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#BookReview Evil Games by Angela Marsons @WriteAngie @GrandCentralPub #AngelaMarsons #Evil Games #DIKimStoneSeries

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#BookReview Evil Games by Angela Marsons @WriteAngie @GrandCentralPub #AngelaMarsons #Evil Games #DIKimStoneSeries Title: Evil Games

Author: Angela Marsons

Series: DI Kim Stone #2

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Apr. 13, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 10/10

Detective Kim Stone learns the heard way that the greater the evil, the more deadly the game in this gripping psychological thriller from USA Today bestselling author Angela Marsons.
 
When a rapist is found mutilated in a brutal stabbing, Detective Kim Stone and her team are called in to bring a swift resolution. But as further disturbing events come to light, it soon becomes clear that there is someone even more sinister at work.

With the investigation gathering momentum, while also trying to expose the secrets of a sick pedophile ring, Kim finds herself in the sights of a lethal individual undertaking their own twisted experiment.

Pitted against a dangerous sociopath who seems to know her every weakness, for Detective Stone, each move she makes could be deadly. As the body count starts to mount, Kim will have to dig deeper than ever before to stop the killing. And this time–it’s personal.

Review:

Captivating, dark, and incredibly chilling!

Evil Games is a skillfully crafted, perfectly executed police procedural that highlights just how easily vulnerable people can be swayed and manipulated into doing some of the most horrific things and reminds us that the most heinous of evil often lives comfortably amongst us merely concealed behind masks of normality.

The writing style is edgy and brisk. The characters, including the scarred, tormented, intelligent heroine, are genuine, driven, and persistent. And the plot is a sinister rollercoaster ride of twists, turns, secrets, deception, violence, manipulation, deviance, child abuse, rape, violence, revenge, and murder.

I have to admit that over the past six years that I’ve been reviewing novels, I’ve seen a lot of Angela Marsons books floating around and am shocked that it has taken me this long to finally pick one up. Evil Games is a disturbing, sinister, enthralling tale that has everything you look for in a riveting thriller, including multilayered characters and juicy, complex storylines, and even though it does have a lot of triggers that will prevent some people from being able to read it, I for one loved it and am eagerly looking forward to getting my hands on some of the other DI Kim Stone novels in the series as soon as possible.

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 Forever Starts Now by Stefanie London @Stefanie_London @entangledpub @angelamelamud #ForeverStartsNow #StefanieLondon

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#BookReview Forever Starts Now by Stefanie London @Stefanie_London @entangledpub @angelamelamud #ForeverStartsNow #StefanieLondon Title: Forever Starts Now

Author: Stefanie London

Published by: Entangled Publishing on Jun. 29, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Source: Angela Melamud, Entangled Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

What happens when two people who’ve given up on forever find it in each other…?

Single men are as scarce in Forever Falls as a vegetarian at a barbecue. That is, until Ethan Hammersmith moves in. After his fiancée gave him an ultimatum, he left Australia and never looked back. He isn’t in America to find a new girlfriend, though. He’s searching for the father he never knew. But now it’s like he has a flashing sign above his head that says “available.” Thankfully, the manager of the local diner is willing to give him cover—if only she weren’t so distractingly adorable.

Monroe Roberts, town misanthrope and divorcée, knocked “forever” permanently off her wish list ever since the love of her life skipped town with the cliché yoga instructor. And good riddance. She’s got this struggling diner to keep her busy, trying anything to boost sales…until a hot Australian strolls in and changes everything. Monroe’s restaurant is packed full of women who aren’t there to order food, unless Ethan is on the menu. This could sink her business faster than ever. So—light bulb—what if they pretend to be together?

It sounds like the perfect plan. Until they realize there is some very real chemistry in this fake relationship. But is it enough to heal two hearts that have been so deeply wounded?

Review:

Cute, amusing, and heartfelt!

