Genre: Women's Fiction

#BookReview The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand @elinhilderbrand @littlebrown @HBGCanada #TheHotelNantucket #ElinHilderbrand #HBGCanada

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#BookReview The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand @elinhilderbrand @littlebrown @HBGCanada #TheHotelNantucket #ElinHilderbrand #HBGCanada Title: The Hotel Nantucket

Author: Elin Hilderbrand

Published by: Little Brown and Company on Jun. 14, 2022

Genres: General Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 416

Format: Paperback

Source: HBG Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

After a tragic fire in 1922 that killed 19-year-old chambermaid, Grace Hadley, The Hotel Nantucket descended from a gilded age gem to a mediocre budget-friendly lodge to inevitably an abandoned eyesore — until it’s purchased and renovated top to bottom by London billionaire, Xavier Darling.  Xavier hires Nantucket sweetheart Lizbet Keaton as his general manager, and Lizbet, in turn, pulls together a charismatic, if inexperienced, staff who share the vision of turning the fate of the hotel around. They face challenges in getting along with one another (and with the guests), in overcoming the hotel’s bad reputation, and in surviving the (mostly) harmless shenanigans of Grace Hadley herself — who won’t stop haunting the hotel until her murder is acknowledged.
 
Filled with the emotional tension and multiple points of view that characterize Elin’s books (The Blue Bistro, Golden Girl) as well as an added touch of historical reality, Hotel Nantucket offers something for everyone in this summer drama for the ages. 

Review:

Heartwarming, mysterious, and addictive!

The Hotel Nantucket is a colourful, breezy tale that sweeps you away to the newly renovated Hotel Nantucket where there’s plenty of luxurious things, scrumptious treats, an eclectic staff, an abundance of scandal, a touch of romance, a variety of quirky and demanding patrons, a ghostly presence with a big heart, and a strong desire to be the first and only establishment to ever receive the coveted rating of five keys.

The writing is amusing and light. The characters are multilayered, genuine, and intriguing. And the plot is an enchanting mix of friendship, family, secrets, deduction, workplace drama, sizzling chemistry, spirited mishaps, scandalous behaviour, and of course a lot of summer vibes.

I’m not sure if it’s ever truly summer unless I have an Elin Hilderbrand book to throw in my beach bag and this twenty-eighth outing is everything I could have wanted and more. The Hotel Nantucket is an alluring, charming, irresistible tale by Hilderbrand that’s the perfect escapist read with its idyllic setting, layered characters, and blissfully entertaining storyline.

 

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 gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Elin Hilderbrand

Elin Hilderbrand is a mother of three, an avid runner, reader, and traveler, and the author of twenty-three novels. She grew up outside Philadelphia, and has lived on Nantucket for more than twenty years.

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#BookReview Single Bald Female by Laura Price @LauraPriceWrite @panmacmillan @PGCBooks #SingleBaldFemale #LauraPrice #PGCBooks

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#BookReview Single Bald Female by Laura Price @LauraPriceWrite @panmacmillan @PGCBooks #SingleBaldFemale #LauraPrice #PGCBooks Title: Single Bald Female

Author: Laura Price

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Jun. 14, 2022

Genres: Women's Fiction

Pages: 416

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

At thirty-one, Jessica Jackson has it all – the career she’s worked so hard for, the loving boyfriend and a cosy London flat they share with their cat. But a shock diagnosis turns Jess’s world upside down, and her contented life implodes with it.

As Jess juggles her career with chemo, and learns that her perfect boyfriend isn’t quite so perfect after all, her friends’ lives continue to follow the script – the ‘I said yes’ Facebook announcements, the big white weddings and the baby scans. Worrying that she’ll be left behind, she turns to online dating as she figures out what the future holds.

In the midst of it all, she meets Annabel, an enigmatic, enchanting twenty-seven-year-old, with incurable cancer. But while Annabel may be nearing the end of her life, she understands much more about living than anyone Jess has ever met. And Annabel is determined to show Jess how to make every day count . . .

Frank, funny and poignant, Single Bald Female is a completely unforgettable story of love and friendship.

Review:

Poignant, absorbing, and profoundly moving!

