Format: Paperback

#BookReview Misfit by Elle Kennedy @ElleKennedy @Read_Bloom #ReadBloom #MisfitBook #SandoverPrep #ElleKennedy #SourcebooksCasa

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#BookReview Misfit by Elle Kennedy @ElleKennedy @Read_Bloom #ReadBloom #MisfitBook #SandoverPrep #ElleKennedy #SourcebooksCasa Title: Misfit

Author: Elle Kennedy

Series: Prep #1

Published by: Bloom Books on Nov. 29, 2022

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult

Pages: 416

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Book Rating: 10/10

Finding out your mom is marrying some rich dude you’ve never met is enough to make any eighteen-year-old guy’s head spin. But for RJ SHAW, it only gets worse: he’s being sent to Sandover Prep for senior year. If there’s one place a misfit hacker like RJ doesn’t belong, it’s an ivy-covered all-boys boarding school for rich delinquents.

RJ knows his stay at Sandover will be temporary. Which means there’s no point making friends or trying to fit in. But the plan to remain antisocial goes awry when he meets a gorgeous girl in the woods on campus. SLOANE TRESSCOTT is pure temptation, with a sharp tongue and an ice princess attitude RJ’s determined to crack. Except there’s a catch. Sloane is the one girl he is forbidden from touching.

The headmaster’s daughter.

Good thing RJ doesn’t believe in rules. Sure, Sloane insists she’s swearing off guys this year, but their connection is impossible to deny. He wants her bad, and he’s going to win her over if it kills him.

Unless her ex-boyfriend kills him first.

DUKE, the ruling king of Sandover, will stop at nothing to get rid of his competition. Luckily, RJ’s unwittingly made some friends—his new stepbrother FENN, a pretty boy with a self-destructive streak; LAWSON, self-proclaimed agent of chaos; and SILAS, the All-American Good Guy who can’t actually be as nice as he seems.

If RJ wants to survive prep school and win Sloane’s heart, he’ll need to adapt—and fast.

Review:

Captivating, sexy, and outrageously entertaining!

Misfit is a seductive, engaging tale that transports you to Sandover Prep, an elite all-boys school for rich delinquent teens that has all the usual fare, entitled students, unrelenting bullies, sexual promiscuity, forbidden romance, naughty behaviour, and innumerably delicious scandals.

The writing is steamy and fun. The characters are rebellious, self-indulgent, and secretive. And the plot, told from multiple perspectives, is a passionate, promiscuous, coming-of-age tale full of familial troubles, teenage angst, palpable attraction, witty banter, excessive indulgence, romance, friendship, and love.

Overall, Misfit is a wildly addictive, sinfully salacious, exceptionally absorbing novel by Kennedy that immersed me so thoroughly in the decadence, lifestyle, drama, luxuries, and scandalous behaviour of the characters I never wanted to put it down. It’s truly a guilty pleasure that undoubtedly not only left me craving for more but already counting down the days until I can get my hands on the second book in the series Rogue, publishing on March 7, 2023.

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

Thank you to Bloom Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Elle Kennedy

A New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.

Elle currently writes for various publishers. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!

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#BookReview The Secret Society of Salzburg by Renee Ryan @ReneeRyanBooks @Harlequinbooks #TheSecretSocietyOfSalzburg #ReneeRyan #LoveInspired

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#BookReview The Secret Society of Salzburg by Renee Ryan @ReneeRyanBooks @Harlequinbooks #TheSecretSocietyOfSalzburg #ReneeRyan #LoveInspired Title: The Secret Society of Salzburg

Author: Renee Ryan

Published by: Love Inspired on Dec. 27, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 368

Format: Paperback

Source: Harlequin Books

Book Rating: 9/10

London, 1933. At first glance, Austrian opera singer Elsa Mayer-Braun has little in common with the young English typist she encounters on tour. Yet she and Hattie Featherstone forge an instant connection—and strike a dangerous alliance. Using their friendship as a cover, they form a secret society with a daring goal: to rescue as many Jews as possible from Nazi persecution.

