Format: Paperback

#BookReview The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner @NatalieMJenner @StMartinsPress #TheJaneAustenSociety

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#BookReview The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner @NatalieMJenner @StMartinsPress #TheJaneAustenSociety Title: The Jane Austen Society

Author: Natalie Jenner

Published by: St. Martin's Press on May 26, 2020

Genres: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 320

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

Just after the Second World War, in the small English village of Chawton, an unusual but like-minded group of people band together to attempt something remarkable.

One hundred and fifty years ago, Chawton was the final home of Jane Austen, one of England’s finest novelists. Now it’s home to a few distant relatives and their diminishing estate. With the last bit of Austen’s legacy threatened, a group of disparate individuals come together to preserve both Jane Austen’s home and her legacy. These people—a laborer, a young widow, the local doctor, and a movie star, among others—could not be more different and yet they are united in their love for the works and words of Austen. As each of them endures their own quiet struggle with loss and trauma, some from the recent war, others from more distant tragedies, they rally together to create the Jane Austen Society.

Review:

Charming, cosy, and quaint!

The Jane Austen Society is a delightfully nostalgic, heartwarming tale that takes us to the small village of Chawton, England post-WWII and into the lives of an unusual, eclectic group of people that includes a farmer, a doctor, a former school teacher, a young maid, a solicitor, a movie star, an antique auctioneer, and a distant relative of Austen as they join together to preserve and honour the iconic writer and the legacy she left behind.

The writing is tender and rich. The characters are multilayered, caring, and engaging. And the plot is an absorbing mix of life, loss, love, family, friendship, heartbreak, loneliness, familial expectations, second chances, and literary dabblings.

Overall, The Jane Austen Society is a sweet, touching, sentimental debut by Jenner that does a wonderful job of reminding us of all the special, remarkable characters and tales Jane Austen created and why we still enjoy and love them so much today.

 

This novel is available now.

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

            

 

 

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

 

About Natalie Jenner

Natalie Jenner was born in England and emigrated to Canada as a young child. She obtained her B.A. and her LL.B. from the University of Toronto, where she was the 1990 Gold Medalist in English Literature at St. Michael's College, and was Called to the Bar of Ontario in 1995. In addition to a brief career as a corporate lawyer, Natalie has worked as a recruiter, career coach, and consultant to leading law firms in Canada for over two decades. Most recently Natalie founded the independent bookstore Archetype Books in Oakville, Ontario, where she lives with her family and two rescue dogs. A lifelong devotee of all things Jane Austen, "The Jane Austen Society" is her first published novel.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Website.

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#BookReview Sister Margaret by Travis Myers & Natasha Myers Marsiguerra @NMarsiguerra #SisterMargaret

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#BookReview Sister Margaret by Travis Myers & Natasha Myers Marsiguerra @NMarsiguerra #SisterMargaret Title: Sister Margaret

Author: Travis Myers and Natasha Myers Marsiguerra

Series: Tommy Keane #1

Published by: Bully Press on May 28, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 214

Format: Paperback

Source: Bully Press

Book Rating: 8/10

Veteran NYPD Detective Tommy Keane has spent nineteen years chasing criminals in the Bronx – investigating unimaginable crimes and solving near-impossible cases. When a punitive measure forces Keane to transfer to the relatively quiet 21st Precinct in Manhattan, he expects his last thirteen months before retirement to be painfully easy. But as the grisly murder of a celebrated nun soon proves, even the safest neighborhoods can have their secrets, and even the most seasoned detective can be surprised by the disturbing and unspeakably cruel acts humans can commit, and endure.

Review:

Suspenseful, tense, and action-packed!

Sister Margaret is a pacey, atmospheric tale that introduces us to the NYPD Detective Tommy Keane who with retirement on the near horizon gets transferred to the quieter 2-1 Upper East Side Precinct only to have one of the most gruesome murders ever to fall into his lap.

The writing is tight and fluid. The characters are hardworking, intelligent, and tenacious. And the plot using short, intense chapters is a captivating police procedural full of red herrings, deception, abuse, secrets, violence, police politics, and murder.

Overall, Sister Margaret is a short, quick, gritty read that’s a wonderful start to this new series by the Myers siblings with its intriguing characters, nice sense of urgency, and satisfying conclusion.

 

This novel is available May 28, 2020.

