reecaspieces

Overview

This beautiful page-turner kept me reading all night.” —Janet Skeslien Charles, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library 

“This one’s an absolute gem.” —Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Queen

When a young librarian discovers historic dollhouses in a hidden room, she embarks on an unexpected journey that reveals surprising secrets about the lost miniatures.

Tildy Barrows, Head Curator of a beautiful archival library in San Francisco, is meticulously dedicated to the century’s worth of inventory housed in her beloved Beaux Art building. She loves the calm and order in the shelves of books and walls of art. But Tildy’s life takes an unexpected turn when she, first, learns the library is on the verge of bankruptcy and, second, discovers two exquisite never-before-seen dollhouses.

After finding clues hidden within these remarkable miniatures, Tildy sets out to decipher the secret history of the dollhouses, aiming to salvage her cherished library in the process. Her journey introduces her to a world of ambitious and gifted women in Belle Époque Paris, a group of scarred World War I veterans in the English countryside, and Walt Disney’s bustling Burbank studio in the 1950s. As Tildy unravels the mystery, she finds not only inspiring, hidden history, but also a future for herself—and an astonishing familial revelation.

Spanning the course of a century, The Library of Lost Dollhouses is a warm, bright, and captivating story of secrets and love that embraces the importance of illuminating overlooked women.

Review

Tildy Barrows, Head Curator of a beautiful archival library in San Francisco. She accidentally comes across a hidden door and discovers two never before seen dollhouses. This send Tildy on a hunt to discover their history and possibly save her library.

Tildy is a bit of a mouse at first. But let me tell you, before this story is over, she roars. She is determined to find out about the history surrounding these doll houses and how her own mother’s picture is in one.

Y’all know I love a book with secrets and this novel is full of them. Not only that…she has STRONG women characters that you will want to know more about. This story had me researching because not only does it have great women it is full of history!

I have read one other book by this author, Fast Girls. I highly recommend that one as well!

Need a novel full of secrets and great female characters…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

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

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Overview

A wannabe author. A narcissistic musician. A serial killer. An average girl. Someone tells the story. Someone is the story. Someone steals the story. Someone won’t make it out of the story.

Eliane Pangolin isn’t like anyone her mysterious follower has ever met. She’s a 27-year-old struggling writer and wannabe dancer fighting obsessive-compulsive disorder while coping with her connection to a brutal crime. When she isn’t defying a restraining order by writing letters to an old friend, she’s trying to navigate feelings of both betrayal and beguile toward her lifelong male best friend. Everything in her life pulls from two directions, creating a tug-o-war she isn’t sure to escape.

Hollifield masterfully paints a character of conflicting attributes, a girl who lies underneath fake palm trees in her living room, but who also has an old soul that she swears once rubbed elbows with the Fitzgerald’s on some Parisian street. Broken and brilliant, antagonizing and alluring, readers will love following Eliane just as much as her narrator in the shadows.

A story about art, obsession, guilt, crime, and lust for… everything, Bright Little Girls is about learning to cope by finding the self, the most elusive character of all. This story will seep into the soul then invite it to come out and play.

Review

Eliane Pangolin isn’t like anyone her mysterious follower has ever met. She’s a 27-year-old struggling writer and wannabe dancer fighting obsessive-compulsive disorder while coping with her connection to a brutal crime. When she isn’t defying a restraining order by writing letters to an old friend, she’s trying to navigate feelings of both betrayal and beguile toward her lifelong male best friend. Everything in her life pulls from two directions, creating a tug-o-war she isn’t sure to escape.

This story is a quick, short read. It is a bit wordy in places and is a bit long between suspenseful situations.

But…I loved Elaine. She is a bit unpredictable and this kept the story moving for me. Plus, She has a connection to a serial killer! This will definitely keep you captivated! And just wait till the twisted ending…you won’t forget it!

Need a story about guilt and obsession….THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today

I received this novel for a honest review.

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Overview

From USA Today bestselling author Julianne MacLean comes an epic tale of unrequited love that is by turns breathtaking, heartbreaking—and utterly unforgettable.

