REVIEW:

I feel so limited with only 5 stars! When I Last Saw You by Bette Lee Crosby is one of those books that certainly deserves more than a five star rating. There is not one thing I didn’t like about it. 

Bette’s writing has a cadence that I really enjoy. I never have to re-read a sentence or paragraph. Her story just flows allowing you to immerse yourself in the pain, joy and sorrows of her characters. While we are talking characters, there were eight children in this story I wanted to hug. I can’t imagine the hardships they went through and the love they shared between them. I have to tell you, I couldn’t put this book down. I constantly wanted to know what was happening. 

When I finished the book, I had a book hangover. I couldn’t move on. I felt like I closed the book on my past and my friends. 

This book had history of a time period from the late 1800’s until 1968. It had a few love stories, family love and love of neighbors. At times it was a hard story to read but in the end it was so worth it. If you haven’t obtained a copy yet, do it now. You won’t regret that decision! 

I received this book from a #Goodreads giveaway. I was a lucky girl! Thank you. 

SYNOPSIS: From USA Today Bestselling Author Bette Lee Crosby comes a powerful southern saga based on a true story… Betrayal and secrets tore her family apart decades ago, now a lonely widow must search for the pieces of her broken childhood.

WHEN I LAST SAW YOU

Georgia, 1968 – Margaret Rose McCutcheon has just buried her husband and must now name a beneficiary for their estate in case of her demise. She is hard-pressed to do so because there is no one. No children. No family. At least none to speak of. At one time, she had two sisters and six brothers, but the lot of them were scattered to the four winds, with no one knowing where the others went. In the hope of finding at least one of her siblings, Margaret hires a detective and sets off on a journey to uncover the truth of why the family broke apart as it did.

West Virginia, 1901 – When Eliza Hobbs gives birth to her sixth child, her husband is not there to welcome his daughter into the world. No surprise, because Martin is seldom there. He works in Charleston and returns to Coal Creek only when he has a mind to. Yes, he sends money on occasion, but seldom enough to make ends meet. Although Eliza believes each new child a blessing, he sees them as yet another responsibility on his already overloaded shoulders. When he discovers another child is on the way, he demands she get rid of it. he stops returning home and there is no more money.

REVIEW: I am a big Historical Fiction nut and Love, Joanah by Julie Mitchell hit the nail on the head for me. Don’t let the genre of Young Adult scare you off. I think the only reason for the clarification is the book doesn’t have explicit love scenes. That is OK by me. In my opinion love scenes don’t make or break a book. 

I love that it takes place during the Revolutionary War. I don’t think I’ve read much on that time period so, I learned some things I didn’t know before. Some families were asked to house prisoners of war because of overcrowding in the jails and the lack of food. The prisoners worked in the fields and the harvest went to the government with a percentage to the family. Did you know that? I didn’t. The Bryant family in this book was one of those families. 

The author did a great job developing her characters. I could easily identify with them even though I didn’t live in their time period. This is a great book to share with a young adult and will be a good read for all ages. If you love history or not, this book will be a good way to get a taste of historical fiction. 

This is the author’s debut novel and is an excellent novel out of the starting gate. I’ll be looking forward to reading more from Julie Mitchell! 

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

SYNOPSIS: Joanah Bryant knows she is in love with Thomas Davis, but he is away fighting British redcoats on the front lines with General Washington. When her family is forced to host prisoners of war at their family home, Joanah’s world changes in ways she never imagined and she knows life will never be the same.

When the four British prisoners arrive, Joanah doesn’t know what to make of them, especially the intriguing Andrew Welch. Filled with fear, compassion, and curiosity Joanah’s relationship with the young soldier Andrew unfolds.

Joanah is trying to folow the two paths of her heart. Will she make the right choice?

Perfect for readers ages 13-18 and adults who enjoy historical romances. 

A classic tale of young love.

REVIEW: There’s a new author in town! Her name is Casey Dembowski and her debut book is called When We’re Thirty. If this is just her beginning, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her and her readers. 

