#AmReading

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The Dane of My Existence by Jessica Martin
Published by Berkley on July 4, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

When the history and character of her Shakespeare-obsessed hometown is threatened, a powerhouse lawyer goes toe to toe with a commercial developer in a hilarious rom-com from the author of For the Love of the Bard.

Portia Barnes is the youngest Mergers & Acquisitions partner in her law firm's history, and she and her stilettos are poised to step into the role of her dreams--managing the firm's new Boston office. But first she's taking a summer sabbatical in her hometown of Bard's Rest, New Hampshire, where she discovers something's rotten in the midst of the town's annual Shakespeare festival.

Hotshot commercial developer Benjamin Dane is sniffing around Bard's, and while Portia isn't necessarily a Shakespeare fanatic like the rest of her family, she's not about to let him bulldoze the town's beloved outdoor theater. Yet to Portia's dismay, Ben proves as skilled as she is when it comes to outworking, outmaneuvering, and one-upping the competition. While she's never hesitated to wage war against hyper-successful alpha males, Portia is caught off guard by Ben's openness and lack of arrogance. As her own long-constructed walls start to come down, Portia begins to wonder if he might be more than an archnemesis.

With her heart on the line and the future of the town hanging in the balance, Portia faces an impossible decision--Ben or Bard's?--unless she finds a way to broker the merger of her life, and ensures the curtain falls on a happy ending for everyone.

It was wonderful to spend another summer in Bard's Rest!

Once again, I reveled in the charm of the town. I will never tire of all the punny names or nods to The Bard. I adored getting to spend time with its fine citizens as well. But what really delighted me was discovering that Portia, who fled this town, was actually one of its most fervent supporters. This side of the supposed ice queen was lovely to discover, and it gave more dimension to her character.

Though Portia was less ice queen than previously thought, she didn't subscribe to relationships. However, she had finally met her match, an equal, who challenged her and could hold his own when verbally sparring. Ben was such a great partner for Portia. Seeing them go from rivals to lovers to more was such a pleasure. They had physical chemistry galore, but they also found a trust in each other that allowed them to share their pasts, their secrets, and fully open up their hearts.

Part of me felt that I could have done without a certain nefarious plot, but I cannot argue with where it led. It served as a catalyst for Portia in figuring out what she wanted out of life, and I was happy with the results.

Overall, I had a fantastic summer in Bard's Rest and look forward to returning.

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The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships by Ali Bryan
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on July 25, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction

Goodreads

A prison escape, a bear on the loose, botched lyrics. What more could go wrong with Crow Valley’s most anticipated night of the year?

A year after forest fires ravaged the town of Crow Valley and claimed the life of Dale Jepson—karaoke legend, local prison guard, and all-around good guy—the community hosts a high-stakes karaoke competition. But when a convicted murderer escapes from nearby Crow Valley Correctional, residents discover there’s more on the line than local, perhaps even national, karaoke fame.

In this darkly comedic, fast-paced ride through an unforgettable small town, five residents with intimate connections to Dale and drastically different goals for the night will collide into, conspire with, and aid one another as they scramble to make it successfully through the evening under the scrutinizing watch of neighbors.

To the soundtrack of classics belted out with abandon, voices will crack, cars will be stolen, marriages will falter, and kids will slip away in search of trouble. And maybe, just maybe, lives will be transformed for the better.

Confession - I have never seen Schitt's Creek. I keep seeing the show mentioned with respect to this book and just wanted to make it clear that it had no influence on my decision to pick this one up. I would have to say it was the title that drew my attention to this book, as well as my penchant for small towns.

Crow Valley was rocked by the wild fires that tore through their area claiming one of the its favorite son's - Dale. In this story, I met five people whose lives had been affected by Dale, in some way or another, against the backdrop of the karaoke championships that were being held in his memory.

Music, shenanigans, and dark humor abound in this story, and I was throughly entertained and maybe even a bit scandalized at times. I felt many emotions as I got to know Molly, Roxanne, Marcel, Val and Brett. The range of feelings evoked was quite impressive.

This story was darker than I expected, but I still enjoyed my time in Crow Valley. I would largely attribute that to Bryan's exploration of many topics including grief, trauma, parenthood, forgiveness, and freedom - emotional and physical. That last one was something that popped up in subtle and not so subtle ways throughout the story, and it really captured my attention and gave me something to think about.

*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER

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