Book and Product Reviews by Roundtable Reviews

The name Mandy Baxter immediately brought to mind the character from Tim Allen's hit TV show, but this Mandy Baxter has an appealing series that kept me wanting more. Nate Christensen wants nothing from his late father. Not the family business and certainly not a dime of his money. He's also had it with woman who are after his family's money. Enter Chloe Benson. Chloe desperately needs money to keep her charitable organization afloat, but after meeting Nate, she doesn't have the heart to ask him for a donation. She's immediately attracted to him. After a passionate night together, Chloe's convinced Nate might be Mr. Right. That definitely creates a problem with getting the donation she needs. She knows he hates everything about his family's money, but is it possible to prove to Nate that he can have it all? Every ounce of Holidays With a Billionaire screams - this isn't going to go over well. Yet, despite knowing that Chloe was walk

There's one thing that always kills a book for me and that's disliking the characters. Number one of my list of complaints come characters who have a good thing in front of them, but they are apparently too blind to see it. That's my problem with A Taste of Sake . Lyrical Shine - October 27, 2015 With a gorgeous setting, everything is set for Sauvignon St. Pierre's vineyard wedding. Her sisters, Merlot and Chardonney, are just as excited as she is. However, the crash landing of a helicopter rushes the ceremony. The St. Pierre sisters' father didn't quite nail his landing, sending his surprise guest to the hospital. Turns out he had an affair with a Japanese woman that produced one more daughter - Sake. Sake grew up always on the move and rarely in a good situation. She's tough, not thrilled with her situation, and definitely annoyed that her one true friend, her dog, isn't allowed at the St. Pierre estate. That's where realtor Bill Diamon

In a chilling mystery by Mark Edwards , readers are taken on a frightening adventure across Europe. While I remained on the edge of my seat, there were definitely moments when I wondered why on earth they didn't spill their story when they reached an embassy. That's definitely impacting my overall thoughts when it comes to the book review. June 2015 Release from Thomas and Mercer Daniel and Laura are madly in love. Before returning to their London home where they plan to settle down and raise a family, they decide to travel around Europe and have the experience of a lifetime. Things go south in Romania when they meet another couple. Opting to take the couple up on their offer to wake them up at their stop, Daniel and Laura sneak into an empty sleeper cabin and take a nap. When they wake up, their belongings, including their passports, are gone. The female from the other couple acts as a translator when the guard comes through looking for tickets, but the trio end up ge

Alibi Release Date - November 17, 2015 Cozy mysteries are an indulgence of mine, so it's not surprising that I am always eager to review a new entry to the genre. Caroline Fardig's Death by Decaf is a fun addition to the world of cozy mysteries. If you are a fan of Joanne Fluke, Diane Mott Davidson, or Jessica Conant-Park (all my favorites), check out the first novel in Caroline Fardig's A Java Jive Mystery series. Juliet "Jules" Langley may not have made much of her music career, but she was very proud of the cafe she owned with her fiance. When he takes all of her money and runs off with her waitress, Jules is forced to return home to run a long-time friend's coffeeshop. Her first day doesn't go well. She fights with the head chef and then finds his body in the shop's dumpster. With the police considering her their prime suspect, Jules decides to start investigating the case in her spare time. Soon, she's making enemies and up to he

A St. Martin's Paperbacks October 2015 Release Here's another Christmas romance to get you in a holiday mood. The small town of Jewell Cove is in the midst of a Nor'Easter and Officer Todd Ricker is out patrolling the snowy roads to ensure no one is stranded. He does come across a stranded traveler and brings him to the only inn that might have room left. By the time Todd and his new passenger arrive at Evergreen Inn, he cannot get home either, so innkeeper Lainey Price offers to let him spend the night on her sofa in her carriage house. The pair have known each other for a long time, and Todd's never given Lainey the time of day. Todd may still be a hottie, but Lainey no longer cares. Christmas is here, and Lainey has other things on her mind anyway. And, none of her plans involve having any holiday spirit or attempting a second chance at love. Christmas at Evergreen Inn is a holiday novella. It's short and sweet and really won't take many readers

