Book Review

A book review is a summary of my thoughts, feelings, and impression of a book.

#BookReview The Front Porch Club by Michelle Major @michelle_major1 @KayePublicity @HarlequinBooks #TheFrontPorchClub #MichelleMajor #CarolinaGirls

#BookReview The Front Porch Club by Michelle Major @michelle_major1 @KayePublicity @HarlequinBooks #TheFrontPorchClub #MichelleMajor #CarolinaGirls Title: The Front Porch Club

Author: Michelle Major

Series: Carolina Girls #5

Published by: Canary Street Press on May 23, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Kaye Publicity

Book Rating: 8.5/10

They have nothing in common—except a need to start over…

The drawback to having a picture-perfect life is that there’s nowhere to go but down—and Annalise Haverford is falling fast. Once, she was the self-proclaimed queen bee of Magnolia, North Carolina. Now her husband has been arrested for fraud, and she’s become an outcast in the shallow circles she used to rule. There’s only one affordable rental in town, and it’s owned by the woman Annalise got fired from a lucrative job.

Much as single mother Shauna Myer would like to refuse Annalise, who treated her like dirt on the bottom of her red-soled shoe, she needs that rent money. But when Shauna’s first love arrives in town, unraveling secrets she’d hoped to keep, Annalise becomes her unlikely defender. Meghan Banks, an elementary school art teacher whose quiet existence suddenly descends into chaos, is thrown an unexpected lifeline by Annalise, too.

As spring ripens into a sultry summer, the three spur each other on to share their fears and dreams, face new challenges, and seize second chances. Because no matter how turbulent life may be, it’s much easier to navigate those choppy waters when you’re buoyed by true friendship…­ 


Review:

Romantic, cozy, and engaging!

The Front Porch Club is an enchanting, heartwarming story set in the quaint town of Magnolia, North Carolina, that takes you into the lives of three unlikely friends, Shauna, Annalise, and Meghan, who together tackle all the highs and lows of life including single motherhood, new love, old love, career woes, taking chances, and new beginnings.

The prose is fluid and smooth. The characters are genuine, supportive, and reliable. And the plot is a tender, hopeful tale about life, love, family, parenthood, heartbreak, attraction, introspection, contentment, and small-town living.

Overall, The Front Porch Club is another sweet, uplifting, satisfying addition to the Carolina Girls series by Major that touches on the importance of healing, friendship, self-discovery, and finding happiness.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to Kaye Publicity for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Michelle Major

Michelle Major grew up in Ohio but dreamed of living in the mountains. Soon after graduating with a degree in Journalism, she pointed her car west and settled in Colorado. Her life and house are filled with one great husband, two beautiful kids, a few furry pets and several well-behaved reptiles. She’s grateful to have found her passion writing stories with happy endings.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

#BookReview Closer by Sea by Perry Chafe @perrychafe @SimonSchusterCA @ScribnerBooks #CloserbySea #PerryChafe #SimonSchusterCA

#BookReview Closer by Sea by Perry Chafe @perrychafe @SimonSchusterCA @ScribnerBooks #CloserbySea #PerryChafe #SimonSchusterCA Title: Closer by Sea

Author: Perry Chafe

Published by: Scribner on May 23, 2023

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 272

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

From the writer and producer of the hit TV shows Republic of Doyle and Son of a Critch , a poignant coming-of-age debut novel about the mysterious disappearance of a young girl and the fragility of childhood bonds, set against the backdrop of a small island community adapting to an ever-changing landscape.

In 1991, on a small, isolated island off the coast of Newfoundland, twelve-year-old Pierce Jacobs struggles to come to terms with the death of his father. It’s been three years since his dad, a fisherman, disappeared in the cold, unforgiving Atlantic, his body never recovered. Pierce is determined to save enough money to fix his father’s old boat and take it out to sea. But life on the island is quiet and hard. The local fishing industry is on the brink of collapse, threatening to take an ages-old way of life with it. The community is hit even harder when a young teen named Anna Tessier goes missing.

With the help of his three friends, Pierce sets out to find Anna, with whom he shared an unusual but special bond. They soon cross paths with Solomon Vickers, a mysterious, hermetic fisherman who may have something to do with the missing girl. Their search brings them into contact with unrelenting bullies, magnificent sea creatures, fierce storms, and glacial giants. But most of all, it brings them closer to the brutal reality of both the natural and the modern world.

