Publisher: St. Martin's Press

#BookReview The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston @StMartinsPress #TheHauntingOfHecateCavendish #PaulaBrackston #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

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#BookReview The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston @StMartinsPress #TheHauntingOfHecateCavendish #PaulaBrackston #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish

Author: Paula Brackston

Series: Hecate Cavendish #1

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Jul. 23, 2024

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Pages: 368

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish is book one in New York Times bestselling author Paula Brackston’s new, magic-infused series about Hecate Cavendish, an eccentric and feisty young woman who can see ghosts.

England, 1881. Hereford cathedral stands sentinel over the city, keeping its secrets, holding long forgotten souls in its stony embrace. Hecate Cavendish speeds through the cobbled streets on her bicycle, skirts hitched daringly high, heading for her new life as Assistant Librarian. But this is no ordinary collection of books. The cathedral houses an ancient chained library, wisdom guarded for centuries, mysteries and stories locked onto its worn, humble shelves. The most prized artifact, however, is the medieval world map which hangs next to Hecate’s desk.

Little does she know how much the curious people and mythical creatures depicted on it will come to mean to her. Nor does she suspect that there are lost souls waiting for her in the haunted cathedral. Some will become her dearest friends. Some will seek her help in finding peace. Others will put her in great peril, and, as she quickly learns, threaten the lives of everyone she loves.

Review:

Atmospheric, whimsical, and action-packed!

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish is a creative, thrilling novel that takes you to Victorian England and into the life of Hecate Cavendish, a young woman who, after starting her new job as a librarian assistant at the Hereford cathedral, quickly finds herself spending her days enthralled by a magical map, surrounded by supernatural creatures, investigating odd occurrences, communing with lost souls, protecting sacred texts, and trying her best to keep the dead away from the living.

The writing is rich and dark. The characters are spunky, inquisitive, and fearless. And the plot is an adventurous tale about life, loss, friendship, family, secrets, deception, action, wandering spirits, danger, and magical realism.

Overall, The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish is an imaginative, passionate, fantastical start to a new series by Brackston that is bursting with soul-searching dilemmas, a dab of romance, dangerous endeavours, and complex, endearing characters.

 

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 Paula Brackston

PAULA BRACKSTON is the New York Times bestselling author of The Witch's Daughter and The Little Shop of Found Things, among others. Paula lives with her family in the historical border city of Hereford in the beautiful Wye valley. When not at her desk in her writing room, she enjoys long walks with the dog in a sublime landscape filled with the imprints of past lives and ancient times.

Photo Credit: Skyla Holman

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#BookReview Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne @StMartinsPress #LennyMarksGetsAwayWithMurder #KerrynMayne #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

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#BookReview Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne @StMartinsPress #LennyMarksGetsAwayWithMurder #KerrynMayne #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder

Author: Kerryn Mayne

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Jul. 9, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 9/10

Lenny Marks is excellent at not having a life.

She bikes home from work at exactly 4pm each day, buys the same groceries for the same meals every week, and owns thirty-six copies of The Hobbit(currently arranged by height). The closest thing she has to a friendship is playing Scrabble against an imaginary Monica Gellar while watching Friendsreruns.

And Lenny Marks is very, very good at not remembering what happened the day her mother and stepfather disappeared when she was still a child. The day a voice in the back of her mind started whispering, You did this.

Until a letter from the parole board arrives in the mail–and when her desperate attempts to ignore it fail, Lenny starts to unravel. As long-buried memories come to the surface, Lenny’s careful routines fall apart. For the first time, she finds herself forced to connect with the community around her, and unexpected new relationships begin to bloom. Lenny Marks may finally get a life–but what if her past catches up to her first?

Equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming, Kerryn Mayne’s stunning debut is an irresistible novel about truth, secrets, vengeance, and family lost and found, with a heroine who’s simply unforgettable.

Review:

Surprising, captivating, and sweet!

Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder is a heartfelt, absorbing tale that takes you into the life of Lenny Marks, a socially awkward, Hobbit-loving teacher who, after receiving a letter from a parole board, struggles to come to grips with a past she thought she knew with the darker one that seems to be slowly seeping into her consciousness from memories she has suppressed for a very long time.

The writing is tender and light. The characters are quirky, endearing, and well-developed. And the plot is a compelling, hopeful tale of life, loss, secrets, resilience, abuse, friendship, revelations, childhood trauma, violence, self-identification, and moving on.

Overall, Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder is a twisty, charming, moving tale by Mayne that is a wonderful reminder that even after suffering the most unimaginable cruelty and tragedy, humanity still has the innate ability to hope, heal, and live healthy lives.

 

This book is available now. 

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

 

       

 

 

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

 

About Kerryn Mayne

Kerryn Mayne is an author, former wedding photographer, and current police officer. When not at work attempting to solve crime, she is writing about it or preparing an endless stream of snacks for her four children. Kerryn lives in the bayside suburbs of Melbourne with her husband, children and a highly suspect lovebird. She only owns 11 copies of The Hobbit (for now). Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder is her debut novel.

Photo Credit: Kelly Dwyer Portraiture

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#BookReview Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner @NatalieMJenner @StMartinsPress #EveryTimeWeSayGoodbye #NatalieJenner #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

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#BookReview Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner @NatalieMJenner @StMartinsPress #EveryTimeWeSayGoodbye #NatalieJenner #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: Every Time We Say Goodbye

Author: Natalie Jenner

Series: Jane Austen Society #3

Published by: St. Martin's Press on May 14, 2024

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 336

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

The bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls returns with a brilliant novel of love and art, of grief and memory, of confronting the past and facing the future.

In 1955, Vivien Lowry is facing the greatest challenge of her life. Her latest play, the only female-authored play on the London stage that season, has opened in the West End to rapturous applause from the audience. The reviewers, however, are not as impressed as the playgoers and their savage notices not only shut down the play but ruin Lowry’s last chance for a dramatic career. With her future in London not looking bright, at the suggestion of her friend, Peggy Guggenheim, Vivien takes a job in as a script doctor on a major film shooting in Rome’s Cinecitta Studios. There she finds a vibrant movie making scene filled with rising stars, acclaimed directors, and famous actors in a country that is torn between its past and its potentially bright future, between the liberation of the post-war cinema and the restrictions of the Catholic Church that permeates the very soul of Italy.

As Vivien tries to forge a new future for herself, she also must face the long-buried truth of the recent World War and the mystery of what really happened to her deceased fiancé. Every Time We Say Goodbye is a brilliant exploration of trauma and tragedy, hope and renewal, filled with dazzling characters both real and imaginary, from the incomparable author who charmed the world with her novels The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls.

Review:

Complex, compelling, and immersive!

Every Time We Say Goodbye is an alluring, atmospheric tale set in Italy, predominantly during 1955, that immerses you into the life of British screenwriter Vivien Lowery who, after having her latest London play fail miserably with reviewers, travels to Rome to start a new career using her writing talents in the film industry while also discovering the fate of her late fiancé who never made it back from the war.

The prose is seamless and expressive. The characters are compassionate, intriguing, and scarred. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel effortlessly into a vivid tale of life, loss, family, friendship, self-discovery, regret, grief, sacrifice, love, war, and the glitz and glamour of cinematic theatre in the 1950s.

Overall, Every Time We Say Goodbye is a lush, intriguing, absorbing tale by Jenner that does a lovely job of blending historical events, palpable emotion, and thought-provoking fiction.

 

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 Rom-Commers by Katherine Center @katherinecenter @StMartinsPress #TheRomCommers #KatherineCenter #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

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#BookReview The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center @katherinecenter @StMartinsPress #TheRomCommers #KatherineCenter #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: The Rom-Commers

Author: Katherine Center

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Jun. 11, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 336

Format: ARC, eBook

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 10/10

She’s rewriting his love story. But can she rewrite her own?

Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a screenwriter. She’s spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies―good ones! That win contests! But she’s also been the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care. Now, when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates―The Charlie Yates! Her personal writing god!―it’s a break too big to pass up.