Forever Starts Now is an entertaining, uplifting tale that takes you on a journey into the life of Monroe Roberts, an intelligent, heartbroken, young woman who finds herself inadvertently in need of some help from the sexy, new visitor to Forever Falls, Ethan Hammersmith who may just require a little assistance of his own.

The writing is smooth and sweet. The characters are genuine, hesitant, and supportive. And the plot is a delightfully charming mix of friendship, family, life, love, introspection, secrets, misunderstandings, taking chances, and finding the true meaning of home.

Overall, Forever Starts Now is an engaging, witty, cosy tale by London that has just the right amount of emotion, passion, and angst to make this story a quick, breezy, enjoyable read.

 

This book is available on June 29, 2021!

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

 

       

 

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Angela Melamud for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Stefanie London

USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance with humour, heat and heart. Also llamas.

Originally from Melbourne, Australia Stefanie now lives in Toronto, Canada with her wonderful husband. She loves to read, collect lipsticks, watch zombie movies and drink coffee.

Her bestselling book, Pretend It’s Love, is a 2016 Romantic Book of the Year finalist with the Romance Writers of Australia.

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#BookReview Seven Days in June by Tia Williams @TiaW_Writes @GrandCentralPub #SevenDaysinJune #TiaWilliams #GrandCentralPub

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#BookReview Seven Days in June by Tia Williams @TiaW_Writes @GrandCentralPub #SevenDaysinJune #TiaWilliams #GrandCentralPub Title: Seven Days in June

Author: Tia Williams

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Jun. 1, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 336

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 9/10

Seven days to fall in love, fifteen years to forget and seven days to get it all back again… From the author of The Perfect Find, this is a witty, romantic, and sexy-as-hell new novel of two writers and their second chance at love.

Brooklynite Eva Mercy is a single mom and bestselling erotica writer, who is feeling pressed from all sides. Shane Hall is a reclusive, enigmatic, award-winning literary author who, to everyone’s surprise, shows up in New York.

When Shane and Eva meet unexpectedly at a literary event, sparks fly, raising not only their past buried traumas, but the eyebrows of New York’s Black literati. What no one knows is that twenty years earlier, teenage Eva and Shane spent one crazy, torrid week madly in love. They may be pretending that everything is fine now, but they can’t deny their chemistry-or the fact that they’ve been secretly writing to each other in their books ever since.

Over the next seven days in the middle of a steamy Brooklyn summer, Eva and Shane reconnect, but Eva’s not sure how she can trust the man who broke her heart, and she needs to get him out of New York so that her life can return to normal. But before Shane disappears again, there are a few questions she needs answered. . .

With its keen observations of Black life and the condition of modern motherhood, as well as the consequences of motherless-ness, Seven Days in June is by turns humorous, warm and deeply sensual.

Review:

Humorous, romantic, and gritty!

Seven Days in June is an emotional, all-consuming, character-driven, second-chance romance that takes you on a journey into the lives of Eva Mercy and Shane Hall, two tormented and tortured souls who spent seven days as teens finding comfort and solace in each other’s arms, and who now fifteen years later must discover if what they had was real, unconditional love that’s still worth fighting for.

The prose is rich and polished. The characters are consumed, damaged, and sincere. And the plot using flashbacks and told from alternating POVs intertwines and unravels effortlessly into a complex, absorbing tale of life, love, friendship, family, addiction, introspection, palpable emotion, undeniable chemistry, motherhood, childhood trauma, chronic pain, and the ups and downs of life as a writer.

Overall, Seven Days in June is a raw, fresh, unforgettable tale by Williams that is the perfect blend of heart, hope, humour, and heat and is undoubtedly one of the must-read novels for summer 2021.

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 Tia Williams

Tia Williams had a fifteen-year career as a beauty editor for magazines including Elle, Glamour, and Essence. In 2004, she pioneered the beauty blog industry with Shake Your Beauty. She wrote the bestselling novel, The Accidental Diva, and penned two YA novels: It Chicks, and Sixteen Candles. Her award-winning novel, The Perfect Find, will be adapted into a Netflix film starring Gabrielle Union. Tia is currently an Editorial Director at Estée Lauder Companies, and lives with her daughter and husband in Brooklyn.

