Publisher: Berkley

#BookReview A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer by Maxie Dara @PenguinRandomCA #AGrimReapersGuideToCatchingAKiller #MaxieDara #PenguinReads

#BookReview A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer by Maxie Dara @PenguinRandomCA #AGrimReapersGuideToCatchingAKiller #MaxieDara #PenguinReads Title: A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer

Author: Maxie Dara

Series: S.C.Y.T.H.E. Mystery #1

Published by: Berkley on Oct. 1, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House

Book Rating: 8/10

Sometimes it takes working with the dead to start living.

Kathy Valence is forty-two, mid-divorce, and pregnant with her ex’s baby. She’s also a modern-day grim reaper employed by S.C.Y.T.H.E. (Secure Collection, Yielding, and Transportation of Human Essences), but frankly that’s the easiest part of her life right now. Or at least it was, until her latest client’s soul goes missing.

When she finally tracks down seventeen-year-old Conner Ortiz, he angrily denies he died of natural causes, despite what his file says. He insists that someone at S.C.Y.T.H.E. murdered him, and he demands Kathy find out who and why.

Kathy has only forty-five days to figure out what happened to Conner and help him move on before the boy’s soul is doomed to roam the Earth as a ghost forever. She’s forced to rely on the help of her retired mentor, her almost ex-husband—and some sneaky moves by Conner himself. This is the wildest case of her career. . .and one wrong move could cost Kathy her job, not to mention her life.


Review:

Unique, lighthearted, and entertaining!

A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer is a well-paced, amusing murder mystery that takes you into the life of Kathy Valence, a middle-aged woman and S.C.Y.T.H.E. employee who, in the middle of a divorce and suddenly pregnant, has her day job go a little off track when a soul she is sent to retrieve goes missing, and someone at the company may have had something to do with it.

The writing is light and witty. The characters are inquisitive, impulsive, and endearing. And the plot is a well-paced, zany whodunit full of amateur sleuthing, red herrings, misdirection, mishaps, suspects, deduction, supernatural phenomena, and a touch of the unexpected..

A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer is the first book in the S.C.Y.T.H.E. Mystery series, and if you’re a fan of cosy mysteries, this novel won’t disappoint. It’s a fun, quirky, entertaining read by Dara, and I look forward to reading whatever she spooks up next.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

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

 

About Maxie Dara

Maxie Dara is a writer and actor from Ontario, Canada. She has been a freelance journalist focusing on the local arts and culture scene for more than five years, with bylines in publications such as Hamilton Magazine and Beyond James, among others. She is also a two-time award-winning playwright, taking home the Best of Fringe award at the 2017 Hamilton Fringe Festival for the musical comedy This Is Not a Musical: The Musical! and the 2020 Torpedo Prize for her play Alone Together, a pandemic drama. Maxie knew she wanted to be a writer at the age of seven, when she first fell in love with the written word. She also wanted to be a mermaid but has mostly focused on the writing side of things.

#BookReview Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit @PenguinRandomCA #SunshineAndSpice #AuroraPalit #PenguinReads

#BookReview Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit @PenguinRandomCA #SunshineAndSpice #AuroraPalit #PenguinReads Title: Sunshine and Spice

Author: Aurora Palit

Published by: Berkley on Sep. 10, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 336

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House

Book Rating: 8/10

When two complete opposites agree to fake date in order to solve their cultural dilemmas, they find the only force more powerful than an immigrant mother’s matchmaking schemes might just be true love.

Naomi Kelly will do anything to make her new brand consulting business a success. When she lands a career saving contract to rebrand the Mukherjee family’s failing local bazaar, she knows there can be no mistakes. But as the “oops” baby of a free-spirited Bengali mother, Naomi’s lack of connection to her roots represents everything Gia Mukherjee disdains.

Enter, Dev Mukherjee.

Dev knows everything his mother wants…including her wish for him to get married, like, yesterday. When Gia hires a matchmaker (without, you know, asking him), Dev vows to do whatever it takes to avoid ending up in a cold, loveless marriage. When a potential match assumes Naomi is his girlfriend, the solution to both their problems becomes clear: Naomi will pretend to date Dev in order to sabotage his mother’s matchmaking efforts in exchange for lessons in Bengali culture. Flawless plan, right?

