reecaspieces

Overview

From the national bestselling author of Whistling Past the Graveyard comes a moving coming-of-age tale set in the tumultuous sixties that harkens to both Ordinary Grace and The Secret Life of Bees.

Tallulah James’s parents’ volatile relationship, erratic behavior, and hands-off approach to child rearing set tongues to wagging in their staid Mississippi town, complicating her already uncertain life. She takes the responsibility of shielding her family’s reputation and raising her younger twin siblings onto her youthful shoulders.

If not for the emotional constants of her older brother, Griff, and her old guard Southern grandmother, she would be lost. When betrayal and death arrive hand in hand, she takes to the road, headed to what turns out to be the not-so-promised land of Southern California. The dysfunction of her childhood still echoes throughout her scattered family, sending her brother on a disastrous path and drawing her home again. There she uncovers the secrets and lies that set her family on the road to destruction.

Review

Tallulah just saw the news. She cannot believe it. Her little brother is being accused of murder. She must get home. Even though she has not seen him, or anyone in her family for years, she knows she must go back to Mississippi and face her past.

I love Tallulah. And I really do not know how to describe her. She has been hurt and is a damaged woman, especially when it comes to relationships. But, she is a character that loves with all her heart.

Tallulah had some hard times as a child. Her father suffered from a mental illness and her mother disappeared and reappeared so many times in her young life. Tallulah, her older brother, Griff and her southern bell grandmother did all they could to keep the family together. This is an emotional roller coaster of a story. Many places were hard to read and you just wanted to reach through the pages and give this family a helping hand.

As most of you know, I am a HUGE fan of southern fiction. Susan Crandall is spot on! Her southern characters and her descriptions of Mississippi, are all true to form! Plus, and this is a huge plus, Susan Crandall has the best prose! I know I am not supposed to quote an ARC. And it tells you right at the beginning of this book not to quote…well, I am still gonna do it. “Memories as thick as the air and mud and secrets of our Mississippi childhood sit heavy on my skin.”

DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!

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Overview

The perfect beach read!” —Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times bestselling author of Beach House Reunion.

“Tender and triumphant…California Summer made my heart sing.” —Allison Winn Scotch, New York Times bestselling author of Between Me and You

Anita Hughes’s California Summer is a charming and beautiful love story about a former Hollywood producer who trades her cast list in for cookbooks in the hopes of following her dreams and finding new love.

Ben and Rosie are Hollywood’s newest director/producer dream team. After hitting it big at Sundance, it seems that their ten years of love and hard work are finally paying off. Rosie is happy making independent films, but Ben wants the A-List celebrity package: a house in Beverly Hills, fancy cars in the driveway, and his name on the biggest blockbusters. He’s willing to do anything, even sleep with the most famous producer in town, to get them.

Rosie is devastated by Ben’s affair, and she decides to take a break from show business. She accepts her best friend’s invitation to spend the summer at her parents’ estate in Montecito. It’s far away from L.A., the perfect place to start over.

In Montecito, Rosie meets a colorful cast of characters including Rachel, who owns a chocolate store, and Josh, a handsome local who splits his time between surfing and classic cars. Suddenly Rosie has new friends and a new purpose. She starts a business in the village, and her luck seems to be turning around. But Rosie knows all too well that success comes with a price, and the price might be losing love…again.

California Summer is a touching and romantic story about following your dreams but not letting them get in the way of love.

Review

Rosie and Ben have been together 10 years. They have just hit it big in the film industry. Then Ben has an affair and Rosie’s life falls completely apart. Thanks to her good friend Angelica and her family, Rosie starts to heal and turn her life around.

I have read several Anita Hughes books. This one fell a little short for me. Basically because Rosie is such a frustrating whiney butt! I just wanted to give Rosie a good punch upside the head. She made me want to throw this book out the window! If I heard Ben and I were going to….Ben and I did…one more time!!! She also overreacts in many situations in this read. So needless to say there are many many eye rolling places in this book.

Now that the bad is out of the way. There are lots of good parts to this read. I loved the setting of the small town of Montecito. I could just picture the store fronts and the picturesque streets. Also, Josh! Josh is the sexy surfer dude! He helps pick up Rosie and put her back on her feet. He can help me anytime!

The story is predictable, as many of these types of books are. But, it is a pretty good read if you can keep from slapping Rosie.

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Overview

This is the story of three best friends: one who was murdered, one who went to prison, and one who’s been searching for the truth all these years . . .

When she was sixteen years old, Angela Wong—one of the most popular girls in school—disappeared without a trace. Nobody ever suspected that her best friend, Georgina Shaw, now an executive and rising star at her Seattle pharmaceutical company, was involved in any way. Certainly not Kaiser Brody, who was close with both girls back in high school.

But fourteen years later, Angela Wong’s remains are discovered in the woods near Geo’s childhood home. And Kaiser—now a detective with Seattle PD—finally learns the truth: Angela was a victim of Calvin James. The same Calvin James who murdered at least three other women.