Part coming-of-age story, part literary mystery, and part suspense thriller, Closer by Sea is a page-turning, poignant, and powerful novel about family, friendship, and community set at a pivotal time in modern Newfoundland history. It is an homage to a people and a place, and above all it captures that delicate and tender moment when the wonder of childhood innocence gives way to the harsh awakening of adult experience.


Review:

Atmospheric, mysterious, and immersive!

Closer by Sea is a captivating, poignant tale that sweeps you away to Perigo Island just off the coast of Newfoundland and into the life of twelve-year-old Pierce Jacobs as he spends one summer in 1991 hanging with friends, making a little extra money cutting out cod tongues and selling them to tourists, saving up everything he can to repair his late father’s fishing boat, coming to grips with the disappearance of a young girl he slightly knew, and secretly investigating the old, reclusive stranger he’s sure had something to do with why she seemingly vanished without a trace.

The prose is rich and expressive. The characters are inquisitive, fearless, and impulsive. And the plot is an astute, compelling tale about life, loss, friendship, family, secrets, curiosity, adventure, guilt, death, grief, marine life, mother nature, self-identity, and first crushes.

Overall, Closer by Sea is ultimately a beautifully written coming-of-age tale interwoven with a thread of mystery that does a remarkable job of delving into the complex dynamics that exist between childhood friends and is a wonderful reminder of just how complicated, challenging, memorable and emotional growing up can truly be, especially when doing so in a small island community where everyone knows everyone else.

 

This novel is available now.

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

        

 

 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Perry Chafe

Perry Chafe is a Canadian television writer, showrunner, producer, and songwriter. He is a cofounder and partner in Take the Shot Productions. Perry was the cocreator, showrunner, and head writer for the TV series Republic of Doyle, which ran for six seasons on the CBC, and an executive producer and writer for the Netflix/Discovery series Frontier, starring Jason Momoa. In addition, he was an executive producer and writer for Caught, a CBC limited series based on Lisa Moore’s award-winning novel of the same name. He is currently a writer and producer on the hugely successful CBC series Son of a Critch. Born and raised in the small fishing community of Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, he now lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Closer by Sea is his debut novel.

Photograph by Maureen Ennis

#BookReview No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister @StMartinsPress #NoTwoPersons #EricaBauermeister #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

#BookReview No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister @StMartinsPress #NoTwoPersons #EricaBauermeister #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: No Two Persons

Author: Erica Bauermeister

Published by: St. Martin's Press on May 2, 2023

Genres: General Fiction

Pages: 320

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeister’s No Two Persons is “a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives.”

That was the beauty of books, wasn’t it? They took you places you didn’t know you needed to go…

Alice has always wanted to be a writer. Her talent is innate, but her stories remain safe and detached, until a devastating event breaks her heart open, and she creates a stunning debut novel. Her words, in turn, find their way to readers, from a teenager hiding her homelessness, to a free diver pushing himself beyond endurance, an artist furious at the world around her, a bookseller in search of love, a widower rent by grief. Each one is drawn into Alice’s novel; each one discovers something different that alters their perspective, and presents new pathways forward for their lives.

Together, their stories reveal how books can affect us in the most beautiful and unexpected of ways—and how we are all more closely connected to one another than we might think.


Review:

Compelling, heart-tugging, and absorbing!

No Two Persons is a sensitive, thoughtful tale that takes you into the life of Alice Wein, a young writer who, after the tragic loss of her brother, writes a story that is so special it connects and impacts the lives of nine specific readers who have the opportunity to read it.

The writing is passionate and moving. The characters are stuck, wary, and wistful. And the plot, using a story within a story, sweeps you away into an engaging, touching, heartfelt tale about life, loss, friendship, family, heartbreak, tragedy, the magic of books, and love.

Overall, No Two Persons is a charming, immersive, original tale by Bauermeister that’s a beautiful love letter to books and the power they have to touch, heal, move, and provide hope to anyone lucky enough to read their pages.

