REVIEW: Moonlight On the Lido Deck by Violet Howe is HOT! It is also the 6th book in the new Sail Away series written by some of my favorite authors. You should check it out. The first book is Welcome Aboard and is a FREE download. It will give you an idea of what each book is about in the series.

This book is about Katie who has recently been dumped, lost her job and her apartment all in the same day! She learns to throw all her planning for the future away and live in the moment while trying to decide what is next.

Ok…I said this book is HOT! It is, but it is not dirty. It is a book that doesn’t get explicit. It does let you know about what they are feeling and what happens, just not in a vulgar way. I love books that let me feel all the emotion and not feel violated at the same time. Do you know what I mean?

This book has a cute premise. It has great character development even if there are some we don’t like. It is laugh out loud funny in places and will tear your heart out in others. I highly recommend this book for a great escape from our everyday lives. Of course there is a cruise involved and some beautiful moments. Violet Howe pulled all the stops out in this book! Until next time…Happy Reading!

Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. Thank you so much! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

To follow my blog, click on the heading of any blog post. This will bring up just that blog and you will see a follow button on the bottom right hand corner. Thank you!

SYNOPSIS: Set sail to new adventures and escapes with eight best-selling authors in the exciting new Sail Away series!

In the past three months, Katie Torrey has lost her long-distance boyfriend, her beloved Manhattan apartment, and her all-consuming job. When she realizes the only one she’s truly heartbroken over is the apartment, she decides it’s time to do some soul-searching.

Katie’s life crisis comes at the perfect time for her sister Maya, who needs Katie to come and watch over her surf shop while she cruises with her friend Ben. Maya gets free labor, and Katie gets a week at the beach to regroup and make a new life plan.
But when Maya gets injured and can’t make the cruise with Ben and his family, Katie’s tempted to take her place. A tropical vacation with all expenses paid sounds even better than a week at the beach, but there’s a catch. Maya had agreed to pretend to be Ben’s girlfriend, so Katie and Ben would need to share a room and live under a pretense of being madly in love, even though they’ve never met.

Will a week of sunsets, beaches, and umbrella drinks be worth keeping up the ruse? Or will Katie find it hard to keep her heart afloat when her pretend romantic adventure on the seas feels more real than the life she left behind?

Join Violet Howe as she brings the latest book in the Sail Away series to life, featuring a heartwarming story of unexpected love, tropical adventures, and a journey of self-discovery and acceptance.

REVIEW: Lost At Sea by Patricia Sands was like taking a real life cruise. It is book number eight in the Sail Away series. The first book in the series is Welcome Aboard and it is a FREE download giving you a taste of all the books to come. I have two more books to read in this series. You can read any or all of them. I have enjoyed every one of them so far. They do not tie together in any way except for they all have something to do with a cruise. They are loads of fun and enjoyable.

Lost At Sea is a Mediterranean cruise and like I said starting out it is like actually being on the cruise with the characters. You get to go to all the ports and learn all the history. The descriptions of the surroundings are impeccable. I love history through travel and this was almost as good. Of course, nothing takes the place of actually being there. Although, the plus is not having to take all the hikes up and down those trails she described!

I also learned a bit more about Italian history and customs. The main Character is Stephanie and she is Italian and is a chef in the restaurant her Great Grandmother started. I love history that goes back centuries. Don’t you? 

There was a little romance on board but, this was mostly about the cruise and all the fun Stephanie and her friend Kim had on their travels. 

Jump aboard the Dream Maker and get Lost At Sea. I hope you enjoy your trip as much as I did. Until next time…Happy Reading.

Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Patricia Sands. Thank you! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

SYNOPSIS: Set sail to new adventures and escapes with eight best-selling authors in the exciting new Sail Away series!

Chef Stephanie (Stevie) Valentini’s life has imploded. Suddenly single with Covid burnout and about to turn thirty, she impulsively agrees to help best friend Kim with her pop-up jewellery shop on a Mediterranean cruise. Feeling lost, she’s not convinced she even needs to be found. What she discovers on this voyage is magic that might change her forever.

