REVIEW:

Every Precious and Fragile Thing by Barbara Davis is the first book I’ve read by this author and it won’t be my last. I also own a few others by her and now I need to make work of sliding them into my schedule. This was a book I didn’t expect and was a surprise to me. I am in awe of the beautiful book she wrote.

There are two main characters in this book. It starts out with Mallory who is a social worker who feels this is her calling until she finds herself at a crossroads in her life when a client is brutally murdered. She takes a leave of absence and returns to her mothers home. Her mom is Helen who also has a calling as a death doula. These two ladies make the book worth reading, but there is so much more to their story.

There is a part of this book that made me stop and go back to the beginning to see if I missed something. I always love a book that catches me by surprise. A surprise that adds a little something to the book that I totally didn’t see coming. For me, this makes a book and the story line stand out as something different. I like a book that makes me think and look at something in a different way than I had before.

There are so many themes in this book and one that comes up often is one of forgiveness of the transgressions of others and ourselves. Sometimes we are hardest on ourselves when we think we have made a serious mistake or overlooked something. We need to remember that forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves and one another.

Barbara tells us at the end of the book that her own husband received his own diagnosis of cancer during the writing of this book and that she struggled with writing and research during this time. Anyone who follows her on social media knows this and it was heartwarming to hear how the bookworld came together for Barbara and her husband Tom. 

If you are like me and have not read a Barbara Davis book yet, then this is the time to jump right on in. I loved this book and the life lessons that I learned along the way. I think you need to put this on the top of your tbr list. 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, Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

SYNOPSIS:

A mother and daughter try desperately to reconcile just as a decades-old secret threatens to shatter their relationship forever in this powerful story from the bestselling author of The Echo of Old Books.

For social worker Mallory Ward, working with at-risk youth is a calling. But when one of her clients is tragically killed, she finds herself at a crossroads. Despite long-held resentments toward her distant mother, Mallory retreats to her childhood home on the Rhode Island coast to contemplate her future. Instead, she’s confronted by her past, not only in the renewed tensions with her mother but in the unexpected appearance of a familiar face—and the wrenching losses that drove her away a decade ago.

Helen Ward’s home is filled with precious keepsakes from her patients, a testament to decades spent caring for the terminally ill. Her work has always come first, though, leaving little time to connect with her daughter. Over the years, the rift between them has become a chasm, so when Mallory appears unannounced, Helen sees it as an opportunity to repair their broken relationship.

But hidden among Helen’s mementos are the keys to her past…and a terrible secret that threatens to destroy the fragile new trust between them forever.

About the Author:

Barbara Davis is the Amazon Charts bestselling author of nine novels, including The Echo of Old Books, The Keeper of Happy Endings, and The Last of the Moon Girls. She spent more than a decade as an executive in the jewelry business before leaving the corporate world to pursue her lifelong passion for writing. A Jersey girl raised in the south, Barbara now lives in Poinciana, Florida, with her husband, Tom. She’s currently working on her next book. Visit her at: http://www.barbaradavis-author.com.

REVIEW:

Do you ever read a book that has such an impact on you and you know it will stay with you forever? I have to say that A Tiny Piece of Blue by Charlotte Whitney is one of those books for me. This book wormed its way into my heart and will be there for years to come. It was heartwarming, infuriating, uncomfortable at times and sad enough to make me cry and happy enough to make me laugh. This book has all the emotions!

The main character is a young girl thirteen years of age named Silstice. She comes from a family of six kids. There is a tragedy that hits the family and the father takes off. The mother finds a home for herself and four of the kids. She leaves Silstice and her older sister Alberta to fend for themselves. We meet Vernon and Edna Goetz who own a farm and are 4-H leaders. Vernon is something else. He made me so mad and then I loved him by the end of the book. Just like any good book you have characters you like and some you despise. 

The book takes place in a small town in Calhoun County in Michigan. The year is 1934 during the Great Depression. I love small towns and this just happens to be in my home state. I love that it took place during the depression because I learned a bit about that time period. I’m glad I didn’t live then as many folks in the country didn’t have modern conveniences. I kind of like an indoor bathroom, lights and forced air heat. 

The combination of the characters, the state and the time period all drew me in. I sat glued to my chair reading this book all day! There was a lot going on. Did you know there was trafficking of children back then? I didn’t. What parent today could let their 13 year old child fend for themselves and move to another state? I couldn’t! 