A  Harlequin/MIRA September 2015 Release Have you seen Hilary Swank's emotional movie You're Not You ? In essence, Emmy Rossum's character in that movie reminded me a bit of Faith McCallum in Susan Wiggs ' new novel. Faith is a widowed mom of two girls and her late husband's medical bills have left her struggling to get by. Her older daughter, Cara, dreams of colleges that Faith could never afford. Her younger daughter, a very precocious child, has Type 1 Diabetes, a condition that also drives up their living expenses. Faith applies for a job caring for a quadriplegic and is stunned to get the job, even after completely missing the interview. Mason Bellamy needs to find his mother a caregiver so that he can get back to his life in Manhattan. He bought his mom a lavish manor in the Catskills, had it fixed up to suit her needs, but she's burning through caregivers like crazy. When Alice tumbles down the stairs just before Mason's brother is he

St. Martin's - October 2015 I've been spending the past few weeks really studying SEO due to a job change. One thing I've learned is that following a strict format when it comes to articles and blogs is not ideal. Given that, I'm switching things up and skipping a more formal look. Christmas is around the corner, and that means the rush of Christmas novels is hitting stores. Lily Everett's Home For Christmas takes readers to a place near and dear to my heart, the eastern coast. Libby Leeds rarely has to go out of her house. She's content with her job as a newspaper columnist, but she hides a few secrets. First, she's not happily married as she claims. Second, she cannot cook. Third, she doesn't live on Sanctuary Island, her family's home. After her parents died in a tragic accident, Libby left the island to live with her uncle, and she hasn't seen her grandfather since. When her publisher informs her that she is going to host a wa

Release Date - November 3, 2015 Emily March St. Martins Book Review by Tracy Farnsworth Heartsong Cottage is apparently the 10th entry into Emily March's An Eternity Springs Novel series. I swore I'd reach others, but I cannot find reviews, so I'm questioning myself. The town and some of the characters definitely seemed familiar to me. In this latest entry, which does stand alone, Daniel Garrett is still reeling from the tragic death of his son and then the suicide of his wife. He left the police force and works as a private investigator specializing in missing children. Shannon O'Toole is also reeling, though her grief stems from the death of her fiance and the secret she's been hiding for far too long. Shannon and Daniel become attracted to one another, but their pasts threaten any kind of future together. Can they overcome their fears and find true love once again? For me, Heartsong Cottage was a little slow going in terms of building any meanin

Book Release - November 3, 2015 David Zeltser Diane Goode Chronicle Kids Book Review by Tracy Farnsworth Here's a perfect choice for preparing your child for a new sibling. Ninja Baby tells the tale of Nina. From the moment of her arrival, Nina was something special, a real ninja. She's mastered many powerful ninja skills, including making herself seem invisible to mastering the art of hand-to-hand combat during diaper changes. One day, Nina's not the only kid in the house. Her parents bring home the Kung Fu Master who is skilled in making adults carry him at all times and getting adults to ooh and ahh over him with a single look. Nina wants to know what makes this Kung Fu Master so powerful. She's determined to master his skills. The touches of humor and doses of what it's really like being a parent make this a winner in my book. I definitely remember the speed at which a diaper change could go horribly, horribly wrong with the quick move of a littl

Release Date - November 2015 Camille Pagan Lake Union Book Review by Tracy Farnsworth Life and Other Near-Death Experiences hooked me and hooked me hard. Right off the bat, I was angry, sad, and hopeful for Libby Miller, the story's heroine. On the same day her doctor tells her she has a rare, tough-to-beat cancer, she learns a terrible secret about her husband, one that shatters their marriage. With little hope, Libby rents a cottage in Puerto Rico and sets off on a journey to live her final days in glorious fashion. The last thing she expects is to find the potential to start a brand new life surrounded by new friends and a man who would do anything to win her heart. I loved Libby's story. Despite everything that's thrown her way, she approaches it with a fierce honesty that had me rooting for her. She's vibrant, courageous, and incredibly likable. The story itself has a touch of romance and lots of humor. It's a feel-good story that left me cravin