#BookReview Until Then (Cape Harbor #2) by Heidi McLaughlin @AmazonPub #UntilThen #HeidiMcLaughlin #CapeHarbor

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#BookReview Until Then (Cape Harbor #2) by Heidi McLaughlin @AmazonPub #UntilThen #HeidiMcLaughlin #CapeHarbor Title: Until Then

Author: Heidi McLaughlin

Series: Cape Harbor #2

Published by: Montlake Romance on Feb. 2, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 348

Format: Paperback

Source: Amazon Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

From New York Times bestselling author Heidi McLaughlin comes an uplifting story about two old friends finding new love.

Rennie Wallace has it all: a boyfriend, a good job, a best friend who lives a stone’s throw away…but something’s missing. She isn’t sure what until she returns to Cape Harbor, her favorite home away from home. There, she crosses paths with an old love, Graham. Rennie’s drawn to him but senses their paths in life have wandered too far apart.

Graham Chamberlain has returned to Cape Harbor to care for his brother, the town alcoholic. Managing and serving drinks at his family’s bar, Graham can’t believe how mundane his life has become. He’s resigned himself to living for others, his own desires for adventure and romance taking a back seat to running the family business—until Rennie walks through his door.

Graham feels the weight of his small-town life; Rennie has a boyfriend and a busy life in the city. But neither can deny the rekindled spark between them. Will they find their way back to one another?

Review:

Emotional, sobering, and optimistic!

Until Then is a sweet, slow-burning, second-chance romance that takes us into the life of the hardworking, Rennie Wallace who at first glance seems to have it all, a successful career and a handsome fiance, but when events send her back to the small town of Cape Harbor, Washington for the first time in fifteen years, and she comes face-to-face with Graham Chamberlain her on-again, off-again friend and lover from college timing may once again become everything.

The prose is heartfelt and genuine. The characters are supportive, compassionate, and kind. And the plot is an uplifting mix of relationship dynamics, introspection, communication, heartbreak, trust, family, friendship, community, and unconditional love.

Overall, Until Then is a charming, authentic, tender addition to the Cape Harbor series by McLaughlin that definitely has the perfect amount of hope, heart, and humour to keep me yearning 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 Amazon Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Heidi McLaughlin

Heidi McLaughlin is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of The Beaumont Series, The Boys of Summer, and The Archers.

Originally, from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband, two daughters, and their three dogs.

In 2012, Heidi turned her passion for reading into a full-fledged literary career, writing over twenty novels, including the acclaimed Forever My Girl.

When writing isn’t occupying her time, you can find her sitting courtside at either of her daughters’ basketball games.

Heidi’s first novel, Forever My Girl, has been adapted into a motion picture with LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions, starring Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe, and opened in theaters on January 19, 2018.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview The Family by Louise Jensen @Fab_fiction @GrandCentralPub #TheFamily #LouiseJensen #GrandCentralPub

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#BookReview The Family by Louise Jensen @Fab_fiction @GrandCentralPub #TheFamily #LouiseJensen #GrandCentralPub Title: The Family

Author: Louise Jensen

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Feb. 2, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

At Oak Leaf Farm you will find a haven.
Welcome to The Family.

Laura is grieving after the sudden death of her husband. Struggling to cope emotionally and financially, Laura is grateful when a local community, Oak Leaf Organics, offer her and her 17-year-old daughter Tilly a home.

But as Laura and Tilly settle into life with their new “family,” sinister things begin to happen. When one of the community dies in suspicious circumstances Laura wants to leave but Tilly, enthralled by the charismatic leader, Alex, refuses to go.

Desperately searching for a way to save her daughter, Laura uncovers a horrifying secret but Alex and his family aren’t the only ones with something to hide. Just as Laura has been digging into their past, they’ve been digging into hers and she discovers the terrifying reason they invited her and Tilly in, and why they’ll never let them leave…

Review:

Dark, suspenseful, and unnerving!

The Family is a creepy, engrossing tale that takes you into the lives of Laura, a widowed mother, and Tilly her seventeen-year-old daughter as they each grapple with grief, community whispers, financial insecurity, and a new home on the Oak Leaf Organics commune where things may not be quite as they first appeared and danger might lurk around every corner.

The prose is tight and intense. The characters are vulnerable, secretive, and troubled. And the plot told from differing perspectives unravels quickly into a gripping tale full of twists, turns, shocking revelations, familial drama, lies, deception, instability, obsession, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Family is another sinister, entertaining, character-driven thriller by Jensen that does a wonderful job of combining the isolating atmosphere of commune living with unsavoury characters, poor choices, and eerie motivations.

