#FeaturePost Black Thorn by Sarah Hilary @sarah_hilary @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #BlackThorn #SarahHilary #PGCBooks

#FeaturePost Black Thorn by Sarah Hilary @sarah_hilary @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #BlackThorn #SarahHilary #PGCBooks Title: Black Thorn

Author: Sarah Hilary

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Sep. 19, 2023

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 384

Format: Hardcover

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Blackthorn Ashes was meant to be their forever home. For the first six families moving into the exclusive new housing development, it was a chance to live a peaceful life on the cliffs overlooking the Cornish sea, safe in the knowledge that it had been created just for them.

But six weeks later, paradise is lost. Six people are dead. And Blackthorn Ashes is left abandoned and unfinished, its dark shadows hiding all manner of secrets.

One of its surviving residents, Agnes Gale, is determined to find out the truth about what happened. Even if that truth is deadlier than she could have ever believed possible . . .

 

This book 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 gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sarah Hilary

Sarah Hilary’s debut, Someone Else's Skin, won the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year and was a World Book Night selection, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick, and a Silver Falchion and Macavity Award finalist in the US. No Other Darkness, the second in the series, was shortlisted for a Barry Award. Her DI Marnie Rome series continued with Tastes Like Fear, Quieter Than Killing, Come and Find Me, and Never Be Broken. Black Thorn is her second standalone novel, following Fragile.

Photo by Matthew Andrews.

#BookReview Christmas by Candlelight by Karen Swan @KarenSwan1 @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #ChristmasbyCandlelight #KarenSwan #PGCBooks

#BookReview Christmas by Candlelight by Karen Swan @KarenSwan1 @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #ChristmasbyCandlelight #KarenSwan #PGCBooks Title: Christmas by Candlelight

Author: Karen Swan

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Oct. 17, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 416

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

Snowed in for the holidays…

It’s three days before Christmas and just starting to snow… Against her better judgement, Libby Pugh has been persuaded by her best friend to stop in on their university reunion on her way back from a wedding in North Yorkshire with her boyfriend, Max.

The host is Archie Templeton, the playboy of their group, who has finally inherited his father’s title and estate – even if the latter is more stately heap than palace. Libby is surprised at how good it feels to catch up with old. The night is a great success but when they come to leave, the road is now impassable and she and Max are given a bed for the night.

At first being snowed in with old friends is rather lovely – they spend he next day is spent in high spirits as they wait for the local farmer to clear the snow. But as the hours pass and he doesn’t come, everyone grows restless. Christmas is two days away and everyone has plans, other places to be. Then the power goes out . . .

By the fireside and by candlelight, the old friends must hunker down together as they await help. They reminisce about times past, good and bad. But as the cracks in their relationships, old and new, start to show, Libby is confronted with a truth she has long tried to deny . . .


Review:

Quaint, mysterious, and heartfelt!

Christmas by Candlelight is an alluring, compelling tale that takes you into the life of Libby Pugh, a young, successful lawyer who, after keeping a distance from her university roommates for the past nine years, excepts an invitation for a brief reunion-like dinner at Archie’s isolated country estate only to find herself snowed in shortly after she arrives with no power, no connection with the outside world, and a few days with nothing to do but confront secrets and hurts from the past, and finally acknowledge and accept the feelings that have been brewing for years.

The prose is vivid and expressive. The characters are flawed, witty, and intelligent. And the plot, using flashbacks and a back-and-forth style, is an enticingly nostalgic tale full of secrets, lies, friendship, tension, chemistry, attraction, tender moments, strong emotions, self-reflection, relationship dynamics, and love.

Overall, Christmas by Candlelight is another absorbing, uplifting, festive tale by Swan that does a brilliant job of highlighting her exceptional ability to create endearing, multilayered characters, idyllic wintery settings, and engaging storylines that thoroughly captivate from start to finish.

 

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 gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Karen Swan

Karen Swan began her career in fashion journalism before giving it all up to raise her three children and a puppy, and to pursue her ambition of becoming a writer. She lives in the forest outside Sussex, England, writing her books in a treehouse overlooking the Downs.

An internationally bestselling author, her numerous books include The Rome Affair, The Paris Secret, Christmas Under the Stars, and The Christmas Secret. 