If you’re looking for a good clean story, one that will draw you in, keep your interest and pull out all the feels, then A Tiny Piece of Blue by Charlotte Whitney should go directly on top of your TBR on your nightstand. This is a must read and one you don’t want to miss. I would give this one ten stars if I could. I can’t recommend it highly enough. 

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 and Caitlin Hamilton Marketing & Publicity, LLC. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

SYNOPSIS:

For fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Four Winds and Lisa Wingate’s Shelterwood comes a heartwarming historical novel following a homeless young girl as she struggles to survive during the Great Depression.

Rural Michigan, 1934. During the throes of the Great Depression, thirteen-year-old Silstice Trayson finds herself homeless, abandoned by her parents after a devastating house fire. Nearby, aging midwestern farmers Edna and Vernon Goetz are pillars of the community, but when do-gooder Edna takes up Silstice’s cause, Vernon digs in his heels, displaying his true nature as an ornery curmudgeon.

Theirs is a quiet-seeming community, but danger lurks beneath the bucolic façade. With so many youngsters leaving home to make it on their own, child trafficking has grown rampant, and Silstice and her two spirited young brothers soon find themselves in the sights of a ring of kidnappers that’s exploiting local children into forced labor—and worse. Meanwhile Vernon finds himself at risk of losing everything.

Narrated by Silstice, Vernon, and Edna, A Tiny Piece of Blue sets the customs and traditions of rural Michigan against a backdrop of thievery, bribery, and child-trafficking—weaving a suspenseful yet tender tale that ultimately winds its way to a heartwarming conclusion.

About the Author:

Award-winning author Charlotte Whitney writes historical fiction set in the rural Midwest during the Great Depression. A Tiny Piece of Blue is scheduled to come out in February, 2025. The Unveiling of Polly Forrest (2022) a stand-alone historical mystery received much critical acclaim as did her groundbreaking novel, Threads A Depression Era Tale. In addition, she has authored I Dream in White, a contemporary romance, and How to Win at Upwards, a nonfiction book about her favorite word game.

She received a master’s degree in English at the University of Michigan and after teaching at two community colleges worked at the Lloyd Scholars for Writing and the Arts Program at the University of Michigan. An avid reader, she loves libraries and book clubs. Currently living in Arizona with her husband and two dogs, she enjoys hiking, bicycling, swimming, and yoga.

Eight things you may not know about Charlotte:

1. She worked as a waitress in two different restaurants, plus had a few secretarial jobs along the way.

2. She and her husband slept in an empty truck bed in Antwerp, Belgium while hitchhiking through Europe.

3. Her third son was born unexpectedly when they were visiting relatives in Chicago.

4. Her favorite meal ia an Indonesian Rijsttafel (rice table)–easily found in Amsterdam but not too many other places.

5. Here favorite travel sites: Petra in Jordan; the Alhambra in Spain; the Grand Canyon in Arizona; Mackinac Island in Michigan.

6. Her favorite road: Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park.

7. She’s an exercise nut and loves yoga.

8. She has a chocolate Labrador retriever named Athena.

REVIEW: 

Christina Clancy has once again written a book that will be hard to forget! The title of her new book is The Snowbirds. I will be thinking about this book for a long while. There are many aspects of this book that will be making the rounds though my mind until I come to terms with everything that happened and all the different personalities that are introduced to us.

If you don’t know, I love the characters I meet in books. I love people with different personalities and reading books brings me into contact with many more of them than I currently meet in my everyday life. People have always been fascinating to me and you will meet your share of wonderful characters in The Snowbirds. I have to give this author credit for developing a truly diverse bunch. You’re gonna love these people. They are truly amazing in so many different ways!

This book also gives us an up close look at a couple who have an unconventional relationship. They have been together 30 years or more and have made their set-up work. Grant has lost his job just when Kim is about to go on a sabbatical. She is desperately looking for time alone to figure out her future. Now she finds herself headed to Palm Springs with Grant for the winter in the ex-husbands condo. They have a lot to figure out including how their future is going to look. Palm Springs winds up being a turning point in their lives and frankly one they were looking at even if they had stayed at home. Many of us find ourselves at turning points even when we don’t want them.