Emma’s younger sister steps in for caretaking duties, and Emma moves to L.A. for six weeks for the writing gig of a lifetime. But what is it they say? Don’t meet your heroes? Charlie Yates doesn’t want to write with anyone―much less “a failed, nobody screenwriter.” Worse, the romantic comedy he’s written is so terrible it might actually bring on the apocalypse. Plus! He doesn’t even care about the script―it’s just a means to get a different one green-lit. Oh, and he thinks love is an emotional Ponzi scheme.

But Emma’s not going down without a fight. She will stand up for herself, and for rom-coms, and for love itself. She will convince him that love stories matter―even if she has to kiss him senseless to do it. But . . . what if that kiss is accidentally amazing? What if real life turns out to be so much . . . more real than fiction? What if the love story they’re writing breaks all Emma’s rules―and comes true?

Review:

Addictive, charming, and fun!

The Rom-Commers is an amusing, feel-good, enemies-to-lovers romance that takes you into the lives of both Emma Wheeler, a young aspiring screenwriter who has selflessly put her dreams on hold in order to provide round-the-clock care for her debilitated father until the opportunity of a lifetime leaves her once again contemplating more, and the broody, handsome Charlie Yates who has the career of his dreams writing action films for Hollywood until he’s required to write a dreaded rom-com and must reluctantly accept the help from a woman who may finally challenge his long-standing views on relationships and love.

The writing is light and tender. The characters are supportive, kind, and genuine. And the plot is an entertaining, alluring mix of life, love, family, friendship, guilt, grief, trauma, trust, responsibilities, happiness, self-reflection, tricky moments, undeniable attraction, and romance.

Overall, The Rom-Commers is another enchanting, optimistic, brilliant tale by Center that is the perfect blend of heart, hope, humour, and heat and is undoubtedly one of the must-read novels for summer 2024.

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 Katherine Center

Katherine Center is the author of several novels about love and family: The Bright Side of Disaster, Everyone Is Beautiful, Get Lucky, and The Lost Husband. Her books and essays have appeared in Redbook, People, USA Today, Vanity Fair, and Real Simple—as well as the anthologies Because I Love Her, CRUSH, and My Parents Were Awesome. Katherine is a graduate of Vassar College and the University of Houston's Creative Writing Program. She lives in Houston with her husband and two sweet children.

Photo by Skylar Reeves.

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#BookReview The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer @mikkibrammer @StMartinsPress #TheCollectedRegretsOfClover #MikkiBrammer #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

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#BookReview The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer @mikkibrammer @StMartinsPress #TheCollectedRegretsOfClover #MikkiBrammer #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: The Collected Regrets of Clover

Author: Mikki Brammer

Published by: St. Martin's Press on May 21, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, General Fiction

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

What’s the point of giving someone a beautiful death if you can’t give yourself a beautiful life?

From the day she watched her kindergarten teacher drop dead during a dramatic telling of Peter Rabbit, Clover Brooks has felt a stronger connection with the dying than she has with the living. After the beloved grandfather who raised her dies alone while she is traveling, Clover becomes a death doula in New York City, dedicating her life to ushering people peacefully through their end-of-life process.

Clover spends so much time with the dying that she has no life of her own, until the final wishes of a feisty old woman send Clover on a trip across the country to uncover a forgotten love story––and perhaps, her own happy ending. As she finds herself struggling to navigate the uncharted roads of romance and friendship, Clover is forced to examine what she really wants, and whether she’ll have the courage to go after it.

Probing, clever, and hopeful, The Collected Regrets of Clover is perfect for readers of The Midnight Library and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine as it turns the normally taboo subject of death into a reason to celebrate life.

Review:

Absorbing, heartfelt, and sweet!

The Collected Regrets of Clover is a heartwarming, compelling tale that takes you on a journey into the life of Clover Brooks, a death doula who after helping many people pass into the next life and compiling and reviewing a list of their regrets, finally discovers the importance of taking chances, embracing change, and finding contentment.