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

          

 

 

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

 

About Travis Myers and Natasha Myers Marsiguerra

Travis Myers and Natasha Myers Marsiguerra are a brother and sister team who both grew up in New York City.

Travis is a retired New York City Police Detective, and Natasha works for the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) Local 234 in California.

Together they form a perfect team in that Travis, who has more stories to tell than a pub full of Irishman, suffers from dyslexia and abhors anything to do with reading and writing. Natasha, his beloved little sister, is an avid reader of absolutely anything that is put in front of her and has been blessed with the gift of gab. She can out-story just about anyone, in any room, at any given time, and she can also type 60 words per minute. More importantly, Natasha is able to understand where her older brother is coming from, and craft his stories into a readable format.

Together, they weave the Tommy Keane Detective series into well braided fictional tales that are nearly all based in actual events that they, and their friends and relatives, have lived. Travis and Natasha deliver on their promise to deliver gritty, honest stories that are rooted in the everyday lives of everyday people.

#BookReview The Girl Beneath the Sea by Andrew Mayne @AndrewMayne @AmazonPub

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#BookReview The Girl Beneath the Sea by Andrew Mayne @AndrewMayne @AmazonPub Title: The Girl Beneath the Sea

Author: Andrew Mayne

Series: Underwater Investigation Unit #1

Published by: Thomas & Mercer on May 1, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 328

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Amazon Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

For a Florida police diver, danger rises to the surface in an adventurous thriller by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Naturalist.

Coming from scandalous Florida treasure hunters and drug smugglers, Sloan McPherson is forging her own path, for herself and for her daughter, out from under her family’s shadow. An auxiliary officer for Lauderdale Shores PD, she’s the go-to diver for evidence recovery. Then Sloan finds a fresh kill floating in a canal—a woman whose murky history collides with Sloan’s. Their troubling ties are making Sloan less a potential witness than a suspect. And her colleagues aren’t the only ones following every move she makes. So is the killer.

Stalked by an assassin, pitted against a ruthless cartel searching for a lost fortune, and under watch within her ranks, Sloan has only one ally: the legendary DEA agent who put Sloan’s uncle behind bars. He knows just how deep corruption runs—and the kind of danger Sloan is in. To stay alive, Sloan must stay one step ahead of her enemies—both known and unknown—and a growing conspiracy designed to pull her under.

Review:

Action-Packed, engaging, and suspenseful!

In this first installment of the Underwater Investigation Unit series, The Girl Beneath the Sea, Mayne has written an adrenaline-pumping tale featuring the intelligent, impulsive, police diver Sloan Harper who inadvertently becomes a suspect and a target when an old childhood acquaintance winds up dead and her family’s disreputable reputation and history as treasure hunters quickly becomes both an asset and a liability.

The writing is sharp and crisp. The characters are secretive, persistent and ruthless. And the plot keeps you on the edge of your seat with its short, intense chapters that submerge you into a menacing tale full of twists, turns, deception, corruption, mayhem, danger, revelations, power, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Girl Beneath the Sea is a tortuous, intricate, pacey mystery that’s a wonderful start to this new series by Mayne with its well-drawn characterization, nice sense of urgency, and thrilling conclusion.

 

This book 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 Andrew Mayne

Andrew is the author of over a dozen novels and has been nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original (Black Fall) and the Thriller Award for Name of the Devil. His recent novel, The Naturalist is an Amazon Charts bestseller and spent six weeks at the number one spot for all books on Amazon.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

Website

#BookReview Mum & Dad by Joanna Trollope @joannatrollope @PGCBooks @panmacmillan

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#BookReview Mum & Dad by Joanna Trollope @joannatrollope @PGCBooks @panmacmillan Title: Mum & Dad

Author: Joanna Trollope

Published by: Pan Macmillan on May 1, 2020

Genres: General Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

“What a mess, she thought now . . . what a bloody, unholy mess the whole family has got itself into.”

It’s been 25 years since Gus and Monica left England to start a new life in Spain, building a vineyard and wine business from the ground up. However, when Gus suffers a stroke and their idyllic Mediterranean life is thrown into upheaval, it’s left to their three grown-up children in London to step in . . . Sebastian is busy running his company with his wife, Anna, who’s never quite seen eye-to-eye with her mother-in-law. Katie, a successful solicitor in the city, is distracted by the problems with her long-term partner, Nic, and the secretive lives of their three daughters. And Jake, ever the easy-going optimist, is determined to convince his new wife, Bella, that moving to Spain with their 18-month-old would be a good idea. As the children descend on the vineyard, it becomes clear that each has their own idea of how best to handle their mum and dad, as well as the family business. But as long-simmering resentments rise to the surface and tensions reach breaking point, can the family ties prove strong enough to keep them together?

