Freedom Lessons by Eileen Harrison Sanchez #suzyapbooktours #audiblebook #audiobook #bookreview #5starread

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Reecaspieces

Chosen as a 2020 Pulpwood Queens Book Club pick

2019 Best Book Awards Finalist in Fiction (Multicultural)

Book Release Date: November 12, 2019

About The Book:

Told alternately, by Colleen, an idealistic young white teacher; Frank, a black high school football player; and Evelyn, an experienced black teacher, Freedom Lessons is the story of how the lives of these three very different people intersect in a rural Louisiana town in 1969.

Colleen enters into the culture of the rural Louisiana town with little knowledge of the customs and practices. She is compelled to take sides after the school is integrated—an overnight event for which the town’s residents are unprepared, and which leads to confusion and anxiety in the community—and her values are tested as she seeks to understand her black colleagues, particularly Evelyn. Why doesn’t she want to integrate the public schools? Frank, meanwhile, is determined to protect his mother and siblings after his father’s suspicious death—which means keeping a secret from everyone around him.

Based on the author’s experience teaching in Louisiana in the late sixties, this heartfelt, unflinching novel about the unexpected effects of school integration during that time takes on the issues our nation currently faces regarding race, unity, and identity.

Review

Colleen is a white teacher which has moved into Louisiana. She is teaching at the “black” school. Colleen has a room full of good students but not a lot of good supplies or equipment. But, she learns how to make things work. However, one day everything changes. The school board is closing her school as of today. Everyone is being incorporated into the “white”school. This changes the lives of so many children. And their safety is no longer guaranteed.

Growing up in the Deep South, I can see all of this happening. So much of this was very ingrained into the culture. This book nailed so many things and brought to the forefront exactly what transpired and the wrongness of the situation. I felt so upset for the children. The unfairness tore me up!

It’s amazing how life has changed…and how it has stayed the same. The people who went before us really made their mark. This book highlights the horror some of the children and the teachers were put through for “so called” equality! I highly recommend this read just so people do not forget…it was not easy! And it is still a struggle every day!

Need a dang good read…this is it! Grab your copy today!

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

Purchase Here

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Amazon

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About The Author:

Eileen Harrison Sanchez is now retired after a forty-year career in education. She started as a teacher and ended as a district administrator. She has been writing part time for seven years with a writers group in Summit, NJ (www.writerscircleworkshops.com). Eileen is a member of the Historical Writers of America, Historical Novel Society, Philadelphia Stories Writers Community, Goodreads American Historical Novels Group, and several online writers groups on LinkedIn and Facebook. A reader, a writer, and a perennial—a person with a no-age mindset—she considers family and friends to be the most important parts of her life, followed by traveling and bird watching from her gazebo. Learn more at www.eileensanchez.com

Social Media:

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

Instagram: https://instagram.com/eileensanchezwriter

Twitter: @EileenHSanchez

Book Blurbs: 

When ‘all deliberate speed’ becomes ‘all of a sudden,’ not much changes. An intermittently potent illustration of the formidable obstacles to equality that remained―and persist―post-Brown v. Board of Education.”―Kirkus Reviews

“This powerful tale offers a beacon of hope that individuals can inspire change.”―Library Journal

“ . . . a deftly crafted novel that, although a work of fiction, is based on the author Eileen Sanchez’ personal experience teaching in Louisiana in the late sixties. Freedom Lessons is heartfelt, unflinching novel, and inherently riveting novel about the unexpected effects of school integration during that time takes on the issues our nation continues to face regarding race, unity, and identity.”―Midwest Book Review

“Freedom Lessons is a captivating and well-written story. Reading this book has changed me personally and professionally. The Deep South no doubt plays its role―the further you read in the story, the more hot and humid it starts to feel around you. Eileen succeeds where historians and academics like myself fail―recounting major societal events through the inescapable and complex humanity of her characters. A distinguished educator herself, Eileen fully delivers on the challenge of framing what teaching and learning was during this era, and Freedom Lessons forces us to ask the question of what it should be now.”―Michael R. Hicks, Ed.D., Assistant Professor of Education, Centenary College of Louisiana

