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#BookReview Real Easy by Marie Rutkoski @HenryHolt #RealEasy #MarieRutkoski #HenryHoltBooks

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#BookReview Real Easy by Marie Rutkoski @HenryHolt #RealEasy #MarieRutkoski #HenryHoltBooks Title: Real Easy

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Published by: Henry Holt and Co. on Jan. 18, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 320

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Henry Holt and Co.

Book Rating: 8.5/10

It’s 1999 and Samantha has danced for years at the Lovely Lady strip club. She’s not used to mixing work and friendship―after all, between her jealous boyfriend and his young daughter, she has enough on her plate. But the newest dancer is so clueless that Samantha feels compelled to help her learn the hustle and drama of the club: how to sweet-talk the boss, fit in with the other women, and make good money. One night, when the new girl needs a ride home, Samantha agrees to drive: a simple decision that turns deadly.

Georgia, another dancer drawn into the ensuing murder and missing person investigation, gathers information for Holly, a grieving detective determined to solve the case. Georgia just wants to help, but her involvement makes her a target. As Holly and Georgia round up their suspects, the story’s point of view shifts between dancers, detectives, children, club patrons―and the killer.

Drawing on her experience as a former dancer, Marie Rutkoski immerses us in the captivating world of the club, which comes alive with complicated people trying their best to protect themselves and those they love. Character-driven and masterfully plotted, Real Easy gets to the heart of the timeless question: How do women live their lives knowing that men can hurt them?

Review:

Intricate, addictive, and twisty!

Real Easy is a complex, gritty, character-driven thriller that takes you back to 1999 and into the lives of a myriad of people, including Detectives Amador and Meylin, as they work together to solve a case involving a murdered stripper, her missing coworker Samantha, and a killer who seems to have an unusual fascination with the image of a crown and enjoys keeping small pieces of jewellery as mementoes.

The prose is vigorous and tight. The characters are multilayered, flawed, and troubled. And the plot, told from multiple perspectives, quickly unravels into a sinister tale of unforeseen twists, well-timed surprises, complex relationships, suspicious motivations, manipulation, obsession, tragedy, loss, and murder.

Overall, Real Easy is a dark, unnerving, entertaining adult debut by Rutkoski that kept me guessing from the very first page and left me chilled, satisfied, impressed, and curious to see what her devious mind might 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 Henry Holt and Company for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Marie Rutkoski

Marie Rutkoski is a New York Times bestselling author of several novels for children and young adults. She grew up in Illinois as the oldest of four children, and has lived in Moscow, Prague, and Paris.

She holds degrees from the University of Iowa and Harvard University, and is now a professor of English literature at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Shakespeare, children’s literature, and fiction writing. She lives in Brooklyn with her family and two cats, Cloud and Firefly.

Photo by Beowulf Sheehan.

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#BookReview Where I Can’t Follow by Ashley Blooms @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #WhereICantFollow #AshleyBlooms #bookmarkedbylandmark

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#BookReview Where I Can’t Follow by Ashley Blooms @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #WhereICantFollow #AshleyBlooms #bookmarkedbylandmark Title: Where I Can't Follow

Author: Ashley Blooms

Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark on Feb. 15, 2022

Genres: Fantasy, Women's Fiction

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Landmark

Book Rating: 9/10

Walk through the door and leave all your problems behind…but you don’t know what’s on the other side. And once you leave, you’ll never come back. Will you go through?

Maren Walker told herself she wouldn’t need to sell pills for long, that it was only means to an end. But that end seems to be stretching as far away as the other side of Blackdamp County, Kentucky. There’s always another bill for Granny’s doctor, another problem with the car, another reason she’s getting nowhere.

She dreams of walking through her little door to leave it all behind. The doors have appeared to the people in her mountain town for as long as anyone can remember, though no one knows where they lead. All anyone knows is that if you go, you’ll never come back.