The book is based on a pact two college students made at graduation. If neither one of them were married when they turned thirty, they would marry each other. Will shows up at Hannah’s door and the rest is history. Or…is it? This was such an enchanting premise and as you can guess, there were some bumps along the way. 

I really came to care about Will and Hannah. The characters and plot were developed in a way that allowed you to insert yourself into their circumstances. Most of the secondary characters were just that. They weren’t as well developed so, I didn’t feel as close to them. I’m alright with that and didn’t feel anything was missing. 

If you like a story that is on the surface fun and carefree but, has some heavy topics underneath to stretch your mind, this is a book for you. It hooked me from the first couple of page and wouldn’t let me go. If my husband didn’t want to go fishing in the morning I would have finished it in one day. 

I received a copy of this book from #Red Adept Publishing and #Netgalley for a fair and honest review. Thank you! 

SYNOPSIS: Two friends. One pact. The performance of their lives.

Hannah Abbott is stuck in a dead-end relationship and at a job she loves but that barely pays the bills. The four walls of her tiny New York City apartment have never seemed so small. She’s barely toasted her thirtieth birthday when her old college friend Will knocks on her door with an unexpected proposal.

Will Thorne never forgot the marriage pact he made with Hannah, but he also never imagined he’d be the one to initiate it. One ex-fiancée and an almost-career-ending mistake later, however, he finds himself outside Hannah’s door, on bended knee, to collect on their graduation-night pinky promise.

With both of their futures at stake, Hannah and Will take a leap of faith. Now, all they have to do is convince their friends and family that they’re madly in love. As long as they follow the list of rules they’ve drafted, everything should go smoothly. Except Will has never been good with rules, and Hannah can’t stop overthinking the sleeping arrangements. Turning thirty has never been so promising.

REVIEW: My brain is like a slot machine! Ding ding ding… I’ve won the jackpot! I have been most fortunate to be on the review team for Kiersten Modglin. Her new book called The Missing is fabulous. The twists and turns are not as fast in this book. It’s a lot of mini climaxes until the final one at the end.

I’ve told you that she doesn’t have an outline she follows. Not one of her books are the same. When I started this one, I had the feeling it was going to be like The Perfect Getaway. Nope. Wrong again. It is nothing like that at all and once again she has provided a new and completely different story. I’m a little worried about how Kiersten’s mind works. She is so….I don’t have words. 

Her characters are all likeable to some extent. Maybe. In this book I found myself vacillating between like and hate. I think like the characters themselves, my emotions were being yanked back and forth like a yoyo. Kiersten always keeps me guessing and I NEVER know how the book ends until the end. In this book it was the very last sentence. 

Thank you Kiersten Modglin for yet another story that kept me engaged and on my toes. You are making a name for yourself and when you are a number one bestseller, I’ll be proud to say I knew you from the early days. 

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

SYNOPSIS: They disappeared…

That was just the beginning.

When five strangers are abandoned on an island without any idea where they are or whom to trust, their nightmarish new reality begins to unfold.

Someone is lying.

Someone is hiding a terrible secret.

They’d all do anything to get home… Wouldn’t they?

As the group struggles to uncover the truth about their mysterious whereabouts, only one thing is certain: every choice they make on the island will affect the others.

And when they uncover a strange note with a chilling revelation, the group begins to question everything they thought they knew. If they want to make it off the island alive, they’ll have to discover who brought them there and why…before it’s too late.

REVIEW: Honored. I feel so honored to be able to read and review the new ARCs by Ashley Farley. Her new book coming out is Lowcountry On My Mind. It is book 3 of the Palmetto Island Series. Muddy Bottom is book one and it is free! If you haven’t downloaded it and read it yet, you don’t know what you are missing! It is a heartwarming series of friendship and love of long time friends. 