The prose is light and hopeful. The characters are complex, authentic, and supportive. And the plot is a delightful tale about life, loss, family, kindness, love, self-discovery, happiness, romance, grief, death, and moving on.

Overall, The Collected Regrets of Clover is a tender, uplifting, nostalgic tale by Brammer, complete with strong, endearing characters, a touching storyline, and an insightful look into remorse and the unbreakable ties that bind us to those we love.

 

This book is available in paperback now. 

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

 

       

 

 

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

 

About Mikki Brammer

Mikki Brammer is an Australian journalist based in New York City, by way of France and Spain. She writes about design, architecture and art for publications such as Architectural Digest, Dwell and ELLE Decor. The Collected Regrets of Clover is her debut novel.

Photo Credit: Mark Wickens

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#BookReview The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves @tgarvisgraves @StMartinsPress #TheTrailOfLostHearts #TraceyGarvisGraves #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

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#BookReview The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves @tgarvisgraves @StMartinsPress #TheTrailOfLostHearts #TraceyGarvisGraves #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: The Trail of Lost Hearts

Author: Tracey Garvis Graves

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Mar. 26, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 304

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

New York Times bestselling author Tracey Garvis Graves takes readers on a life affirming journey, where two lost souls find the unexpected courage to love again.

Thirty-four-year-old Wren Waters believes that if you pay attention, the universe will send you exactly what you need. But her worldview shatters when the universe delivers two life-altering blows she didn’t see coming, and all she wants to do is put the whole heartbreaking mess behind her. No one is more surprised than Wren when she discovers that geocaching―the outdoor activity of using GPS to look for hidden objects―is the only thing getting her out of bed and out of her head. She decides that a weeklong solo quest geocaching in Oregon is exactly what she needs to take back control of her life.

Enter Marshall Hendricks, a psychologist searching for distraction as he struggles with a life-altering blow of his own. Though Wren initially rebuffs Marshall’s attempt at hiker small talk, she’s beyond grateful when he rescues her from a horrifying encounter farther down the trail. In the interest of safety, Marshall suggests partnering up to look for additional caches. Wren’s no longer quite so trusting of the universe―or men in general―but her inner circle might argue that a smart, charismatic psychologist isn’t the worst thing the universe could place in her path.

What begins as a platonic road trip gradually blossoms into something deeper, and the more Wren learns about Marshall, the more she wants to know. Now all she can do is hope that the universe gets it right this time.

Review:

Heartwarming, sweet, and uplifting!

The Trail of Lost Hearts is a heartfelt, tender tale that takes you into the lives of Wren, a young woman whose life gets turned upside down when she suffers an extreme loss she never saw coming, and Marshall, a clinical psychologist who is still struggling to recover from a devastating tragedy and loss of his own.

The prose is light and hopeful. The characters are lonely, kind, and respectful. And the plot is a reflective, engaging tale about life, loss, family, friendship, relationships, attraction, grief, happiness, self-discovery, mental health, taking chances, new beginnings, and unconditional love.

Overall, The Trail of Lost Hearts is a sentimental, charming, heart-tugging tale by Graves that reminds you that life is complicated, love can be messy, and things often happen for a reason.

 

This book is available now. 

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

 

       

 

 

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

 

About Tracey Garvis Graves

Tracey Garvis Graves is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and international bestselling author of contemporary fiction. Her debut novel, On the Island, spent 9 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into thirty-five languages, and is in development with MGM and Temple Hill Productions for a feature film. She is also the author of Uncharted, Covet, Every Time I Think of You, Cherish, Heart-Shaped Hack, White-Hot Hack, The Girl He Used to Know, and Heard It in a Love Song. She is hard at work on her next book.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

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#BookReview Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth @SallyHepworth @StMartinsPress #DarlingGirlsNovel #SallyHepworth #StMarinsPress #SMPInfluencers

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#BookReview Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth @SallyHepworth @StMartinsPress #DarlingGirlsNovel #SallyHepworth #StMarinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: Darling Girls

Author: Sally Hepworth

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Apr. 23, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 368

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 9/10

SISTERS, SECRETS, LOVE, AND MURDER… Sally Hepworth’s new novel has it all.