1946: World War II is over, and Emma Clarkson is poised to take flight. With dreams of attending university, she’s ready to leave behind the wild beauty of Sable Island, the only home she’s ever known. But when a handsome British sea captain is rescued from a nearby shipwreck, her destiny is forever changed.

Emma falls deeply in love with Oliver Harris, but their romance is not meant to be. Oliver returns to the sea, while Emma vows to forget him and pursue her own ambitions. When a handsome veterinarian arrives on the island to study the wild horses, Emma finds love again, but soon discovers that all is not as it seems…

1995: Mourning the death of her beloved grandmother, Joanna Griffin is shocked to learn that her grandfather once loved a young woman named Emma, but lies, betrayals, and catastrophic events separated them forever. As Joanna crosses an ocean to solve the secrets of her grandfather’s past, she learns that love is a powerful force, even mightier than the passage of time…

A shining thread of hope illuminates this epic tale of lost love and fallen dreams, set in the remote splendor of Nova Scotia and spanning decades.

Review

I am usually not a big fan of this author. Some of her books are a bit too sweet for me. But this cover and this setting had me intrigued. And yes, this story is a bit on the sweet side but I enjoyed it! I loved this remote island and these characters!

1995: Mourning the death of her beloved grandmother, Joanna Griffin is shocked to learn that her grandfather once loved a young woman named Emma, but lies, betrayals, and catastrophic events separated them forever. As Joanna crosses an ocean to solve the secrets of her grandfather’s past, she learns that love is a powerful force, even mightier than the passage of time…

Emma and Oliver are definitely star crossed! But oh how I wanted this to change. This story will break your heart and keep you intrigued until the end! There is a lot that happens in these pages and you do not want to miss it!

Need an epic story of lost love…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel for a honest review.

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Overview

This riveting psychological thriller from master of twists Steve Cavanagh, author of the “unguessable and unputdownable” (Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author) Kill For Me, Kill for You, asks: What if the witness was more twisted than the killer?

Something is wrong with Ruby Johnson.

A former resident of the ultra-elite Manhattan upper class, Ruby now works as a maid in the type of houses she used to live in. Unassuming, she sees everyone’s dirty secrets from the inside of their beautiful, renovated brownstones. But when Ruby witnesses a murder, she has wicked plans in mind that don’t involve telling the authorities the truth.

Eddie Flynn, streetwise ex con-artist-turned-defense attorney, is the only lawyer in New York City willing to take on hopeless cases. And none is more hopeless than John Jackson’s—the gun that killed his neighbor found, with Jackson’s DNA, in his own home. Flynn and his unconventional team will need to use every trick they know to keep an innocent man from being locked up. But to save his client’s life, Eddie must first protect his own, as the scariest organized criminals in the city are out for his head.

Review

When Ruby witnesses a murder, she has wicked plans in mind that don’t involve telling the authorities the truth.

Eddie Flynn, streetwise ex con-artist-turned-defense attorney, is the only lawyer in New York City willing to take on hopeless cases. And none is more hopeless than John Jackson’s—the gun that killed his neighbor found, with Jackson’s DNA, in his own home. But to save his client’s life, Eddie must first protect his own, as the scariest organized criminals in the city are out for his head.

Well, I am in the minority on this one. I do have to say, it is full of diversity. I enjoyed that it is part organized crime, law thriller and psychological thriller. But, since the story is ALL THIS, it felt a bit disjointed in places.

I loved Eddie and his intellect. He is one smart lawyer and he takes no prisoners. Now, Ruby, I could have done without. And yes, I know she is a main part of the story. And yes, she is elemental to this tale. I just had a bit of issue with her part of this novel. I think I would have loved this story much better if it was just a law thriller…I know, I know! Like I always say, read this for yourself.

Need a story with a variety of crimes…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

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

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Overview

1956, Malibu, California: Something is not right on Paradise Circle.