Maren’s mother left through her door when Maren was nine, and her shadow has followed Maren ever since. When she faces the possibility of escaping her struggles for good, Maren must choose just what kind of future she wants to build.

From critically acclaimed author Ashley Blooms, Where I Can’t Follow explores the forces that hold people in place, and how they adapt, survive, and struggle to love a place that doesn’t always love them back.

Review:

Heart-wrenching, thought-provoking, and memorable!

Where I Can’t Follow is an incredibly moving novel that takes us to small-town Kentucky where emotions run high, tragedy seems to strike, poverty is the norm, opioid addiction is rampant, hope appears futile, and the door to an easier, happier place always seems to be floating nearby.

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are raw, fragile, and conflicted. And the plot is a sobering, compelling tale of life, love, loss, family, friendship, addiction, mental illness, suicidal ideation, socioeconomic depression, desperation, self-preservation, survival and a touch of magical realism.

Overall, Where I Can’t Follow made me think, made me feel, and resonated with me long after the final page. It’s a unique, emotional, absorbing tale by Blooms that is an excellent reminder that thorns can prick, roots can turn rotten, growth requires nurturing and love, and believing you’re worthy goes a long way when the road ahead seems hopeless and daunting.

 

This book is available now.

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

           

 

 

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Ashley Blooms

Ashley Blooms is the author of Where I Can’t Follow, which was named a Most Anticipated novel by Good Housekeeping, Gizmodo, and Tor.com, among others. Her debut novel, Every Bone a Prayer, was long-listed for the Crook’s Corner Book Prize. She’s a graduate of the Clarion Writer’s Workshop and received her MFA as a John and Renee Grisham Fellow from the University of Mississippi. Her fiction has appeared in The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Strange Horizons, among others.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

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#BookReview Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson @our_friendly_farmhouse @uplitreads #meetmeinthemargins #melissaferguson #uplitreadscampaign

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#BookReview Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson @our_friendly_farmhouse @uplitreads #meetmeinthemargins #melissaferguson #uplitreadscampaign Title: Meet Me in the Margins

Author: Melissa Ferguson

Published by: Thomas Nelson on Feb. 15, 2022

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 320

Format: Paperback

Source: Uplit Reads

Book Rating: 8/10

Savannah Cade is a low-level editor at Pennington Publishing, a prestigious publisher producing only the highest of highbrow titles. And while editing the latest edition of The Anthology of Medieval Didactic Poetry may be her day job, she has two secrets she’s hiding.

One: She’s writing a romance novel.

Two: She’s discovered the Book Nook—a secret room in the publishing house where she finds inspiration for her “lowbrow” hobby.

After leaving her manuscript behind one afternoon, she returns to the nook only to discover someone has written notes in the margins. Savannah’s first response to the criticism is defensive, but events transpire that force her to admit that she needs the help of this shadowy editor after all. As the notes take a turn for the romantic, and as Savannah’s madcap life gets more complicated than ever, she uses the process of elimination to identify her mysterious editor—only to discover that what she truly wants and what she should want just might not be the same. Melissa Ferguson’s latest—a love letter to books, readers, and romance—will leave fans laughing out loud and swooning in the same breath.

Review:

Cute, light, and heartwarming!

Meet Me in the Margins is a sweet, engaging, quirky tale that takes you on a journey into the life of nonfiction editor Savannah Cade as she navigates career uncertainty, financial struggles, romantic entanglements, demanding expectations, an unsupportive family, and a mystery reader who is blunt but nevertheless extremely helpful.

The writing is amusing and fluid. The characters are endearing, dependable, and supportive. And the plot is a lovely blend of tension, humour, chemistry, friendship, workplace drama, awkward mishaps, tender moments, self-reflection, tricky situations, taking chances, moving forward, and the ups and downs of editing.

Overall, Meet Me in the Margins is a charming, tender, delightful story by Ferguson that was a pleasure to read, with its characters I couldn’t help but root for, and an interesting, insightful look into the complex world of publishing.