 

This book 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 Erica Bauermeister

Erica Bauermeister is the author of the bestselling novel The School of Essential Ingredients, Joy for Beginners, and The Lost Art of Mixing. She is also the co-author of non-fiction works, 500 Great Books by Women: A Reader’s Guide and Let’s Hear It For the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14.

She has a PhD in literature from the University of Washington, and has taught there and at Antioch University. She is a founding member of the Seattle7Writers and currently lives in Port Townsend, Washington.

Photo Credit: Susan Doupé

#BookReview The Postcard by Anne Berest (translated by Tina Kover) @EuropaEditions @PGCBooks #ThePostcard #AnneBerest #PGCBooks #EuropaEditions

#BookReview The Postcard by Anne Berest (translated by Tina Kover) @EuropaEditions @PGCBooks #ThePostcard #AnneBerest #PGCBooks #EuropaEditions Title: The Postcard

Author: Anne Berest

Published by: Europa Editions on May 16, 2023

Genres: Historical Fiction, Nonfiction

Pages: 464

Format: Hardcover

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

Anne Berest’s luminous, moving, and unforgettable new novel The Postcard is the most acclaimed and beloved French book in recent years.

At once a gripping investigation into family secrets, a poignant tale of mothers and daughters, and an enthralling portrait of 20th-century Parisian intellectual and artistic life, The Postcard tells the story of a family devastated by the Holocaust and yet somehow restored by love and the power of storytelling. Heartbreaking, funny, atmospheric, and a sheer joy to read, The Postcard is certain to find fans among readers of Irène Némirovsky’s Suite Française, Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life, and Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See.

January 2003. Together with the usual holiday cards, an anonymous postcard is delivered to the Berest family home. On the front, a photo of the Opéra Garnier in Paris; on the back, the four names of Anne Berest’s maternal great-grandparents, Ephraïm and Emma, and their children, Noémie and Jacques—all of whom died at Auschwitz in 1942.

Almost twenty years after the postcard is delivered, Anne is moved to discover who sent it, and why. Aided by her chain-smoking mother, countless family, friends, and associates, a private detective, a graphologist, and many others, she embarks on a journey to uncover the fate of the Rabinovitch family: their flight from Russia following the revolution, their journey to Latvia, Palestine, and Paris, the war and its aftermath. What emerges is a thrilling and sweeping tale that shatters her certainties about her family, her country, and herself.


Review:

Memorable, candid, and touching!

The Postcard is a poignant, absorbing, fictional autobiography that takes you into the life of Anne, a young woman who, after her daughter is the victim of antisemitism in the schoolyard, decides with the help of her mother to delve into her family’s past to finally discover what truly happened to her grandmother’s parents and siblings who were all arrested, imprisoned, and slaughtered in Auschwitz in 1942, and to once and for all uncover the identity of the person who in 2003 mailed a postcard to the family home that only contained a list of their names.

The prose is insightful and authentic. The characters are strong, intelligent, and determined. And the plot is an illuminating tale of life, loss, love, family, sacrifice, courage, survival, selflessness, determination, history, culture, the inconceivable horrors of war, and the special bonds that exist between mothers and daughters.

Overall, The Postcard is ultimately a heart-wrenching, affecting, personal family tale by Berest that highlights the importance and empowerment of self-identity and is a sobering reminder of all the millions of lives that were senselessly violated and lost in this heinous time in history.

 

This book is available now.

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

          

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Anne Berest

Anne Berest is the bestselling co-author of How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are (Doubleday, 2014) and the author of a novel based on the life of French writer Françoise Sagan. With her sister Claire, she is also the author of Gabriële, a critically acclaimed biography of her great-grandmother, Gabriële Buffet-Picabia, Marcel Duchamp’s lover and muse. She is the great-granddaughter of the painter Francis Picabia. For her work as a writer and prize-winning showrunner, she has been profiled in publications such as French Vogue and Haaretz newspaper. The recipient of numerous literary awards, The Postcard was a finalist for the Goncourt Prize and has been a long-selling bestseller in France.