I have loved everything I’ve read by Ashley Farley. She writes wonderful Women’s Fiction. In this installment Max is accused of Arson when there is a fire in her hotel. Amelia has lost her mother and is planning an escape from her abusive husband. Birdie’s Cafe is expanding to offer fine dining at night so, all of the friends have a lot on their plates. There are some new characters and more planned for the next installment named Sail Away. 

There is a little suspense, some mystery, a little danger and a new relationship or two budding. I love this series and hope it doesn’t end for several more books. Time will tell. I highly recommend downloading the free book and then reading the next two before May 11 when Lowcountry On My Mind comes out. You will thank me for the advice! 

I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest review. Thank you, Ashley Farley! 

SYNOPSIS: “An element of suspense along with the right amount of romantic sparks.”

Childhood friends reunite in an explosive tale of family dysfunction and romance gone wrong.

Amelia has been plotting to escape her abusive husband for years. When her mama’s untimely death provides an unexpected opportunity, she hops on the next bus to the South Carolina Lowcountry. Her husband will eventually come for her. But she’s prepared. Her freedom has given her confidence to face her uncertain future. She settles in at her family’s oceanfront estate to await her destiny. But a visit from Amelia’s past presents danger in a different form.

After a string of disastrous blind dates, Max falls for the first guy who expresses an interest in her. As the weeks wear on, her attraction to Ron wanes. But he’s living in her apartment. And he won’t be so easy to get rid of.

Jump on board for a wild ride of adventure with the continuation of the bestselling Palmetto Island Series. Be sure to download Muddy Bottom, the series novella prequel, for FREE.

REVIEW: Perfect! Seven Perfect Things by Catherine Ryan Hyde was the perfect story for a couple of evenings. It took my mind off the problems of the world and totally refreshed me. Don’t get me wrong…the whole story was not all wine and roses but, there was a lot of good in this book. It even includes seven little puppies. What could be better? 

This author writes the best novels! I’ve read a few of her books and have really enjoyed them so I’m always happy when I see a new one coming out. Her characters in this book are wonderfully flawed and wonderfully perfect at the same time. My heart at times broke for Abby and sang for her bravery and success. She is so loveable with heart of gold. 

If you are craving a wholesome book that will break your heart and put it back together again, this book is for you. It brings out all the emotions. You’ll laugh, cry, get angry, cheer and just be happy you took the time to read Seven Perfect Things. 

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

SYNOPSIS: A heart-stirring novel about the joy that comes from finding love in unexpected places by the New York Times and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author.

Thirteen-year-old Abby Hubble lives in an unhappy home in the Sierra Nevada foothills where her father makes life miserable for her and her mother, Mary. One day Abby witnesses a man dump a litter of puppies into the nearby river. Diving in to rescue all seven, she knows she won’t be able to bring them home. Afraid for their fate at the pound, she takes them to an abandoned cabin, where all she can offer is a promise that she’ll be back the next day.

To grieving widower Elliot Colvin, life has lost meaning. Looking for solace, he retreats to the hunting cabin he last visited years ago, before his wife’s illness. What he discovers is not at all what he expected: seven puppies and one determined girl with an indomitable heart.

As Abby and Elliot’s friendship deepens, Abby imagines how much better her life—and the puppies’ lives—would be if her mother were married to Elliot instead of her father. But when Abby’s father moves the family hundreds of miles away, Abby and her mother must decide how long they’re willing to defer happiness.

Seven Perfect Things is a story about joy, where to find it, how to know it when you see it, and the courage it takes to hang on to it once you have it.

REVIEW: Waiting To Begin by Amanda Prowse really struck a cord with me. This book hit me right in the heart. It speaks so eloquently about youth and the profound effect it has on our adult life.

Bess is the main character who made a few mistakes in her youth. It gained her a name and a reputation. Ones that she was not able to forget. Ones she kept hidden from her family and Mario, her husband. Bess had a pretty great relationship with Mario based on true love but built on a secret that she kept hidden from Mario. At the beginning of the book, I didn’t have much interest in young Bess. I read it anyway and came to understand the adult Bess in a much better way. You’ll have to read the book to see how it all works out. I don’t want to ruin it for you but, I know my heart was touched. 