But as Naomi and Dev bond over awful dancing at Garba, couples cooking classes, and tackling the rebrand as a team, they start to realize while their relationship may be fake, their feelings for each other are starting to become very real. As the line between reality and rumor blurs, Naomi and Dev must confront what it means to fit the mold, and decide how much they’re willing to risk for love.


Review:

Sassy, emotive, and sweetly romantic!

Sunshine and Spice is a fresh, heartwarming tale that transports you to Kelowna, British Columbia, and into the lives of Naomi Kelly, a struggling brand consultant who feels left out and disconnected from her South Asian roots, and Dev Mukherjee, a handsome accountant who takes his family obligations seriously but is entirely uninterested in any of his mother’s persistent matchmaking activities.

The writing is heartfelt and light. The characters are intelligent, stubborn, vulnerable, and endearing. And the plot is a push-pull tale full of familial responsibility, tender moments, witty banter, goals, expectations, friendship, community, culture, optimism, chemistry, traditions, and love.

Overall, Sunshine and Spice is a sexy, sweet, uplifting tale by Palit with a whole cast of characters I couldn’t help but be intrigued with, a diverse storyline that kept me engaged from start to finish, and a happy-ever-after ending that left me satisfied.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

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

 

About Aurora Palit

A first generation Bengali-Canadian, Aurora Palit grew up in rural Alberta, where she was always the only South Asian student in her class. Her love of reading began at age four but it wasn’t until high school—when she wandered into the romance section of a bookstore—that she realized happily-ever-afters are her jam. Flash forward [an undisclosed number of] years and Aurora is now writing those stories with her own unique brand of humor, perspective, and belief that people of color deserve love stories too. During her time pursuing a master's degree in English literature, Aurora was drawn to discourses on diaspora and identity, racism, and multi-generational immigrant experiences; topics she now explores in her writing. When she’s not testing her characters’ patience, Aurora is raising small humans, roasting her spouse, prowling for chocolate, and dancing for all that she’s worth. She also spends her days adulting as a communications professional for a not for profit organization.

#BookReview Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood @PenguinRandomCA @BerkleyPub #NotInLove #AliHazelwood #PenguinReads

#BookReview Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood @PenguinRandomCA @BerkleyPub #NotInLove #AliHazelwood #PenguinReads Title: Not in Love

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Published by: Berkley on Jun. 11, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 384

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House

Book Rating: 9/10

A forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science—from New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood.

Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.


Review:

Stirring, engaging, and sweetly romantic!

Not in Love is a heartwarming, amusing, enemies-to-lovers romance that transports you into the lives of Rue Siebert, an intelligent biotech engineer who is more than happy being single until one casual hookup sees her almost falling into bed with a man she could possibly see a future with but who happens to be the enemy, and Eli Kilgore, a successful businessman who has been driven his whole adult life by the thought of retribution until a no-strings affair with a woman he just met has him questioning it all.

The writing is heartfelt and light. The characters are hardworking, passionate, and loyal. And the plot is a push-pull tale full of workplace drama, tender moments, witty banter, expectations, friendship, undeniable chemistry, and love.

Overall, Not in Love is a provocative, spirited, entertaining read by Hazelwood with characters I couldn’t help but root for and a happy-ever-after ending that left me smiling, smitten, and extremely satisfied.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

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

 

About Ali Hazelwood

Ali Hazelwood is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis, as well as a writer of peer-reviewed articles about brain science, in which no one makes out and the ever after is not always happy. Originally from Italy, she lived in Germany and Japan before moving to the US to pursue a PhD in neuroscience. When Ali is not at work, she can be found running, eating cake pops, or watching sci-fi movies with her three feline overlords (and her slightly-less-feline husband).

Photo by Justin Murphy / Out of the Attic Photography.

#BookReview This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune @CarleyFortune @PenguinRandomCA #ThisSummerWillBeDifferent #CarleyFortune #PenguinReads

#BookReview This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune @CarleyFortune @PenguinRandomCA #ThisSummerWillBeDifferent #CarleyFortune #PenguinReads Title: This Summer Will Be Different

Author: Carley Fortune

Published by: Berkley on May 7, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 320

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House

Book Rating: 9/10

This summer they’ll keep their promise. This summer they won’t give into temptation. This summer will be different.

Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn’t know he’s her best friend’s younger brother. Lucy and Felix’s chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again.

It’s easier said than done.

Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI for a big breath of coastal air, fresh oysters and crisp vinho verde with her best friend, Bridget. Every visit begins with a long walk on the beach, beneath soaring red cliffs and a golden sun. And every visit, Lucy promises herself she won’t wind up in Felix’s bed. Again.

If Lucy can’t help being drawn to Felix, at least she’s always kept her heart out of it.

When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island. Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she’s never been able to. But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.


Review:

Heartwarming, addictive, and thought-provoking!

This Summer Will Be Different is an absorbing, heartfelt tale that takes you into the life of the independent, loyal Lucy as she juggles a best friend in need of help, a life she enjoys but may be missing a little something, and an ongoing attraction for the one man she’s not allowed to have but who she’s never been able to forget, Felix.

The writing is sweet and smooth. The characters are kind, caring, and endearing. And the plot is a touching tale of family, friendship, self-discovery, happiness, healing, taking chances, growth, revelations, tender moments, light drama, promises, selflessness, romance, and new beginnings.

For the past few years, Carley Fortune’s books have topped my must-read favourites list, and even though I didn’t think it was possible to love her books any more than I already did, she proved me wrong once again. This Summer Will Be Different made my heart ache and smile in just 320 pages, and not only did I absolutely adore it, but it might just be one of my all-time summer faves!

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

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

 

About Carley Fortune

CARLEY FORTUNE is the New York Times and #1 Globe and Mail bestselling au­thor of Every Summer After and Meet Me at the Lake. She’s also an award-winning Canadian journalist who has worked as an editor for Refinery29, The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, and Toronto Life. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two sons.

Photo by Jenna Marie Wakani

#BookReview Funny Story by Emily Henry @PenguinRandomCA #EmilyHenry #FunnyStory #PenguinReads

#BookReview Funny Story by Emily Henry @PenguinRandomCA #EmilyHenry #FunnyStory #PenguinReads Title: Funny Story

Author: Emily Henry

Published by: Berkley on Apr. 23, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 400

Format: Hardcover

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?


Review:

Amusing, smart, and adorably romantic!

Funny Story is an engaging, witty, roommates-to-more romance that features the quiet, wary Daphne and the outgoing, charming Miles as together they navigate their heartbreak and discover that their exes leaving them might be the best thing that ever happened to them.

The writing is sweet and crisp. The characters are quirky, charismatic, and genuine. And the plot is an irresistible blend of life, love, friendship, family, flirting, light drama, tricky situations, spirited shenanigans, awkward moments, and delectable romance.

I’ve always been a fan of Emily Henry novels, and Funny Story has just become another favourite. It’s funny, tender, deliciously swoon-worthy and without a doubt, one of the best rom-coms I’ve had the pleasure to read this year.

 

This novel is available now.

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

             

 

 

 

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

 

About Emily Henry

Emily Henry is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read. She studied creative writing at Hope College, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it.

Photo by Devyn Glista/St. Blanc Studios.

#BookReview Collide by Bal Khabra @authorbalkhabra @PenguinRandomCA #BalKhabra #Collide #OffTheIceSeries #PenguinReads

#BookReview Collide by Bal Khabra @authorbalkhabra @PenguinRandomCA #BalKhabra #Collide #OffTheIceSeries #PenguinReads Title: Collide

Author: Bal Khabra

Series: Off the Ice #1

Published by: Berkley on May 14, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 416

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

An ultimatum from her professor thrusts Summer Preston into an unexpected collision with hockey captain Aiden Crawford. She’s caught in a delicate balance between fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming a sport psychologist and veering far away from this god-awful sport.

For Aiden Crawford, being the captain of the college hockey team has its perks, except when a reckless mistake by his team threatens to jeopardize their entire season. Consequently, his coach nominates him as the subject of a research paper. It’s the last thing he wants to do, especially since the girl leading the project looks like she could wield his skates as a weapon.