Single Bald Female is an exceptionally memorable novel that takes you into the life of Jessica Jackson, a young woman whose life gets turned upside down when she finally gets the promotion she’s always wanted, her boyfriend admits to having an affair, she receives the dreaded diagnosis of having breast cancer and must come to grips with all that entails, and she befriends, Annabel, a fellow cancer patient who quickly teaches her to live life to the fullest every day.

The prose is thoughtful and direct. The characters are strong, genuine, and endearing. And the plot is a compelling, touching tale of life, love, family, friendship, honesty, kindness, humour, contemplation, acceptance, introspection, grief, and loss.

Overall, Single Bald Female is a candid, powerful, beautifully written novel by Price that made me think, made me smile, made me cry, and resonated with me long after I turned the final page not only as a woman, daughter, and mother, but also the sister of breast cancer warrior.

 

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 gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Laura Price

Laura is a multilingual journalist who travels the world writing about restaurants. A proud Yorkshire lass at heart, she spent five years living and working in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Ireland, and is now settled in South London.

Laura worked for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Bloomberg News and Facebook for 15 years before becoming a freelance food, travel and lifestyle writer and consultant. Her work appears in publications including 50 Best, Condé Nast Traveller, National Geographic Traveller and Foodism. She is also project manager for 50 Next and contributing editor for 50 Best.

Laura is a confident public speaker who has presented at culinary events and women’s leadership forums from Bangkok to Bogotá, Melbourne to Milan. She is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and is a qualified translator.

Her debut novel, SINGLE BALD FEMALE, was published in 2022 by Pan Macmillan in the UK and HarperCollins in Germany. Laura is represented by literary agent Sophie Lambert at C&W. She is also a Faber Academy graduate.

Photo by Sara Beth Turner.

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#BookReview Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner @NatalieMJenner @StMartinsPress #BloomsburyGirls #NatalieJenner #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

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#BookReview Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner @NatalieMJenner @StMartinsPress #BloomsburyGirls #NatalieJenner #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: Bloomsbury Girls

Author: Natalie Jenner

Published by: St. Martin's Press on May 17, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 370

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

Bloomsbury Books is an old-fashioned new and rare book store that has persisted and resisted change for a hundred years, run by men and guided by the general manager’s unbreakable fifty-one rules. But in 1950, the world is changing, especially the world of books and publishing, and at Bloomsbury Books, the girls in the shop have plans:

Vivien Lowry: Single since her aristocratic fiance was killed in action during World War II, the brilliant and stylish Vivien has a long list of grievances – most of them well justified and the biggest of which is Alec McDonough, the Head of Fiction.

Grace Perkins: Married with two sons, she’s been working to support the family following her husband’s breakdown in the aftermath of the war. Torn between duty to her family and dreams of her own.

Evie Stone: In the first class of female students from Cambridge permitted to earn a degree, Evie was denied an academic position in favor of her less accomplished male rival. Now she’s working at Bloomsbury Books while she plans to remake her own future.

As they interact with various literary figures of the time – Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair (widow of George Orwell), Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim, and others – these three women with their complex web of relationships, goals and dreams are all working to plot out a future that is richer and more rewarding than anything society will allow.

Review:

Nostalgic, heartwarming, and tender!

Bloomsbury Girls is a sweet, sentimental tale that sweeps you away to post-WWII London and into the lives of three main characters. Evie Stone, a young Cambridge graduate who begins work in the rare books department of Bloomsbury Books after being denied a coveted research position by the old boys at the university, Vivien Lowry, a sophisticated woman who spends her days in the fiction section grieving the loss of her fiancé during the war and yearning to become a successful writer herself, and Grace Perkins, a secretary and mother of two boys who would love to escape her loveless, controlling marriage and gain a little independence of her own.

The writing is expressive and sweet. The characters are determined, independent, and progressive. And the plot is a cosy tale about life, love, loss, family, friendship, female inequality, literary greats, hopes, dreams, and new beginnings.

Overall, Bloomsbury Girls is a light, charming, engaging novel by Jenner that was a delight to read with its abundance of self-discovery, female friendships, and cameos by some of the most famous authors of all time.