 

This book 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 Melissa Ferguson

Melissa Ferguson lives in Bristol, Tennessee, where she enjoys chasing her children and writing romantic comedies full of humor and heart. Her favorite hobby is taking friends and acquaintances and turning them into characters in her books without their knowledge. She is confident you should read all her novels, starting with this one.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

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#BookReview A Winter Memory by Lulu Taylor @MissLuluTaylor @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #AWinterMemory #LuluTaylor

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#BookReview A Winter Memory by Lulu Taylor @MissLuluTaylor @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #AWinterMemory #LuluTaylor Title: A Winter Memory

Author: Lulu Taylor

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Jan. 4, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 576

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A house full of secrets lies at the heart of this absorbing family drama that is perfect for the winter months, from Sunday Times top ten bestselling author Lulu Taylor.

Where is Sylla? Why will no one tell me where she is?

Helen is married to Angus, the younger of the Ballintyre brothers. They met as students and Helen fell in love, not just with Angus but with the romantic Ballintyre family and their beautiful house on the edge of a loch. But marriage to Angus has not proved happy.

Now, years later and with a family, Helen and Angus have been forced to move back to live at Ballintyre with his older brother, Charlie. Helen is surprised to find that Sylla, Charlie’s wife, has disappeared and no one seems to know where she is. Helen is worried, not least because Charlie and Sylla lost their teenage daughter, Rose, only a year before. Surely someone should be looking for her . . .

Sylla Ballintyre has spent her life ministering to her husband, Charlie, and coping with the presence of his overbearing mother, Josephine, until the tragedy of losing Rose drained her happiness away. When she stumbles on the path to freedom, she knows she must take it, whatever the cost.

As Helen struggles with the fallout of recent events and its effect on her life, Ballintyre House becomes the setting for revelations of love, obsession and betrayal that have resonated beyond the present and into the past, affecting the lives of all those who have called it home.

Review:

Brooding, nostalgic, and heart-tugging!

A Winter Memory is predominantly set in the Scottish countryside during the late 1960s, as well as present day, and is told from two different perspectives, Tigs, a young woman struggling with the feelings she has for her childhood friend even after he goes off and marries someone else, and Helen, a wife and mother who finds her life unexpectedly turned upside down when her husband loses his job, they relocate to his family’s estate, and her sister-in-law seems to have up and disappeared without a trace.

The writing is descriptive and smooth. The characters are multilayered, secretive, and troubled. And the plot, including all the subplots, unravel and intertwine seamlessly into a mysterious tale filled with life, loss, secrets, betrayal, lies, obsession, friendship, misdirection, and unrequited love.

Overall, A Winter Memory is another atmospheric, rich, multi-generational family saga by Taylor that kept me engaged and entertained from the very first page and reminded me that life can be complicated, messy, challenging, too short, and often terribly heartbreaking.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to Publishers Group Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Lulu Taylor

Lulu Taylor moved around the world as a child before her family settled in the Oxfordshire countryside. She studied English at Oxford University and had a successful career in publishing before becoming a writer. Her first novel, Heiresses was published in 2007 and nominated for the RNA Readers' Choice award. It was followed by Midnight Girls, Beautiful Creatures, Outrageous Fortune, The Winter Folly, The Snow Angel, The Winter Children, and The Snow Rose. She lives in Dorset, England, with her husband and two children.

Photograph by Alicia Clarke.

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#BookReview Neon Gods by Katee Robert @katee_robert @SourcebooksCasa #KateeRobert #NeonGods #DarkOlympus #SourcebooksCasa

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#BookReview Neon Gods by Katee Robert @katee_robert @SourcebooksCasa #KateeRobert #NeonGods #DarkOlympus #SourcebooksCasa Title: Neon Gods

Author: Katee Robert

Series: Dark Olympus #1

Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca on Jun. 1, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Fantasy

Pages: 380

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Book Rating: 8.5/10

He was supposed to be a myth. But from the moment I crossed the River Styx and fell under his dark spell… he was, quite simply, mine.

Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that’s ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city’s dark facade.

With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil’s bargain with a man she once believed a myth… a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.

Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he’s spent years craving, it’s all the excuse he needs to help her—for a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he’ll go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close…

A modern retelling of Hades and Persephone that’s as sinful as it is sweet.

Review:

Titillating, edgy, and unique!

Neon Gods is a dramatic, spicy retelling that takes you on a journey into the life of Persephone Dimitriou, the dutiful, intelligent daughter of Demeter who, after finding out her marriage to the cruel, ancient Zeus has been arranged, flees to the only place she thinks she’ll be safe, across the River Styx, into the arms of the one man she never believed truly existed, the devilishly handsome, darkly sexy Hades.

The writing is sultry and smooth. The characters are intense, impulsive, and brazen. And the tantalizing, alluring plot is filled with desire, temptation, danger, deception, mystique, palpable attraction, sizzling chemistry, violence, and erotic sex scenes.

Overall, Neon Gods is an intriguing, seductive, mystical tale by Robert that had just the right amount of mystery, steam, mythology characters, and bad boy vibes to keep me engaged from start to finish. As most of you know, I don’t read a lot of fantasy, and I have never read a novel by Katee Robert before, but I have to tell you I really enjoyed this one, and I can’t wait to read what happens in Dark Olympus next.

 

This novel 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 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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#BookReview In the Shadow of the Mountain by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado @silviavasla @HenryHolt #IntheShadowoftheMountain #SilviaVasquezLavado

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#BookReview In the Shadow of the Mountain by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado @silviavasla @HenryHolt #IntheShadowoftheMountain #SilviaVasquezLavado Title: In the Shadow of the Mountain

Author: Silvia Vasquez-Lavado

Published by: Henry Holt and Co. on Feb. 1, 2022

Genres: Nonfiction

Pages: 320

Format: Hardcover

Source: Henry Holt and Co.

Book Rating: 10/10

Endless ice. Thin air. The threat of dropping into nothingness thousands of feet below. This is the climb Silvia Vasquez-Lavado braves in her page-turning, pulse-raising memoir following her journey to Mount Everest.

A Latina hero in the elite macho tech world of Silicon Valley, privately, she was hanging by a thread. Deep in the throes of alcoholism, hiding her sexuality from her family, and repressing the abuse she’d suffered as a child, she started climbing. Something about the brute force required for the ascent― the risk and spirit and sheer size of the mountains and death’s close proximity―woke her up. She then took her biggest pain as a survivor to the biggest mountain: Everest.

“The Mother of the World,” as it’s known in Nepal, allows few to reach her summit, but Silvia didn’t go alone. She gathered a group of young female survivors and led them to base camp alongside her. It was never easy. At times hair-raising, nerve-racking, and always challenging, Silvia remembers the acute anxiety of leading a group of novice climbers to Everest’s base, all the while coping with her own nerves of summiting. But, there were also moments of peace, joy, and healing with the strength of her fellow survivors and community propelling her forward.

In the Shadow of the Mountain is a remarkable story of heroism, one which awakens in all of us a lust for adventure, an appetite for risk, and faith in our own resilience.

Review:

Honest, affecting, and incredibly inspiring!

In the Shadow of the Mountain is a candid, memorable memoir that takes you into the life of Silvia Vasquez-Lavado, from her childhood in Peru where she was sexually abused by a family friend, her post-secondary education as an immigrant and lesbian in the green hills of Pennsylvania, an incredibly successful career in silicon valley, to her love of climbing that not only gave her an extreme physical challenge but an outlet to emotionally heal herself and touch the lives of other exploited souls.

The prose is heartfelt and genuine. And the novel is a forthright, sincere tale of one woman’s personal experience with abuse, loss, love, support, friendship, family, addiction, heartbreak, shame, determination, and ultimately the grit and strength needed to scale the Seven Summits of the world.

