reecaspieces

Overview

This Christmas, the Balfour family will have more secrets to unwrap than presents…

Becky is stranded at the airport, so when she bumps into her brother’s best friend, Will, and he suggests they drive home together, Becky reluctantly agrees. For the first time, Becky is dreading Christmas, and only Will knows why. Can she trust him to keep her secret?

Her twin sister, Rosie, married Declan after a whirlwind romance, and now the cracks are starting to appear. Rosie and Declan have agreed to hide their problems from her family, but Rosie’s insecurities are growing. Will this Christmas bring them closer or drive them apart?

Hayley can’t wait for her first Balfour family Christmas with Jamie. The Balfour Christmas traditions sound wonderful, but she’s worried about her place in this close-knit family. Will there be room for her too? And how will they react to the secret she and Jamie have been keeping?

Despite everyone’s best intentions, all the chaos and confusion could derail their normally happy holidays. Can they tell each other the truth in time to enjoy a perfect family Christmas?

Review

This book hit me at a great time. I needed this after some heavy reads. This was perfect!

This Christmas, the Balfour family will have more secrets to unwrap than presents. Despite everyone’s best intentions, all the chaos and confusion could derail their normally happy holidays. Can they tell each other the truth in time to enjoy a perfect family Christmas?

There are quite a few characters in this book. Usually this is a turn off for me. But I loved each and every one.

And then there is the diversity of all the couples. This made the whole book for me. You have Rosie and Declan…complete misunderstanding in their realm. Then there is Becky and Will…pretend romance and you know where this leads. And finally you have Hayley and Jamie…completely sweet and adorable.

Add in the family dynamics with the meddling moms and the outspoken grandmother(my favorite by the way) and you have an adorable Christmas tale that just makes you smile!

Need a good Christmas story with great couples and true to life family dynamics…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

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

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Overview

From New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong comes a nail-biting supernatural horror about a haunted lakeside property and twisted family secrets.

When Samantha Payne’s grandfather dies, she figures she won’t even get a mention in the will. After all, she hasn’t seen him in fourteen years, not since her father took his own life after being accused of murdering a child at their lakefront cottage. Her grandfather always insisted her father was innocent, despite Sam having caught him burying the child’s body, his clothing streaked with blood.

But when she does attend the reading of the will at the behest of her aunt, she discovers that her grandfather left her the very valuable lakefront property where the family cottage sits. There’s one catch: Sam needs to stay in the cottage for a month. To finally face the fact she was wrong and her father was innocent, in her grandfather’s words.

Traveling to Paynes Hollow, Sam is faced with the realities of her childhood and the secrets kept hidden in the shadows of her memories. When her aunt goes missing a couple days into their stay, Sam begins to question everything again. Plagued by nightmares and paranoia, she begins hearing sounds in the forest and seeing shapes crawling from the water as the rippling waves of the lake promise something unspeakably dark lurking just below their surface.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press

Review

Traveling to Paynes Hollow, Sam is faced with the realities of her childhood and the secrets kept hidden in the shadows of her memories. When her aunt goes missing a couple days into their stay, Sam begins to question everything again.

Now this did get a bit weird, especially at the end. And by weird…I mean it turns slightly to the horror side.

However, the intensity just slowly keeps building as this story moves along, especially where Sam is concerned. I loved second guessing her actions.

As a reader, you truly have no idea what is actually going on. Where is Sam’s aunt? Did Sam kill her? What about the past? There are lots of questions. This just adds to the tension. Plus, I enjoyed the creepy feeling throughout this story. (Until it got to the weird part!😜)

Kelley Armstrong is a very diverse writer. So the ending of this tale did not really surprise me with the unique turn..but then again it did. You need to read this to find out.

The narrator, EJ Lavery, is a good one.

Need a fast paced thriller that has a bit of a horror feel…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

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

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Overview

Love in the Time of Serial Killers meets The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window in this delightful romp about a recently broke divorcee who moves in with her house-bound mother only to spend their days spying on her grumpy, mysterious, and sexy new neighbor.

Zona never thought her life was headed this way, but here she is, newly divorced and moving back in with her mom, Louise. After her gambling addicted ex-husband lost all of their savings, including their daughter’s college fund, she doesn’t really have a choice. She’s cutting every coupon she can and she’s going to help put her daughter through nursing school, even if it kills her.

This wasn’t Louise’s plan, either, laid up at home with a broken leg after one unfortunate tumble on the senior singles cruise she’d been looking forward to for months. But if she’s going to spend all her time at home, at least she’s got her daughter there with her. And there’s some hot new eye candy next door to distract them both from their troubles. He appears to be single and just around Zona’s age. Could his arrival be the universe making amends for everything it’s put her through?

