Category: 10/10

#BookReview A Mother’s Promise by K.D. Alden @KDAldenAuthor @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #Forever2021 #KDAlden #AMothersPromise

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#BookReview A Mother’s Promise by K.D. Alden @KDAldenAuthor @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #Forever2021 #KDAlden #AMothersPromise Title: A Mother's Promise

Author: K.D. Alden

Published by: Forever on Jan. 19, 2021

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 10/10

Based on the true story behind a landmark U.S. Supreme Court Decision, K.D. Alden’s debut is a rich and moving story of one woman’s courage and strength at a pivotal point in America’s history.

Virginia, 1927. A chance to have a family. That’s all Ruth Ann Riley wants. But because she was unwed and pregnant, she was sent away and her baby given to another woman. Now they’re trying to take Ruth Ann’s right to have another child. But she can’t stand the thought of never seeing little Annabel’s face again, never snuggling up to her warmth or watching her blue eyes crinkle with laughter. Good thing she has a plan.

All the rich and fancy folks may call her feeble-minded, but Ruth Ann is smarter than any of them have bargained for. Because no matter how high the odds are stacked against her, she is going to overcome the scandals in her past and get her child back—and along the way, she just may find unexpected friendships and the possibility of love in the most unlikely of places.

Review:

Heartwrenching, insightful, and incredibly absorbing!

A Mother’s Promise is a poignant, compelling tale that sweeps you away to the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded during 1927 and delves into the daily lives, anxiety and true horrors experienced by those young women and men deemed unfit to procreate and thus denied parental rights of any children they may already have had and in turn also forcibly sterilized.

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are genuine, sympathetic, vulnerable, and lovable. And the plot is a beautifully written, poignant tale about life, loss, love, heartbreak, courage, hope, manipulation, power, corruption, ethics, morality, motherhood, and the unconscionable theory of eugenics.

Overall, A Mother’s Promise is an emotional, heartbreaking, masterfully woven tale by Alden that immerses you so thoroughly into the lives, feelings, and personalities of the characters you never want it to end. It is without a doubt going to be one of my favourite novels of the year and it really shouldn’t be missed.

This novel 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 exchange for an honest review.

 

About K.D. Alden

K.D. Alden is the pseudonym of an award-winning author who has written more than twenty novels in various genres. She has been the recipient of the Maggie Award, the Book Buyer’s Best Award and an RT Reviewer’s Choice Award. A Mother’s Promise is her first historical novel.

K.D. is a graduate of Smith College, grew up in Austin, Texas, and resides in south Florida with her husband and two rescue greyhounds.

Photograph by Christhopher Hawke.

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#BookReview #Audiobook Roommate by Sarina Bowen @SarinaBowen #Roommate #SarinaBowen

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#BookReview #Audiobook Roommate by Sarina Bowen @SarinaBowen #Roommate #SarinaBowen Title: Roommate

Author: Sarina Bowen

Published by: Tuxbury Publishing LLC on Jan. 12, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA

Format: Audiobook

Source: Sarina Bowen

Book Rating: 10/10

Wanted: One roommate to share a 3-bedroom house, split the rent, and ideally not be the guy I can’t stop thinking about.  

I’m a man with too many secrets, so the last thing I need is a new roommate with a sexy smile and blue eyes that see right through me. Eight years ago, Roderick left town after high school. We’re not friends. I owe him nothing. But back then, I let one of my secrets slip, and he’s the only one who noticed. 

Part of me knows I should run far, far away. But the other part wants him to come upstairs and spend the night. But if I let him in, I could lose everything.

Seeking: a room to rent in town. I’m tidy, have no pets, and I will feed you homemade bread. 

I should probably add: Gay AF, and has no filter. It’s no wonder my new landlord is so wary of me. 

A smarter man would ignore those hot glances from Kieran Shipley. The broody lumberjack wants more from me than another fresh-baked pretzel. But if I push my luck, I’ll end up back on the street.

Too bad I’ve never been smart with my heart… 

Review:

Passionate, tender, and romantic!

