#BookReview Once Upon a Puppy (Pine Hollow #2) by Lizzie Shane @ReadForeverPub @GrandCentralPub #ReadForever #ReadForeverPub #ReadForever2021 #OnceUponaPuppy #LizzieShane #PineHollowSeries

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#BookReview Once Upon a Puppy (Pine Hollow #2) by Lizzie Shane @ReadForeverPub @GrandCentralPub #ReadForever #ReadForeverPub #ReadForever2021 #OnceUponaPuppy #LizzieShane #PineHollowSeries Title: Once Upon a Puppy

Author: Lizzie Shane

Series: Pine Hollow #2

Published by: Forever on May 25, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 335

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 9/10

Opposites attract when a straitlaced lawyer and whimsical party planner must fake-date as co-parents of a rambunctious Irish wolfhound in the second book of this im-paw-ssibly charming small-town romance series.

Connor Wyeth has a plan for everything. But when he adopts Maximus, an unruly Irish wolfhound mix, he gets more than he bargained for. If he doesn’t act fast, the big dopey mutt is going to destroy his house. The only person Max ever listens to is the volunteer who used to walk him at the shelter—a perennially upbeat woman whose day job is planning princess parties for little kids. Connor couldn’t ever imagine that she’d be able to tame such a beast as Max, but he’s desperate enough to try anything.

Deenie Mitchell isn’t looking forward to spending more time with uptight, rules-oriented Connor—no matter how attractive he is. But when her sister announces her engagement, Deenie realizes he’s the perfect person to impress her type-A family. When she learns he needs a plus-one for his law firm’s work events, an unlikely alliance is formed. But as they play the perfect couple, the friendship—and the feelings—that are forming start to feel all too real. Opposites may attract, but can the man with a plan for everything and the misfit who makes her own rules ever find common ground?

Review:

Enchanting, sassy, and sweet!

Once Upon a Puppy is a lovely, character-driven rom-com that sweeps you away to Pine Hollow and into the lives of the easy-going, feisty Deenie and the intense, broody Connor as they discover that opposites do attract and there may be more to their relationship than just dog training, pretend feelings, and fake dating.

The prose is fluid and smooth. The characters are hardworking, engaging, and charismatic. And the plot is a delightful mix of friendship, family, light drama, tricky moments, hilarious hijinks, snappy dialogue, shameless flirting, sizzling romance, and a mischievous, adorable Irish Wolfhound mix.

Overall, Once Upon a Puppy is an amusing, captivating, charming novel by Shane that’s another wonderful addition to the Pine Hollow series that, with its irresistible characters and heartwarming storylines, is quickly becoming one of my all-time favourites.

 

This book is available on May 25, 2021. 

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

       

 

 

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

 

About Lizzie Shane

Contemporary romance author Lizzie Shane was born in Alaska and still calls the frozen north home, though she can frequently be found indulging her travel addiction. Thankfully, her laptop travels with her and she has written her way through all fifty states and over fifty countries.

Lizzie has been honored to win the Golden Heart Award and HOLT Medallion, and has been named a finalist three times for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA Award®, but her main claim to fame is that she lost on Jeopardy!

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#BookReview The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jónasson @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #TheGirlWhoDied #RagnarJonasson

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#BookReview The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jónasson @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #TheGirlWhoDied #RagnarJonasson Title: The Girl Who Died

Author: Ragnar Jónasson

Published by: Minotaur Books on May 4, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 320

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 7.5/10

Teacher Wanted At the Edge of the World

Una wants nothing more than to teach, but she has been unable to secure steady employment in Reykjavík. Her savings are depleted, her love life is nonexistent, and she cannot face another winter staring at the four walls of her shabby apartment. Celebrating Christmas and ringing in 1986 in the remote fishing hamlet of Skálar seems like a small price to pay for a chance to earn some teaching credentials and get her life back on track.

But Skálar isn’t just one of Iceland’s most isolated villages, it is home to less than a dozen people. Una’s only students are two girls aged seven and nine. Teaching them only occupies so many hours in a day and the few adults she interacts with are civil but distant. She only seems to connect with Thór, a man she shares an attraction with but who is determined to keep her at arm’s length.

