The Shoemaker's Wife / Adriana Trigiani / 470 pages

This story is based on the author's grandmother.  The story begins in Italy in the early 1900s.  Enza is the oldest daughter of a large family.  Ciro is being raised with his older brother at a convent after their mother leaves them there when their father is killed in a mining accident in America.  Their mother is mentally unable to care for them.  Enza and Ciro meet when Ciro is hired to dig the grave of Enza's youngest sister who has died.  Shortly after this Ciro immigrates to the United States and becomes an apprentice to a shoemaker.  Later Enza and her father also immigrate to America to earn money to send home to the family to build their own home.  Ciro and Enza both end up in New York City and their paths cross several times, until at last after Ciro returns from fighting in World War I they get married.  From there they move to Minnesota to set up their own shoe business.  This was a beautiful story that does a good job telling the immigrant experience in the United State.

Insert Groom Here/ K.M. Jackson/ 344 pgs

This was a really cute setup for a story. Eva and her fiance Kevin have won a chance to have their wedding paid for and aired on a local TV channel. Only, in one of the pre-wedding, on-air interviews, Kevin dumps Eva. Yeah, he's a jerk. Eva loses her temper (rightly so) on live TV and vows to find someone else to marry. When a cameraman follows her backstage, she ends up taking her anger out on him but instead of being turned off, Aidan is intrigued. He's also not a cameraman, but a global reporter back home after an assignment gone wrong. Before she knows it, Eva is recruited to find that new husband via her own personal reality dating show but of course, she and Aidan end up falling for each other instead. This is a fun story with two great characters who are made for each other.

Some Like It Scandalous/ Maya Rodale/ 355 pgs

Recommended by a coworker, this is a fun Gilded Age romance set in New York City. Daisy Swan is the ugly duckling of her family. Literally, thanks to Theodore Prescott the Third, who dubbed her so when they were young teens. Daisy is apparently not as pretty as her sisters and her mother and while she's conscious of this, she has bigger plans. She convinced her parents to let her go to Barnard College and she is studying chemistry with the intent to create face creams and cosmetics. Except, her mother and Theo's father have decided to threaten the two of them into getting engaged. Theo, a handsome, pretty playboy, is not happy about this. Daisy, who has PLANS, is not happy about this. However, they decide the easiest way to get the parents off their back is to become fake engaged. After spending time together, they realize they don't hate each other as much as they thought and soon Theo, who has a knack for marketing, is helping Daisy get her cosmetics business off the ground. This was an enjoyable story with fun characters.

Hate Notes/ Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward/ 290 pgs

This is a contemporary romance set in New York City that turned out to be more than I thought it was. Charlotte has recently broken her engagement after finding her fiance cheating on her. She also lost her job because she worked for his family business. While trying to sell her wedding dress, she ends up taking another dress in trade and discovers a love note sewn inside the dress. Then she stalks the man (Reed) who wrote the note. Sounds weird and it is, but she was drunk. In another weird twist she ends up working for the man's grandmother and in essence, him. Reed leaves Charlotte notes as well, but considers them hate notes because he pretty grumpy and surly, for reasons that will be divulged later. There are many layers and subplots to this story and it ended up being more emotional and deeper than I originally thought.

The Takeover Effect/ Nisha Sharma/ 301 pgs

This is a solid romance by an author I haven't read before. Mina is a lawyer in her uncle's firm. She doesn't particularly like her uncle and feels that he forced her mother out years ago and then her mother subsequently died. When her uncle asks her to do something suspicious, she goes along with it in the hope of catching him doing something illegal. This task involves working with a family company owned by the Singhs. She will be working particularly closely with Hemdeep Singh. Hem has temporarily stepped back into the company because of both a business and personal crisis. Mina and Hem are attracted to each other right away but both realize they shouldn't get together while dealing with this business issue. I enjoyed the friendship that developed between them as they solved the company problem and then were finally able to acknowledge their deeper feelings. I also really enjoyed getting to know more about their Indian culture, though both come from families firmly established in the US.