★ Don’t miss any of the Sail Away books! ★
Book 1: Welcome Aboard – prologue book
Book 2: The Sound of the Sea by Jessie Newton
Book 3: Uncharted Waters by Tammy L. Grace
Book 4: A Not So Distant Shore by Ev Bishop
Book 5: Caroline, Adrift by Kay Bratt
Book 6: Moonlight On the Lido Deck by Violet Howe
Book 7: The Winning Tickets by Judith Keim
Book 8: Lost At Sea by Patricia Sands
Book 9: The Last Port of Call by Elizabeth Bromke

REVIEW: This is Ashley Farley at her finest! Her new book Scent of Magnolia is a wonderful book of family. It shows us loving and dysfunctional. We get a look at what a family should and should not be. I fell in love with her books when I read some of her standalone novels. Her series are good so don’t get me wrong but, I love when she spreads her wings and gives us the full blown saga. This book hits every emotional nerve we have.

This was actually the first book Ashley ever wrote. She says in a nutshell that it was a mess and she put it aside and wrote something else. Years later these characters came knocking at her door and insisted she tell their story. I’m so glad they did.

She actually lost her files and had to start over causing her to dig deeper and put in some plot changes. Let me tell you the time was right! She has written a book that will stay with you long after you turn the last page. I like this book as a full novel on its own but, I am secretly longing for a second book to give us a look into the lives of all these characters as they settle into their future and what it will look like for them. 

This is one of those books when you close the cover you exhale a sigh of satisfaction. I was happy to lose myself in Scent of Magnolia by Ashley Farley. She has a way of building a story that always sucks in my whole being until it releases me at the end. I highly suggest putting this on your list of books to be read. Until next time…Happy Reading!

Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Ashley Farley. Thank you! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

To follow my blog, click on the heading of any blog post. This will bring up just that blog and you will see a follow button on the bottom right hand corner. Thank you!

SYNOPSIS: “A riveting new family drama by the queen of southern fiction.”

⭐️USA Today Bestseller ⭐️

Scout Montgomery has turned her search for her missing brother into a career. She finds her professional life as a homicide detective meaningful, but her personal life is nonexistent. She’s stuck in the past. In order to move on, she must find closure. When she returns home to Alabama for the death of a childhood friend, she uses her acquired investigative skills to discover new clues concerning her brother’s disappearance.

Beneath Kate Baldwin’s public persona as fashion designer lies a young woman carrying a heavy burden of guilt. Her relationship issues and inability to find happiness stem from the secret she’s been keeping for nearly two decades. She yearns to reveal the truth–an unexpected trip home to her childhood home in Alabama provides the opportunity—but doing so will destroy the lives of the people she cares about the most.

June Montgomery is married to a prominent politician, lives in a magazine-worthy home, and leads an active social life. But she lives in constant fear the past will come back to haunt her. She approaches Scout’s homecoming with trepidation. Her daughter has the power to unravel the seams of her intricately crafted lies.

When family and friends reunite, old hostilities resurface and the discovery of new evidence regarding Ford’s disappearance endangers lives.

REVIEW: What a fun premise for a book! Judith Keim wrote The Winning Tickets which is the seventh book in the Sail Away series. In case you didn’t know, the first book Welcome Aboard is a FREE download and gives you a little taste of each book in the series. These books are all standalone and do not tie together in any way except they all have something to do with a cruise. They have all been fun and entertaining reads. They lift me out of the doldrums of winter.

The Winning Tickets is about Gabby and Hank who work at the same dealership and are in competition to win tickets for two for a 10 day cruise. There is a little wrinkle. Hank is the owner’s son. Gabby doesn’t let that stop her. 

I loved this book. It was such a well planned story and drew me in right away. The characters have substance and I grudgingly fell in love with Hank. I enjoyed meeting the folks on the cruise. I am however sorry to say goodbye to Gabby and Hank. One of the couples on the ship are a the owners of the Sanderling Cove Inn. Judith Keim is the author of the Sanderling Cove Inn Series. I’ve got my eye on that series.