Though the war’s outbreak threatens Elsa and Hattie’s network, their efforts attract the covert attention of the British government, offering more opportunities to thwart the Germans. But Elsa’s growing fame as Hitler’s favorite opera singer, coupled with her secret Jewish ancestry, make her both a weapon and a target—until her future, too, hangs in the balance.

From the glamorous stages of Covent Garden and Salzburg to the horrors of Bergen-Belsen, two ordinary women swept up by the tide of war discover an extraordinary friendship—and the courage to save countless lives.

Review:

Compelling, intense, and absorbing!

The Secret Society of Salzburg is a charged, intriguing tale set between the mid-1930s to the end of WWII that takes you into the lives of Hattie Fetherstone, a young British artist with a love for opera and a kind heart, and Elsa Mayer-Braun, an Austrian operatic singer, who after befriending a devoted fan and discovering just how dangerous the world is about to become, creates a network with the help of her new friends to transport as many Jewish people as possible out of Nazi-occupied Europe to the safety of the United Kingdom.

The prose is fluid and rich. The characters are resourceful, loyal, and trustworthy. And the plot is a captivating mix of life, love, loss, secrets, passion, heartbreak, betrayal, tragedy, survival, danger, friendship, art, opera, and war.

Overall, The Secret Society of Salzburg is an enticing, heart-tugging, atmospheric tale by Ryan that transports you to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly into the feelings, lives, and personalities of the characters you can’t help but be fully engrossed and completely invested throughout.

 

This novel is available now.

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

                

 

 

Thank you to Harlequin Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Renee Ryan

Renee Ryan grew up in a Florida beach town outside Jacksonville, FL. Armed with a degree in Economics and Religion from Florida State University, she explored various career opportunities, including stints at a Florida theme park and a modeling agency. She currently lives in Savannah, Georgia with her husband and a large, fluffy cat many have mistaken for a small bear.

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#BookReview The Lost Children by Shirley Dickson @ReadForeverPub #ReadForever #ReadForever2022 #ShirleyDickson #TheLostChildren

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#BookReview The Lost Children by Shirley Dickson @ReadForeverPub #ReadForever #ReadForever2022 #ShirleyDickson #TheLostChildren Title: The Lost Children

Author: Shirley Dickson

Published by: Forever on Jul. 26, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 368

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 8.5/10

For readers of Natasha Lester and Pam Jenoff comes a poignant and heart-wrenching tale of two orphans in a world at war, with only each other to rely on—but can their bond survive the shocking truth of their past?
 
England, 1943: Home is no longer safe for eight-year-old twins Molly and Jacob. Night after night, wailing bombs and screeching planes skim the rooftops overhead. Their mother, Martha, has no choice but to evacuate them to the safety of the countryside, even if it means she might never see them again. At the train station, she gives Jacob a letter, telling him only to read it if they are in danger.

In the country, Molly and Jacob must adjust to life with strangers. But then the unimaginable happens. Martha is killed in an explosion, leaving the twins all alone in the world. Motherless and destitute, the siblings face the grim reality of life in an orphanage.

The time has finally come for Jacob to open the letter. What secret does it hold, and could it change the course of their tragic fate? Because if they are together, they can survive anything—but what if they are torn apart?

Review:

Immersive, heart-tugging, and sweet!

The Lost Children is a captivating, heartwrenching tale set in England during 1943 that takes you into the lives of eight-year-old twins Molly and Jacob who, after losing their grandmother and with their mother away working to make ends meet, are sent to the British countryside to live for the duration of the war, until tragedy strikes once again and more permanent lodgings, security, and love are required.

The prose is vivid and smooth. The characters are resilient, brave, and endearing. And the plot is a poignant tale about life, loss, family, secrets, separation, desperation, tragedy, grief, friendship, physical disabilities, and the horrors and hardships of war.

Overall, The Lost Children is a hopeful, heartwarming, moving tale by Dickson that is a wonderful choice for anyone who would love to be swept away into a well-written historical fiction novel told uniquely from the children’s perspectives.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

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

 

About Shirley Dickson

Shirley Dickson lives under the big skies of Northumberland, United Kingdom with her husband, family, and lucky black cat. She wrote her first short story at the age of ten for a childrens’ magazine competition. She didn’t win but was hooked on writing for a lifetime. For many years she wrote poetry and short stories and got many rejection slips. Shirley decided to get serious about writing novels when she retired. The Orphan Sisters is her first published novel. Shirley says she is a prime example of “never give up on your dream.”

