priest I would cast Keanu Reeves. Even when he’s destroying enemies with a pencil in the John Wick movies, Reeves conveys emotional vulnerability. For my primary character, Geneva Finch, I would cast a woman who has auditioned frequently but never got a call-back and is now working in a restaurant between auditions. (A well-known actress wouldn’t be quite right for the part. The role should go to an unfamiliar face. And it would be an honor to give someone her first big break.)

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it?
Jenny Slate—she’s such a greatly gifted writer and actor. It would be wonderful to hear her narrate my life. She might be able to make it sound interesting.

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
Possibly some of our local hiking trails and art galleries here in Easton, Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the Lehigh Valley. There’s also the shad ladder.

What is your favorite springtime activity?
Reading with all the windows open as a breeze circulates throughout the house and near my elbow rests a tray of fine chocolates. With the windows open I inadvertently hear a lot of delicious gossip—which I won’t spread, and thus I can feel virtuous too. 

Thanks to Lee for chatting with us and for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends May 13th at midnight EST. 

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Book Review: What If It’s You?

By Jami Denison

There’s something magical about falling in love, so it’s no surprise that authors who write about love often use magic in their tales—specifically, a type of magic that allows their protagonist to go back or forward in time to experience their life in a different way. In What If It’s You?, author Jilly Gagnon decides to use science to explore this trope, and this choice helps take the book to a different level.

Laurel Everett, an executive at the tech company Pixel, isn’t exactly overjoyed when she finds an engagement ring in her boyfriend Ollie’s sock drawer. Instead, she wonders what her life would have been like had she said yes to dating Drew, a co-worker who asked her out shortly after she met Ollie. Thanks to Drew’s new alternate reality program, Laurel can get an answer to that question due to the quantum physics that powers the program.

When she wakes up next to Drew, she’s shocked but not surprised. In this timeline, Drew is the high-powered Pixel executive, and Laurel has quit her job to write a novel. As the computer glitches and Laurel is shunted back and forth between two timelines, she has to figure out a way to stay in place—and which timeline she wants.

What If It’s You? has some physics in it, but like most romcoms, the story relies on chemistry. And Laurel has chemistry with both her leading men, but as the story progresses, she realizes that her choice is about more than which man she wants to end up with. What is the life she wants to lead? And, more importantly, what if being with her is the wrong timeline for Drew or Ollie? 

Laurel is definitely a heroine to root for. She’s smart and funny, but what elevates her above other protagonists in the genre is her concern for her love interests. Not only does she ask, “what if it’s you,” but also “what if it’s not me?” What if being with Laurel means a lesser life for Ollie? What if Drew didn’t want to be with her to begin with? 

What If It’s You? is a highly enjoyable, quick read. But I still don’t understand quantum physics. Maybe in another universe, there’s a version of me that does. 

Thanks to Random House for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Jilly Gagnon:
Love You, Mean It
Scenes of the Crime
All Dressed Up

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Spotlight and Giveaway: Tell Me How You Really Feel

We are excited to celebrate the publication of Betty Cayouette's sophomore rom-com, Tell Me How You Really Feel. This enemies-to-lovers second chance romance sounds like it will be a winner to anyone who enjoys this genre and these tropes. Thanks to St. Martin's Press, we have FIVE copies up for grabs!

Podcasters Maeve and Finn have just gotten a life-changing, blockbuster deal for their viral sex and relationships podcast, Tell Me How You Really Feel. Unfortunately, given their history, they can barely be in the same room together.

Now, Maeve needs to find a way to keep the show going without letting Finn completely ruin her. But to make things even more challenging, Finn is dead set on winning her back over. Told between flashbacks to the start of their show and the present, Tell Me How You Really Feel follows Maeve and Finn as they navigate their growing celebrity, try to make podcast history, and rediscover what they mean to each other. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

“When every page holds romantic charge and develops Maeve and Finn’s angsty yet sweet second-chance romance, it’s easy to tell how we feel about Tell Me How You Really Feel. Cayoutte gives a new meaning to “hot mic” with an unforgettable story of modern media and modern love.” 
— Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of The Roughest Draft

“I totally fell for this friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers story about two podcasters grappling with celebrity and each other. It’s smart and nuanced and delivers on everything you hope for in a romance - tons of heart, palpable chemistry and a really satisfying ending.” 
— Annabel Monaghan, USA Today bestselling author of Summer Romance

Betty Cayouette is an author, viral video content creator and cinematographer. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Brandeis University in only three years, and currently lives in Salem, Massachusetts. Betty created @bettysbooklist, the viral TikTok/Instagram account which is one of the top book recommendation accounts in the world and is featured in outlets such as The Boston Globe, Euronews, Fox News, The London Times, and Glamour UK. Visit Betty at her website and on Instagram and TikTok.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends May 11th at midnight EST. 