Photograph by Alexander James

#FeaturePost Between the Head and the Hands by James Chaarani @ecwpress #BetweentheHeadandtheHands #JamesChaarani #ECWPress

#FeaturePost Between the Head and the Hands by James Chaarani @ecwpress #BetweentheHeadandtheHands #JamesChaarani #ECWPress Title: Between the Head and the Hands

Author: James Chaarani

Published by: ECW Press on Sep. 26, 2023

Genres: General Fiction, LGBTQIA

Pages: 240

Format: Paperback

Source: ECW Press

The candid story of a young man abandoned by his family and religion and left searching for identity in an unfamiliar world.

When Michael Dawouk is disowned by his Muslim family for being gay, he turns his back on the religion and culture he grew up with. He is forced out onto the street, only to be taken in by a former high school teacher who offers him room and board in exchange for sex. Michael is soon left with nothing to believe in, until he meets Wyatt, a successful Texan businessman who takes him under his wing. But what Michael can’t see is that his mentor is just as lost as he is.

Searching for the connection and belonging he lost when he left home, Michael immerses himself in temporary pleasures ― nights of danger, intrigue, and meaningless sex ― until he begins to crave a kinder form of love.

 

This novel is available now.

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

       

 

 

Thank you to ECW Press for gifting me a copy.

 

About James Chaarani

James Chaarani's work has appeared in Condé Nast's Them, The Advocate, Slate, and Vice. The Toronto, Ontario resident was selected for Lambda Literary's Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices in Los Angeles.

#BookReview A Traitor in Whitehall @The_Julia_Kelly @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #JuliaKelly #ATraitorinWhitehall #ParisianOrphan #SMPInfluencers

#BookReview A Traitor in Whitehall @The_Julia_Kelly @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #JuliaKelly #ATraitorinWhitehall #ParisianOrphan #SMPInfluencers Title: A Traitor in Whitehall

Author: Julia Kelly

Series: Parisian Orphan #1

Published by: Minotaur Books on Oct. 3, 2023

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 304

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 8.5/10

From Julia Kelly, internationally bestselling author of The Last Dance of the Debutante, comes the first in the mysterious and immersive Parisian Orphan series, A Traitor in Whitehall.

1940, England: Evelyne Redfern, known as “The Parisian Orphan” as a child, is working on the line at a munitions factory in wartime London. When Mr. Fletcher, one of her father’s old friends, spots Evelyne on a night out, Evelyne finds herself plunged into the world of Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s cabinet war rooms.

However, shortly after she settles into her new role as a secretary, one of the girls at work is murdered, and Evelyne must use all of her amateur sleuthing expertise to find the killer. But doing so puts her right in the path of David Poole, a cagey minister’s aide who seems determined to thwart her investigations. That is, until Evelyne finds out David’s real mission is to root out a mole selling government secrets to Britain’s enemies, and the pair begrudgingly team up.

With her quick wit, sharp eyes, and determination, will Evelyne be able to find out who’s been selling England’s secrets and catch a killer, all while battling her growing attraction to David?


Review:

Mysterious, atmospheric, and engaging!

A Traitor in Whitehall is a suspenseful tale that takes us back to 1941 London and into the life of Evelyne Redfern who, after stumbling upon the body of a fellow secretary on her first day working in Winston Churchill’s war rooms, finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation that’s a little more complex than it originally appears, and for which she may have to join forces with the enigmatic, handsome David Poole who seems to be secretly working on a case of his own.

The prose is descriptive and light. The characters, including the intelligent, independent heroine, are multi-layered, intriguing, and well-developed. And the plot is a well-paced whodunit full of red herrings, duplicity, amateur sleuthing, deduction, attraction, and, of course, a touch of the unexpected.

Overall, A Traitor in Whitehall is the first book in the Parisian Orphan series, and if you love historical mysteries, this one won’t disappoint. It’s an entertaining, cosy, satisfying tale by Kelly that is not only a real treat to read, but a great start to what could be a fantastic new series in a slightly different genre than the author is predominantly known and revered for.

 

This novel is available October 3, 2023.

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

         

 

 

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

 

About Julia Kelly

Julia Kelly is the award-winning author of women's fiction and historical romance books about the extraordinary stories of the past. She also writes fast-paced contemporary sports romance as Julia Blake. In addition to writing, she’s been an Emmy-nominated producer, journalist, marketing professional, and (for one summer) a tea waitress. Julia called Los Angeles, Iowa, and New York City home before settling in London.

Photograph by Scott Bottles.

