Format: Paperback

#BookReview Happy Singles Day by Ann Marie Walker @AnnMarie_Walker @SourcebooksCasa #HappySinglesDay #AnnMarieWalker #SourcebooksCasa

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#BookReview Happy Singles Day by Ann Marie Walker @AnnMarie_Walker @SourcebooksCasa #HappySinglesDay #AnnMarieWalker #SourcebooksCasa Title: Happy Singles Day

Author: Ann Marie Walker

Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca on Jan. 19, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 288

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Book Rating: 10/10

Single and proud of it! Oh, oops…

As a Certified Professional Organizer, everything in Paige Parker’s world is as it should be. Perfect apartment, perfect office, perfect life. And now, the perfect vacation planned to honor Singles Day. After all, what’s better than celebrating her pride in being single? Because who needs a man anyway? They have zero taste in quality television, leave the toilet seat up, and sleep with your best friend. No thanks. Her life is fine just the way it is.

As the owner of a now-dormant bed & breakfast, Lucas Croft’s life is simple and quiet. It’s only him and his five-year-old daughter, which is just the way he likes it. Because who needs a woman anyway? They nag you to clean up your stuff, want the toilet seat put down, and expect the dishes to be done the same day the meal is cooked. No thanks. His life is fine just the way it is.

But when Paige books a room that Lucas’ well-intentioned sister listed without his knowledge, their two worlds collide. If they can survive the week together, they just might discover exactly what they’ve both been missing.

Review:

Heartwarming, amusing, and delectably charming!

Happy Singles Day is a lighthearted, absorbing tale set on the idyllic Aurelia Island that takes you into the lives of Paige Parker, a workaholic who after having her heart shattered by a cheating ex has spent far too many hours working and not enough hours enjoying life, and Lucas Croft, an innkeeper and widowed father of a five-year-old who is still struggling with the unexpected loss of his wife and his all-consuming grief that is preventing him from moving on.

The writing style is light and witty. The characters, including all the supporting characters, are quirky, fun-loving, and endearing. And the plot is a heartfelt, uplifting mix of friendship, family, introspection, parenthood, sorrow, support, love, loss, drama, community, tricky situations, humorous mishaps, and new beginnings.

Overall, Happy Singles Day is a sweet, touching, delightfully romantic tale by Walker that I didn’t just like, I loved.

This book is available January 19, 2021.

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

            

 

 

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Ann Marie Walker

Ann Marie Walker writes steamy books about sexy boys. She's a fan of fancy cocktails, anything chocolate, and 80s rom-coms. Her super power is connecting any situation to an episode of Friends and she thinks all coffee cups should be the size of a bowl. If it's December she can be found watching Love Actually but the rest of the year you can find her at AnnMarieWalker.com where she would be happy to talk to you about alpha males, lemon drop martinis or supermodel David Gandy. Ann Marie attended the University of Notre Dame and currently lives in Chicago.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview The Butterfly House by Katrine Engberg @GalleryBooks @SimonSchusterCA #TheButterflyHouse #KornerandWerner #KatrineEngberg

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#BookReview The Butterfly House by Katrine Engberg @GalleryBooks @SimonSchusterCA #TheButterflyHouse #KornerandWerner #KatrineEngberg Title: The Butterfly House

Author: Katrine Engberg

Series: Korner and Werner #2

Published by: Gallery/Scout Press on Jan. 5, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Detectives Jeppe Korner and Anette Werner return in this thriller as they race to solve a series of sordid murders linked to some of the most vulnerable patients in a Danish hospital.

Hospitals are supposed to be places of healing. But in the coronary care unit at one of Copenhagen’s leading medical centers, a nurse fills a syringe with an overdose of heart medication and stealthily enters the room of an older male patient.

Six days earlier, a paperboy on his route in central Copenhagen stumbles upon a macabre find: the naked body of a dead woman, lying in a fountain with arms marked with small incisions. Cause of death? Exsanguination—the draining of all the blood in her body.

