Book Review: The Accidental Pinup by Danielle Jackson
The Accidental Pinup
Series: Buxom Boudoir #1
Author: Danielle Jackson
Narrator: Jeanette Illidge
Published: July 19, 2022
Audiobook: 10 hours 11 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: November 10-15, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 3.5 stars
Book Description:
Rival photographers are forced to collaborate on a body-positive lingerie campaign, but they might have to readjust their focus when sparks fly.
Photographer Cassie Harris loves her job—her company Buxom Boudoir makes people look beautiful and feel empowered with her modern twist on classic pinup photography. Cassie’s best friend, Dana, is about to launch her own dangerously dreamy lingerie line and wants Cassie to shoot and direct the career-changing national campaign. But company politics and Dana’s complicated pregnancy interfere, and Cassie finds herself—a proud plus size Black woman—not behind the camera but in front of it.
Though she’s never modeled herself, Cassie’s pretty sure she can handle the sheer underwear and caution tape bralettes. She’s not sure she can work so intimately with the chosen photographer, her long-time competitor in the Chicago photography scene, Reid Montgomery. Their chemistry is undeniable on set, however, and feelings can develop faster than film…
Jessica’s Review:
After trying to find a book based on ‘stranger photo sessions’ and only finding a novella series that did not work for me (I gave the first novella 2 stars and DNF’d the second), this was the closest I could find. And that was thanks to my friend Yami.
Here we have photographer Cassie whose best friend Dana is about to launch a lingerie line for plus sized women. Dana wants Cassie to be the photographer and after a series of events Cassie ends up being the model (which Cassie has never modeled…) and the photographer is Reid. Reid has been Cassie’s direct competition and he has taken potential jobs from her. And there is some chemistry going on between model and photographer.
I really loved the body positivity and representation in the novel with Cassie. In addition to being a gorgeous plus sized woman, she is also a person of color. We are getting so much representation in this novel! And being this is a contemporary romance we also have the rivals/ enemies to lovers sub-genre.
It got a little bit much on the spicy side for me, but I was prepared for that knowing my friend Yami likes her books spicy! For the readers who read spice/ like the spice it’s most likely not too spicy. But ya’ll know I don’t need spicy, and prefer my romances sweet and closed door for the most part. It did seem as if the relationship was mainly based off of physical attraction, and I mean, Cassie is wearing just underwear around Reid, so he can’t help but see what she has to offer and like it or not!
Overall, I enjoyed this one. Of course there are secrets involved in the story. But there has to be some kind of angst! I really want a decent ‘stranger photo session’ novel! And guess what: I actually found a photographer who is local to me who does these sessions! And guess what else?!?!? I put in an application for a stranger session! We will see what happens, my guess is that mainly women put in for these sessions, but you also have to have men sign up. And the photographer actually attempts to make couples based on similar interests. Will I get a contact from that photographer about a match??? Only time will tell….
Audiobook Review: Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
Expiration Dates
Author: Rebecca Serle
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Published: March 19, 2024
Audiobook: 7 hours 6 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: November 6-9, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a name: Jake.
But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart.
Jessica’s Review:
This book has such an interesting premise: A woman receives a paper with a man’s name on it and how long she will spend time with him. Whether for just a few hours or much longer. Needless to say, Daphne knows how long her relationships will last. Then one day she receives a slip a paper… with just a name… and no end date…
There is so much or so little that can happen with a name and a time period on it. But what if there are other factors involved? I was fully involved with the story and what was ultimately going to happen. I figured out the ultimate ending (blame the thriller reader in me) I saw it coming but there was one twist I was not expecting that changed everything for me when it entered the picture.
We do not find out who or what is responsible for getting these mysterious pieces of paper to Daphne throughout her life. In some ways I wanted to know, in some ways the reader is better off not having that answer. Life doesn’t always give us answers, and when it does give answers, sometimes we like them, sometimes we don’t.
Expiration Dates made me think about so many things. Such as what if I received these pieces of paper? How would I have treated my life and relationship with my ex-husband back in the beginning? Would I have wanted to continue it and even gotten married knowing that it was ultimately going to end? I can’t answer that, but if I could go back in time I would still marry him because of other events and experiences that have happened in my life that would not have happened otherwise.
The narrator is Julia Whelan and I just can’t add anything else to say about her than I have said before: I love her narrations!
I really enjoyed this novel. If you enjoy magical realism and some romance added in, pick this one up and see what you think!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
ALC Review: When I Kill You by B.A. Paris
When I Kill You
Author: B.A. Paris
Narrator: Georgia Maguire
To Be Published: February 17, 2026
Audiobook: 8 hours 10 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: November 17-23, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Who is watching Nell Masters?
Nell Masters is certain someone is following her. The hairs on the back of her neck rise when she travels to and from work, there are silent calls to her office, and a huge bouquet of flowers arrives without a card. And Nell has a reason to be looking over her shoulder, because she has a secret that she’s hiding from everyone in her life, including her new partner, Alex. But Alex also has secrets of his own.
Fourteen years earlier, when Nell went by the name Elle Nugent, she witnessed a student, Bryony Sanders, getting into a stranger’s car. When Bryony was found murdered, Elle became obsessed with finding the person responsible. She was convinced she knew who it was and her fixation with Brett Parker, the man she accused, led her down a dangerous path . . .
Now, Nell tries to convince herself that this unnerving feeling of being watched is all in her mind. Has someone from her past discovered her new identity? Has the stalker become the stalked? Or is there something even more deadly at play?
Jessica’s Review:
I was excited to find out about this one: A new B.A. Paris novel! I will read/listen to anything she writes and about 75% of the time I enjoy it and I enjoyed this one!
We have two timelines and two names for our main character: We have the Present which is Nell and then we have the Past which is Elle. The past and present come together to form a complete story. We have Elle who in the past saw a fellow student get in an unknown car who later ended up dead. Elle was then caught up in the investigation of the case. So much so that she had to change her identity. She even seemingly stalks whom she believes killed the other student determined to discover the truth.
Years later Nell is keeping secret from everyone she knows and then realizes that she herself is being followed. The stalker has now become the stalked… Then a pleasant surprise for me: We also get the stalkers POV in brief notes/letters. And this stalker is speaking to Nell and tell her the same thing at the end of these letters: “When I kill you.”…
The POV/Letters of Nell’s stalker is creepy and I loved it! The narrator Georgia Maguire really added to that creepiness. I have always been a fan of villains….
I am just not sure how much a change in the name from Elle to Nell is… I can see some readers who may not be paying super close attention have some confusion with the closeness in the names. The reader/listener feels the unease that Nell experiences as her being stalked continues. The listener experiences obsession, secrets and trauma throughout the novel. I did figure out a twist right before it occurred towards the end. I did not figure out who the stalker in the present was or their motive. I did enjoy how everything came together.
Another B.A Paris listened to and enjoyed! Many thanks to the publisher Macmillan Audio for granting me an ALC to listen to and review in advance of the release date of February 17, 2026!
Pre-Order Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK (Out March 12, 2026 in the UK)
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