Can't Escape Love/ Alyssa Cole/ 192 pgs

This is a novella in Cole's Reluctant Royals series and thankfully there are no real royals here. Regina is the twin of Portia from A Duke by Default. She runs a successful nerdy website called GirlsWithGlasses. Reggie is feeling stressed and is not sleeping well. She decides to contact this online puzzle guy she used to listen to and fall asleep to. That guy is Gus and he's a little wigged out when he hears Reggie wants him to record his voice so he can fall asleep to it. But, they soon work out a deal and then Reggie discovers that Gus is designing an escape room based on her favorite show, a show he has never watched. Soon they are working together and falling for each other. This is a sweet romance between two gun-shy people and I really enjoyed it.

Murder on Union Square/ Victoria Thompson/ 326 pgs

This is the 21st book in Thompson's Gaslight series and it's a solid entry. Sarah, a former midwife, is finally opening her maternity hospital. Frank, a former police detective, has his own PI agency now. Unfortunately for him, he's accused of murder this time around. In trying to adopt their foster daughter, Frank goes to see the girl's supposed father to get him to sign away his parental rights. Only the man, an actor, is found dead. This is a good whodunit and the look at the world of New York theater in the early 1900s is intriguing.

Believe Me/ JP Delaney/ 334 pgs

This is by the author of The Girl Before, which I thought was an excellent suspense novel. In my opinion, Believe Me isn't quite as good, but it is still fascinating. Claire is an actress but she's struggling because she's British and doesn't have a green card. To make ends meet she works on the side for a law firm, helping their investigator trap unfaithful men for their suspicious wives. Claire is very good at what she does but soon becomes embroiled in an unsolved crime involving one of those cases. This is a book where you aren't really sure who's telling the truth. I can't quite put my finger on why but the story lost my attention in the second half. The ending seemed to come out of nowhere and was not as satisfying as I would have wished. As a warning, this book deals with some dark, troubling issues.

Someone Like You/ Lauren Layne/ 252 pgs

This is another in Layne's Oxford series, which is set at a men's magazine in New York City. This one is about Lincoln, the charming lover of women who has a secret angsty side, and Daisy, a divorced southerner also harboring a secret. As always the characters are likable and the romance fun, though the story here has a bit of a darker side. Also as always, there is something just a little off with the story that keeps me from absolutely loving it, but as usual it's still a fun, quick read.

I Wish You Were Mine/ Lauren Layne/ 252 pgs

This is another in Layne's Oxford series, which focuses on people who work at a men's magazine. The romance in this one is a little tricky because it features Mollie, a scientist, and her sister's ex-husband, Jackson, a former quarterback who can't play due to injuries he suffered in a car accident. I liked both characters but never quite understood the sister/ex-wife, who ten years previously seemed to be a great person who took care of her sister in tough times but then morphed into a selfish, greedy narcissist. It seemed like she changed simply because the story would never work if she wasn't a bad person. Still, Layne's books are quick, fun reads.

The Woman in the Window/ AJ Finn/ 427 pgs

To put it plainly, I loved this book. While I guessed a couple of the twists, I did not figure out the final one and I thought it was really well done. Anna is a former child psychologist who, after a traumatic situation nine months ago, suffers from agoraphobia, the fear of places and situations that might cause panic, helplessness, or embarrassment. She is essentially locked inside her home and cannot go out without suffering a debilitating panic attack. She is not dealing well with the trauma that occurred a few months ago but spends her day watching her neighbors out the various windows. A new family moves in and Anna meets the wife, then witnesses something terrible happen to her. From there, this is just an exhilarating ride to the final conclusion. Definitely recommended (without seeing spoilers!).