If you have enjoyed any of the books in this series, you will want to read this one too. It has such a different flavor than any of the others. I am reading the whole series and am hoping to read some more of the characters in other series. I never read a lot of series but, somehow, find myself gravitating to them. Until next time…Happy Reading!

Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

To follow my blog, click on the heading of any blog post. This will bring up just that blog and you will see a follow button on the bottom right hand corner. Thank you!

SYNOPSIS: Set sail to new adventures and escapes with eight best-selling authors in the exciting new Sail Away series!
Sometimes magic happens…

Gabby Willets returns to her hometown of Ellenton, NY, to care for her father, who’s dying of cancer. She and her father are exceptionally close because her mother died giving birth to her in a situation that should never have happened. As Gabby was growing up, she and her father shared a love of cars and even participated in a few races. Her father suggests she work at the Dan Davis Lexus Dealership, where he has been head mechanic for years, and Gabby decides to do it. When a contest is announced with the prize of two tickets for a 10-day Caribbean cruise for the salesperson selling the most cars in a two-month period, Gabby goes for it, competing against the owner’s son, Hank.

Gabby wins the tickets, and she and her best friend, Jessica Knight, board the ship, Tropical Magic, hoping for some magic of their own. The cruise is full of surprises starting with Hank’s arrival with Ashley Phillips, the woman he’s been dating—a woman both Gabby and Jess detest with good cause. Though Hank and Gabby have been attracted to one another, they don’t act on it because dating someone you work with seldom works, and Gabby doesn’t want to lose her job. But as Gabby and Hank get to know one another, magic does happen and suddenly they’re faced with different choices.

Surprises continue, including the most touching surprise of all when Gabby and Hank discover more than a cruise was at stake.

Judith Keim is a USA Today Bestselling Author known for creating characters and stories her many loyal readers love. Join Gabby and Hank and others in this heart-warming story of love’s magic in The Sail Away series.

★ Don’t miss any of the Sail Away books! ★
Book 1: Welcome Aboard – prologue book
Book 2: The Sound of the Sea by Jessie Newton
Book 3: Uncharted Waters by Tammy L. Grace
Book 4: A Not So Distant Shore by Ev Bishop
Book 5: Caroline, Adrift by Kay Bratt
Book 6: Moonlight On the Lido Deck by Violet Howe
Book 7: The Winning Tickets by Judith Keim
Book 8: Lost At Sea by Patricia Sands
Book 9: The Last Port of Call by Elizabeth Bromke

REVIEW: My heart is full! I started Follow Me Home by Tammy L. Grace on Friday night as I was going to sleep. I finished it on Sunday afternoon. I was so enamored with this book and had a hard time putting it down to go out to play cards Saturday night at our friend’s home. If you read Uncharted Waters from the Sail Away series, you definitely want to pick this book up. I couldn’t wait to read it but, I had some obligations before I could. I’m so glad I was able to hurry through them and take a nosedive into this book.

Jess and Dean meet on a cruise to Alaska. She has just retired from teaching and is struggling after losing her mom a short while before that. Dean is cruising with a group that has helped him after leaving the service. He had some physical injuries and has PTSD. I loved their story in Uncharted Waters and was excited to learn that it would be continued as book seven in her Hometown Harbor series. 

Tammy L. Grace has the talent of creating such lovely settings for her books. I always have the urge to pack up my stuff and move to the small towns she writes about. The homes, the nature surrounding them, the friendly wonderful people you would gladly like to know and welcome into your own lives. I want to know these people and be a part of it. She always carries me away to a place I want to call home.

I enjoyed the opportunity to continue along with the story of Jess and Dean. They make a perfect couple. I loved seeing Jess figuring out her life and knowing what she wants to do with her retirement years. Her relationships grow and change for the better. I think we all feel a little lost when we lose our mothers and we struggle to understand what life is like without them. I have to admit I cried more than a few times while reading Follow Me Home. Having tissues by my reading chair is a must for me.