Review:

Sophisticated, genuine, and perceptive!

In this latest novel by Trollope, Mum & Dad, she transports us to the hillsides of southern Spain and into the lives of the Beacham family who after their patriarch unexpectedly suffers a debilitating stroke must begin to confront, accept, and heal all the past grievances that seem to have been weighing them down and learn to finally lean on and move forward together as a loving, united family.

The prose is smooth and fluid. The characters are complex, overwhelmed, and authentic. And the plot is a heartfelt, compelling tale of life, love, support, communication, understanding, integrity, introspection, familial dynamics, marital strains, and mental health.

Overall, Mum & Dad is an honest, raw, domestic drama that delves into the intricate relationships and dynamics between family members, spouses, and in-laws and exposes the different psychological and emotional struggles each generation has. 

 

This novel is available now.

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

             

 

 

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

 

About Joanna Trollope

Joanna Trollope is the author of twenty highly acclaimed and bestselling novels, including City of Friends, Friday Nights, Second Honeymoon, and The Other Family. She was appointed OBE in 1996, and a trustee of the UK National Literacy Trust in 2012. She has chaired the Whitbread and Orange Awards, as well as being a judge of many other literature prizes; she has been part of two DCMS panels on public libraries and is patron of numerous charities, including Meningitis Now, and Chawton House Library. In 2014, she updated Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility as the opening novel in the Austen Project.

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#BookReview The Book of Second Chances by Katherine Slee @Katherine_Slee @HBGCanada @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #Forever20 #KatherineSlee

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#BookReview The Book of Second Chances by Katherine Slee @Katherine_Slee @HBGCanada @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #Forever20 #KatherineSlee Title: The Book of Second Chances

Author: Katherine Slee

Published by: Forever on May , 2020

Genres: Women's Fiction

Pages: 368

Format: Paperback

Source: HBG Canada, Forever

Book Rating: 8/10

A charming, uplifting novel about love, loss, and finding your way in the world, perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and The Keeper of Lost Things.

Emily can’t remember the last time she left the house. Or spoke to anyone besides her grandmother, beloved children’s author Catriona Robinson. After Catriona’s death, Emily is at a complete loss . . . until she gets an unexpected letter from the woman she loved most.

Catriona has revealed there might be one last, lost unpublished manuscript in her wildly popular book series. And she’s left a secret diary and trail of clues that only Emily can follow. From London to Paris to Verona, Emily traces her grandmother’s past, finding out more about her family — and herself — than she ever imagined possible.

Hopeful and adventurous, The Book of Second Chances celebrates books and bookstores, the power of imagination, and having the courage to shape our own destinies.

Review:

Nostalgic, optimistic, and heartwarming!

The Book of Second Chances is a sweet, uplifting tale that takes you into the life of the lonely, grief-stricken Emily as she reluctantly embarks on a journey stipulated by her late grandmother’s wishes that takes her from London to Paris to Italy where she learns of a life she never knew existed, and in turn, discovers her true self, finds contentment, and learns to take chances.

The prose is light and smooth. The characters are hesitant, wary, and vulnerable. And the plot is a touching, compelling tale about life, love, family, friendship, self-discovery, happiness, independence, confidence, birds, books, and heartbreak.

Overall, The Book of Second Chances is a lovely, absorbing, emotive read by Slee that reminds us to always surround ourselves with those we love and live every day to the fullest.

 

This book is available now.

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

            

 

 

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

 

About Katherine Slee

Katherine Slee has a Masters in Modern History from Oxford University and is a member of MENSA who left the crazy and chaotic world of investment banking to enter the crazy and chaotic world of being a stay-at-home mother to two children and wife to a workaholic husband. She grew up as a bit of a tomboy, with scars on her knees and mud in her hair, and as a result developed a taste for everything from Star Wars to whiskey, with a dash of ornithology thrown into the mix. When she’s not either reading or writing, she enjoys baking (with various degrees of success), photography and walking the dog. Her favorite place to be is on the beach in France, where the light is always surprising and the ice cream is the best she’s ever tasted.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview Hard Cash Valley by Brian Panowich @BPanowich @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #HardCashValley

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#BookReview Hard Cash Valley by Brian Panowich @BPanowich @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #HardCashValley Title: Hard Cash Valley

Author: Brian Panowich

Series: Bull Mountain #3

Published by: Minotaur Books on May 5, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 304

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 9/10

Return to McFalls County and Bull Mountain in Hard Cash Valley, where Brian Panowich weaves another masterful tale of Southern Noir.

