Tag: book review

Find Me Review

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A definite page turner and the short chapters helped make this one a quick read overall. I was definitely curious as to how the entire story would play out but overall felt like some gaps were like that scene in Speed where the bus made it safely over the missing piece in the highway – just not entirely plausible.

After finishing, I read the author’s note that this was part of a previous series featuring Detective Ellie Hatcher, but it could also be read as a standalone, which it could. But now that I know that, I felt I would have gained more about this character had I known her backstory because as is we did not get a lot of character development.

Speaking of characters, there were a lot. Even after finishing, I am not completely clear on who relates to who and backgrounds. It won’t ruin the suspense or the mystery but if you want a true fill, read slowly and process.

I won’t mention any of the plot, as you’ll get that as soon as you start but the gaps and coincidences were too many for me to rate this any higher. A solid mystery and great read to grab for a plane or long wait. 3.5 stars.

My thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy.

The Sweeney Sisters Review

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If you are a fan of the movie Knives Out, here is a book you’ll immediately want to add to your TBR. While it doesn’t have the whodunit aspect, it’s a character study on everyone who related to the Sweeney patriarch and what’s to unfold as his family finds out about his passing.

The Sweeney Sisters came at a most interesting time. I had just started reading this as I found out my grandfather had passed from COVID-19. The premise of the story is three sisters who come together after the death of their father.

So now I was actually, physically, literally relating the story while I read it. With the one difference being we were not together in person to grieve his death, like Liza, Maggie, and Tricia. I was afraid when I started that I would have a difficult time keeping the characters separated in my mind, but the author did a fabulous job of fleshing them out, with different dreams, quirks, and personalities.

Don’t get me wrong. This is not a sad book, per se. There are bittersweet elements of remembering family events and going through heirlooms and memories, but there is also surprises, giggles, and the joy of finding yourself and finding love amidst the heartache.

Read this with your sisters and your sisters-in-law. Read it with your friends with some wine and cheese. You’ll all appreciate the nuances of the characters and what one summer does to create hope.

My thanks to Wunderkind PR and William Morrow for the early copy.

About Lian Dolan

Lian Dolan is a writer and talker. She’s the author of two Los Angeles Times best-selling novels, Helen of Pasadena and Elizabeth the First Wife published by Prospect Park Books. She’s a regular humor columnist for Pasadena Magazine and has previously written monthly columns for O, The Oprah Magazine and Working Mother Magazine. She’s also written for TV, radio and websites.

Lian is the producer and host of Satellite Sisters, the award-winning talk show she created with her four real sisters. On Satellite Sisters, she’s interviewed everyone from Nora Ephron to Madeleine Albright to Big Bird. Satellite Sisters began life as a syndicated radio show and is now a top-rated podcast for women. The recent book by the Satellite Sisters, You’re the Best: A Celebration of Friendship, is popular with book clubs.

A popular speaker who combines humor and heart, Lian has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CBS Sunday Morning and The Today Show and many local TV stations. She’s been a featured speaker at the LA Times Festival of Books, the Santa Barbara Celebrity Authors Lunch, the Literary Guild of Orange County Festival of Women Authors and dozens of other events at libraries, book stores, schools and women’s organizations across the country. In 2020, she’ll be on the faculty of the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop.

November Road Review & Giveaway

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11/22/63 by Stephen King is one of my all-time favorite reads, and what I immediately think of when I hear “the Kennedy assassination.” King’s endorsement of this novel, now in paperback, sealed the deal, especially because I was such a big fan of Berney’s earlier novel, The Long and Faraway Gone.

This crime story features Frank Guidry, lieutenant to a mob boss who may know too much about Kennedy’s death in Dallas. Then we have Charlotte, eager to escape her marriage and make a better life for her and her children.

What’s most surprising about this story is the tenderness used as a backdrop to the gritty mob world because of the love story — two people struggling in their current situations who find each other at just the right time.

The characters shine through the pages in their words, but even more so in their actions and expressions, as Berne’s described them.

I felt an immediate connection to Charlotte, who constantly wondered if she was doing right by her children, a question most mothers face, no matter the time period.

This book should be a hit for everyone, whether you enjoy historical fiction, crime, romance, or learning more about the early ‘60s and the Civil Rights movement.

I can easily see this taking shape on screen, so I was thrilled to read the film rights have already been secured. I’m eager to read whatever Berney cooks up next.

My thanks to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review. You can follow the tour here. Order your own copy via HarperCollins.