Photo courtesy of grandcentralpublishing.com.

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#BookReview Secrets at Bletchley Park by Margaret Dickinson @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #SecretsatBletchleyPark #MargaretDickinson

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#BookReview Secrets at Bletchley Park by Margaret Dickinson @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #SecretsatBletchleyPark #MargaretDickinson Title: Secrets at Bletchley Park

Author: Margaret Dickinson

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Jun. 15, 2021

Genres: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 560

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

In Secrets at Bletchley Park by Margaret Dickinson, two young women from very different backgrounds meet in the Second World War and are plunged into a life where security and discretion are paramount. But both have secrets of their own to hide.

In 1929, life for ten-year-old Mattie Price, born and raised in the back streets of Sheffield, is tough. With a petty thief for a father and a mother who turns to the bottle to cope with her husband”s brutish ways, it is left to the young girl and her brother, Joe, to feed and care for their three younger siblings. But Mattie has others rooting for her too. The Spencer family, who live at the top of the same street, and Mattie”s teachers recognize that the girl is clever beyond her years and they, and Joe, are determined that she shall have the opportunity in life she deserves.

Victoria Hamilton, living in the opulence of London”s Kensington, has all the material possessions that a young girl could want. But her mother, Grace, a widow from the Great War, is cold and distant, making no secret of the fact that she never wanted a child. Grace lives her life in the social whirl of upper-class society, leaving Victoria in the care of her governess and the servants. At eleven years old, Victoria is sent to boarding school where, for the first time in her young life, she is able to make friends of her own age. Mattie and Victoria are both set on a path that will bring them together at Bletchley Park in May 1940. An unlikely friendship between the two young women is born and together they will face the rest of the war keeping the nation”s secrets and helping to win the fight. They can tell no one, not even their families, about their work or even where they are. But keeping secrets is second nature to both of them.

Review:

Captivating, sentimental, and cosy!

Secrets at Bletchley Park is a heartwarming, uplifting tale that takes you into the lives of two main characters who come from completely different backgrounds but whose shared work at Bletchley Park during WWII makes them the unlikeliest but best of friends. Victoria Hamilton, a young girl who has all the things money can buy but lacks the love she so desperately desires, and Mattie Price, a girl from an impoverished, broken background who blossoms under the support and kindness of those who surround her.

The writing is sweet and tender. The characters are intelligent, helpful, and kind. And the plot is an engaging tale of life, loss, love, family, secrets, heartbreak, community, romance, and the power of friendship.

Overall, Secrets at Bletchley Park is a charming, compelling, nostalgic tale by Dickinson that I think is a lovely choice for anyone looking to be swept away into a heartfelt storyline with rich characterization.

 

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 Margaret Dickinson

Born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, Margaret Dickinson moved to the coast at the age of seven and so began her love for the sea and the Lincolnshire landscape. Her ambition to be a writer began early and she had her first novel published at the age of twenty-five. This was followed by many further titles including Plough the Furrow, Sow the Seed and Reap the Harvest, which make up her Lincolnshire Fleethaven Trilogy. She is also the author of Fairfield Hall, Jenny's War and The Clippie Girls. Margaret is a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller.

Photo courtesy of Author's Facebook Page.

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#BookReview Haven Point by Virginia Hume @virginiahume @RaincoastBooks @StMartinsPress #HavenPoint #VirginiaHume

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#BookReview Haven Point by Virginia Hume @virginiahume @RaincoastBooks @StMartinsPress #HavenPoint #VirginiaHume Title: Haven Point

Author: Virginia Hume

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Jun. 8, 2021

Genres: General Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 384

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Raincoast Books

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A sweeping debut novel about the generations of a family that spends summers in a seaside enclave on Maine’s rocky coastline, for fans of Elin Hilderbrand, Beatriz Williams, and Sarah Blake.

