Month: October 2022

#BookReview A Curse of Queens by Amanda Bouchet @AuthorABouchet @SourcebooksCasa #AmandaBouchet #ACurseofQueens #kingmakerseries #kingmakerchronicles #SourcebooksCasa #Sourcebooksfiction

#BookReview A Curse of Queens by Amanda Bouchet @AuthorABouchet @SourcebooksCasa #AmandaBouchet #ACurseofQueens #kingmakerseries #kingmakerchronicles #SourcebooksCasa #Sourcebooksfiction Title: A Curse of Queens

Author: Amanda Bouchet

Series: The Kingmaker Chronicles #4

Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca on Oct. 4, 2022

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Pages: 496

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Book Rating: 9/10

Discover an all-new adventure in USA Today Bestselling author Amanda Bouchet’s thrilling, white-hot fantasy series, The Kingmaker Chronicles!

The queen has been cursed, and no one knows who’s behind the plot to threaten the realm’s fragile peace. Desperate to help, Jocasta hatches a plan to find Circe’s Garden, a fabled island where she hopes to discover an antidote. But she can’t do it alone. She needs the strong arm and unflinching bravery of the warrior she’s loved since childhood—her brother’s right-hand-man and captain of the guard, Flynn of Sinta.

Together they can do the impossible. Yet with treachery brewing on Mount Olympus, one thing is clear: Thalyria and its new royals are still pawns in an epic game of power—one that might end in a War of Gods.


Review:

Complex, adventurous, and enthralling!

A Curse of Queens is an action-packed, seductive tale that takes us into the life of Jocasta, King Griffin’s younger sister and small-town healer who, after discovering the possible solution to the curse that binds her sister-in-law Queen Catalia and threatens overall peace in the kingdom, embarks on a treacherous journey to Circe’s Garden with the help of the one man who doesn’t seem to realize just how much he owns her heart, the talented and reliable captain of the guard, Flynn of Sinta in the hopes of finally discovering the magical antidote that could save them all.

The prose is brisk and tight. The characters are multilayered, fearless, and dependable. And the plot is a thrilling tale full of twists, turns, duty, danger, destruction, heartbreak, family, friendship, violence, tormented pasts, and unconditional love.

Overall, A Curse of Queens is a creative, passionate, epic fantastical novel by Bouchet that is brimming with dangerous quests, soul-searching dilemmas, sizzling romance, and complex, intriguing characters that once again kept me immersed and entertained from the very first page and is the perfect addition to the Kingmaker Chronicles series that I’m pretty sure I will never get enough of.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links. 

           

 

 

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Amanda Bouchet

Amanda Bouchet grew up in New England where she spent much of her time tromping around in the woods and making up grand adventures in her head. It was inevitable that one day she would start writing them down. Drawing on her Greek heritage for the setting and on her love of all things daring and romantic for the rest, her debut trilogy, The Kingmaker Chronicles, took form. She writes what she loves to read: epic exploits, steamy romance, and characters that make you laugh and cry.

Her first novel, A Promise of Fire, won several Romance Writers of America chapter contests, including the Orange Rose Contest and the paranormal category of the prestigious Golden Pen.

Amanda is a French master's graduate and former English teacher. She lives in Paris, France with her two bilingual children who will soon be correcting her French.

Photo by Richard Beban.

#BookReview The Patient’s Secret by Loreth Anne White @Loreth @AmazonPub @ThomasAllenLTD #ThePatientsSecret #LorethAnneWhite #Montlake

#BookReview The Patient’s Secret by Loreth Anne White @Loreth @AmazonPub @ThomasAllenLTD #ThePatientsSecret #LorethAnneWhite #Montlake Title: The Patient's Secret

Author: Loreth Anne White

Published by: Montlake Romance on Mar. 8, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Thomas Allen & Son

Book Rating: 9/10

Secrets worth dying―and killing―for, in a novel of suspense inspired by a horrific true crime by Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestselling author Loreth Anne White.

When the battered body of a female jogger is found beneath the cliffs of an idyllic coastal community, these perfect neighbors suddenly don’t seem so perfect…

Lily Bradley is a respected psychotherapist married to a distinguished professor. They live in a dream house with their two children in close-knit Story Cove. Lily lives a well-ordered life. Or so it seems. As a therapist, she knows everyone keeps things hidden. Even her.

