The Bodyguard by Katherine Center @macmillanaudio @stmartinspress #5starreview #fiction #smpinfluencers

Posted on July 19, 2022 by fredreeca

Overview

Author’s note read by the author.

New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard is unabashedly romantic, laugh-out-loud funny, and the perfect summer listen.

“Great rollicking fun! Prepare to laugh and swoon and grin your pants off.”—Helen Hoang, New York Times bestselling author of The Heart Principle

She’s got his back.

Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a wine bottle opener. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But the truth is, she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka “bodyguard”), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker.

He’s got her heart.

Jack Stapleton’s a household name—captured by paparazzi on beaches the world over, famous for, among other things, rising out of the waves in all manner of clingy board shorts and glistening like a Roman deity. But a few years back, in the wake of a family tragedy, he dropped from the public eye and went off the grid.

They’ve got a secret.

When Jack’s mom gets sick, he comes home to the family’s Texas ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah—against her will and her better judgment—finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover. Even though her ex, like a jerk, says no one will believe it.

What could possibly go wrong???

Hannah hardly believes it, herself. But the more time she spends with Jack, the more real it all starts to seem. And there lies the heartbreak. Because it’s easy for Hannah to protect Jack. But protecting her own, long-neglected heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done.

More Praise for The Bodyguard:

“My perfect 10 of a book. As funny and sweet as all the very best nineties rom-coms, but with Center’s signature heart-tugging depth. I wish I could erase it from my mind just to read it again for the first time. A shot of pure joy.”—Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Book Lovers

“The Bodyguard is absolutely, unequivocally delightful!”—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Timesbestselling author of Wish You Were Here

Review

Hannah is a personal bodyguard. Her company has been hired by Jack Stapleton’s studio to protect their famous star. Jack is not happy about this at all. He is coming home to an intense situation with his family and he just doesn’t need the attention this will attract. But, there is just not much he can do about it except pretend that his bodyguard, Hannah, is his girlfriend.

I have loved Katherine Center since I read How To Walk Away So, I jumped at the chance to read this book. And, once again, this author reeled me in with her fantastic characters.

I adored Jack and Hannah. Hannah is a bit nerdy, introverted and just not into looks…but she is a bada$$. Jack is a huge movie star. So, it is so unlikely that these two will hit it off. But, in the usual romance genre way, these two do hit it off and on and off again and I loved every minute of it.

Now, this is a romance and not a genre I usually give 5 stars to. Why? you ask…no idea. But, this book had me so glued to the pages and laughing in all the right spots! I love when a book takes me away…and this one definitely did that!

Patti Murin is fabulous as the narrator! She hit all the right notes!

Need a book which will have you loving every minute of it…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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The Kingdoms of Savannah by George Dawes Green #fiction #bookreview

Posted on July 18, 2022 by fredreeca

Overview

“In his first novel in more than a decade, Edgar Award winner Green delivers a gripping and expertly researched Southern literary thriller that is anything but cozy. Green’s novels may not come around often, but when they do, they hit hard and stay with you long after the end.”
—KIRKUS, STARRED REVIEW

Savannah may appear to be “some town out of a fable,” with its vine flowers, turreted mansions, and ghost tours that romanticize the city’s history. But look deeper and you’ll uncover secrets, past and present, that tell a more sinister tale. It’s the story at the heart of George Dawes Green’s chilling new novel, The Kingdoms of Savannah.

It begins quietly on a balmy Southern night as some locals gather at Bo Peep’s, one of the town’s favorite watering holes. Within an hour, however, a man will be murdered and his companion will be “disappeared.” An unlikely detective, Morgana Musgrove, doyenne of Savannah society, is called upon to unravel the mystery of these crimes. Morgana is an imperious, demanding, and conniving woman, whose four grown children are weary of her schemes. But one by one she inveigles them into helping with her investigation, and soon the family uncovers some terrifying truths—truths that will rock Savannah’s power structure to its core.

