REVIEW: Are you ready to get your mind blown? Your heart pumping out of your chest? Then your ready to pick up a copy of The Safe Place by Anna Downes! I couldn’t put this book down. My husband ate cereal for dinner because I wasn’t taking time out to cook.

This was one of the best debut novels I have read in a long time. If Anna Downes comes out this strong, I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

Her characters are fabulous and you don’t really see their cracks until about two thirds into the story. She gives you such a false sense of security and then BANG! You’re racing for the finish. Oh boy! It’s quite a ride. 

The Safe Place is so well crafted. I didn’t find any flaws. There were a few clues along the way but, to tell you the truth, I was so lulled by the story I didn’t pay much attention to them. 

The setting was idyllic. A private and secluded property on the coast of France with anything your heart desires except for internet, phone service and a connection to the outside world. Sounds like heaven. Doesn’t it?

If you like Psychological Suspense like I do, don’t put this on your “To Be Read” list. Get it now! Read it NOW! You’ll love it. I promise. 

I received this book from the publisher for a fair and honest review.

SYNOPSIS: Superbly tense and oozing with atmosphere, Anna Downes’s debut, The Safe Place, is the perfect summer suspense, with the modern gothic feel of Ruth Ware and the morally complex family dynamics of Lisa Jewell.

Welcome to paradise…will you ever be able to leave?

Emily is a mess.

Emily Proudman just lost her acting agent, her job, and her apartment in one miserable day.

Emily is desperate.

Scott Denny, a successful and charismatic CEO, has a problem that neither his business acumen nor vast wealth can fix. Until he meets Emily.

Emily is perfect.Scott offers Emily a summer job as a housekeeper on his remote, beautiful French estate. Enchanted by his lovely wife Nina, and his eccentric young daughter, Aurelia, Emily falls headlong into this oasis of wine-soaked days by the pool. But soon Emily realizes that Scott and Nina are hiding dangerous secrets, and if she doesn’t play along, the consequences could be deadly.

REVIEW: I read Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay a couple of weeks ago and it has taken me a while to digest this book. Let me tell you up front that this book is not in my wheelhouse. One of the genres is Horror Fiction. I’ve never read anything in that genre before. So that being said, I probably won’t again. That doesn’t mean it was a bad book! 

This book gave me nightmares! It is so vivid, my mind couldn’t let go of it. I guess you could say the author did his job. I just don’t like to be scared out of my wits. If you like Terror and Horror, you’re gonna love this book. It will be right up your alley especially while we are in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Maybe that is what bothered me so much. 

Paul Tremblay did an awesome job scaring me! He will scare you too.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest review. 

SYNOPSIS: In a matter of weeks, Massachusetts has been overrun by an insidious rabies-like virus that is spread by saliva. But unlike rabies, the disease has a terrifyingly short incubation period of an hour or less. Those infected quickly lose their minds and are driven to bite and infect as many others as they can before they inevitably succumb. Hospitals are inundated with the sick and dying, and hysteria has taken hold. To try to limit its spread, the commonwealth is under quarantine and curfew. But society is breaking down and the government’s emergency protocols are faltering.

Dr. Ramola “Rams” Sherman, a soft-spoken pediatrician in her mid-thirties, receives a frantic phone call from Natalie, a friend who is eight months pregnant. Natalie’s husband has been killed—viciously attacked by an infected neighbor—and in a failed attempt to save him, Natalie, too, was bitten. Natalie’s only chance of survival is to get to a hospital as quickly as possible to receive a rabies vaccine. The clock is ticking for her and for her unborn child.

Natalie’s fight for life becomes a desperate odyssey as she and Rams make their way through a hostile landscape filled with dangers beyond their worst nightmares—terrifying, strange, and sometimes deadly challenges that push them to the brink. 

Paul Tremblay once again demonstrates his mastery in this chilling and all-too-plausible novel that will leave readers racing through the pages . . . and shake them to their core.

REVIEW: Extraordinary! The Day She Came Back by Amanda Prowse was extraordinary in every way. I loved this book. Let me count the ways.