Dane Kirby is a broken man and no stranger to tragedy. As a life-long resident and ex-arson investigator for McFalls County, Dane has lived his life in one of the most chaotic and crime-ridden regions of the south. When he gets called in to consult on a brutal murder in a Jacksonville, Florida, motel room, he and his FBI counterpart, Special Agent Roselita Velasquez, begin an investigation that leads them back to the criminal circles of his own backyard.

Arnie Blackwell’s murder in Jacksonville is only the beginning – and Dane and Roselita seem to be one step behind. For someone is hacking a bloody trail throughout the Southeast looking for Arnie’s younger brother, a boy with Asperger’s Syndrome who possesses an unusual skill with numbers that could make a lot of money and that has already gotten a lot of people killed―and has even more of the deadliest people alive willing to do anything it takes to exploit him.

As Dane joins in the hunt to find the boy, it swiftly becomes a race against the clock that has Dane entangled in a web of secrets involving everyone from the Filipino Mafia to distrusting federal agents to some of hardest southern outlaws he’s ever known.

Review:

Gritty, pacey, and suspenseful!

Hard Cash Valley is a chilling, action-packed thriller that sees GBI consultant, Dane Kirby, working with the FBI when the brutal murder of a man in Florida leads back to McFalls County where bodies begin piling up, a young boy is missing, and The Farm which recently hosted the largest illegal cockfighting match in the US seems to be at the centre of it all.

The prose is precise and crisp. The characters are relentless, callous, and impulsive. And the plot is a fast-paced, riveting tale full of twists, turns, intrigue, action, greed, power, corruption, duplicity, violence, and murder.

Overall, Hard Cash Valley is an edgy, engrossing, sinister tale that highlights just how fine the line between right and wrong truly is and reminds us that messing with the criminal underworld is never a wise decision.

This book is available now.

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

               

 

 

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

 

About Brian Panowich

Brian Panowich is an award winning author, a Georgia firefighter, and a father to four incredible children. His first novel, Bull Mountain, was a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist, ITW Thriller Award winner for Best First Novel, Southern Book Prize winner, and a finalist for both the Anthony and the Barry Awards. He lives in Georgia with his family.

Photograph by David Kernaghan.

Website

#BookReview Summer Longing by Jamie Brenner @JamieLBrenner @littlebrown @HBGCanada #SummerLonging

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#BookReview Summer Longing by Jamie Brenner @JamieLBrenner @littlebrown @HBGCanada #SummerLonging Title: Summer Longing

Author: Jamie Brenner

Published by: Little Brown and Company on May 5, 2020

Genres: General Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: HBG Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Ruth Cooperman arrives in beautiful beachside Provincetown for her retirement, renting the perfect waterfront cottage while she searches for her forever home. After years of hard work and making peace with life’s compromises, Ruth is looking forward to a carefree summer of solitude. But when she finds a baby girl abandoned on her doorstep, Ruth turns to her new neighbors for help and is drawn into the drama of the close-knit community.

The appearance of the mystery baby has an emotional ripple effect through the women in town, including Amelia Cabral, the matriarch who lost her own child decades earlier; Elise Douglas, owner of the tea shop who gave up her dream of becoming a mother; and teenage local Jaci Barros who feels trapped by her parents’ expectations. Ruth, caring for a baby for the first time in thirty years, even reaches out to her own estranged daughter, Olivia, summoning her to Provincetown in hopes of a reconciliation.

As summer unfolds and friends and family care for the infant, alliances are made, relationships are tested, and secrets are uncovered. But the unconditional love for a child in need just might bring Ruth and the women of Provincetown exactly what they have been longing for themselves.

With heartfelt storytelling, Summer Longing is Jamie Brenner’s eagerly anticipated return to Provincetown; another unforgettable tale about motherhood, friendship, and finding your way home.

Review:

Charming, engaging, and breezy!