Moving from the homeless encampments that ring the city to the stately homes of Savannah’s elite, Green’s novel brilliantly depicts the underbelly of a city with a dark history and the strangely mesmerizing dysfunction of a complex family.

Review

Morgana, an elite socialite of Savannah society, has been called upon to solve a murder and a kidnapping. She owns a failing detective agency. So, she jumps at the chance to try and salvage her business and her reputation. But, as the truth starts to unfold, the city of Savannah may be under attack and Morgana can do nothing to save its hierarchy.

I had such high hopes for this book and I realize I am in the minority with this review. The majority of the reviews are 5 stars. But, I never connected to the characters much and the story itself is a bit disjointed. But, the mystery and the intensity kept me reading. So, it could just be me!

But, I loved the setting of Savannah. It is one of my favorite places. The author did a fabulous job with the quirks and the historical lore surrounding this wonderful city.

Need a book with a fabulous setting…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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Impact by Mark Mills @dreamscapeaudio #audiobook #audiblebook #fiction #thriller #bookreview

Posted on July 17, 2022 by fredreeca

Overview

Florence Winslow wakes up in hospital to the news that she has killed a man. On the way to visit her in-laws in rural Connecticut, a car comes out of an unseen junction and ploughs into her. The driver is killed, and Florence is lucky to be alive. 

Dylan Bodine, a young detective in the Torrington PD, feels she was extremely lucky. Too lucky? Something about the accident doesn’t add up. As he and his partner, experienced Senior Detective Carrie Fuller, whose last case this is, start to dig deeper, they realize that Florence isn’t just anyone. She’s the estranged daughter-in-law of Lyndon Winslow, head of one of the wealthiest and most influential families in America. 

Why had she been invited to visit Lyndon and his children after all these years apart? Why was she taking that particular slower route to the family house? Why was the dead driver carrying no ID? When they learn that Lyndon is dying and his vast fortune is at stake, they realize that things are a lot murkier than they seem and no one is to be trusted.

Review

Florence has been in an car accident. But, the more the police learn, the more they realize this is not a normal accident. The driver of the other car had no ID. The deeper the detectives dig the more dangerous this case becomes.

This story revolves around family and money! As you can guess, Lyndon is loaded! And he controls the purse strings. So, when he changes his will, it changes all the family dynamics. And this puts Florence in the cross hairs.

This story is intense and intriguing. Nothing like someone in the family losing billions to an in law to make murder come into play. But, the question is…which family member is responsible…you will need to read this to find out.

Nan McNamara narrated this novel. She did a great job with the intensity and all the voices.

Need a good family drama…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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The Binding Room #excerpt #bookspotlight @harlequinbooks

Posted on July 16, 2022 by fredreeca

Overview

Detective Anjelica Henley confronts a series of ritualistic murders in this heart-pounding thriller about race, power and the corrupt institutions that threaten us for fans of S.A. Crosby and Tami Hoag
When Detective Anjelica Henley is called to investigate the murder of popular preacher in his own church, she discovers a second victim, tortured and tied to a bed in an upstairs room. He is alive, but barely, and his body show signs of a dark religious ritual.
With a revolving list of suspects and the media spotlight firmly on her, Henley is left with more questions than answers as she attempts to untangle both crimes. But when another body appears, the case takes on a new urgency. Unless she can apprehend the killer, the next victim may just be Henley herself.

Drawing on her experiences as a criminal attorney, Nadine Matheson’s new novel deftly explores issues of race, class and justice through an action-packed story that will hold you captive until the last terrifying page.

Author Bio:


Nadine Matheson is a criminal defense attorney and winner of the City University Crime Writing
competition. She lives in London, UK.