For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance at a happy family life.

But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild and thought they were free. Even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?

A thrilling page-turner of sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder by New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth.

Review:

Ominous, gripping and intense!

Darling Girls is a well-executed, intricate thriller that takes us into the lives of foster care sisters Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, as after bones are discovered buried under the home where they were raised, struggle to come to grips with the actions, scars, treatment, repercussions, and tragedies from their childhoods.

The writing is brisk and tight. The characters are troubled, scarred, and vulnerable. And the plot, using a past/present, back-and-forth style, unfolds and unravels quickly into a compelling tale full of twists, turns, lies, secrets, manipulation, obsession, love, loyalty, jealousy, abuse, and murder.

I’ve been a huge fan of Sally Hepworth since I read The Mother’s Promise in 2017, and whether it’s one of her women’s fiction novels or edge-of-your-seat thrillers, such as this latest release, Darling Girls, I am always riveted, entertained, satisfied and highly impressed.

 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

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

 

About Sally Hepworth

Sally Hepworth has lived around the world, spending extended periods in Singapore, the United Kingdom and Canada. She is the author of The Secrets of Midwives, The Things We Keep, The Mother's Promise, The Family Next Door and The Mother-in-Law. Sally now lives in Melbourne with her husband, three children, and one adorable dog.

Photo by Mrs. Smart Photography.

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#BookReview The Guest by B. A. Paris @BAParisAuthor @StMartinsPress #TheGuestNovel #BAParis #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

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#BookReview The Guest by B. A. Paris @BAParisAuthor @StMartinsPress #TheGuestNovel #BAParis #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: The Guest

Author: B.A. Paris

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Feb. 20, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 320

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

New York Times bestselling author B. A. Paris captivated psychological thriller readers everywhere with Behind Closed Doors. Now she invites you into another home full of heart-pounding secrets, in The Guest.

Some secrets never leave.

Iris and Gabriel have just arrived home from a make-or-break holiday. But a shock awaits them. One of their closest friends, Laure, is in their house. The atmosphere quickly becomes tense as she oversteps again and sleeping in their bed, wearing Iris’ clothes, even rearranging the furniture.

Laure has walked out on her husband—and their good friend—Pierre, over his confession of an affair and a secret child. Iris and Gabriel want to be supportive of their friends, but as Laure’s mood becomes increasingly unpredictable, her presence takes its toll.

Iris and Gabriel’s only respite comes in the form of a couple new to town. But with them comes their gardener, who has a checkered past. Soon, secrets from all their pasts will unravel, some more dangerous than they could have known.

Review:

Cunning, edgy, and mysterious!

The Guest is a fast-paced, menacing thriller that takes you into the lives of Iris and Gabriel as their worlds get turned upside down when one of their best friends shows up uninvited to stay, one of their other friends seems to have disappeared without a trace, and everyone all around them seems to have deep dark secrets they’re willing to do anything to hide.

The prose is brisk and tight. The characters are multilayered, self-absorbed, and secretive. And the plot is a simmering, ominous tale full of twists, turns, deception, manipulation, friendship, family, lies, desperation, tension, unease, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Guest is another devious, intense, eerie tale by Paris that kept me guessing from the very first page and left me entertained, satisfied, and surprised.

 

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 B.A. Paris

B. A. PARIS is the internationally bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, and Bring Me Back. She grew up in England but has spent most of her adult life in France. She has worked both in finance and as a teacher and has five daughters. The Dilemma is her fourth novel.

Photograph by Philippe Matsas.

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#BookReview Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering @carolatlovering @StMartinsPress #ByeBaby #CarolaLovering #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

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#BookReview Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering @carolatlovering @StMartinsPress #ByeBaby #CarolaLovering #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: Bye, Baby

Author: Carola Lovering

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Mar. 5, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A missing baby. A fraught friendship. A secret that can never be told.