Roommate is a spicy, lighthearted romance featuring the sweet, playful Roderick and the quiet, broody Kieran as they discover together a sense of purpose, passion, and fulfilment in both their careers and personal lives.

The prose is sincere and sultry. The characters are sweet, dependable, and endearing. And the plot is a heartfelt tale filled with life, love, family, intimacy, chemistry, heat, desire, romance, support, friendship, and sexy times.

Overall, Roommate is a heartwarming, emotive, magical tale by Bowen that’s a wonderful way to catch up with some of the most beloved characters from the True North series, and is another perfect example of why when it comes to writing contemporary romance of any kind Bowen is one of the best.

This novel is available now.

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

       

 

 

Thank you to Sarina Bowen for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sarina Bowen

Sarina Bowen is the RITA® Award winning author of over two dozen contemporary and LGTB romance novels. She most recently hit the USA Today bestseller's list in February, with Brooklynaire. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina holds a BA in economics from Yale University.

Sarina Bowen is a New Englander whose Vermont ancestors cut timber and farmed the north country since the 1760s. Sarina is grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing and wi-fi during the intervening 250 years. On a few wooded acres, she lives with her husband, two boys, and an ungodly amount of ski and hockey gear.

Sarina's books are published in a dozen languages on four continents. In 2016, The Romance Writers of America honored HIM by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy with a RITA award for Best Contemporary Romance, Mid-Length.

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#BookReview Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson @Sadeqasays @37INKBOOKS @SimonSchusterCA #YellowWife #SadeqaJohnson

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#BookReview Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson @Sadeqasays @37INKBOOKS @SimonSchusterCA #YellowWife #SadeqaJohnson Title: Yellow Wife

Author: Sadeqa Johnson

Published by: 37 INK on Jan. 12, 2021

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 288

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

In the tradition of Wrench and Twelve Years a Slave, this harrowing story follows an enslaved woman forced to barter love and freedom while living in the most infamous slave jail in Virginia.

Born on a plantation in Charles City, Virginia, Pheby Brown was promised her freedom on her eighteenth birthday. But when her birthday finally comes around, instead of the idyllic life she was hoping for with her true love, she finds herself thrust into the bowels of slavery at the infamous Devil’s Half-Acre, a jail where slaves are broken, tortured, and sold every day. Forced to become the mistress of the brutal man who owns the jail, Pheby faces the ultimate sacrifice to protect her heart in this powerful, thrilling story of one slave’s fight for freedom.

Review:

Gritty, haunting, and extremely moving!

Yellow Wife is a poignant, impactful tale that sweeps you away to Virginia during the mid-1850s and into the life of Pheby Delores Brown, a young woman of mixed race who struggles to survive a life of brutality and protect those she loves while confined within the walls of the Devil’s Half Acre prison and as the mistress of the jailer, Rubin Lapier.

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are vulnerable, strong, and scarred. And the plot is an exceptionally enthralling tale about life, love, strength, bravery, hope, survival, savagery, violence, and the unimaginable horrors and injustices of slavery.

Overall, Yellow Wife is a magical blend of historical facts, heart-wrenching emotion, and powerful fiction that does a wonderful job of reminding us that humanity can not only be cruel and barbaric, but also incredibly resilient and kind.

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

 

About Sadeqa Johnson

Sadeqa Johnson is the award-winning author of four novels. Her accolades include being the recipient of the National Book Club Award, the Phillis Wheatley Award and the USA Best Book Award for best fiction. She is a Kimbilo Fellow, former board member of the James River Writers, and a Tall Poppy Writer. Originally from Philadelphia, she currently lives near Richmond, Virginia, with her husband and three children.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Website.

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#BookReview Happy Singles Day by Ann Marie Walker @AnnMarie_Walker @SourcebooksCasa #HappySinglesDay #AnnMarieWalker #SourcebooksCasa

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#BookReview Happy Singles Day by Ann Marie Walker @AnnMarie_Walker @SourcebooksCasa #HappySinglesDay #AnnMarieWalker #SourcebooksCasa Title: Happy Singles Day

Author: Ann Marie Walker

Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca on Jan. 19, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 288

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Book Rating: 10/10

Single and proud of it! Oh, oops…

As a Certified Professional Organizer, everything in Paige Parker’s world is as it should be. Perfect apartment, perfect office, perfect life. And now, the perfect vacation planned to honor Singles Day. After all, what’s better than celebrating her pride in being single? Because who needs a man anyway? They have zero taste in quality television, leave the toilet seat up, and sleep with your best friend. No thanks. Her life is fine just the way it is.