As darkness descends throughout the bleak winter, Una finds herself more often than not in her rented attic space – the site of a local legendary haunting – drinking her loneliness away. She is plagued by nightmares of a little girl in a white dress singing a lullaby. And when a sudden tragedy echoes an event long-buried in Skálar’s past, the villagers become even more guarded, leaving a suspicious Una seeking to uncover a shocking truth that’s been kept secret for generations.

Review:

Dark, intense, and creepy!

The Girl Who Died is a menacing, haunted thriller that sweeps you away to the secluded hamlet of Skálar and into the life of Una, a young teacher who after recently relocating from Reykjavík, struggles to feel comfortable, safe, and able to integrate herself into this community of ten residents that seem to be extremely insular and have something they’re determined to protect and hide at all costs.

The prose is eerie and tight. The characters are multilayered, aloof, and secretive, with the setting being a character itself with its desolation, claustrophobic environment, and isolation. And the plot is a simmering, ominous tale of familial drama, tension, desperation, violence, and death, all interwoven with a sliver of the supernatural.

Overall, The Girl Who Died is a taut, unsettling, atmospheric mystery by Jónasson that has all the qualities you typically look for in a Nordic Noir tale, and even though I thought it could have had a slighter quicker pace, it was nevertheless still an entertaining read from start to finish.

 

This book is available now.

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 Ragnar Jónasson

RAGNAR JONASSON is an international number one bestselling author who has sold over two million books in thirty-two countries worldwide. His books include the Dark Iceland series and the Hulda series. Jonasson was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he also works as an investment banker and teaches copyright law at Reykjavik University. He has previously worked on radio and television, including as a TV news reporter for the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, and, since the age of seventeen, has translated fourteen of Agatha Christie's novels. Ragnar is the co-founder of the Reykjavik international crime writing festival Iceland Noir. His critically acclaimed international bestseller The Darkness is soon to be a major TV series. Jonasson lives in Reykjavik with his wife and two daughters.

Photo by Sigurjon Sigurjonsson.

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#CoverReveal Christmas in Peachtree Bluff by Kristy Woodson Harvey @kristywharvey @uplitreads #christmasinpeachtreebluff #kristywoodsonharvey

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Today I am excited and honoured to bring you the Cover for the new novel

from USA TODAY bestselling author Kristy Woodson Harvey!

 

Christmas in Peachtree Bluff

Releasing on October 26, 2021!

 

 

“When the Murphy women are in trouble, they always know they can turn to their mother Ansley. So when eldest daughter Caroline and her husband James announce that they are divorcing—and fifteen-year-old daughter Vivi acts out in response—Caroline, at her wits end, can’t think of anything to do besides leave her with Ansley in Peachtree Bluff for the holidays. After all, how much trouble can one teenager get into on a tiny island?

Quite a lot, as it turns out.

When the “storm of the century” heads toward Peachtree Bluff, Vivi’s recklessness forces her, along with Ansley and her husband Jack, to shelter in place during the worst hurricane Peachtree has ever seen. With no power, no provisions, and the water rising, the circumstances in Peachtree Bluff become dire very quickly…and the Murphy sisters soon realize it’s up to them to conduct a rescue mission.

With Caroline’s boat the Starlite Sisters in tow, Sloane and Emerson set sail loaded with supplies. When they arrive, they find not only their family in need, but also an entire community desperate for help. Putting aside their own plans for December, they decide to stay in Peachtree, rebuilding their beloved town—as well as their family—just in time for the yuletide season.

In “pitch perfect tones” (Publishers Weekly) and written with her signature Southern charm, Kristy Woodson Harvey explores the magic of Christmas, the power of forgiveness, and the importance of family in a tale that reminds us that, no matter the circumstances, home is always where we belong—especially during the holidays.”