To the authorities, Calvin is a serial killer. But to Geo, he’s something else entirely. Back in high school, Calvin was Geo’s first love. Turbulent and often volatile, their relationship bordered on obsession from the moment they met right up until the night Angela was killed.

For fourteen years, Geo knew what happened to Angela and told no one. For fourteen years, she carried the secret of Angela’s death until Geo was arrested and sent to prison.

While everyone thinks they finally know the truth, there are dark secrets buried deep. And what happened that fateful night is more complex and more chilling than anyone really knows. Now the obsessive past catches up with the deadly present when new bodies begin to turn up, killed in the exact same manner as Angela Wong.

How far will someone go to bury her secrets and hide her grief? How long can you get away with a lie? How long can you live with it?

Review

Three high school friends, Geo, Angela and Kaiser are together most of the time. Slurpees, parties, studying, they are just the best of friends. Then Geo starts dating Calvin. Calvin is controlling and not a guy she needs to be with. But, she is young and stupid. Then, Angela comes up missing. 14 years later, Angela’s body is found.

I love it when an author creates a character you are supposed to hate…but you just can’t. Well! Geo is the best of these I have ever come across. She is so flawed but, I could not help but like her and feel sorry for her. She is just 16 when she makes one of the worst mistakes of her life. This mistake stays hidden for 14 years. Then, Geo goes to prison. She is arrested by Kaiser, no less.

The author SLOWLY draws out Geo’s past and what actually happened to Angela. This creates such tremendous anticipation. If I had to put this book down because of life…I was constantly thinking about it. What is about to happen next??? The secrets and the lies just build constant pressure. There were places I was a nervous wreck!

Amazingly done! OVER THE TOP GOOD READ!

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Overview

A woman inherits a beloved bookstore and sets forth on a journey of self-discovery in this poignant debut about family, forgiveness and a love of reading.

Miranda Brooks grew up in the stacks of her eccentric Uncle Billy’s bookstore, solving the inventive scavenger hunts he created just for her. But on Miranda’s twelfth birthday, Billy has a mysterious falling-out with her mother and suddenly disappears from Miranda’s life. She doesn’t hear from him again until sixteen years later when she receives unexpected news: Billy has died and left her Prospero Books, which is teetering on bankruptcy–and one final scavenger hunt.

When Miranda returns home to Los Angeles and to Prospero Books–now as its owner–she finds clues that Billy has hidden for her inside novels on the store’s shelves, in locked drawers of his apartment upstairs, in the name of the store itself. Miranda becomes determined to save Prospero Books and to solve Billy’s last scavenger hunt. She soon finds herself drawn into a journey where she meets people from Billy’s past, people whose stories reveal a history that Miranda’s mother has kept hidden–and the terrible secret that tore her family apart.

Bighearted and trenchantly observant, The Bookshop of Yesterdays is a lyrical story of family, love and the healing power of community. It’s a love letter to reading and bookstores, and a testament to how our histories shape who we become.

Review

Miranda has no plans to stay in Los Angeles. Her life is in Philadelphia where she is a history teacher plus, she just moved in with her boyfriend. But, when her uncle passes away he leaves her everything, including one of her favorite places ever, Prospero Books. He also leaves her clues to a scavenger hunt. This opens up a whole new world of secrets that may be better off left alone.

Well! Any book about a bookstore or books…I am ON TOP OF THAT! I love that this book creates the perfect spot for a reader. The book shop employees and patrons fit the story perfectly. They are a creative bunch which add so much to the tale and Miranda’s quest to keep the store afloat.

Miranda has really been kept in the dark. I love the way the author created a specific set of clues for her. They are in books, with different people and even at an old cabin. I have to be careful with what I say. I do not want to give away a spoiler and there is a pretty big turn toward the end. I did see it coming…so pay attention.

This is a wonderful read for a bibliophile. All the books and the mystery are a perfect companion for any type of reader.

I received this novel from Netgalley for a honest review

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Overview

Lowcountry PI Liz Talbot returns to the streets of Charleston in the seventh installment of Susan M. Boyer’s USA TODAY bestselling mystery series.

Between an epic downpour and a King Tide, those historic streets are flooded—and dangerous. A late night tragic accident along the Lower Battery leads Liz Talbot straight to her next case.

Who’s the client? Well, now, therein lies the first puzzle. When the police arrive at the scene of the accident, Poppy Oliver claims she’s only trying to help.

But the dent on the front of her Subaru and the victim’s injuries provoke a certain Charleston police detective’s suspicious nature. A wealthy, anonymous benefactor hires Liz and her partner Nate Andrews to prove Poppy Oliver’s innocence.

What exactly was Poppy Oliver up to? Is she a random good Samaritan who happens upon the accident scene? Or perhaps this tragedy wasn’t an accident. She just might be his abused wife’s accomplice.

Why does everyone involved in this case have a sudden burning urge for reading material, leading them to the same charming bookshop along the waterfront?