As the owner of a now-dormant bed & breakfast, Lucas Croft’s life is simple and quiet. It’s only him and his five-year-old daughter, which is just the way he likes it. Because who needs a woman anyway? They nag you to clean up your stuff, want the toilet seat put down, and expect the dishes to be done the same day the meal is cooked. No thanks. His life is fine just the way it is.

But when Paige books a room that Lucas’ well-intentioned sister listed without his knowledge, their two worlds collide. If they can survive the week together, they just might discover exactly what they’ve both been missing.

Review:

Heartwarming, amusing, and delectably charming!

Happy Singles Day is a lighthearted, absorbing tale set on the idyllic Aurelia Island that takes you into the lives of Paige Parker, a workaholic who after having her heart shattered by a cheating ex has spent far too many hours working and not enough hours enjoying life, and Lucas Croft, an innkeeper and widowed father of a five-year-old who is still struggling with the unexpected loss of his wife and his all-consuming grief that is preventing him from moving on.

The writing style is light and witty. The characters, including all the supporting characters, are quirky, fun-loving, and endearing. And the plot is a heartfelt, uplifting mix of friendship, family, introspection, parenthood, sorrow, support, love, loss, drama, community, tricky situations, humorous mishaps, and new beginnings.

Overall, Happy Singles Day is a sweet, touching, delightfully romantic tale by Walker that I didn’t just like, I loved.

This book is available January 19, 2021.

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

            

 

 

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

 

About Ann Marie Walker

Ann Marie Walker writes steamy books about sexy boys. She's a fan of fancy cocktails, anything chocolate, and 80s rom-coms. Her super power is connecting any situation to an episode of Friends and she thinks all coffee cups should be the size of a bowl. If it's December she can be found watching Love Actually but the rest of the year you can find her at AnnMarieWalker.com where she would be happy to talk to you about alpha males, lemon drop martinis or supermodel David Gandy. Ann Marie attended the University of Notre Dame and currently lives in Chicago.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview Foreplayer (Rookie Rebels #4) by Kate Meader @KittyMeader #Foreplayer #RookieRebels

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#BookReview Foreplayer (Rookie Rebels #4) by Kate Meader @KittyMeader #Foreplayer #RookieRebels Title: Foreplayer

Author: Kate Meader

Series: Rookie Rebels #4

Published by: Kate Meader LLC on Dec. 29, 2020

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 340

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Kate Meader

Book Rating: 10/10

She’s got game everywhere but the bedroom. Enter the player who knows exactly how to grade her curves…

After a very public breakup and a viral post that declares him the villain, power forward Cal Foreman is taking a timeout from women and relationships to focus on hockey. When Chicago Rebels captain and old friend, Vadim Petrov, “volunteers” him to help train Vadim’s sister Mia, Cal figures he can do a favor for a pal and get ready for the season with his new team. But the imperious Russian would slice a skate blade through Cal’s internal organs if he knew what lessons Mia really wants.

Yeah, not that kind of stickhandling.

Hockey phenom and Olympics hopeful Mia Wallace needs help seducing the man of her dreams. That man is most definitely not Cal Foreman: notorious playboy, thorn in her side, and her brother’s bestie. But surely a guy with his reputed skill set has a few tips on how she can nail her target—which makes him the perfect foreplayer.

Cal knows Mia sees him as merely the warm-up act in her grand plan to win another man, but as they spend more time together, he wonders if that’s enough.

If they could be more.

And if he could convince her he’s worthy of the starting line-up… in her heart?

Review:

Emotive, steamy, and sweet!

