Sloth Goes Places - "M" States

 

Sloth Goes Places is a feature where I share books I have tracked from previous Literary Escapes reading challenge hosted by Escape With Dollycas Into a Good Book.

Today we are looking at books set in ....

"M" States

There are actually eight "M"states - Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, and Montana. Believe it or not, most of these are easy for me to check off each year. Mississippi seems to be a tricky one for me, and Missouri can be tough, too. 

Of these states, Sloth and I have visited the ones on the east coast - Maine, Maryland, and Massachusetts. The closest I have gotten to Michigan is the airport in Detroit, and I think I have driven through Mississippi. I really need to work on visiting my "M" states. 

  

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Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Published by Forever on April 11, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match.

Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.

And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse.

I am almost certain that all of Jimenez's books are set in Minnesota. I am happy that I can depend on her to cover that state because her books are all amazing. As with all her books, she made me laugh and cry as she touched my heart. Something that really stood out in this book was how lovely Jacob was and also how incredible his family was. They each deserve their own stories. 

[review]

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Mom Com by Adriana Mather
Published by Blackstone Publishing on November 14, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Adriana Mather comes a heartwarming tale of love, family, and pastry perfection.

Maddi DeLuca is coming home for the holidays with her nine-year-old son, only it’s not the triumphant return she might have hoped for. She recently broke down on a reality TV baking show, letting the entire country know she feels like a colossal failure. And she can be certain her mother will remind her of all the ways she hasn’t lived up to expectations over the years.

Ten years ago, all Maddi dreamt of was running her father’s beloved bakery in their tiny coastal town of Haverberry Cove, MA. Her best friend, Wilder Buenaventura, had his own dream—a life with Maddi. And for one brilliant moment when they were seventeen, those dreams collided. They baked together. They loved each other insatiably. But like a fallen soufflé, their relationship imploded, taking their lifelong friendship with it.

If she had her way, Maddi would have stayed in California, hiding her head in its beautiful white sands. But at her mother’s request, she has returned to her hometown to help deal with an urgent matter concerning her father’s will and his nostalgia-filled bakery. What Maddi doesn’t know is that this issue also mysteriously involves the one person she’s spent forever trying to forget—Wilder. Now she finds herself forced to make an impossible give up her father’s bakery and her lifelong dream, or find a way to coexist with Wilder without murdering him with a cookie cutter.

I was super excited to read Mather's adult debut, and she did not disappoint. She brought me back to Massachusetts in this one, to a quaint little town that the heroine couldn't wait to escape. This was a comeback story of sorts. Maddi had crashed and burned on a reality show and needed some time and space to figure out her next steps. It was wonderful seeing Maddi make peace with her past and find her path forward.  

[review]

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The Takedown by Carlie Walker
Published by Berkley on October 3, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense

Goodreads

An undercover CIA agent is sent home to investigate her sister's criminal fiancé but the last thing she expects is to fall in love with his bodyguard along the way in this sexy romantic comedy.

It’s been a long time since Sydney Swift has gone home. An unrelentingly successful CIA field officer, she has spent the last three years pretending to be someone — anyone — other than herself.

But this year, the festive season is coming with some added surprises. Sydney’s beloved little sister has just announced that she’s engaged to Johnny Jones, the heir of an organized crime dynasty. With her built-in cover and her best-in-class reputation, Sydney is approached by the FBI as their way to infiltrate the Jones family at last.

Sydney has until Christmas to gather enough evidence on Johnny to take him down before he pulls off his most dangerous heist yet, all without losing her sister forever. But she hasn’t counted on the challenge of pulling this off right under her family’s nose or the complications of a romantic entanglement with Johnny’s handsome friend and bodyguard, Nick. Sydney always gets her man — but this time love is a target she can’t afford to miss.

Nothing like spending the holidays in Maine while also trying to take down a crime boss, right? This book took me by surprised. I had such a great time with this one that I may have developed a taste for a bit of that cozy action/adventure type stuff. This was another young adult author I adore, and I really do hope she write more adult books. 

[review]

Have you read any books set in an "M" state?
Let us know in the comments!