Format: Paperback

#BookReview Humor Me by Cat Shook @CeladonBooks #HumorMeBook #CeladonBooks #CeladonReads #partner

categories: 8/10, Book Review, Contemporary Romance
#BookReview Humor Me by Cat Shook @CeladonBooks #HumorMeBook #CeladonBooks #CeladonReads #partner Title: Humor Me

Author: Cat Shook

Published by: Celadon Books on Jul. 9, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 320

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Celadon Books

Book Rating: 8/10

A love letter to the New York City stand-up scene, as told by a charmingly jaded assistant at a late-night talk show―for fans of Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Presley Fry is not amused. She’s been an assistant at the Late Night Show for way too long, she’s adopted a “business casual” approach to dating to save herself from the embarrassment of seeking genuine connection, and she’s content to allow her gregarious roommate, Isabelle, to orchestrate her entire social life. And yet, Presley is absolutely enamored with her job and the world of stand-up comedy. The joy she finds in discovering up-and-coming comedians, the beauty and connection in their shared humor―it’s enough for now.

Enter Susan Clark, the childhood best friend of Presley’s late mother, whose death still knocks the wind out of Presley whenever she reaches for the phone. Susan is married to the head of the network where Presley works, and she is determined to take Presley under her wing and ease her way through life in the big city. She’s also determined to connect Presley with her son, the bright and affable Lawrence, who couldn’t be further from Presley’s type.

As Presley grapples with the loss of her mother and finds her people among those who seek out comedy to make the world a bit brighter, Humor Me reminds us that friendship can emerge from where you least expect it and that shared laughter can ease some of the deepest pain.

Review:

Comical, uplifting, and sweet!

Humor Me is a charming, engaging read that takes us to Manhattan and into the life of the assistant on the Late Night Show, Presley Fry, as she meanders through all sorts of highs and lows, from losing her mother, a challenging career, a newly formed relationship with one of her mother’s hometown friends, an unexpected fizzle with her long-time crush, and a blossoming romance with a man she would never have expected to even be on her radar.

The prose is well-turned and light. The characters, including all the supporting characters, are amusing, supportive, and authentic. And the plot is a fun, flirty tale full of tricky situations, tender moments, humorous mishaps, self-discovery, friendship, family, grief, happiness, romance, and the NYC comedy scene.

Overall, Humor Me is another entertaining, refreshing, enjoyable treat by Shook that certainly does a good job of reminding you that life is never dull and boring!

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

 

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

 

About Cat Shook

Catherine Shook graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016 with degrees in Creative Writing and Mass Media Arts. Born and raised in Georgia, she now lives in Manhattan. IF I WERE BEING HONEST is her first novel.

Photo Credit: MurphyMade

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#BookReview The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin @emilygiffin @PenguinRandomCA #TheSummerPact #EmilyGiffin #PenguinReads

categories: 8/10, Book Review, Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction
#BookReview The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin @emilygiffin @PenguinRandomCA #TheSummerPact #EmilyGiffin #PenguinReads Title: The Summer Pact

Author: Emily Giffin

Published by: Doubleday Canada on Jul. 9, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 352

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House

Book Rating: 8/10

In the wake of tragedy, a group of friends makes a pact that will cause them to reunite a decade later and embark upon a life-changing adventure together—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Meant to Be.

Four freshmen arrive at college from completely different worlds: Lainey, a California party girl with a flair for drama; Tyson, a brilliant scholar and aspiring lawyer from Washington, D.C.; Summer, an ambitious, recruited athlete from the Midwest; and Hannah, a mild-mannered southerner who is content to quietly round out the circle of big personalities. Soon after arriving on campus, they strike up a conversation in their shared dorm, and the seeds of friendship are planted.

As their college years fly by, their bond intensifies and the four become inseparable. But as graduation nears, their lives are forever changed after a desperate act leads to tragic consequences. Stunned and heartbroken, they make a pact, promising to always be there for one another, no matter how separated they may become by circumstances or distance.

Ten years later, Hannah is anticipating what should be one of the happiest moments of her life when everything is suddenly turned upside down. Calling on her closest friends, it soon becomes clear that they are all facing their own crossroads. True to their promise, they agree to take a time out from lives headed in wrong directions and embark on a shared journey of self-discovery, forgiveness, and acceptance.