Clearly, this is no ordinary murder. Lead Investigator Jeppe Korner, recovering from a painful divorce and in the throes of a new relationship, takes on the investigation. His partner, Anette Werner, now on maternity leave after an unexpected pregnancy, is restless at home with a demanding newborn and an equally demanding husband. While Jeppe pounds the streets looking for answers, Anette decides to do a little freelance sleuthing. But operating on her own exposes her to dangers she can’t even begin to fathom.

As the investigation ventures into dark corners, it uncovers the ambition and greed that festers beneath the surface of caregiving institutions—all the more shocking for their depravity—and what Jeppe and Anette discover will turn their blood as cold as ice….

Review:

Chilling, sinister, and sharp!

In this engrossing second instalment in the Korner and Werner series, The Butterfly House, Engberg has written an unpredictable, ominous thriller that takes you on a hunt for a serial killer with a penchant for antique medical devices and a list of victims who all seem to have ties to a defunct psychiatric facility for teens.

The prose is tight and crisp. The characters are multilayered, flawed, and troubled. And the plot is an absorbing tale full of intrigue, surprises, red herrings, deception, revenge, suspicious motivations, abuse, mental illness, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Butterfly House is a sophisticated, fast-paced, tortuous tale by Engberg that keeps you guessing from the very first page and leaves you unsettled, entertained, and highly satisfied.

 

This book is available now.

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

           

 

 

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

 

About Katrine Engberg

A former dancer and choreographer with a background in television and theater, Katrine Engberg has launched a groundbreaking career as a novelist with the publication of The Tenant. She is now one of the most widely read and beloved crime authors in Denmark. The Tenant is her debut novel and the start of a series hailed for its artful originality and beautiful prose.

Photograph by Les Kaner.

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#BookReview Outlawed by Anna North @annanorthtweets @RaincoastBooks @BloomsburyPub #Outlawed #AnnaNorth

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#BookReview Outlawed by Anna North @annanorthtweets @RaincoastBooks @BloomsburyPub #Outlawed #AnnaNorth Title: Outlawed

Author: Anna North

Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing on Jan. 5, 2021

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 272

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Raincoast Books

Book Rating: 8.5/10

The Crucible meets True Grit in this riveting adventure story of a fugitive girl, a mysterious gang of robbers, and their dangerous mission to transform the Wild West.

In the year of our Lord 1894, I became an outlaw.

The day of her wedding, 17 year old Ada’s life looks good; she loves her husband, and she loves working as an apprentice to her mother, a respected midwife. But after a year of marriage and no pregnancy, in a town where barren women are routinely hanged as witches, her survival depends on leaving behind everything she knows.

She joins up with the notorious Hole in the Wall Gang, a band of outlaws led by a preacher-turned-robber known to all as the Kid. Charismatic, grandiose, and mercurial, the Kid is determined to create a safe haven for outcast women. But to make this dream a reality, the Gang hatches a treacherous plan that may get them all killed. And Ada must decide whether she’s willing to risk her life for the possibility of a new kind of future for them all.

Featuring an irresistibly no-nonsense, courageous, and determined heroine, Outlawed dusts off the myth of the old West and reignites the glimmering promise of the frontier with an entirely new set of feminist stakes. Anna North has crafted a pulse-racing, page-turning saga about the search for hope in the wake of death, and for truth in a climate of small-mindedness and fear.

Review:

Unique, tender, and thrilling!

Outlawed is a compelling, adventurous tale featuring Ada, the young daughter of a midwife whom after being unable to bear her husband a child flees her hometown, to rumblings of witchcraft, to a convent run by nuns before finally settling and finding a home as the doctor for the notorious outlaws, non-binary, Hole in the Wall Gang.

The prose is rich and expressive. The characters are strong, determined, passionate, and loyal. And the plot set in the wild west during the mid-1890s is an intense, fast-paced tale of love, life, loss, bravery, strength, loyalty, danger, gender neutrality, nonconformity, gunslinging, violence, and survival.