Social Links:
Author Website
Twitter: @NadineMatheson Facebook: @NadineMathesonWriter Instagram: @QueenNads Goodreads

Buy Links:
Bookshop.org
Harlequin Barnes & Noble Amazon Books-A-Million Powell’s

Excerpt

We all lost,” said DS Paul Stanford as he held out a Quality Street tin in front of Henley.
“What on earth are you talking about?” Henley asked as she took off her coat and flung it onto a spare desk. “Are there any toffee pennies in there?”
“You might want to keep your coat on. The heating’s on the blink again. Either that or they’ve forgotten all about us and haven’t paid the bill. There’s a hundred and forty pounds in the pot and no toffee pennies.”
“Why is there a hundred and forty quid in there?”
Stanford rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. “Remember our bet?” he said. “On him. Our illustrious fully fledged Detective Constable Ramouter.”
“What have I done?” Ramouter asked from his position in the kitchen where he’d been eyeing the bottom of a mug with disgust.
“This is ridiculous,” Henley said. Her ears picked up the whirr coming from the electric fan heaters and the ice-fueled wind whistling outside and rattling the glass.
“You lasted, Ramouter; that’s what you did,” said Stanford. “We had a bet on how long you would last in the SCU.”
“And you didn’t think that I would last six months?” asked Ramouter as he picked up another mug. “Mate, I didn’t think you would last six days. I’ll have a coffee if you’re making.”
“You shouldn’t be so mean to him,” said Henley as she took off her scarf and pushed it against the rotting frame of the window to block the icy draft that was sweeping across her desk.
“How am I being mean? I’m paying him a bloody compliment. After everything that happened, no one would have blamed him if he’d bolted for the door.”
“Well, he didn’t. He’s stuck with it. So, what are you going to do with the money?”
“I could give Ramouter the money. He could spend it on a train ticket to Bradford or something.”
“Now who’s getting soft?” Henley said. The phone on her desk started to ring.
“Or I could book a table at the curry house down the road. It will be teambuilding.”
“Or a normal Friday night out with you falling asleep in your chili chicken.”
“Rude,” Stanford replied as Henley picked up the phone and Ramouter appeared by his side with a mug of steaming coffee for him.
“Right. I see,” said Henley, reaching for the pad of blue Post-it notes on her desk and a ballpoint pen with a chewed cap. “I didn’t realize that we were still on duty. Can you send me the CAD details? No, I can’t get it myself because the system has crashed again. Thank you. Who found the body? Right.”
Henley pulled off the Post-it note and stuck it to the side of Ramouter’s mug. He peeled it off and looked at it quizzically. “Depending on traffic, we should be there in fifteen minutes.”

“You’re not going to have time to finish that,” said Henley, putting the phone down and grabbing her scarf.
“There’s a body in a church?” Ramouter said as he read the note. “Seriously?”
“That’s what it says.”
“Why are we dealing with this?”
“We’re dealing with it because the borough commander decided that the Serial Crime Unit should be helping out Homicide and Serious Crime with their caseload,” Henley replied wearily.
“Anyone would think that we were just sitting here watching Netflix all day,” Ramouter moaned. “Is it even a murder?”
“We won’t know until we get there, will we?”
“Can I say it?” asked Stanford, a grin spreading across his face.
“No, you can’t,” Henley replied. She picked up her bag and headed toward the door, with Ramouter in tow. She knew Stanford well enough to know exactly what he was going to say.
“I bet you a tenner that it was the Reverend Green with a candlestick in the library,” Stanford shouted out as Henley slammed the door shut behind her.
“I’m not telling you again. Step away from the tape.” “What’s going on?”
“If I knew I was going to spend the afternoon standing out in the freezing cold I would have stayed in bed this morning.”
“I bet that they’ve found a body or something.”
“Look, those CSI lot have turned up.”
“I only popped out for a coffee and now the old bill are saying that I can’t go back into my own office.”
“F this. I’m going home.”
“I’m telling you that they’ve found a body.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“I don’t understand these kids. Too busy stabbing each other up. No value for life.”
“You can dress it up as much as you like. It’s Deptford innit.”
The murmurings of the curious and disgruntled crowd met Henley and Ramouter as they walked toward the scene of the crime.
“This is a church?” Ramouter asked as he looked up at the cream-colored facade of the brickwork. “I was expecting something a bit more… I don’t know, church-like. Maybe a steeple. This looks like a bank.”