Overall, In the Shadow of the Mountain is a moving, impactful, lovely tale by Vasquez-Lavado that delves into all the physical, psychological, and emotional effects of being a victim, survivor, addict, lover, extreme adventurer, and mentor. It is truly a beautiful tale that, at its core, is empowering and an important reminder that we have within us all the power to conquer anything.

 

This book is available now.

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

               

 

 

 

Thank you to Henry Holt and Company for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Silvia Vasquez-Lavado

Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a humanitarian, mountaineer, explorer, social entrepreneur, and technologist living in San Francisco. In 2014, she launched Courageous Girls, a nonprofit that helps survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking with opportunities to find inner strength and cultivate their voices by demonstrating their physical strength. Courageous Girls has had projects in Nepal, India, the United States, and Peru. Vasquez-Lavado was recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the Corporate Heroes of 2015. CNET named her one of the 20 Most Influential Latinos in Silicon Valley. She has also been recognized by the Peruvian government as one of the “Marca Peru” ambassadors (country brand ambassadors). She is a member of the Explorers Club and one of the few women in the world to complete the Seven Summits.

Photo by Emily Assiran.

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#BookReview Play Dead by Angela Marsons @WriteAngie @GrandCentralPub #AngelaMarsons #PlayDead #DIKimStoneSeries

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#BookReview Play Dead by Angela Marsons @WriteAngie @GrandCentralPub #AngelaMarsons #PlayDead #DIKimStoneSeries Title: Play Dead

Author: Angela Marsons

Series: DI Kim Stone #4

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Jan. 18, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 10/10

Detective Kim Stone discovers the best place to hide a murder in this gripping psychological thriller from USA Today bestselling author Angela Marsons.

Westerley research facility is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a “body farm” known for its investigations into human decomposition, with inhabitants that are corpses in various states of decay. But when Detective Kim Stone and her team discover the fresh body of a young woman among the donated cadavers there, it seems a killer has discovered the perfect cover to bury their crime.

Then a second girl is attacked and left for dead, her body drugged and mouth filled with soil. It’s clear to Stone and the team that a serial killer is at work. But just how many bodies will they uncover? And who is next?

When local reporter Tracy Frost disappears, the stakes are raised. The past seems to hold the key to the killer’s secrets—but can Kim uncover the truth before a twisted, damaged mind claims another victim?

Review:

Relentless, unpredictable, and sinister!

In this latest novel in the DI Kim Stone series, Play Dead, Marsons has written a gripping, fast-paced mystery that sees Detective Inspective Stone and her team heading to the Westerley research facility to investigate an eerie case involving a potential serial killer with a penchant for dumping their victims amongst the decaying corpses being researched at the local body farm.

The writing is crisp and tight. The characters are impulsive, secretive, and scarred. And the plot keeps you engrossed from start to finish with all its twists, turns, deception, revelations, revenge, retribution, violence, and murder.

I have to say this series keeps getting better and better. Play Dead is an intricate, suspenseful, perfectly paced whodunit that has all the elements I look for in a thrilling mystery, along with a touch of authenticity not always found in police procedurals that kept me riveted and eager for more.

 

This book is available now.

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

            

 

 

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

 

About Angela Marsons

Angela Marsons is the USA Today bestselling author of the Detective Kim Stone series, and her books have sold more than four million copies and have been translated into twenty-seven languages. She lives in the Black Country, in the West Midlands of England, with her partner and their two Golden Retrievers. She first discovered her love of writing at junior school when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read “Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people’s.” After writing women’s fiction, Angela turned to crime — fictionally speaking, of course — and developed a character that refused to go away.