 

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 gifting me 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 The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews @mkayandrews @StMartinsPress #TheHomewreckers #MaryKayAndrews #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

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#BookReview The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews @mkayandrews @StMartinsPress #TheHomewreckers #MaryKayAndrews #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: The Homewreckers

Author: Mary Kay Andrews

Published by: St. Martin's Press on May 3, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Women's Fiction

Pages: 448

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 9/10

Summer begins with Mary Kay Andrews, in this delightful summer listen about flipping houses, and finding true love.

Hattie Kavanaugh went to work helping clean up restored homes for Kavanaugh & Son Restorations at 18; married the boss’s son at 20; and was only 25 when her husband, Hank, was killed in a motorcycle accident.

Broken hearted, but determined to continue the business of their dreams, she takes the life insurance money, buys a small house in a gentrifying neighborhood, flips it, then puts the money into her next project. But that house is a disaster and a money-loser, which rocks her confidence for years to come. Then, Hattie gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: star in a beach house renovation reality show called The Homewreckers, cast against a male lead who may be a love interest, or may be the ultimate antagonist. It’s a question of who will flip, and who will flop, and will Hattie ever get her happily-ever-after.

Filled with Mary Kay Andrews’s trademark wit, warmth, junking trips, and house porn, The Homewreckers is a summer beach delight.

Review:

Comedic, mischievous, and fun!

The Homewreckers is a charming, summery read that takes you just outside of Savannah, Georgia and into the life of Hattie Kavanaugh as she meanders through all sorts of highs and lows from being a young widow, losing her savings on a house that was unfixable, a contract to become a new reality tv home improvement star, the discovery of a body that may be that of a missing school teacher from seventeen years ago, and a blossoming attraction to the show’s creator/producer, Mo Lopez.

The prose is tight and witty. The characters are endearing, quirky, and amusing. And the plot, including all the subplots, unravel and intertwine into an irresistibly heartwarming tale of life, loss, grief, heartbreak, murder, friendship, tricky mishaps, dangerous situations, drama, community, family, and love.

Overall, The Homewreckers is another refreshing, entertaining, enjoyable treat by Andrews that lived up to all my expectations and was without a doubt the perfect read to make it feel like summer.

 

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 gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Mary Kay Andrews

Mary Kay Andrews is the pen name of American writer Kathy Hogan Trocheck, based in Atlanta, who has authored a number of best-selling books under the Andrews pen name since 2002.

Trochek graduated from the University of Georgia with a journalism degree in 1976. She worked as a reporter at a number of papers, and spent 11 years as a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution before leaving to write fiction full-time in 1991. She published ten mystery novels under her own name between 1992 and 2000, and switched to the Andrews pen name in 2002 to author Savannah Blues, which marked a change in her style to more Southern-flavored themes.

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#BookReview The Last Summer by Karen Swan @KarenSwan1 @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #TheLastSummer #TheWildIsleSeries #KarenSwan #PGCBooks

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#BookReview The Last Summer by Karen Swan @KarenSwan1 @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #TheLastSummer #TheWildIsleSeries #KarenSwan #PGCBooks Title: The Last Summer

Author: Karen Swan

Series: The Wild Isle #1

Published by: Pan Macmillan on May 3, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 496

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

When the residents of St Kilda ask to be evacuated from their remote island home in the summer of 1930, it’s in search of a better life on mainland Scotland compared to the scratch existence on their mountain in the sea.

For eighteen-year-old tomboy Effie Gillies, it’s a bittersweet departure. She’s the best young climber on the island, as skilled and brave as any of the men. But it is Effie’s expansive knowledge of local bird life that leads her to take up a position as curator of Dumfries House’s ornithological collection – and back into the arms of Lord Dumfries’ son and heir, Sholto.

During her last summer on St Kilda, Effie had been Sholto’s guide, and their attraction had seemed irresistible. But, in the glamorous polite society of Ayrshire, it is clear they are worlds apart. When a body is discovered on the island, soon after the evacuation, a scandal erupts as Effie is implicated. Sholto knows she’s keeping secrets – but are they even her own?

The Last Summer is the first in an epic, sweeping historical series by Sunday Times bestseller Karen Swan, set in and around the Scottish island of St Kilda.

Review:

Enthralling, mysterious, and romantic!