Irresistibly You/ Lauren Layne/ 252 pgs

This contemporary romance is the first in a series and a fun, quick read. Penelope has moved to NYC from Chicago, mostly to get away from a jerk who stole her work. She's a sports-loving journalist and is vying for a job as sports editor of a men's magazine. Cole already works as a freelancer for the magazine but is also in the running for the editor position. There's nothing too serious here but the characters are likable and the banter is cute. My only disappointment was the way the end played out but I'm going to forgive that lapse and read the next book in the series:-)

The Address/ Fiona Davis/ 354 pgs

The Address is a mystery that's a mix of fact and fiction as well as past and present. The title refers to The Dakota, a well-known apartment building in New York City. The story jumps back and forth between 1884 and 1985. In 1884 the building was just being completed. The fictional Sara Smythe has arrived from England and secures the job of "managerette" for the new building. She develops an illicit relationship with one of the architects and tenants of the apartment, Theo Camden, another fictional character. In 1985, Bailey Camden, who may or may not be related to Theo, is doing interior design work on one of the Dakota's apartments. She soon learns of the murder of Theo and discovers some clues during her work. This is a fun read, though I found the historical chapters much more fascinating than the '80s ones. The mystery is a decent one, though things wrap up almost too neatly at the end.

The Alienist / Caleb Carr / 496 p.

BONUS Categories: Historical fiction, Story with a television adaptation


I began watching the series in January on TNT.  I loved the historical and forensic aspects of the series, but grew impatient to find out how it would all turn out.  The book is written as though it were a memoir written in 1919 about a case that took place in 1896, by John Moore, a reporter for The New York Times.  A serial killer had been killing boys in New York City, and the police department did little until the new commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt (who would later become U.S. president) asked Dr. Lazlo Kreizler to apply new scientific methods to help solve the case.  Dr. Kreizler convinces Roosevelt that he must be allowed to run his own investigation, and he gathers his team.  Kreizler and Moore are helped by Sara Howard (the first woman to be hired by the NYC police department) and Marcus and Lucius Isaacson (two Jewish brothers hired to replace corrupt police officers fired by Roosevelt).  Kreizler's servants, Stevie Taggert and Cyrus Montrose, also prove valuable in getting the team around New York City and assisting in stakeouts.


The book is slightly different from the series, but in all the best ways.  The interactions between the characters are even more complex in the book than in the series, and the background for the forensic methods is explained in more detail.  Some of the details of the characters has been changed slightly, and the suspect's background appears to be different as well.  As I've only seen the first six episodes, I can't tell yet how the TV series will turn out.


The author, Caleb Carr, was already established as a non-fiction writer before publication of this novel.  He wrote an afterword of a hoax he'd had to pull on his agent and editor to get them to agree to let him make the switch to fiction.

The Alienist/ Caleb Carr / 496 pgs

The Alienist was on my TBR list when I heard that TNT was turning it into a TV series. So I moved it up the list and started reading. John Moore is a New York Times reporter in 1896. He attended Harvard with Theodore Roosevelt, the new commissioner of police, and Dr. Lazlo Kreizler, an alienist (or in modern terms, a psychiatrist). A serial killer has struck, attacking and mutilating young boy prostitutes. Reluctantly, Roosevelt allows Kreizler to form a secret team of investigators that includes himself, Moore, Roosevelt's secretary Sara Howard, and two detectives. Essentially, the team is attempting to "profile" the serial killer, though of course that term was not used. The book is rich in historical facts and details and for the most part, the characters are well drawn. The investigation itself was intriguing and though the book is long, the story is not boring at all. There were one or two plot points that I found gratuitous but overall I enjoyed the book and am looking forward to the TV series.