 

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 Louise Jensen

Louise Jensen is a USA Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Her first two novels, The Sister and The Gift, were both international bestsellers, and have been sold for translation to sixteen countries. Her debut novel, The Sister, was nominated for The Goodreads Awards Debut of 2016.

Louise lives in Northamptonshire with her husband, children, madcap dog, and a rather naughty cat. She loves to hear from readers and writers and can be found at LouiseJensen.co.uk, where she regularly blogs flash fiction.

Photograph by T. M. Elliston.

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#BookReview Ladies of the House by Lauren Edmondson @HTPBooks @Bookclubbish #HTPBooks #LadiesoftheHouse #LaurenEdmondson #Bookclubbish

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#BookReview Ladies of the House by Lauren Edmondson @HTPBooks @Bookclubbish #HTPBooks #LadiesoftheHouse #LaurenEdmondson #Bookclubbish Title: Ladies of the House

Author: Lauren Edmondson

Published by: Graydon House on Feb. 9, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Harlequin Books

Book Rating: 9/10

No surprise is a good surprise. At least according to thirty-four-year-old Daisy Richardson. So when it’s revealed in dramatic fashion that her esteemed father had been involved in a public scandal before his untimely death, Daisy’s life becomes complicated—and fast.

For one, the Richardsons must now sell the family home in Georgetown they can no longer afford, and Daisy’s mother is holding on with an iron grip. Her younger sister, Wallis, is ready to move on to bigger and better things but falls fast and hard for the most inconvenient person possible. And then there’s Atlas, Daisy’s best friend. She’s always wished they could be more, but now he’s writing an exposé on the one subject she’s been desperate to avoid: her father.

Daisy’s plan is to maintain a low profile as she works to keep her family intact amid social exile, public shaming, and quickly dwindling savings. But the spotlight always seems to find the Richardsons, and when another twist in the scandal comes to light, Daisy must confront the consequences of her continued silence and summon the courage to stand up and accept the power of her own voice.

Review:

Fresh, uplifting, and witty!

Ladies of the House is a charming, engaging tale that takes us to Washington, DC, and into the lives of three, strong, unique women as they each learn in their own way to cope with the death of their patriarch, Senator Gregory Richardson, and the subsequent trail of adultery, deception, controversy, scandal, and corruption he left in his wake.

The writing is clever and sharp. The characters are complex, angry, insecure, and loyal. And the plot unfolds and unravels quickly into a tender tale of family, friendship, trust, reputation, financial ruin, unrequited love, independence, happiness, and finding one’s true self.

Overall, Ladies of the House is an enjoyable, entertaining, modern retelling of Austen’s Sense and Sensibility that’s an outstanding debut by Edmondson with its endearing characters, heartfelt moments, contemporary storyline, and ending that will leave you with a smile.

This book is available now.

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

            

 

 

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

 

About Lauren Edmondson

Lauren Edmondson has a BA from Williams College and an MFA in fiction from Sarah Lawrence College. She teaches English at Northern Virginia Community College and lives outside Washington, D.C. with her husband and daughter. Ladies of the House is her first novel.

Photo courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview Her Wicked Marquess (Sinful Wallflowers #2) by Stacy Reid @st_reid @entangledpub @angelamelamud #HerWickedMarquess #StacyReid #SinfulWallflowers

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#BookReview Her Wicked Marquess (Sinful Wallflowers #2) by Stacy Reid @st_reid @entangledpub @angelamelamud #HerWickedMarquess #StacyReid #SinfulWallflowers Title: Her Wicked Marquess

Author: Stacy Reid

Series: Sinful Wallflowers #2

Published by: Entangled Publishing on Dec. 29, 2020

Genres: Historical Romance

Pages: 383

Format: Paperback

Source: Entangled Publishing, Angela Melamud

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Miss Maryann Fitzwilliam is too witty and bookish for her own good. No gentleman of the ton will marry her, so her parents arrange for her to wed a man old enough to be her father. But Maryann is ready to use those wits to turn herself into a sinful wallflower.

When the scandal sheet reports a sighting of Nicolas St. Ives, the Marquess of Rothbury, climbing out the chamber windows of a house party, Maryann does the unthinkable. She anonymously claims that the bedchamber belonged to none other than Miss Fitzwilliam, tarnishing her own reputation—and chances of the dastardly union her family secured for her. Now she just needs to convince the marquess to keep his silence.