 

 

PRE-ORDER NOW

    

 

 

About Kristy Woodson Harvey

Kristy Woodson Harvey is the USA TODAY bestselling author of six novels, including Feels Like Falling, The Peachtree Bluff series, and Under the Southern Sky. A Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s school of journalism, her writing has appeared in numerous online and print publications including Southern Living, Traditional Home, USA TODAY, Domino, and O. Henry. Kristy is the winner of the Lucy Bramlette Patterson Award for Excellence in Creative Writing and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize. Her work has been optioned for film and television, and her books have received numerous accolades including Southern Living’s Most Anticipated Beach Reads, Parade’s Big Fiction Reads, and Entertainment Weekly’s Spring Reading Picks. Kristy is the co-creator and co-host of the weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction. She blogs with her mom Beth Woodson on Design Chic, and loves connecting with fans on KristyWoodsonHarvey.com. She lives on the North Carolina coast with her husband and son where she is (always!) working on her next novel.

Photo by Jay Ackerman.

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#BookReview #Audiobook Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub @HachetteAudio #ReadForever #ReadForeverPub #ReadForever2021 #RosalinePalmerTakestheCake #AlexisHall #WinnerBakesAll

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#BookReview #Audiobook Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub @HachetteAudio #ReadForever #ReadForeverPub #ReadForever2021 #RosalinePalmerTakestheCake #AlexisHall #WinnerBakesAll Title: Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake

Author: Alexis Hall

Narrator: Fiona Hardingham

Series: Winner Bakes All #1

Published by: Forever, Hachette Audio on Jul. 7, 2020

Genres: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA

Pages: 448

Length: 11 hrs 23 mins

Format: Audiobook, Paperback

Source: Forever, Hachette Audio

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Following the recipe is the key to a successful bake. Rosaline Palmer has always lived by those rules—well, except for when she dropped out of college to raise her daughter, Amelie. Now, with a paycheck as useful as greaseproof paper and a house crumbling faster than biscuits in tea, she’s teetering on the edge of financial disaster. But where there’s a whisk there’s a way . . . and Rosaline has just landed a spot on the nation’s most beloved baking show.

Winning the prize money would give her daughter the life she deserves—and Rosaline is determined to stick to the instructions. However, more than collapsing trifles stand between Rosaline and sweet, sweet victory.  Suave, well-educated, and parent-approved Alain Pope knows all the right moves to sweep her off her feet, but it’s shy electrician Harry Dobson who makes Rosaline question her long-held beliefs—about herself, her family, and her desires.

Rosaline fears falling for Harry is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Yet as the competition—and the ovens—heat up, Rosaline starts to realize the most delicious bakes come from the heart.

Review:

Amusing, spirited, and entertaining!

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake is a playful, heartfelt, captivating tale that takes you into the life of the kindhearted, sweet Rosaline Palmer as she juggles motherhood, parental expectations, an unfulfilling job, a handsome new boyfriend, a fellow contestant with a heart of gold, and a cooking competition that could ultimately change her life.

The writing is witty and crisp. The characters are supportive, dependable, and eccentric. And the plot is a lighthearted, sassy blend of life, love, family, friendship, self-reflection, happiness, romance, baking, tricky mishaps, and awkward situations.

Overall, Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake is a humorous, uplifting, charming tale by Hall that I was lucky enough to be able to both read and listen to, and I can tell you they are both a delight. In fact, Fiona Hardingham does such a fantastic job of bringing all the quirky characters in this book to life, especially the precocious Amelie, who definitely steals the show, that I think, even though this typically isn’t the case, I might have even preferred the audio.

 

This book is available now.

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

               

 

 

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

 

About Alexis Hall

Alexis Hall lives in a crumbling gothic manor that he inherited in mysterious circumstances. He is a genial host provided you swear that you will under no circumstances venture into the west wing.

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#BookReview Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica @harpercollinsca @parkrowbooks #LocalWomanMissing #MaryKubica #BooksofHCC

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#BookReview Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica @harpercollinsca @parkrowbooks #LocalWomanMissing #MaryKubica #BooksofHCC Title: Local Woman Missing

Author: Mary Kubica

Published by: Park Row on May 18, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: HarperCollins Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

People don’t just disappear without a trace…

Shelby Tebow is the first to go missing. Not long after, Meredith Dickey and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, vanish just blocks away from where Shelby was last seen, striking fear into their once-peaceful community. Are these incidents connected? After an elusive search that yields more questions than answers, the case eventually goes cold.