“It used to be a NatWest when I was seventeen. The space was once cheap to rent. Not so sure now,” Henley replied.
“I did a quick Google search—”
“Of course you did.”
“And there’s another seven churches on the Broadway.”
“I’m not surprised,” said Henley. “Betting shops, churches and chicken shops on literally every London high street.”
Henley and Ramouter held up their warrant cards to the officer behind the police tape. Henley scoped the gathering crowd. Nothing about them raised any alarms, but she knew from experience that some murderers were voyeuristic by nature.
“Look likes Dr. Choi is here,” Ramouter said, pointing out the car of Henley’s friend and the Serial Crime Unit’s favorite pathologist, parked between a police motorbike and small white transit van that had ‘Forensic Services Crime Scene Investigation’ marked in black font on the side.
Henley stopped and looked around the small car park. There were no security cameras. She felt a sense of calm as she walked closer to the crime scene. It was a welcome emotion and a respite from the anxiety that was usually coursing through her veins, which she could keep at bay if she bothered to take her prescription to the chemist. She spotted the police officer that she was looking for leaning against the side of a police car, flipping through the pages of his notebook with a pen in his mouth.
“PC Tanaka? DI Henley from the SCU.”
PC Tanaka looked up and then stood to attention a little bit too quickly as Henley walked toward him.
“Ma’am,” said PC Tanaka.
“This is my colleague, DC Ramouter.”
“Shit,” said PC Tanaka when he dropped his notebook. “Sorry.” He brushed off slush from the cover. “It’s bloody freezing.”
“You were first on scene?” Henley asked.
Tanaka nodded. Henley could tell that he wanted to get it right. Giving a senior officer information about a murder scene was a lot different to dealing with burglaries, domestics and breaking up a fight between a couple of crackheads at the bottom of the high street.
“We, that’s the sarge, Sergeant Rivers, and I were driving back to the station. We’re based around the corner at Deptford station. We had just finished our shifts and was coming back from the McDonald’s up the road…”
PC Tanaka paused and took a breath.
Henley felt sorry for him as nerves or possibly shock overtook him. She saw a look of sympathy on Ramouter’s face as they both waited for PC Tanaka to continue.

“Sorry, guv, I mean ma’am,” said PC Tanaka straightening himself again and lowering the volume on his crackling police radio. “As I said, we were heading back to the station and one of the guys who works in the design agency practically threw himself onto the bonnet of the car. He was screaming about a body. We found the cleaner in hysterics in the staffroom of the agency. She refused to leave and take us to the church. I left her with the sarge and I went into the church and yeah, I won’t forget what I saw.”
Excerpted from The Binding Room by Nadine Matheson. Copyright © 2022 by Nadine Matheson. Published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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A Boundless Place by Pamela Stockwell @suzyapbooktours #fiction #bookreview

Posted on July 15, 2022 by fredreeca

About The Book:

Twenty-four-year-old Violet wants one thing: to hide from life after her husband’s death left her reeling. But life has other ideas. Well, life and a certain seven-year-old neighbor.

Violet moves to Magnolia Avenue, a forgotten street in a forgotten neighborhood filled with forgotten mobile homes. It looks like the perfect place to retreat and lick her wounds. But it’s not long before her young neighbor, Arabella, enlists her in the rescue of the cantankerous old woman next door who has fallen ill. But if Violet thinks this is a one-off event, she’s wrong. Next thing she knows, she is entangled in the lives of several neighbors from grumpy Mr. Pritchard to the handsome GI across the street. Set against the backdrop of the 1969 moon landing when astronauts broke the boundaries of Earth, A Boundless Place shows what happens when people are able to break through their own boundaries and reach out to others.