Photograph © DR

#BookReview Emma of 83rd Street by Audrey Bellezza & Emily Harding @SimonSchusterCA @GalleryBooks #Emmaof83rdStreet #AudreyBellezza #EmilyHarding #SimonSchusterCA

#BookReview Emma of 83rd Street by Audrey Bellezza & Emily Harding @SimonSchusterCA @GalleryBooks #Emmaof83rdStreet #AudreyBellezza #EmilyHarding #SimonSchusterCA Title: Emma of 83rd Street

Author: Audrey Bellezza, Emily Harding

Published by: Gallery Books on May 23, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 384

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

In this witty and romantic debut novel, Jane Austen’s Emma meets the misadventures of Manhattan’s modern dating scene as two lifelong friends discover that, in the search for love, you sometimes don’t have to look any further than your own backyard.

Beautiful, clever, and rich, Emma Woodhouse has lived twenty-three years in her tight-knit Upper East Side neighborhood with very little to distress or vex her…that is, until her budding matchmaking hobby results in her sister’s marriage—and subsequent move downtown. Now, with her sister gone and all her friends traveling abroad, Emma must start her final year of grad school grappling with an entirely new emotion: boredom. So when she meets Nadine, a wide-eyed Ohio transplant with a heart of gold and drugstore blonde highlights to match, Emma not only sees a potential new friend but a new project. If only her overbearing neighbor George Knightley would get out of her way.

Handsome, smart, and successful, the only thing that frustrates Knightley more than a corked whiskey is his childhood friend, Emma. Whether it’s her shopping sprees between classes or her revolving door of ill-conceived hobbies, he is only too happy to lecture her on all the finer points of adulthood she’s so hell-bent on ignoring. But despite his gripes—and much to his own chagrin—Knightley can’t help but notice that the girl next door is a woman now…one who he suddenly can’t get out of his head.

As Emma’s best laid plans collide with everyone from hipster baristas to meddling family members to flaky playboy millionaires, these two friends slowly realize their need to always be right has been usurped by a new need entirely, and it’s not long before they discover that even the most familiar stories still have some surprises.


Review:

Fresh, uplifting, and spicy!

Emma of 83rd Street is a charming, engaging tale that takes us to NYC and into the life of the kind, trendy Emma Woodhouse as she makes new friends, nears graduation, seeks to obtain the career of her dreams, relies a little too heavily on her overconfident matchmaking skills, and navigates a growing attraction to the boy next door who only sees her as a friend who still needs to do a little growing up.

The writing style is witty and sharp. The characters are amusing, layered, and supportive. And the plot is a smart, engaging tale full of tricky moments, awkward situations, quirky mishaps, delicious chemistry, snappy banter, romantic drama, glitz, glamour, tension, friendship, and self-reflection.

Overall, Emma of 83rd Street is an enjoyable, entertaining, modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma that’s an outstanding debut by Bellezza & Harding with its endearing characters, heartfelt moments, contemporary storyline, and ending that leaves you with a smile.

 

This novel is available now.

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

             

 

 

 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Audrey Bellezza

Audrey Bellezza is a two-time Emmy-nominated TV producer who has spent over twenty years writing, developing, and executive producing nonfiction television shows for a number of networks and streaming platforms. Audrey lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children.

Photography by Monika Normand

About Emily Harding

Emily Harding is a writer and TV producer whose work has appeared on numerous networks and websites. When not hunched over her computer working on her bad posture, she can be found losing another game of Monopoly to her husband and two kids.

Photography by Monika Normand

#BookReview Funny Guy by Emma Barry @AuthorEmmaBarry @KayePublicity @KayePublicity @AmazonPub #FunnyGuy #EmmaBarry #Montlake #KayePublicity

#BookReview Funny Guy by Emma Barry @AuthorEmmaBarry @KayePublicity @KayePublicity @AmazonPub #FunnyGuy #EmmaBarry #Montlake #KayePublicity Title: Funny Guy

Author: Emma Barry

Published by: Montlake Romance on May 16, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 271

Format: Paperback

Source: Kaye Publicity

Book Rating: 7.5/10

From the author of Chick Magnet comes a heartfelt friends-to-lovers story about what can happen when a funny guy and his childhood best friend are stuck together in a small New York City apartment.

Sam can’t escape the smash hit “Lost Boy” because, well, he is the lost boy. His pop-singer ex immortalized him in a song about his childish ways, and now his comedy career is on the line.