The Last Summer is an absorbing tale that sweeps you away to 1930 and into the life of Effie Gillies, an eighteen-year-old girl who, along with her family and closest friends, is one of thirty-six inhabitants of the isolated St. Kilda archipelago who is content with her isolated existence, living a simple life amongst the birds and the cliffs, until things start to get a little more complicated and she falls for a man way above her station, the government decides to evacuate the island villagers to the mainland, she takes on a new job curating the ornithological collection of Lord Dumfries, the father of the man who stole her heart, and the deserted island is left with more than just empty dwellings and whispered secrets, but the body of a man who wasn’t all that kind or liked and had more than one person who wished him dead.

The writing is eloquent and vivid. The characters are hardy, resilient, and brave. And the plot is an alluring tale of life, loss, family, friendship, community, intrigue, mystery, drama, expectations, angst, social division, heartbreak, and love.

Overall, The Last Summer is a beautifully written, incredibly atmospheric, brilliant start to a new series by Swan that I absolutely devoured, highly recommend, and is hands down one of my favourite reads of the year.

This book is available now.

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

           

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me 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 The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #TheBookWomansDaughter #KimMicheleRichardson #bookmarkedbylandmark

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#BookReview The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #TheBookWomansDaughter #KimMicheleRichardson #bookmarkedbylandmark Title: The Book Woman's Daughter

Author: Kim Michele Richardson

Series: Book Woman of Troublesome Creek #2

Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark on May 3, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Landmark

Book Rating: 9/10

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek!

Bestselling historical fiction author Kim Michele Richardson is back with the perfect book club read following Honey Mary Angeline Lovett, the daughter of the beloved Troublesome book woman, who must fight for her own independence with the help of the women who guide her and the books that set her free.

In the ruggedness of the beautiful Kentucky mountains, Honey Lovett has always known that the old ways can make a hard life harder. As the daughter of the famed blue-skinned, Troublesome Creek packhorse librarian, Honey and her family have been hiding from the law all her life. But when her mother and father are imprisoned, Honey realizes she must fight to stay free, or risk being sent away for good.

Picking up her mother’s old packhorse library route, Honey begins to deliver books to the remote hollers of Appalachia. Honey is looking to prove that she doesn’t need anyone telling her how to survive. But the route can be treacherous, and some folks aren’t as keen to let a woman pave her own way.

If Honey wants to bring the freedom books provide to the families who need it most, she’s going to have to fight for her place, and along the way, learn that the extraordinary women who run the hills and hollers can make all the difference in the world.

Review:

Raw, atmospheric, and insightful!

The Book Woman’s Daughter is an incredibly descriptive, moving novel that takes us to small-town Kentucky in 1953 and into the life of sixteen-year-old Honey Lovett, a young girl stricken with methemoglobinemia who, after her parents are arrested for miscegenation, takes up her mother’s old job as Pack Horse Librarian transporting books to the houses located in the hills outside Troublesome Creek in order to keep herself safe and out of the hands of the authorities from Knott County who would like nothing better than to lock her up in the Kentucky House of Reform until she’s twenty-one.

The prose is vivid and expressive. The characters are spirited, vulnerable, independent, and driven. And the plot is a heart-tugging, compelling tale of life, love, loss, family, friendship, poverty, misogyny, prejudice, racism, community, courage, desperation, self-preservation, survival, and emancipation.

Overall, The Book Woman’s Daughter is a rich, gritty, absorbing tale by Richardson that transports you to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly into the feelings, lives, and personalities of the characters you can’t help but be enthralled and invested from start to finish.

 

This book is available now.

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

           

 

 

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

 

About Kim Michele Richardson

The NEW YORK TIMES, LOS ANGELES TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author, Kim Michele Richardson has written five works of historical fiction, and a bestselling memoir, The Unbreakable Child.
Her latest critically acclaimed novel, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek was recommended by Dolly Parton in People’s Magazine and has earned a 2020 PBS Readers Choice, 2019 LibraryReads Best Book, Indie Next, SIBA, Forbes Best Historical Novel, Book-A-Million Best Fiction, and is an Oprah's Buzziest Books pick and a Women’s National Book Association Great Group Reads selection. It was inspired by the real life, remarkable "blue people" of Kentucky, and the fierce, brave Packhorse Librarians who used the power of literacy to overcome bigotry and fear during the Great Depression. The novel is taught widely in high schools and college classrooms.
Her forthcoming fifth novel, The Book Woman’s Daughter is both a stand-alone and sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and will be published May 3, 2022. Kim Michele lives with her family in Kentucky and is the founder of Shy Rabbit.