Turns out Nicolas allows for the scandal to perpetuate for his own reasons… But when Maryann’s parents hold fast to their arranged marriage plan, it’ll take a scandal of epic proportions for these two to get out of this together.

Review:

Dark, edgy, and passionate!

Her Wicked Marquess is an engaging, rousing tale featuring the intelligent, fiery, MaryAnn Fitzwilliam who will do whatever it takes to escape a loveless marriage to the elderly Lord Stamford to whom she is betrothed, and the handsome, rakish Nicolas St. Ives who is determined to identify and seek revenge on all those who violated his childhood friend five years prior.

The prose is enticing and fluid. The characters are troubled, protective, and witty. And the plot is an alluring, mysterious mix of societal expectations, family, friendship, secrets, scandal, tender moments, retribution, and unconditional love.

Overall, Her Wicked Marquess is a sultry, adventurous, entertaining tale by Reid that is a pleasant surprise with its exceptional character development, unexpected ending, and twisty, surprising storyline that is quite atypical and somewhat grittier than you usually find in this genre.

 

This novel is available now.

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

               

 

 

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

 

About Stacy Reid

I am an unapologetic romance lover. I read it. I write it. Enough said. Well..I also have a warrior way "Never give up on my dreams." I spend a copious amount of time drooling over Rick Grimes from Walking Dead, watching Japanese anime and playing video games with my love, Dusean.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview Blink of an Eye (Kendra Michaels #8) by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen @Iris_Johansen @royjohansen @GrandCentralPub #BlinkofanEye #KendraMichaelsSeries #GrandCentralPub

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#BookReview Blink of an Eye (Kendra Michaels #8) by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen @Iris_Johansen @royjohansen @GrandCentralPub #BlinkofanEye #KendraMichaelsSeries #GrandCentralPub Title: Blink of an Eye

Author: Iris Johansen, Roy Johansen

Series: Kendra Michaels #8

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Feb. 2, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 343

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

A #1 New York Times bestselling author and an Edgar Award winner team up to deliver this gripping new novel featuring investigator Kendra Michaels—whose observational skills are worthy of a modern-day Sherlock Holmes.

Delilah Winter is one of the hottest pop stars on the planet, so how in the world was she kidnapped right in the middle of a show at the famous Hollywood Bowl? If anyone can figure it out, it’s Dr. Kendra Michaels, who works with local and federal authorities on only the most impossible cases. Blind for the first twenty years of her life until a revolutionary surgical procedure allowed her to regain her sight, Kendra uses her powers of observation—honed during her years in the dark—to detect what other investigators don’t. She agrees to lead the race to rescue the young singer before time runs out.

Joined by Jessie Mercado, the singer’s former bodyguard and a military hero, Kendra closes in on the hideout location but not before casualties mount up. Desperate for leads, Kendra must set aside her personal feelings when agent-for-hire Adam Lynch also volunteers his special skills to aid in the search.

But as the abductor’s true purpose becomes clear, the trio uncover a plot they never could have imagined—leading to a showdown they won’t soon forget.

Review:

Tight, propulsive, and sinister!

Blink of an Eye is an ominous, charged, pacey thriller that sees FBI consultant Kendra Michaels teaming up with her friend and former security advisor, Jessie Mercado, along with DOJ Special Agent Adam Lynch to investigate and hopefully negotiate the safe return of famous popstar, Deliah Winter after she is ruthlessly kidnapped during a live performance at the Hollywood Bowl.

The writing is meticulous and crisp. The characters are multilayered, talented, and resourceful. And the plot is a compelling web of clues, deduction, lies, obsession, manipulation, violence, and murder.

Overall, Blink of an Eye is another action-packed, suspenseful, fast-paced addition to the Kendra Michaels series by Johansen and Johansen that has just the right amount of mystery, intensity, and intrigue to keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish and leave fans of the series more than satisfied.

 

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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About Roy Johansen

Roy Johansen is a New York Times-bestselling mystery/suspense author and screenwriter.

He was awarded the Edgar Allen Poe award from the Mystery Writers of America in the Best Television Miniseries or Movie category for his original screenplay "Murder 101". He continues to write screenplays for Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Disney, and MGM.