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#BookReview Until We Meet by Camille Di Maio @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #ReadForeverPub #ReadForever2022 #UntilWeMeet #CamilleDiMaio

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#BookReview Until We Meet by Camille Di Maio @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #ReadForeverPub #ReadForever2022 #UntilWeMeet #CamilleDiMaio Title: Until We Meet

Author: Camille Di Maio

Published by: Forever on Mar. 1, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A poignant and page-turning story of three women whose lives are forever changed by war.…

New York City, 1943

Can one small act change the course of a life? Margaret’s job at the Navy Yard brings her freedoms she never dared imagine, but she wants to do something more personal to help the war effort. Knitting socks for soldiers is a way to occupy her quiet nights and provide comfort to the boys abroad. But when a note she tucks inside one of her socks sparks a relationship with a long-distance pen pal, she finds herself drawn to a man she’s never even met.

Can a woman hold on to her independence if she gives away her heart? Gladys has been waiting her whole life for the kinds of opportunities available to her now that so many men are fighting overseas. She’s not going to waste a single one. And she’s not going to let her two best friends waste them either. Then she meets someone who values her opinions as much as she likes giving them, and suddenly she is questioning everything she once held dear.

Can an unwed mother survive on her own? Dottie is in a dire situation—she’s pregnant, her fiancé is off fighting the war, and if her parents find out about the baby, they’ll send her away and make her give up her child. Knitting helps take her mind off her uncertain future—until the worst happens and she must lean on her friends like never before.

With their worlds changing in unimaginable ways, Margaret, Gladys, and Dottie will learn that the unbreakable bond of friendship between them is what matters most of all.

Review:

Compelling, rich, and moving!

Until We Meet is an absorbing, touching tale set in NY during WWII that takes you into the lives of three main characters. Margaret, a practical young woman honoured to be working at the Brooklyn Shipyard on the USS Missouri, knitting socks for those overseas fighting, and corresponding back-and-forth with one of her brother’s fellow soldiers; Gladys, an independent gal determined to do whatever it takes to show that women are more than capable of doing anything that men can do; and Dottie, a sweet, pregnant young lady whose looking forward to her fiancé coming home from the war so they can finally get married and live the life they were meant to live.

The prose is fluid and expressive. The characters are spirited, hardworking, and brave. And the plot is an immersive tale of life, loss, love, hope, grief, family, sacrifices, war, new beginnings, friendship, and a touch of romance.

Overall, Until We Meet is a well-written, tender, lovely tale by Di Maio that does a wonderful job of reminding us just how much hope and joy can be reaped from the little things in life.

 

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

 

About Camille Di Maio

Camille Di Maio left an award-winning real estate career to become a bestselling author. She has a bucket list that is never ending and uses her adventures to inspire her writing. She’s lived in Texas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and California, and spends enough time in Hawai‘i and Maine to feel like a local. She’s traveled to four continents (so far), and hopes to get to all of them someday. Camille studied political science in college. She loves to spend Saturdays at farmers’ markets and belts out Broadway tunes whenever the moment strikes. She lives with her husband of twenty-four years in coastal Virginia, has two kiddos grown and flown, and two still at home. Rescue pets have been a long-term passion for her, the most recent addition being a German shepherd puppy.

Photo credit: Christina Orosco

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#BookReview Not Without My Sister by Marion Kummerow @ReadForeverPub #ReadForever #ReadForever2022 #MarionKummerow #NotWithoutMySister

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#BookReview Not Without My Sister by Marion Kummerow @ReadForeverPub #ReadForever #ReadForever2022 #MarionKummerow #NotWithoutMySister Title: Not Without My Sister

Author: Marion Kummerow

Published by: Forever on Dec. 27, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 272

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 9/10

In 1944, Germany, two sisters seek to overcome impossible odds in this unforgettable WWII novel about sisterhood, courage and survival.

All they had left was each other. Until the Nazis tore them apart.

