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The No-Show
RECOMMENDED: The No-Show by Beth O’Leary is $2.99! Shana gave this one a B+ and prompted a great discussion in the comments. It was also our most-read review of 2022!
Three women who seemingly have nothing in common find that they’re involved with the same man in this smart new rom-com by Beth O’Leary, bestselling author of The Flatshare.
Siobhan is a quick-tempered life coach with way too much on her plate. Miranda is a tree surgeon used to being treated as just one of the guys on the job. Jane is a soft-spoken volunteer for the local charity shop with zero sense of self-worth.
These three women are strangers who have only one thing in common: They’ve all been stood up on the same day, the very worst day to be stood up–Valentine’s Day. And, unbeknownst to them, they’ve all been stood up by the same man.
Once they’ve each forgiven him for standing them up, they let him back into their lives and are in serious danger of falling in love with a man who seems to have not just one or two but three women on the go….
Is there more to him than meets the eye? And will they each untangle the truth before they all get their hearts broken?
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The Lady from the Black Lagoon
The Lady from the Black Lagoon by Mallory O’Meara is $2.99! This is a biography about the woman who created the famous creature from the Black Lagoon, and her lost legacy.
The Lady from the Black Lagoon uncovers the life and work of Milicent Patrick—one of Disney’s first female animators and the only woman in history to create one of Hollywood’s classic movie monsters.
As a teenager, Mallory O’Meara was thrilled to discover that one of her favorite movies, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, featured a monster designed by a woman, Milicent Patrick. But for someone who should have been hailed as a pioneer in the genre there was little information available. For, as O’Meara soon discovered, Patrick’s contribution had been claimed by a jealous male colleague, her career had been cut short and she soon after had disappeared from film history. No one even knew if she was still alive.
As a young woman working in the horror film industry, O’Meara set out to right the wrong, and in the process discovered the full, fascinating story of an ambitious, artistic woman ahead of her time. Patrick’s contribution to special effects proved to be just the latest chapter in a remarkable, unconventional life, from her youth growing up in the shadow of Hearst Castle, to her career as one of Disney’s first female animators. And at last, O’Meara discovered what really had happened to Patrick after The Creature’s success, and where she went.
A true-life detective story and a celebration of a forgotten feminist trailblazer, Mallory O’Meara’s The Lady from the Black Lagoon establishes Patrick in her rightful place in film history while calling out a Hollywood culture where little has changed since.
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Shadow and Ice
Shadow and Ice by Gena Showalter is $1.99! This is the first book in the paranormal romance series, Gods of War. I’m curious about this new series, but Showalter’s books have been misses for me, mainly because of the domineering alpha heroes. Are you a Showalter fan?
Knox of Iviland, the most ruthless warrior in All War history, has spent his life fighting others to the death, winning new realms for his king. Now the stakes are higher than ever. If he prevails in the battle for Earth, his slave bands will be removed. Victory is his sole focus…until he meets her.
On an arctic getaway with her foster sister, street tough but vulnerable Vale London is shocked to stumble upon a cave filled with ancient gods waging epic combat. When she is inadvertently drawn into their war, she is forced to team up with an unlikely ally—the sexy god who makes her burn with desire.
Though Vale is his enemy, Knox is consumed with lust and a fierce need to protect her. But only one combatant can triumph, and he will have to choose: live for freedom, or die for love.
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Out on the Ice
Out on the Ice by Kelly Farmer is $1.99! Tara read this one and gave it a C-. To sum up, if you want more F/F sports romances, this one might be worth a try, but warns of some significant biphobia in the book and a conflict that dissolves.
Don’t miss this tender and funny contemporary romance from debut author Kelly Farmer.
Caro Cassidy used to be a legend.
During her career, Caro was one of the best defense players in women’s hockey. These days, she keeps to herself. Her all-girls hockey camp is her life, and she hopes it’ll be her legacy. Sure, her new summer hire is charming and magnetic, but Caro keeps her work and personal life strictly separate.
Amy Schwarzbach lives life out loud.
Amy’s as bright and cheerful as her lavender hair, and she uses her high-profile position in women’s hockey to advocate for the things she believes in. Ten weeks in Chicago coaching a girls’ training camp is the perfect opportunity to mentor the next generation before she goes back to Boston.
Letting love in means putting yourself out there.
When the reticent head coach offers to help Amy get in shape for next season, her starstruck crush on Caro quickly blossoms into real chemistry. As summer comes to an end, neither of them can quite let go of this fling—but Amy can’t afford a distraction, and Caro can’t risk her relationship becoming public and jeopardizing the one thing that’s really hers.
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While I thought THE NO-SHOW was well-written, I couldn’t figure out O’Leary’s point. Was it just to make us hate/distrust the hero?
I think that if you go into THE NO-SHOW not expecting a “standard” romance, you’ll find it an entertaining read, but I’m still somewhat baffled by the “why” of O’Leary’s plot.