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Last Summer Review

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Often while I read this book, I kept thinking the title was Lost Summer. Funnily enough, that title works just as well for this story, one of Ella Skye, a journalist who, after a traumatic accident, wakes up in the hospital with no memory of the events leading up to it and forgetting everything she’s lost.

Seeking to remember her life prior to the accident, she accepts an assignment to interview survivalist Nathan Donovan, who seems to know more about her than the reverse.

Full of steam and surprises, fans of domestic suspense will gravitate toward this plot line. I found all the settings captured in Ella’s time with Nathan so well described that I felt I was on location with them.

If you’re looking for a book that would be perfect for a weekend getaway, this one is a sure bet. The pages flew by and the settings would work well, whether it’s the dead of winter or a hot summer day with the sun shining. Lonsdale has a knack for both romance and suspense and I look forward to what she’s cooking up next.

My thanks to Little Bird Publicity and the publisher for the review copy.

About the author: Kerry Lonsdale is the Wall Street Journal, Amazon Charts, and #1 Amazon Kindle bestselling author of the Everything series—Everything We Keep, Everything We Left Behind, and Everything We Give—as well as All the Breaking Waves. She resides in Northern California with her husband and two children. Learn more about Kerry at www.kerrylonsdale.com.

Have You Seen Luis Velez Review & Giveaway

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Nobody writes stories of intergenerational friendship better than Catherine Ryan Hyde. She did an exceptional job with it in Allie and Bea and again with this new release.

Aside from the story, which includes a mystery, character growth, and fun supporting cast, you get some humdingers of life lessons, brought to you by 17-year-old Raymond Jaffe and 92-year-old Millie Gutermann. These characters balance each other so perfectly and just set the stage for a heartwarming plot, even amidst the few bouts of tragedy.

Raymond is a character I won’t soon forget. I hope my son grows to be as equally kind and good intentioned as he is. I love how even in his youth, he was able to teach Millie a thing or two about his generation.

With elements thrown in of Pay it Forward, readers who still need to be told there is good in this world need to pick this up. With so many current events shared constantly via social media that are hard to stomach, this book, when finished, should put a smile on your face and be one you want to pass along and share with others.

My thanks to Little Bird Publicity and Lake Union for the review copy.

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Fallen Mountains Review

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Whether you are here for the mystery, drama, or the secrets bubbling up from the past to change the course of the future 17 years later, you are in for a treat.

Something about these characters comforted me. And I credit Grant with that, that it was so easy to fall in step with their story, having just been introduced. As soon as I turned the first page, I was caught up in their world.

This is the story of a very small town in Pennsylvania and its inhabitants. You know, the sort of town where there is one sheriff, no crime, and “Everybody knows your name.” That is until longtime resident, Transom Schultz, goes missing. Transom comes from money, and he has more one than person who wouldn’t mind if his disappearance was forever. Told between the Before his disappearance and After, the story alternates. As it does, secrets from the past rise to the surface, and you’ll be left questioning what really happened.

The story flowed so easily. While it was a slow burn, it still had me furiously flipping pages to the ultimate conclusion. So much was packed into this gem that I felt like I had known this town and its people forever.

Grant clearly has a love of the land and that shines through these pages. She poses ethical questions that would make this a great choice for book clubs. You can download the author’s guide for book clubs here.

I urge you to pick this one up because no matter your favorite genre, this will fit right in. My thanks to the author for the copy.

In Another Time Review & Giveaway

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I am someone who has the hardest time suspending disbelief, especially when reading or watching something contemporary. Then I got my hands on 11/22/63 by Stephen King and sped through all 849 pages at a pace I couldn’t believe. Last year I read The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain and thought it was her best book to date.

Cantor, like King, manages to create not only a love story involving time travel, but kept historically accurate by writing about real events, just using fictional characters. Readers, suspend your disbelief, because this is a book you too will end up loving.

Yes, it’s a love story between Max and Hanna. But it’s also a love story between Hanna and her violin. I can’t say classical music generally gets me giddy and excited but I felt the love for this instrument. It brought the characters peace and in one case, was the difference between life and death.

When I first read Margot by Cantor, I knew I’d be a huge fan of hers moving forward. She is able to be inventive while holding true to history, all of which can be said with her newest story.

If you like historical fiction, characters that come alive off the page, and books where the pages keep turning, you’ll want to make this your next read.

My thanks to Get Red PR for the review copy.