After years of hiding from the Nazis, Rachel Epstein and her little sister Mindel are captured by the Gestapo and sent to the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen. The only ray of light for either girl is that they are together.

But on arrival they are separated. As she’s seventeen and deemed an adult, Rachel is sent to work in a brutal factory while four‑year‑old Mindel is sent into the so‑called “star” camp for Jewish prisoners. Rachel knows her sister will have no chance of survival all on her own.
 
Working in the windowless, airless factory—filling munitions casings with chemicals that burn her fingers and make her eyes sting—the only thing that keeps Rachel going is the thought of her little sister. Because if there’s even a chance Mindel is alive, Rachel knows she must try to save her.

But, separated by barbed wire, and treated brutally by SS guards who do not even see them as human beings, can either of the orphaned sisters dare to hope that they’ll ever find their way back to each other? And to freedom?

Review:

Pensive, heart-wrenching, and evocative!

Not Without My Sister is a beautifully written, moving tale set during WWII that takes you into the lives of the Epstein sisters, two young Jewish girls from Bavaria who, due to a long-held promise and exceptional perseverance, manage to survive hell on earth, Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, and remarkably find each other and reunite upon liberation.

The prose is haunting and gritty. The characters are vulnerable, strong, and brave. And the plot is a poignant tale of life, loss, love, family, survival, sacrifice, courage, selflessness, the unimaginable horrors of war, and the special bond between sisters.

Overall, Not Without My Sister is a thought-provoking, immersive, touching tale by Kummerow that does a remarkable job of reminding us of the incredible ability of humanity to love and still be kind, compassionate, and resilient even in the face of unimaginable evil.

 

This novel is available December 27, 2022.

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

            

 

 

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

 

About Marion Kummerow

Marion Kummerow is a USA Today Bestselling author of historical fiction. Her books are filled with raw emotions, fierce loyalty and perpetual resilience. She loves to put her characters through the mangle, making them reach deep within to find the strength to face moral dilemma, make difficult decisions or fight for what is right. And she never forgets to include humor and undying love in her books, because ultimately love is what makes the world go round. Marion was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to "discover the world" and lived in various countries. In 1999 she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she's now living with her family.

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#BookReview How to Win a Wallflower by Samara Parish @SamaraParish @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #ReadForeverPub #ReadForever2022 #HowtoWinaWallflower #SamaraParish #RebelswithaCauseSeries

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#BookReview How to Win a Wallflower by Samara Parish @SamaraParish @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #ReadForeverPub #ReadForever2022 #HowtoWinaWallflower #SamaraParish #RebelswithaCauseSeries Title: How to Win a Wallflower

Author: Samara Parish

Series: Rebels with a Cause #3

Published by: Forever on Dec. 13, 2022

Genres: Historical Romance

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 10/10

A wallflower will put everything on the line . . .

When John Barnesworth inherits unexpectedly, he abandons his solitude and returns to London to settle his brother’s affairs, only to discover his estates are crumbling and he is now betrothed to his brother’s unpleasant fiancée. Her dowry might save him from ruin, but at what cost? His only hope lies with the vivacious, charming Lady Charlotte Stirling, whose audacious solution to John’s troubles might actually work. If only he can keep his feelings for her out of the equation . . .

Lady Charlotte Stirling knows she can’t fall for John. He’s her brother’s best friend, he’s engaged to her mortal enemy, and he wants to return to America. Not to mention he’d never survive in her bustling social life. She can, however, try to solve his money problem. But the closer she gets to ensuring his freedom, the harder it is to let him go . . .

Review:

Seductive, scandalous, and entertaining!

How to Win a Wallflower is a playful, heartwarming tale that sweeps you away to London during 1825 and into the life of the shy, handsome, newly appointed Viscount Harrow, John Barnesworth who, after living a quiet life surrounded by his inventions in Boston, returns home to find his family’s estates in shatters and relying on the help of his best friend’s little sister, the beautiful Lady Charlotte Stirling who may have been secretly pining for him for years.

The prose is amusing and light. The characters are loyal, supportive, and endearing. And the plot is a delightfully enchanting tale full of friendship, family, societal expectations, scheming behaviour, tricky situations, desire, danger, and steamy romance.

