Friday Five- Good Friday Edition

Welcome to the Friday Five, where I share five things that caught my attention this week.

1)  The flowers are finally in bloom in NYC. It made me smile to walk out of our apartment building and see these bright, beautiful tulips greeting me.

2)  My eyeglasses fell off a shelf and so I had to add a trip to Warby Parker to my errands to get them fixed. While I wasn't too thrilled with their customer service when I purchased my glasses, their customer service to get them repaired was quick and efficient. I waited less than five minutes for a optician to straighten those babies out. In the middle of their store is this huge round column, and at the top of the column are color-coordinated books, sans their dust jackets.

Warby Parker

3)  While I was walking the Upper East Side getting all my Easter items, I listened to the latest Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend podcast. This week's guest was Patton Oswalt, a comedian who right now is starring on NBC's comedy, A.P. Bio, which is hilarious. Oswalt has guested on so many TV shows (Parks & Recreation, Justified, Veep, the narrator on The Goldbergs), I can prett much guarantee you've seen him somewhere. I laughed so hard listening to him and Conan that my side literally hurt by the time I got home.

Conan O'Brien's podcast is https://teamcoco.com/podcasts

4)  The second episode of FX's limited series Fosse/Verdon aired this week. Sam Rockwell plays choreographer/director Bob Fosse and Michelle Williams plays Fosse's wife and partner, Gwen Verdon who inspired him, worked closely with him, and was betrayed by him, and they are both brilliant. This week's episode dealt with Fosse directing the movie Caberet, and we got deep into their relationship from the first meeting to their affair while he was married to someone else, and his affair while married to Gwen. Williams was amazing in a recreation of a dance sequence from the Broadway show Damn Yankees. Don't miss this one.  The link to the trailer for Fosse/Verdon is here.

5)  So many great books published on Tuesday, April 16th! Last week, I told you about Stephanie Evanovich's Under the Table (my review here) and Helen Ellis's Southern Lady Code (my review here). I read Irish novelist Sally Rooney's Normal People, which tells the story of two young people, a wealthy young lady and the son of her mother's housekeeper, who have an off-an-on relationship over the years. It's beautifully written, and it's hard to believe Rooney is just 28 years old.

I read Alafair Burke's The Better Sister in just a few hours because I could not put it down. When Chloe's lawyer husband is murdered, she and her estranged sister Nicky (and his previous wife) come together to protect Ethan, his son who the police believe to be a suspect. The are so many secrets here, and I gasped more than once as they were revealed. It's a great airplane/beach read .My reviews of the last two books will be up soon.

I wish you all a Happy Easter and Happy Passover.

Under the Table by Stephanie Evanovich

Under the Table by Stephanie Evanovich
Published by William Morrow ISBN 9780062887580
Hardcover, $26.99, 272 pages

Under the Table is a slight departure from Stephanie Evanovich's first three novels, which featured sports more prominently, and characters that appeared in all three books.

Her new novel, Under the Table, introduces us to Zoey, a young Midwestern woman who separated from her husband and moved to New York City to live with her sister Ruth.

Ruth has a good job and loves to go out at night, flitting from guy to guy. Zoey is trying to get her personal catering business off the ground when she meets Tristan, a shy, wealthy tech guy who appears to lack social skills.

Zoey falls in love with Tristan's state-of-the-art kitchen, and anyone who loves to cook will swoon as well as the description of his kitchen. (And as someone who lives in a moderately small NYC apartment, I definitely had kitchen envy!)

She befriends Tristan and after hearing the story of how he grew up with his grandparents, Zoey vows to help him become a little more hip. She takes him clothes shopping, and they enjoy each other's company.

Tristan, in return, takes Zoey golfing. Now I have to admit that I don't really think of golfing as sexy, but Evanovich is such a terrific writer, she makes a golf outing hot. (I tip my golf cap to her.)

Zoey doesn't want to fall for Tristan as her marriage situation is an issue, and Tristan doesn't want to fall for Zoey for the same reason, but of course they do as the course of love never runs smooth as they say.

I adored Under the Table! Nobody does sassy, sweet and sexy better than Stephanie Evanovich. You want to be friends with her characters, and my favorite one in this book is Phyllis, the truck driver who picks up a hitchhiking Zoey.

I also loved that Tristan was a big reader, and the shout-out to Jackie Collins made me smile. (I got to meet Collins at a book signing, and she was one of the loveliest people I have ever met.)