#BookReview The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith @ASmithAuthor @simonschuster #TheWayIUsedToBe #AmberSmith #SimonSchuster

#BookReview The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith @ASmithAuthor @simonschuster #TheWayIUsedToBe #AmberSmith #SimonSchuster Title: The Way I Used to Be

Author: Amber Smith

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books on Mar. 7, 2017

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult

Pages: 376

Format: Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster

Book Rating: 9/10

All Eden wants is to rewind the clock. To live that day again. She would do everything differently. Not laugh at his jokes or ignore the way he was looking at her that night. And she would definitely lock her bedroom door.

But Eden can’t turn back time. So she buries the truth, along with the girl she used to be. She pretends she doesn’t need friends, doesn’t need love, doesn’t need justice. But as her world unravels, one thing becomes clear: the only person who can save Eden … is Eden.


Review:

Intense, moving, and impactful!

The Way I Used to Be is a raw, heart-wrenching tale that takes us into the life of Eden, a teenage girl who, after being sexually assaulted in her own bed by her brother’s best friend, spends the next four years of high school, even with the caring affections of a senior, struggling to come to grips with the violation and the constant impulsive need to participate in promiscuous and reckless behaviour in order to feel.

The prose is smooth and tight. The characters are complex, tormented, and angry. And the plot is a compelling tale of rape, isolation, friendship, trust, love, sexual dynamics, fractured relationships, self-destruction, promiscuity, power, shame, violence, denial, pain, and mental health.

Overall, The Way I Used to Be is a tender, gripping, sensitive tale by Smith that packs a real emotional punch and does an exceptional job of highlighting the psychological and emotional devastation caused by rape and the resulting long, complex journey to start healing one’s self.

 

This book is available now.

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

           

 

 

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

 

About Amber Smith

Amber Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of the young adult novels The Way I Used to Be, The Last to Let Go, Something Like Gravity, and The Way I Am Now. An advocate for increased awareness of gendered violence, as well as LGBTQ equality, she writes in the hope that her books can help to foster change and spark dialogue surrounding these issues. She grew up in Buffalo, New York, and now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her wife and their ever-growing family of rescued dogs and cats.

Photo by Deborah Triplett

#BookReview The Most Secret Memory of Men by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr (translated by Lara Vergnaud) @ScribnerBooks @SimonSchusterCA #MohamedMbougarSarr #TheMostSecretMemoryofMen #SimonSchusterCA

#BookReview The Most Secret Memory of Men by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr (translated by Lara Vergnaud) @ScribnerBooks @SimonSchusterCA #MohamedMbougarSarr #TheMostSecretMemoryofMen #SimonSchusterCA Title: The Most Secret Memory of Men

Author: Mohamed Mbougar Sarr

Published by: Scribner on Sep. 26, 2023

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 496

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

A masterful coming-of-age novel and a gripping investigation into the life of a mysterious author who disappeared without a trace, by the first writer from sub-Saharan Africa to be awarded France’s prestigious Prix Goncourt.

Paris, 2018. Diégane Latyr Faye, a young Senegalese writer, discovers a legendary book published in 1938 titled The Maze of Inhumanity . No one knows what happened to the author, T.C. Elimane, once referred to as the “Black Rimbaud.” After he was accused of plagiarism, his reputation was destroyed by the critics. He subsequently disappeared without a trace.

Curiosity turns to obsession, and Faye embarks on a quest to uncover the fate of the mysterious T.C. Elimane. His search weaves past and present, countries and continents, following the author’s labyrinthine trail from Senegal to Argentina and France and confronting the great tragedies of history.

Alongside his investigation, Faye becomes part of a group of young African writers in Paris. They talk, drink, make love, and philosophize about the role of exile in artistic creation. He becomes particularly close to two women: the seductive Siga, keeper of secrets, and the fleeting photojournalist Aïda.

But throughout, a question persists: will he get to the truth at the center of the maze?

A gripping detective novel without a detective and a masterpiece of perpetual reinvention, The Most Secret Memory of Men confronts the impact of colonialism and neo-colonialism, the holocaust in Europe, dictatorships in South America and the Caribbean, genocide in Africa, and collaboration and resistance everywhere. Above all, it is a love song to literature and its timeless power.


Review:

Evocative, compelling, and complex!

The Most Secret Memory of Men is a captivating, immersive tale that takes you into the life of Diégane Latyr Faye, a young Senegalese writer living in France who, after stumbling across a controversial novel that affects him deeply, The Labyrinth of Inhumanity, decides to unravel the mystery and the scandal that caused the novel to be quickly pulled from shelves shortly after its release in the late 1930s and it’s author seemingly missing without a trace.