Review

Violet is trying to escape her past. She has moved to a neighborhood which she hopes is going to be quiet and she can just avoid everyone and move on with her life. But, Magnolia Street turns out to be full of friends that just might help her heal!

I loved every single character in this book, especially Mr. Pritchard and Mrs. McCabe. These two ornery old folks kept me in stitches. I love how Mrs. McCabe manipulates everyone to get her way. And Mr. Pritchard is an old softy with a gruff exterior.

This is a story about kindness and healing. All these wonderful neighbors on this great street come together to make a unique family. Add in the time period 1969 and the moon landing and you have a dang good story!

Need a kind read with fabulous characters…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the author for a honest review.

About the Author

Pamela Stockwell was born in Texas and raised in South Carolina. In between, she lived in the Philippines and, along with her big sister, became fluent in Tagalog name-calling. She abandoned her foreign language studies at age five, but went on to earn a BA in journalism from the University of South Carolina. She lives with her husband and three children on a small farm in New Jersey. She is a member of the Princeton Writing Group and Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Her first novel, A Boundless Place, won the 2020 LBW Page 100 Writing Competition, and her poetry has appeared in Sparked Literary Magazine and Hope: An Anthology of Hopeful Stories and Poetry by TL;DR Press. www.pamelastockwell.com

Social Media:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/pamelastockwellauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StockwellInk

Twitter: @PamelaStockwell

Book Blurbs: 

“A heartwarming, delightful debut. You can’t help loving Pamela Stockwell’s grumpy, quirky characters, and you’ll wish you were their neighbor on Magnolia Avenue too.”

-Linda Rosen, author of Sisters of the Vine

“Stockwell’s writing is heartfelt and touching . . . The characters will stay with me for a long time.” -Virginia McCullough, author of Island Healing

“Especially in these challenging times, it is nice to finish a book that leaves you, as this one does, feeling hopeful about people and that reminds you of what it’s like when we hold each other up.” -Mark Brzostowski, Princeton Writers Group

“Pamela’s style of writing is wonderfully descriptive, and the characters that she develops win over your heart. The seamless weaving of the characters and the events throughout the story tell a wonderful story of how neighbors with seemingly little things in common eventually become friends. This is a story that will enchant you and stay with you for quite some time.”-Wanda España, Publishing Professional

“A great feel-good story of love and friendships that form between quirky, damaged, yet lovable characters that I thoroughly enjoy spending time with. Stockwell’s poetic voice transported me to the Carolinas with such ease. I laughed and cried with Violet, Arabella, Nick, and all as they stayed with me long after I have kept the book down.”

-Priya Gill, Author

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Death By Beach Read by Eva Gates @dreamscapeaudio #review #audiobook #audiblebook #fiction

Posted on July 14, 2022 by fredreeca

Overview

It’s spring in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Lucy and Connor have moved into their new home, at last, a historic cottage on the Nags Head Beach. Lucy is now happily immersed in her work at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, planning her wedding, and decorating the house. But then a dead body disrupts their peaceful new abode.

The first night Lucy’s alone in the house, with the company of Charles, the library cat, she hears sounds. While investigating, they see footsteps in the dust of the unfinished living room, and the door leading outside is open. Lucy’s reminded that the house is said to be haunted: forty years ago, the teenage daughter of the owners fled in the night, and never again stepped foot inside her family home.

The sounds have an all-too-human origin. One evening, Lucy and Connor find the dead body of a man in their kitchen. They soon realize he has a long-time connection to their house. Lucy’s forced to find out what happened all those years ago and why it’s threatening her happiness today.

Meanwhile, the Classic Novel Reading Club is reading The House of the Seven Gables by Nathanial Hawthorne, a book about another old house full of secrets. Can Lucy find parallels to her own situation in Hawthorne’s fiction before the killer strikes again?