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#BookReview The Lobotomist’s Wife by Samantha Greene Woodruff @wunderkindPR #TheLobotomistsWife #SamanthaGreeneWoodruff

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#BookReview The Lobotomist’s Wife by Samantha Greene Woodruff @wunderkindPR #TheLobotomistsWife #SamanthaGreeneWoodruff Title: The Lobotomist's Wife

Author: Samantha Greene Woodruff

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Feb. 1, 2021

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 298

Format: ARC, eBook

Source: Wunderkind PR

Book Rating: 8.5/10

An enthralling historical novel of a compassionate and relentless woman, a cutting-edge breakthrough in psychiatry, and a nightmare in the making.

Since her brother took his life after WWI, Ruth Emeraldine has had one goal: to help those suffering from mental illness. Then she falls in love with charismatic Robert Apter—a brilliant doctor championing a radical new treatment, the lobotomy. Ruth believes in it as a miracle treatment and in Robert as its genius pioneer. But as her husband spirals into deluded megalomania, Ruth can’t ignore her growing suspicions. Robert is operating on patients recklessly, often with horrific results. And a vulnerable young mother, Margaret Baxter, is poised to be his next victim.

Margaret can barely get out of bed, let alone care for her infant. When Dr. Apter diagnoses her with the baby blues and proposes a lobotomy, she believes the procedure is her only hope. Only Ruth can save her—and scores of others—from the harrowing consequences of Robert’s ambitions.

Inspired by a shocking chapter in medical history, The Lobotomist’s Wife is a galvanizing novel of a woman fighting against the most grievous odds, of ego, and of the best intentions gone horribly awry.

Review:

Detailed, fascinating, and alluring!

The Lobotomist’s Wife is an immersive tale that sweeps you away to mid-1900s New York and into the life of Ruth Emeraldine, an intelligent woman ahead of her time whose goal in life since her brother’s death is to ease the pain of those suffering from mental illness and whom after marrying the charismatic Robert Apter and being swept away by his enthusiasm and charm encourages and supports him in his work to relieve severe anxiety through the use of a new technique known as lobotomy.

The prose is descriptive and smooth. The characters are wealthy, driven, and complex. And the plot is a vivid, absorbing tale of life, loss, love, hope, family, greed, mental illness, and the unconscionable theory of lobotomy as a beneficial treatment.

Overall, The Lobotomist’s Wife is an insightful, well-written, shocking tale by Woodruff loosely based on real-life events that does an exceptional job of highlighting her considerable knowledge and impressive research into this barbaric practice used to, unbelievably, treat almost sixty thousand people in the US alone between 1936 and 1972.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to Wunderkind PR for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Samantha Greene Woodruff

Samantha Greene Woodruff has a BA in history from Wesleyan University and an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business. She spent most of her career telling stories to executives at MTV Networks as the senior vice president of strategy and business development and, subsequently, audience research for the Nickelodeon Kids & Family Group. After leaving corporate life, she pursued her varied passions, teaching yoga, cooking, and taking classes at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. It was here that she combined her multifaceted background with her wild imagination and passion for history, reading, and writing. The Lobotomist’s Wife is her first historical fiction novel, and she is already at work on her next book. Sam lives in southern Connecticut with her husband, two children, and two dogs.

Photo courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview The Damaged by Tijan @TijansBooks @smpromance @StMartinsPress #TheDamaged #Tijan #TheInsidersTrilogy #smpromance #smpinfluencers

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#BookReview The Damaged by Tijan @TijansBooks @smpromance @StMartinsPress #TheDamaged #Tijan #TheInsidersTrilogy #smpromance #smpinfluencers Title: The Damaged

Author: Tijan

Series: The Insiders #2

Published by: St. Martin's Griffin on Feb. 8, 2022

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Young Adult

Pages: 320

Format: Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 9/10

No longer an outsider, Bailey has a family and love that she never could’ve imagined.

Used to living in the shadows, Kash will now do anything to protect his family and his woman.

They will take on the world together…

In the meantime, stunning motives, lies, and explosive secrets continue to unfold.

1. Quinn is in jail, awaiting trial.

2. Friends might actually be enemies.

3. And what is Calhoun plotting? More importantly, will Kash discover it before it’s too late?

Everything will come to a head as passion and danger ignite in The Damaged.