Photo by Leigh Photography.

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#BookReview The Honeybee Emeralds by Amy Tector @amy_tector @TurnerPub #TheHoneybeeEmeralds #AmyTector

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#BookReview The Honeybee Emeralds by Amy Tector @amy_tector @TurnerPub #TheHoneybeeEmeralds #AmyTector Title: The Honeybee Emeralds

Author: Amy Tector

Published by: Turner Publishing on Mar. 29, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, Women's Fiction

Pages: 348

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Turner Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

Alice Ahmadi has never been certain of where she belongs. When she discovers a famed emerald necklace while interning at a struggling Parisian magazine, she is plunged into a glittering world of diamonds and emeralds, courtesans and spies, and the long-buried secrets surrounding the necklace and its glamorous former owners.

When Alice realizes the mysterious Honeybee Emeralds could be her chance to save the magazine, she recruits her friends Lily and Daphne to form the “Fellowship of the Necklace.” Together, they set out to uncover the romantic history of the gems. Through diaries, letters, and investigations through the winding streets and iconic historic landmarks of Paris, the trio begins to unravel more than just the secrets of the necklace’s obsolete past. Along the way, Lily and Daphne’s relationships are challenged, tempered, and changed. Lily faces her long-standing attraction to a friend, who has achieved the writing success that eluded her. Daphne confronts her failing relationship with her husband, while also facing simmering problems in her friendship with Lily. And, at last, Alice finds her place in the world—although one mystery still remains: how did the Honeybee Emeralds go from the neck of American singer Josephine Baker during the Roaring Twenties to the basement of a Parisian magazine?

Review:

Mysterious, engaging, and absorbing!

The Honeybee Emeralds is an alluring tale that sweeps you away to Paris and into the offices of the failing ex-pat magazine, Bonjour Paris, as after finding a priceless emerald necklace in the basement of the building, a varied group of employees and personalities endeavour to discover the history and provenance of this beautiful piece, that may have ties to Napoleon III and famed singer Josephine Baker, in order to return it to its true owner and potentially save their careers.

The writing is smooth and descriptive. The characters are multilayered, inquisitive, and resourceful. And the plot is a compelling tale filled with familial drama, mystique, relationship dynamics, secrets, expectations, friendship, history, self-discovery, and a little romance.

Overall, The Honeybee Emeralds is a heartwarming, intriguing, romantic tale by Tector that was a pleasure to read and ultimately left me captivated, entertained, and highly satisfied.

 

This novel is available now.

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

                

 

 

Thank you to Turner Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Amy Tector

Amy Tector has spent more than 20 years plumbing the secrets squirrelled away in archives — whether it's uncovering a whale's ear (true story) in a box of old photographs, or working in The Hague for the United Nations' International Criminal Tribunal for War Crimes in the former Yugoslavia, she has been privy to hidden records and extraordinary secrets.

She now works at Canada’s national archives, Library and Archives Canada, and is adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa and a sessional instructor at Carleton University.

Amy’s debut novel, THE HONEYBEE EMERALDS was published in spring 2022. Her second novel, THE FOULEST THINGS, is the first in a loose trilogy centered on murders and mayhem in the archives. It will be published autumn 2022.

Amy has a PhD in English literature from the Université Libre de Bruxelles and lives in Ottawa, Canada with a daughter named Violet, a husband named Andrew and a dog named Daffodil. She is an enthusiastic, but incompetent, cross-country skier.

Photo by Rémi Thériault.

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#BookReview Summer on the Island @Brenda_Novak @uplitreads @HarlequinBooks #summerontheisland #brendanovak #uplitreadscampaign

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#BookReview Summer on the Island @Brenda_Novak @uplitreads @HarlequinBooks #summerontheisland #brendanovak #uplitreadscampaign Title: Summer on the Island

Author: Brenda Novak

Published by: MIRA on Apr. 5, 2022

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Source: Uplit Reads

Book Rating: 10/10

A summer of healing, friendship, love…and a secret that could change everything.