Summer Longing is a warm, cosy tale that takes us to Provincetown, Cape Cod and into the life of Ruth Cooperman, a retired cosmetic entrepreneur whose retirement becomes a little more hectic than she expected when a newborn baby is abandoned on the doorstep of her rental house, the owners move back in to care for the mysterious bundle of joy, her estranged daughter arrives and decides to stay for an unspecified amount of time, and her ex-husband also pops in for a day or two.

The prose is light and fluid. The characters are multilayered, inclusive, quirky, and endearing. And the plot is a delightful mix of relationship dynamics, friendship, introspection, parenthood, support, forgiveness, love, drama, family, community, and new beginnings.

Overall, Summer Longing is another scintillating, satisfying, enjoyable treat by Brenner that once again highlights her innate ability to delve into all the psychological and emotional entanglements that exist between family members and friends.

 

This novel is available now.

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

            

 

 

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

 

About Jamie Brenner

Jamie Brenner was born and raised in suburban Philadelphia but has called New York City her home for the past twenty years. She graduated from George Washington University with a degree in literature and spent her career in publishing before becoming an author herself. Her books include The Gin Lovers, The Wedding Sisters. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and two daughters.

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#BookReview Stories We Never Told by Sonja Yoerg @SonjaYoerg @AmazonPub @LUAuthors #StoriesWeNeverTold

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#BookReview Stories We Never Told by Sonja Yoerg @SonjaYoerg @AmazonPub @LUAuthors #StoriesWeNeverTold Title: Stories We Never Told

Author: Sonja Yoerg

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on May 1, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 328

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Amazon Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Psychology professor Jackie Strelitz thought she was over her ex-lover and colleague, Harlan Crispin. Why should she care if Harlan springs a new “friend” on her? After all, Jackie has everything she ever wanted: a loving husband and a thriving career. Still, she can’t help but be curious about Harlan’s latest.

Nasira Amari is graceful, smart, and young. Worse, she’s the new member of Jackie’s research team. For five years, Harlan enforced rules limiting his relationship with Jackie. With Nasira he’s breaking every single one. Why her?

Fixated by the couple, Jackie’s curiosity becomes an obsession. But she soon learns that nothing is quite what it seems, and that to her surprise—and peril—she may not be the only one who can’t let go.

Review:

Multilayered, tense, and guileful!

Stories We Never Told is a meticulous, chilling, domestic thriller that takes us into the life of Jackie Strelitz, an accomplished, intelligent woman who finds her life turned upside down when her ex-lover returns from a sabbatical with a new, younger girlfriend, her husband becomes more distant and her desire for a baby appears entirely one-sided, and someone suddenly seems extremely intent and determined to undermine and interfere with her research project at work.

The prose is intricate and raw. The characters are secretive, consumed, and vulnerable. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel subtly into a compelling tale of life, loss, family, manipulation, obsession, deception, jealousy, mind games, violence, and murder.

Overall, Stories We Never Told is a clever, taut, menacing tale by Yoerg that highlights just how easily people can be psychologically and emotionally exploited, and reminds us that even those closest to us often have deep, dark secrets they choose to hide.

 

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 Sonja Yoerg

I grew up in Stowe, Vermont, the daughter of a ski instructor. In my first incarnation, I was an animal behaviorist who studied learning in blue jays, hyenas and kangaroo rats. I wrote a book about that. Now I make stuff up.

I've published four novels; the most recent is TRUE PLACES, a Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestseller. Yeah, typing that makes me smile because reaching readers is the point, right? My next novel, STORIES WE NEVER TOLD, releases May 1, 2020.

When I'm not writing or pretending to be writing, I run, garden, cook, eat, drink wine, then run some more. My husband and I live in central Virginia with a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's quiet and pretty, like Vermont.

Photo by Tamara Hattersly Photography.

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#BookReview The Hidden Beach by Karen Swan @KarenSwan1 @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #TheHiddenBeach

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#BookReview The Hidden Beach by Karen Swan @KarenSwan1 @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #TheHiddenBeach Title: The Hidden Beach

Author: Karen Swan

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Apr. 30, 2020

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 416

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

From internationally bestselling author Karen Swan comes The Hidden Beach, an addictive story of heartbreak, loyalty and hope, set in the historic city of Stockholm and along the beautiful archipelagos of the Swedish coast.

In the oldest part of Stockholm, Bell Everhurst is working as a nanny for an affluent family. Hanna and Max Von Greyerz are parents to 7-year-old Linus, and 5-year old twins Ellinor and Tilde, and Bell has been with the family for over two years.