At least he still has Bree, his best friend and confidante. Bree has always been there for Sam, but she’s never revealed her biggest secret: she’s in love with him. To help herself move on, Bree applies for her dream job across the country―and doesn’t say a thing to Sam.

But as Sam tries to resuscitate his career, he turns to Bree for support―and maybe more. In the confines of her tiny apartment, they share a different dynamic. A charged dynamic. But she’s his friend. He can’t be falling for her.

Except he is.

Are his feelings for Bree just funny business? Or is their smoldering attraction the real deal?


Review:

Witty, optimistic, and sweet!

Funny Guy is an uplifting, layered tale that mixes the kind, hardworking Bree, who may finally have to come to grips with the fact that her childhood best friend doesn’t love her in the same way she loves him, and Sam, the hotheaded, impulsive comedian who seems to use his tortured past and feelings of worthlessness to continually try to destroy his successful career and any relationships that could be long-lasting.

The writing is warm and charming. The characters are patient, supportive, and scarred. And the plot is a delightful mix of life, love, friendship, chemistry, attraction, heartfelt moments, introspection, taking chances, and moving on.

Overall, Funny Guy is a captivating, tender, quick read by Barry that did a wonderful job of mixing heavier issues with some lighthearted fun.

 

This book is available now.

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

     

 

 

Thank you to Kaye Publicity for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Emma Barry

Emma Barry is a teacher, novelist, recovering academic, and former political staffer. She lives with her high school sweetheart and a menagerie of pets and children in Virginia, and she occasionally finds time to read and write.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

#BookReview The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren @christinalauren @SimonSchusterCA @GalleryBooks #TheTrueLoveExperiment #ChristinaLauren #SimonSchusterCA

#BookReview The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren @christinalauren @SimonSchusterCA @GalleryBooks #TheTrueLoveExperiment #ChristinaLauren #SimonSchusterCA Title: The True Love Experiment

Author: Christina Lauren

Published by: Gallery Books on May 16, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 416

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

Sparks fly when a romance novelist and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the perfect Hollywood love story and take both of their careers to the next level—but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script.

Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is lost. Sure, she’s got an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist with a slew of bestsellers under her belt, but when she’s asked to give a commencement address, it hits her: she hasn’t been practicing what she’s preached.

Fizzy hasn’t ever really been in love. Lust? Definitely. But that swoon-worthy, can’t-stop-thinking-about-him, all-encompassing feeling? Nope. Nothing. What happens when the optimism she’s spent her career encouraging in readers starts to feel like a lie?

Connor Prince, documentary filmmaker and single father, loves his work in large part because it allows him to live near his daughter. But when his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show, putting his job on the line, Connor is out of his element. Desperate to find his romantic lead, a chance run-in with an exasperated Fizzy offers Connor the perfect solution. What if he could show the queen of romance herself falling head-over-heels for all the world to see? Fizzy gives him a hard pass—unless he agrees to her list of demands. When he says yes, and production on The True Love Experimentbegins, Connor wonders if that perfect match will ever be in the cue cards for him, too.

The True Love Experiment is the book fans have been waiting for ever since Fizzy’s debut in The Soulmate Equation. But when the lights come on and all eyes are on her, it turns out the happily ever after Fizzy had all but given up on might lie just behind the camera.


Review:

Charming, witty, and addictive!

The True Love Experiment is an amusing, heart-tugging tale that takes you into the life of Felicity Chen, a successful romance writer who, after realizing she has never truly been in love, reluctantly agrees to be the star of a new bachelor-type show based on her best friend’s DNA technology even if it means working closely with Connor Prince, the single father and documentary filmmaker who may find something he never knew he was actually looking for while producing a reality show he only agreed to do to save his career.

The writing style is humorous and crisp. The characters are fun, charming, quirky, and endearing. And the plot is an irresistible, enchanting mix of life, love, drama, friendship, emotion, snappy dialogue, hilarious hijinks, smouldering chemistry, tender moments, and steamy romance.

Overall, The True Love Experiment is pure magic. It’s a light, funny, entertaining read that’s deliciously swoon-worthy, undoubtedly one of my favourite reads of the year, and even though I never thought I’d say it, may have finally knocked The Unhoneymooners from the top spot on my list of favourite novels written by this amazing duo.

This novel is available now.

