Review: In the Dark We Forget by Sandra SG Wong

From the beginning, this book had me hooked. Let me first mention how gorgeous that cover is. There is something that just grabs your attention to dive right into the book.

From what I’ve read, this is her debut in the suspense genre. It has many components that are woven together for an unexpected resolution. I struggle with labeling it a thriller because I felt it had more psychological suspense rather than the full intensity of a thriller. 

Following Cleo, who was originally found on the side of the road with amnesia, her journey has you as the book progresses wanting and needing to know the answers as much as she does. She is definitely a character that you will want to know because of that initial first impression. As we begin to learn what happens, the plot becomes more intricate and revealing. We learn more about her personal life, social and family life that play a major role in processing her trauma and how it plays into her current situation. This is definitely a slow burn to the finish line but patience is something that will be worth it because the ending is not what you probably expect it will be. 

The way she writes just places you where you need to be and you get the information that you need to know. The detail to the culture and sensitivity to the familial aspects really brought some depth and emotion to the book. The intensity of the story as she regains her memory ignites the curiosity in the plot to want to get to the end. 

Overall, I enjoyed the book. My only issue is with the ending. I loved the resolution but I wish it was a little different. It deserved more of a bang than what happened. I don’t want to spoil it because I want those who haven’t read it to make their own mind about it. Wonderful debut and I’m looking forward to what’s next.

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Review: Cinder-Nanny by Sariah Wilson

Sariah Wilson is back with a fun, sweet romance called Cinder-Nanny. It's a modern twist that favors the sentiments of Cinderella. You will laugh, be swooned and actually be rewarded with a HEA that actually makes your heart smile.

Diana Parker hasn’t had the greatest life. One thing for sure is how much she loves her sister, Alice. With mounting medical bills haltering her care, Diana was presented an opportunity that would be a win-win for her and her sister. She came across a job for a Nanny that had these crazy requirements but paid the amount that would solve all their problems and would be in beautiful Aspen. With her desperation to do anything to help her sister get better and the pressing thoughts of her actions reminding her of their mother, Diana decides to take the job. Fake it till you make it right?

While her sister expresses her concerns, she comes across some interesting news that one of her favorite Royals will be rumored to be there. Nothing would bring her more delight than to have her sister find her Prince Charming. The last thing on her mind is meeting someone. All her focus is to be on the task at hand and all that she will have to do to get through this job and do what she needs to do.

As time goes on and all seems to be going good, she is surprised one evening when she stumbles upon a handsome stranger with a voice that just melts you within. Fate must have been waiting on her because the charming Griffin Windsor was at the right place at the right time. As with the fairy tale, could he be the Prince she didn’t know she was looking for?

As time goes by and their friendship grows closer, Diana feels burdened by the secrets of her past and present. As Griffin is slowly falling for Diana, and her heart is weighed by her past and her current situation, if he knew the truth, would there be a chance for a happily ever after?

There are no words that can describe how much I loved this book. From the start, you know this type of trope with the Prince and Cinderella finding each and how it will end. Yes, in the majority of plots yest but this one wasn’t it. It had a flawed twist that made you want to root for them so much more. They each had obstacles going against them but they were meant to mended by fate. It’s all the goodness in between that we get wooed into that matters and this was no different. Everything about these two hand me so invested that I didn’t want to put the book down. 

Cinder-Nanny is charming, funny and will have you hooked from the start. There was never a dull moment and I found myself not wanting it to end. Everything about the characters, the plot, the hea all worked seamlessly to bring together a book that would be so fun to kick off your summer. This right now is probably my favorite from Sariah so far and if you haven’t read any of her books then I strongly encourage you to back read. Add this one to your reading list this summer.

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Review: Twisted Lies by Ana Huang

He'll do anything to have her...including lie.

Charming, deadly, and smart enough to hide it, Christian Harper is a monster dressed in the perfectly tailored suits of a gentleman.

He has little use for morals and even less use for love, but he can’t deny the strange pull he feels toward the woman living just one floor below him.

She’s the object of his darkest desires, the only puzzle he can’t solve. And when the opportunity to get closer to her arises, he breaks his own rules to offer her a deal she can’t refuse.

Every monster has their weakness. She’s his.

His obsession.

His addiction.

His only exception.

**

Sweet, shy, and introverted despite her social media fame, Stella Alonso is a romantic who keeps her heart in a cage.

Between her two jobs, she has little time or desire for a relationship.

But when a threat from her past drives her into the arms—and house—of the most dangerous man she’s ever met, she’s tempted to let herself feel something for the first time in a long time.

Because despite Christian’s cold nature, he makes her feel everything when she’s with him.

Passionate.

Protected.

Truly wanted.

Theirs is a love twisted with secrets and tainted by lies…and when the truths are finally revealed, they could shatter everything.

Twisted Hate is the fourth and final book of the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone. –

Review

I’ll admit I haven’t read the first three books in the Twisted series; however, tiktok can’t say enough about them. And when I say snippets of a singular Christian and Stella interaction in one of the books posted everywhere I instantly knew that I had to read this story.

I tried to keep my expectations reasonable with this one. And I think that was for the best. The first part of this book had me hooked. There is something magnetic about Stella and Christian. I couldn’t put the book down.

Stella is a literally ball of sunshine who is a social media influencer. In order to build her brand, she decides that she needs a fake boyfriend. Enter Christian—the owner of the apartment building and rich businessman.  Christian is dark, and quiet who basically only likes one person. And that’s her. He becomes boy obsessed so quick and it’s so fantastic to read about. Like he would literally do anything for her.