First, the characters are fabulous. Primrose was the grandmother everyone would love to have. Although, she is in her eighties, she stays young, vibrant and loving. She is the mother figure for the main character whose name is Victoria. Victoria is her 18 year old granddaughter who lost her mother as an infant. There are other characters in the book that you either love…or don’t.

Second, I really liked the story line. I don’t think I’ve read anything quite like it. It takes place in Epsom in Surrey, England about 13 1/2 miles south of London. I think what really captured my interest is part of the book took place in Oslo, Norway. My grandmother came to the states from Norway when she was six years old. I got a glimpse of the country I always wanted to visit. 

Third, the family home Victoria and Prim grew up in was called Rosebank and was an added character in the book. This house has been in the family for many years and was built by Victoria’s great grandparents who also hand dug a little lake in the back yard. That home came alive for me. I wanted to visit and roam through all the rooms.

Fourth, this book had all the feels. So many emotions were explored including friendship, love, anger, hurt, fear, loss…its all in this story. If you love books that take place in other countries and time periods, you can’t go wrong in picking up a copy of The Day She Came Back. 

Fifth and finally, this book was written by Amanda Prowse! This is the third book I’ve read by her and I’ve fallen hard for every one of them. If you haven’t read any of her books, I highly suggest that you do. She has written a lot of books so, I have to get a move on! Happy reading.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest review. 

SYNOPSIS: From the bestselling author of The Girl in the Corner comes a story that asks: how do you forgive the family that lied to you, and love the mum you never had?

When her loving, free-spirited grandmother Primrose passes away, Victoria is bereft, yet resilient—she has survived tragedy before. But even her strength is tested when a mysterious woman attends Prim’s funeral and claims to be the mother Victoria thought was dead.

As the two women get to know each other and Victoria begins to learn more about her past, it becomes clear that her beloved grandmother had been keeping life-changing secrets from her. Desperate for answers, she still struggles to trust anyone to tell her the truth.

To live a full and happy life, Victoria knows she must not only uncover the truth, but find a way to forgive her family. But after so many years, is trusting them even possible?

REVIEW: Magnificent! What a wonderful, poignant book. This story crosses three genres. Historical, Christian and Domestic Fiction. They are some of my favorites, especially Historical Fiction. 

When you read this book you will learn about the devastation at Normandy Beach on D-Day both physical and mental. You’ll learn about breast cancer and it’s emotional and physical devastation on the patient, their caretakers and relationships. You will learn how holding in feelings of anger and disappointment in ourselves and others has a profound effect on our lives.  The fragments of light shining on all of the devastation is beautiful.

The characters in this book are ones that you will root for, cry for and love to the very end and beyond. When I finished this book, I was speechless. I had to wait a bit to write this review because I just didn’t think I could do it justice and I still am not sure I can get across how much I loved this book. Can I give it 10 stars out of five? I think Fragments of Light is fabulous. 

I did a little research on Michele Phoenix and discovered why this book is so heartfelt. The cancer struggle is so raw and the love is so real and honest. Michele is a cancer survivor and knows the struggle intimately. Prayers for Michele’s continued health. We need more of her wonderful books.

I received  a copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest review.  Thank you!

SYNOPSIS: An impossible decision in the chaos of D-Day. Ripples that cascade seventy-five years into the present. And two lives transformed by the tenuous resolve to reach out of the darkness toward fragments of light.

Cancer stole everything from Ceelie—her peace of mind, her self-image, perhaps even her twenty-three-year marriage to her college sweetheart, Nate. Without the support of Darlene, her quirky elderly friend, she may not have been able to endure so much loss.

So when Darlene’s prognosis turns dire, Ceelie can’t refuse her seemingly impossible request—to find a WWII paratrooper named Cal, the father who disappeared when Darlene was an infant, leaving a lifetime of desolation in his wake.

The search that begins in the farmlands of Missouri eventually leads Ceelie to a small town in Normandy, where she uncovers the harrowing tale of the hero who dropped off-target into occupied France.

Alternating between Cal’s D-Day rescue by two young French sisters and Ceelie’s present-day journey through trial and heartbreak, Fragments of Light poses a timeless question: When life becomes unbearable, will you press toward the light or let the darkness win?