I have to admit that I didn’t know what to expect when I started Outlawed, but North did such a wonderful job of blending a classic western story with such an original, alluring, feministic spin that I was not only left highly entertained but incredibly impressed.

 

This novel is available now.

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

           

 

 

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

 

About Anna North

Anna North is a novelist and journalist. She is the author of the novels America Pacifica (2011), The Life and Death of Sophie Stark (2015), and Outlawed (forthcoming with Bloomsbury, January 2021). She has been a writer and editor at Jezebel, BuzzFeed, Salon, and the New York Times, and is now a senior reporter at Vox.

Photograph by Seth Pomerantz.

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#BookReview Sisters by Michelle Frances @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #Sisters #MichelleFrances #PGCBooks

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#BookReview Sisters by Michelle Frances @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #Sisters #MichelleFrances #PGCBooks Title: Sisters

Author: Michelle Frances

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Jan. 5, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 416

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

Is blood really thicker than water?

Abby and Ellie were never close as children. Now in their thirties, they each harbour deep-rooted resentment for the other – Abby for her sister’s looks and her status as their mother’s favourite. Ellie meanwhile is envious of Abby’s perfect husband and picturesque home, a villa on the sun-soaked Italian island of Elba.

When Abby invites Ellie to stay, both sisters see the break as a chance to relax and put aside their differences. But with their mother Susanna there too, all the simmering tensions of the past quickly rise to the surface. And Ellie suspects that Abby and their mother are keeping a dangerous secret . . .

But after a shocking act, the sisters have only each other to rely on. Vulnerable and scared, trusting each other will be the biggest risk of all . . .

Review:

Simmering, twisty, and intricate!

Sisters is a fast-paced, character-driven, domestic thriller that takes you into the lives of two sisters, Abbie, a hardworking, overachiever and Ellie a younger, prettier, free spirit as they each grapple with sibling rivalry, enduring jealousy, resentments, and long-buried secrets that will change their lives forever.

The prose is crisp and intense. The characters are envious, secretive, and troubled. And the plot told from differing perspectives unfolds rapidly into a gripping tale full of twists, turns, surprises, familial drama, lies, greed, deception, and tragedy.

Overall, Sisters is another exhilarating, pacey, suspenseful tale by Frances that does a wonderful job of delving into all the complex, dysfunctional relationships that exist between family members and reminds us just how toxic some of them can often be.

 

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 of this story in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Michelle Frances

Michelle Frances graduated from Bournemouth Film School and then from the Masters programme at the American Film Institute, Los Angeles. Returning to London, she has worked for several years in film and TV as a script editor and producer for both the independent sector and the BBC.

Her first novel, The Girlfriend, became an international best seller.

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#BookReview Be Dazzled by Ryan La Sala @Ryality @SourcebooksFire @RaincoastBooks #BeDazzled #RyanLaSala

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#BookReview Be Dazzled by Ryan La Sala @Ryality @SourcebooksFire @RaincoastBooks #BeDazzled #RyanLaSala Title: Be Dazzled

Author: Ryan La Sala

Published by: Sourcebooks Fire on Jan. 5, 2020

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Raincoast Books

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Who’s ready to sparkle??

Project Runway goes to Comic Con in an epic queer love story about creativity, passion, and finding the courage to be your most authentic self.

Raffy has a passion for bedazzling. Not just bedazzling, but sewing, stitching, draping, pattern making–for creation. He’s always chosen his art over everything–and everyone–else and is determined to make his mark at this year’s biggest cosplay competition. If he can wow there, it could lead to sponsorship, then art school, and finally earning real respect for his work. There’s only one small problem… Raffy’s ex-boyfriend, Luca, is his main competition.

Raffy tried to make it work with Luca. They almost made the perfect team last year after serendipitously meeting in the rhinestone aisle at the local craft store–or at least Raffy thought they did. But Luca’s insecurities and Raffy’s insistence on crafting perfection caused their relationship to crash and burn. Now, Raffy is after the perfect comeback, one that Luca can’t ruin.