Now, eleven years later, Delilah shockingly returns. Everyone wants to know what happened to her, but no one is prepared for what they’ll find…

In this smart and chilling thriller, master of suspense and New York Times bestselling author Mary Kubica takes domestic secrets to a whole new level, showing that some people will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.

Review:

Intense, menacing, and addictive!

Local Woman Missing is an unsettling, intricate thriller that takes you to the Chicago suburbs and into the lives of multiple acquaintances as their worlds unravel, intersect, shatter, and then ultimately collide eleven years later when the truth and ultimately the fate of two missing women and a six-year-old little girl is finally unearthed. 

The prose is methodical and tight. The characters are tormented, scarred, and resilient. And the plot told from multiple perspectives and using a back-and-forth, past/present style is an ominous tale of twists, turns, familial drama, secrets, lies, deception, relationship dynamics, reckless behaviour, swirling emotions, abuse, violence, and murder.

Overall, Local Woman Missing is a taut, tragic, compulsive whodunit by Kubica that highlights that actions can often have devastating consequences and reminds us just how cruel and evil those with something to hide can ultimately be.

 

This book is available now.

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

            

 

 

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

 

About Mary Kubica

Mary Kubica is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of THE GOOD GIRL and PRETTY BABY.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in History and American Literature. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children and enjoys photography, gardening and caring for the animals at a local shelter. 

Photo by Sarah Jastre.

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#BookReview City of Vengeance by D. V. Bishop @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #CityofVengeance #DVBishop #CesareAldoSeries

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#BookReview City of Vengeance by D. V. Bishop @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #CityofVengeance #DVBishop #CesareAldoSeries Title: City of Vengeance

Author: D. V. Bishop

Series: Cesare Aldo #1

Published by: Pan Macmillan on May 4, 2021

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 416

Format: Hardcover

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

City of Vengeance is an explosive debut historical thriller by D. V. Bishop, set in Renaissance Florence.

Florence. Winter, 1536. A prominent Jewish moneylender is murdered in his home, a death with wide implications in a city powered by immense wealth.

Cesare Aldo, a former soldier and now an officer of the Renaissance city’s most feared criminal court, is given four days to solve the murder: catch the killer before the feast of Epiphany – or suffer the consequences.

During his investigations Aldo uncovers a plot to overthrow the volatile ruler of Florence, Alessandro de’ Medici. If the Duke falls, it will endanger the whole city. But a rival officer of the court is determined to expose details about Aldo’s private life that could lead to his ruin. Can Aldo stop the conspiracy before anyone else dies, or will his own secrets destroy him first?

Review:

Mysterious, gritty, and atmospheric!

City of Vengeance is a dramatic, alluring tale that takes us back to Renaissance Florence in the winter of 1536 and into the life of Cesare Aldo, an officer of the Otto, as he struggles to investigate the murder of Jewish moneylender, Samuele Levi, expose a coup to once and for all remove Alessandro de’ Medici from power, and protect himself from a bigoted coworker intent on exposure.

The prose is authentic and fluid. The characters are complex, relentless, and intriguing. And the plot is a compelling, sinister tale full of life, loss, duty, friendship, coercion, deception, dissension, conspiracies, discrimination, political strife, violence, and murder.

Overall, City of Vengeance is a richly described, absorbing, well-written tale by Bishop that grabs you from the very first page and is a wonderful start to a series, Cesare Aldo, that blends two of my favourite genres, historical fiction and mystery, and interweaves it with a thread of all the weaknesses and vulnerabilities that ultimately make us human.

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 D. V. Bishop

D. V. Bishop is the author of the Cesare Aldo mysteries set in Renaissance Florence, and published by Pan Macmillan.

An award-winning screenwriter and TV dramatist, his love for the city of Florence and the Renaissance period meant there could only be one setting for his crime-fiction debut.