I always say that you should read Evanovich's books by the pool because there are always a few sex scenes in them that after you read them, you're gonna need to cool off a bit, and Under the Table is no exception. I highly recommend Under the Table, it will take you away for a few hours and boy do we need that nowadays.

Friday Five- April 12, 2019

The Friday Five rolls on with five things that caught my attention. This week was a two-part one as well- we went back home to central New York for the weekend and returned to NYC.

Dinosaur fossil

1) We attended a fundraiser for Catholic Charities, which was held at the American Museum of Natural History near Central Park. I'd never been to an evening event there, and it was pretty cool. The cocktail hour was held in the main foyer, where the huge dinosaur fossil stands guard. Then we descended the stairs where the dinner was held under the Great Blue Whale model suspended from the ceiling.

The tables under the Great Blue Whale

2) We made a quick trip home to Auburn, NY where we attended a very successful fundraiser for our sons' Catholic School, St. Joseph School. It was so wonderful to see family and friends! We began our visit with dinner at my husband's favorite area restaurant, Rosalie's Cucina in Skaneateles. We shared their delicious warm spinach salad, and my husband had his favorite veal dish, while I had the Farfalle Con Pollo, which is fabulous and filling. At the end, they brought out their Banana Budino dessert, which is heavenly for banana lovers. Our dinner companions were a joy as well.

Banana Budino

3) On Wedneday, I attended a matinee performance of Broadway's Hillary & Clinton, starring the always amazing Laurie Metcalf (The Conners) and John Lithgow (The Crown). The show takes places in 2008 in a hotel room in New Hampshire during the Democratic primary. It also takes place in an alternate universe, so things are slightly different. The show is fantastic, and the performances outstanding. It is hilarious one moment, and heartbreaking the next. At its core, it is about a marriage, and it's very poignant. I highly recommend it.

4) I watched Mrs. Wilson on PBS' Masterpiece. The story revolves around Alison who, while working as an typist for MI5 during WWII, meets the charismatic Alexander Wilson. They fall in love, marry and have two sons. Alex is a spy for Britain, so he is gone for long periods of time. When he dies at home in the early 1960's, Alison discovers that she is not his only wife. Her journey to find out the truth about his life drives this fascinating story. An interesting piece of the story is that Ruth Wilson (The Affair, Jane Eyre) plays her own grandmother Alison in this three-part series. Again, I highly recommend it.

5) There are two amazing books publishing on Tuesday, April 16th. I got to read  an early copy of Helen Ellis' essay collection, Southern Lady Code, which is laugh-out loud hilarious. While reading about her adventures in NYC, I felt like I was right there along with her, and I can hear her mother's Alabama voice in my head drawling "Helen Michelle" and then sharing her bits of Southern wisdom with her. If you need a laugh (or two or three), pick this up next Tuesday. 

The other book I read was Stephanie Evanovich's novel, Under the Table, about a private chef who left her husband behind in the midwest to move to NYC with her sister. Her newest client is a millionaire who knows technology but is socially clueless. Zoey offers to tutor Tristan, and their friendship turns into something much more. Evanovich's books are always sexy and sassy, and who knew that a game of golf could be so hot. If you need a spring break read, put this one in your tote bag. 

I hope you had a great week, let me know in comments what you found interesting.

New in Paperback- The Total Package by Stephanie Evanovich

The Total Package by Stephanie Evanovich
Published by William Morrow ISBN 978-0-06223486-2
Trade paperback, $15.99, 256 pages

A few years ago I read a debut novel by author Stephanie Evanovich, Big Girl Panties, and beyond loving the title, I really enjoyed the book about Logan Montgomery, a hot trainer who brings Holly, a young widow, out of her shell. I finished the book and wanted to read more about two secondary characters, baseball superstar Chase and his sassy wife Amanda.

When The Sweet Spot was published the following year, I was so excited that we got to find out how Chase and Amanda got together, and I loved it even more than Big Girl Panties. 

Evanovich just published her third book, The Total Package, about a big shot quarterback, Tyson Palmer, who trashes his career. When Palmer hits bottom, the owner of the Austin Mavericks picks him up and makes him the cornerstone of his team, hoping to win the Super Bowl.

Palmer digs in and works to make himself one of the league's best quarterbacks. When hot young wide receiver Marcus LaRue joins the Mavericks, he hopes that he and Palmer can be a dream team. LaRue's only request is that the team hire a young reporter, Dani Carr, to be his media person. He will only allow Carr to interview him, no one else.