”Inspired by the author’s real-life experiences, Freedom Lessons is a candid and nuanced novel about a young Northern woman who spends a year teaching in the 1960s Jim Crow South. In the process, she learns more about herself and her country than she ever expected. Freedom Lessons is illuminating and gripping, and a worthy addition to the literature of the civil rights era.”―Amy Hill Hearth, New York Times and Washington Post best-selling author and recipient of two American Library Association Notable Book citations

”In her riveting novel, Eileen Sanchez makes us feel the pain of a Louisiana community as deeply rooted prejudice undercuts school integration. Through her three characters―a white teacher from out of state, a hometown teacher scarred by personal slights, and a high school senior denied a football career when his team is relegated to second string―we experience their heartfelt frustrations while wishing history had treated them more kindly. Sanchez’s fiction gives us a glimpse into the truth of a highly flawed time and place, and the corrosive nature of prejudice that unfortunately persists today.”―Michelle Cameron, author of The Fruit of Her Hands and Beyond the Ghetto Gates

”Told in alternating viewpoints, this impressive novel reaches back in time to the early days of school integration, and to a place in America where resistance to integration was substantial.”―Historical Novel Society

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The Hawthorne School by Sylvie Perry @dreamscapeaudio #audiobook #audiblebook #review

Posted on November 26, 2021 by Reecaspieces

Overview

Claudia Morgan is overwhelmed. She’s a single parent trying the best that she can, but her four-year-old son, Henry, is a handful – for her and for his preschool. When Claudia hears about a school with an atypical teaching style near her Chicagoland home, she has to visit. 

The Hawthorne School is beautiful and has everything she dreams of for Henry: time to play outside, music, and art. The head of the school, Zelma, will even let Claudia volunteer to cover the cost of tuition. The school is good for Henry: His behavioral problems disappear, and he comes home subdued instead of rageful. But there’s something a bit off about the school, its cold halls, and its enigmatic headmistress. 

When Henry brings home stories of ceremonies in the woods and odd rules, Claudia’s instincts tell her that something isn’t quite right, and she begins to realize she’s caught in a web of manipulations and power. 

This exploration of what a mother will do for her child is guided by the author’s work with narcissistic manipulation and addictive power dynamics in her role as a psychotherapist.

Review

Claudia is a single parent with a child that is extremely “high strung”. She is constantly being called into the office of his school because of his behavior. She is at her wits end. But, when her friend suggests the Hawthorne School, she hopes she has found a solution.

The Hawthorne School has some unique techniques. Within the first couple of days, Claudia sees a new Henry. But, as time goes on, Claudia realizes there is more going on here than just a better behaved child.

Now…I hate to say this…and I did finish this book…but, I just didn’t like it. I don’t know if it is because it is a tad bit far fetched or if it just didn’t appeal to me. I also think Claudia is a bit gullible and that just didn’t sit well with me. I usually like “cult like” books. But, this one fell short

The narrator, Nan McNamara did a super job. Some narrators get on my nerves with the children’s voices. Nan did an excellent job with Henry.

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

Purchase Here

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Amazon

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Nanny Dearest by Flora Collins – Book Spotlight, Excerpt @harlequinbooks #bookspotlight #excerpt

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Reecaspieces

Nanny Dearest : A Novel
Flora Collins
On Sale Date: November 30, 2021 9780778311614
Trade Paperback
$16.99 USD
336 pages


ABOUT THE BOOK:


Compulsively readable domestic suspense, perfect for fans of THE TURN OF THE KEY and THE PERFECT NANNY, about a woman who takes comfort in reconnecting with her childhood nanny after her father’s death, until she starts to uncover dark secrets the nanny has been holding for twenty years.
Set in New York city and upstate New York, NANNY DEAREST is the story of twenty-five year-old Sue Keller, a young woman reeling from the recent death of her father, a particularly painful loss given that Sue’s mother died of cancer when she was only three. At just this moment of vulnerability comes Anneliese Whitaker, Sue’s former nanny from her childhood days in upstate New York.
Sue, craving connection and mothering, is only too eager to welcome Annie back into her life; but as they become inseparable once again, Sue begins to uncover the truth about Annie’s unsettling time in the Keller house all those years ago, particularly the manner of her departure – or dismissal. At the same time, she begins to grow increasingly alarmed for the safety of the two new charges currently in Annie’s care.
Told in alternating points of views, switching between Annie in the mid-90s and Sue in the present day, this is a taut novel of suspense with a shocking ending.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Flora Collins was born and raised in New York City and has never left, except for a four-year stint at Vassar College. When she’s not writing, she can be found watching reality shows that were canceled after one season or attempting to eat soft-serve ice cream in bed (sometimes simultaneously). Nanny Dearest is her first novel, and draws upon personal experiences from her own family history.