From a risqué, exclusive club in an old plantation to an upscale resale shop in the historic King Street shopping district to a downtown graveyard crawling with ghosts, Liz tracks a group of women who band together to help victims of domestic violence.

In her most challenging case yet, Liz fears she may find a killer, but justice may prove elusive.

Review

I just adore this series. All the stories are light and funny and such great mysteries. This one is no different. Liz has been pulled into a murder because she is positive Poppy is innocent. There is no way, in Liz’s mind, that Poppy ran over and killed Phillip Drayton. Now, to find out exactly what happened and who is responsible.

Let’s start with the some of the characters in this story. I love Colleen. She is a ghost…yes you heard me….a ghost. You cannot have a story set in Charleston without a ghost. The city is rampant with them. She helps Liz with her work! As a matter of fact, Liz can hardly solve a mystery without her. Then there is Nate. Nate is Liz’s hot husband. Not only is he a stud…he is a southern gentleman to boot! He is soooo dreamy. Then, there are Liz’s parents. These two crack me up, especially about the goats…you need to read this book…just for the goats.

The characters make this book. The mystery is a little thin in this one. But…I really read it for the great characters. Need a good series…pick these up. So funny and entertaining!

I received this novel from Edelweiss for a honest review.

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Overview

New York Times bestselling author imagines the affair between JFK and Alicia Corning Clark – and the child they may have had.

Based on a real story – in 1950, a young, beautiful Polish refugee arrives in Hyannisport, Massachusetts to work as a maid for one of the wealthiest families in America. Alicia is at once dazzled by the large and charismatic family, in particular the oldest son, a rising politician named Jack.

Alicia and Jack are soon engaged, but his domineering father forbids the marriage. And so, Alicia trades Hyannisport for Hollywood, and eventually Rome. She dates famous actors and athletes and royalty, including Gary Cooper, Kirk Douglas, and Katharine Hepburn, all the while staying close with Jack. A decade after they meet, on the eve of Jack’s inauguration as the thirty-fifth President of the United States, the two must confront what they mean to each other.

The Summer I Met Jack is based on the fascinating real life of Alicia Corning Clark, a woman who J. Edgar Hoover insisted was paid by the Kennedys to keep quiet, not only about her romance with Jack Kennedy, but also a baby they may have had together

Review

Alicia is a poor, polish immigrant struggling to stay afloat. Then she meets Jack Kennedy. She is pulled under his spell and the spell of his family, so much so, it may be her undoing. Alicia falls hard for Jack. So hard their romance continues for years…even after she leaves for Hollywood. She creates a name for herself but it is just not enough. It is not enough to keep her away from Jack.

This is such an intriguing read! Who doesn’t want to know more about the Kennedys. The author did a lot of research to create the atmosphere in this book. I was fascinated with the Kennedy family dynamics. I have not read much about the Kennedys. I have read Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson. So, I do understand how tough it was in many ways to be a Kennedy. Joe was very demanding of his children and Rose was cold and distant. This is reiterated in this book. It was also compelling how the author portrayed Jack. He comes across in the book as he did in life…so attractive and magnetic.

This tale also takes you on a tour of old Hollywood and all of its wonderful myriad of characters. However, it is a little long and it does get a tad monotonous. I mean how many times can you go back to Jack. I understand the attraction. Jack oozes magnetism. But sometimes you need to “woman up” and break the cycle. This is really tough for Alicia to do. I still highly recommend this read. It is compelling with all the famous people and the problems Jack and Alicia face.

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Overview

A dazzling epic that follows two very different families in Cleveland across generations, beginning with their patriarchs, who become irrevocably intertwined one fateful night

A blistering dark comedy, The Comedown is a romp across America, from the Kent State shootings to protest marches in Chicago to the Florida Everglades, that explores delineating lines of race, class, religion, and time.

Scrappy, street-smart drug dealer Reggie Marshall has never liked the simpering addict Leland Bloom-Mittwoch, which doesn’t stop Leland from looking up to Reggie with puppy-esque devotion. But when a drug deal goes dramatically, tragically wrong and a suitcase (which may or may not contain a quarter of a million dollars) disappears, the two men and their families become hopelessly entangled. It’s a mistake that sets in motion a series of events that are odd, captivating, suspenseful, and ultimately inevitable.

Both incendiary and earnest, The Comedown steadfastly catalogs the tangled messes the characters make of their lives, never losing sight of the beauty and power of each family member’s capacity for love, be it for money, drugs, or each other.

Review

Well, I have to say, this book is unique. The tale basically revolves around a suitcase and what it may, or may not, contain. So, of course, every character wants this suitcase. A drug deal, which went horribly wrong, sets off a series of events and this entangles two men and their families for years.

There are too many characters in this novel and it makes it hard to keep up with who is what and what is who! And sometimes I felt the author would go off on a tangent which really didn’t have much to do with what is actually going on. Now, that the negatives are out of the way…I enjoyed the dark humor and the creativity which runs throughout this story. It is an entertaining and a different story. I cannot wait to see what this author comes up with next.

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

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