But when Raffy is forced to partner with Luca on his most ambitious build yet, he’ll have to juggle unresolved feelings for the boy who broke his heart, and his own intense self-doubt, to get everything he’s ever wanted: choosing his art, his way.

Review:

Fresh, uplifting, and cute!

Be Dazzled is a heartwarming, amusing tale featuring the hesitant, closeted Luca and the creative, confident, Raffy as they discover through crafting, cosplay, and the highly competitive Controverse that the heart wants who the heart wants and that some things are definitely worth fighting for.

The writing is creative and light. The characters are talented, loyal, and supportive. And the plot using a back-and-forth, past-present style is a passionate, fascinating tale full of familial drama, teenage angst, hard work, goals, dreams, friendship, and first love.

Overall, Be Dazzled is an enjoyable, entertaining, satisfying novel by La Sala with its endearing characters, heartfelt moments, unique storyline, and happy-ever-after ending.

 

This book is available now.

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

            

 

 

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

 

About Ryan La Sala

Ryan La Sala is the author of Reverie and Be Dazzled and is the co-host of Celebrity Book Club.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

Goodreads

#BookReview The Paper Bracelet by Rachael English @EnglishRachael @Mobius_Books @headlinepg #ThePaperBracelet #RachaelEnglish #MobiusBooksUS

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#BookReview The Paper Bracelet by Rachael English @EnglishRachael @Mobius_Books @headlinepg #ThePaperBracelet #RachaelEnglish #MobiusBooksUS Title: The Paper Bracelet

Author: Rachael English

Published by: Headline Books on Jan. 5, 2021

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Mobius Books US

Book Rating: 9/10

Every baby’s bracelet held a mother’s secret…

Inspired by heartrending real events, the gripping new novel from No. 1 bestselling author Rachael English. Readers of Diane Chamberlain and Kathryn Hughes will love this book.

‘A true storyteller who keeps you turning the pages’ Cathy Kelly

For almost fifty years, Katie Carroll has kept a box tucked away inside her wardrobe. It dates from her time working as a nurse in a west of Ireland mother and baby home in the 1960s. The box contains a notebook holding the details of the babies and young women she met there. It also holds many of the babies’ identity bracelets.

Following the death of her husband, Katie makes a decision. The information she possesses could help reunite adopted people with their birth mothers, and she decides to post a message on an internet forum. Soon the replies are rolling in, and Katie finds herself returning many of the bracelets to their original owners. She encounters success and failure, heartbreak and joy. But is she prepared for old secrets to be uncovered in her own life?

Review:

Absorbing, poignant, and heartrending!

The Paper Bracelet is a harrowing, moving novel set in Ireland during the 1970s, as well as present-day, that takes you into the halls of Carrigbrack, a mother-and-baby home run by nuns where unwed pregnant girls are unwillingly banished to repent, deliver, and subsequently relinquish their parental rights under conditions of emotional and physical abuse, meagre basic necessities, excessive workloads, and often vicious, sadistic punishments and the complex, emotional journey to reacquaint mothers with their long-lost children years later.

The prose is sentimental and rich. The characters are vulnerable, strong, and brave. And the plot told from multiple perspectives is a compelling blend of life, loss, secrets, surprises, heartbreak, abuse, survival, motherhood, and friendship.

Overall, The Paper Bracelet is a compassionate, enlightening, hopeful tale inspired by true-life events that is a haunting reminder of all those women who lived, suffered, and endured in these horrific institutions and continued to do so late into the 20th century. It’s a book that, ultimately, needs to be read to appreciate just how well researched, beautifully written, and extremely memorable it truly is.

This novel is available now.