1944: Maren Larsen is a blonde beauty from a small Minnesota farming town, determined to do her part to help the war effort––and to see the world beyond her family’s cornfields. As a cadet nurse at Walter Reed Medical Center, she’s swept off her feet by Dr. Oliver Demarest, a handsome Boston Brahmin whose family spends summers in an insular community on the rocky coast of Maine.

1970: As the nation grapples with the ongoing conflict in Vietnam, Oliver and Maren are grappling with their fiercely independent seventeen-year-old daughter, Annie, who has fallen for a young man they don’t approve of. Before the summer is over a terrible tragedy will strike the Demarests––and in the aftermath, Annie vows never to return to Haven Point.

2008: Annie’s daughter, Skye, has arrived in Maine to help scatter her mother’s ashes. Maren knows that her granddaughter inherited Annie’s view of Haven Point: despite the wild beauty and quaint customs, the regattas and clambakes and sing-alongs, she finds the place––and the people––snobbish and petty. But Maren also knows that Annie never told Skye the whole truth about what happened during that fateful summer.

Over seven decades of a changing America, through wars and storms, betrayals and reconciliations, Virginia Hume’s Haven Point explores what it means to belong to a place, and to a family, which holds as tightly to its traditions as it does its secrets.

Review:

Tragic, nuanced, and moving!

Haven Point is a heartfelt, alluring story that immerses you into the lives of the Larsen family, especially three women, and all the secrets, smiles, tears, wounds, compassion, misery, and strength that has surrounded them through the years.

The prose is fluid and expressive. The characters are wounded, stubborn, and secretive. And the plot is a tender tale about life, loss, love, grief, forgiveness, familial drama, friendship, courage, hope, romance, and the unbreakable ties that bind us as family.

Overall, Haven Point is an immersive, compelling, multi-generational family saga by Hume that reminds us that life is a combination of all the complicated, messy, challenging, heartbreaking moments, as well as all the wonderful, special, lovely times that happen in-between.

 

This book is available now.

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

           

 

 

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

 

About Virginia Hume

Virginia Hume is a freelance writer and editor. Her early career was spent in politics and public affairs. She lives outside Washington, D.C. with her husband, their daughters, and an under-groomed bichon named Chester.

Photo by David Baratz.

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#BookReview The Summer Cottage (Somerset Lake #1) by Annie Rains @AnnieRainsBooks @ReadForeverPub @GrandCentralPub #ReadForever #Forever2021 #AnnieRains #TheSummerCottage #SomersetLakeSeries

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#BookReview The Summer Cottage (Somerset Lake #1) by Annie Rains @AnnieRainsBooks @ReadForeverPub @GrandCentralPub #ReadForever #Forever2021 #AnnieRains #TheSummerCottage #SomersetLakeSeries Title: The Summer Cottage

Author: Annie Rains

Series: Somerset Lake #1

Published by: Forever on May 25, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 423

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 9/10

This summer, they’ll learn that home is where the heart is.

Somerset Lake is the perfect place for Trisha Langly and her son to start over. As the new manager for the Somerset Cottages, Trisha is instantly charmed by the property’s elderly residents and her firecracker of a new boss, Vi Fletcher. But Trisha is less enchanted by Vi’s protective grandson Jake. No matter how tempting she finds the handsome lawyer, Trisha knows that if Jake discovers the truth about her past, she’ll lose the new life she’s worked so hard to build.

Jake Fletcher left Somerset Lake after a tragic loss, but he’s returning for the summer to care for his beloved grandmother, hoping Vi will sell the run-down cottages and finally slow down. There’s just one problem: Trisha, Vi’s new employee. She’s smart, beautiful, and kind, but Jake’s job is to protect his grandmother’s interests, and his gut is telling him Trisha’s hiding something that could jeopardize Vi’s future. However, as they spend summer days renovating the property and bonding over their love for the town, Jake realizes that Trisha is a risk worth taking–if only she can trust him with her secrets . . . and her heart.