It was a great idea to put these two characters together. Because a smile rarely left my face, and they were perfect together. I really liked the fake dating social media thing they had going. And I wish the author would have shown more moments of them acting out that part. However, I’m still satisfied with what was given in that aspect.

Okay, so I knew this was going to be a somewhat dark read. The stalker storyline had been revealed prior. The biggest issues I had with the book were the climax and the big reveals. They felt like a major let down and I was expecting something different.

Final Analysis

Twisted Lies has amazing romantic leads that steal the show and still thrive once the plot gets anticlimactic at the end. 

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Review: Fake Empire by C.W. Farnsworth

A standalone, steamy, arranged marriage romance.

There’s rich.

Then there’s the Ellsworth family. The Kensingtons. American royalty.

Money buys power, and power always has a price. The fear of those who already possess both? Losing it. The best way to ensure keeping it? Alliances. And elites don’t marry down—they marry equal.

For Scarlett Ellsworth and Crew Kensington, that leaves one option: each other. Accepting that inevitability is very different from embracing it. That’s the only thing they agree upon.

It was meant to be a union for better and for business.

Instead, it challenges everything Scarlett and Crew thought they knew about themselves, their families, and most of all…each other. ---

Review

I really enjoyed Fake Empire; it felt like the book was specifically made with me in mind. It’s a book that includes a modern arranged marriage storyline between two of New York’s elite families. I love rich people drama. And this was that but so much more. 

Since Crew and Scarlett have been teenagers, they have known that in the future they would have to get married. And now ten years later, that day has come. To say that they both are not excited about it, is an understatement. The two of them don’t like each other at all; however, this is a done deal.

Scarlett was ambitious and didn’t need her family’s money to build her fashion magazine. She reminded me a lot of one of my all-time favorite book characters. Both of them are perceived as cold and have trouble expressing their emotions. All through Crew was great--- a charismatic playball, I think that Scarlett really stole the show. She was a fantastic character, and dare I say maybe a top ten female book character for me. I really enjoyed her slowly opening to Crew and facing her fears. Also, she was much more successful than him.

Crew and Scarlett were made for each other, and despite how much they really tried to avoid it they really came together in the end. It was a natural progression of them, and I enjoyed them.

As much as I loved this book, I really wish that instead of small time jumps the book might should have been longer. Maybe that’s me selfishly wanting more. But I would have read 800 pages of these two.

Final Thoughts

Fake Empire was a wonderful addition to the arranged marriage catalog. Crew and Scarlett might have been forced to marry each other; however, the chemistry was there and there was no doubt that they two characters should end up together. 

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Review: Remember Whose Little Girl You Are by Ellen Nichols

Remember Whose Little Girl You Are shares the experiences of life from the daughter of a preacher in the South. The stories she shares from her life feature the moves she made from parsonage to parsonage and some of the relationships she had along the way. She takes the reader back into a glimpse of life in the 50s and 60s. Many of the moments touching upon experiences that were affected during that time, a unique experience considering all the cultural significance that were happening and on the cusp of.

There were several moments that leave you laughing out loud, many that hold your compassion and others that capture random moments of ordinary life in the South. Honestly, I didn’t feel like this was a memoir. That isn’t a negative. It felt like she just shared stories of her life and I didn’t take away what I could’ve. There was something missing that collectively would’ve bound this together better for me. I say that conflicted because she has a life that I thought was very interesting and with so much to offer especially from the time frame she grew up in and what she experienced, it would’ve pulled at me more.

Overall, despite what I felt, it didn’t take away from the context because I did enjoy reading the stories she shared from her life and appreciate her gentle touch with some of the sensitive experiences that happened during that time.

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Review: Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley

Fake It Till You Bake It blends the perfect recipe for a delicious treat. A reality star and football player pretend to be in a relationship to save his bakery. 

When Jada Townsend-Matthews turned down the most anticipated proposal on reality tv, she became public enemy number one. With nowhere to turn, she decides to go home and get her life back on track. Unsure of what to do or where to go, she stops by San Diego’s newest buzzed cupcake shop and really puts her foot in her mouth. Not knowing who Donovan is, she leaves a strong impression that haunts his thoughts of who this mystery woman is. When a proposal from her grandmother comes to give her the financial stability she desperately needs, she takes the offer until she realizes she may have made a mistake.

Donovan Dell is a professional football player with a sweet tooth for business. He and his best friend opened the popular bakery, Sugar Blitz with ambitious goals and aspirations to succeed. With business declining, he’s been trying to figure out how and ways to improve but it all takes money that he isn’t making. When he was offered a possible solution to help from his NFL boss for his business, not wanting to let her down, he agreed to give her granddaughter a chance. Little does he know how life’s about to throw him a curveball.

As time went on, and they got past their first encounter experience, Jada proved to bring more than her sassy attitude. When a reporter happened to be in the bakery one day and put her on the spot, the only way to get out of it was to imply they were an item. Seeing the positive upswing and the advantages pretending could be a win-win situation, they find themselves mixing the ingredients for the perfect recipe.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. This was such a fun read. I just loved the chemistry between Jada and Donovan. Their savory and sweet combination truly made some laugh-out-loud moments. I love a good fake relationship trope because they give the reader something to love towards. I really enjoyed the roles the friends and family played in the book. It brought a nice balance and comfort that drew you in and felt welcomed.

I’m curious to know if this is a stand alone or will there be another book. The epilogue seeks to leave us with a cliffhanger so we'll have to be on the lookout. I can’t forget to mention how cute that cover is. I’m looking forward to reading what's to come. I’d recommend adding this one to your summer reading list.

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