Overall, How to Win a Wallflower is an addictive, charming, enticing tale by Parish that I absolutely devoured and which is another fantastic addition to what is hands down one of my all-time favourite historical romance series.

This novel is available now.

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

              

 

 

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

 

About Samara Parish

Samara Parish has been escaping into fictional worlds since she was a child. When she picked up her first historical romance book, she found a fantasy universe she never wanted to leave and the inspiration to write her own stories. She lives in Australia with her own hero and their many fur-babies in a house with an obscenely large garden, despite historically being unable to keep a cactus alive. How to Survive a Scandal is her debut novel.

Photo by Amanda Hardwick.

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#BookReview Something Blue by Heather McGovern @ReadForeverPub @GrandCentralPub #ReadForever #ReadForeverPub #ReadForever2022 #HeatherMcGovern #SomethingBlue #OrchardInn

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#BookReview Something Blue by Heather McGovern @ReadForeverPub @GrandCentralPub #ReadForever #ReadForeverPub #ReadForever2022 #HeatherMcGovern #SomethingBlue #OrchardInn Title: Something Blue

Author: Heather McGovern

Series: Orchard Inn #1

Published by: Forever on Jun. 28, 2022

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 368

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 8/10

This wedding needs to be the event of the season. Unfortunately, the best man is doing everything he can to derail it . . .

Wedding planner Beth Shipley has seen it all: bridezillas, monster-in-laws, and last-minute jitters at the altar. But this wedding is different—and the stakes are much, much higher. Not only is her best friend the bride, but bookings at her family’s inn have been in free fall ever since an unfortunate food-poisoning incident. Beth’s got one chance to save her family’s business, and she knows she can do it. As long as she doesn’t let Sawyer Silva’s good looks and overprotective, overbearing older brother act distract her.

Sawyer learned firsthand that forever doesn’t last. So when his brother decides to race down the aisle with a woman he barely knows, Sawyer is determined to keep him from making the biggest mistake of his life. Yet the more time Sawyer spends around the passionate and hardworking Beth, the more trouble he has disentangling his feelings—about the wedding and the wedding planner. When Beth discovers Sawyer’s plans, can he convince her that his only real objection is to a future that doesn’t include her?

Review:

Amusing, sweet, and uplifting!

Something Blue is a charming, tenderhearted tale that transports you to the Texas Hill Country and into the life of the loyal, overworked Beth as she struggles to save her family’s inn, plan the perfect wedding for her best friend, and do whatever it takes to stop the groom’s older brother Garrett from ruining the upcoming nuptials with doubts, suspicions, and excessive pessimism.

The prose is smooth and light. The characters are fun-loving, hesitant, and protective. And the plot is a delightful blend of heart, humour, misunderstandings, family, friendship, tension, chemistry, awkward situations, taking chances, and finding the one.

Overall, Something Blue is an engaging, witty, cosy tale by McGovern that has just the right amount of emotion, passion, and drama to make this story a quick, easy, enjoyable read. 

 

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

 

About Heather McGovern

Heather McGovern writes contemporary romance in swoony settings. While her love of travel and adventure takes her far, there is no place like home. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and son, and one Maltipoo to rule them all. When she isn't writing, she enjoys hiking, scuba diving, going to Disney World, reading, and streaming her latest favorite on television.

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#BookReview So Long, Chester Wheeler by Catherine Ryan Hyde @ThomasAllenLTD @AmazonPub #SoLongChesterWheeler #CatherineRyanHyde #LakeUnion

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#BookReview So Long, Chester Wheeler by Catherine Ryan Hyde @ThomasAllenLTD @AmazonPub #SoLongChesterWheeler #CatherineRyanHyde #LakeUnion Title: So Long, Chester Wheeler

Author: Catherine Ryan Hyde

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Dec. 6, 2022

Genres: General Fiction, LGBTQIA

Pages: 304

Format: Paperback

Source: Thomas Allen & Son

Book Rating: 10/10

Unlikely road trip companions form an unexpected bond in an uplifting novel about the past—lost and found—by the New York Times and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author.