Summer can’t stand his blasé approach to life, and Aiden doesn’t understand her uptight, scheduled one. They are off to a rocky start, and provoking each other is what they do best, but defeat isn’t something either of them is willing to accept.


Review:

Sporty, sexy, and satisfying!

Collide is a passionate, sweet tale featuring the intelligent, feisty Summer who is more than happy to use a hockey player as a subject for her research paper but is more than confident that she would never date one, and the responsible, hunky Aidan who will do whatever it takes to get his team to the playoffs even if it means working off their escapades by helping out a girl that drives him absolutely crazy but is infuriatingly pretty.

The writing is light and crisp. The characters are charismatic, kind, and fun-loving. And the plot is the perfect blend of drama, emotion, humour, heat, witty banter, chemistry, friendship, family, romance, and hockey.

Overall, I found Collide to be a charming, steamy, entertaining start to this new Off the Ice series by Khabra that, as a true fan of the sports romance genre, has left me excited and definitely eager for more.

 

This novel is available now.

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

             

 

 

 

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

 

About Bal Khabra

Bal Khabra is a Canadian writer and book lover. Before she decided to jump into the romance pool, she spent her time gushing about books on social media. When inspiration strikes, she is found filling her notes app with ideas for romance novels. She loves reading about love, watching movies about love, and now, writing about it herself. There really isn’t much else that gets her heart fluttering the way HEAs do. She fell in love with writing and hopes to continue living out her romance author dreams.

#BookTour #BookReview A Dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen @BerkleyPub @Austenprose #VioletTaffeta #TessaArlen #AustenprosePR

#BookTour #BookReview A Dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen @BerkleyPub @Austenprose #VioletTaffeta #TessaArlen #AustenprosePR Title: A Dress of Violet Taffeta

Author: Tessa Arlen

Published by: Berkley on July 5, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Source: Austenprose PR

Book Rating: 9/10

A sumptuous novel based on the fascinating true story of La Belle Époque icon Lucy, Lady Duff Gordon, who shattered the boundaries of fashion with her magnificently sensual and enchantingly unique designs.

Lucy Duff Gordon knows she is talented. She sees color, light, and texture in ways few people can begin to imagine. But is the male dominated world of haute couture, who would use her art for their own gain, ready for her?
 
When she is deserted by her wealthy husband, Lucy is left penniless with an aging mother and her five-year-old daughter to support. Desperate to survive, Lucy turns to her one true talent to make a living. As a little girl, the dresses she made for her dolls were the envy of her group of playmates. Now, she uses her creative designs and her remarkable eye for color to take her place in the fashion world—failure is not an option. 
 
Then, on a frigid night in 1912, Lucy’s life changes once more, when she becomes one of 706 people to survive the sinking of the Titanic. She could never have imagined the effects the disaster would have on her fashion label Lucile, her marriage to her second husband, and her legacy. But no matter what life throws at her, Lucy will live on as a trailblazing and innovative fashion icon, never letting go of what she worked so hard to earn.


Review:

Fascinating, rich, and insightful!

A Dress of Violet Taffeta is an enchanting, beautifully written interpretation that sweeps you away to England between 1893 and 1912 and into the life of Lucy Christiana Sutherland from her disastrous first marriage and subsequent divorce to James Stuart Wallace, her rise and fame as an international fashion designer, her courtship and second marriage to Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon, and her survival of one of the most famous, tragic accidents of the twentieth century, the sinking of the Titanic.

The prose is eloquent and expressive.  The characters are hardworking, innovative, and independent. And the plot is an absorbing tale of life, love, friendship, family, determination, passion, courage, survival, and the ins and outs of dressmaking in the early 1900s. 

Overall, A Dress of Violet Taffeta is a vivid, immersive, intriguing novel by Arlen that does an exceptional job of highlighting her impressive knowledge and considerable research into this renowned iconic figure whose ingenuity, life, and hard work had a tremendous impact on the world of fashion.

 

           

 

This novel is available now.