Then sensual and free-spirited Arwen Harper rolls into town in her hand-painted VW van, her sixteen-year-old son riding shotgun. Overnight, Story Cove’s secrets are no longer safe. Because Arwen might know her new neighbors better than they know themselves.

Now someone is dead, and it looks like murder. Brutal and personal. The death invites the shrewd eye of Detective Rue Duval. Rue’s job is to expose secrets. But she’s also an expert at keeping them.

As the lives of three women become inexorably entwined, one thing is clear: when it comes to survival, ordinary people can do the most terrible things.


Review:

Unsettling, twisty, and intricate!

The Patient’s Secret is a tortuous, disturbing mystery that takes you into the lives of a handful of people, including the successful psychotherapist Lily Bradley, whose worlds get turned upside down when the bloodied body of a new arrival to the community is found shattered at the bottom of the cliffs leaving some residents devastated by loss, some overwhelmingly consumed with fear, some extremely worried the past will finally collide with the present, and all of them scrambling to keep their darkest secrets hidden and buried for good.

The writing is brisk and sharp. The characters are tormented, scarred, and vulnerable. And the plot, told from alternating POVs and using a back-and-forth style, is an eerie whodunit full of twists, turns, lies, deception, familial drama, mental illness, adultery, depravity, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Patient’s Secret is another fast-paced, gripping, sophisticated tale by White that kept me guessing from the very first page and left me chilled, satisfied, and curious to see what her devious mind could possibly come up with next.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

             

 

 

Thank you to Thomas Allen & Son for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Loreth Anne White

Loreth Anne White is an award-winning, bestselling author of romantic suspense, thrillers, and mysteries.

A three-time RITA finalist, she has also won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Romantic Crown for Best Romantic Suspense and Best Book Overall, in addition to being a Booksellers’ Best finalist, a multiple Daphne Du Maurier Award finalist, and a multiple CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award winner.

A former journalist and newspaper editor who has worked in both South Africa and Canada, she now resides in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest with her family. When she’s not writing, you will find her skiing, biking, or hiking the trails with her Black Dog.

#BookReview Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese @Laurie_Albanese @StMartinsPress #HesterNovel #LaurieLicoAlbanese #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

#BookReview Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese @Laurie_Albanese @StMartinsPress #HesterNovel #LaurieLicoAlbanese #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: Hester

Author: Laurie Lico Albanese

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Oct. 4, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 336

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 10/10

Isobel Gamble is a young seamstress carrying generations of secrets when she sets sail from Scotland in the early 1800s with her husband, Edward. An apothecary who has fallen under the spell of opium, his pile of debts have forced them to flee Edinburgh for a fresh start in the New World. But only days after they’ve arrived in Salem, Edward abruptly joins a departing ship as a medic––leaving Isobel penniless and alone in a strange country, forced to make her way by any means possible.

When she meets a young Nathaniel Hawthorne, the two are instantly drawn to each other: he is a man haunted by his ancestors, who sent innocent women to the gallows––while she is an unusually gifted needleworker, troubled by her own strange talents. As the weeks pass and Edward’s safe return grows increasingly unlikely, Nathaniel and Isobel grow closer and closer. Together, they are a muse and a dark storyteller; the enchanter and the enchanted. But which is which?

In this sensuous and hypnotizing tale, a young immigrant woman grapples with our country’s complicated past, and learns that America’s ideas of freedom and liberty often fall short of their promise. Interwoven with Isobel and Nathaniel’s story is a vivid interrogation of who gets to be a “real” American in the first half of the 19th century, a depiction of the early days of the Underground Railroad in New England, and atmospheric interstitials that capture the long history of “unusual” women being accused of witchcraft. Meticulously researched yet evocatively imagined, Hester is a timeless tale of art, ambition, and desire that examines the roots of female creative power and the men who try to shut it down.

A vivid reimagining of the woman who inspired Hester Prynne, the tragic heroine of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, and a journey into the enduring legacy of New England’s witchcraft trials.


Review:

Absorbing, multilayered, and moving!