I highly recommend Follow Me Home whether you have read Uncharted Waters or not. You won’t be lost at all. Tammy did a beautiful job of giving you all the background you need. I think reading both as I did is just a huge added plus in getting to know these characters so much more. I loved spending time with them. Until next time…Happy Reading!

Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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SYNOPSIS: The fear of an unscripted future. The excitement of a new chapter. Will Jess risk all she’s known to follow her heart and the hope of a second chance at happiness.

Jess’ life has been filled with one loss after another. She’s grieving the death of her mother and embarking on what she thought would be the joy of retirement. It turns out, except for her beloved dog, Jess’ life is empty and lonely.

While on an Alaskan cruise, she means Dean Nash, a wounded veteran who is traveling with his service dog and a support group.

Jess and Dean are both bruised, suffering from old regrets, and facing life-changing decisions. They bond over their shared circumstances and love of their golden retrievers.

Dean invites Jess to join him on a trip to the beautiful San Juan Islands, where he is moving to undertake a new career and life. Surprising herself, Jess agrees to the trip.

Will their friendship and that of the tight-knit community who welcomes them, along with the gorgeous coastal sunsets, and the promise of a better future be enough to convince Jess to risk her heart and follow a new path?

Follow Me Home is the seventh book in the Hometown Harbor Series, perfect escapes filled with the emotional journeys of women in midlife, and a hint of romance. If you enjoy stories of friendship and family, characters who feel like old friends, and second chances, then you’ll love Tammy L. Grace’s latest touching story of friendship, the often-complicated inner-workings of families, and the hope of second chances.

Buy Follow Me Home and treat yourself to the seventh book in the series readers describe as “the perfect escape, captivating, heartwarming, and inspirational” today.

To discover Jess and Dean when they first meet on their Alaskan cruise, you’ll want to read Uncharted Waters first.

REVIEW: I am GOBSMACKED! Oh my. I have no idea how Kiersten Modglin comes up with the details in the stories she writes. Don’t Go Down There is out of this world. I am still reeling from the twists and turns. You think you know what is going to happen in this book. How it is all going to work out and then she just blows it all out of the water. I should have known. Kiersten never writes a book I can figure out. As always this book took a u-turn and left me hanging on to the seat of my pants trying to catch up. 

I literally can’t tell you anything about this book. The reason? The synopsis of the book only scratches the surface. When I say that, I mean it. There are so many layers to this story. Again, it doesn’t appear that way while you’re reading the book. It is when you get to the end the poop starts to fly. If you noticed, I am trying to be nice here and not offend anyone. It really does hit the fan.

I thought this might be a straight forward book from this author. Everything was going along pretty well. Yes, there was a crime. I thought well there is only one way this book can go. I was wrong in so many ways. Sooo many ways. I’m still shaking my head about what a fool Kiersten made of me. I would have never guessed one iota of all that was going to happen.

If you love a book that keeps you guessing, one that scares you, one that makes you wonder if you ever really know anyone, this book is for you. I’m not sure I can ever look at the world in quite the same way again. Heck, is my husband the nice guy I think he is? I hope so but, then again, I don’t know! Until next time…Happy Reading!

Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. Thank you, Kiersten! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

To follow my blog, click on the heading of any blog post. This will bring up just that blog and you will see a follow button on the bottom right hand corner. Thank you!

SYNOPSIS: An unputdownable, totally twisted domestic thriller from bestselling author Kiersten Modglin.

Spencer Edwards has a beautiful wife, two perfect children, and a sinister secret locked in his basement…

When Andi Edwards discovers her husband isn’t where he’s supposed to be and isn’t answering her calls or texts, a flurry of scenarios races through her mind.

Is he hurt?
Is he cheating?
Is he dead?

The truth, she soon finds out, is so much worse than she could’ve imagined.

As she struggles to make sense of her new and chilling reality, she must decide whether to stand by the man she loves and help protect him or walk away and let him pay for his sins.

With time running out, the secret in the basement becomes more dangerous, and the spine-chilling truth becomes clear: if she makes the wrong decision, she stands to lose much more than her marriage.

When their best laid plans come back to haunt them, what will Spencer and Andi be willing to sacrifice to survive?