One early Spring morning, as she’s rushing out to take the children to school, she answers the phone – and everything changes. A woman from a clinic she’s never heard of asks her to pass on the message that Hanna’s husband is awake.

Bell is confused. She clearly just saw Max walking out of the house a few minutes earlier, but the woman mentioned Hanna by name . . .

When she gets hold of her employer, the truth is revealed: Hanna’s first husband fell into a coma seven years earlier, following an accident. But now he’s awake. And life is going to change for them all.

Review:

Pensive, mysterious, and multilayered!

The Hidden Beach is a heartwarming, compelling story that sweeps you away to the idyllic archipelagos islands of Sweden and immerses you into the lives of Bell Everhurst and the Von Greyers family as their world is turned upside down when a miracle brings the past into the present and triggers a whirlwind of emotions, strains on relationships new and old, and secrets long-buried to become unearthed.

The prose is expressive and vivid. The characters are complex, confused, troubled, and intriguing. And the story is a beguiling tale of life, loss, love, familial drama, friendship, secrets, infidelity, forgiveness, heartbreak, deception, and romance.

Overall, The Hidden Beach is a thoughtful, emotive, charming tale by Swan that is absorbing, entertaining, and perfect for any sunny day.

 

This novel is available now.

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

               

 

 

 

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

 

About Karen Swan

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

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

Photograph by Alexander James

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#BookReview #Giveaway The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan @fuggirls @GrandCentralPub #TheRoyalWe #GrandCentralPub

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#BookReview #Giveaway The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan @fuggirls @GrandCentralPub #TheRoyalWe #GrandCentralPub Title: The Royal We

Author: Heather Cocks, Jessica Morgan

Series: Royal We #1

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Apr. 28, 2020

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 624

Format: Paperback

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

An American girl finds her prince in this “fun and dishy” (People) royal romance inspired by Prince William and Kate Middleton.

American Bex Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister Lacey was always the romantic, the one who daydreamed of being a princess. But it’s adventure-seeking Bex who goes to Oxford and meets dreamy Nick across the hall – and Bex who finds herself accidentally in love with the heir to the British throne.

Nick is wonderful, but he comes with unimaginable baggage: a complicated family, hysterical tabloids tracking his every move, and a public that expected its future king to marry a Brit. On the eve of the most talked-about wedding of the century, Bex looks back on how much she’s had to give up for true love… and exactly whose heart she may yet have to break.

Review:

Sweet, sassy, and amusing!

The Royal We is a delightfully juicy, sparkling rom-com that introduces us to the independent, American exchange student, Bex and the quiet, responsible, heir to the throne, Nick as they discover firsthand the power of attraction, the pressures of living and loving under constant scrutiny, and the full weight of the crown.

The prose is whimsical and witty. The characterization is spot on with a cast of characters that are quirky, gregarious, and endearing. And the plot is a charming, modern-day fairy tale complete with a handsome prince, a feisty princess, a monarchy bound by tradition, sibling rivalry, scandalous behaviour, outlandish parties, sizzling chemistry, playful banter, familial responsibility, and a dreamy, happy-ever-after ending.

Overall, The Royal We is a scintillating, funny, enjoyable treat that’s perfect for anyone who loves gossip, glamour, tabloid fodder, and all things royal. 

 

This novel is available now.

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

           

 

 

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

 

GIVEAWAY!

 

I’m giving two people a chance to win a copy of The Royal We. To enter please visit my Instagram page HERE! 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for sponsoring the giveaway! All giveaway information can be found in the Instagram Giveaway Post. Books will be mailed by the publisher to the randomly chosen winners. Good luck!

 

About Heather Cocks

Heather Cocks is a die-hard sports fan, a Leo, an ex-reporter, a Notre Dame grad, a dual citizen of the U.S. and U.K., a sandwich enthusiast, and a former producer for America's Next Top Model.

Together, Heather and Jessica Morgan skewer celebrity fashion crimes on their popular blog, Go Fug Yourself, which draws millions of monthly readers and made Entertainment Weekly's Must List. They have covered New York Fashion Week for Cosmopolitan and New York magazine, and have written two young adult novels, Spoiled and Messy. The Royal We, their debut contemporary fiction novel, comes out April 7.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

About Jessica Morgan

Jessica Morgan is the Daskalopoulos Curator of International Art at the Tate museum.