In this tender portrayal of grief, love, and hope, Emily Giffin asks: When things fall apart, who will be at our sides, helping us pick up the pieces?

Review:

Heartwarming, intimate, and sweet!

The Summer Pact is an uplifting, compelling tale that takes you into the life of three college friends, Lainey, Hannah, and Tyson who, after tragically losing their fourth best friend in their final days of school and promising to always be there for each other, gather ten years later to help each other navigate old pain, new heartbreaks, underlying hurts, and unfulfilled dreams.

The writing is sentimental and tender. The characters are flawed, genuine, and supportive. And the plot is an emotionally engaging tale full of heartache, loss, grief, guilt, hope, friendship, relationship dynamics, drama, romance, and love.

Overall, The Summer Pact is a thoughtful, nostalgic, touching tale by Griffin that reminds us that life is truly precious and even with all the highs and lows and ups and downs, it should always be lived to the fullest.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Emily Giffin

Emily Giffin is the author of eleven internationally bestselling novels: Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Baby Proof, Love the One You’re With, Heart of the Matter, Where We Belong, The One & Only, First Comes Love, All We Ever Wanted, The Lies That Bind, and Meant to Be. She lives in Atlanta with her family and two dogs.

Photo by Chris Martin

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#BlogTour #BookReview The Curse of the Flores Women by Angélica Lopes (translated by Zoë Perry) @AmazonPub @OverTheRiverPR #TheCurseOfTheFloresWomen #AngelicaLopes #AmazonCrossing #OTRPR

categories: 8/10, Book Review, Historical Fiction
#BlogTour #BookReview The Curse of the Flores Women by Angélica Lopes (translated by Zoë Perry) @AmazonPub @OverTheRiverPR #TheCurseOfTheFloresWomen #AngelicaLopes #AmazonCrossing #OTRPR Title: The Curse of the Flores Women

Author: Angélica Lopes, Zoë Perry

Published by: Amazon Crossing on Jul. 1, 2024

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 220

Format: Paperback

Source: Amazon Publishing, OTRPR

Book Rating: 8/10

Eighteen-year-old Alice Ribeiro is constantly fighting—against the status quo, female oppression in Brazil, and even her own mother. But when a family veil is passed down to her, Alice is compelled to fight for the rights of all womankind while also uncovering the hidden history of the women in her family.

Seven generations ago, the small town of Bom Retiro shunned the Flores women because of a “curse” that rendered them unlucky in love. With no men on the horizon to take care of them, the women learned the art of lacemaking to build lives of their own. But their peace was soon threatened by forces beyond any woman’s control.

As Alice begins piecing together the tapestry that is her history, she discovers revelations about the past, connections to the present, and a resilience in her blood that will carry her toward the future her ancestors strove for.

Review:

Sentimental, heartfelt, and enchanting!

The Curse of the Flores Women is a fresh, captivating tale set in Brazil during 1918, as well as 2010, that takes you into the life of Eugênia, a young woman who dreads her upcoming nuptials and who uses her skills in lacemaking to share her thoughts, feelings and silent cries for help, and Alice, an eighteen-year-old girl struggling with a strained relationship with her mother who, after receiving an heirloom veil from a distant aunt, endeavours to learn as much as possible about her family history that up until now she’s known little about.

The prose is expressive and fluid. The characters are headstrong, independent, and loyal. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel into a charming tale of family, friendship, drama, rebellion, emotion, secrets, love, loss, duty, heartbreak, introspection, passion, tradition, and autonomy.

Overall, The Curse of the Flores Women is a compelling, evocative, illuminating tale by Lopes that was a delight to read and has just the right amount of intrigue, culture, colourful history, and palpable emotion to be a good choice for all fans of the historical fiction genre.

 

This book is available now.

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

     

 

 

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

 

About Angélica Lopes

Angélica Lopes is a novelist, screenwriter, and journalist from Rio de Janeiro with over twenty years of experience in writing fiction. Her dramatic vein came from writing Brazilian soap operas, known worldwide for attracting millions of viewers daily. She is also an award-winning author of YA novels and has written scripts for cinema, TV series, and comedy shows. The Curse of the Flores Women is her first adult novel and was sold for translation in France and Italy even before being published in her native Brazil.