Roomies/ Christina Lauren/ 358 pgs

Roomies is a contemporary romance set in NYC. Holland is in her mid-twenties and drifting a bit. She has a job as an assistant at a Broadway theater, but only because her uncle by marriage is the producer of a hit musical. She readily acknowledges this. She's always thought she would be a writer of some sort but isn't sure what the next step in her life should be. Calvin is a busker who plays music in the subway. Holland has a huge crush on him but he seems completely unaware of her until one day she boldly introduces herself. When her uncle's musical needs a new lead musician, Holland suggests Calvin. While he's more than talented and experienced enough, there's one big problem. He's an Irishman who has overstayed his visa by four years and is in the US illegally. And so we have a modern day marriage of convenience (or immigration fraud, if that's they way you see it:-)). This is a fun, sweet, sexy romance as well as coming of age story for Holland--as long as you ignore the relatively easy time the couple has with ICE. I will say this wasn't quite as good as some of the author's other books but it's still charming. Of course it is, there's an Irishman.

Murder in the Bowery/ Victoria Thompson / 295 pgs

Murder in the Bowery is the 20th book in the Gaslight Mystery series. This series is set in very late 1890s New York City. The two main characters throughout the series are Sarah, a midwife, and Frank, a policeman. These books are quick reads that I would characterize as cozy historical mysteries. I love the historical setting but as the series has gone on the mysteries are beginning to feel the same to me and the main group of characters seem to live perfect lives where nothing ever goes wrong in their relationships. Still, I've kept up on the series because it's like visiting old friends. In this book, Frank is asked to find a young newsboy who has gone missing. Meanwhile Sarah is intent on buying an old house to turn into a maternity hospital. If this series interests you, I recommend starting at the beginning.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay / J.K. Rowling / 304 pgs

First, I should note that this was a screenplay, complete with stage actions for the actors, how they should comport their facial features as they were saying their lines and the complete script. As such, although it was 304 pages, it is a very quick read. I have yet to see the movie, and so I did just spoil myself, but it was totally worth it. Since the movie is such a big deal right now, I don't want to say much about the story itself. Suffice to say, after the disappointment that was Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which read as so much bad fan fiction, this is most definitely a return to form. It is completely evident that J.K. Rowling had her hands all over this screenplay, rather than the multiple names you find on the complete script of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I can see why the movie is doing so well and I hope to get to see it this weekend if not the next weekend. Reading the screenplay has only whetted my appetite for the movie.

Newt Scamander, a Hufflepuff, lands in 1926 New York City with a suitcase full of magical beasts that get loose during a hilarious comedy of errors. Helping Newt are sister witches, Tina and Queenie, as well as a No-Maj (the American word for Muggle), Jacob. However, Newt finds that he has a villain working against him, as well as the Magical Congress of the USA (America's equivalent of England's Ministry of Magic).

Dollhouse: a Novel/ Fiona Davis/ 289pages

The Dollhouse: a Novel, written by Fiona Davis takes place in a dual time track.  Darby McLaughlin has arrived at the Barbizon Hotel for women in 1952 to pursue a career in stenography.  It's 2016 and Rose Lewin has moved into her boyfriend's condo in the newly refurbished Barbizon.  Rose discovers a elderly woman living on the fourth floor in a rent controlled apartment made available to the long time Barbizon residents.  Through an odd series of events, Rose and Darby's lives intertwine around the care of Darby's dog and Roses hope to tell the story of the Barbizon's longtime residents.  Rose begins to unravel the mystery of jazz club coat check girl, a terrible death and Darby herself.  It takes a few chapters to get into the swing of the parallel story line, but soon the reader is entrenched in both stories.  It was a nice look at the culture and lifestyles of 1950.

Nine Women, One Dress/ Jane L. Rosen/ 257 pages

Morris Siegal has created the pattern for 'The Dress', meaning the little black dress that will be the hottest seller of the season.  In her debut novel, Nine Women, One Dress, Jane L. Rosen follows the dress as it passes through the hands of nine very different women.  Starting with the runway model and passing to the department store clerk, the snob, the Hollywood star, the secretary, the detective, the liar, the 'mean girl' and more, the dress changes lives in amazing ways.  Rosen weaves an enjoyable story as the reader follows the dress to each wearer.