Purchase Here

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/nanny-dearest/9780778311614 

IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780778311614 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nanny-dearest-flora-collins/1138522927 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nanny-Dearest-Novel-Flora-Collins/dp/0778311619

Books a Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9780778311614?AID=10747236&PID=7310909&cjevent=3aaff079426711ec81b7ebac0a82b839

SOCIAL LINKS:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/flococo16?lang=en

Instagram: @floracollins_author

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/56472992-nanny-dearest

Excerpt

“I WOULD RECOGNIZE THOSE bangs anywhere,” she says, clutching her large faux-leather bag, pink nails pinching the synthetic hide. I can see the laugh lines beneath her glasses’ rims. I swallow, my tongue darting between my back molars, bracing myself. 

“They stuck, I guess.” I laugh lightly, a meek trickle that escapes from my lips before I can stop it. She smiles again, this time with teeth, and I see how her front two overlap, barely discernible. But she’s standing so close that it’s hard not to notice.

“You live around here now?” She stopped me in front of a church and behind us the congregation trickles out, chatting among themselves. A child wails for lunch. The sun beats down hard and yellow, speckling the sidewalk. I raise my hand like a visor, even though I feel the weight of my oversized sunglasses, heavy on the bridge of my nose.

“Yep. Moved down to Alphabet City after college,” I answer. She nods, pushing a wisp of red hair behind her ear. 

She is letting the sun in, the pupils of her green eyes shrinking with the effort.

“You don’t remember me, do you?” It’s a statement, not a question, one that she says confidently, as if it’s a sign of character that she is easily forgettable, that fading into my brain’s recesses is some kind of compliment.

The church group disperses and I step away to let a family by.

“I’m sorry. I don’t.” And then, even though she is secure in her stance, amused perhaps by my social transgression, I fumble for some excuse. “Forgive me. I-I’m not good with faces.”

She laughs, then—a long, exhilarating sound, like a wind chime. “I don’t blame you. I think you were about three feet tall the last time you saw me.” She reaches out a hand, dainty and freckled. “I’m Anneliese. Anneliese Whittaker. I was your nanny.” Her hand remains in the air for a moment, outstretched, like the bare limb of a winter tree, before I take it.

“Sue. Sue Keller.” But of course she knows who I am. She says she was my nanny.

“I used to babysit you when you lived upstate.” I flinch, unintentionally. She knew my mother. “How’s your dad? He always wanted to move back up there later in life.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, savoring the tenderized spot there, made bloody by my anxious jaw. “He passed last year. Car accident.”

Anneliese puts a hand to her mouth, her eyes widening behind the glasses. “Oh honey, I’m so sorry. You must miss him a lot, don’t you? He was your whole world back when I knew you.”

I offer her a smile. “Yes, well, aren’t most little girls that way with their fathers?”

The child is still screaming for lunch. His mother is speaking to another woman, the three of them the only people left in front of the church.

“Yes, well, I guess that’s true. You and your dad had a special bond, though.” She gazes at me then, her face full of compassion, those green eyes penetrative.

And we’re silent, for a beat too long. So I find myself shuffling, moving around her. “I actually have to meet a friend.” I check my wrist though I’m not wearing a watch. “But it was funny running into you.” I give her what I hope is an apologetic smile, backing away from her, toward the curb.

She stops me, one of those tiny hands on my wrist, almost tugging at my sleeve like a child. “Wait. I’d love to see you again.” She digs around in her purse. I catch sight of a book, earbuds, some capped pens, a grimy-looking ChapStick. She takes out a receipt, uncaps a pen, and leans the paper against the church’s stone masonry, scrawling her number. The figures are dainty, like her hands.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting. Tell your friend a crazy lady stopped and demanded you spend time with her.” She laughs again, that wind chime chortle, and I pocket the receipt.

“Nice to see you again!” I call, making the traffic light just in time. When I cross the street and turn, she’s gone, consumed by the hordes, no sign of that red hair glinting in the sunlight.