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

                

 

 

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

 

About Rachael English

Rachael English is the author of five novels: GOING BACK, which was shortlisted for the most-promising newcomer award at the Irish Book Awards, EACH AND EVERY ONE, THE AMERICAN GIRL, which reached number one on the Irish paperback best sellers list, THE NIGHT OF THE PARTY and THE PAPER BRACELET.
Like many many writers, she also has a day job. She's a presenter on the radio programme, Morning Ireland.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview Love Songs for Skeptics by Christina Pishiris @ChristinaPi @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #LoveSongsforSkeptics #ChristinaPishiris

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#BookReview Love Songs for Skeptics by Christina Pishiris @ChristinaPi @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #LoveSongsforSkeptics #ChristinaPishiris Title: Love Songs for Skeptics

Author: Christina Pishiris

Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark on Jan. 5, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 416

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Landmark

Book Rating: 8.5/10

For fans of Josie Silver and Emily Henry comes a debut rom-com about the life-changing magic of second chances.

Zoë Frixos gets the whole love song thing. Truly, she does. As an editor at a major music magazine in London, it’s part of her job description. But love? Let’s just say Zoë’s been a bit off-beat in that department. After falling hard for her best friend, Simon, at thirteen and missing every chance to tell him how she felt before he left town, Zoë came to one grand conclusion: Love stinks.

Twenty years later, Simon is returning to London, newly single and as charming as ever, and Zoë vows to take her second chance. But Zoë’s got other problems now: In order to save her magazine from closure, she has to land the biggest interview of her career with a notoriously elusive rock idol. There’s just one problem: Nick, the arrogant publicist who seems determined to stop the story and ruin Zoë’s life.

With her brother’s big(ish) fat(ish) Greek wedding on the horizon, Zoë begins to wonder if her first love is the right love. In the wake of a life-changing choice, Zoë must decide if she’s right to be skeptical about love, or if it’s time to change her tune…

This charming and quirky debut has it all: childhood friends, love triangles, enemies-to-lovers, and a My Big Fat Greek Wedding subplot.

Review:

Charming, comical, and delightfully uplifting!

Love Songs for Skeptics is a sweet, heartwarming tale that takes us into the life of the hardworking Zoë Frixos as she juggles her feelings for her newly returned, single best friend who she’s crushed on since she was thirteen, a cocky boy-bander with an overinflated ego, a potential interview with a famous, reclusive musician who could save her career, and a push-and-pull relationship with the arrogant, yet handsome publicist, Nick Jones.

The prose is sharp and fluid. The characters, including all the supporting characters, are multilayered, amusing and endearing. And the plot is a smart, engaging tale full of life, loss, love, tricky moments, awkward situations, quirky mishaps, delicious chemistry, romantic drama, tension, self-reflection, and a soundtrack of some of the most unforgettable, retro, love songs of all time. (Playlist can be found here:  )

Overall, Love Songs for Skeptics is a light, refreshing, entertaining debut by Pishiris that I thoroughly enjoyed and is the perfect choice for fans of contemporary romance novels that have a lot of humour, heart, and hope.

 

This book is available now. 

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

              

 

 

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with a copy in an exchange for an honest review.

 

About Christina Pishiris

Christina Pishiris was born in London to Greek Cypriot parents. She studied English at the University of Sussex and went on to become a journalist. When not writing her hobbies include compiling cheesy eighties playlists, coveting the neighbour’s cat, and writing protest letters to Guerlain after they discontinued her favourite perfume. LOVE SONGS FOR SCEPTICS is her first book.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Website.

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#BookReview A Splendid Ruin by Megan Chance @MeganSChance @LUAuthors @AmazonPub #ASplendidRuin #MeganChance #LakeUnion

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#BookReview A Splendid Ruin by Megan Chance @MeganSChance @LUAuthors @AmazonPub #ASplendidRuin #MeganChance #LakeUnion Title: A Splendid Ruin

Author: Megan Chance

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

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 348

Format: Paperback

Source: Amazon Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A spellbinding novel of dark family secrets and a young woman’s rise and revenge set against the backdrop of the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

The eve of destruction. After her mother’s death, penniless May Kimble lives a lonely life until an aunt she didn’t know existed summons her to San Francisco. There she’s welcomed into the wealthy Sullivan family and their social circle.

