Reader Recommendations – Six of Leslie M’s Latest Favorite Books

RE-RELEASE!!! I CAN’T WAIT TO READ THIS! HER NEW LANDLORD IS NOT STRANGER-FRIENDLY…

Kathy: …I don’t know why I waited to read it. For me, definitely one of her better books.

Melinda: Loved it Amazing 5 stars for me. Mariana Zapata builds the characters and you feel that deep connection with them, you feel their pain, happiness and building of relationships. It’s as if the characters become family.

Rochelle: …It had a slow start but the slow burn was great. All her writing is excellent. I love how she ties spots or outdoors into her stories. Never go wrong with Mariana.

SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE & SO MANY IN OUR CREW LOVE IT!

A couple who broke up months ago pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends…

R. Renee: I’m reading Happy Place and I’m obsessed with it. I guess I didn’t realize it but broken relationships that play out on page is catnip for me. I look back at several of my all time faves and this seems to be a theme. It’s making my soul happy while crushing it. Is there a better feeling than that?

Rochelle: One click Happy Place …Thanks R. Renee

Leslie M: Beautiful story about friendship and 2nd chance romance that is set in my “happy place” (coastal Maine).

A CONTESTANT BOWS OUT OF THE SHOW… SO SHE FILLS IN!

“…With a shiny new design degree but no job in sight, Cindy moves back in with her stepmother, Erica Tremaine, the executive producer of the world’s biggest dating reality show. When a contestant on Before Midnight bows out at the last minute, Cindy is thrust into the spotlight. Showcasing her killer shoe collection on network TV seems like a great way to jump-start her career. And, while she’s at it, why not go on a few lavish dates with an eligible suitor? 

But being the first and only fat contestant on Before Midnight turns her into a viral sensation—and a body-positivity icon—overnight…”

Leslie M: Do you remember Puddin’ by this author? This is similar (same body positivity message) but more adult. The h is post college and the story is Cinderella-ish with her being on show like The Bachelor. (which I don’t even watch or like but loved this book)

MARITAL STRIFE ALERT!! SHE LEAVES EVERYTHING BEHIND TO FOLLOW HER HUSBAND’S DREAMS…

“…Lanie Coates’s life is spinning out of control. She’s piled everything she owns into a U-Haul and driven with her husband, Peter, and their three little boys from their cozy Texas home to a multiflight walkup in the Northeast.

She’s left behind family, friends, and a comfortable life–all so her husband can realize his dream of becoming a professional musician. But somewhere in the eye of her personal hurricane, it hits Lanie that she once had dreams too. If only she could remember what they were…”

Leslie M: Classic K. Center style with marital strife trope.

R. Renee: I’m reading Katherine Center’s Everyone is Beautiful and loving it so far. It’s not terribly angsty (yet) but you can feel the underlying marital strife, and I love marital strife books! Her stuff is very hit or miss with me, but this is definitely a hit.

SHE’S ON ASSIGNMENT AT HER ESTRANGED FAMILY’S FAMOUS TV RANCH HOME… (makes me think of Yellowstone…)

Leslie M: Cowboy/slow-burn romance where h reunites with estranged family.

“…It’s only a six-week assignment, after all. She has no plans to set down roots, or get to know the family that, seemingly, has had no interest in a relationship with her since her parents’ divorce when she was seven.

Henry Marcum is a cowboy who has dedicated his life to the Logan family and to their ranch. He owes them for raising him, rescuing him, and giving him purpose… He also owes them for every hardship he’s inadvertently brought their way. So, when Tait Logan shows up after 20 years of near total silence, he takes it upon himself to protect the people he knows and loves.

It’s a rocky start when Tait and Henry first collide...”

ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS CELEBRITY ROMANCE!!

Leslie M: Both MCs are former teen pop stars/former couple but are now enemies working together. I loved this 2nd chance romance and the flashbacks to falling in love.

“…The two haven’t spoken since the joint destruction of their careers, and each of them blames the other, making their reunion a tense battle of wits and egos. Kathleen reluctantly agrees to the musical, as long as she keeps her guard up around Cal...”