After the death of her US senator father, Marlow Madsen travels to the small island off the coast of Florida where she spent summers growing up to help her mother settle the family estate. For Marlow, the trip is a chance to reconnect after too long apart. It’s also the perfect escape to help her feel grounded again — one she’s happy to share with friends Aida and Claire, who are hoping to hit reset on their lives, too.

A leisurely beachfront summer promises the trio of women the opportunity to take deep healing breaths and explore new paths. But when her father’s will reveals an earth-shattering secret that tarnishes his impeccable reputation and everything she thought she knew about her family, Marlow finds herself questioning her entire childhood — and aspects of her future. Fortunately, her friends, and the most unlikely love interest she could imagine, prove that happiness can be found no matter what — as long as the right people are by your side.

Review:

Heartfelt, uplifting, and undeniably romantic!

Summer on the Island is an evocative, captivating tale that immerses you into the lives of the Madsen family as they navigate the shock, heartache, sorrow, tears, regret, and shattering secrets that come to life after the sudden death of Tiller, the perfect husband, father, and senator.

The prose is smooth and polished. The characters are lonely, conflicted, and sorrowful. And the story is an exceptionally absorbing tale about life, loss, love, grief, adultery, acceptance, forgiveness, familial drama, friendship, marital discord, erratic behaviour, loneliness, communication, contentment and moving on.

Overall, Summer on the Island is a beautiful mix of heart, hope, and happiness. It’s no secret that Brenda Novak is one of my favourite authors and this novel has, without a doubt, just become one of my all-time favourites.

This novel is available now.

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

            

 

 

 

Thank you to Uplit Reads for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Brenda Novak

It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak's career as a bestselling author--she caught her day-care provider drugging her children with cough syrup to get them to sleep all day. That was when Brenda decided she needed to quit her job as a loan officer and help make a living from home.

"When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book," Brenda says. But she sold that book, and the rest is history. Her novels have made the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists and won many awards, including five Rita nominations, the Book Buyer's Best, the Book Seller's Best and the National Reader's Choice Award.

Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are proud parents of five children--three girls and two boys. When she's not spending time with her family or writing, Brenda is usually raising funds for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). So far, Brenda has raised $2.6 million. Please visit http://www.brendanovakforthecure.org to see how you can help.

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#BookReview The Wedding Veil by Kristy Woodson Harvey @kristywharvey @uplitreads #theweddingveil #kristywoodsonharvey #uplitreadscampaign

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#BookReview The Wedding Veil by Kristy Woodson Harvey @kristywharvey @uplitreads #theweddingveil #kristywoodsonharvey #uplitreadscampaign Title: The Wedding Veil

Author: Kristy Woodson Harvey

Published by: Gallery Books on Mar. 29, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 416

Format: Hardcover

Source: Uplit Reads

Book Rating: 9/10

“Four women. One family heirloom. A secret connection that will change their lives—and history as they know it. 

Present Day: Julia Baxter’s wedding veil, bequeathed to her great-grandmother by a mysterious woman on a train in the 1930s, has passed through generations of her family as a symbol of a happy marriage. But on the morning of her wedding day, something tells her that even the veil’s good luck isn’t enough to make her marriage last forever. Overwhelmed and panicked, she escapes to the Virgin Islands to clear her head. Meanwhile, her grandmother Babs is also feeling shaken. Still grieving the death of her beloved husband, she decides to move out of the house they once shared and into a retirement community. Though she hopes it’s a new beginning, she does not expect to run into an old flame, dredging up the same complicated emotions she felt a lifetime ago.

1914: Socialite Edith Vanderbilt is struggling to manage the luxurious Biltmore Estate after the untimely death of her cherished husband. With 250 rooms to oversee and an entire village dependent on her family to stay afloat, Edith is determined to uphold the Vanderbilt legacy—and prepare her free-spirited daughter Cornelia to inherit it—in spite of her family’s deteriorating financial situation. But Cornelia has dreams of her own. Asheville, North Carolina has always been her safe haven away from the prying eyes of the press, but as she explores more of the rapidly changing world around her, she’s torn between upholding tradition and pursuing the exciting future that lies beyond Biltmore’s gilded gates.

In the vein of Therese Anne Fowler’s A Well-Behaved Woman and Jennifer Robson’s The Gown, The Wedding Veil brings to vivid life a group of remarkable women forging their own paths—and explores the mystery of a national heirloom lost to time.”