If you like family drama, you’ll love this new novel from Amanda Prowse! I haven’t read a book by her yet that I didn’t love. Waiting to Begin is no exception.

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

SYNOPSIS: From the bestselling author of The Girl in the Corner comes a story that asks: what would you risk for a shot at happiness?

1984. Bessie is a confident sixteen-year-old girl with the world at her feet, dreaming of what life will bring and what she’ll bring to this life. Then everything comes crashing down. Her bright and trusting smile is lost, banished by shame—and a secret she’ll carry with her for the rest of her life.

2021. The last thirty-seven years have not been easy for Bess. At fifty-three she is visibly weary, and her marriage to Mario is in tatters. Watching her son in newlywed bliss—the hope, the trust, the joy—Bess knows it is time to face her own demons, and try to save her relationship. But she’ll have to throw off the burden of shame if she is to honour that sixteen-year-old girl whose dreams lie frozen in time.

Can Bess face her past, finally come clean to Mario, and claim the love she has longed to fully experience all these years?

REVIEW: HUMBLED is the word that comes to mind when I finished The Secrets We Left Behind by Soraya M Lane. I’m humbled when I stop to think of all the people in the world who gave up their lives and all the families that lost loved ones to fight in WWII. We had a lot of folks who gave all and not just in the United States. 

This is the second book I’ve read written by Soraya M Lane. I read her book The Last Correspondent and loved that one as well. She puts so much research into her stories. It is unbelievable. I feel like I’m right there in the midst of the war and what the women are fighting for. These two books are from a woman’s perspective. It doesn’t make war any easier to read about but, it does give you a look at how long we have had to fight for our rights and how strong we are as women.

I loved this book. I loved the love stories. I loved the fight for survival. I loved the characters. Did it all bring me to tears. YES!

If you haven’t read anything like this, I strongly urge you to try a book by Soraya M Lane. She is awesome. The Secrets We Left Behind releases May 20th. Pre-order yours now. I promise you, you will be glad you did!

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

SYNOPSIS: How far will they go for family, friendship, and love?

Occupied France, 1940. When the staff at a field hospital draw straws to find out who will join the evacuation from Dunkirk, Nurse Cate is left behind. But when the Nazis arrive to claim prisoners of war, she takes her chance and flees into the night, taking one patient with her.

Fifty miles away, the surrendering soldiers of the Royal Norfolk Regiment are shot dead by the advancing Germans. Beneath the pile of bodies two men survive, crawling to the safety of a nearby farmhouse, where sisters Elise and Adelaide risk their lives to take them in. When Cate, too, arrives at their door with her injured soldier, the pressure mounts.

The sisters are risking everything to keep their visitors safe. But with the Nazis coming ever closer and relationships in the farmhouse intensifying, they must all question the sacrifices they are willing to make for the lives of others. How far will they go for family, friendship, and love?

REVIEW: Look! I don’t know where I got the idea that Mary Kay Andrews was an author of romance books but, she’s NOT! I just finished The Newcomer and that is not just a romance book. It is about murder, love gone wrong, swindling old folks, robbery, kidnapping and the list goes on. This was my first novel by Ms. Andrews and it won’t be my last. This was a fabulous book. I’ll certainly be looking for more of her work in the future. 

Everything was just right. I’m not kidding. Just enough romance, enough crime, enough of the old folks butting in and complaining. I never felt overwhelmed by any one aspect of the book. You know how sometimes you want to say “just get on with it”? I never felt that. I didn’t feel like I didn’t want to continue. I kind of felt like things would work out but then I wasn’t totally positive about that either. I guess what I’m trying to say is this was a well crafted story from beginning to end. 

If you are a fan of Mary Kay Andrews, you will want to make sure you get your hands on a copy of this book. If your like me and haven’t read her books, this one will be a great place to start! 