“And you stopped? I would’ve kept on walking. No time for nutso people like that,” Beth says through the phone as I pace my studio, absentmindedly throwing trash away, smoothing out the creases in my bedspread, my phone nestled between my shoulder and ear. I set it down and put her on speaker. I have the urge, suddenly, to rearrange the furniture in this miniscule apartment. To move the bed to the other side of the room, away from the window, from the noise of the street.

“She knew my name, Beth. She called out ‘Sue.’ I wasn’t going to ignore that.” Outside, a siren wails and I pull down the shade.

“That’s why you always wear headphones. So you have an excuse not to deal with those kinds of people.” Beth smacks her gum, the noise ricocheting through the tinny speaker.

“So you really don’t remember if I had a nanny called Anneliese?” I crumple up the wax paper from my bagel, letting it drift to the floor. The old family photo albums from that period are in storage, buried deep inside the disorganized cardboard boxes I hired movers to collect when I cleaned out Dad’s apartment.

“Dude, we met when we were five. I don’t think I knew my own mom’s name back then. I certainly wouldn’t remember who your babysitter was.” I close my eyes and massage my temples, my usual insomnia-inflicted headache edging toward a dull throb. I don’t remember a long-term nanny. I never had any babysitters growing up, just my dad.

I hear Beth say something to her girlfriend, a bark, and I walk away from the phone for a minute with a twinge of annoyance that she’s not giving me her undivided attention.

I think of Anneliese’s face, those teeth, the green eyes. The hair. And.

And.

I am running in a field with her, in the yard behind the house upstate. The garden is giant. Huge sunflowers, hedges high enough to block the sun. Beneath me, the grass is lush, dewy, tickling my bare feet. And the sky is white, hot and blazing. And she is behind me, shrieking, her freckled arm outstretched, a paintbrush in her hand tinged blue.

And I feel its slick bristles on my back and I fall, stumble. But I am laughing. And she is, too, her orange hair like a halo, eclipsing the sun.

I open my eyes.

“Anyway, I’m having some people over next weekend. I know you hate parties these days but you’re so cooped up all the time in that apartment. I swear it’ll be fun…” Beth squawks on, her voice shrill through the speaker.

“I remember her.”

Beth pauses mid-ramble. “What?”

“I remember her. Anneliese. The woman who stopped me today. She’s not nuts. I remember her.”

There’s a heavy silence on the other end. “Are you sure? You just said you didn’t.” Beth’s voice has lowered an octave, as if she’s whispering. Which I know is for my benefit, so her girlfriend won’t hear.

I tighten my hand into a fist. “I’m serious. She was my nanny. We used to play this game with paint.”

Beth sighs. “Still weird to me. You’re not thinking about calling her or anything like that, right?” But I’m already reaching into the garbage bag I use as a hamper, sifting through it for the sweats I wore earlier today. I take out the receipt, smoothing it out against my knee. It’s for shampoo, coconut Herbal Essences, and I can smell it on her, as if it’s 1996 and I am on the floor of my blue-carpeted bedroom and she is swinging her princess hair to and fro as we play Candy Land, the smell even more enticing than how I imagined Queen Frostine’s scent.

Tears prick my eyelids.

“I want to see her.” It comes out sounding infantile, testy even. And I hear Beth breathing, willing herself not to lash out.

“Okay. Okay, Suzy. Just meet in public and bring some pepper spray. Remember, she stopped you in the street. She really could be anyone, even if she did babysit you a thousand years ago.” I hear her put another piece of gum in her mouth, the wrapper like static.

“I know. She’s just a nice middle-aged woman. And maybe she has some cool things to say about my parents.” I know that will get Beth off my back. Any mention of my parents gets anyone off my back.

I hear her breath as she blows a bubble, the snap of the gum sticking to her lip. “I’m just trying to be a good friend. Don’t fault me for it.” Her voice has lowered again. “I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: you’ve been spending way too much time alone. It’s not like you and I can tell it’s getting to you. It would get to me.” But my finger is already hovering over the End Call button, eager to get Beth off the line.

“I appreciate it. But for real, now I have work to do. I’ll text you.” She spends one more minute reminding me to come to her party next weekend and I promise I will, even though we both know I won’t, and I hang up first, still fingering that crumpled receipt, studying the perfectly shaped eights in the handwritten phone number, each the same height, the same size.