City of Vengeance won the Pitch Perfect competition at the Bloody Scotland crime fiction festival in 2018, and D. V. Bishop was awarded a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship by the Scottish Book Trust while writing the novel.

He is currently finishing the second novel in the Cesare Aldo mysteries.

Photo by Paul Reich.

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#BookReview The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren @christinalauren @SimonSchusterCA @GalleryBooks #TheSoulmateEquation #ChristinaLauren

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#BookReview The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren @christinalauren @SimonSchusterCA @GalleryBooks #TheSoulmateEquation #ChristinaLauren Title: The Soulmate Equation

Author: Christina Lauren

Published by: Gallery Books on May 18, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 368

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. Raised by her grandparents–who now help raise her seven-year-old daughter, Juno–Jess has been left behind too often to feel comfortable letting anyone in. After all, her father’s never been around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn’t “father material” before Juno was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close, but working constantly to stay afloat is hard…and lonely.

But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers: This Jess understands. At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98% compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Pena. This is one number she can’t wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Pena. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate.

But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we’ll pay you. Jess–who is barely making ends meet–is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River.

As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the “Diamond” pairing that could make GeneticAlly a mint in stock prices, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist–and the science behind a soulmate–than she thought.

Funny, warm, and full of heart, The Soulmate Equation proves that the delicate balance between fate and choice can never be calculated.

Review:

Witty, clever, and sweetly romantic!

The Soulmate Equation is a delightfully charming tale featuring the affable, kindhearted, single mother, Jess and the intense, thoughtful, geneticist River as they discover that it may be as easy as just comparing DNA to find “the one” or maybe numbers and algorithms really don’t mean a thing.

The writing is sharp and crisp. The characters are dreamy, engaging, and dependable. And the plot is an enchanting, irresistible blend of tension, humour, chemistry, familial drama, friendship, parenthood, awkward mishaps, tender moments, introspection, tricky situations, and unconditional love.

Overall, The Soulmate Equation is another amusing, swoony, brilliant tale by Lauren that had everything I look for in a lighthearted rom-com and more. I loved the characters, I loved the storyline, and I loved the happy-ever-after ending. It is without a doubt one of my favourite reads of the year and should definitely be high on everyone’s must-read list for summer 2021. 

This novel is available on May 18, 2021.

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 Christina Lauren

Christina Lauren is the combined penname of longtime writing partners/best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the New York Times, USA TODAY, and #1 International bestselling authors of The Beautiful and Wild Seasons series, Dating You/Hating You, Roomies, Love and Other Words, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, and the critically acclaimed Autoboyography.

Photograph by Alyssa Michelle.

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#BookReview The Dancing Girls by M.M. Chouinard @m_m_chouinard @GrandCentralPub #MMChouinard #TheDancingGirls #DetectiveJoFournier

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#BookReview The Dancing Girls by M.M. Chouinard @m_m_chouinard @GrandCentralPub #MMChouinard #TheDancingGirls #DetectiveJoFournier Title: The Dancing Girls

Author: M.M. Chouinard

Series: Detective Jo Fournier #1

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on May 11, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 320

Format: Paperback

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

When Jeanine Hammond is found dead in a hotel in the picture-perfect town of Oakhust, newly-promoted Detective Jo Fournier is thrown into a disturbing case. Who would murder this shy, loving wife and leave her body posed like a ballerina?

Jo wants to know why Jeanine’s husband is so controlling about money, and where Jeanine’s wedding ring is, but before she and her team can get close to the truth, another woman is found strangled in a hotel, arms placed gracefully above her head like a dancer.

While digging through old case files, Jo makes a terrifying link to a series of cold cases: each victim bears the same strangulation marks. But the FBI won’t take Jo seriously, and if she disobeys direct orders by investigating the killings outside of her jurisdiction, it will mean the end of the career she’s already sacrificed so much for, even her relationship.