Review

Connor and Lucy have just moved into their new home. It’s an old house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. And this house comes with a past. But, when the past meets the present, no one is safe!

This is not my usual genre. I am not much for cozy mysteries. But, I fell in love with the cover and the title!

The story is a sweet tale with a cute cat and a wonderful library…in a lighthouse…I mean…what’s not to love about that! Add in the house which was used by rum runners during the prohibition and you have a very enjoyable read.

Now, the characters are a bit simple. And I did not really picture Lucy and her fiancé, Connor, together. I did not feel too much chemistry between them. But, the setting is what really sold this book for me, Nags Head and the Outer Banks! Perfect! Also, the ghostly tale which is connected to the house definitely keeps the story moving!

I have not read the other books in this series and I did not feel lost at all. I may have to go back and pick up some of these cozy mysteries!

The narrator, Elise Arsenault, did a really good job! I will be looking out for her!

Need a quick, enjoyable story…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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The It Girl by Ruth Ware #suspense #thriller #bookreview @gallerybooks

Posted on July 13, 2022 by fredreeca

Overview

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the “claustrophobic spine-tingler” (People) One by One returns with an unputdownable mystery following a woman on the search for answers a decade after her friend’s murder.

April Clarke-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford.

Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends—Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily—during their first term. By the end of the year, April was dead.

Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide…including a murder.

“The Agatha Christie of our generation” (David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author) proves once again that she is “as ingenious and indefatigable as the Queen of Crime” (The Washington Post) with this propulsive murder mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Review

April’s murderer has passed away in jail. This starts a whole new frenzy about her murder. But, when a journalist blindsides Hannah at work and informs her of some new evidence, Hannah immediately begins to question everything she knew about that horrible night and everything she knew about April.

I will always read this author. I love the chase in her books…The who done it! She is a master of manipulation of the reader. I swear! I changed my mind 5 times. But, I do find her books a bit on the wordy side. She could cut a good bit out of all her books and I would be happy!

Now, that I got that out of the way…Hannah is a character I just loved! I found her warm and cautious at first. Then, when questions started to arise about the murder of April, I discovered she had intelligence and courage to possibly correct an egregious wrong.

I also enjoyed the format of this book. The chapters were labeled Before and After. Before was when April was alive and they were all in college. The After chapters are what all of them are experiencing in present time, after April’s murder. This really helped to understand some of the thought processes and why it all happened.

This is definitely a story I will not soon forget!

Need a good whodunit! THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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The Wrong Kind of Woman by Sarah McCraw Crow #fiction #bookreview @harlequinbooks @suzyapbooktours

Posted on July 12, 2022 by fredreeca

About The Book:

A powerful exploration of what a woman can be when what she should be is no longer an option

In late 1970, Oliver Desmarais drops dead in his front yard while hanging Christmas lights. In the year that follows, his widow, Virginia, struggles to find her place on the campus of Clarendon College, the elite men’s college where Oliver was a professor. While Virginia had always shared her husband’s prejudices against the four outspoken, never-married women on the faculty—dubbed The Gang of Four by their male counterparts—she now finds herself depending on them, even joining their work to bring the women’s movement to Clarendon.

Meanwhile, Virginia’s thirteen-year-old daughter, Rebecca, is adrift in a world without her dad and hates the woman her mother is becoming. And junior Sam Waxman, reeling from the death of his favorite professor, falls in love with a magnetic activist bent on effecting change by any means necessary.

Soon, reports of violent protests across the country reach this sleepy New England town, stirring tensions between the fraternal establishment of Clarendon and those calling for change. As authorities attempt to tamp down “radical elements,” Virginia must decide whether she’s willing to put herself and her family at risk for a cause that had never felt like her own.