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About Zoë Perry

Zoë Perry has translated the work of several contemporary Brazilian authors, including Emilio Fraia, Ana Paula Maia, Juliana Leite, Clara Drummond, Veronica Stigger, and Carol Bensimon. Her translations have appeared in the Paris Review, the New Yorker, Granta, Astra, n+1, and the New York Times. Perry’s translation of Ana Paula Maia’s Of Cattle and Men was awarded an English PEN grant, and she received a PEN/Heim grant for her translation of Veronica Stigger’s Opisanie swiata (Desription of the World). She is currently based in Miami.

 

#BookReview Bad Tourists by Caro Carver @SimonSchusterCA #BadTourists #CaroCarver #SimonSchusterCA

categories: 8.5/10, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller
#BookReview Bad Tourists by Caro Carver @SimonSchusterCA #BadTourists #CaroCarver #SimonSchusterCA Title: Bad Tourists

Author: Caro Carver

Published by: Avid Reader Press on Jul. 9, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 336

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Three tight-knit friends embark on an extravagant divorce trip to the Maldives where they can unwind and celebrate a new chapter in midlife—until they realize the resort of their dreams is harboring a killer.

Best friends Darcy, Camilla, and Kate escape for a post-divorce retreat in the Maldives, the perfect place to relax, reset, and embrace a fresh start in life. Darcy is learning how to be a free woman at forty-two. Camilla has found the perfect calling as a fitness and wellness influencer with a devoted following. And Kate is finally working on the book she was meant to write after years of telling other people’s stories.

Their dream getaway? The exclusive and isolated Sapphire Island Resort. With luxurious private villas, crystal-clear waters, and sun-drenched white sand beaches, relaxation is guaranteed. But this is no ordinary friendship, and they’re not the only guests on the island with secrets. Who left the body on the beach—and who’s next?

A propulsive and deliciously dark tale about female friendship, loyalty, and lies, Bad Tourists is a white-hot thriller from the first page to its mind-blowing finish.

Review:

Intense, chilling, and complex!

Bad Tourists is a layered, unsettling thriller that delves into the devastating emotional, psychological, and physical effects caused by violence on its victims, as well as their loved ones and highlights just how easily the most heinous of evil can live comfortably amongst us merely hidden behind masks of normality.

The writing is sharp and crisp. The characters are secretive, cunning, and vulnerable. And the plot, told from multiple perspectives, builds quickly creating intensity and suspense as it unravels all the relationships, motivations, personalities, deception, and devious behaviours within it.

Overall, Bad Tourists is, ultimately, a story of lies, secrets, revelations, depravity, manipulation, friendship, violence, and murder. It’s a tight, clever, disturbing thrill ride by Carver that had just the right amount of twists, turns, and surprises to keep me absolutely engrossed 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 Simon & Schuster Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Caro Carver

Caro Carver lives in Scotland with her husband and four children. She is Reader in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow, teaches for the Faber Academy and the Curtis Brown Academy, and regularly speaks on panels and hosts events on writing. Caro is happiest when traveling and takes inspiration from her travels to write her books. Bad Tourists is her first book written under the pseudonym of Caro Carver. She is also published as C.J. Cooke for her gothic thrillers.

Photo by Jared Jess-Cooke.

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#BookReview The Spoiled Heart by Sunjeev Sahota @PenguinRandomCA #SunjeevSahota #TheSpoiledHeart #PenguinReads

categories: 8/10, Book Review, General Fiction
#BookReview The Spoiled Heart by Sunjeev Sahota @PenguinRandomCA #SunjeevSahota #TheSpoiledHeart #PenguinReads Title: The Spoiled Heart

Author: Sunjeev Sahota

Published by: Knopf Canada on Apr. 16, 2024

Genres: General Fiction

Pages: 336

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

A brilliant and riveting story of ambition, love, family secrets, and unintended consequences, from “bold storyteller” (The New Yorker) and two-time Booker Prize nominee Sunjeev Sahota

Nayan Olak keeps seeing Helen Fletcher around town. She’s returned with her teenage son to live in the run-down house at the end of the lane, and—though she’s strangely guarded—Nayan can’t help but be drawn to her. He hasn’t risked love since losing his young family in a terrible accident twenty years earlier.