REVIEW: I just may have found a new author to follow and a new series. I am not sure yet about the series but I just finished Jennifer Moorman’s new book The Baker’s Man. It was so different from what I have been reading, making it a welcome change. This book is listed as Mystical Realism. I think I have only read one or two books that would fall in this category.

I really enjoyed this book. Anna inherits her Grandmother’s gift for baking and takes over her bakery when she passes. She also inherited magic sugar and baked the perfect man. It’s a little far-fetched but, it’s fun to go along with something different.

I liked her character development. As with most characters in the books we read they not all fleshed out the same. The main character was Anna and she was fully developed and we know everything she is thinking and feeling. We don’t have that with any other character. Elijah is the man she baked and he is not fleshed out very well either. I think that has to do with the fact he doesn’t have any history and the only backstory he has belongs to Anna.

The only thing I didn’t care for was a scene in the book that stretched my imagination too much. I don’t have a problem believing in ghosts, spirits or magic but, I do have a problem with something I don’t think would be a possibility. There was only one scene but it changed the whole direction of Anna’s life. Considering the book was Magical Realism I just went with the flow and continued to enjoy the story.

If you are a fan of Magical Realism, this book is definitely right in your wheelhouse. I enjoyed this story and saw Ms. Moorman has a new book coming out in this series. It takes place in the same town but looks like it has completely different characters. I might have to check it out. Until next time…Happy Reading!

Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from #Netgalley, #FirstEditions, #HarperMuse. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

To follow my blog, click on the heading of any blog post. This will bring up just that blog and you will see a follow button on the bottom right hand corner. Thank you!

SYNOPSIS: In the Southern town of Mystic Water, magic is always in the wind—and in the ovens.

Anna O’Brien inherited several gifts from her late Grandma Bea: culinary superpowers, a bakery in a charming Southern town, and a mysterious box with a note:

Open the box only when you need to. You’ll know exactly when you do, and you’ll know what to do with it. I love you.

The night her presumed fiancé crushes her dreams, Anna opens the box and finds “magic sugar” inside, along with a recipe to bake “the perfect man.” Encouraged by her best friend Lily (and maybe a wee bit too much rum), a heartbroken Anna sets out to do what she always does when she’s feeling blue: bake.

She hardly believes her eyes the next morning when a man—a breathing and rather handsome man—is in her bakery and seems to know all her likes and dislikes, her quirks and preferences. Elijah is everything Anna dreamed and nothing she expected. Where did he come from? Is he real? And when he fashions his own ideas about what makes a good life, can she let him go?

Escape into this whimsical and enchanting tale of magical realism and the spellbinding power of following your dreams as Anna discovers the sweetest side of life.

REVIEW: Ohhh My Gaawwwd! What did I just read? Knock Three Times by Emerald O’Brien will knock your socks off!  Literally. This has to be the best Psychological Thriller book I have read in a while. I may be getting a little nonchalant about these books or maybe it is because I haven’t read too many of them lately. Whatever the case may be, this book had me glued to my seat and flipping the pages as fast as I could to see what was going to happen next. This book was genius!

Knock Three Times is about Remy who is trying to recover from the murder of her next door neighbor. She moves out of her apartment and goes to house sit for her best friends parents. Things begin to happen and boy do they ever! Like I said, I was so glued to this book. I could hardly put it down to go to bed. 

Remy is a character you will sympathize with. She just does not deserve what all is happening around her and to her. She has a best friend named Nicole and they watch Horror movies together. So you know, that if I were them, I’d be scared of my shadow. No doubt there is lots to be scared of in this book. Closing my eyes tonight and going to sleep might be just as scarry.

I can’t tell you how good this book is. There just aren’t words. If you like Psychological Suspense, Thriller or anything along that line, I am telling you that this book should be on your “Must Read” list. Let me know what you think when you read it. I have to know. Until next time…Happy Reading!

Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. Thank you! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

To follow my blog, click on the heading of any blog post. This will bring up just that blog and you will see a follow button on the bottom right hand corner. Thank you!