Hester is an expressive, compelling tale set in Scotland and Salem during both the early 1800s and 1662 when religious condemnation and fear of the unknown was rife, women with special abilities were labelled witches, the Underground Railroad was working tirelessly to give slaves the freedom they so rightly deserved, cruel and barbaric behaviour towards women who didn’t conform to what society deemed norm was still acceptable, and love still managed to blossom everywhere even under the most unlikely of circumstances.

The prose is evocative and rich. The characters are strong, resilient, and haunted. And the plot is an engrossing tale about life, loss, friendship, family, determination, courage, self-identity, sexism, prejudice, poverty, survival, romance, and the beauty of colour.

Overall, Hester is a book you have to read to truly appreciate just how atmospheric, alluring, and beautifully written it is. It grabs you from the very first page and does a remarkable job of blending historical facts with captivating fiction that’s both intriguing, creative, and exceptionally immersive, especially for those who, like myself, are fans of Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Laurie Lico Albanese

Laurie Lico Albanese has published fiction, poetry, journalism, travel writing, creative nonfiction, and memoir. Her books include Stolen Beauty, Blue Suburbia: Almost a Memoir, Lynelle by the Sea, and The Miracles of Prato, co-written with art historian Laura Morowitz. Laurie is married to a publishing executive and is the mother of two children.

#BookReview Endless Summer by Elin Hilderbrand @elinhilderbrand @littlebrown @HBGCanada #EndlessSummer #ElinHilderbrand #HBGCanada

#BookReview Endless Summer by Elin Hilderbrand @elinhilderbrand @littlebrown @HBGCanada #EndlessSummer #ElinHilderbrand #HBGCanada Title: Endless Summer

Author: Elin Hilderbrand

Published by: Little Brown and Company on Oct. 4, 2022

Genres: General Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 368

Format: Hardcover

Source: HBG Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

The “queen of beach reads” (New York Magazine) presents nine captivating stories of summer on Nantucket—and days that last forever—to carry us through the off-season.

Bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand revisits her most treasured and iconic characters in this magical collection of stories. Collected in a single volume for the first time, Endless Summer ranges from fan favorites to original, never-before-seen works. In “The Surfing Lesson,” the marriage at the heart of Beautiful Day crosses uncertain territory when Margot Carmichael encourages her husband to reunite with his ex-girlfriend. The legendary weekend of a Harvard-Yale football game in “The Tailgate” recharts the course of Matchmaker Dabney Kimball’s first—and abiding—true love. And in a brand-new novella, “Summer of ’89,” we reconnect with the Levin sisters, whose distant adult lives collide once again at a tumultuous family reunion on Nantucket.


Review:

Charming, lighthearted, and generous!

Endless Summer is a nostalgic, heartwarming short story collection that takes us back into the lives of some of the most memorable characters from Hilderbrand’s previous novels and gives us a special glimpse into how all those relationships and storylines all began, what followed next, or in some cases just a little bit more.

The writing is layered and sweet. The characters are complex, engaging, and fun. And the plot is a delightful mix of life, loss, family, friendship, secrets, drama, history, chemistry, betrayal, romance, and small-island living.

As most of you know, I’m a huge fan of Elin Hilderbrand and have read almost all her novels, so it will be no surprise to anyone that Endless Summer was a delightful treat and pure indulgence for me to be able to pop back into some of my favourite tales and revisit some of my most beloved main characters and spend just a little bit more time immersed in those worlds.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

Thank you to HBG Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Elin Hilderbrand

Elin Hilderbrand is a mother of three, an avid runner, reader, and traveler, and the author of twenty-three novels. She grew up outside Philadelphia, and has lived on Nantucket for more than twenty years.

#BookReview That Summer in Berlin by Lecia Cornwall @Leciacornwall @uplitreads @BerkleyPub #ThatSummerinBerlin #LeciaCornwall #UplitReads #gifted

#BookReview That Summer in Berlin by Lecia Cornwall @Leciacornwall @uplitreads @BerkleyPub #ThatSummerinBerlin #LeciaCornwall #UplitReads #gifted Title: That Summer in Berlin

Author: Lecia Cornwall

Published by: Berkley Books on Oct. 11, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 464

Format: Paperback

Source: Uplit Reads

Book Rating: 9/10

In the summer of 1936, while the Nazis make secret plans for World War II, a courageous and daring young woman struggles to expose the lies behind the dazzling spectacle of the Berlin Olympics.