I found myself questioning if I could have lived their life and what I would want if I was in their position. This book made me think about things and made me realize there are many situations that are outside of the norm that work out for one reason or another. If you like a book that makes you think outside of your comfort zone, makes you wonder how you would handle a situation and leaves you in awe of the people you just met, then this is a book you should read. I highly recommend this book and hope you get a chance to read it. Let me know if you do. 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, Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

SYNOPSIS:

“A riveting exploration of midlife yearning.” —People

The Last Thing He Told Me meets Fleishman Is in Trouble in this page-turning story of a couple who flee winter in the Midwest for Palm Springs, where they find their relationship at a crossroads.

Kim and Grant are at a turning point. A couple for thirty years, their “separate but together” partnership is running up against the realities of late middle age: Grant’s mother has died, the college where he taught philosophy was shuttered, and their twin girls are grown and gone. Escaping the bitter cold of a Midwestern winter for the hot desert sun of Palm Springs seems as good a solution as any to the more intractable problems they face.

When they arrive at Le Desert, a quirky condo community where everyone knows everyone’s business, Kim immediately embraces the opportunity to make new friends and explore a more adventurous side of her personality. Meanwhile, Grant struggles to find his footing in this unfamiliar landscape, leaving Kim to wonder if their relationship can survive the snowbird season. But when Grant goes missing on a hike in the Palm Springs mountains, Kim is forced to consider two terrifying outcomes: either Grant is truly lost, or this time, he’s really left her.

Is it ever too late to become the person we wanted to be—and is there still time to change into someone better? The exhilarating, but often confusing transitions of midlife are pitched against the promise and glamour of Palm Springs in this tender, honest story of what it takes to commit to someone for a lifetime. With compassion and humor, Clancy explores the redemptive power of finding ourselves, and of being found.

About Christina Clancy

I taught English at Beloit College for almost a decade. I’ve been writing short stories and essays that have appeared in The New York Times “Modern Love” column, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Sun Magazine, and in literary journals like Glimmer Train Stories, Hobart, Pleiades, The Minnesota Review and on Wisconsin Public Radio. I have a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

I live in Madison, Wisconsin with my very tall husband. We have two children, Olivia and Tim.

REVIEW:

Mending Hearts by Wendy Million is one of the reasons I love to read and then review the books I read. This book broke my heart into a million little pieces along the way. Parts of it kept breaking off as I read the book. I have to say that most of it was put back together by the time I finished reading which means my heart was also mended. Yours will be too!

This is book two in the Little Falls Small Town Romance Series. It looks to me like there will be two more coming. If you haven’t started the series, you have time to jump into it now before book three comes out. Book one is Rival Hearts and I fell just as hard with that story. These two books and I assume the rest of them will take place in Little Falls.

If you follow me at all, you will know that I love small town stories. I come from a small town and there is always the pull of the place that you love the most where everybody knows each other and their business. Knowing all the business owners by name and having that special place you like to hang out or somewhere to grab a quick dinner on the nights you don’t have the energy to cook. What could be better?

Wendy does an exceptional job with her character development with these books. I appreciate that she delves into their innermost thoughts, their private feelings and their deepest desires. You know her characters inside out. That is especially true with this series and made Mending Hearts work for me. I originally didn’t know if I would enjoy following the life of a pop star but I fell hook, line and sinker.

This is definitely a character driven story and is told from more than one viewpoint. It is one that you know where things are headed right from the beginning but, it still breaks your heart along the way. It will stand very well on its own although I think it will be more satisfying to read Rival Hearts first. You will meet some of the same characters along the way.

If you love small town romance stories, then Mending Hearts and Rival Hearts by Wendy Million should be on your radar and your nightstand. I can highly recommend these stories from the heart. 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. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. 

SYNOPSIS:

Reasons I shouldn’t walk through Tyler Sullivan’s door:

– When we met my dress was literally ripped, until he fixed it

– We haven’t seen each other since he left my hotel room, with said dress on the floor

– He’s much too old for me

– I’m pregnant with his baby—and I don’t know if I’m meant to be a mother

If you saw how sexy Tyler looks in a tailored suit with a lollipop held between his fingers, you’d understand how I got into this situation.

But my life is filled with flashing lights, sold out stadiums, and sound checks. Being a popstar is not suited for love or babies.

Yet he looks at me like everything might actually be alright.

He’s handy, kind, and wants to raise our baby (with or without me).

If I let him, he might just mend my broken heart.


This is an open door, small town, angsty, accidental pregnancy romance between a popstar and a fledgling fashion designer who is fourteen years her senior.

Content warning: discussions/memories of sexual assault, past sexual trauma