In the wake of the tragedy, Nayan’s labor union, long a cornerstone of his community, became the center of his life: a way for him to channel his energies into making the world a better—fairer, as he sees it—place. Now, he’s decided to mount a run for the leadership. But his campaign pits him against a newcomer, Megha, who quickly proves to be a more formidable challenger than he anticipated.

As Nayan’s differences with Megha spin out of control, complicating the ideals he’s always held dear, he grows closer to Helen—and unknowingly barrels toward long-held secrets about how their pasts might be connected. Suddenly, much more is threatened than his chances of winning.

In one sense a tragedy in the classic mold, tracing one man’s seemingly inexorable fall, The Spoiled Heart is also an explosively contemporary story of how a few words or a single action—to one person careless, to another, charged—can trigger a cascade of unimaginable consequences. A vivid and multi-layered exploration of the mysteries of the heart, how community is forged and broken, and the shattering impact of secrets and assumptions alike, it is a blazing achievement from one of Britain’s foremost living writers.

Review:

Nuanced, tragic, and compelling!

The Spoiled Heart is an intriguing, heart-tugging tale set in modern-day Britain that takes you into the life of Nayan Olak, a middle-aged man of Indian descent who is struggling with the continued grief of losing his mother and son in a fire years ago, the ongoing care of a father who he despises but also loves, a run for the union general secretary position that has turned into a fiery, mudslinging affair, and a blossoming romance with a white woman who has troubles and secrets of her own.

The prose is effortless and tender. The characters are multilayered, scarred, and vulnerable. And the plot is an absorbing tale of life, loss, love, reputation, familial dynamics, class division, race, societal prejudices, and tragedy.

Overall, The Spoiled Heart is a tense, captivating, sobering tale by Sahota that reminds us that families are complicated and messy, the choices we make often have far-reaching consequences, and long-buried secrets somehow always find their way to the surface.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sunjeev Sahota

Sunjeev Sahota is the author of three novels: China Room, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize and a finalist for the American Library Association's Carnegie Medal; The Year of the Runaways, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Dylan Thomas Prize, and was awarded a European Union Prize for Literature; and Ours are the Streets. In 2013, he was named one of Granta’s twenty Best of Young British Novelists of the decade. He lives in Sheffield, England, with his family.

Photo by GL Portrait / Alamy Stock Photo.

#BookReview The Seaside Sisters by Pamela Kelley @PamelaMKelley @smpromance @StMartinsPress #TheSeasideSisters #PamelaKelley #StMartinsPress #smpromance #SMPInfluencers

categories: 8.5/10, Book Review, Contemporary Romance
#BookReview The Seaside Sisters by Pamela Kelley @PamelaMKelley @smpromance @StMartinsPress #TheSeasideSisters #PamelaKelley #StMartinsPress #smpromance #SMPInfluencers Title: The Seaside Sisters

Author: Pamela M. Kelly

Published by: St. Martin's Griffin on Jun. 4, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 320

Format: Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

One summer can change everything.

Brooklyn-based Hannah is a bestselling author struggling to write her second book after personal losses. Her older sister, Sara, still lives in Chatham, Cape Cod, where they grew up, and is married with four children. Once a dedicated librarian, Sara dreams of reviving her love affair with literature, but instead, she is stuck with too many family responsibilities and a fizzling marriage.

When Hannah gets the chance to retreat to her aunt’s oceanfront house in Chatham for the summer, it seems like just the thing to get her creative juices flowing. And she’ll be able to spend more time with Sara, who is eager to find her way back into the workforce, to do something rewarding and book-related. The pair will spend the summer making friends, rekindling romance― especially Spencer, an old acquaintance from high school-turned very hot grump― and opening themselves up to the magic of books and the beach.

Perfect for fans of Mary Kay Andrews, Susan Mallery and Brenda Novak, The Seaside Sisters will delight and charm you as easily as an ocean breeze.

Review:

Quaint, tender, and sweet!

The Seaside Sisters is a lighthearted, engaging tale that takes you on a journey to Cape Cod and into the lives of two sisters; Hannah, a successful writer who, since the loss of her mother, is struggling to pen her next tale, and Sara, a married mother of four boys who is ready for just a little bit more in her life than laundry, carpooling, and taking care of those she loves.