SYNOPSIS: From the bestselling author of We Don’t Leave, comes a fast-paced, chilling psychological thriller in the vein of Jennifer Hillier, Riley Sager, and Kiersten Modglin.

Remey Owens is desperate to move on with her life after the brutal murder of her next-door neighbour, Marlena. When the opportunity to housesit for her best friend’s parents arises, it feels almost too good to be true. While staying in the beautiful Craftsman-style home, she hopes she won’t hear the banging through the walls or Marlena crying, even if it is now only in her mind.

But things don’t go as planned.

While she finds some solace knowing that Marlena’s killer is dead, the calls from Remey’s obsessive ex and the strange noises in the house make it hard to relax. And there’s a prickling down her spine when she returns late one evening after a date—something’s amiss.

Soon, it becomes apparent that she’s not as alone as she believed. The quiet isolation of the home that had once seemed peaceful, now feels far more threatening. Here, there are no neighbours close enough to save her.

To survive the night, Remey must let go of everything she thought she knew about Marlena’s death. Because the terrifying truth is more disturbing than she could have imagined, and it’s coming for her too.

REVIEW: Caroline Adrift by Kay Bratt is the fifth book in the Sail Away series. I love this series and the stories that I have read so far. Like a broken record, if you have not started this series, just remember the first book Welcome Aboard is a FREE download. It contains the first chapter of all the books so you can get a taste of the whole dessert. These books are only tied together by the fact they all have something to do with a cruise. They don’t have continuing characters or plots. 

Caroline Adrift is about a woman who loses her husband shortly before their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Let’s just say Caroline is Adrift! She is so heart-broken that she doesn’t have much interest in doing anything. Her husband had booked them on a cruise and she doesn’t want to go. Her adult daughters talk her into going and in fact they decide to go with her. She goes but, it is not a very happy Caroline that boards the ship. I have to give a hand to Kay because she has developed such a bitter, lonely woman that I actually liked. Caroline must have been a hard character to write. I thought that many time while reading this book.

I have to tell you, I cried many times while reading this one. I was a widow and totally understood how Caroline felt. She was a little crusty beside and I might just be crusty too. I try to hide it from most folks. Haha. I think it might have been a little depressing to write someone who has such an attitude. Then again…it might have been fun. I liked going along with Caroline and her girls on this cruise. I enjoyed watching all the interactions as they meet new people along the way.

I really want to encourage you to try this series. Download Welcome Aboard and see what you think. You don’t have a thing to lose except part of your heart. These stories are so heartwarming. They will take you away from the dreary winter and give you a lift. Until next time…Happy Reading!

Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. Thank you! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. 

To follow my blog, click on the heading of any blog post. This will bring up just that blog and you will see a follow button on the bottom right hand corner. Thank you!

SYNOPSIS: Set sail to new adventures and escapes with eight best-selling authors in the exciting new Sail Away series!

After the death of her beloved James, one woman faces a future of feeling adrift and must find a reason to go on without the love of her life, from the bestselling author of Wish Me Home.

When Caroline McClellan’s beloved husband passes away, she doesn’t know what to do with herself without him as her center and reason for being. Caroline’s three adult daughters insist that she accompany them on the cruise that was supposed to mark her fiftieth wedding anniversary. Caroline is a reluctant participant and sure she will not find any joy in a voyage that was supposed to be a celebration but without her husband, feels like a chore.

Betty Martelle is an interesting woman who takes life by the horns and makes it her goal to find purpose in every day that she is still allowed to breathe. Fate will bring a new friend into her life and give her an opportunity to find a way to break through a barrier of grief to share her gift of spontaneity and finding joy in the little things.

Set on a cruise to the lush island of Maui, Caroline Adrift is an emotional friendship story of two women brought together by fate. One is adrift when it comes to finding meaning in life, and the other is determined to be a beacon of hope and teach her how to do it.

Join Kay Bratt, International Bestselling author, as she brings the latest book in The Sail Away series to life, featuring a heart-warming story of love and loss, and the gift of friendship.