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

             

 

 

 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Christina Lauren

Christina Lauren is the combined penname of longtime writing partners/best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the New York Times, USA TODAY, and #1 International bestselling authors of The Beautiful and Wild Seasons series, Dating You/Hating You, Roomies, Love and Other Words, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, and the critically acclaimed Autoboyography.

Photograph by Alyssa Michelle.

#BookReview The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese @PGCBooks @groveatlantic #TheCovenantofWater #AbrahamVerghese #PGCBooks

#BookReview The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese @PGCBooks @groveatlantic #TheCovenantofWater #AbrahamVerghese #PGCBooks Title: The Covenant of Water

Author: Abraham Verghese

Published by: Grove Press on May 2, 2023

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 736

Format: Hardcover

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

From the New York Times–bestselling author of Cutting for Stone comes a stunning and magisterial new epic of love, faith, and medicine, set in Kerala and following three generations of a family seeking the answers to a strange secret.

The Covenant of Water is the long-awaited new novel by Abraham Verghese, the author of Cutting for Stone. Published in 2009, Cutting for Stone became a literary phenomenon, selling over 1.5 million copies in the United States alone and remaining on the New York Times bestseller list for over two years.

Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on South India’s Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning—and in Kerala, water is everywhere. The family is part of a Christian community that traces itself to the time of the apostles, but times are shifting, and the matriarch of this family, known as Big Ammachi—literally “Big Mother”—will witness unthinkable changes at home and at large over the span of her extraordinary life. All of Verghese’s great gifts are on display in this new work: there are astonishing scenes of medical ingenuity, fantastic moments of humor, a surprising and deeply moving story, and characters imbued with the essence of life.

A shimmering evocation of a lost India and of the passage of time itself, The Covenant of Water is a hymn to progress in medicine and to human understanding, and a humbling testament to the hardships undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. It is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years.


Review:

Sensuous, poignant, and elaborately plotted!

The Covenant of Water is a powerful, riveting, emotionally-charged multi-generational story that sweeps you away to Southern India between 1900 and 1977 and into the lives of the Parambil family, especially the women, and all the secrets, smiles, tears, misery, curses, grief, compassion, strength, powerful emotions, and unimaginable tragedy that has tied them together through the years.

The prose is lyrical and expressive. The characters are multi-layered, tormented, resilient, and vulnerable. And the plot is a heart-tugging, incredibly immersive tale of life, love, loss, grief, family, friendship, ambitions, courage, desperation, self-preservation, motherhood, infectious diseases, medical interventions, and devastating genetic afflictions.

Overall, The Covenant of Water is the perfect blend of historical facts and compelling fiction. It’s a hefty book at just over 700 pages, but it’s a book that needs to be read and a book that needs to be savoured, and just like Verghese’s previous novel Cutting for Stone, it is so beautifully written, unique, impactful and memorable that I am sure to be recommending it for many years to come.

This book is available now.

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

        

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Abraham Verghese

Abraham Verghese is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the author of books including the NBCC Award finalist My Own Country and the New York Times Notable Book The Tennis Partner. His most recent book, Cutting for Stone, spent 107 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and sold more than 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. It was translated into more than twenty languages and is being adapted for film by Anonymous Content. Verghese was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2016, has received five honorary degrees, and is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He lives and practices medicine in Stanford, California where he is the Linda R. Meier and Joan F. Lane Provostial Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine. A decade in the making, The Covenant of Water is his first book since Cutting for Stone.

#BookReview The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead @ashleywinstead @KayePublicity @HarlequinBooks #TheBoyfriendCandidate #AshleyWinstead #GraydonHouseBooks #KayePublicity

#BookReview The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead @ashleywinstead @KayePublicity @HarlequinBooks #TheBoyfriendCandidate #AshleyWinstead #GraydonHouseBooks #KayePublicity Title: The Boyfriend Candidate

Author: Ashley Winstead

Published by: Graydon House on May 9, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Kaye Publicity

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A laugh-out-loud rom-com about learning to embrace living outside your comfort zone.

As a shy school librarian, Alexis Stone is comfortable keeping out of the spotlight. But when she’s dumped for being too meek—in bed!—the humiliation is a wake-up call. She decides she needs to change, and what better way to kick-start her new more adventurous life than with her first one-night stand?