Carr leaves her young son behind in Philadelphia with her supportive family- Mom, Dad and brothers- to take advantage of this possible career-building opportunity. She concentrates on the work, and hopes that no one discovers her secret.

Tyson is attracted to Carr but finds it hard to break through her shell. LaRue too is very secretive. He doesn't party like a rock star and he is never seen in the company of the many young ladies who seek his attention. And for some reason LaRue keeps pushing for Tyson and Dani to get together.

The Total Package is Evanovich's best book yet. Her characters feel like people you would know, especially Dani's close-knit Italian family. They are the family we all want to have. It's nice to read a book where the characters are kind to each other and support each other, even when they make mistakes.

I'm more of a baseball fan than football fan, but that didn't stop me from loving everything about this book. And I cried tears of joy when old friends Logan and Holly and Chase and Amanda made an appearance in the book. It was so much fun to see Chase and Amanda's wedding from a different perspective.

Evanovich's writing is sharp in this book, and you will find yourself racing through it to finish it. Like her first two books, it is sexy (oh, those sex scenes!) and sassy and this one has such a sweetness to it it is heartwarming.

Now I am hoping that the next book will tell us more about Marcus LaRue's story (and not just because Marcus and I share a surname). He may be Evanovich's most intriguing character yet and I want to find out more about where he came from and where he is going.

The Total Package is a great book to give your best girlfriend and you may want to read the steamier scenes out loud to your significant other, you know for inspiration. It's like Fifty Shades of Grey, except much better written and with a lot more heart. I give it my highest recommendation.

Stephanie Evanovich's website is here.

The Total Package by Stephanie Evanovich

The Total Package by Stephanie Evanovich
Published by William Morrow ISBN 978-0-06223485-8
Hardcover, $26.99, 244 pages

A few years ago I read a debut novel by author Stephanie Evanovich, Big Girl Panties, and beyond loving the title, I really enjoyed the book about Logan Montgomery, a hot trainer who brings Holly, a young widow, out of her shell. I finished the book and wanted to read more about two secondary characters, baseball superstar Chase and his sassy wife Amanda.

When The Sweet Spot was published the following year, I was so excited that we got to find out how Chase and Amanda got together, and I loved it even more than Big Girl Panties. 

Evanovich just published her third book, The Total Package, about a big shot quarterback, Tyson Palmer, who trashes his career. When Palmer hits bottom, the owner of the Austin Mavericks picks him up and makes him the cornerstone of his team, hoping to win the Super Bowl.

Palmer digs in and works to make himself one of the league's best quarterbacks. When hot young wide receiver Marcus LaRue joins the Mavericks, he hopes that he and Palmer can be a dream team. LaRue's only request is that the team hire a young reporter, Dani Carr, to be his media person. He will only allow Carr to interview him, no one else.

Carr leaves her young son behind in Philadelphia with her supportive family- Mom, Dad and brothers- to take advantage of this possible career-building opportunity. She concentrates on the work, and hopes that no one discovers her secret.

Tyson is attracted to Carr but finds it hard to break through her shell. LaRue too is very secretive. He doesn't party like a rock star and he is never seen in the company of the many young ladies who seek his attention. And for some reason LaRue keeps pushing for Tyson and Dani to get together.

The Total Package is Evanovich's best book yet. Her characters feel like people you would know, especially Dani's close-knit Italian family. They are the family we all want to have. It's nice to read a book where the characters are kind to each other and support each other, even when they make mistakes.

I'm more of a baseball fan than football fan, but that didn't stop me from loving everything about this book. And I cried tears of joy when old friends Logan and Holly and Chase and Amanda made an appearance in the book. It was so much fun to see Chase and Amanda's wedding from a different perspective.

Evanovich's writing is sharp in this book, and you will find yourself racing through it to finish it. Like her first two books, it is sexy (oh, those sex scenes!) and sassy and this one has such a sweetness to it it is heartwarming.

Now I am hoping that the next book will tell us more about Marcus LaRue's story (and not just because Marcus and I share a surname). He may be Evanovich's most intriguing character yet and I want to find out more about where he came from and where he is going.

The Total Package is a great book to give your best girlfriend and you may want to read the steamier scenes out loud to your significant other, you know for inspiration. It's like Fifty Shades of Grey, except much better written and with a lot more heart. I give it my highest recommendation.

Stephanie Evanovich's website is here.

