Meg Napier | Fabulous Finds for May

NEVER BLOW A KISS by debut author Lindsay Lovise came out this month, and it’s lovely. Imagine you’re somewhere you don’t belong, you’re trying to slip out without being caught, and your attention is caught by a gorgeous man himself obviously desperate to escape the clutches of an uninteresting spinster and her very determined mother. You catch his eye and smile in spite of yourself, and then you blow a kiss before making your escape. That’s how NEVER BLOW A KISS begins, and it’s non-stop fun, suspense, and shenanigans right through to its most satisfactory ending. Lovise has a contemporary paranormal scheduled for the fall, and I’m betting it’s going to be just as good.

I found more fun, non-stop action in Carlie Walker’s THE TAKEDOWN. Sydney has convinced herself that it’s her demanding job with the CIA that has kept her from spending time with her sister and beloved grandmother, but might there be other factors at play? When she’s temporarily seconded by the FBI and told to report home to investigate her sister’s fiancé, she has no choice but to comply. And she has to do so without raising her sister’s suspicions OR those of her fiancé’s very handsome, very observant bodyguard. Christmas goodies and a delightful dog round out the overall appealing background to this entertaining first adult offering from this YA author.

Stories set during WWII seem to multiply on my bookshelves whenever I look away, and the latest to catch my attention was the first in a new series featuring an intrepid young woman assigned to work in Churchill’s underground offices. A TRAITOR IN WHITEHALL by Julia Kelly follows Evelyne Redfern, a fervent Agathe Christie fan who stumbles upon a dead body during her first week at work. The Germans are bombing, secrets are leaking, and the investigators assigned to the murder case have obviously not learned the necessary skills to pick up clues the way Evelyne has. Evelyne has no choice but to step up and do some sleuthing on her own while trying to determine if the ever-present David Poole is friend or foe. The next volume will be out in the fall, and I look forward to following Evelyne’s new challenges.

“Things won are done; joy’s soul lies in the doing.” That’s a line spoken by Cressida in Shakespeare’s “Troilus and and Cressida,” but it could have been penned by the great Shakespearean actor Judy Dench herself. Her absolutely wonderful memoir, SHAKESPEARE: THE MAN WHO PAYS THE RENT, co-authored with Brendan O’Hea, is in stores now, and it is fabulous. Am I hyperbolating? Not at all, and whoever said the Bard was the only one who could make up new words?! Dench and O’Hea converse about her life-long love affair with the countless Shakespearean roles she has played, and her insight and humor are incomparable.

Finally, my heart, reading, and writing choices lie firmly in the world of romance, but I recently stepped out of my comfort zone to listen to RECURSION, by Blake Crouch. (I have a habit of finding books in my library queue that I have no recollection of putting there.) Its Amazon ranking categorizes it as a “technothriller,” “science fiction adventure,” and “suspense thriller,” and I can attest that all of those descriptors fit, but there’s also an enduring love story that held my attention and made all that other stuff bearable (and yes, it's also exciting, intriguing, and captivating)!  Spoiler alert: I’ve only finished a few books in my life that end with this most dreaded sentence fragment (!), (and every one of them has left me with smoke coming out of my ears): “And then he said . . .”

You have my fervent promise that I’ll never leave my readers hanging, since no matter what I put my characters through, I’m a firm believer in happily-ever-afters. I give my couples a second chance again, and again, and again. Take a peek and settle in for a great escape.

About Meg Napier

Meg's friends during her high school years all expected her romance novels to hit the shelves decades ago, but she foolishly allowed "serious pursuits" to get in her way. Now that her beloved children can feed, clothe, and most importantly, support themselves, she's free to turn her attention to her first passion - putting words to paper that capture your attention and make your heart sing in quiet joy. Her stories tell most frequently of second chances--in life, love, and sometimes even at rediscovering a soul-mate from a previous life.

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | AMAZON | TWITTER | FACEBOOK