He has written several mystery/suspense novels on his own, but Roy Johansen also collaborates with his mother, Iris Johansen, on several best-selling mystery novels, including Storm Cycle, The Hannah Bryson series, and The Kendra Michaels series.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

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#BookReview Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano @ElleCosimano @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #FinlayDonovanIsKillingIt #ElleCosimano

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#BookReview Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano @ElleCosimano @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #FinlayDonovanIsKillingIt #ElleCosimano Title: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

Author: Elle Cosimano

Series: Finlay Donovan #1

Published by: Minotaur Books on Feb. 2, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 368

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 9/10

IT’S MURDER BEING A HIT-MOM

“Getting the job done” for one single mom takes on a whole new meaning in Finlay Donovan is Killing It, a deliciously witty adult debut―the first in a brilliant new series from YA Edgar Award nominee Elle Cosimano.

Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she’s really not. She’s a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: the new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.

When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet . . . Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.

Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moments, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a brilliant new series from award-winning author Elle Cosimano.

Review:

Suspenseful, quirky, and outrageously funny!

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is a humorous, compelling read that transports you to the suburbs of Virginia and into the life of Finlay Donovan, a struggling romantic suspense author, recent divorcee, mother of two, whose life is about to get even more chaotic when a woman mistakenly confuses her for a hitman, the husband she never actually intended to kill ends up dead in her minivan, her former nanny willingly becomes a confident and sidekick, and the detective investigating the case is a little too handsome for his own good.

The prose is sharp and witty. The characters are unique, affable, and multilayered. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel quickly into a riotous, yet thrilling tale filled with life, love, family, friendship, secrets, deception, spirited hijinks, hilarious mishaps, mystique, and murder.

Overall, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is a fresh, charming, laugh-out-loud funny mystery that kept me amused and entertained from the very first page. It’s the first novel I’ve read by Cosimano, but based on this fantastic, creative start to what could definitely turn out to be one of my favourite series of all time, I can guarantee you it won’t be my last.

This book is available now.

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

               

 

 

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

 

About Elle Cosimano

ELLE COSIMANO is an award-winning author. Her YA debut, Nearly Gone, was an Edgar Award finalist and winner of the International Thriller Award. Her novel Holding Smoke was a finalist for the International Thriller Award and the Bram Stoker Award. Her essays have appeared in The Huffington Post and Time. Elle lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with her husband, two sons, and her dog. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is her adult debut.

Photo by Powell Woulfe Photography.

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#BookReview The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner @SusanMeissner @uplitreads @BerkleyPub #TheNatureofFragileThings #SusanMeissner #UplitReads #gifted

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#BookReview The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner @SusanMeissner @uplitreads @BerkleyPub #TheNatureofFragileThings #SusanMeissner #UplitReads #gifted Title: The Nature of Fragile Things

Author: Susan Meissner

Published by: Berkley Books on Feb. 2, 2021

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 384

Format: Hardcover

Source: Uplit Reads

Book Rating: 10/10

April 18, 1906: A massive earthquake rocks San Francisco just before daybreak, igniting a devouring inferno. Lives are lost, lives are shattered, but some rise from the ashes forever changed.

Sophie Whalen is a young Irish immigrant so desperate to get out of a New York tenement that she answers a mail-order bride ad and agrees to marry a man she knows nothing about. San Francisco widower Martin Hocking proves to be as aloof as he is mesmerizingly handsome. Sophie quickly develops deep affection for Kat, Martin’s silent five-year-old daughter, but Martin’s odd behavior leaves her with the uneasy feeling that something about her newfound situation isn’t right.

Then one early-spring evening, a stranger at the door sets in motion a transforming chain of events. Sophie discovers hidden ties to two other women. The first, pretty and pregnant, is standing on her doorstep. The second is hundreds of miles away in the American Southwest, grieving the loss of everything she once loved.

The fates of these three women intertwine on the eve of the devastating earthquake, thrusting them onto a perilous journey that will test their resiliency and resolve and, ultimately, their belief that love can overcome fear.

From the acclaimed author of The Last Year of the War and As Bright as Heaven comes a gripping novel about the bonds of friendship and mother love, and the power of female solidarity.

Review:

Rich, tortuous, and absorbing!