The Sweet Spot by Stephanie Evanovich

The Sweet Spot by Stephanie Evanovich
Published by William Morrow ISBN 978-0-06-223481-0
Hardcover, $26.99, 272 pages

Last summer I read a debut novel Big Girl Panties, about a young lonely widow who meets a hot personal trainer and not only gets her life back, she gets the guy. I'm not a big chick lit reader, but that book grabbed me and didn't let go. It was funny and sexy as all get out, and the perfect beach read.

I had the chance to meet the author, Stephanie Evanovich, at her book launch party last year and I told her that I enjoyed her book immensely, and that I found the secondary characters of Chase Walker and his wife Amanda so fascinating and I hoped we would hear more from them.

Evanovich told that I would be happy to hear that Chase and Amanda's full story would be the subject of her next book, which is titled The Sweet Spot. I was elated and counted down the months until I could find out how Chase and Amanda met.

I'm a huge baseball fan, so the character of All-American baseball hero Chase Walker as our protagonist made me so happy. Sportscasters called him "one of those naturally gifted corn-fed boys out of Iowa", and in addition to being a baseball superstar, Walker is good guy, raised well by his parents.

I love this quote from his dad, told to Chase when he was a college standout: "Son, no matter where your talent takes you, you're going to be a man a lot longer than you're going to be a ball player. Knowledge is the only true power. Learn all you can."

Walker became a star for the New York Kings (standing in for the powerhouse Yankees). He dated a lot of women, but the night he had dinner at Cold Creek Grille, owned and operated by Amanda Cole, he became smitten at first sight.

Amanda was raised well by her parents too- Dad is a retired Family Court judge and Mom is the District Attorney of Essex County. They instilled in their daughter the importance of being "shrewd, smart and strong." She poured her heart, soul and everything else into her restaurant.

Amanda knew of Chase's reputation with the ladies and studiously avoided his attempts to date her. She didn't want to be a notch on his belt. But Chase was persistent; he came to Cold Creek Grille after every home game, and sat at the bar, kindly signing autographs and taking photos with fans.

All of Amanda's employees told her she was crazy not to give in and date Chase, he was obviously crazy about her. But maybe he just liked the fact that she was hard to get?

Eventually she gives in, and their relationship blossoms. Slowly she begins to trust Chase. Evanovich really nails the feelings of a burgeoning romance. The careful doling out of trust, the butterflies, as well as the misunderstandings that occur because you don't know each well enough yet; it's all there and brings it all back to any reader lucky enough to have experienced it for herself.

Chase seems to be almost the perfect guy, but he has one little secret. He likes spanking as part of his sexual play. Readers of Big Girl Panties will remember that there was an allusion to an incident regarding this, and we get the background on the whole thing in The Sweet Spot.

The Sweet Spot stands on its own, but if you've read Big Girl Panties, you won't want to miss this one. For the millions of women who read the Fifty Shades trilogy, this is a much sweeter and sexier adult relationship and, quite frankly, much better written.

I adored The Sweet Spot, even more than Big Girl Panties. Maybe it's because it has baseball in it, maybe it's because the two characters are strong, mature, successful people who make their mistakes and learn from them, maybe it's because it is just darn sexy, but for me this is the beach read of the summer. Toss it in your beach bag and be ready to jump in the water to cool off after all the steamy scenes.

rating 5 of 5
Stephanie Evanovich is on Facebook here.
My review of Big Girl Panties is here.

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on Stephanie Evanovich's tour. The rest of the stops are here.

Stephanie’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, July 8th: bookchickdi

Wednesday, July 9th: Ageless Pages Reviews

Thursday, July 10th: From the TBR Pile

Friday, July 11th: Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Monday, July 14th: What She Read …

Tuesday, July 15th: A Chick Who Reads

Wednesday, July 16th: Tina’s Book Reviews

Thursday, July 17th: Walking With Nora

Monday, July 21st: Stephany Writes

Tuesday, July 22nd: Book Loving Hippo

Wednesday, July 23rd: Snowdrop Dreams of Books

Thursday, July 24th: Books à la Mode

Monday, July 28th: Always With a Book

Some Great Summer Beach Reads

Every year I devote my June Book Report column in the Citizen to summer beach reads. Here is this year's edition.
 Reprinted from auburnpub.com.

June has arrived and that means it’s time to plan our summer beach reads. Whether you read on vacation, by the pool, or on your front porch, here are some suggestions for great summer reads.