Outside, a dog barks. And I bark back, loud and sharp, laughing at myself, my apartment easing into darkness as the sun sets.

Excerpted from Nanny Dearest by Flora Collins, Copyright © 2021 by Flora Collins. Published by MIRA Books.

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The Christmas Wedding by Susan Mallery @harlequinbooks @susanmallery #bookreview #christmasromance #fiction

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Reecaspieces

Overview


The last thing Reggie Sommerville wants is to come back home for Christmas. It’s only been a year and a half since her boyfriend, Jake, proposed and then broke up with her, all in one weekend, and the prospect of facing the entire town is humiliating. But when her parents reveal that they’re renewing their vows in the lavish wedding they always wanted and her mother asks her to be a bridesmaid, Reggie knows she can’t say no. No matter how much she wants to. She expected the town would be gossiping about her relationship with Jake, but she never expected to run into Toby, her first love that broke her heart all those years ago, living in town and raising his son. She always thought things between them were long over…but this Christmas is full of surprises.

Dena Sommerville has only ever wanted one thing: to have a child. But motherhood has been alluding her because she never met the right man…until she took the bull by the horns and decided to have a baby as a single mom. She knew it would be difficult and the morning sickness alone is knocking her down for the count, but she’s determined to do this on her own. So when a handsome musician checks into the inn where she works, Dena is surprised when a friendship develops. He has his own issues to work through—that much is clear. But she can’t deny there’s something between them
This Christmas, guilted into being bridesmaids at their parents’ vow renewal ceremony, Reggie and Dena Sommerville just might find the most unexpected gift of all—love.

Review

Reggie has had to come back home for the holidays. This is NOT what she wants to do. Since her last break up was humiliating, she just wants to avoid everyone! But, her parents are renewing their vows and family is family. So, she heads home. She runs into her high school love, Toby. And as hard as she tries…she can’t stay away from him.

Then, there is Dena. Dena and Reggie are sisters and they are extremely close. Dena has decided to do artificial insemination to get pregnant. She is tired of waiting for Mr. Right. But, Mr. Right, Micah, just might have just checked into her Bed and Breakfast.

It has been a while since I have read one of Susan Mallery’s books. This one hit the spot. This story is sweet and charming. I absolutely adored Toby and Micah, especially Micah. These two gentlemen are broken in one way or another and Reggie and Dena help them get back on the right path! Plus there is a cute dog in this novel!

Need a sweet, Christmas story for the holidays…This is it! Grab your copy today!

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

Buy Links:

BookShop.org

Harlequin 

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Books-A-Million

Powell’s

Author Bio:

Susan Mallery is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship, romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations,” and readers seem to agree—40 million copies of her books have sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.

Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband. She’s passionate about animal welfare, especially that of the two ragdoll cats and adorable poodle who think of her as mom.

Social Links:

Author Website

Twitter: @SusanMallery

Facebook: @SusanMallery

Instagram: @susanmallery

Goodreads

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The Encanto by Arthur Swan #bookreview #fiction #lafog #theencanto @prbythebook

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Reecaspieces


The Encanto
Book 1 of the LA Fog series
by
Arthur Swan


An ancient Mayan artifact, smuggled into Los Angeles, unexpectedly alters three lives in bizarre ways.


Gray, an aspiring artist struggling to provide for his family, Claire, his insomniac wife, and Ashley York, a wealthy socialite striving to make it as a real actress, find their paths crashing together, their dreams and their very identities threatened.


Meanwhile, Saul Parker, a detective and hobbyist magician who is self-conscious about his weight, strives to solve a strange case that seems impossible to comprehend.


Only Wayob, a mysterious chameleon-like killer, has a grasp on the dangerous power that has consumed his life and now infiltrates the others.


The Encanto, Book 1 of the LA Fog series, is an intricately woven, character-based mystery about how the choices we make inform our identity.

Review

Detective Saul Parker is on the hunt for a killer. But, he doesn’t realize the killer is not of this world! It is an ancient Mayan artifact that has been smuggled into the city of Los Angeles. This artifact changes the lives of everyone it comes in contact with!

This book is a bit disjointed in places. It doesn’t read as smoothly as I like. But, in my opinion, it just adds to the intensity. And no, this is not my normal genre. But the ancient Mayan artifact is what attracted me to this story. I really expected more of a historical mystery when I picked this up. But, it is creepy and weird and perfect for a cold winter night wrapped in a blanket!