REVIEW: “What You Wish For” by Katherine Center is a fun and entertaining book. It totally held my interest and made me laugh out loud and giggle several times. Who doesn’t need that during these trying times in our country? If you want a book to get you out of your head, this should be your next read. You won’t be disappointed. 

There is some predictability to her story but, it is okay because the dialog, situations and the characters make up for it. The author made me love and care for her characters and what they were each dealing with in their lives. There were a few heavy subjects in the story but the way they were handled with empathy and humanity gave me hope.

I love a story that teaches me a few things and because the narrator was a librarian, there are some interesting things to learn. One of her friends is a math teacher and has a lot of cute little math jokes. So, I learned something new with this book. 

Katherine Center is new author for me and I am excited to read more from her. If you haven’t read any of her books yet, give her a try. You might find a new author to add to your list of favorites. I know I did!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest review.  

SYNOPSIS: Samantha Casey is a school librarian who loves her job, the kids, and her school family with passion and joy for living. But she wasn’t always that way.

Duncan Carpenter is the new school principal who lives by rules and regulations, guided by the knowledge that bad things can happen. But he wasn’t always that way.

And Sam knows it. Because she knew him before—at another school, in a different life. Back then, she loved him—but she was invisible. To him. To everyone. Even to herself. She escaped to a new school, a new job, a new chance at living. But when Duncan, of all people, gets hired as the new principal there, it feels like the best thing that could possibly happen to the school—and the worst thing that could possibly happen to Sam. Until the opposite turns out to be true. The lovable Duncan she’d known is now a suit-and-tie wearing, rule-enforcing tough guy so hell-bent on protecting the school that he’s willing to destroy it.

As the school community spirals into chaos, and danger from all corners looms large, Sam and Duncan must find their way to who they really are, what it means to be brave, and how to take a chance on love—which is the riskiest move of all.

With Katherine Center’s sparkling dialogue, unforgettable characters, heart, hope, and humanity, What You Wish For is the author at her most compelling best.

REVIEW: There is nothing as satisfying as sitting down with another installment of The Lakeside Resort series. I was so excited to receive Susan Schild’s new book Wedding at the Lakeside Resort. I felt like I was going to have a nice long visit with my old friends. 

Susan’s character development is spot on because I feel like I know Jenny and Luke, her friend Charlotte and her mom and Step-dad. They are all such loving and caring folks. Her smooth style allows you to flow through the story and enjoy all that is happening.

This book is a continuation of Jenny’s life leading up to her wedding day. We share in all the preparations and planning for the big day. I am so excited for Jenny and Luke to be off on their long honeymoon pulling their restored airstream camper. I can only imagine what adventures are waiting for them. 

Susan Schild has done it again, If you have read any of the Lakeside Resort series, you will want to read this one too! Wedding at the Lakeside Resort will read well as a stand alone book, so go ahead and jump right in and catch the rest of the series later.

I received this book from the author for a fair and honest review. 

SYNOPSIS: Ready for more love and adventure after forty?
Come see why readers have fallen in love with the Lakeside Resort Series.
 
When it comes to love, forty-four year old Jenny Beckett’s track record isn’t great, but she’s finally found Luke Hammond, a kind, down to earth man who adores her. And she’s marrying him!
 
But Jenny has no time to moon about the big day. With the Lakeside Resort’s busiest season fast approaching, she’s busily preparing for guests coming to stay in her tiny cabins and vintage campers.
 
When Luke is called away on business, Jenny must single handedly manage the resort, oversee construction of their new cabin, and plan the wedding. But she’s also dealing with more troubling events. A late-night trespasser is destructive, and a developer is intent on building condominiums right next door. Jenny and Luke must scramble to protect the serenity and beauty of their beloved resort.
 
With love over 40 blooming all around, a plus-sized heroine, and relatable characters, come join your friends for a June wedding and stay awhile at the Lakeside Resort.
 