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

            

 

 

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and Austenprose PR for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Tessa Arlen

Tessa Arlen writes historical fiction when she is not toiling away in her garden. She is the author of the Edwardian mystery series: Lady Montfort and Mrs. Jackson; the Woman of World War II mystery series. Poppy Redfern. And two standalone historical novels: In Royal Service to the Queen, and A Dress of Violet Taffeta.

 

#BookReview A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones @Darynda @smpromance @StMartinsPress #SunshineVicram #smpromance

#BookReview A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones @Darynda @smpromance @StMartinsPress #SunshineVicram #smpromance Title: A Bad Day for Sunshine

Author: Darynda Jones

Series: Sunshine Vicram #1

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Apr. 7, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Romantic Suspense

Pages: 400

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 9/10

Sheriff Sunshine Vicram finds her cup o’ joe more than half full when the small village of Del Sol, New Mexico, becomes the center of national attention for a kidnapper on the loose.

Del Sol, New Mexico is known for three things: its fry-an-egg-on-the-cement summers, its strong cups of coffee—and a nationwide manhunt? Del Sol native Sunshine Vicram has returned to town as the elected sheriff–an election her adorably meddlesome parents entered her in–and she expects her biggest crime wave to involve an elderly flasher named Doug. But a teenage girl is missing, a kidnapper is on the loose, and all of it’s reminding Sunny why she left Del Sol in the first place. Add to that trouble at her daughter’s new school and a kidnapped prized rooster named Puff Daddy, and Sunshine has her hands full.

Enter sexy almost-old-flame Levi Ravinder and a hunky US Marshall, both elevens on a scale of one to blazing inferno, and the normally savvy sheriff is quickly in over her head. Now it’s up to Sunshine to juggle a few good hunky men, a not-so-nice kidnapping miscreant, and Doug the ever-pesky flasher. And they said coming home would be drama-free.


Review:

Quirky, clever, suspenseful, and outrageously funny!

A Bad Day for Sunshine is a sexy, compelling read that transports you to Del Sol, New Mexico, where strange and unusual things are known to happen, and new police chief, Sunshine Vicram, is having quite the first day with a runaway vehicle, a missing teenage girl, a lost, special needs boy, the kidnapping of a valuable rooster, as well as the unexpected presence of her unrequited love interest and the haunting memories of a past she’d like to forget.

The prose is witty and sharp. The characters are unique, multilayered, and endearing. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel quickly into a humourous, yet thrilling tale filled with family, friendship, heartbreak, secrets, jealousy, obsession, mystique, violence, spirited hijinks, hilarious mishaps, and small-town antics.

Overall, A Bad Day for Sunshine is an intricate, fresh, edgy mystery that kept me entertained and amused from the very first page. It’s the first novel I’ve read by Jones, but based on this creative, fantastic start to this new Sunshine Vicram series, I can guarantee you it won’t be my last.

This book is available now.

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

               

 

 

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

 

About Darynda Jones

NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious RITA, a Golden Heart, and a Daphne du Maurier. As a born storyteller, she grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike. She currently has two series with St. Martin's Press, the Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. Darynda lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of more than 25 years and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Website.

#BookReview You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley @OakleyColleen @BerkleyPub @PenguinRandomCA

#BookReview You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley @OakleyColleen @BerkleyPub @PenguinRandomCA Title: You Were There Too

Author: Colleen Oakley

Published by: Berkley on Jan. 7, 2020

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 320

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

Acclaimed author Colleen Oakley delivers a heart-wrenching and unforgettable love story about a woman who must choose between the man she loves and the man fate has chosen for her in a novel that reminds us that the best life is one led by the heart.

Mia Graydon’s life looks picket-fence perfect; she has the house, her loving husband, and dreams of starting a family. But she has other dreams too — unexplained, recurring ones starring the same man. Still, she doesn’t think much of them, until a relocation to small-town Pennsylvania brings her face to face with the stranger she has been dreaming about for years. And this man harbors a jaw-dropping secret of his own—he’s been dreaming of her too.

Determined to understand, Mia and this not-so-stranger search for answers. But when diving into their pasts begins to unravel her life in the present, Mia emerges with a single question—what if?


Review:

Pensive, fresh, and absolutely heart-wrenching!