Need a good mystical story, THIS IS IT!

I received this novel for a honest review.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Arthur Swan was raised in North Carolina and now resides in Los Angeles, where his
“day job” is a Character Supervisor for Dreamworks. He has contributed to films ranging
from ‘A Beautiful Mind’ to ‘How to Train Your Dragon.’
In his spare time, when he’s not writing or swimming his morning laps, he volunteers for
Young Storytellers, enjoys fishing and fireworks with his favorite niece and nephew, and
on weekends he can be found hiking high climbs in early fog before the sun burns
through as mist vanishes to blue sky.
His first novel, Before the Sun Hits, won the ReaderViews Reader’s Choice Award.

Website and Social Media:


https://swanfall.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/ArthurSwanAuth
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArthurSwanAuth
IG: https://www.instagram.com/ArthurSwanAuth/


Purchase links:


Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Encanto-Fog-Arthur-
Swan/dp/099656053X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-encanto-arthur-
swan/1139895826?ean=9780996560535

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The Hunger of Crows by Richard Chiappone @dreamscapeaudio #audiobook #audiblebook #bookreview

Posted on November 19, 2021 by Reecaspieces

Overview

For fans of Dana Stabenow and The Frozen Ground, Richard Chiappone’s debut novel is a chilling chase through rural Alaska, in which a woman running from her past must outwit the deadly assassins on her tail.

Thirty-something Carla Merino finds herself living in her camper shell in Homer, Alaska, waitressing to stay afloat and hiding from ruthless billionaire military contractor Gordon McKint, who has a secretive personal army and eyes on the presidency. McKint is determined to recover a memento Carla acquired on a one-night-stand that went terribly wrong—an item that could bring his whole world down. When McKint’s men track her to Homer she leaves for another hideout by boat, unprepared and unaware of the dangerous Alaskan weather headed her way.

Cosmo D’Angelo (a former CIA gunslinger) is a man grieving his daughter, living with the sins of his past, and in search of a certain woman (and a good meal) in small-town Alaska. In the era of political secrets and deep fake technology, he was foolish to let Carla take a memento of their tryst. Now, he needs to get it back before McKint’s men find her.

Scott Crockett is a stand-up guy, nursing a broken heart, out fishing alone. But when he finds an overturned boat and a nearly-drowned woman in the rough water, his life will get infinitely more complicated—and dangerous. Together he and Carla must outwit the professional killers sent to recover the deadly memento that threatens both McKint’s political career and her life.

Review

Carla is on the run! She has had a one night stand and she stole a picture. She really didn’t know this act would change her life but it did. The photo could take down a dangerous presidential candidate. Now, this one act has her life in extreme danger!

As most of you know…give me a book set in Alaska and I am hooked. This book nails the scenery and the weird people. This story is also very intense in places. The characters are flawed and that just makes this story more appealing.

I enjoyed Carla’s unique situation. Plus she flounders…you will have to read this to find out!

The narrator did a good job keeping all the voices unique and the intensity on point!

Need just a good, intense read with a fabulous setting! This is it!

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

Purchase Here

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The Pilot’s Daughter by Meredith Jaeger #5starreview #historicalfiction @meredith_jaeger @duttonbooks

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Reecaspieces

Overview

The glitzy days of 1920s New York meet the devastation of those left behind in World War II in a new, delectable historical novel from USA Today bestselling author Meredith Jaeger.

In the final months of World War II, San Francisco newspaper secretary Ellie Morgan should be planning her wedding and subsequent exit from the newsroom into domestic life. Instead, Ellie, who harbors dreams of having her own column, is using all the skills she’s learned as a would-be reporter to try to uncover any scrap of evidence that her missing pilot father is still alive. But when she discovers a stack of love letters from a woman who is not her mother in his possessions, her already fragile world goes into a tailspin, and she vows to find out the truth about the father she loves—and the woman who loved him back.

When Ellie arrives on her aunt Iris’s doorstep, clutching a stack of letters and uttering a name Iris hasn’t heard in decades, Iris is terrified. She’s hidden her past as a Ziegfeld Follies showgirl from her family, and her experiences in New York City in the 1920s could reveal much more than the origin of her brother-in-law’s alleged affair. Iris’s heady days in the spotlight weren’t enough to outshine the darker underbelly of Jazz Age New York, and she’s spent the past twenty years believing that her actions in those days led to murder.