The Nature of Fragile Things is a captivating, mysterious tale set during 1906 that takes you into the life of Sophie Whalen, a young, Irish Immigrant who after answering a newspaper ad for a bride travels from New York to San Francisco to become the wife of widower Martin Hocking and the mother to his five-year-old daughter Kat. But things aren’t as straightforward as they first appeared, and as an earthquake destroys the very foundation of the city and fires rage for days, malicious actions will be hidden, long-buried secrets will finally be uncovered, and unexpected, unbreakable friendships will be forged.

The prose is vivid and expressive. The characters are brave, resourceful, and dependable. And the plot is an enigmatic tale full of twists, turns, surprises, deception, betrayal, danger, family, friendship, life, loss, heartbreak, bigotry, and survival.

Overall, The Nature of Fragile Things is a skillfully crafted, perfectly plotted tale by Meissner that highlights once again her ability to write immersive, atmospheric, beautifully written novels that are moving and unforgettable.

 

This novel is available now.

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

            

 

 

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

 

About Susan Meissner

Susan Meissner is a USA Today bestselling novelist with more than half a million books in print in fifteen languages. Her critically acclaimed works of historical fiction have been named to numerous lists including Publishers Weekly’s annual roster of 100 best books, Library Reads Top Picks, Real Simple annual tally of best books, Goodreads Readers’ Choice awards, Booklist’s Top Ten, and Book of the Month.

She attended Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego and is a former managing editor of a weekly newspaper. Susan’s expertise as a storyteller and her thoroughly researched topics make her a favorite author of book clubs everywhere. Her engaging and warm speaking style appeal to all manner of women’s groups, literary organizations, libraries and learning institutions, and service clubs.

When she is not working on a new novel, she enjoys teaching workshops on writing and dream-following, spending time with her family, music, reading great books, and travelling.

Photo courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview Exit by Belinda Bauer @BelindaBauerBooks @PGCBooks @groveatlantic #Exit #BelindaBauer

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#BookReview Exit by Belinda Bauer @BelindaBauerBooks @PGCBooks @groveatlantic #Exit #BelindaBauer Title: Exit

Author: Belinda Bauer

Published by: Atlantic Monthly Press on Feb. 2, 2021

Genres: Dark Comedy, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 336

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

Belinda Bauer is “Britain’s most original crime writer” (Crime Scene), one of the few authors in the genre to be longlisted for the Man Booker prize. Now she returns with a heart-pounding, heartbreaking, and often hilarious new crime novel in which it’s never too late for life to go fatally wrong.

Felix Pink is retired. Widowed for more than a decade, a painfully literal thinker, he has led a life of routine and is, not unhappily, waiting to die a hopefully boring death. He occupies himself volunteering as an Exiteer–someone who sits with terminally ill people as they die by suicide, assisting with logistics and lending moral support, then removing the evidence so that family and friends are not implicated in the death. When Felix lets himself in to Number 3 Black Lane, he’s there to perform an act of kindness and charity: to keep a dying man company as he takes his final breath.

But just fifteen minutes later Felix is on the run from the police–after making the biggest mistake of his life. Now his routine world is turned upside down as he tries to discover whether what went wrong was a simple mistake–or deliberate. Murder.

Belinda Bauer continues to redefine the boundaries of crime fiction, with a novel that is part murder mystery, part coming-of-old-age story–however short that future may be. With the compassion and dark humor of Jonas Jonasson and the twisted thriller plotting of Rear Window, Exit is a novel readers will not soon forget.

Review:

Clever, darkly comedic, and touching!

Exit is a twisty, mischievous tale that takes you on a journey into the lives of an elderly widow who likes to help people pass peacefully, a neighbour with good intentions, an unscrupulous loan shark, an accidental victim, a slovenly cleaner, and a police office determined to keep his family full of misfits a secret.

The prose is tight and witty. The characterization is spot on with a whole slew of characters who are eccentric, sharp-witted, and endearing. And the plot, including all the subplots, unravel and intertwine into an irresistibly thrilling tale of deception, compassion, manipulation, moral dilemmas, drama, tragedy, skewed perception, oddball shenanigans, slapstick moments, and unlikely friendships.

Overall, Exit is a fresh, edgy, intricate tale by Bauer that was so much better than I ever expected. It thoroughly entertained me, and I absolutely loved it.

This novel 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 Belinda Bauer

BELINDA BAUER is the award-winning author of seven previous novels that have been translated into twenty-one languages. She won the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Crime Novel of the Year forBlacklands, the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award forRubbernecker, and the CWA Dagger in the Library Award for outstanding body of work. Her previous novel, Snap, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. She lives in Wales.