Maybe the universe isn’t feeling as generous as Louise hoped. There’s something lurking under that mans surface charm, something…dangerous? And who’s the woman they can hear him in all-out shouting matches with on the other side of the fence? When the woman seems to disappear without a trace, imaginations run wild. Or at least, Zona hopes it’s just her mother’s imagination…

Review

Zona has had to move back in with her mother, Louise. She never planned on her life falling apart the way that it has. Her ex husband gambled all of their finances away and now Zona is trying to rebuild. Louise, on the other hand, is laid up at home after a fall on a singles cruise. And boy does this lead to some snooping and completely off base assumptions.

Zona is someone that tries so hard to do the right thing but life just keeps knocking her down. But to her credit, she just keeps getting right back up and fighting. Louise on the other hand…she tickled the mess out of me. She is every older lady in my home town…all up in someone’s business.

These two ladies along with Zona’s daughter Bree and Louise’s caretaker end up spying on the grumpy man next door, Alec. And don’t think this didn’t lead to some hilarious confrontations.

Now, this book started a bit slow. But I loved these characters. Add in the mystery, romance, and funny antics and you have a good tale to get you through the day.

The narrator, Courtney Patterson, nailed these characters, especially Louise!

Need a cute tale with great characters…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

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

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Chirp

Overview

Sobering, meticulously researched, and emotionally raw.” —BookLife Reviews (Publisher’s Weekly) – Editor’s Pick

“A piercing and detailed look at a lesser-known aspect of the Second World War.” — Kirkus Reviews

Before Auschwitz, before the gas chambers, there was Ponary—a forest outside Vilnius where 75,000 Jews were executed during World War II. In the beginning, the killers weren’t the Nazis. They were neighbors. From Malice to Ashes: is a haunting historical novel that reveals one of the Holocaust’s earliest and most overlooked atrocities—the Ponary Massacre in Lithuania—where local militias carried out mass murder while SS officers stood by and took notes.

Olek Kosmen, a young Jewish man, becomes an unwilling eyewitness and chronicler. Hiding in the woods, he secretly records the horrors in a journal—until he’s captured and forced into the “Burning Brigade,” a prisoner unit ordered to exhume and destroy the bodies to hide the crime. Meanwhile, his fiancée escapes to neutral Sweden, and her family is exiled to the frozen gulags of Siberia. Their survival depends on impossible choices—and an escape tunnel dug with bare hands beneath a mass grave. Meticulously researched and deeply moving, this story is not just a look back at history—it’s a warning. In an age when antisemitism is once again on the rise, From Malice to Ashes reminds us what happens when hatred goes unchallenged and silence becomes complicity.

Review

Olek Kosmen, a young Jewish man, becomes an unwilling eyewitness and chronicler of the Ponary massacre. Meanwhile, his fiancée escapes to neutral Sweden, and her family is exiled to the frozen gulags of Siberia. Their survival depends on impossible choices.

One of the main things I loved about this book was the setting. The setting is not Germany or England as with most of the WWII novels. This is set in Lithuania and Siberia. I found this unique. But the tragic circumstances are the same. And this author brings those front and center.

I will say, some of the conversations were a bit “canned” and it is a bit wordy in places. But the intensity just keeps building.

This is a moving story that will break your heart but shows true resilience and strength.

The narrator, Matt Strong, did a good job. He did keep the story moving smoothly. I do believe the conversations in certain areas were the issue for me.

Need a unique WWII novel…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

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

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Overview

Tis the season for a little white lie…

Christmas has always been single mom Holly Goodwin Moore’s favorite time of year. The twinkly lights on the tree, the cookies in the oven, the snow on the ground. But she’s just not feeling it this year. The wedding in her ex’s family is almost here, her daughter, Lydia, is bursting at the seams to be a flower girl…and Holly couldn’t be dreading it more. She told a little white lie about having a new boyfriend as her plus-one, hoping to save face. She needs a date for the wedding…and she needs it now.

Ryan Caldwell wants to be free this holiday season. So even he isn’t sure how he landed in Shelter Springs, looking after his niece, Audrey, with his estranged father down the road. But when he meets Holly, she makes him want to belong for the very first time. So they make a deal: he’ll be her date if she’ll help him give Audrey a true Christmas to remember while her mom is away.

Review

Ryan is a naval helicopter pilot living in San Diego. He has been on desk duty because of an injury. So, when his sister called him and said she needs help, he heads to Shelter Springs.

Well y’all! This book will put you in the Christmas spirit! This is a heartwarming tale that is down to earth.

This story has some great characters and I fell hard for Ryan! He is the perfect amount of tough and sweet. I loved his thoughtfulness and his interactions with Lydia and Holly. Lydia is the special needs daughter of Holly. These two change Ryan for the better…if that is even possible.

If you follow me at all you know one of my pet peeves in an audiobook is the child’s voice. It is very difficult for a narrator to get this right and not sound like an idiot. 🤦🏻‍♀️. But, Vanessa Johansson, (one of my favs!) is excellent at the voice of Lydia. Kudos!

Need a jingle of a tale to get you in a wonderful Christmas mood…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

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

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