Foreplayer is a lighthearted, passionate RomCom about the intelligent, talented Mia who knows she needs more help in the seduction department but is adamant she definitely won’t be getting help from a hockey player and the hunky, charismatic Cal who has finally decided he’s finished with casual hookups and dating in general.

The writing is sultry and smooth. The supporting characters are fun-loving, supportive, and engaging. And the plot sweeps you away into an irresistible storyline filled with red-hot chemistry, shameless flirting, emotional moments, family, friendship, light drama, sizzling romance, and hockey.

I absolutely love this Rookie Rebels series by Meader. It just keeps getting better and better, and I am counting down the days until I get a chance to read Reid’s story in Dear Roomie releasing in May 2021!

This book is available now.

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

          

 

 

Thank you to Kate Meader for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Kate Meader

Originally from Ireland, Kate Meader cut her romance reader teeth on Maeve Binchy and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Harlequins thrown in for variety. Give her tales about brooding mill owners, oversexed equestrians, and men who can rock an apron, a fire hose, or a hockey stick, and she's there. Now based in Chicago, she writes sexy contemporary romance with alpha heroes and strong heroines (and heroes) who can match their men quip for quip.

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#BookReview Let Him Go by Larry Watson @PGCBooks @Milkweed_Books #LetHimGo #LarryWatson #PGCBooks

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#BookReview Let Him Go by Larry Watson @PGCBooks @Milkweed_Books #LetHimGo #LarryWatson #PGCBooks Title: Let Him Go

Author: Larry Watson

Published by: Milkweed Editions on Nov. 3, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 280

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

Now a Major Motion Picture from Focus Features, Starring Kevin Costner and Diane Lane

The celebrated author of Montana 1948 returns to the American West in this riveting tale of familial love and its unexpected consequences.

Dalton, North Dakota. It’s September 1951: years since George and Margaret Blackledge lost their son when he was thrown from a horse; months since his widow left with their only grandson and married another man. Margaret is resolved to find and retrieve her beloved grandson, while George, a retired sheriff, is none too eager to stir up trouble.

Unable to sway his wife from her mission, George takes to the road with Margaret by his side, traveling through the Badlands to Montana. But when Margaret tries to bring little Jimmy home, the Blackledges find themselves entangled with the Weboy clan, who are determined not to give up the boy without a fight.

Review:

Harrowing, gritty, and atmospheric!

Let Him Go transports you to the small towns of the American Midwest during the early 1950s and into the lives of George and Margaret Blackledge. A quiet, unassuming couple who after suffering the devastating loss of their son, their daughter-in-law’s subsequent remarriage to a hoodlum, and the relocation of their grandson, find themselves on a journey where personalities clash, emotions run wild, and conflict is inevitable.

The prose is effortless and precise. The characters are vulnerable, raw, and impulsive. And the plot is a tense, thrilling tale of life, loss, love, grief, rage, fury, familial duty, palpable emotion, violence, and murder.

Overall, Let Him Go is a tragic, haunting, beautiful story by Watson that is ultimately a powerful page-turner where the spaces between the words almost say more than the words themselves.

On a side note, I was lucky enough to watch an advance screening of the movie adaptation of this novel and was amazed at how closely it followed the original story. If you get a chance, I would highly recommend not only reading this novel but also watching the newly released movie starring Kevin Costner and Diane Lane.

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

 

About Larry Watson

Larry Watson was born in 1947 in Rugby, North Dakota. He grew up in Bismarck, North Dakota, and was educated in its public schools. Larry married his high school sweetheart, Susan Gibbons, in 1967. He received his BA and MA from the University of North Dakota, his Ph.D. from the creative writing program at the University of Utah, and an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Ripon College. Watson has received grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (1987, 2004) and the Wisconsin Arts Board.