Enter Logan, the gorgeous, foul-mouthed stranger she meets at a hotel bar. Logan is audacious and filterless, making him Alexis’s opposite—and boy, do opposites attract! Just as she’s about to fulfill her hookup wish, the hotel catches fire in a freak lightning storm—and in their rush to escape, Logan is discovered carrying her into the street, where people are waiting with cameras. Cameras Logan promptly—and shockingly—flees.

Alexis is bewildered until breaking news hits: pictures of her and Logan escaping the fire are all over the internet. It turns out Logan is none other than Logan Arthur, the hotshot politician challenging the Texas governor’s seat. The salacious images are poised to sink his career—and jeopardize Alexis’s job—until a solution is proposed: to squash the scandal, he and Alexis could pretend to be in a relationship until election day…in two months. What could possibly go wrong?


Review:

Clever, engaging, and sassy!

The Boyfriend Candidate is a flirty, feel-good tale about the hardworking, timid Alexis Stone who, after deciding to embark on a one-night stand after having her confidence shattered by an ex, finds her world turned upside down when her date turns out to be none other than Logan Arthur, the latest candidate for governor of Texas, and for the benefit of both their reputations and the political campaign agrees to fake date him until the election is over.

The prose is witty and sharp. The characters are focused, amusing, and driven. And the plot is a lighthearted, funny blend of life, love, introspection, friendship, secrets, deception, awkward situations, sweet moments and taking chances.

Overall, The Boyfriend Candidate is another charming, touching, delightful tale by Winstead that I thoroughly enjoyed and which, in my opinion, is the perfect choice for anyone who loves a good romcom that has a whole lot of hope, heart, and humour.

 

This book is available now.

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

 

         

 

 

Thank you to Kaye Publicity for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Ashley Winstead

Ashley Winstead holds a Ph.D. in contemporary American literature from Southern Methodist University and a B.A. in English and Art History from Vanderbilt University. She lives in Houston, TX, where she drinks red wine and dreams up novels.

Photo by Luis Noble.

#BookReview Dark Succession by Katee Robert @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #ReadForever2023 #KateeRobert #DarkSuccession #TheOMalleysSeries

#BookReview Dark Succession by Katee Robert @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #ReadForever2023 #KateeRobert #DarkSuccession #TheOMalleysSeries Title: Dark Succession

Author: Katee Robert

Series: The O'Malleys #1

Published by: Forever on May 9, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 8/10

The New York Timesbestselling author of Radiant Sin delivers a smoking hot series about the O’Malley familywealthy, powerful, dangerous and seething with scandal.

Teague O’Malley hates everything associated with his family’s name. And when his father orders him to marry Callista Sheridan to create a “business” alliance, Teague’s ready to cut ties once and for all. But then Teague actually meets Callista, sees the bruises on her neck and the trauma in her eyes and vows he will do everything in his power to avenge her.

Everyone knows the O’Malleys are dangerous. But Callie wasn’t prepared for his brand of lethal grace and coiled power. His slightest touch scorches through her. But the closer they get, the more trouble they’re in. Because Callie’s keeping a dark secret—and what Teague doesn’t know could get him killed.

Previously published as The Marriage Contract.


Review:

Menacing, sultry, and romantic!

Dark Succession is a provocative, edgy tale that takes you into the lives of two main characters, Callista Sheridan, a young woman with little to say in who she will marry when her father is determined to use his last living heir to form a strong alliance with one of the other more powerful Boston families, and the handsome, intelligent Teague who would be more than happy to have absolutely nothing to do with any of his families illegal and nefarious underworld activities.

The writing is crisp and taut. The characters are relentless, committed, and powerful. And the story starts with a bang and never lets up as it takes you on a suspenseful thrill ride full of twists, turns, deception, familial drama, tender moments, red-hot chemistry, violence, and mafia rivalry.

Overall, Dark Succession is a dark, action-packed, passionate tale by Robert that kept me on my toes, packed a good punch of spice, and ultimately left me intrigued for a little more O’Malleys.

 

This novel is available now.

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

     

 

 

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

 

About Katee Robert

Katee Robert is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Entertainment Weekly calls her writing “unspeakably hot.” Her books have sold over a million copies. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, children, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and two Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

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