Review:

Provocative, rousing, and edgy!

The Damaged is a dramatic, seductive tale that picks up right where The Insiders left off, taking us back into the lives of Bailey and Kash as their relationship strengthens and grows and their need to support, protect, and love each other becomes even more important when danger and ruthless enemies swirl all around them.

The prose is tight and steamy. The characters, including a great cast of supporting characters, are impulsive, multilayered, and consumed. And the plot is a deliciously tortuous tale filled with temptation, desire, deception, mystique, familial drama, palpable attraction, and malicious intentions.

Overall, The Damaged is a sultry, intriguing, suspenseful tale by Tijan that kept me invested, engaged, and on the edge of my seat from the very first page, and with its shocking teaser of an ending undoubtedly left me counting down the days until the third and final novel in this trilogy becomes available, and the battle between good and evil finally comes to a head.

 

This book is available now.

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

          

 

 

Thank you to SMP Romance – St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Tijan

Tijan is a New York Times bestselling author who writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She's written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and Ryan's Bed among others. She is currently writing to her heart's content in north Minnesota with an English Cocker Spaniel she adores.

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#BookReview Annie Stanley, All At Sea by Sue Teddern @PGCBooks @MantleBooks #AnnieStanleyAllAtSea #SueTeddern

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#BookReview Annie Stanley, All At Sea by Sue Teddern @PGCBooks @MantleBooks #AnnieStanleyAllAtSea #SueTeddern Title: Annie Stanley, All At Sea

Author: Sue Teddern

Published by: Mantle Books on Feb. 1, 2022

Genres: Women's Fiction

Pages: 368

Format: Hardcover

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Will losing her dad be the thing that finally prompts Annie Stanley to find herself?

Only she could decide to say goodbye by stealing her father’s ashes and taking him on one last adventure . . .

Annie Stanley is single, unemployed and just a bit stuck when her beloved father dies unexpectedly. Furious at her stepmother’s plans to scatter his ashes somewhere of no emotional significance, Annie seizes the urn and, on a whim, decides to take it on a tour of the thirty-one sea areas that make up the shipping forecast, which her father used to love, despite spending his life in landlocked St Albans.

Travelling around the coastline of Britain searching for the perfect place to say goodbye, Annie meets a unique cast of characters and reconnects with various figures from her past. As she works through her grief and tries to fix her combative relationship with both her stepmother and her sister, she starts to wonder if it might be time to re-think some of the other decisions in her life – including breaking up with her ex . . . but is it too late for a second chance?

A novel about love, loss and the importance of living life to the full, Annie Stanley, All at Sea by Sue Teddern is proof that it’s often the most difficult moments in life that show us what really matters.

Review:

Charming, witty, and uplifting!

Annie Stanley, All At Sea is a sweet, hopeful, delightfully moving tale that takes you into the life of the lonely, grief-stricken Annie Stanley as she unexpectedly embarks on a journey with her father’s ashes to the coastal towns featured in the shipping forecast her father loved and where along the way she’ll end up confronting the past, facing some tough truths, finding peace and contentment, and ultimately discovering her true self.

The prose is smooth and light. The characters are quirky, endearing, and genuine. And the plot is a touching, adventurous tale about life, loss, family, friendship, independence, heartbreak, grief, self-discovery, and love.

Overall, Annie Stanley, All At Sea is one of those books that snuck up and caught me by surprise and was much better than I ever expected. It’s a lovely, emotive, absorbing read by Teddern that reminds us to always live life to the fullest and never be afraid to try something new.

 

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

 

About Sue Teddern

Sue Teddern has been a window dresser, a secretary, a feature writer and a university lecturer. She has over twenty years' scriptwriting experience from episodes of Birds of a Feather for TV and Cooking in a Bedsitter for radio. Annie Stanley, All At Sea is her first novel. She is married and lives in Hove.

Photo courtesy of panmacmillan.com

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