Includes the bonus novella Kiss Me in Sweetwater Springs!

Review:

Captivating, comforting, and quaint!

The Summer Cottage is a cosy, heartwarming tale that takes you into the life of the cautious, hardworking Trisha Langly as she juggles a relocation, a new job, an inquisitive son, an ex with a criminal past, and a handsome man who is entirely too hard to resist.

The writing is tender and sweet. The characters are kind, tentative, and supportive. And the plot is an irresistible mix of life, loss, love, family, friendship, special moments, trust, respect, community, and self-discovery.

As most of you know, I am a huge fan of Annie Rains and was sad to see the Sweetwater Springs series come to an end, but I am delighted to say this new Somerset Lake series has kicked off with a bang. The Summer Cottage has everything in it I hoped for, small-town charm, an emotive, romantic storyline, and characters new and old that you can’t help but be invested in and root for.

This book is available now.

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

       

 

 

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

 

About Annie Rains

Annie Rains is a USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author who writes small town love stories set in fictional places in her home state of North Carolina. When Annie isn’t writing, she’s living out her own happily ever after with her husband and three children.Annie Rains is a USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author who writes small town love stories set in fictional places in her home state of North Carolina. When Annie isn’t writing, she’s living out her own happily ever after with her husband and three children.

Photograph courtesy of Read-Forever Website.

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#BookReview The Bullet (Eve Duncan #27) by Iris Johansen @Iris_Johansen @GrandCentralPub #TheBullet #IrisJohansen #GrandCentralPub

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#BookReview The Bullet (Eve Duncan #27) by Iris Johansen @Iris_Johansen @GrandCentralPub #TheBullet #IrisJohansen #GrandCentralPub Title: The Bullet

Author: Iris Johansen

Series: Eve Duncan #27

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Jun. 8, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 400

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

Eve Duncan and Joe Quinn must protect the life of a brilliant scientist so that she can live long enough to bring her discovery to the world, in this fast-paced thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen.
 
Diane Connors is a dedicated doctor with the world’s biggest secret, a discovery that could have shocking global ramifications.  But while conducting private research trials, word has gotten out. The wrong people have heard the news and now want to hide Diane’s achievement for their own ends.

With nowhere else to turn, Diane finds herself on the doorstep of the last man she wants to ask for help: her ex-husband, Joe Quinn. Joe has remarried, and he and his wife, Eve Duncan, seem blissfully happy in their quiet, rural life until they are faced with the challenge of risking it all—even their marriage itself—for the greater good …

Now Eve is trapped in a web of murder and deceit as powerful enemies rush to cover up the truth, determined that Diane’s discovery goes with her to the grave—even if Eve and Joe get buried with her.

Review:

Suspenseful, turbulent, and action-packed!

The Bullet is an ominous, intense thrill ride that introduces us to Joe Quinn’s first wife, Diane Connors, a scientist in need of a little help and protection when her discovery and research into a medicinal plant that can cure practically any ailment makes her a prime target for Joshua Nalan, a ruthless billionaire willing to go to whatever lengths necessary to secure Diane’s research for himself.

The prose is tight and brisk. The characters are well informed, vigilant, and reliable. And the plot is a well-paced, menacing tale full of tension, desperation, obsession, adventure, cruelty, violence, murder, and a touch of the paranormal.

Overall, The Bullet is another sinister, complex, solid addition to the Eve Duncan series by Johansen that I would have to say is not my favourite novel in this long-running series but is still definitely a highly satisfying one.

 

This novel 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 Iris Johansen

Iris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her writing after her children left home for college. She first achieved success in the early 1980s writing category romances. In 1991, Johansen began writing suspense historical romance novels, starting with the publication of The Wind Dancer. In 1996 Johansen switched genres, turning to crime fiction, with which she has had great success.

She lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.