German power is rising again, threatening a war that will be even worse than the last one. The English aristocracy turns to an age-old institution to stave off war and strengthen political bonds—marriage. Debutantes flock to Germany, including Viviane Alden. On holiday with her sister during the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Viviane’s true purpose is more clandestine. While many in England want to appease Hitler, others seek to prove Germany is rearming. But they need evidence, photographs to tell the tale, and Viviane is a genius with her trusty Leica. And who would suspect a pretty, young tourist taking holiday snaps of being a spy?

Viviane expects to find hatred and injustice, but during the Olympics, with the world watching, Germany is on its best behavior, graciously welcoming tourists to a festival of peace and goodwill. But first impressions can be deceiving, and it’s up to Viviane and the journalist she’s paired with—a daring man with a guarded heart—to reveal the truth.

But others have their own reasons for befriending Viviane, and her adventure takes a darker turn. Suddenly Viviane finds herself caught in a web of far more deadly games—and closer than she ever imagined to the brink of war.


Review:

Compelling, vivid, and absorbing!

That Summer in Berlin is a captivating tale predominately set in Berlin in 1936 that takes you into the lives of two main characters; Viviane Alden, a young woman who turns down the marriage to a duke in order to pursue her passion for photography, and Tom Graham, an undercover journalist and illegitimate son of a Scottish Earl who under the guise of reporting on the Summer Olympics, recruits his friend and fellow British acquaintance to help him secretly spy and discover if Germany is slyly preparing to start another world war.

The prose is rich and expressive. The characters are independent, spirited, and brave. And the plot is an evocative tale of life, loss, love, self-discovery, war, secrets, friendship, determination, betrayal, family, espionage, and romance.

Overall, That Summer in Berlin is an intriguing, absorbing, atmospheric tale by Cornwall that does a lovely job of blending historical events, intense emotion, and thought-provoking suspense.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

Thank you to Uplit Reads for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Lecia Cornwall

was born in the wrong century. I must have been. I’ve always been more comfortable with history than modern life—except for essential modern conveniences like flush toilets, hot running water, immersion blenders, and iPads.
Originally from Ontario, I now call the foothills of Canada’s Rocky Mountains home. I am the author of sixteen novels. The Woman at the Front (October 2021) was my first historical fiction title. It is being followed by That Summer in Berlin, coming this October! I write full time, love gardening (though many plants come to my house just to die), knit (and purl!), adopt stray creatures (usually cats), and create magical worlds from cardboard, paint, and glue. If I’m not at my desk working on my next book, you can find me walking my dog ( Andy, the indefatigable chocolate Lab) by the Bow River, or volunteering at a local museum.

Photo credit: Laurie MacBrown

#BookReview Livid by Patricia Cornwell @1pcornwell @GrandCentralPub #PatriciaCornwell #Livid #KayScarpetta #GCPInsider

#BookReview Livid by Patricia Cornwell @1pcornwell @GrandCentralPub #PatriciaCornwell #Livid #KayScarpetta #GCPInsider Title: Livid

Author: Patricia Cornwell

Series: Kay Scarpetta #26

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Oct. 25, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 368

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

In this thrilling new installment of Patricia Cornwell’s #1 bestselling series, chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta finds herself a reluctant star witness in a sensational televised murder trial causing chaos in Old Town Alexandria with the threat of violent protests.

Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta has just inherited one of the most notorious cases of her career. Two years ago, a former beauty queen’s body washed up on the shore of Wallops Island, Virginia. She was last seen on a boat with her fiancé, who has since been held in jail while awaiting trial.

Scarpetta must act as the expert witness for the case—an investigation previously botched by another forensic pathologist. After a grueling cross-examination by the prosecutor, Scarpetta leaves the court only to discover that the sister of the judge on her case has been found dead.

Scarpetta ultimately finds herself facing a powerful, invisible enemy who’s planning the unthinkable.


Review:

Intricate, menacing, and sophisticated!