The prose is light and smooth. The characters are hesitant, determined, and multilayered. And the plot is a heartfelt, hopeful tale full of life, love, family, friendship, community, self-discovery, embracing change, taking chances, and finding happiness.

Overall, The Seaside Sisters is another charming, absorbing, heartwarming tale by Kelley with characters I couldn’t help but root for and an ending that left me more than a little satisfied.

 

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 exchange for an honest review.

 

About Pamela M. Kelly

Pamela Kelley is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of women's fiction, family sagas, and suspense, such as The Restaurant and The Hotel. Readers often describe her books as feel-good reads with people you'd want as friends. She lives in a historic seaside town near Cape Cod. She has always been an avid reader of women's fiction, romance, mysteries, thrillers and cook books. There's also a good chance you might get hungry when you read her books as she is a foodie, and occasionally shares a recipe or two.

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#BookReview Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles @skesliencharles @SimonSchusterCA #MissMorgansBookBrigade #JanetSkeslienCharles #SimonSchusterCA

categories: 8/10, Book Review, Historical Fiction
#BookReview Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles @skesliencharles @SimonSchusterCA #MissMorgansBookBrigade #JanetSkeslienCharles #SimonSchusterCA Title: Miss Morgan's Book Brigade

Author: Janet Skeslien Charles

Published by: Atria Books on Apr. 30, 2024

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 336

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

1918: As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library to work for the American Committee for Devastated France. Founded by millionaire Anne Morgan, this group of international women help rebuild devastated French communities just miles from the front. Upon arrival, Jessie strives to establish something that the French have never seen—children’s libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians. Then she disappears.

1987: When NYPL librarian and aspiring writer Wendy Peterson stumbles across a passing reference to Jessie Carson in the archives, she becomes consumed with learning her fate. In her obsessive research, she discovers that she and the elusive librarian have more in common than their work at New York’s famed library, but she has no idea their paths will converge in surprising ways across time.

Based on the extraordinary little-known history of the women who received the Croix de Guerre medal for courage under fire, Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, the power of literature, and ultimately the courage it takes to make a change.

Review:

Insightful, rich, and absorbing!

Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade is an alluring dual-timeline tale set in France and New York City during WWI, as well as 1987, that takes you into the lives of two main characters; Jessie, a librarian who joins the American Committee for Devasted France to bring books and the love of reading to those families trying to carry on in a land ravished by war, and Wendy, a young writer and librarian who after stumbling upon information about another employee of the esteemed NYPL from the distant past, is driven to discover everything she can about this woman’s life, achievements and ultimate fate.

The prose is smooth and fluid. The characters are genuine, innovative, and determined. And the plot, including all the subplots, unravel and intertwine seamlessly into an intriguing tale of life, loss, hardship, courage, devastation, hope, friendship, adversity, self-discovery, wartime living, survival, and ultimately the power of books.

Overall, Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade is a well-written, vivid, informative tale inspired by real-life events that does an exceptional job of highlighting her considerable knowledge and impressive research into a real-life historical figure that was determined to show the power and importance of the written word to uplift and provide hope in even the most dire of situations.

 

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 Janet Skeslien Charles

Janet Skeslien Charles is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Paris Library. Her work has been translated into thirty-seven languages. She has spent a decade researching Jessie Carson (Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade) at The Morgan Library, the NYPL, and archives across France. Her shorter work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, The Sydney Morning Herald, LitHub, and the anthology Montana Noir.

Photograph by Krystal Kenney.

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#BookReview The Outlaw Noble Salt by Amy Harmon @aharmon_author @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #TheOutlawNobleSalt #AmyHarmon #LakeUnion #FireflyDist

categories: 10/10, Book Review, Historical Fiction
#BookReview The Outlaw Noble Salt by Amy Harmon @aharmon_author @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #TheOutlawNobleSalt #AmyHarmon #LakeUnion #FireflyDist Title: The Outlaw Noble Salt

Author: Amy Harmon

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Apr. 9, 2024

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 367

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Firefly Distributed Lines

Book Rating: 10/10

From New York Times bestselling author Amy Harmon comes a sweepingly romantic tale of risk, redemption, and what happens when America’s most famous outlaw falls in love.