The prose is lyrical and rich. The characters are multilayered, inquisitive, and determined. And the plot, using stories within the story, is an astute, coming-of-age tale about life, loss, friendship, family, secrets, self-identity, curiosity, racism, infamy, culture, love affairs, literature, and the importance of finding one’s own voice.

Overall, The Most Secret Memory of Men is an atmospheric, philosophical, insightful tale by Mbourgar Sarr that does a beautiful job of highlighting the inherent struggles faced by writers and by those whose lives are continually and irrevocably changed due to colonization and political upheaval.

 

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 Mohamed Mbougar Sarr

Mohamed Mbougar Sarr was born in Dakar, Senegal, in 1990. He studied literature and philosophy at L’École des hautes études en sciences sociales in Paris. Brotherhood, his first novel, won the Grand Prix du Roman Métis, the Prix Ahmadou-Kourouma, and the French Voices Grand Prize. The president of Senegal named him a Chevalier of the National Order of Merit. In 2021, he won the Prix Goncourt for The Most Secret Memory of Men, becoming the first author from sub-Saharan Africa to win the award and one of the youngest at only thirty-one years old. The novel was also longlisted for the National Book Awards in the category of Translated Literature.

Photograph © DR

#BookReview Truly, Darkly, Deeply by Victoria Selman @VictoriaSelman @UnionSqandCo #TrulyDarklyDeeply #VictoriaSelman #UnionSqandCo

#BookReview Truly, Darkly, Deeply by Victoria Selman @VictoriaSelman @UnionSqandCo #TrulyDarklyDeeply #VictoriaSelman #UnionSqandCo Title: Truly, Darkly, Deeply

Author: Victoria Selman

Published by: Union Square & Co. on Jun. 27, 2023

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 304

Format: Paperback

Source: Union Square & Co.

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Matty Melgren is a convicted serial killer serving life without parole for the murders of several women in London in the 1980s. He has consistently protested his innocence, and the evidence against him was largely circumstantial. At the time of his arrest, Matty’s girlfriend was Amelia-Rose, a single mother to 12-year-old Sophie. Sophie adores Matty. He’s handsome, funny, respectable—she could never suspect him of the brutal killings in the headlines. Then a police sketch of a suspect is released that looks a lot like Matty. Was it him? Sophie is consumed with doubt and guilt, causing her to act impulsively, ripping her family apart. Years later, she is still haunted by her actions. Was she wrong to have done what she did all those years ago? Then Sophie receives a letter from Matty—he’s dying and asks her to visit him in prison. Will she finally get the answers she needs to be able to reclaim her future?


Review:

Ominous, sharp, and engrossing!

Truly, Darkly, Deeply is a cunning, unpredictable psychological thriller that delves into the question of how well do you really know anyone and highlights just how many secrets people keep and lies they tell to even those who are closest to them.

The writing is taut and tight. The characters are tormented, damaged, and multilayered. And the plot intertwines and unravels quickly into an intricate tale of lies, secrets, manipulation, love, dysfunction, wickedness, deception, guilt, and serial violence.

Overall, Truly, Darkly, Deeply is a clever, intense, tortuous page-turner by Selman that kept me enthralled from the very first page and, ultimately, left me shocked, surprised, and darkly entertained.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to Union Square & Co. for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Victoria Selman

Victoria Selman is the author of the critically acclaimed Ziba MacKenzie series. Her debut novel, Blood for Blood, was shortlisted for the prestigious CWA Debut Dagger Award and an Amazon Charts #1 bestseller for five weeks, selling over half a million copies.

Victoria has written for the Independent, co-hosts Crime Time FM, compiles the Afraid of the Light charity anthology series and was shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award.

Her first latest thriller, Truly Darkly Deeply, was published as Quercus’ flagship title in July 2022 and was an instant Sunday Times bestseller.

#BookReview And Then There Was You by Nancy Naigle @smpromance @nancynaigle @StMartinsPress #AndThenThereWasYou #NancyNaigle #SMPRomance #SMPInfluencers

#BookReview And Then There Was You by Nancy Naigle @smpromance @nancynaigle @StMartinsPress #AndThenThereWasYou #NancyNaigle #SMPRomance #SMPInfluencers Title: And Then There Was You

Author: Nancy Naigle

Series: Chestnut Ridge #1

Published by: St. Martin's Griffin on Jun. 27, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

During the coziness of sweater weather in the mountains of Virginia two people find love against all odds in USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle’s And Then There Was You .