In this twenty-sixth instalment in the Kay Scarpetta series, Livid, Cornwell has written an ominous thriller that sees Virginia’s Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta not only testifying in the April Tupelo volatile trial but also investigating the bizarre murder of CIA employee Rachael Stanwyck, sister of her close friend Judge Annie Chilton, that as it unfolds also seems strangely connected to a failed assassination attempt on the President, the brutal murder of a beloved local market owner and the suicide of a Tidewater medical examiner.

The writing is descriptive and brisk. The characters are intuitive, knowledgeable, and persistent. And the plot is a well-paced, cleverly plotted tale full of mischief, mayhem, coercion, corruption, criminal behaviours, dangerous endeavours, crime scene analysis, secrets, deduction, lies, terrorists, and murder.

Overall, Livid is another action-packed, intriguing, sinister tale by Cornwell that I am sure will be a solid, satisfying, entertaining read for any long-standing fans of the series.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or one of the following links.

                

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Patricia Cornwell

In 1990, Patricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, while working at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. An auspicious debut, it went on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity Awards, as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventures—the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. Growing into an international phenomenon, the Scarpetta series won Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development. Today, Cornwell’s novels and iconic characters are known around the world. Beyond the Scarpetta series, Cornwell has written the definitive nonfiction account of Jack the Ripper’s identity, cookbooks, a children’s book, a biography of Ruth Graham, and three other fictional series based on the characters Win Garano, Andy Brazil, and Captain Callie Chase. In recent years, Cornwell has been researching space-age technologies at NASA facilities, the U.S. Space Force, and Secret Service. She’s visited Scotland Yard and Interpol, always keeping up with what’s current. Cornwell was born in Miami. She grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston.

Photo Credit: Patrick Ecclesine

#BookReview Runaway Groomsman by Meghan Quinn @AuthorMegQuinn @ThomasAllenLTD @AmazonPub #RunawayGroomsman #MeghanQuinn #Montlake

#BookReview Runaway Groomsman by Meghan Quinn @AuthorMegQuinn @ThomasAllenLTD @AmazonPub #RunawayGroomsman #MeghanQuinn #Montlake Title: Runaway Groomsman

Author: Meghan Quinn

Published by: Montlake Romance on Oct. 11, 2022

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 464

Format: Paperback

Source: Thomas Allen & Son

Book Rating: 9/10

From USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author Meghan Quinn comes a heartfelt romantic comedy about new beginnings and finding the romanticized happily ever after in the most unlikely of places.

Hollywood screenwriter Sawyer Walsh knows a good love story when he sees it. But when it comes to real life romance, he’s a mess.That’s how he finds himself standing at the altar…as his ex-girlfriend ties the knot with his very famous best friend. The pressure, the resentment, the media coverage—it’s all too much—and before he knows exactly what he’s doing, he’s making a run for it, leaving a shocked congregation and flashing cameras in his wake.

Needing to lie low amid the media fallout, Sawyer lands in the charming town of Canoodle, California, where he crosses paths with Fallon Long, who runs the Canoodle Cove Cabins, a family-owned business and Sawyer’s new short-term residence. Overwhelmed with renovations and her long list of responsibilities, Fallon is struggling to make ends meet while attempting to bring the cabins back to their original glory. So when Sawyer arrives, she is grateful for the income, but immediately writes him off as just another vapid Hollywood hack, until he begins to prove her wrong at every turn.

As Fallon comes closer to saving the family business, an undeniable bond forms between her and the handsome screenwriter. But the pressures of her family obligations and Sawyer’s notoriety might prove to be too much for anyone to handle. Could Canoodle be the setting for a new romance—or is true love just a Hollywood cliché?


Review:

Romantic, hopeful, and super sweet!

Runaway Groomsman is a heartwarming, amusing tale that takes you to the idyllic town of Canoodle, California and into the life of the hardworking, kind Fallon Long as she juggles the renovations of her family-owned cabins, a long-distance relationship, taking care of her grandfather struggling with Alzheimer’s, and a growing attraction for a man who, unfortunately, doesn’t even remember their disastrous first date

The prose is smooth and light. The characters, including all the supporting characters, are fun-loving, supportive, and endearing. And the plot is a heartfelt, flirty blend of tricky situations, tender moments, humorous hijinks, self-discovery, new beginnings, friendship, family, happiness, romance, and love.