Initially overwhelmed by the opulence of her new life, May soon senses that dark mysteries lurk in the shadows of the Sullivan mansion. Her glamorous cousin often disappears in the night. Her aunt wanders about in a laudanum fog. And a maid keeps hinting that May is in danger. Trapped by betrayal, madness, and murder, May stands to lose everything, including her freedom, at the hands of those she trusts most.

Then, on an early April morning, San Francisco comes tumbling down. Out of the smoldering ruins, May embarks on a harrowing road to reclaim what is hers. This tragic twist of fate, along with the help of an intrepid and charismatic journalist, puts vengeance within May’s reach. But will she take it?

Review:

Moving, mysterious, and rich!

A Splendid Ruin is the enigmatic, compelling tale set during the early 1900s that takes you into the life of May Kimble, a young woman who after losing her mother travels from Brooklyn to San Francisco to live with family she never knew existed, gets consumed by a life filled with opulence and indulgence, is the victim of malicious intent, and endeavours to seek revenge while the city and its citizens struggle to survive all the destruction and fire that rages around them.

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are naive, vulnerable, and resilient. And the plot is an engaging tale of life, loss, deception, surprises, heartbreak, betrayal, danger, friendship, survival, a touch of romance, and the great San Francisco earthquake.

Overall, A Splendid Ruin is an intriguing, absorbing, beautifully written tale by Chance that immerses you in another time and place and does a wonderful job of highlighting the lengths that one will go to for perceived power, societal acceptance, retribution, and survival.

 

This novel is available now.

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

             

 

 

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

 

About Megan Chance

Megan Chance is the best-selling, critically acclaimed author of several novels. Her novel Bone River was an Amazon Book of the Month, A Drop of Ink was an Editors' Choice of the Historical Novel Society, and An Inconvenient Wife was an IndieNext pick.

In addition to her historical fiction novels, Chance is the author of the young adult Fianna Trilogy, short stories, and eight historical romance novels. Her novels have been translated into several different languages.
​
She is also a popular workshop speaker whose speaking credits include the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference, Romance Writers of America National Conference, Edmonds Write on the Sound Conference, the Seattle Assistance League, Timberland Regional Libraries, and many others.

Chance was born in Columbus, Ohio, and moved to Washington State as a girl. She graduated from Western Washington University. Megan lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Website.

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#BookReview Closely Harbored Secrets by Bree Baker @BreeBakerBooks @PPPress #CloselyHarboredSecrets #BreeBaker #inkedinpoison

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#BookReview Closely Harbored Secrets by Bree Baker @BreeBakerBooks @PPPress #CloselyHarboredSecrets #BreeBaker #inkedinpoison Title: Closely Harbored Secrets

Author: Bree Baker

Series: Seaside Café Mystery #5

Published by: Poisoned Pen Press on Dec. 29, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Source: Poisoned Pen Press

Book Rating: 8/10

Could this be the bitter end for Everly?

It’s almost Halloween, and the small island of Charm, North Carolina is decked out for the festivities. When Everly Swan agrees to close her iced tea shop early to help her aunts host their annual haunted historic walking tour, she expects some good-natured spooks. But the night turns grave when one of the ghostly actors is found dead. To complicate matters, the victim scratched Everly’s name into the ground before she died, making her a key suspect.

The murder mystery heats up when Everly’s potential boo, Detective Grady, takes the case―and he definitely doesn’t want her getting involved. Will their seaside romance be threatened by all the ghostly drama? But when a phantom sailor straight out of local legend starts leaving Everly threatening messages, she has to get involved… With a local election under way, ghosts on the loose, and a search for long-lost buried treasure, Everly can’t help but stir the pot!

The fifth book in Bree Baker’s acclaimed Seaside Café Mystery series, Closely Harbored Secrets is a frighteningly fun read!