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#BookReview Don’t Look Back by Christie Craig (Texas Justice #3) by Christie Craig @Christie_Craig @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #Forever20 #ChristieCraig #TexasJusticeSeries #DontLookBack

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#BookReview Don’t Look Back by Christie Craig (Texas Justice #3) by Christie Craig @Christie_Craig @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #Forever20 #ChristieCraig #TexasJusticeSeries #DontLookBack Title: Don't Look Back

Author: Christie Craig

Series: Texas Justice #3

Published by: Forever on Dec. 15, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Romantic Suspense

Pages: 416

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 10/10

New York Times bestselling author Christie Craig’s thrilling romantic suspense about a by-the-book FBI agent who must trust a risk-taking detective for help tracking down her sister’s killers — perfect for fans of Kat Martin, Sharon Sala, and Brenda Novak!

FBI agent Brie Ryan’s latest mission is personal. She’s posing as a waitress at the Black Diamond strip club, the same club where her estranged half sister worked until she turned up dead. When Brie’s undercover assignment is compromised, she turns to the only man she knows who can help her: Connor Pierce, a too-sexy-for-his-own-good, rule-breaking cop with a knack for solving cold cases.

When someone breaks into Brie’s apartment, Connor’s detective skills aren’t the only things that kick into overdrive. Although his job demands he remain detached, now he finds himself tempted not only by Brie’s beauty but also her intelligence and bravery. As the investigation-and their attraction-grows more intense, lives are in jeopardy, and Connor finds the most important rule he must break is his own. But can he put his heart on the line?

Review:

Suspenseful, absorbing, and action-packed!

Don’t Look Back is a charged, alluring, pacey thriller that sees FBI agent Brie Ryan working with Anniston Detective Connor Pierce to investigate a possible human trafficking ring operating out of the local strip club and the senseless murder of her estranged half-sister.

The prose is sharp and crisp. The characters are driven, scarred, supportive, and stubborn. And the plot is an ominous, passionate tale filled with twists, turns, familial drama, police corruption, mayhem, abuse, secrets, danger, sizzling attraction, violence, romance, and murder.

So one of the things I use to determine if a book is a 5-star read is how well it holds my attention and when it came to Don’t Look Back, I couldn’t put it down. In fact, halfway through I declared it was going to be a get your own dinner night, to the grumbles of my family, as nothing else was getting done until I finished it. I literally devoured it in one sitting over one afternoon and just kept asking myself several things. Why have I not read this author or series before? Is it too late to put the first two books on my Christmas list? Will my local bookstore carry them?

As you know I never like to give too much away in terms of the plot in my reviews as I always think a book is better if you go into it without expectations but what I will say, in case you haven’t guessed, is I absolutely loved this book, Christie Craig has a new fan, and if you get a chance and love romantic suspense you really need to read this book!

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 exchange for an honest review.

 

About Christie Craig

Christie Craig is the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-nine books. She is an Alabama native, a motivational speaker, and a writing teacher, who currently hangs her hat in Texas. When she’s not writing romance, she’s travelling, sipping wine, or penning bestselling young adult novels as C.C. Hunter.

Photograph courtesy of read-forever.com

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#BookReview #Audiobook Loverboy by Sarina Bowen @SarinaBowen #Loverboy #TheCompany #SarinaBowen

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#BookReview #Audiobook Loverboy by Sarina Bowen @SarinaBowen #Loverboy #TheCompany #SarinaBowen Title: Loverboy

Author: Sarina Bowen

Series: The Company #2

Published by: Tuxbury Publishing LLC on Dec. 1, 2020

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense

Format: Audiobook

Source: Sarina Bowen

Book Rating: 10/10

Secrets, desires, and exquisite pie. It’s all in a day’s work at The Company.

Growing up, I was the rough guy from the wrong neighborhood who couldn’t catch a break. Posy was the pampered girl I tried to impress. But all she gave me was a single kiss before I had to skip town.

Now I’m back, and the tables are turned. Posy runs a struggling pie shop. I’m the VP of a secretive billion-dollar security company. 
Not that I can tell her.

There’s a murderer on the loose in New York, and he seems to spend a lot of time at Posy’s shop. It’s my job to identify him before he can harm a hair on her pretty head.

Going undercover as Posy’s new barista wasn’t my idea. I don’t even drink coffee. But now I have to call her “boss,” and do everything the curvy perfectionist asks of me. I’d forgotten how much we infuriate each other, and that she somehow fills me with both irritation and desire in the same breath.