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Book Review: Murder at the Ponte Vecchio

By Sara Steven

Private investigator, Dan Armstrong, lives and works in Florence and knows the world famous Ponte Vecchio well. Usually a magnet for tourists, on this occasion it is the scene of an unexplained death, and Dan finds himself involved in the intriguing case.

Dan quickly discovers that the victim, an elderly jeweller, was every bit as hard as the diamonds he sold in his shop on the bridge. Few people liked him, not even his adult children, and his business dealings look murkier than the waters of the River Arno. Dan suspects more secrets lie hidden…perhaps inside the massive safe in the old man's luxury villa…

As the evidence begins to mount up, so too do the suspects with their different motives. With a fortune in gold bullion and precious stones involved, Dan thinks the only way to catch the killer is to lay a trap, but might he be caught in the killer’s sights? Fortunately, he has Oscar, his canine wingman at his side, always eager to prove that he's as good as gold. 

Can Dan and Oscar sniff out the killer’s tracks or will this case be a bridge too far? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

It’s another fun crime caper from the best investigative duo, (Dan) Armstrong and Oscar!

This time, Dan has been tasked with finding out what really happened to an elderly jeweller whose crime scene initially presents itself as a possible self-inflicted scenario. Despite how disliked the jeweller had been when he was alive, trying to find a concrete motive proves difficult for Dan and the police. The jeweller had a falling out with his children years ago, so could it be a disgruntled family matter that led to an untimely death? Or could it be sinister dealings in the diamond industry? It could even be a dirty cop that muddies the waters, making the list of suspects a mile long. 

Dan is very methodical. Ordinarily, that isn’t my approach when I engage in crime thrillers, but it works for Dan and with Dan. I like how the reader is given the evidence, layer by layer, allowing for the opportunity to form our own opinions and thoughts on who we might think the culprit could be. For a while, I went down one avenue, but quickly discovered I was wrong. Then I hit a dead end. It very much paralleled what Dan experienced, too, while he tries to narrow down the list of suspects. 

When the truth is finally revealed, it was a touch and go scene that was pretty exhilarating! Up to this point, and having read most of the Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Mystery series books, it’s never been as physical as this. I couldn’t believe the showdown Dan finds himself in, but I was there for every moment of it! 

As with all of T.A. Williams’s books, the reader gets to delve into cinemagraphic scenery, but this time, I focused more on the delicious food highlighted within various scenes. Just thinking about the fresh seafood and cheeses in different dishes makes me hungry. As always, I also want to travel to Florence. I’ve been saying it for years, so maybe at some point, I should pull that trigger and make it happen. But until then, I can live vicariously through Dan and Oscar. Murder at the Ponte Vecchio was yet another great addition to this book series, a definite five-star read!  

Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase Links:
Amazon US * Amazon UK * Kobo

T. A. Williams is the bestselling author of the Armstrong and Oscar cozy mystery series. He studied languages at University and lived and worked in Italy for eight years, returning to England with his wife in 1972. T.A. and his wife now live in Devon.

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Book Review: One More Day of Us

By Sara Steven

1990: In a hot, humid Hong Kong summer, three young singers are loving life, performing to packed crowds every night in a swanky hotel bar. Twenty-three-year-old Scottish songbird, Moira Chiles is living the dream alongside Carina Lloyd and Lisa Dixon. They work hard, play hard, and always stick together… until one day Moira has to make a choice that changes everything.

Fast forward to…

2025: In a wet, chilly, Glasgow summer, Moira has just retired after singing in Glasgow pubs and Caribbean cruise ships for three decades. Now she’s ready for a new adventure – one that takes her to Hong Kong to revisit a world she left behind. Moira hasn’t seen Carina or Lisa for over thirty years, but will an invitation to join her on a holiday of a lifetime rekindle the friendships that changed her life? Or will stepping back in time expose secrets that could break their hearts? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

I first learned about Moira in One Day and Forever (reviewed here), another book by Shari Low. Moira appeared to be a very magnetic character, so I’m so glad her background story has been provided and fleshed out even more in One More Day of Us. I knew that Moira was a singer and enjoyed entertaining, but had no idea that her roots started in Hong Kong as a tribute singer with two of her closest friends. I loved the concept of a reunion between Moira, Carina and Lisa, particularly after a long thirty year hiatus, and it was great to get the throwbacks to their experiences in the 90s, then back to the present, so we can see what sort of evolution each character has had over the past three decades.