★ Don’t miss a Sail Away book! ★
Book 1: Welcome Aboard – prologue book
Book 2: The Sound of the Sea by Jessie Newton
Book 3: Uncharted Waters by Tammy L. Grace
Book 4: A Not So Distant Shore by Ev Bishop
Book 5: Caroline, Adrift by Kay Bratt
Book 6: Moonlight On the Lido Deck by Violet Howe
Book 7: The Winning Tickets by Judith Keim
Book 8: Lost At Sea by Patricia Sands
Book 9: The Last Port of Call by Elizabeth Bromke

REVIEW: A Not So Distant Shore by Ev Bishop is the fourth book in the Sail Away Series. I’ll keep reminding you that the first book in the series is Welcome Aboard and is a FREE download. Go get yours now and start reading. The first book contains the first chapter of the eight following books to give you an idea of what you will be reading. These are really great reads and best of all you feel like you are on the cruise with them. I am really enjoying this series and I think you will too.

A Not So Distant Shore is about a woman named Addie. She helps people achieve their goals in life. Her life has been turned upside down. Please read the synopsis below. I think this cruise would be a dream come true if I were single again. Almost right away she meets her favorite author on the cruise. One, she is on a cruise and two, she meets her favorite author. Wouldn’t that be a dream come true?

I really enjoyed this book for the sheer fun of it. I could easily place myself in her position. Couldn’t you? The characters Ev developed for this book are so down to earth. My kind of people. You find her author is not pretentious either. That doesn’t surprise me at all. You would think most published authors are snooty. They aren’t! I’ve become friends with a few of them since I started reviewing and believe me, they do not take anything for granted. They are gracious and friendly and thankful for every review they receive. They are good people.

I’ve been on one cruise in my life and loved every minute of it. It was so much fun. When I read the books in this series, it takes me back to that week long cruise that I went on with my best friend and eight other ladies. The characters are having as much fun as I did and meeting so many new people. So far, I haven’t found anything to not like. I have spread these books out between other books because I want the joy they bring me to last longer. 

If you’ve been on a cruise or would love to go on one or always wondered if you would like being out at sea and visiting exotic ports, these books are for you. They bring the experience to life. Download that first book for FREE and see what you think. What have you got to lose. Until next time…Happy Reading!

Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. Thank you! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

To follow my blog, click on the heading of any blog post. This will bring up just that blog and you will see a follow button on the bottom right hand corner. Thank you!

SYNOPSIS: Set sail to new adventures and escapes with eight best-selling authors in the exciting new Sail Away series!

Addison Abbott’s mom used to joke that her only child came out of the womb with a to-do list clutched in her tiny red fist—and it probably wasn’t much of an exaggeration. For as long as Addie can remember, she’s been a planner. It’s even her job, for Pete’s sake—helping other people hit their goals through her coaching business. Thus, no one is more shocked than she is when her carefully engineered life is swamped.

The first leak springs when her mom passes away, although it’s not unexpected. That leak becomes a gaping hole when Addie’s adult children both move overseas. She’s not in danger of completely going under, however, until her husband of twenty-five years leaves her for another woman, something she never would’ve predicted in a million years, let alone planned for.

Addie has experienced big storms before—but this is the first time she can’t pull the cord on her own life raft. Lost in a dark ocean of grief and insecurity, she forgets about the anniversary “surprise” she’d booked for her and her husband: a Mexican Riviera cruise.

When she gets an email reminder days before her sailing, her wounds are freshly opened. She goes anyway, alone. After all, it fits her revamped, if unwelcome, life plan to accept her new reality and build a new life for herself.

In the turquoise waters of the riviera, Addie is surprised to find kindred spirits—including her favorite mystery writer—new hope and, as scary and unpredictable as it is, a second chance at love. Even more shocking, she realizes that while having a plan is always good, it’s what you do with the unexpected that really shows what you’re made of.

Join Ev Bishop, USA Today Bestselling author, as she brings the latest book in the Sail Away series, a heart-healing story about the power of friends to be a life preserver when you’re drowning, helping you reach solid shore once more.