If you are looking for a traditional juicy summer novel, Stephanie Evanovich follows up last year’s big beach read “Big Girl Panties”, with a sassy, sexy prequel “The Sweet Spot” about a Derek Jeter-like baseball star who pursues a restaurateur wary of his reputation. It’s perfect for the baseball lover, and it publishes July 8th. 

The Sweet Spot

South Carolina native Dorothea Benton Frank returns with another Southern family novel about a four women: 80 year-old feisty Maisie, her middle-aged daughter Liz, Liz’s artist daughter Ashley and Ashley’s roommate Mary Beth, all trying to come to grips what life has in store for them- oh yeah, and there is a hurricane heading their way. I love the humor and humanity in Frank’s novels. 

The Hurricane Sisters

If you like your summer reading to have a little more meat, Patry Francis’ 500 page “The Orphans of Race Point” takes place over thirty years in the lives of three friends who grew up together on Cape Cod. It’s a big, wonderful story with heartbreak, love, and family- those who are related by blood and those you choose to be your family. This is my favorite book so far this year. 

The Orphans of Race Point

Another big book is Greg Iles’ “Natchez Burning”, the first in a trilogy. This one tells the story of a son out to save his father, a beloved doctor accused of murdering an African-American nurse he worked with years ago. This one has been getting rave reviews, including one from Stephen King. 

Natchez Burning

Those of you who were addicted to HBO’s “True Detective” should check out Laura McHugh’s “The Weight of Blood”. When a teenage girl is found brutally murdered and left under a tree, her friend tries to find out what happened, and wonders if it could be tied to her mother’s disappearance when she was a just a baby. The story is told from the mother’s perspective and the daughter’s perspective, and has lots of scary, creepy atmosphere.  

The Weight of Blood

If historical fiction is your pleasure, Jacqueline Winspear, author of the WWI private investigator Maisie Dobbs series, checks in with a stand alone WWI novel, “The Care and Management of Lies” about Tom, a farmer in England, his sister who protests for peace, and his wife, a teacher-turned-farmer’s wife who must keep the farm going when Tom goes to war in France. I loved the look at what being a farmer’s wife at that time entailed. 

The Care and Mangement of Lies

If the Civil War interests you, Jennifer Chiaverini’s “The Spy Mistress” fictionalizes the true story of Richmond, Virginia aristocrat Elizabeth Van Lew who spied for the Union, putting herself and her family at great personal risk to help Lincoln’s generals win the war. It was a story I didn’t know and found so interesting. 

The Spy Mistress

Maggie Shipstead’s second novel, “Astonish Me” is very different from her first novel, “Seating Arrangements”, but just as good. Joan studies to be a ballerina and becomes involved with a Russian dancer who defects to the US in the 1970s. She marries a childhood friend, has a son, and moves to California. Her son becomes a ballet dancer and his idol is the Russian whom Joan was in love with years ago. The writing is gorgeous and if you love ballet, this insider’s look is fascinating.

Astonish Me

For non-fiction readers, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner follow-up their hugely successful book “Freakanomics” with “Think Like A Freak”. They combine terrific storytelling with their unique analysis to help people be more creative and productive. They show us how a hot dog eating champion came upon his winning strategy (it involves soaking the bun in water), why an Australian doctor ingested dangerous bacteria, and why e-mail scammers say they are from Nigeria. If you didn’t get Dad a Father’s Day gift yet (and if you didn’t, shame on you!), go get this. 

Think Like A Freak

Everyone is talking about Hillary Clinton’s book, “Hard Choices”, which published this week. She talks about the difficult decisions she has faced in her life and how she came to them. It covers much of her time as Secretary of State in the Obama administration and people will no doubt be parsing the sentences for clues as to whether she will run for president in 2016.

Hard Choices

Whatever you read this summer, I hope you enjoy it and that the weather is good wherever you go.

My Favorite BEA14 Books

One of the most exciting things about going to the Book Expo is the chance to get advanced copies of upcoming books. This year I got books from some of my favorite authors, including Dorothea Benton Franks' The Hurricane Sisters, which publishes this month and is certain to be in everyone's beach bags this summer. I saw her at the Harper Bloggers Bash and then ran into a few times on the BEA floor; she is such a fun, genuine person. (My review of The Hurricane Sisters will be posted on June 19th.)

Another terrific Harper author, Stephanie Evanovich, was at the party as well and the followup to her debut novel Big Girl Panties is called The Sweet Spot and is a worthy sequel. The story centers on baseball superstar and ladies man Chase Walker (think Derek Jeter) who pursues restauranteur Amanda, trying to convince her that he is a good guy. But he is hiding something. It's sassy and sexy and if you like baseball like me, this is a must-read. This one publishes in July and my review will be posted on July 8th.