Overall, Runaway Groomsman is a witty, warm, charming tale by Quinn with irresistible characters that I not only devoured in one sitting but absolutely adored.

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to Thomas Allen & Son for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Meghan Quinn

USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.

#BookReview A Wedding on Sunshine Corner by Phoebe Mills @ReadForeverPub @GrandCentralPub #ReadForever #ReadForever2022 #PhoebeMills #TheSunshineCornerSeries #AWeddingonSunshineCorner

#BookReview A Wedding on Sunshine Corner by Phoebe Mills @ReadForeverPub @GrandCentralPub #ReadForever #ReadForever2022 #PhoebeMills #TheSunshineCornerSeries #AWeddingonSunshineCorner Title: A Wedding on Sunshine Corner

Author: Phoebe Mills

Series: The Sunshine Corner #2

Published by: Forever on Mar. 29, 2022

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 349

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A delightful small-town romance between a daycare teacher and single dad who must overcome their differences to help plan the ultimate wedding.

They’ve driven each other crazy for years, but were they fighting each other—or the chemistry between them?

As the youngest in her loving, overprotective family, Savannah Lowe has always gone with the flow instead of going out on a limb…until now. Her new job running a preschool requires her to be all in. If only the father of one of her students wasn’t her brother’s incredibly infuriating, impossibly attractive best friend. Savannah has no clue what she ever did to make him dislike her, and now they’re stuck spending even more time together planning her brother’s wedding.

Single father Noah Adams has his hands full between his job as a paramedic and caring for his young daughter. The last thing he needs is a complication like Savannah in his life—a girl he remembers being constantly pampered by her family. But the more he gets to know her, the more he sees how kind and compassionate she really is. Now their long-ignored, off-the-charts chemistry has them on a collision course…with each other.


Review:

Heartfelt, entertaining, and sweet!

A Wedding on Sunshine Corner is a passionate, charming tale that mixes the caring, insecure Savannah, who is determined to do whatever it takes to make it on her own and excel at her new position running the local preschool, and the hardworking, single father Noah, who needs all the help he can get even from his best friend’s annoying, yet undeniably attractive little sister.

The writing is smooth and light. The characters are supportive, fun-loving, and engaging. And the plot sweeps you away into a push-pull tale filled with witty banter, shameless flirting, delicious chemistry, awkward situations, friendship, family, light drama, tension, self-reflection, and love.

Overall, A Wedding on Sunshine Corner is, in my opinion, the perfect choice for anyone who loves a delightfully charming small-town romance. I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed the storyline, and I loved the swoon-worthy happy-ever-after ending!

 

This book is available now. 

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

       

 

 

Thank you to Forever and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in an exchange for an honest review.

 

About Phoebe Mills

Phoebe Mills lives near the Great Lakes and loves her family, coffee, and binge-watching, in that order. During the day she wrangles kids and by night she dreams up strong women, dreamy men, and ways to wreak havoc on their lives—before making sure everyone lives happily ever after, of course! It’s a tough job, but there’s nothing else she’d rather do.

#BookReview Keep It in the Family by John Marrs @johnmarrs1 @ThomasAllenLTD @AmazonPub #KeepItintheFamily #JohnMarrs

#BookReview Keep It in the Family by John Marrs @johnmarrs1 @ThomasAllenLTD @AmazonPub #KeepItintheFamily #JohnMarrs Title: Keep It in the Family

Author: John Marrs

Published by: Thomas & Mercer on Oct. 18, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 382

Format: Paperback

Source: Thomas Allen & Son

Book Rating: 9/10

In this chilling novel from bestselling author John Marrs, a young couple’s house hides terrible secrets—and not all of them are confined to the past.

Mia and Finn are busy turning a derelict house into their dream home when Mia unexpectedly falls pregnant. But just when they think the house is ready, Mia discovers a chilling message scored into a skirting board: I WILL SAVE THEM FROM THE ATTIC. Following the clue up into the eaves, the couple make a gruesome discovery: their dream home was once a house of horrors.

In the wake of their traumatic discovery, the baby arrives and Mia can’t shake her fixation with the monstrous crimes that happened right above them. Haunted by the terrible things she saw and desperate to find answers, her obsession pulls her ever further from her husband.