Just as Jo is beginning to lose hope, she finds messages on the victims’ computers that make her question whether these small-town women were hiding big lies. Jo thinks this is the missing link between the victims, but she knows the killer is moments away from selecting his next victim. Will it lead her to the most twisted killer of her career in time, or will another innocent life be lost?

An absolutely unputdownable and brilliant new crime thriller series that fans of Robert Dugoni, Lisa Regan and Melinda Leigh will devour in one sitting.

Review:

Dark, devious, and sinister!

The Dancing Girls is a crafty, compelling police procedural that introduces you to Detective Jo Fournier, a complex, driven, young woman who finds herself on the hunt for a murderer with a penchant for married women who enjoy spending their spare time immersed in the World of Warcraft, and are in need of a little extra attention.

The writing is complex and intense. The characters are a mix of ruthless, cunning, and vulnerable. And the plot told from multiple perspectives is a suspenseful tale full of twists, turns, manipulation, duplicity, intrigue, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Dancing Girls is a creepy, pacey, promising first novel in this new series by Chouinard that highlights just how exposed the internet truly makes us and how easy and quickly it is for those with nefarious tendencies to find and target unsuspecting victims.

 

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 M.M. Chouinard

M.M. Chouinard is the USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon Charts bestselling author behind The Vacation, a standalone psychological thriller, and the Detective Jo Fournier series, featuring The Dancing Girls, Taken to the Grave, Her Daughter’s Cry, and The Other Mothers.

Photo courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall @smpromance @KatyBirchall @StMartinsPress #TheSecretBridesmaid #KatyBirchall #smpromance

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#BookReview The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall @smpromance @KatyBirchall @StMartinsPress #TheSecretBridesmaid #KatyBirchall #smpromance Title: The Secret Bridesmaid

Author: Katy Birchall

Published by: St. Martin's Griffin on May 4, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Matrimony meets mayhem in a modern British romcom about a young woman charged with pulling off the biggest aristocratic wedding of the year––and the misadventures that ensue.

Sophie Breeze is a brilliant bridesmaid. So brilliant, in fact, that she’s made it her full-time job.

As a professional bridesmaid, Sophie is hired by London brides to be their right-hand woman, posing as a friend but working behind the scenes to help plan the perfect wedding and ensure their big day goes off without a hitch. When she’s hired by Lady Victoria Swann––a former model and “It Girl” of 1970’s London; now the Marchioness of Meade––for the society wedding of the year, it should be a chance for Sophie to prove just how talented she is.

Of course, it’s not ideal that the bride, Lady Victoria’s daughter, Cordelia, is an absolute diva and determined to make Sophie’s life a nightmare. It’s also a bit inconvenient that Sophie finds herself drawn to Cordelia’s posh older brother, who is absolutely off-limits. But when a rival society wedding is announced for the very same day, things start to get…well, complicated.

Can Sophie pull off the biggest challenge of her career––execute a high-profile gala for four hundred and fifty guests in record time, win over a reluctant bride, and catch the eye of handsome Lord Swann––all while keeping her true identity a secret, and her dignity intact?

Heartwarming and hilarious, The Secret Bridesmaid celebrates the joys (and foibles) of weddings, the nuances of female friendship, and the redeeming power of love in its many unexpected forms.

Review:

Charming, flirty, and comical!

The Secret Bridesmaid is a heartwarming, amusing tale that takes you to London, England and into the life of the patient, committed Sophie Breeze as she juggles a demanding career, a famous yet difficult bride, and a growing attraction for a man who, unfortunately, doesn’t even know her real name.

The prose is smooth and light. The characters, including all the supporting characters, are feisty, fun-loving, and intriguing. And the plot is a heartfelt, flirty blend of tricky situations, tender moments, humorous hijinks, self-discovery, friendship, family, happiness, romance, and all the complex ins and outs of planning the perfect wedding.

Overall, The Secret Bridesmaid is a humorous, enjoyable, highly entertaining treat that’s a fantastic adult debut by Birchall that, in my opinion, is the perfect rom-com for any day spent at the beach.

 

This book is available now.