Together the two women embark on a cross-country mission to find the truth in the City That Never Sleeps, a journey that just might shatter everything they thought they knew—not only about the past but about their own futures.

Inspired by a true Jazz Age murder cold case that captivated the nation, and the fact that more than 72,000 Americans still remain unaccounted for from World War II, The Pilot’s Daughter is a page-turning exploration of the stories we tell ourselves and of how well we can truly know those we love.

Review

Ellie’s father is missing in action and presumed dead. Ellie truly cannot believe it. But, when his uniform arrives in the mail, it really hits home. As she is going through his pockets, she discovers a series of letters. And these letters are not from her mother!

Ellie runs to her Aunt Iris. Iris knows a thing or two which she is not telling. However, these two ladies head out to NYC to try and find the mysterious woman, Lillian. This leads Iris to her past which she thought she had left behind.

This is a novel which had me in knots most of the time. Iris’ tale of her time in the follies and her life in NYC is completely captivating. The jewels, the men and the money are floating around from every direction, until there is danger. You will definitely need to read this to find out!

This is part history, part mystery, part family drama with a slice of murder thrown in the mix. Need a novel which will have you glued to the pages…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

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

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Woodrow on the Bench by Jenna Blum @jenna_blum @suzyapbooktours #5starreview #nonfiction #bookreview

Posted on November 14, 2021 by Reecaspieces

About The Book:

The New York Times and internationally bestselling author of Those Who Save Us pays tribute to her beloved black Lab, Woodrow, in this beautiful memoir that recalls the last six months of his life and the ways in which he taught her to live. 

Life Lessons from a Wise Old Dog is a truly inspiring memoir about an old dog who became the center of a remarkable community. Jenna chronicles the precious, bittersweet days of her beloved dog’s final season while recalling the lively, mischievous, willful Woodrow of younger years. From tourists to dog-moms, from a handsome dogwalker to a mysterious stranger who helps Woodrow during a blizzard, you’ll meet the extraordinary people and dogs Jenna and Woodrow encountered on the bench—and laugh and cry along with them as they navigate their last days together. A story of devotion and community, WOODROW ON THE BENCH is for anyone who has ever loved an old dog—or sought to ease the transitions of grief, animal or human.

A must-read for dog lovers, WOODROW ON THE BENCH has a universal message for all readers about loss, love, and how to live—the book we all need right now. It will break your heart only to heal it again.

Review

Ever have a book that just hits you at the right time, just when you need it. Well, this one was it for me. I am a huge dog lover. And I fell hook, line and sinker for Woodrow. He truly led a charmed life and he touched everyone he met.

This wonderful story will have you laughing out loud and then crying like crazy all in the same paragraph. I would have loved to have met Woodrow and experienced the “Woodrow Effect”. He would have had me wrapped around his paw…as he did everyone he came in contact with. He just had a certain magnetism that cannot be denied.

This story had me reminiscing about the dogs that have touched my life. Dogs are truly special animals which love knows no bounds. And Woodrow is right there at the top!

Need a good book about a very good dog…THIS IS IT!

I received this novel fora honest review.

About The Author:

Jenna Blum is the New York Times and # 1 internationally bestselling author of novels Those Who Save Us, The Stormchasers, and The Lost Family. She was voted one of Oprah readers’ Top 30 Women Writers and is the CEO/co-founder of literary social media marketing company A Mighty Blaze. 

Jenna is based in Boston, where she has taught workshops at Grub Street Writers for over 20 years and lives across from Woodrow’s bench. 

Social Media: 

Jenna’s Facebook:http://bit.ly/_JennaBlumFacebook

Jenna’s Twitter: http://bit.ly/_JennaBlumTwitter

Jenna’s Instagram: http://bit.ly/_JennaBlumInstagram

Website: www.jennablum.com

Woodrow’s Facebook: http://bit.ly/_WoodrowFacebook

Woodrow’s Twitter: http://bit.ly/_WoodrowTwitter

Woodrow’s Instagram: http://bit.ly/_WoodrowInsta

Website: www.jennablum.com

Book Blurbs: 