There’s nobody more skilled at stealth ops than me. I can bring this killer down. Right after I take a cold shower. And just as soon I figure out how to make a skinny peppermint latte with milk poured in the shape of a kitten…

Review:

Spicy, suspenseful, and sugary sweet!

Loverboy is a sexy, playful, enemies-to-more romance featuring the competitive, handsome Gunnar Scott whose latest case finds him back in New York, working as a barista in a pastry and coffee shop, and protecting the independent, reliable, Posy Payton, the one woman he’s never quite forgotten.

The prose is smooth and sassy. The characters are charismatic, dependable, and engaging. And the plot is an irresistible blend of tension, humour, sexual innuendoes, sizzling chemistry, flirty banter, familial drama, friendship, dangerous situations, sexy times, and scrumptious treats.

Overall, Loverboy is an amusing, cheeky, entertaining tale by Bowen that is a wonderful addition to a series that is quickly becoming one of my all-time favourites. I loved the characters, I loved the storyline, and I loved the dual narration by Joe Arden and Vanessa Edwin.

This novel is available now.

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

     

 

 

Thank you to Sarina Bowen for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sarina Bowen

Sarina Bowen is the RITA® Award winning author of over two dozen contemporary and LGTB romance novels. She most recently hit the USA Today bestseller's list in February, with Brooklynaire. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina holds a BA in economics from Yale University.

Sarina Bowen is a New Englander whose Vermont ancestors cut timber and farmed the north country since the 1760s. Sarina is grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing and wi-fi during the intervening 250 years. On a few wooded acres, she lives with her husband, two boys, and an ungodly amount of ski and hockey gear.

Sarina's books are published in a dozen languages on four continents. In 2016, The Romance Writers of America honored HIM by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy with a RITA award for Best Contemporary Romance, Mid-Length.

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#BookReview Unapologetically Ambitious by Shellye Archambeau @GrandCentralPub #UnapologeticallyAmbitious #ShellyeArchambeau #GrandCentralPub

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#BookReview Unapologetically Ambitious by Shellye Archambeau @GrandCentralPub #UnapologeticallyAmbitious #ShellyeArchambeau #GrandCentralPub Title: Unapologetically Ambitious

Author: Shellye Archambeau

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Oct. 6, 2020

Pages: 288

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 10/10

Full of empowering wisdom from one of Silicon Valley’s first female African American CEOs, this inspiring leadership book for readers of Dare to Lead and Start with Why offers a blueprint for how to achieve your personal and professional goals, drawn from the author’s own compelling story of how she weathered life’s difficulties to build massive success.

Shellye Archambeau recounts how she overcame the challenges she faced as a young black woman, wife, and mother, managing her personal and professional responsibilities while climbing the ranks at IBM and subsequently in her roles as CEO. Through the busts and booms of Silicon Valley in the early 2000s, this bold and inspiring book details the risks she took and the strategies she engaged to steer her family, her career, and her company MetricStream toward success.

Through her journey, Shellye discovered that ambition alone is not enough to achieve success. Here, she shares the practical strategies, tools, and approaches readers can employ right now, including concrete steps to most effectively:

  • Dismantle impostor syndrome
  • Capitalize on the power of planning
  • Take risks
  • Developing financial literacy
  • Build your network
  • Establish your reputation
  • Take charge of your career
  • Integrate work, marriage, parenthood, and self-care

Each chapter lays out key takeaways and actions to increase the odds of achieving your personal and professional goals. With relatable personal stories that ground her advice in the real world and a foreword by leading venture capitalist and New York Times bestselling author Ben Horowitz, Unapologetically Ambitious invites readers to move beyond the solely supportive roles others expect them to fill, to learn how to carefully tread the thin line between assertive and aggressive, and to give themselves permission to strive for the top. Make no apologies for the height of your ambitions. Shellye Archambeau will show you how.

Review:

Fascinating, timely, and inspiring!

Unapologetically Ambitious is the informative, intriguing story of Shellye Archambeau’s life, including her professional experiences, struggles, successes, and accomplishments as a university student, employee, wife, mother, and CEO.