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

            

 

 

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

 

About Katy Birchall

Katy is the author of several young adult novels including The It Girl series, the Hotel Royale series and Morgan Charmley: Teen Witch. She is the co-author of the middle grade Lightning Girl series and Star Switch with Alesha Dixon, and the Find the Girl teen series with YouTube stars Lucy and Lydia Connell. Katy was proud to be the author of a retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma for the Awesomely Austen series, a collection of Austen’s novels retold for younger readers. She has also written a non-fiction book, How to be a Princess: Real-Life Fairy Tales for Modern Heroines.

Katy lives in London with her partner, Ben, and her rescue dog, Bono.

Photo by Imogen Forte.

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#BookReview Brat: An ’80s Story by Andrew McCarthy @GrandCentralPub #Brat #AndrewMcCarthy #GrandCentralPub

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#BookReview Brat: An ’80s Story by Andrew McCarthy @GrandCentralPub #Brat #AndrewMcCarthy #GrandCentralPub Title: Brat: An '80s Story

Author: Andrew McCarthy

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on May 11, 2021

Genres: Nonfiction

Pages: 240

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

Fans of Patti Smith’s Just Kids and Rob Lowe’s StoriesI Only Tell My Friends will love this beautifully written, entertaining, and emotionally honest memoir by an actor, director, and author who found his start as an 80s Brat pack member.

 Most people know Andrew McCarthy from his movie roles in Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo’s Fire, Weekend at Bernie’s, and Less than Zero, and as a charter member of Hollywood’s Brat Pack. That iconic group of ingenues and heartthrobs included Rob Lowe, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, and Demi Moore, and has come to represent both a genre of film and an era of pop culture.

In his memoir Brat: An ’80s Story, McCarthy focuses his gaze on that singular moment in time. The result is a revealing look at coming of age in a maelstrom, reckoning with conflicted ambition, innocence, addiction, and masculinity. New York City of the 1980s is brought to vivid life in these pages, from scoring loose joints in Washington Square Park to skipping school in favor of the dark revival houses of the Village where he fell in love with the movies that would change his life. 

Filled with personal revelations of innocence lost to heady days in Hollywood with John Hughes and an iconic cast of characters, Brat is a surprising and intimate story of an outsider caught up in a most unwitting success.

Review:

Informative, interesting, and entertaining!

Brat: An ’80s Story is the honest, fascinating autobiography of Andrew McCarthy’s personal and professional successes, struggles, motivations, and accomplishments as a young actor in the early 1980s.

The writing is perceptive and genuine. And the novel is an introspective, compelling tale of one man’s life from a NY college student to the lights and fame of Hollywood in a time when high school movies aimed at teens would ultimately change pop culture forever.

Overall, Brat: An ’80s Story is a candid, intriguing, enjoyable tale by McCarthy that gives an insightful look into a talented life filled with hard work, determination, luck, and exceptional moments, but also one unfortunately often riddled with insecurity and addiction.

 

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 Andrew McCarthy

Andrew McCarthy is a director, an award winning travel writer, and—of course—an actor. He made his professional début at 19 in Class, and has appeared in dozens of films, including such iconic movies as Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo’s Fire, Less Then Zero, and cult favorites Weekend At Bernie’s and Mannequin. He chronicles these films and his time as a member of the Brat Pack in his upcoming memoir BRAT: An ‘80s Story (order here), to be published by Grand Central in May of 2021.

Andrew has directed nearly a hundred hours of television, including some of today’s biggest hits, including The Blacklist, Grace and Frankie, New Amsterdam, Orange is the New Black, and many others.

For a dozen years Andrew served as an editor-at-large with National Geographic Traveler magazine. He has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Time, Travel+Leisure, Town & Country, Men’s Journal, Bon Appetit, and many others. He has been named Travel Journalist of the Year by The Society of American Travel Writers, as well as serving as guest editor of the prestigious BEST AMERICAN TRAVEL WRITING anthology.

Andrew is the author of a travel memoir, THE LONGEST WAY HOME and a Young Adult novel JUST FLY AWAY — both New York Times bestsellers.

He lives in New York.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

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