You Were There Too is a moving, mysterious tale that takes us into the life of Mia Graydon, a young, married woman struggling with the recent move to a small-town, a marriage strained by multiple miscarriages and stressful careers, secrets, depression, and the sudden real-life appearance of the man of her dreams.

The prose is heartfelt and immersive. The characters are flawed, troubled, and genuine. And the multi-layered, unpredictable plot is an absorbing tale about life, loss, love, grief, friendship, relationship dynamics, forgiveness, hope, happiness, and romance all interwoven with a thread of the paranormal.

Overall, You Were There Too is a compelling, heartbreaking, thought-provoking novel that reminds us that life is complicated and messy, the choices we make often have far-reaching consequences, and sometimes, perhaps, things are truly just destined to happen.

This novel is available now.

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

            

 

 

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

 

About Colleen Oakley

Colleen Oakley’s novels BEFORE I GO and CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH have been named best books by People Magazine, Us Weekly, Library Journal, and Real Simple, and both were long-listed for the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize. Formerly the editor-in-chief of Women’s Health & Fitness and senior editor of Marie Claire, her articles and essays have been featured in The New York Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, Women’s Health, Redbook, Parade, Marie Claire and Martha Stewart Weddings. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, four kids and the world's biggest lapdog, Bailey. Her third novel YOU WERE THERE TOO will be published by Berkley/Penguin in January 2020.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

#BookReview A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh @NaliniSingh @BerkleyPub @PenguinRandomCA

#BookReview A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh @NaliniSingh @BerkleyPub @PenguinRandomCA Title: A Madness of Sunshine

Author: Nalini Singh

Published by: Berkley on Dec. 3, 2019

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh pivots in a new direction with her first mainstream thriller that will be sure to keep readers on their toes.

Anahera Rawiri left New Zealand at twenty-one, fleeing small-town poverty and the ghosts of her childhood with no plans to look back. But eight years later, she returns, seeking familiarity as respite from the shattered remains of her new life. And despite the changes brought on by a bump in tourism–the shiny new welcome sign at the town line and a decidedly less shiny new police presence–Golden Cove appears much as it ever was: a small settlement on the savage West Coast of the South Island, populated by all the remembered faces and set against a backdrop of lush greenery, jagged cliffs, and crashing waves.

Detective Will Gallagher knows all about ghosts; his own chased him out of a promising career in Christchurch, landing him as the sole cop in a quaint town where his most pressing concerns are petty theft and the occasional drunk. When Golden Cove resident Miri Hinewai goes out for a run and fails to return, Will finds himself heading up a missing person’s search that rapidly escalates into an official investigation after this case is connected with similar ones from the past. As an outsider, Will begins to rely on Anahera’s knowledge of the area and its residents to help him delve into Golden Cove’s secrets, and to determine whether it shelters something far more dangerous than just an unforgiving landscape.


Review:

Atmospheric, gritty, and suspenseful!

A Madness of Sunshine is a sharp, compelling read that transports you to Golden Cove, New Zealand, a small coastal town where the sudden disappearance of a local young woman with a bright future unearths a lot of strong emotions, tragic memories, and more long-buried secrets and skeletons than anyone could have ever imagined.

The prose is vivid and precise. The characters are tormented, mistrusting, and diligent. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel subtly into an engrossing, investigative tale filled with life, loss, family, friendship, heartbreak, manipulation, abuse, violence, murder, and a sliver of romance.

Overall, A Madness of Sunshine is an absorbing, dark, ominous tale that does an exceptional job of reminding us that evil can live easily amongst us and is often hidden behind masks of normality. It’s surprisingly the first novel I’ve read by Singh, but it certainly won’t be the last.

This book is available now.

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

                                          

 

 

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

 

About Nalini Singh

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh is passionate about writing. Though she’s traveled as far afield as the deserts of China, the Highlands of Scotland, and the frozen landscapes of Antarctica, it is the journey of the imagination that fascinates her most. She’s beyond delighted to be able to follow her dream as a writer. Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand. You can contact her directly through her website. While visiting the site, Nalini invites you to join her newsletter for up-to-date news about both the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series, as well as fun exclusive extras, including free short stories set in her worlds.

Photo by Deborah Hillman.