Secrecy shrouds the mystery of the attic, but when shards of a dark truth start to emerge, Mia realises the danger is terrifyingly present. She is prepared to do anything to protect her family—but is it already too late?


Review:

Dark, spine-chilling, and intricately plotted!

Keep It in the Family is an unsettling, compelling, psychological thriller that delves into all the deep, dark secrets people keep even from those closest to them and highlights just how easily the most heinous of evil can often live comfortably amongst us merely hidden behind masks of normality.

The writing is sharp and crisp. The characters are secretive, cunning, and vulnerable. And the plot, told from multiple perspectives, including that of the serial killer, builds quickly creating intensity and suspense as it unravels all the relationships, motivations, personalities, deception, and devious behaviours within it.

Keep It in the Family is, ultimately, a story of lies, deception, revelations, familial drama, depravity, suspicious personalities, manipulation, violence, and murder. It’s a clever, tight, disturbing thrill ride that had just the right amount of twists, turns, and surprises to keep me thoroughly engrossed from start to finish. It’s also surprisingly the first novel I’ve read by Marrs, but I can guarantee it won’t be my last.

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to Thomas Allen & Son for providing me with a copy in exchange for an review.

 

About John Marrs

John Marrs is the author of #1 Best Sellers The One, The Good Samaritan, When You Disappeared, The Vacation, Her Last Move, The Passengers, The Minders and What Lies Between Us. Keep It In The Family and The Marriage Act are released soon.
What Lies won the International Thriller Writers' Best Paperback of 2021 award.
The One has been translated into 30 different languages and is to be turned into an eight-part Netflix series starting in autumn 2020.
After working as a journalist for 25-years interviewing celebrities from the world of television, film and music for national newspapers and magazines, he is now a full-time writer.

#BlogTour #BookReview The Lighthouse Sisters by Gill Thompson @wordkindling @Mobius_Books #TheLighthouseSisters #GillThompson #MobiusBooksUS

#BlogTour #BookReview The Lighthouse Sisters by Gill Thompson @wordkindling @Mobius_Books #TheLighthouseSisters #GillThompson #MobiusBooksUS Title: The Lighthouse Sisters

Author: Gill Thompson

Published by: Headline Books on Oct. 11, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Source: Mobius Books US

Book Rating: 9/10

1996: The war may have ended decades earlier, but for the elegant woman sitting alone now, the images live on in her memory: her sister’s carefree laughter, the inky black of a German soldier’s boots, the little boats that never came back. And the one constant through it all: the lighthouse that always guided them back to the island.

1940: For sisters Alice and Jenny life is just beginning when the Nazis seize control of the island of Jersey, driving the girls down separate paths. While Alice is forced by the enemy to work in the German hospital, Jenny is attracted to the circle of islanders rising up to resist the occupiers. And as the war tightens its grip, it will cause each of the sisters to make an extraordinary choice, experience unimaginable heartbreak and emerge forever changed…


Review:

Absorbing, moving, and impactful!

The Lighthouse Sisters is a poignant, immersive tale predominantly set in Jersey that takes you into the lives of the Robinson family, especially two sisters, Alice, a young nurse working in the local hospital, and Jenny, a bright scholar destined for Cambridge, whose lives are unimaginably changed forever when their homeland is occupied by the Germans during WWII.

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are brave, tenacious, and determined. And the plot is an exceptionally touching tale about life, loss, family, secrets, separation, desperation, forbidden love, tragedy, friendship, and the horrors of war.

Overall, The Lighthouse Sisters is a captivating, emotional, beautifully written tale by Thompson inspired by real-life events that reminds us that there’s always a light that guides us home, and survival of any kind often involves heartbreaking choices, moral dilemmas, action, spirit, and beyond all else, sacrifice and courage.

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

 

Thank you to Mobius Books US for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Gill Thompson

Gill Thompson is an English lecturer who completed an MA in Creative Writing at Chichester University. Her novels THE OCEANS BETWEEN US and THE CHILD ON PLATFORM ONE were both digital bestsellers and have been highly acclaimed. She lives with her family in West Sussex and teaches English to college students.