reecaspieces

Overview 

Whether it’s a woman who must accept the reality of her son growing up, or a daughter becoming disillusioned with her father, this moving collection expertly conveys the joys, doubts, fears, and endless contradictions that are inescapable parts of domestic life. In “Mr. Sumarsono,” included in TheBest American Short Stories of 1994, a visiting Indonesian diplomat brings out the confidence and charm in a suburban divorcée, much to the surprise of her two young daughters; and in “Leaving Home” a teenage girl, stifled by her family’s rigid sense of virtue, attempts to reinvent herself during a summer vacation.

 The everyday challenges of parenting, stepparenting, and familial love and loyalty take on great weight as the richly drawn characters of each story—fathers, mothers, children, lovers—face them with genuine need, strength, and confusion. Up and down the Eastern Seaboard, from Manhattan’s Upper East Side to Maine, Connecticut, and Long Island, these stories showcase the trademark insight and tenderness with which Robinson explores divorce, remarriage, and families yearning to move on.

Review

I am not a huge short story reader. However, I was asked to give this a shot. 

 These stories touch on all kinds of love, Mothers’ love, Fathers’ love, the love between siblings, second chance love, just to name a few. The characters are rich and rewarding. The settings add so much to these tender stories. 

The author exposes many family issues. With wonderful insight and strength, she takes the reader through many trials which uncover the different  levels of astounding love. 

I am still not a huge fan of short stories. However, these enlighten you and just make you feel warm and fuzzy. 

I received this book  from Netgalley for a honest review 

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Overview

For fans of Orphan Train and Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants, a compelling historical novel from “one of the best authors of women’s fiction” (Library Journal). Set against the turbulent backdrop of American Vaudeville, four sisters embark on an unexpected adventure—and a last-ditch effort to save their family.

In 1919, the Turner sisters and their parents are barely scraping by. Their father is a low-paid boot-stitcher in Johnson City, New York, and the family is always one paycheck away from eviction. When their father’s hand is crushed and he can no longer work, their irrepressible mother decides that the vaudeville stage is their best—and only—chance for survival.

Traveling by train from town to town, teenagers Gert, Winnie, and Kit, and recent widow Nell soon find a new kind of freedom in the company of performers who are as diverse as their acts. There is a seamier side to the business, however, and the young women face dangers and turns of fate they never could have anticipated. Heartwarming and surprising, The Tumbling Turner Sisters is ultimately a story of awakening—to unexpected possibilities, to love and heartbreak, and to the dawn of a new American era.

Review

First of all….don’t you just LOVE the cover!!! This is the inside of the book….absolutely love it!!

This is actually a coming of age story for these unique sisters and it just happens to take place on a vaudeville tour. This is well researched and hugely entertaining, just like a vaudeville act. Each act is different and each sister is different, but somehow they make it work! 

If you have been following my blog for a while, you know I adore strong women characters. This book is packed full. It is tough to make it on a vaudeville tour. Their “learning” experiences are strange, to say the least. However, each sister takes their “learning” and uses it to survive. 

I enjoy the way this novel is layed out.  Each chapter is told in the voice of two of the sisters, Winnie and Gert.  Each of these sisters are very diverse in their opinions and their reactions. There are also quotes before each chapter from famous vaudeville performers. These are an added plus.  

Through work, tragedy and heartache, these sisters come together to do what needs to be done. Whether it is performing, being a friend, paying for college or even being a nurse, they have each other’s backs. 

This is a story I will not soon forget. It truly took me back and I felt like I was sitting there, right along with the girls enjoying the show! 

I received this novel from Simon and Schuster as part of the XOXPERTS.  

                                          
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Overview

In the small, affluent town of Fairview, Connecticut everything seems picture perfect.

Until one night when young Jenny Kramer is attacked at a local party. In the hours immediately after, she is given a controversial drug to medically erase her memory of the violent assault. But, in the weeks and months that follow, as she heals from her physical wounds, and with no factual recall of the attack, Jenny struggles with her raging emotional memory. Her father, Tom, becomes obsessed with his inability to find her attacker and seek justice while her mother, Charlotte, prefers to pretend this horrific event did not touch her perfect country club world.

As they seek help for their daughter, the fault lines within their marriage and their close-knit community emerge from the shadows where they have been hidden for years, and the relentless quest to find the monster who invaded their town – or perhaps lives among them – drive this psychological thriller to a shocking and unexpected conclusion. 

Review

This is a hard book to read, mainly because of the subject matter. That being said, the story was completely engrossing.  I could not stop reading. And when I did have to stop, because life does tend to get in the way, the story stayed with me. Jenny, Adam, Charlotte and Tom all suffer in different ways and create a gripping story which I will not soon forget. 

The writing is very unusual and unique. There are areas the story jumps ahead and then backs up to meld the whole tale together. This novel is told by a narrator which is the psychiatrist. He seems a little detached, especially when he is describing Jenny’s attack. This helps the reader get through the emotional aspects of this harrowing scene. However, it is still a very tragic and haunting experience. And the perpetrator is a guess till the very end! 

This tale is not for every one. It is not a happy read and has some grisly activity. It is however, a read which will stay with me for a very long time! 

I received this novel from Netgalley for a honest review.  

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Overview 

Hot on the heels of her beloved Marriage to a Billionaire novels, New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst nails it with the first in an all-new sexy romance series featuring red-hot contractor siblings who give the Property Brothers a run for their money!

Ever the responsible eldest brother, Caleb Pierce started working for his father’s luxury contracting business at a young age, dreaming of one day sitting in the boss’s chair. But his father’s will throws a wrench in his plans by stipulating that Caleb share control of the family business with his two estranged brothers.

Things only get more complicated when demanding high-end home designer Morgan hires Caleb to build her a customized dream house that matches her specifications to a T—or she’ll use her powerful connections to poison the Pierce brothers’ reputation. Not one to ignore a challenge, Caleb vows to get the job done—if only he can stop getting distracted by his new client’s perfect…amenities.

But there’s more to icy Morgan than meets the eye. And Caleb’s not the only one who knows how to use a stud-finder. In fact, Morgan is pretty sure she’s found hers—and he looks quite enticing in a hard hat. As sparks fly between Morgan and Caleb despite his best intentions not to mix business and pleasure, will she finally warm up and help him lay the foundation for everlasting love? 

Review

Morgan is a designer who gives as good as she gets. Cal is ooolala on a stick!! He is the “symbol of construction hotness.” 

These two fight, fuss and all around bicker. But as with most romances, they have the hots for one another and just cannot keep their hands off! 

This is a lightening fast read with a few surprises.  Some keep you in stitches and some make you so frustrated you just want to beat the characters senseless. 

I love the way Cal and Morgan relate to each other. She is prim and proper. He is rough and tough. They are perfect for each other. He steps up to the plate to help her when she gets arrested…yes, I said arrested…OOOPS!! Probably should not have said that!! SPOILER ALERT..too late. 

This is a wonderful beach read! HECK!! It’s a wonderful read no matter where you read it!!

I received this novel as part of Simon and Schuster’s XOXperts 

Purchase Here 

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