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#BookReview A Not So Lonely Planet: Italy by Karina Kennedy @KayePublicity @cleispress #ANotSoLonelyPlanetItaly #KarinaKennedy

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#BookReview A Not So Lonely Planet: Italy by Karina Kennedy @KayePublicity @cleispress #ANotSoLonelyPlanetItaly #KarinaKennedy Title: A Not So Lonely Planet: Italy

Author: Karina Kennedy

Published by: Cleis Press on Jun. 8, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Erotica

Pages: 308

Format: Paperback

Source: Kaye Publicity

Book Rating: 8/10

Marina Taylor is a bold, adventure-seeking writer with a one-way ticket to Rome and big dreams to write her book, Italian Women of Influence . . . but an undeniable connection with an irresistible stranger—and her penchant for disaster—just may derail her plans.

Inspired by actress and sex icon Regina Lombardi, Marina tries to master the sexual gaze as she researches her book and stumbles her way through Italian scholars, Turkish footballers, and Sicilian twins. From the nightclubs of Rome to a Venetian masquerade ball, Marina’s escapades leave her yearning for a particular French-Italian photographer. Will she catch her illusive stranger, or prove more calamity than coquette? And what about the ruggedly down-to-earth ex who’s waiting for her back home?

Equal parts laugh-out-loud travel comedy and sexy adventure, Marina’s first trip abroad will inspire you to throw your own itinerary out the window and throw caution to the wind. Art, love, sex, wine—the Italian playboy and the boy next door—who says you can’t have it all?

Review:

Spicy, humorous, and intriguing!

A Not So Lonely Planet: Italy is a flirty, promiscuous tale that takes you into the life of the feisty, determined Marina Taylor as she travels to Italy to submerge herself in a different culture, try new things, meet new people, enjoy a few sexcapades, and research influential women for a book she hopes to write.

The writing is titillating and witty. The characters are brazen, quirky, and tenacious. And the plot is a lighthearted, funny tale of life, love, introspection, friendship, awkward situations, embarrassing moments, taking chances, love affairs, and ultimately learning to appreciate the place you call home.

Overall, A Not So Lonely Planet: Italy is a sexy, whimsical, entertaining travel diary by Kennedy that is a wonderful reminder that the most important things in life are the moments, adventures, and relationships that we make, experience, and develop every single day.

 

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 providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Karina Kennedy

Karina Kennedy is a romantic writer and a restless spirit. Growing up in Florida, she cheated her Choose Your Own Adventure books by keeping fingers stuck in the pages so she could change her mind. Who wants only one adventure? Karina is inspired by strong, creative women in all walks of life and uses this passion to fuel her travels all over the world. As an intrepid explorer she is unwilling to miss out on a memory, willing to bend the rules, unafraid of her own beauty, and ready to share it with those who deserve it. Karina hopes to inspire and entertain other like-minded people to explore the world, fall in love, or just have fun.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

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#BookReview These Tangled Vines by Julianne MacLean @AmazonPub @LUAuthors @ThomasAllenLTD #TheseTangledVines #JulianneMacLean #LakeUnion

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#BookReview These Tangled Vines by Julianne MacLean @AmazonPub @LUAuthors @ThomasAllenLTD #TheseTangledVines #JulianneMacLean #LakeUnion Title: These Tangled Vines

Author: Julianne MacLean

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

Genres: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 304

Format: Paperback

Source: Thomas Allen & Son

Book Rating: 8.5/10

From the USA Today bestselling author of A Curve in the Roadcomes a sweeping and captivating tale of one woman’s journey to the lush vineyards of Tuscany—and into the mysteries of a tragic family secret.

If Fiona has learned anything in life, it’s how to keep a secret—even from the father who raised her. She is the only person who knows about her late mother’s affair in Tuscany thirty years earlier, and she intends to keep it that way…until a lawyer calls with shocking news: her biological father has died and left her an incredible inheritance—along with two half siblings.

Fiona travels to Italy, where the family is shocked to learn of her existence and desperate to contest her share of the will. While the mystery of her mother’s affair is slowly unraveled, Fiona must navigate through tricky family relationships and tense sibling rivalries. Fiona both fears and embraces her new destiny as she searches for the truth about the fateful summer her mother spent in Italy and the father she never knew.