On a brisk fall night in a New York apartment, 35-year-old Billie West hears terrified screams. It’s her lifelong best friend Cassie Barnwell, one floor above, and she’s just realized her infant daughter has gone missing. Billie is shaken as she looks down into her own arms to see the baby, remembering—with a jolt of fear—that she is responsible for the kidnapping that has instantly shattered Cassie’s world.

So begins the story of Billie and Cassie’s friendship–both in recent weeks, and since they met twenty-three years ago, in their small Hudson Valley hometown the summer before seventh grade. Once fiercely bonded by their secrets, including a traumatic, unspeakable incident in high school, Cassie and Billie have drifted apart in adulthood, no longer the inseparable pair they used to be. Cassie is married to a wealthy man, has recently become a mother, and is building a following as a fashion and lifestyle influencer. She is desperate to leave her past behind–including Billie, who is single and childless, and no longer fits into her world. Hurt and rejected by Cassie’s new priorities, Billie will do anything to restore their friendship, even as she hides the truth about what really happened the night the baby was taken.

Told in alternating perspectives in Lovering’s signature suspenseful style, Bye Baby confronts the myriad ways friendships change and evolve over time, the lingering echoes of childhood trauma, and the impact of women’s choices on their lifelong relationships.

Review:

Compelling, ominous, and addictive!

Bye, Baby is a taut, intricate tale that takes you into the life of Cassie Adler, a young mother and social media influencer who seems to have the affluent life she’s always coveted, until one day her four-month-old baby girl goes missing and she feels like the only person who can help her is her childhood best friend Billie West who for the past few years she’s deliberately snubbed and left behind.

The prose is tight and edgy. The characters are secretive, consumed, and troubled. And the plot, using a past/present, back-and-forth style, builds and unravels quickly into a twisty tale full of drama, deception, lies, jealousy, obsession, manipulation, tragedy, childhood trauma, dark secrets, and the complex relationships that can exist between friends.

Overall, Bye, Baby is an engrossing, sinister, tortuous novel by Lovering that kept me riveted from the very first page and is the perfect choice for anyone who loves a menacing, highly entertaining, tension-filled read.

 

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 Carola Lovering

Carola Lovering is the author of TELL ME LIES (Atria Books) and TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE (St. Martin's Press). She attended Colorado College, and her writing has appeared in W Magazine, National Geographic, Outside, and Yoga Journal, among other publications. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and son.

Photo courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview The Women by Kristin Hannah @StMartinsPress #TheWomenNovel #KristinHannah #KristinHannahAuthor #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers

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#BookReview The Women by Kristin Hannah @StMartinsPress #TheWomenNovel #KristinHannah #KristinHannahAuthor #StMartinsPress #SMPInfluencers Title: The Women

Author: Kristin Hannah

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Feb. 6, 2024

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 480

Format: Hardcover

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 10/10

From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah’s The Women—at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over- whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.

Review:

Poignant, romantic, and incredibly absorbing!

The Women is an intriguing, heart-wrenching, memorable tale that sweeps you away to California in the mid-1960s and immerses you into the life of Frances “Frankie” McGrath, a young nurse whose heart, strength, perseverance and compassion are tested when she heads to the jungles of Vietnam to help however she can in a conflict that is littered with wounded souls, irrevocable trauma, unimaginable hostility, condemnation, rejection, and an inconceivable amount of lost lives.

The prose is rich and vivid. The characters are complex, resilient, genuine, and endearing. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel effortlessly into a captivating tale of life, loss, family, heartbreak, secrets, betrayal, friendship, determination, self-discovery, love, survival, and the harrowing effects of war.

Overall, The Women is an atmospheric, evocative, beautifully written story by Hannah that does an exceptional job of blending historical facts with fiction that’s moving, wonderfully captivating, and not often read about. It’s one of my favourite novels of 2024, and I honestly can’t recommend it enough.

This book is available now.

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Thank you to St. Martins Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Kristin Hannah

KRISTIN HANNAH is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty novels, including The Nightingale, The Great Alone, and The Four Winds. A former lawyer turned writer, she lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest.

Photo by Kevin Lynch.

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