Reeling after falling prey to a Romeo con-artist who just waltzed away with the better part of her belongings, Natalie Maynard works closely with the detective assigned to her case, only the few leads have led nowhere.

Detective Randy Fellowes can’t promise Natalie restitution, but he’s determined to find the culprit and serve up justice. Married to his work, he’s caught off guard when Natalie has his thoughts wandering to more than the case.

Natalie soon seeks refuge in the one thing she still owns ― an old fishing cabin in the mountains of Chestnut Ridge. She quickly falls in love with the town and the eccentric people who are teaching her so much about the area and its heritage.

Through these people, and the determination of Detective Fellowes, she rediscovers her courage, self, and a reason to risk love again.


Review:

Reflective, optimistic, and tender!

And Then There Was You is a charming, uplifting tale that takes you into the life of Natalie Maynard, a confused, heartbroken widow who, after falling for a con man that left her confidence shattered, her life in tatters and her money all gone, moves to her late husband’s cabin in the idyllic mountains of Virginia to regroup, start over, and perhaps find some peace, family, and a new place to call home.

The writing is warm and fluid. The characters are kind, attentive, and supportive. And the plot is a sweet, heartfelt blend of life, loss, friendship, grief, introspection, drama, community, tricky situations, romantic gestures, unconditional love, and new beginnings.

Overall, And Then There Was You is a heartwarming, hopeful, captivating tale by Naigle that’s a promising start for this new Chestnut Ridge series and is definitely the perfect choice for anyone who loves endearing characters and small-town charm.

 

This book is available now.

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

       

 

 

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

 

About Nancy Naigle

USA Today bestselling author NANCY NAIGLE whips up small-town love stories with a dash of suspense and a whole lot of heart. Now happily retired, she devotes her time to writing, antiquing, and the occasional spa day with friends. A native of Virginia Beach, she currently calls North Carolina home. Nancy is the author of Christmas Joy and Hope at Christmas, both of which have been turned into film for Hallmark Channel.

Photograph by Adam Sanner.

#BookReview Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll @SimonSchusterCA #JessicaKnoll #BrightYoungWomen #SimonSchusterCA

#BookReview Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll @SimonSchusterCA #JessicaKnoll #BrightYoungWomen #SimonSchusterCA Title: Bright Young Women

Author: Jessica Knoll

Published by: Simon and Schuster on Sep. 19, 2023

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 384

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

An extraordinary novel inspired by the real-life sorority targeted by America’s first celebrity serial killer in his final murderous spree.

January 1978. A serial killer has terrorized women across the Pacific Northwest, but his existence couldn’t be further from the minds of the vibrant young women at the top sorority on Florida State University’s campus in Tallahassee. Tonight is a night of promise, excitement, and desire, but Pamela Schumacher, president of the sorority, makes the unpopular decision to stay home—a decision that unwittingly saves her life. Startled awake at 3 a.m. by a strange sound, she makes the fateful decision to investigate. What she finds behind the door is a scene of implausible violence—two of her sisters dead; two others, maimed. Over the next few days, Pamela is thrust into a terrifying mystery inspired by the crime that’s captivated public interest for more than four decades.

On the other side of the country, Tina Cannon has found peace in Seattle after years of hardship. A chance encounter brings twenty-five-year-old Ruth Wachowsky into her life, a young woman with painful secrets of her own, and the two form an instant connection. When Ruth goes missing from Lake Sammamish State Park in broad daylight, surrounded by thousands of beachgoers on a beautiful summer day, Tina devotes herself to finding out what happened to her. When she hears about the tragedy in Tallahassee, she knows it’s the man the papers refer to as the All-American Sex Killer. Determined to make him answer for what he did to Ruth, she travels to Florida on a collision course with Pamela—and one last impending tragedy.

Bright Young Women is the story about two women from opposite sides of the country who become sisters in their fervent pursuit of the truth. It proposes a new narrative inspired by evidence that’s been glossed over for decades in favor of more salable headlines—that the so-called brilliant and charismatic serial killer from Seattle was far more average than the countless books, movies, and primetime specials have led us to believe, and that it was the women whose lives he cut short who were the exceptional ones.