When infamous outlaw Butch Cassidy decides to go straight, he discovers that too many of the powerful men he crossed won’t let bygones be bygones. To have a chance at a new life, he’ll have to become someone else entirely.

A brief, fateful encounter with the celebrated singer Jane Touissant on the eve of his escape offers a glimpse of what might have been, but Butch disappears, leaving her behind, until their paths unexpectedly converge again in Paris.

Despite having discovered his true identity, Jane trusts the outlaw and enlists his protection on her upcoming American tour. Although Butch is reluctant to agree, fearing his sordid past may put the woman and her young son in danger, the salvation she offers is too hard to resist.

As they set forth on their journey, Butch’s past and Jane’s secrets put them at risk from threats far greater than the law, and this legend of the American West will have to decide what matters most—his life, his legacy, or the woman he loves.

Review:

Unique, tender, and thrilling!

The Outlaw Noble Salt is a fresh, intricate tale that sweeps you away to the early 1900s and into the life of the infamous Butch Cassidy, who after years of robbing trains and staying just ahead of the authorities, decides to try and live a more lawful life in order to be worthy of a special woman and child who have managed to steal his heart.

The prose is rich and expressive. The characters are strong, determined, and loyal. And the plot is an intense, captivating tale of life, loss, love, bravery, strength, loyalty, danger, gunslinging, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Outlaw Noble Salt is a moving, evocative, beautifully written tale by Harmon inspired by real-life historical figures that I devoured from start to finish and is the perfect choice for anyone who enjoys a classic western story intermingled with a high dose of romance.

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 Amy Harmon

Amy Harmon is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and New York Times Bestselling author. Amy knew at an early age that writing was something she wanted to do, and she divided her time between writing songs and stories as she grew. Having grown up in the middle of wheat fields without a television, with only her books and her siblings to entertain her, she developed a strong sense of what made a good story. Her books are now being published in eighteen languages, truly a dream come true for a little country girl from Levan, Utah.

Amy Harmon has written fourteen novels including the USA Today Bestsellers, Making Faces and Running Barefoot, as well as The Law of Moses, Infinity + One and the New York Times Bestseller, A Different Blue. Her fantasy novel, The Bird and the Sword, was a Goodreads Book of the Year finalist. Her newest release, What the Wind Knows, is an Amazon charts bestseller.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview When Cicadas Cry by Caroline Cleveland @MandaGroup @UnionSqandCo #WhenCicadasCry #CarolineCleveland #MandaGroup #UnionSqandCo

categories: 8/10, Book Review, Mystery/Thriller
#BookReview When Cicadas Cry by Caroline Cleveland @MandaGroup @UnionSqandCo #WhenCicadasCry #CarolineCleveland #MandaGroup #UnionSqandCo Title: When Cicadas Cry

Author: Caroline Cleveland

Published by: Union Square & Co. on May 7, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 336

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Manda Group

Book Rating: 8/10

A high-profile murder case— A white woman has been bludgeoned to death with an altar cross in a rural church on Cicada Road in Walterboro, South Carolina. Sam Jenkins, a Black man, is found covered in blood, kneeling over the body. In a state already roiling with racial tenson, this is not only a murder case, but a powder keg.

A haunting cold case— Two young women are murdered on quiet Edisto Beach, an hour southeast of Walterboro, and the killer disappears without a trace. Thirty-four years later the mystery remains unsolved. Could there be a connection to Stander’s case?

A killer who’s watching— Stander takes on Jenkins’s defense, but he’s up against a formidable solicitor with powerful allies. Worse, his client is hiding a bombshell secret. When Addie Stone reopens the cold case, she discovers more long-buried secrets in this small town. Would someone kill again to keep them?

Ideal for fans of mystery, suspense, and thrillers in the vein of Karin Slaughter’s Pretty Girls and Stacy Willingham’s A Flicker in the Dark, as well as for readers who followed the high-profile Murdaugh murder trial, held in the same small town as in When Cicadas Cry.

Review:

Duplicitous, intense, and atmospheric!