“A sweet, heartwarming story that will make you believe second chances are special gifts from heaven. I highly recommend this book as a great way to relax and enjoy time with characters created by a wonderful storyteller.” –Judith Keim, Bestselling Author of the Beach House Hotel Series

REVIEW: Interesting…The Swap by Robyn Harding  was just that. Ms. Harding is a new author for me. Her book was not only interesting, it was very entertaining.

It definitely was not a boring book for me.It wasn’t one of those books that kept you on the edge of your seat and that is ok. They don’t all have to be that way. This one is more laid back. 

The characters are pretty varied and just like in real life, you wouldn’t expect them to be friends. One of the characters was an internet influencer who became friends with and 18 year old high school senior to whom she taught pottery. She also became friends with a woman who owned a store in town. She never seemed to be able to have more than one friend at a time and was a user of people.

Things get pretty messed up in this book. There is a lot of back story on all of the characters which explains why they are involved with each other. That was satisfying for those who want to know!

The book has subjects that aren’t really familiar to me but, I am open minded enough to go along for the ride and enjoy a story that is different. I would recommend this book to my friends. It would make for a lively discussion. 

I received this book from the publisher for a fair and honest review. 

Synopsis: “No list of thrillers is complete without Robyn Harding,” proclaims Real Simple. Now the USA TODAY bestselling author of The Party delivers a riveting tale about the toxic relationship between two couples after a night of sexual shenanigans, and the manipulative teenager with an explosive secret at the center of it all.

Low Morrison is not your average teen. You could blame her hippie parents or her looming height or her dreary, isolated hometown on an island in the Pacific Northwest. But whatever the reason, Low just doesn’t fit in—and neither does Freya, an ethereal beauty and once-famous social media influencer who now owns the local pottery studio.

After signing up for a class, Low quickly falls under Freya’s spell. And Freya, buoyed by Low’s adoration, is compelled to share her darkest secrets and deepest desires. Finally, both feel a sense of belonging…that is, until Jamie walks through the studio door. Desperate for a baby, she and her husband have moved to the island hoping that the healthy environment will result in a pregnancy. Freya and Jamie become fast friends, as do their husbands, leaving Low alone once again.

Then one night, after a boozy dinner party, Freya suggests swapping partners. It should have been a harmless fling between consenting adults, one night of debauchery that they would put behind them, but instead, it upends their lives. And provides Low the perfect opportunity to unleash her growing resentment.

Robyn Harding brings her acclaimed storytelling, lauded as “fast-paced, thrilling, gut-wrenching” by Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six, to this dark and suspenseful thriller for fans of Megan Miranda and Lisa Jewell.

REVIEW: Casey Wilson! You’ve done it again. I did not want A Dog’s Chance to end. It was such a beautifully written book. It pulled at all of my heartstrings one at a time and all at once.

I woke up this morning thinking about Madison, Abbie, Arthur and Sonny. I was excited to get back to the book to see how everything was going to conclude. 

This author creates the best characters and her dogs are simply top notch. I like some of the story is told from the dogs point of view. It is unique and something you don’t see often. It comes off as very authentic. I especially loved these characters and more than once found myself aching to give them a hug.

If you read A Dog’s Hope and liked it, you will love this one. If you haven’t read either one and you love dogs, then you will definitely want to read both of them. These are stand alone stories. Pick up whichever book you can, get a cold drink and curl up in the hammock. You’re probably going to be there until you’re done.

I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest review. 

SYNOPSIS: Sometimes the dogs we rescue… also rescue us.

A heart-wrenching and beautiful story perfect for dog lovers everywhere. Fans of A Dog’s Purpose, The Art of Racing in the Rain and Marley and Me will be utterly entranced by this gorgeous page-turner.

Madison knows her fourteen-year-old daughter Abbie is struggling. She wishes she could give Abbie stability, the promise of a forever home in Millbury, but she is scared to stay in one town for too long, and every day Abbie seems more anxious. Until a chance encounter with a beautiful, boisterous golden retriever puppy called Duke changes everything…

Duke bounces into the community centre where Madison is working and when Abbie meets him she stops pacing the room. Duke is tugging his owner, seventy-five-year-old Arthur, along for the ride, and instantly Madison sees a way she and Arthur can help each other. She offers to train Duke so that Abbie gets to see him, and from that moment the four of them become a family.