All m/m romances that I’ve enjoyed.
Free in the US ~ A Forbidden Rumspringa by Keira Andrews
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MTUG3NM
Also, a couple of books by Jackie North are 99¢.
The Foreman and the Drifter
The Blacksmith and the Ex-Con
– Some m/m romances discounted or free for Pride (Beth Bolden, DJ Jamison, and Amy Aislin are faves for me):
https://books.bookfunnel.com/pridesales/zmpdobjlp3
– And some historical fiction freebies:
https://books.bookfunnel.com/historicalfictionfreebiesjune2023/oi1wdrjr33
– And “dark and sexy”:
https://books.bookfunnel.com/free-dark-and-sexy-romance/won2hkzae7
– And a cute multi-author small-town collaboration:
https://books.bookfunnel.com/myhometown2023?
– Strip Search (Tap That Book 2) by Erin McCarthy
– Grumpy as Puck (Blue Ridge Mountain Hockey Book 1) by Elizabeth Lynx
– Agony (Entangled Hearts Duet Book 1) by Kaylee Ryan
– Alpha Betrayed: A Dark Shifter Romance (Lost Moon University Book 1) by Bella Jacobs
$.99:
– The Doughboy’s Bride: An Arranged Marriage Novel Set in the Roaring Twenties Kindle Edition by Loucinda McGary
– To the Rescue Box Set: Books 1-3 by Joanne Rock (Previously released as Up Close and Personal, Always Ready, and Highly Charged)
$1.99:
– Infamous: A Witty Historical Regency Romance Book (Rebels of the Ton 3) by Minerva Spencer
Free:
– Beth Bolden’s The Rainbow Clause (m/m sports)
– DJ Jamison’s Two Truths and a Lyle (m/m small town; Games We Play series)
– Storm Bound: A small town Gay Romance (Cedarwood Beach Book 4) by Rhys Everly
– Strip Search (Tap That Book 2) by Erin McCarthy
$.99:
– Beth Bolden’s The Red Zone (Riptide 3, m/m football)
– DJ Jamison’s 7 Minutes in Kevin (m/m small town; Games We Play series)
– Bromantic Getaway: A Best Friends to Lovers Bi Awakening MM Romance by Brigham Vaughn
– Home for a Cowboy (Windsor, Wyoming Book 1) by Amy Aislin
– To the Rescue Box Set: Books 1-3 by Joanne Rock (contains stories previously released as Up Close and Personal, Always Ready and Highly Charged)
– The Doughboy’s Bride: An Arranged Marriage Novel Set in the Roaring Twenties by Loucinda McGary
Yeah, the twist in NO SHOW just didn’t do it for me. I enjoy O’Leary’s writing and was engaged, but ended the book with a bit of a WTF feeling.
I loved O’Leary’s THE FLATSHARE and THE SWITCH. Hated ROAD TRIP and have not forgiven her for THE NO-SHOW. It betrayed the trust of this romance reader and given the blurb, it is absolutely sold as a romance. A rom-com even. It is emphatically NOT a romance. Like @DDD, I don’t get the point of the book, unless it was to make readers angry. If so, job well done.
I liked “The No Show” quite a bit, actually. I thought it was well-written, heartfelt, and tried to do some innovative things in storytelling.
Where I think the problem lies is in its marketing. It is NOT a romcom, and the cover and description make the reader feel it is. It was similar for the “Road Trip” (which I liked less). I’m not sure it’s Beth O’Leary’s fault, really, on how these books are promoted, and it’s also not only her books, I’ve noticed recently. Since romcoms are popular, everyone seems to be trying to lean in, even when it doesn’t fit the content.
I’m going to stick up for THE NO-SHOW, because I really loved it (twist and all, which I did figure out partway through but it was more of a gut punch than a wtf for me). But it is NOT a typical rom com or even a romance and should NOT have that cover. It really should have a more lit-ficcy look, though the couple you’re meant to root for does get together at the end. Something about Beth O’Leary’s writing just works for me, but this book in particular is a YMMV situation. I absolutely see why people didn’t like this, but it was honestly one of my favorites of last year.
Time has not improved my opinion of The No-Show, which is still my least favorite O’Leary of all time.
Buy the Farmer or the Lady from the Black Lagoon’s my advice!
The first several in Annabeth Albert’s Out of Uniform series are on sale:
– Off Base (book 1) is $1.99
– At Attention (book 2) is $2.99
– On Point (book 3) is $3.99
Or the box set of the first three together is $6.99.
Also, the first two in AM Arthur’s Neighborhood Shindig series (m/m about a little neighborhood business community, including food trucks) are $.99 each: Melting for You and Burning for You
Free by Melanie Shawn:
– Stay With You (Whisper Lake: Savage Brothers Book 1)
– Just One Night – Josh & Bailey (Crossroads Bachelorettes Book 1)
– Forever and Always (Hope Falls: Maguire Family Book 1)