When Cicadas Cry is a fast-paced, sinister tale that finds small-town attorney Zach Stander defending Sam Jenkins, a local Black man who, after being found near the body of a white woman covered in the victim’s blood, suddenly becomes the number one suspect until Zach’s partner, PI Addie Stone manages to stumble across some strange connections between this present case an unsolved cold case from three decades ago.

The prose is fluid and tight. The characters are multilayered, relentless, and resourceful. And the plot unfolds quickly into a menacing tale of mischief, mayhem, corruption, manipulation, racism, coercion, deception, heinous violence, and murder.

Overall, When Cicadas Cry is a tight, intricate, engrossing debut by Cleveland that is highly entertaining and the perfect choice for anyone who enjoys a good mystery threaded with ongoing social issues and injustices.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to Manda Group for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Caroline Cleveland

Caroline Cleveland is a labor and employment lawyer. A native South Carolinian, Caroline grew up in the Lowcountry and earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1991. This is her first novel.

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#BookReview The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall @HMarshallAuthor @SimonSchusterCA #HeatherMarshall #TheSecretHistoryOfAudreyJames #SimonSchusterCA

categories: 10/10, Book Review, Historical Fiction
#BookReview The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall @HMarshallAuthor @SimonSchusterCA #HeatherMarshall #TheSecretHistoryOfAudreyJames #SimonSchusterCA Title: The Secret History of Audrey James

Author: Heather Marshall

Published by: Simon & Schuster on Jun. 4, 2024

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 432

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

Sometimes the best place to hide is the last place anyone would look.

Northern England, 2010

After a tragic accident upends her life, Kate Mercer leaves London to work at an old guest house near the Scottish border, where she hopes to find a fresh start and heal from her loss. When she arrives, she begins to unravel the truth about her past, but discovers the mysterious elderly proprietor is harbouring her own secrets…

Berlin, 1938

Audrey James is weeks away from graduating from a prestigious music school in Berlin, where she’s been living with her best friend, Ilse Kaplan. As she prepares to finish her piano studies, Audrey dreads the thought of returning to her father in England and leaving Ilse behind. Families like the Kaplans are being targeted as war in Europe threatens.

When Ilse’s parents and brother suddenly disappear, two high-ranking Nazi party members confiscate the Kaplans’ upscale home, believing it to be empty. In a desperate attempt to keep Ilse safe, Audrey becomes housekeeper for the officers while Ilse is forced into hiding in the attic—a prisoner in her own home. Tensions rise in the house and the chance of survival diminishes by the day. When a shocking turn of events pushes Audrey to become embroiled in cell of the anti-Hitler movement – clusters of resisters working to bring down the Nazis from within Germany itself – Audrey must decide what matters most: saving herself, protecting her friend, or sacrificing everything for the greater good.

Inspired by true stories of courageous women and the German resistance during WWII, this is a captivating novel about the unbreakable bonds of friendship, the sacrifices we make for those we love, and the healing that comes from human connection.

Review:

Immersive, memorable, and moving!

The Secret History of Audrey James is predominantly set in Berlin and Northern England during 1938, as well as 2010, and is told from two different perspectives; Kate, a young woman who, after a tragic accident that leaves her marriage in tatters and her parents both deceased, decides to make a change and move out of London in order to visit a place her parents once loved and somehow start to heal, and Audrey, an elderly woman who, as her life is quickly coming to an end, finally shares her life story that was full of commitment, passion, heartache, courage, selflessness, pain, horrifying conditions, and unrequited love.

The prose is eloquent and rich. The characters are tenacious, resilient, and determined. And the plot is an exceptionally touching tale about life, loss, family, secrets, separation, desperation, regret, grief, love, tragedy, survival, friendship, the horrors of war, and the power of music.

Overall, The Secret History of Audrey James is an absorbing, poignant, beautifully written novel by Marshall that does a wonderful job of showcasing the hard work, bravery, and danger involved in being a resister in Germany during WWII. It’s now the second novel I’ve had the pleasure to read and absolutely love by Marshall, and I can guarantee that whatever she decides to write next will always hold a top spot on my TBR list.

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 Heather Marshall

Heather Marshall lives with her family near Toronto. She completed master’s degrees in Canadian history and political science, and worked in politics and communications before turning her attention to her true passion: storytelling. Looking for Jane is her debut novel.

Photograph by Amanda Kopcic.

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