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The Beantown Girls Review

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Usually with historical fiction, you have your story set in another place and time, and follow the events that happened. The story can be outstanding, as you are transported.

Jane Healey truly blew me away with this novel. Not only was it a new story attached to World War II, which is so hard to do these days, but it was filled with romance, adventure, laughter, and most importantly, a story of friendship.

She tells the history of the Clubmobile Girls, women who joined the Red Cross towards the end of the war, who showed up making doughnuts and coffee and provided a morale boost to those fighting on the front lines. Sometimes they were there to dance with them, and other times they brought them mail.

I’m not sure how close these girls got to the front lines necessarily, but in this fictionalized version, they sure did. I loved the connection between Fiona, Dottie, and Viv. I wanted to join their trio because they seemed like such a fun bunch. Fiona, the leader and level-headed one, whose intention to travel to Europe during the war really served a different purpose. Dottie, whose shyness worked well as a schoolteacher back home, but needs to find out how to fit in now. And Viv, ready to offer a dance or a smile to anyone who might need it. This courageous group’s strength and stamina were tested during the war.

You’d be surprised, but I often found myself smiling through this book. At times it was a difficult subject matter but Healey managed to make it a heartwarming read and teach me about these girls, a part of history I knew nothing about. I cannot wait to pick up her debut now.

My thanks to Get Red PR for the review copy.

For Better and Worse Review

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Given the overload of psychological thrillers, especially domestic suspense, in the recent years makes coming up with an original story that much harder.  When I read Best Friends Forever last year, I was very impressed with what a page-turner it was.  That made me eager to read Hunt’s second venture into this genre.

Natalie and Will Clarke met in law school, fell in love, and got married.  Fast-forward to their only child, Charlie, in 5th grade, when a scandal shakes their small town.  How far will this couple go to protect their child and their marriage?  Given that Natalie is a criminal defense attorney, she knows the system inside and out and knows she has to take matters into her own hands.

Will didn’t seem as fully formed as a character to me as Natalie.  He did get his own section he narrated in the book, which helped, but I was so used to Natalie it always took me a minute to realize it was his turn.  It made sense she ran the household and was more in control, but he did play an essential part to this story.

I loved chit-chat and gossip amongst the neighbors as the scandal broke loose.  The expression “gossip is nature’s telephone” really rings true here.  (See what I did there?)  I had a couple issues with execution and thought the story would slowly fizzle out at the end but was pleasantly surprised at its finish.

Trigger warning for child abuse.  A tough subject to cover but Hunt does so in a way that it’s not the story’s sole focus.  For book clubs looking for more of a suspense story, there’s lots that can be discussed with character motivations in this read.

My thanks to TLC Book Tours and the publisher for the review copy.

About the author: Margot Hunt is a USA TODAY bestselling author. Her latest book, FOR BETTER AND WORSE, was praised by Book of the Month as being the best thriller of the year. “A twisty tale for fans of domestic thrillers.” (Kirkus Reviews).

Connect with Margot

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The Songbird Review & Giveaway

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I started this book in the midst of a super blizzard through the Chicagoland area.  Snow coming down about 1-2” per hour and all I could see was white.  Just the cover was such a sight.  It made me dream of warm weather and spring.  All the light colors and fresh green turned my frown upside down, as they say.

Marcia Willett is a new-to-me author and was put on my radar by the kind publicity team at St. Martins Press.  Reading this novel reminded me of why I love Maeve Binchy books.  The characters are fully fleshed out, the setting, so descriptive.  These characters felt like they could walk off the page to my home, and we could sit down to tea and have a lengthy conversation.

The story starts with Tim, who confides in his coworker Mattie that he needs a sabbatical from work and home.  She recommends her family’s estate of Brockscombe.  It’s where her sister’ lives with her husband and child and his parents reside.  Tim finds immediate comfort and quickly becomes an extended family member.  As you read along, you discover secrets these characters are holding.

I will say that this is not a plot-heavy or plot-driven novel.  Yes, things happen, secrets are revealed, and we learn more about the characters.  It’s a gentle read, perfect for curling up in bed with a cup of tea over the weekend.

My thanks to the publisher for the review copy.

About the author: The Songbird is MARCIA WILLETT’s eighteenth novel to be published in the U.S. Her novels are available in seventeen countries around the world. She lives in Devon, England.

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy to give away to a lucky reader.  U.S. only, please.  Enter on the Rafflecopter.
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