Review:

Unsettling, insightful, and intricate!

Bright Young Women is a compelling, disturbing thriller that takes us into the lives of two main characters. Pamela Schumacher, a sorority president at Florida State University, who after being awoken by a disturbance at 3 a.m. on the night of January 15, 1978, becomes an eyewitness to a horrific crime that leaves two of her sisters dead and two brutally beaten, and Ruth Wachowsky, a young woman who is struggling with familial drama and secrets who never returns home one day in 1974, and whose girlfriend fights tirelessly over the years to prove was an earlier victim of the same killer.

The writing is brisk and sharp. The characters are tormented, vulnerable, and scarred. And the plot, told from alternating POVs and using a back-and-forth style, is an eerie tale of life, loss, tragedy, grief, injustice, depravity, misogyny, rage, strong emotions, negligence, sensationalism, violence, and murder.

Overall, Bright Young Women is a taut, tense, gripping tale inspired by real-life events that packs a real punch and is a spine-chilling reminder of what’s really important to remember when it comes to serial killers and that’s not the killers themselves but their victims, the ones whose lives they took, the ones whose lives they shattered, and the ones whose lives they have irrevocably changed and will haunt forever.

This novel is available now.

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

        

 

 

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

 

About Jessica Knoll

Jessica Knoll is the New York Times bestselling author of The Favorite Sister and Luckiest Girl Alive—now a major motion picture from Netflix starring Mila Kunis. She has been a senior editor at Cosmopolitan and the articles editor at Self. She grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and graduated from the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their bulldog, Franklin.

Photo by Sabrina Lantos.

#BookReview A Storm of Infinite Beauty by Julianne MacLean @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #AStormofInfiniteBeauty #JulianneMacLean #LakeUnion #FireflyDist

#BookReview A Storm of Infinite Beauty by Julianne MacLean @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #AStormofInfiniteBeauty #JulianneMacLean #LakeUnion #FireflyDist Title: A Storm of Infinite Beauty

Author: Julianne MacLean

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Sep. 12, 2023

Genres: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 300

Format: Paperback

Source: Firefly Distributed Lines

Book Rating: 9/10

From the bestselling author of Beyond the Moonlit Sea comes an atmospheric tale of how one woman’s search for the truth uncovers long-hidden secrets and rocks the very foundation of her world.

Scarlett Fontaine is a true Hollywood legend—a singer, actress, and beloved fashion icon. But Scarlett dies tragically at just thirty-six years old, leaving behind no children. Or so the story goes…

Gwen Hollingsworth is the curator at a museum dedicated to Scarlett’s life. She’s also sole heir to Scarlett’s fortune as a descendant of the star. But all is not well in Gwen’s world. She’s dealing with a messy marital separation and is struggling to move forward. So when Peter Miller, a biographer and photojournalist, comes to the museum with shocking claims about Scarlett—a life of exile in Alaska, a baby born in secret—Gwen’s whole world is turned upside down.Again.

Determined to uncover the truth, Gwen and Peter set out for Alaska together but soon find themselves on a path toward something far deeper and more meaningful than either of them ever expected.

A Storm of Infinite Beauty takes readers on a breathtaking journey from a lush vineyard in Nova Scotia to a rustic lodge in Alaska where old family secrets are revealed and the quest for true happiness begins.


Review:

Immersive, emotional, and vivid!

A Storm of Infinite Beauty is set in Valdez, Alaska and Wolfville, Nova Scotia, in both 1964 and 2017, and is told from two different perspectives; Gwen, a young woman who spends her days running a museum dedicated to Scarlett Fontaine until a biographer shares some intriguing information that sees her travelling to Alaska to unravel the secrets surrounding one year of her late, legendary family member’s life, and Valerie/Scarlet, a young girl whose life is changed forever after she spends a year of heartache, loss, and tragedy in Valdez before heading to LA to follow her dream of becoming an actress/songwriter.

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are resilient, brave, and scarred. And the plot is a moving tale about life, loss, family, secrets, desperation, friendship, survival, grief, marital discord, and the devastation of the Great Alaskan earthquake.

Overall, A Storm of Infinite Beauty is a heartfelt, sentimental, affecting read by MacLean that does a lovely job of interweaving historical facts and compelling fiction into an insightful, heart-tugging tale that is atmospheric and highly absorbing.

 

This novel is available now.

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

      

 

 

Thank you to Firefly Distributed Lines for gifting me 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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