Spilling over with the sumptuous flavors and romance of Tuscany, These Tangled Vines takes readers on a breathtaking journey of love, secrets, sacrifice, courage—and most importantly, the true meaning of family.

Review:

Captivating, heartwarming, and absorbing!

These Tangled Vines is predominantly set in Tuscany during 1986, as well as 2017, and is told from two different perspectives; Fiona, a young woman who journeys to Italy after learning of her biological father’s death to unravel the secrets of her mother’s past and the mystery surrounding her conception, and Lillian, a young, married woman whose forbidden love for a winery owner will ultimately change her destiny and life forever.

The prose is rich and expressive. The characters are flawed, determined, and endearing. And the plot is a moving tale about life, love, loss, emotion, betrayal, family, friendship, heartbreak, guilt, grief, hope, and regret.

Overall, These Tangled Vines is an alluring, evocative, compelling tale by MacLean that highlights the enduring passion, loyalty and power of love and is a wonderful choice for anyone who enjoys a dual timeline story with a sliver of romance and mystique.

 

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 Julianne MacLean

Julianne MacLean is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the contemporary women’s fiction Color of Heaven Series. Readers have described her books as “breathtaking,” “soulful” and “uplifting.” MacLean is a four-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times. Her novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been published in over a dozen languages.

MacLean has a degree in English literature from the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a degree in business administration from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. She loves to travel and has lived in New Zealand, Canada, and England. MacLean currently resides on the east coast of Canada in a lakeside home with her husband and daughter.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

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#BookReview The President’s Daughter by Bill Clinton and James Patterson @arrowpublishing #ThePresidentsDaughter

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#BookReview The President’s Daughter by Bill Clinton and James Patterson @arrowpublishing #ThePresidentsDaughter Title: The President's Daughter

Author: Bill Clinton, James Patterson

Published by: Century on Jun 7, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 528

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Arrow Publishing

Book Rating: 9/10

ALL PRESIDENTS HAVE NIGHTMARES. THIS ONE IS ABOUT TO COME TRUE.

Matthew Keating, a one-time Navy SEAL and a former US President, has always defended his family as fiercely as he has his country.

Now these defences are under attack. And it’s personal.

Keating’s teenage daughter, Melanie, has been abducted, turning every parent’s deepest fear into a matter of national security.

As the world watches, Keating embarks on a one-man special-ops mission that tests his strengths: as a leader, a warrior, and a father.

Because Keating knows that in order to save Melanie’s life he will have to put his own on the line . . .

Review:

Action-packed, thrilling, and twisty!

The President’s Daughter is a propulsive, entertaining thriller that takes you into the life of former US President and ex-Navy Seal Matt Keating as he does everything in his power to find and recover his kidnapped teenage daughter from a sadistic terrorist driven by vengeance.

The writing is tight and crisp. The characters are astute, tenacious, and authentic. And the plot, with its short, intense chapters, keeps you on the edge of your seat as it immerses you, page after page, into a world full of terrorism, politics, revenge, corruption, coercion, military operations, and Secret Service drama.

Overall, The President’s Daughter is a meticulous, compelling, intricate mystery by this dynamic writing duo that I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

This book is available now.

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

              

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House UK – Arrow Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review

 

About Bill Clinton

BILL CLINTON served two terms as president of the United States. After leaving the White House, he established the Clinton Foundation, which helps improve global health, increase opportunity for girls and women, reduce childhood obesity and preventable diseases, create economic opportunity and growth, and address the effects of climate change. He is the author of a number of non-fiction works, including My Life, which was a number one international bestseller.

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About James Patterson

JAMES PATTERSON is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. His books have sold in excess of 385 million copies worldwide. He is the author of some of the most popular series of the past two decades - the Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club, Detective Michael Bennett and Private novels - and he has written many other number one bestsellers including romance novels and stand- alone thrillers.

Photo courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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