Review:

Enchanting, sentimental, and heartfelt!

The Wedding Veil is a a captivating, uplifting tale that takes you on a journey to the early 1900s, as well as present-day, and into the lives of four main characters, Edith Vanderbilt, a young widow and mistress of the exquisite Biltmore Estate, Cornelia Vanderbilt, a mother of two with seemingly everything but who yearns for something more, Babs Carlisle, a grandmother extraordinaire with a lot of spunk and a heart of gold, and Julie Baxter, a soon-to-be bride with a beautiful locale, a family veil with a mysterious past and a history of its own, and a fiancé who unfortunately can’t seem to keep his hands to himself.

The prose is charged and intriguing. The characters are independent, kind, reliable, and supportive. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel effortlessly into a charming tale of drama, emotion, secrets, loss, duty, heartbreak, familial dynamics, self-reflection, passion, tradition, taking chances, moving on, and finding new love.

Overall, The Wedding Veil is an evocative, moving, nostalgic tale with compelling characters that I devoured from start to finish. As most people know, I’m a huge fan of Kristy Woodson Harvey’s writing, and now with this first exceptional endeavour into my favourite genre, historical fiction, I might have become an even bigger fan if that’s even possible.

This novel is available now.

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

            

 

 

 

Thank you to Uplit Reads for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Kristy Woodson Harvey

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

Photo by Jay Ackerman.

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#BookReview The Next Thing You Know by Jessica Strawser @jessicastrawser @StMartinsPress #TheNextThingYouKnow #JessicaStrawser #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

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#BookReview The Next Thing You Know by Jessica Strawser @jessicastrawser @StMartinsPress #TheNextThingYouKnow #JessicaStrawser #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: The Next Thing You Know

Author: Jessica Strawser

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Mar. 22, 2022

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 352

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A musician facing the untimely end of his career. An end-of-life doula with everything, and nothing, to lose. A Star Is Born meets Me Before You in this powerful novel by the author of A Million Reasons Why.

As an end-of-life doula, Nova Huston’s job—her calling, her purpose, her life—is to help terminally ill people make peace with their impending death. Unlike her business partner, who swears by her system of checklists, free-spirited Nova doesn’t shy away from difficult clients: the ones who are heartbreakingly young, or prickly, or desperate for a caregiver or companion.

When Mason Shaylor shows up at her door, Nova doesn’t recognize him as the indie-favorite singer-songwriter who recently vanished from the public eye. She knows only what he’s told her: That life as he knows it is over. His deteriorating condition makes playing his guitar physically impossible—as far as Mason is concerned, he might as well be dead already.

Except he doesn’t know how to say goodbye.

Helping him is Nova’s biggest challenge yet. She knows she should keep clients at arm’s length. But she and Mason have more in common than anyone could guess… and meeting him might turn out to be the hardest, best thing that’s ever happened to them both.

The Next Thing You Know is an emotional, resonant story about the power of human connection, love when you least expect it, hope against the odds, and what it really takes to live life with no regrets.

Review:

Poignant, hopeful, and sweet!

The Next Thing You Know is a tender, moving tale that immerses you into the life of grief-stricken, end-of-life doula Nova Huston as she navigates the shock, heartache, sorrow, guilt, regret, blame, secrets, and questions that come to life after the sudden death of musician Mason Shaylor a man who started as a client but quickly became something a lot more.

The prose is sensitive and smooth. The characters are multilayered, genuine, and conflicted. And the plot is an absorbing tale about life, loss, love, grief, family, friendship, introspection, heartbreak, romance, and the intricacies of end-of-life care.

Overall, The Next Thing You Know is an intense, compelling, touching tale by Strawser that does a lovely job of highlighting just how powerful love is and reminds us to always savour every moment because life can often change in a heartbeat.

 

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

 

About Jessica Strawser

JESSICA STRAWSER (she/her) is the author of the book club favorites Almost Missed You, Not That I Could Tell (a Book of the Month selection), Forget You Know Me, and A Million Reasons Why. She is Editor-at-Large for Writer’s Digest, and her work has appeared in The New York Times' Modern Love, Publishers Weekly, and other fine venues. She lives with her husband and two children in Cincinnati.

Photo by Corrie Schaffeld.

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