Told through alternating perspectives, The Wrong Kind of Woman is an engrossing story of grief and renewal, of shedding old identities and finding new ways to belong, beautifully woven against the backdrop of the rapid changes of the early Seventies.

Review

Oliver, is a father, husband and professor. When he drops dead while hanging Christmas lights. It sends his wife and his family into complete disarray.

Virginia and Rebecca struggle with life after Oliver’s death. Rebecca falls in with the “radicals” and Virginia finds friends she forgot she had.

Now, this story did slow down a bit in the middle. But I loved the characters and the time period. This is a tale about growth, renewal and overcoming the obstacles which life throws at you. I enjoyed the strength of Virginia and the sassiness of Rebecca. Rebecca did turn a bit mean to her mom. Just made the story more realistic!

Need a book with a strong woman character…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the author for a honest review.

About The Author:

When it comes to fiction writing (and reading), Sarah is obsessed with women’s lives and the drama of family life. She also loves the Seventies. She’s a graduate of Dartmouth College, Stanford University, and Vermont College of Fine Arts, and she’s the mom of three young-adult kids. Sarah lives, writes, and gardens on an old farm in New Hampshire. The Wrong Kind of Woman is her first novel. https://sarahmccrawcrow.com

Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahmccrawcrow/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahmccrawcrow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahmcrow

Book Blurbs: 

“In her entrancing debut, McCraw Crow traces the impact of second-wave feminism and the antiwar movement in the early 1970s on a New Hampshire college campus. . . . The choice to present the characters’ desperate actions in shades of gray makes for engrossing reading.” —Publishers Weekly

“Readers will soar through the smoothly written prose and empathize with the strong characters. Suggest to those who loved Jennifer Weiner’s Mrs.Everything.” —Booklist

“A strong, strident message delivered in a valentine of a book that is easy to read and enjoy, but with enough gentle grit and determination to keep you thinking about Virginia and the Gang of Four long after the last page is read.” —BookReporter

“The Wrong Kind of Woman explores the sublimation of self within a marriage, sexism in the workplace and the pros and cons of activism versus revolution. These are heady topics, but this slow burn of a novel proves a perfect place to give them serious thought.” —BookPage

Beautifully written… Timely and pressing… McCraw Crow deftly navigates the campus and national politics of the ’70s. —Amy Meyerson, bestselling author of The Imperfects

“How could I not devour a book set in my favorite era? About family, marriage, love and grief and a country in the turbulent flux of change, The Wrong Kind of Woman limns the lives of a stunned widow, her daughter and a student as they all struggle to come to terms with death—and life—against the backdrop of the Vietnam war, Kent State, the drug culture, and the first heady rise of the women’s movement. Absolutely fabulous.” —Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Cruel Beautiful World

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Edge of Summer by Viola Shipman @harlequinbooks @viola-shipman #fiction #bookreview #5stars

Posted on July 11, 2022 by fredreeca

Overview

The Edge of Summer

Author: Viola Shipman 

ISBN: 978-1525811425

Paperback Original 

Publication Date: July 12, 2022

Publisher: Graydon House

Overview

Bestselling author Viola Shipman delights with this captivating summertime escape set along the sparkling shores of Lake Michigan, where a woman searches for clues to her secretive mother’s past
Devastated by the sudden death of her mother—a quiet, loving and intensely private Southern seamstress called Miss Mabel, who overflowed with pearls of Ozarks wisdom but never spoke of her own family—Sutton Douglas makes the impulsive decision to pack up and head north to the Michigan resort town where she believes she’ll find answers to the lifelong questions she’s had about not only her mother’s past but also her own place in the world.
Recalling Miss Mabel’s sewing notions that were her childhood toys, Sutton buys a collection of buttons at an estate sale from Bonnie Lyons, the imposing matriarch of the lakeside community. Propelled by a handful of trinkets left behind by her mother and glimpses into the history of the magical lakeshore town, Sutton becomes tantalized by the possibility that Bonnie is the grandmother she never knew. But is she? As Sutton cautiously befriends Bonnie and is taken

into her confidence, she begins to uncover the secrets about her family that Miss Mabel so carefully hid, and about the role that Sutton herself unwittingly played in it all.