There is a pretty big twist right from the get go, pertaining to Lisa. It sets the tone and pace going forward. Then there’s a huge revelation for Carina, too, which I kind of saw coming but had wished it hadn’t and wouldn’t. There is a lot of purpose and reason behind the reunion trip to Hong Kong, with everyone in attendance looking for ways to reconnect and find who they were when they were younger and felt more carefree, when the demands of life seemed to be so much more simplistic. It was also sweet to see a few romantic connections, particularly for Moira, who had left someone behind in Hong Kong and doesn’t know if finding that kind of love again could even be achievable. 

Throughout the book, there are a few nods to Moira’s present life with her son, Ollie, who is also in One Day and Forever. I felt like those scenes provided a little grounding, especially when it seems as though Moira has her head in the clouds by way of revisiting her youthful haunts–a really nice sentiment, but through Ollie, she doesn’t forget the life she’s lived and who she is. It was also nice to see the evolution that Carina has. She’s always felt like she has to live up to certain expectations that have been placed on her, but in Hong Kong, she finds her voice. There is the introduction of Stevie, Lisa’s daughter, and it was a nice viewpoint to show the juxtaposition between who Moira and Carina knew Lisa to be, and how Stevie views Lisa.

I appreciated the long lasting friendship connections the most. I love when friendships can last decades or a lifetime, and I really felt that for all three women, and Stevie, too. It was a five-star experience!   

Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase Links:
Amazon US * Amazon UK * Kobo

Shari Low is the multi-million copy bestselling author of over 30 novels, including the #1 bestsellers One Day with You and One Midnight with You.

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We're 15!!! (And we're celebrating with a book giveaway.)

Back in May of 2010, Melissa started CLC and it's been an amazing 15-year ride ever since. She started the journey with Melissa S (known as Melissa P at the time), who took time off and is now back as a reviewer. Since then, she has built a great review team, with people who have come and gone, as well as those who have stuck around for many years, and someone who joined more recently. During that time Sara teamed up with Melissa to keep things running smoothly. They've even been writing column posts for the past five years or so. 

We've had the opportunity to feature many amazing authors and novels and share the joy with our readers and followers. 

To celebrate this incredible milestone, we're doing a book giveaway. We have TWO big sets of random books to share with some lucky readers! 

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends May 6th at midnight EST. 

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Book Review: See How They Fall

By Melissa Smoot

When Skye married into the wealthy Turner family, she thought she was entering paradise. But now, several years later, she remains uneasy amid the opulence of her husband’s world, struggling with her own secrets and working to maintain a normal life for their young daughter, Tilly.

Skye’s delicate balance is undone when the family patriarch, Sir Campbell Turner, dies suddenly and an illegitimate heir comes forward to stake his claim in the luxury goods empire the old man leaves behind. Reluctantly, the Turners receive the newcomer at an intimate weekend retreat at Yallambee, the family seaside estate, but tempers flare and egos clash within their first few hours together and the night ends in a tragedy that leaves one dead and another fighting for life.

Sergeant Mei O’Connor is assigned to investigate the incident and though her superiors are keen to close the case as swiftly as possible, the evidence just isn’t lining up. Convinced that there’s more to the suspicious death than a simple accident, Mei continues to search for answers. But pulling at these threads may just tear down the Turner empire. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

For anyone who loves a good psychological thriller, run out and get this book immediately. Not only is the writing superb, but the storyline and suspense quotient are perfect. The plot of the rich family that is hiding secrets is nothing new, but this book takes it to a whole new level. I was alternatively infuriated by the gaslighting of the main character Skye by her own husband and by the misogyny that the female detective, and other main character, Mei, had to suffer. I could not figure out how this was going to end. People were disappearing, getting sick or injured, being made to look crazy, and I still could not pinpoint who the antagonists were going to turn out to be in this story. 

I truly loved this book and hope everyone gets the chance to rip through it the way that I have. I will certainly be on the lookout for the next Rachel Paris novel.

Thanks to BookSparks for the book in exchange for an honest review. Purchase See How They Fall here.

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