Lewis Madigan is young, gay, out of work, and getting antsy when he’s roped into providing end-of-life care for his insufferable homophobic neighbor, Chester Wheeler. Lewis doesn’t need the aggravation, just the money. The only requirements: run errands, be on call, and put up with a miserable old churl no one else in Buffalo can bear. After exchanging barbs, bickering, baiting, and pushing buttons, Chester hits Lewis with the big ask.

Lewis can’t say no to a dying wish: drive Chester to Arizona in his rust bucket of a Winnebago to see his ex-wife for the first time in thirty-two years—for the last time. One week, two thousand miles. To Lewis, it becomes an illuminating journey into the life and secrets of a vulnerable man he’s finally beginning to understand. A neighbor, a stranger, and a surprising new friend whose closure on a conflicted past is also just beginning.

So Long, Chester Wheeler is an uplifting novel about looking deeper into the heart and soul to form bonds with the last people we’d expect—only to discover that they’re the ones who need it most.

Review:

Heartwarming, memorable, and affecting!

So Long, Chester Wheeler is a timely, sentimental story that sweeps you away into a bittersweet tale where grievances are aired, truths are acknowledged, truces are made, friendships are savoured, tears are shed, memories are created, last requests are honoured, lives are celebrated, and love is forged and shared.

The writing is smooth and heartfelt. The characters are sincere, genuine, and lovable. And the plot is a delightful blend of heart, hope, humour, nostalgia, drama, and emotion.

Overall, So Long, Chester Wheeler is, ultimately, a story about life, love, loss, dreams, heartbreak, friendship, family, and finding happiness, and I absolutely adored it. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and in the end, it left me smiling.

This book is available now.

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

           

 

 

Thank you to Thomas Allen & Son for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Catherine Ryan Hyde

I am the author of more than 30 published and forthcoming books, including ALLIE AND BEA, SAY GOODBYE FOR NOW, LEAVING BLYTHE RIVER, ASK HIM WHY, WORTHY, THE LANGUAGE OF HOOFBEATS, TAKE ME WITH YOU, WHERE WE BELONG, WHEN I FOUND YOU, WALK ME HOME, SECOND HAND HEART, DON'T LET ME GO, and WHEN YOU WERE OLDER.

I'm an avid hiker, traveller, equestrian, and amateur photographer, and have released my first book of photos, 365 DAYS OF GRATITUDE: PHOTOS FROM A BEAUTIFUL WORLD.

I am co-author, with fellow author and publishing industry blogger Anne R. Allen, of HOW TO BE A WRITER IN THE E-AGE: A SELF-HELP GUIDE.

My novel PAY IT FORWARD was adapted into a major motion picture, chosen by the American Library Association for its Best Books for Young Adults list, and translated into more than 23 languages for distribution in over 30 countries. The paperback was released in October 2000 by Pocket Books and quickly became a national bestseller. Simon & Schuster released PAY IT FORWARD: YOUNG READERS' EDITION in August of '14. It is suitable for kids as young as eight. A special Fifteenth Anniversary Edition of the original PAY IT FORWARD was released in December of '14

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview The Trenches by Parker Bilal @PGCBooks @canongatebooks #TheTrenches #ParkerBilal #PGCBooks

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#BookReview The Trenches by Parker Bilal @PGCBooks @canongatebooks #TheTrenches #ParkerBilal #PGCBooks Title: The Trenches

Author: Parker Bilal

Series: Crane & Drake Mystery #3

Published by: Canongate Books Ltd on Sep. 13, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 320

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

When a woman rescued by a fishing boat off the coast of Grimsby disappears without trace, it turns out to be only the beginning of a dark investigation. Crane is soon contacted by another woman when she receives a letter out of the blue from her estranged son, not seen since he left to become a fighter for Islamic State. Drake is called in and forced to go back to his old stomping ground to infiltrate the underground network that took Jason abroad.

Meanwhile Drake’s old partner investigates the brutal murder of a journalist that appears to have worrying ties to a previous case. While Crane is in pursuit of the mystery woman, Drake finds himself drawn further into the company of a dangerous group as terror and organised crime intersect.

Review:

Sharp, intricate, and twisty!