“WOODROW ON THE BENCH is a touching tribute as well as a gripping story that will make you laugh and cry. It will also make you understand the majesty and wisdom imparted by the animals we are lucky to keep by our sides for as long as we can.”—Elizabeth Berg, New York Times bestselling author of I’LL BE SEEING YOU and THE STORY OF ARTHUR TRULUV

“Jenna Blum has written a glorious love letter to her beloved Woodrow, and it is truly a gift to dog (and pet) lovers everywhere. Heartbreaking and uplifting, funny and wise.” —Julie Klam, New York Times bestselling author of LOVE AT FIRST BARK and YOU HAD ME AT WOOF

“Jenna Blum’s deeply personal, dazzling first memoir, a richly funny, moving Valentine to her dog Woodrow and the extraordinary things he taught her, offers an exquisite truth: keep opening up your heart, especially when things get tough, because love is always worth it.” —Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of WITH OR WITHOUT YOU

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The Stolen Baby by Diney Costeloe @dreamscapeaudio #audiobook #audiblebook #review

Posted on November 13, 2021 by Reecaspieces

Overview

Plymouth, 1941. As sirens blare all around, the Shawbrook family takes refuge in a packed shelter. Bombs have already begun to fall through the night sky when they realize their infant son, Freddie, has been forgotten in the rush, left to sleep in his crib. Terrified, Vera, his young mother, races to find him and bring him to safety. 

The next morning, air-raid warden David Shawbrook returns from his watch to find the shelter pulverized, and his family seemingly all dead. Dirty footprints inside their home betray the looters who have rifled through the house. 

Meanwhile, Maggie waits alone for her husband. Since the death of her infant son, she passes her days at home with neither joy nor aim. But not this morning. For this morning her husband has brought home a child, found abandoned in the aftermath of the terrible raid – a child she is sure is the one she held in her arms so many months before.

Review

The Shawbrook family has a plan for when the sirens go off. Everyone is responsible for somebody. So, when Vera was late one evening because she was partying, Freddie was not picked up out of his crib. He was left at home during the air raid. The next day, a cop happens to hear a baby crying inside the bombed house. He scoops up Freddie. Instead of taking him to one of the shelters, he takes him home to his depressed wife, Maggie.

As you can guess, this story twists around and due to some extreme circumstances, Maggie keeps this sweet baby to raise on her own. But, it does not stop any of his family from searching for him.

I enjoyed the hunt in this story. The process of elimination and the deductions were used to create a unique tale. You will just have to read this to find out how all this works out!

The only issue I had with the narrator was Vera’s voice. But, it may be that I just disliked Vera. But, when Vera was mad the narrator tended to get shrill. But, that is just minor. But, honestly it could be that I really disliked Vera. I found her overbearing and selfish. And sometimes…plain rude!

Need an all around good story…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

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

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Odd Numbers by JJ Marsh #audiobook #audiblebook #thriller #review

Posted on November 11, 2021 by Reecaspieces

Overview

A suspenseful psychological drama about morality vs. friendship with a spellbinding mystery at its core – from the Amazon top 30 best-selling author of the Beatrice Stubbs series.

Over two decades, a group of former students reunite every other New Year. They celebrate their friendship and remember a tragic loss.

When it’s Gael’s turn to organise, she chooses a snowy chalet in the Swiss Alps. A striking resemblance to the frozen lake where it happened so many years ago.

Dhan was the jester of the group, a symbol of their charmed lives, until the night he disappeared, taking part of their future with him.

Now the time has come to ask new questions.

Gael was always the outsider. The one who wasn’t there when it happened.

And her instinct tells her some secrets remained untold. The darkest one is about to come to light. It will send a shockwave though their lives.

Truth comes at a price.

Review

Every year a group of former students travel to a different place to get together to celebrate and reminisce. This year, a snow covered chalet, brings make that terrible tragedy where they lost one of their own!

This story has quite a few characters to keep up with. However, they are each unique and have their own little quirks. In other words, every single one is flawed and has their own issues. This really keeps the reader guessing!

This novel moves quickly and is definitely intense! Plus, it will down right make you mad at the end! I so wanted to hurt one of the characters! Don’t you love a story which can cause big emotions. This one does!

The narrators, Jess Nesling and Paul Panting did and excellent job with all the characters and their voices. I will be on the look out for more books narrated by these two!

Need a good thriller with a big twist! THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

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

Purchase here

Chirp

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Amazon

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