The writing is clear and precise. The characters are intelligent, driven, and relatable. And the novel is a compelling, introspective tale of one woman’s life and the planning, strategies, and goals she implemented and continues to execute to achieve success and happiness.

Overall, Unapologetically Ambitious is undoubtedly an impressive novel full of valuable, insightful information about making conscious choices, having confidence, and finding success.

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 Shellye Archambeau

Shellye Archambeau is one of high tech’s first female African American CEOs and has been featured frequently in Forbes, the New York Times, Business Insider, and more. Formerly an executive at IBM and CEO of Blockbuster.com, Archambeau was recruited to be the CEO of a then-struggling Silicon Valley startup, which is now MetricStream, a recognized global leader in governance, risk, and compliance software solutions. She currently serves as a Fortune 500 board member and holds board seats at Verizon, Nordstrom, Roper Technologies, and Okta.

Photograph by Odiwams.

Website

#BookReview The Sea Gate by Jane Johnson @JaneJohnsonBakr @SimonSchusterCA #TheSeaGate #JaneJohnson

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#BookReview The Sea Gate by Jane Johnson @JaneJohnsonBakr @SimonSchusterCA #TheSeaGate #JaneJohnson Title: The Sea Gate

Author: Jane Johnson

Published by: Simon & Schuster on Nov. 17, 2020

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 416

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

A broken family, a house of secrets—an entrancing tale of love and courage set during the Second World War.

After Rebecca’s mother dies, she must sort through her empty flat and come to terms with her loss. As she goes through her mother’s mail, she finds a handwritten envelope. In it is a letter that will change her life forever.

Olivia, her mother’s elderly cousin, needs help to save her beloved home. Rebecca immediately goes to visit Olivia in Cornwall only to find a house full of secrets—treasures in the attic and a mysterious tunnel leading from the cellar to the sea, and Olivia, nowhere to be found.

As it turns out, the old woman is stuck in hospital with no hope of being discharged until her house is made habitable again. Rebecca sets to work restoring the home to its former glory, but as she peels back the layers of paint and grime, she uncovers even more buried secrets—secrets from a time when the Second World War was raging, when Olivia was a young woman, and when both romance and danger lurked around every corner…

A sweeping and utterly spellbinding tale of a young woman’s courage in the face of war and the lengths to which she’ll go to protect those she loves against the most unexpected of enemies.

Review:

Rich, mysterious, and incredibly absorbing!

The Sea Gate is an alluring, dual-timeline tale set in Cornwall during WWII, as well as present-day, that is told from two perspectives; Olivia, a young girl struggling to survive in a world driven by insecurity and fear and ravaged by war, and Becky, a young woman who unexpectedly stumbles across a slew of long-buried family secrets and an offensive parrot after travelling to the home of her mother’s 90-year-old cousin to help fix it up and prepare it for her return.

The prose is vivid and expressive. The characters are resilient, brave, and determined. And the plot, along with all the seamlessly intertwined subplots, is an impressive blend of drama, emotion, family, secrets, mystique, love, loss, courage, passion, heartbreak, and self-discovery.

Overall, The Sea Gate is an evocative, immersive, moving tale that sweeps you away to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly into the personalities, feelings, and lives of the characters you never want it to end. It is undoubtedly one of my favourite novels of the year and another fine example of Johnson’s extraordinary ability to write exceptionally memorable storylines.

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

 

About Jane Johnson

Jane Johnson is from Cornwall and has worked in the book industry for over 20 years, as a bookseller, publisher and writer. She is responsible for the publishing of many major authors, including George RR Martin.

In 2005 she was in Morocco researching the story of a distant family member who was abducted from a Cornish church in 1625 by Barbary pirates and sold into slavery in North Africa, when a near-fatal climbing incident caused her to rethink her future. She returned home, gave up her office job in London, and moved to Morocco. She married her own ‘Berber pirate’ and now they split their time between Cornwall and a village in the Anti-Atlas Mountains. She still works, remotely, as Fiction Publishing Director for HarperCollins.

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