In this latest novel in the Crane & Drake Mystery series, The Trenches, Bilal has written a clever, chilling thriller featuring former DS turned PI Calil Drake and his partner, forensic psychologist Dr. Rayhana Crane as they work together on the investigation of a missing man who seems to have vanished without a trace after leaving to fight for the Islamic State, but when it seems that their case might also be tied to a missing woman and infant who were rescued by a fishing boat and a journalist violently murdered while in the home of her MP lover, it becomes quickly apparent that something a lot more sinister is going on and this case may actually be a lot more complicated than anyone ever could have imagined.

The writing is tight and crisp. The characters are astute, diligent, and multi-layered. And the plot is a fast-paced, riveting tale full of twists, turns, action, intrigue, power, corruption, politics, duplicity, terror, manipulation, immorality, violence, murder, and organized crime.

Overall, The Trenches is another complex, diverse, engrossing thrill ride by Bilal that is an eerie reminder of just how cold, calculating and ruthless the criminal underworld truly is.

 

This book is available now.

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

              

 

 

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

 

About Parker Bilal

Parker Bilal is the author of the Makana Investigations series, the third of which, The Ghost Runner, was longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. The Divinities, the first in his Crane & Drake London crime series, was published in 2019. Parker Bilal is the pseudonym of Jamal Mahjoub, the critically acclaimed literary novelist. Born in London, he has lived in a number of places, including the UK, Denmark, Spain and, currently, the Netherlands.

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#BookReview Daughters of War by Lizzie Page @ReadForeverPub #ReadForever #ReadForever2022 #LizziePage #DaughtersofWar #TheWarNurses

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#BookReview Daughters of War by Lizzie Page @ReadForeverPub #ReadForever #ReadForever2022 #LizziePage #DaughtersofWar #TheWarNurses Title: Daughters of War

Author: Lizzie Page

Series: The War Nurses #2

Published by: Forever on Dec. 7, 2021

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 8.5/10

USA Today bestselling author Lizzie Page delivers a gripping historical drama about a mother fighting for her daughters and her country in the midst of a World War, perfect for fans of Natasha Lester and Shirley Dickson.
 
As a teenager in Chicago, May always dreamed of traveling the world. So when she falls in love with George Turner, she can’t wait to return to London as his wife. Two beautiful daughters follow, but George isn’t the husband he promised to be. Ten years on, May is wondering if she’s made a terrible mistake.
 
The Great War has been declared in Europe, and all around, brave young men are being called up to serve. George, banned from conscription himself, has taken to the bottle, and May suspects he’s seeing other women too. He even sends her beloved daughters away to school. She misses them terribly every day. But then May meets veteran nurse Elsie, who persuades her to join the war effort. May knows nothing of nursing — it will be difficult, dangerous work, but her heart is telling her it’s the right thing to do and the only way to carve out a life for herself and her daughters away from George.
 
But when George does the unthinkable, May’s children are put at risk. Miles away on the front line and unable to reach them, will May be reunited with her little girls before it’s too late?

Review:

Intense, emotional, and immersive!

Daughters of War is a captivating, touching tale set predominantly in German-Occupied France during WWI that takes you into the life of May Turner, a young mother living a lonely existence in a loveless marriage who, after befriending a veteran nurse, decides to volunteer herself and head to France even with the threat that the world she knows and loves may be gone by the time she comes home.

The prose is seamless and vivid. The characters are driven, courageous, and dependable. And the plot is an insightful, moving tale of life, loss, heartbreak, secrets, self-discovery, determination, hope, loyalty, motherhood, survival, friendship, love, and war.

Overall, Daughters of War is an alluring, rich, compelling novel by Page that transports you to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly into the feelings, lives, and personalities of the characters you can’t help but be enthralled and fully invested from start to finish.

 

This novel is available now.

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

 

About Lizzie Page

Lizzie Page lives in a seaside town in Essex, England where she grew up. After studying politics at University, she worked as an English teacher, first in Paris and then in Tokyo, for five years. Back in England, she tried and failed various jobs, before enjoying studying a masters in creative writing at Goldsmiths College. Lizzie loves reading historical and modern fiction, watching films, and travelling. Her husband Steve, three lovely children, and Lenny the cockapoo all conspire to stop her writing!

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