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#BookReview The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah @RaincoastBooks @StMartinsPress #TheFourWinds #KristinHannah

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#BookReview The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah @RaincoastBooks @StMartinsPress #TheFourWinds #KristinHannah Title: The Four Winds

Author: Kristin Hannah

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Feb. 2, 2021

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 464

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Raincoast Books

Book Rating: 10/10

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes an epic novel of love and heroism and hope, set against the backdrop of one of America’s most defining eras—the Great Depression.

Texas, 1934. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as the crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. One of the darkest periods of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era, has arrived with a vengeance.

In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinelli—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American Dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.

Review:

Gritty, insightful, and incredibly atmospheric!

The Four Winds is an intriguing tale that sweeps you away to Dalhart, Texas during the 1920s – 1930s, when the country is reeling from the great depression and the townsfolk of West Texas must decide to continue to struggle to maintain their livelihoods, identities, and health through the relentless heat, devastating wind storms, and catastrophic droughts or relocate to the lushness of California where water is plentiful, the land is fertile, but survival may be just as difficult or worse.

The prose is poetic and lyrical. The main characters are strong, resilient, and hardworking. And the plot is an enthralling, emotional saga filled with life, loss, self-discovery, motherhood, familial drama, social stratification, poverty, tragedy, discrimination, inequality, heartbreak, courage, romance, and friendship.

Overall, The Four Winds is another exquisitely written, exceptionally detailed, beautiful novel by Hannah that I absolutely adored, and is undoubtedly going to be a big hit with historical fiction fans and book clubs everywhere.

This novel 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 Kristin Hannah

KRISTIN HANNAH is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty novels, including The Nightingale, The Great Alone, and The Four Winds. A former lawyer turned writer, she lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest.

Photo by Kevin Lynch.

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#BookReview Hadley & Grace by Suzanne Redfearn @SuzanneRedfearn @AmazonPub @LUAuthors #Hadley&Grace #SuzanneRedfearn

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#BookReview Hadley & Grace by Suzanne Redfearn @SuzanneRedfearn @AmazonPub @LUAuthors #Hadley&Grace #SuzanneRedfearn Title: Hadley & Grace

Author: Suzanne Redfearn

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

Genres: Women's Fiction

Pages: 347

Format: Paperback

Source: Amazon Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

The author of In an Instant delivers a heart-pounding and emotional roller-coaster ride of self-discovery in the tradition of Thelma and Louise.

Needing to escape her abusive marriage, Hadley flees with her two kids, knowing it might be her only chance. A woman who can’t even kill a spider, Hadley soon finds herself pushed to the limits as she fights to protect her family.

Grace, new mother of baby Miles, desperately wants to put her rough past behind her for good, but she finds it impossible when her path crosses with Hadley’s, and her quest for a new start quickly spirals out of control and turns into a terrifying flight for survival.

Stronger together than apart, the two find their fates inextricably entwined, and as the danger closes in, each must decide how much she is willing to risk for the other.

A powerful story of self-discovery, Hadley and Grace is the heart-racing tale of two women facing insurmountable odds, racing to stay one step ahead of the trouble that is chasing them, and discovering new kinds of love and family along the way.

Review:

Dramatic, impactful, and thought-provoking!

Hadley & Grace is a fast-paced, heart-pounding, thrilling novel that takes you into the life of an abused housewife and a disgruntled employee as coincidence and an unfortunate accident causes them to embark together on a wild ride of misfortune, chaos, and danger to escape their everyday lives.

The prose is eloquent and intense. The characters are multilayered, distressed, and impulsive. And the plot, reminiscent of the famous Ridley Scott film, Thelma and Louse, is an enthralling tale of life, love, loss, motherhood, family, guilt, acceptance, mayhem, abuse, persuasion, and survival.

Overall, Hadley & Grace is an alluring, empowering, entertaining romp by Redfearn full of heart, hope, and humour that does a wonderful job of delving into all the complex dynamics of relationships while highlighting the incredible power of friendship.

 

This book is available now. 

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

         

 

 

Thank you to Suzanne Redfearn and Amazon Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Suzanne Redfearn

Suzanne Redfearn is the award-winning author of three novels: Hush Little Baby, No Ordinary Life, and In an Instant. In addition to being an author, she’s also an architect specializing in residential and commercial design. She lives in Laguna Beach, California, where she and her husband own two restaurants: Lumberyard and Slice Pizza and Beer.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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