With her name on the Hollywood blacklist and her life on hold, starlet Melanie Cole has little choice in company. There is her next-door neighbor, Elwood, but the screenwriter’s agoraphobia allows for just short chats through open windows. He’s her sole confidante, though, as she and her housekeeper, Eva, an immigrant from war-torn Europe, rarely make conversation.

Then one early morning Melanie and Eva spot Elwood’s sister-in-law and caretaker, June, digging in his beloved rose garden. After that they don’t see Elwood at all anymore. Where could a man who never leaves the house possibly have gone?

As they try to find out if something has happened to him, unexpected secrets are revealed among all three women, leading to an alliance that seems the only way for any of them to hold on to what they can still call their own. But it’s a fragile pact and one little spark could send it all up in smoke…

Review

Melanie Cole is on the blacklist in Hollywood, through no fault of her own. Everyone thinks since she is “dating” her costar that she is a communist. So, she has very few friends at the present time, except for her maid, Eva, and her next door neighbor, Elmwood.

Elmwood has agoraphobia and refuses to leave his house. So, when he goes radio silent and his sister-in-law has some strange behavior, it sends up warning signals to Melanie. And she does not take this sitting down…She is all up in June’s business.

This is not your typical Susan Meissner book. This one is missing her emotional kick. But y’all! I still enjoyed it. I loved the characters and I enjoyed the setting of the McCarthy era.

And don’t think that Melanie is just a dumb starlet. She has her moments! Add in Eva’s secrets and June’s lies…and you have a pretty entertaining read!

Need a novel full of secrets and friendships…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

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

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Overview

Indie Next April 2025 Pick • LibraryReads March 2025 Pick

“Brilliant, riveting, so beautifully written, impossible to put down.” —Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Inspired by a true literary mystery, New York Times bestselling author of the mesmerizing The Secret Book of Flora Lea returns with the sweeping story of a legendary book, a lost mother, and a daughter’s search for them both.

In 1927, eight-year-old Clara Harrington’s magical childhood shatters when her mother, renowned author, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham, disappears off the coast of South Carolina. Bronwyn stunned the world with a book written in an invented language that became a national sensation when she was just twelve years old. Her departure leaves behind not only a devoted husband and heartbroken daughter, but also the hope of ever translating the sequel to her landmark work. As the headlines focus on the missing author, Clara yearns for something far deeper and more insatiable: her beautiful mother.

By 1952, Clara is an illustrator raising her own daughter, Wynnie. When a stranger named Charlie Jameson contacts her from London claiming to have discovered a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost language. Clara is skeptical. Compelled by the tragedy of her mother’s vanishing, she crosses the Atlantic with Wynnie only to arrive during one of London’s most deadly natural disasters—the Great Smog. With asthmatic Wynnie in peril, they escape the city with Charlie and find refuge in the Jameson’s family retreat nestled in the Lake District. It is there that Clara must find the courage to uncover the truth about her mother and the story she left behind.

Told in Patti Callahan Henry’s lyrical, enchanting prose, The Story She Left Behind is a captivating novel of mystery and family legacy that captures the profound longing for a mother and the evergreen allure of secrets.

Review

Y’all! This book is pure magic!

By 1952, Clara is an illustrator raising her own daughter, Wynnie. When a stranger named Charlie Jameson contacts her from London claiming to have discovered a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost language. Clara is skeptical. Compelled by the tragedy of her mother’s vanishing, she crosses the Atlantic with Wynnie only to arrive during one of London’s most deadly natural disasters—the Great Smog. With asthmatic Wynnie in peril, they escape the city with Charlie and find refuge in the Jameson’s family retreat nestled in the Lake District.

This story captivated me. It has a little bit of everything…history, mystery, great characters and drama.

I loved Clara! She has great hope even though she fights this hope every day. This is the reason she sails to Europe to hunt for her mother one last time. She has hope!

Now, I don’t want to give anything away. Did I guess it? Yes and no! You will need to read this to find out. But, I swear, every time a new female character was introduced, I was sure it was going to be Clara’s mother.

Need a tale which will have you engrossed from start to finish…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

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

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