Review

When Sutton’s mother passes away from Covid, it sends her into a tail spin and she is lost. She loses her job because of the Covid shut down so she decides to find out her mysterious family history. She heads off to the shores of Lake Michigan is search of elusive buttons and long held secrets.

Sutton is a character in which my heart went out to on more than one occasion. But, she is tough. I love how she reinvents herself and her career. She has grown up poor in the Ozarks but she becomes a owner of her own brand called Sutton’s Buttons in Chicago. However, she has always known there is something her mother is not telling her. So, she takes advantage of her job loss to investigate her mothers past.

I have been a fan of Viola Shipman since I read my first book. And this book is so dang good! Now, I was a bit hesitant at the first. There is a lot of buttons and sewing going on but it all comes together. Nothing like family secrets to keep the story moving. The emotional tension which builds throughout this story is definitely intense and will keep your emotions all over the place!

Need a fabulous summer read…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

About the Author

VIOLA SHIPMAN is the pen name for internationally bestselling author Wade Rouse. Wade is the author of fourteen books, which have been translated into 21 languages and sold over a million copies around the world. Wade chose his grandmother’s name, Viola Shipman as a pen name to honor the woman whose heirlooms and family stories inspire his fiction. The last Viola Shipman novel, The Secret of Snow (October 2021), was named a Best Book of Fall by Country Living Magazine and a Best Holiday Book by Good Housekeeping. 

Wade hosts the popular Facebook Live literary happy hour, “Wine & Words with Wade,” every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. EST on the Viola Shipman author page where he talks writing, inspiration and welcomes bestselling authors and publishing insiders.

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Social Links:

Author Website 

Twitter: @Viola_Shipman

Facebook: Author Viola Shipman

Instagram: @Viola_Shipman

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Wild at Heart by Stacy Gold #fiction #bookreview @authorstacygold

Posted on July 10, 2022 by fredreeca

Overview

They each hit the trail solo in search of themselves…

Overworked entrepreneur Jules Martinez is sick and tired of men leaving her for their exes. Determined to wipe the giant, scarlet Rfor rebound off her forehead, she kicks off a yearlong vow of celibacy with five, blissful weeks backpacking her favorite trails through Washington State. Solo.

Out-of-work financial analyst Evan Davenport hasn’t been happy since camping in Scouts as a kid—before his wealthy parents and now ex-fiancé made all his major life decisions. Hoping to find joy and purpose, he buys all the latest ultralight backpacking gear, flies to Washington, and sets off alone on a weeklong speed hike through the wilderness.

Mother Nature has other plans, though, and keeps shoving Evan and Jules in each other’s paths. Usually naked. When sparks fly, can they find what they’re looking for in life together instead of apart?

Review

Jules has hit the hiking trail. She is tired of everything and every one! So, she hits the Washington state trails. Did I mention, she has sworn off men! Enter Evan, an out of work analyst. He is on a speed hike! But when he runs into Jules, on more than one occasion, he realizes Mother Nature has other ideas.

Evan and Jules compliment each other so well! Evan is a bit of a mess. Totally unprepared for a hike. But, Jules is there…due to her great distress, to help him out. I mean, she can’t let him freeze to death! These two have great chemistry and wonderful quips back and forth!

I love the setting of a wilderness hike. I don’t know why…but these books are a big draw for me. I think it is the solitude a hiker’s experiences. I would love to do that…and then again…NOPE! Not adventurous enough. Stacy Gold did a fabulous job with all the equipment, or lack there of, needed for this hike. And the elements, can’t trust Mother Nature!

Need and adorable, fun, quick romance…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the author for a honest review.

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