Madison finally feels like she has a second chance at life and a reason to stay in town, but when her past catches up with her they are all at risk. Duke may have united this family, but will he be able to keep them together?

A reminder of the unbelievable bonds we form with the dogs in our lives. No matter how broken you are, the unconditional love of a dog can piece you back together.

REVIEW: Awesome and Inspirational! Wow! Trouble the Water by Rebecca Dwight Bruff was right in my wheelhouse. There was a lot of creative license taken in this novel. It was all for the good and took nothing away from the life of Robert Smalls. She stuck to the facts as much as she possibly could. I absolutely loved the way she imagined how his life was as a young boy born to slavery and as a young man that fought for what he wanted out of life…freedom and a family. He signed up the first black men to fight in the civil war. He went on to represent South Carolina in Washington for five terms. That was an accomplished life! He was an American Hero many of us never learned about.

I read this book during the demonstrations and riots after the death of George Floyd in the custody of police officers. I found myself pausing and pondering the life of our black population 155 years after the civil war. I think President Lincoln and Robert Smalls would be disappointed in the lack of progress that has been made. They both changed so many lives but, it is apparent there is still progress to be made.

Rebecca Dwight Bruff gave me a lot to think about. I learned a lot from her book even though it is fiction. It is a beautiful, well written book and I would advise each one of you to pick up this book and see if it doesn’t change your life. I know Rebecca and Mr. Smalls changed mine.

I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest review. 

Synopsis: Moving and inspirational, Trouble the Water reveals the little-known real-life story of Robert Smalls. 

Born enslaved before the Civil War, Smalls witnesses great privilege and immense suffering alongside his owner’s daughter and the dangerous son of a firebrand secessionist. When he’s only twelve, he’s put to work in Charleston, where he loads ships and learns to pilot a cotton steamer. When the war erupts and his cotton steamer becomes a confederate warship, Robert attempts a harrowing escape to freedom for himself and the people he loves.

• FIRST PLACE/ GOLD WINNER IN 2020 FEATHERED QUILL AWARDS FOR DEBUT NOVEL

•  FIRST PLACE/ GOLD WINNER  IN 2020 FEATHERED QUILL AWARDS FOR ADULT FICTION

•  FIRST PLACE/ GOLD WINNER OF AMERICANBOOKFEST FICTION AWARD

“With this stunning debut novel, Rebecca Bruff establishes herself as an exciting new voice in historical fiction.” –Cassandra King Conroy, author of Moonrise, and Founding Honorary Chair of the Pat Conroy Literary Center

REVIEW: WHAT A BOOK! What a story. Oh my. The Nanny’s Secret by Kiersten Modglin is the second book I have read by her. Wow! I can not get this story out of my head. I’ll tell you, if you like psychological suspense, you will love her books. I can’t put them down once they’re in my hand. 

The experience is like being on a rollercoaster. There is the long climb to the top of the tracks with great anticipation and then you hold on for dear life as you hurtle to the bottom. Oh, but it’s so satisfying when you get to the end and you have survived. Your heart might be beating out of your chest and you might be winded from screaming but, it was worth the experience. 

I love her plot and character development. Neither of the books were anything alike. I get tired of authors that use the same general outline book after book. I can already tell that Kiersten takes great delight in delivering a unique story everytime! 

I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest review. 

Synopsis: Olivia Mendes has a secret.

With her new position as a nanny for the prestigious Locke family, she’s learning just how powerful secrets can be. 

Orrick and Iris Locke, owners of the billion-dollar security company known as Locke Industries, are beautiful, mysterious, and seemingly perfect. When she enters their home, Olivia quickly discovers everything is not what it seems. The Lockes’ elusive empire is built on dark and terrifying truths and with Olivia now a part of their lives, she has no choice but to play her role.

As she finds herself digging deeper into the Lockes’ web of lies, Olivia begins to question everything she’s learned. When the family’s insidious nature is revealed, her loyalties will be put to the ultimate test. 

In this installment of the standalone LOCKE INDUSTRIES SERIES, The Nanny’s Secret may be the one to destroy everything…