Review:

Cosy, entertaining, and atmospheric!

Closely Harbored Secrets is a whimsical, murder mystery set in Charm, North Carolina that features Everly Swan, a tea shop owner who after stumbling upon a murder victim lying on the sand during the annual historic haunted walk joins together with the handsome, reluctant, Detective Hays to try and solve this baffling case that seems to revolve around ancient maps, old legends, and long-lost treasure.

The writing style is light and witty. The characters are unique, impulsive, and endearing. And the plot is a well-paced whodunit full of amateur sleuthing, red herrings, suspects, deduction, attraction, community, scrumptious treats, and small-town living.

Closely Harbored Secrets is the fifth book in the Seaside Café Mystery series, and if you love cosy mysteries with a touch of romance this novel won’t disappoint. It is a quirky, enjoyable, fun read that is the first novel I’ve read by Baker but undoubtedly won’t be my last.

 

This novel is available now.

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

 

       

 

 

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Bree Baker

Bree Baker is a Midwestern writer obsessed with small-town hijinks, sweet tea, and the sea. She’s been telling stories to her friends, family, and strangers for as long as she can remember, and more often than not, those stories feature a warm ocean breeze and a recipe she’s sure to ruin. Now she’s working on those fancy cooking skills and dreaming up adventures for the Seaside Café mysteries. Bree is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, and the Romance Writers of America.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Website.

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#BookReview The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict @RaincoastBooks @Sourcebooks #TheMysteryofMrsChristie #MarieBenedict

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#BookReview The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict @RaincoastBooks @Sourcebooks #TheMysteryofMrsChristie #MarieBenedict Title: The Mystery of Mrs. Christie

Author: Marie Benedict

Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark on Dec. 29, 2020

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 288

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Raincoast Books

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Marie Benedict, the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Only Woman in the Room, uncovers the untold story of Agatha Christie’s mysterious eleven day disappearance.

In December 1926, Agatha Christie goes missing. Investigators find her empty car on the edge of a deep, gloomy pond, the only clues some tire tracks nearby and a fur coat left in the car—strange for a frigid night. Her husband and daughter have no knowledge of her whereabouts, and England unleashes an unprecedented manhunt to find the up-and-coming mystery author. Eleven days later, she reappears, just as mysteriously as she disappeared, claiming amnesia and providing no explanations for her time away.

The puzzle of those missing eleven days has persisted. With her trademark exploration into the shadows of history, acclaimed author Marie Benedict brings us into the world of Agatha Christie, imagining why such a brilliant woman would find herself at the center of such a murky story.

What is real, and what is mystery? What role did her unfaithful husband play, and what was he not telling investigators?

A master storyteller whose clever mind may never be matched, Agatha Christie’s untold history offers perhaps her greatest mystery of all.

Review:

Immersive, mysterious, and intriguing!

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie is a captivating, colourful interpretation that sweeps you away to England in the early 1900s and into the life of Agatha Christie, from her courtship by Lieutenant Christie to wifehood, motherhood, authorship, and the subsequent investigation into the unaccountable eleven days in 1926 that she was missing.

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are well-drawn, complex, and authentic. And the plot, alternating between a Chrisite manuscript detailing her life and her husband’s actions and motivations following her disappearance, is an absorbing tale of life, loss, loneliness, loyalty, aspirations, heartache, retribution, and infidelity.

Overall, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie is a vivid, compelling, pensive novel by Benedict that does an exceptional job of highlighting her considerable knowledge and impressive research into this renowned literature figures life as well as a dramatic, somewhat plausible explanation for her still unexplainable disappearance all those years ago.

 

This novel is available now.

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

            

 

 

 

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

 

About Marie Benedict

Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years' experience as a litigator at two of the country's premier law firms and Fortune 500 companies. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College with a focus on history and a cum laude graduate of the Boston University School of Law. She is the author of New York Times bestseller The Only Woman in the Room, Carnegie's Maid, The Other Einstein, and Lady Clementine. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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