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

SYNOPSIS: Mary Kay Andrews, the New York Times bestselling author and Queen of the Beach Reads delivers her next page-turner for the summer with The Newcomer.

In trouble and on the run…

After she discovers her sister Tanya dead on the floor of her fashionable New York City townhouse, Letty Carnahan is certain she knows who did it: Tanya’s ex; sleazy real estate entrepreneur Evan Wingfield. Even in the grip of grief and panic Letty heeds her late sister’s warnings: “If anything bad happens to me—it’s Evan. Promise me you’ll take Maya and run. Promise me.”

With a trunkful of emotional baggage…

So Letty grabs her sister’s Mercedes and hits the road with her wailing four-year-old niece Maya. Letty is determined to out-run Evan and the law, but run to where? Tanya, a woman with a past shrouded in secrets, left behind a “go-bag” of cash and a big honking diamond ring—but only one clue: a faded magazine story about a sleepy mom-and-pop motel in a Florida beach town with the improbable name of Treasure Island. She sheds her old life and checks into an uncertain future at The Murmuring Surf Motel.

The No Vacancy sign is flashing & the sharks are circling…

And that’s the good news. Because The Surf, as the regulars call it, is the winter home of a close-knit flock of retirees and snowbirds who regard this odd-duck newcomer with suspicion and down-right hostility. As Letty settles into the motel’s former storage room, she tries to heal Maya’s heartache and unravel the key to her sister’s shady past, all while dodging the attention of the owner’s dangerously attractive son Joe, who just happens to be a local police detective. Can Letty find romance as well as a room at the inn—or will Joe betray her secrets and put her behind bars? With danger closing in, it’s a race to find the truth and right the wrongs of the past.

REVIEW: The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser drew me in with the first paragraph and made me chuckle. From there, I gradually fell in love. When ancestry updated, I found out I was actually 30% Scottish. I’m more Scottish than anything else! I didn’t know this book took place in Scotland when I chose it to read. Can I just tell you how much I want to visit Scotland? Oh my.

I hope her characters were a good representation of the folks I might find during my visit. There were people with royal titles and the commoners. I like most of the folks I met on this journey. I kept thinking to myself that I would give anything to live in a home like Thea. A home that was once part of an estate. A nice garden and peace and quiet.  Oh! There was even a library of valuable books. Yup. I could live there! I immersed myself in this book. 

If you like a book that has a love story with a few complications and a chance to get to know another country, then The Bookshop of Second Chances might be a book for you to check out. This was Jackie Fraser’s first novel. I predict she will go far. I know I will be anxiously waiting for her next book. 

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

SYNOPSIS: A woman desperate to turn a new page heads to the Scottish coast and finds herself locked in a battle of wills with an infuriatingly aloof bookseller in this utterly heartwarming debut, perfect for readers of Evvie Drake Starts Over.

Thea Mottram is having a bad month. She’s been let go from her office job with no notice—and to make matters even worse, her husband of nearly twenty years has decided to leave her for one of her friends. Bewildered and completely lost, Thea doesn’t know what to do. But when she learns that a distant great uncle in Scotland has passed away, leaving her his home and a hefty antique book collection, she decides to leave Sussex for a few weeks. Escaping to a small coastal town where no one knows her seems to be exactly what she needs.

Almost instantly, Thea becomes enamored with the quaint cottage, comforted by its cozy rooms and lovely but neglected garden. The locals in nearby Baldochrie are just as warm, quirky, and inviting. The only person she can’t seem to win over is bookshop owner Edward Maltravers, to whom she hopes to sell her uncle’s book collection. His gruff attitude—fueled by an infamous, long-standing feud with his brother, a local lord—tests Thea’s patience. But bickering with Edward proves oddly refreshing and exciting, leading Thea to develop feelings she hasn’t experienced in a long time. As she follows a thrilling yet terrifying impulse to stay in Scotland indefinitely, Thea realizes that her new life may quickly become just as complicated as the one she was running from.