I was so thrilled to meet Jane Smiley, who wrote one of my all-time favorites A Thousand Acres. Her new book is Some Luck, about three decades in the life of an American farm family, and it will be out in October.

Australian Liane Moriarty is an Amy Einhorn find, and I loved two of her novels, What Alice Forgot and The Husband's Secret, which I recommended to everyone and which got rave reviews from many publications. I got to meet her as well and get an autographed copy of her upcoming novel, Big Little Lies about parents at a primary school and a dead body at School Trivia Night. It publishes on July 29th.

Colm Toibin wrote a beautiful novel, Brooklyn, about an Irish woman who comes to America and how she made a life in Brooklyn. His new book, Nora Webster, features a character from Brooklyn and I can't wait to read this October release.

Actor Alan Cumming, from TV's The Good Wife and currently on Broadway in Cabaret, wrote a memoir, Not My Father's Son, and after hearing him talk about it at the Author Breakfast on Saturday, I'm moving this book up on my TBR list.

Gone With The Wind is my favorite book, and I'm intrigued by Daniel McCaig's novel, Ruth's Journey, which tells the story of the slave known as Mammy in the book. It is sanctioned by the Margaret Mitchell estate.

Empty Mansions is a book I have had my eye on for awhile, so I was happy to find a paperback edition at BEA. It tells the true story of heiress Hugette Clark, who recently died and left her fortune to a nurse who worked at the hospital she lived in.

One of the books that had everybody talking at BEA is Matthew Thomas' We Are Not Ourselves, a debut novel that sold for one million dollars at auction. The novel is about an Irish-American family and their matriarch's struggle to get them into the middle-class where their dreams can come true.

I've got a lot of reading ahead of me, I'll keep you posted on the good ones.
What books are you looking forward to reading this summer? Let me know in comments.

My review of Big Girl Panties is here.
My review of Brooklyn is here.
My review of What Alice Forgot is here.
My review of The Husband's Secret is here.

Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich

Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich
Published by William Morrow, ISBN 978-0-06-225369-9
Hardcover, $26.99, 336 pages

Logan Montgomery is a hot-shot personal trainer to many popular athletes, including his best friend and major league baseball star Chase Walker. When overweight Holly Brennan sits next to him on a flight back home, he is annoyed.

Holly is thirty-two year old widow who, after nursing her husband through a painful, deadly illness, turned to food for comfort. She and Logan begin a conversation, and after he learns of her history, he offers to help Holly get back into shape.

Logan loves nothing more than shaping the human body, helping people become a better physical specimens, and he feels that Holly could be a good project for him. Holly has had enough of sitting around and is ready to get on with her life- and besides, Logan is very easy on the eyes.

Chase's wife Amanda feels that Holly could be the woman who could capture Logan's heart and begins to include Holly in their little group. Logan is a playa with women, but he enjoys spending time with Holly and they have an easygoing rapport with each other.

This is a romantic comedy, so of course the question is will Logan and Holly become a couple? (If Amanda has anything to say about it, the answer is a resounding yes!) They have many obstacles to overcome, and watching them maneuver the course is a great deal of fun.

Big Girl Panties is a sexy, steamy, sassy debut novel from Stephanie Evanovich. I'm a big baseball fan, so I loved that Chase is an MLB player and I adored his relationship with his spunky wife Amanda. They have a little sexy secret that becomes public knowledge when a videotape of them is leaked to the press (think a little 50 Shades of Grey), but their marriage is rock solid.

Chase and Amanda were my favorite characters, and I had the opportunity to speak with the author (who is so delightful and friendly) and she told me that we would be seeing more of Chase and Amanda in the future. That made my day!

This novel is one that should be read near a pool or a shower, so you can jump on in and cool off after the hot sex scenes, but it also has a lot of heart. In a touching scene, Logan helps Holly clean out her husband's stuff. That brought tears to my eyes.

Holly and Logan are terrific characters, and I liked that they both have some flaws. What starts out to be Holly's journey ends up being a journey for Logan too. The life he thinks is so good is really missing something essential.

I read this in two sittings, and it's a fantastic and funny beach read. It will bring a smile to your face and make your heart race a little faster. And it make bring some business to personal trainers.

rating 4 of 5

Follow Stephanie Evanovich on Facebook here