Caribbean-island innkeeper Holly Walker is hunkering down against a monster hurricane. Unfortunately, so is player Lord Anthony Bascombe, a man who excuses his bad behavior by saying he is descended from pirates. Then her grown son, Byron, and his father, Montez—the man she’s never stopped wanting—go missing. Will she ever see them again? What about the many others hurt and dying? And will help ever arrive? With each passing day, Holly’s tumultuous past and the epic storm send her hurtling toward a shattering climax that will change the island—and Holly’s life—forever.
Review
Holly owns an inn on Turks and Caicos. Her world is basically consumed with all the logistics. So, when a hurricane has its eye on her whole world, she refuses to evacuate. When her ex and her son Byron go missing, Holly’s world is turned upside down and she is afraid it will never be the same again.
This is a very atmospheric novel. The setting is amazing. I could just picture all the surrounding beauty. But, this novel just has a bit of hum-drum, everyday details. It is a good read and it is action packed in places, especially when the hurricane hits. It just took a while to get there. I did enjoy the fact that it is a quick read. And sometimes you just need a good, quick story to get you through the week.
Need a good tale about Turks and Caicos…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
In The Last Drop of Hemlock, the dazzling follow up to Last Call at the Nightingale, even a dance can come with a price…
The rumor went through the Nightingale like a flood, quietly rising, whispers hovering on lips in pockets of silence.
Life as a working-class girl in Prohibition-era New York isn’t safe or easy. But Vivian Kelly has a new job at the Nightingale, an underground speakeasy where the jazz is hot and the employees look out for each other in a world that doesn’t care about them. Things are finally looking up for her and her sister Florence… until the night Vivian learns that her friend Bea’s uncle, a bouncer at the Nightingale, has died.
His death is ruled a suicide, but Bea isn’t so convinced. She knew her uncle was keeping a secret: a payoff from a mob boss that was going to take him out of the tenements and into a better life. Now, the money is missing.
Though her better judgment tells her to stay out of it, Vivian agrees to help Bea find the truth about her uncle’s death. But they uncover more than they expected when rumors surface of a mysterious letter writer, blackmailing Vivian’s poorest neighbors for their most valuable possessions, threatening poison if they don’t comply.
Death is always a heartbeat away in Jazz Age New York, where mob bosses rule the back alleys and cops take bootleggers’ hush money. But whoever is targeting Vivian’s poor and unprotected neighbors is playing a different game. With the Nightingale’s dangerously lovely owner, Honor, worried for her employees’ safety and Bea determined to discover who is responsible for her uncle’s death, Vivian once again finds herself digging through a dead man’s past in hopes of stopping a killer.
Review
Bea’s uncle has died. It has been ruled a suicide. But, Bea has her suspicions. She and her best friend, Vivian decide to investigate. They discover more than they bargained for. A blackmail scheme is occurring in their poor neighborhood. The scheme is designed to rob their neighbors of what little they have and threatening their lives with poison if they don’t comply.
I enjoyed the setting of prohibition and the speak easy, The Nightingale. There are a bunch of characters and this led to a bit of confusion in places. But the story moves quickly and is pretty intriguing!
The narrator, Sara Young, is wonderful. She did a great job with all the characters…even when she had to drunk sing in a scene.
Need a quick, atmospheric mystery…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
For fans of fast-paced historical thrillers like Our Woman in Moscow and The Rose Code, Kelly Rimmer’s dramatic new novel follows two female SOE operatives whose lives will be determined by a double agent in their midst.
Twenty-five years after the end of the war, Noah Ainsworth is still preoccupied with those perilous, exhilarating years as a British SOE operative in France. A head injury sustained on his final operation has caused frustrating gaps in his memory—in particular about the agent who saved his life during that mission gone wrong, whose real name he never knew, nor whether she even survived the war.
Moved by her father’s frustration, Noah’s daughter Charlotte begins a search for answers that resurrects the stories of Chloe and Fleur, the code names for two otherwise ordinary women whose lives intersect in 1943 when they’re called up by the SOE for deployment in France. Taking enormous risks to support the allied troops with very little information or resources, the women have no idea they’re at the mercy of a double agent among them who’s causing chaos within the French circuits, whose efforts will affect the outcome of their lives…and the war.
But as Charlotte’s search for answers bears fruit, overlooked clues come to light about the identity of the double agent—with unsettling hints pointing close to home—and more shocking events are unearthed from the dangerous, dramatic last days of the war that lead to Chloe and Fleur’s eventual fates.
Review
Noah Ainsworth served in WWII as an SOE operative. But his family thinks he was an airplane mechanic. After his wife dies, Noah mentions to his beloved daughter, Charlotte, about his secret life as an agent. He wants to find the operative which saved his life. He wants to thank him, because without him, Noah would have never had this wonderful life. But, this opens more than one can of worms and Noah is having severe issues with his memories.
This is one of my “go to” authors. I love her novels. This one is not my favorite(my favorite is Truths I Never Told You) but it is still a wonderful read. I loved the chase, or the quest for the person which saved Noah’s life. All the secrets start to unfold and and unveil some unique situations that Noah is not very inclined to remember.
This is told in two separate time periods, WWII and the 1970s. I enjoyed the 1970s section much more than the war section…GASP! I know. This is so unlike me. This is probably why this is more of a 4 star instead of a 5 star read for me. The part during the war is a bit anticipated and expected. However, the search leads to some more secrets which keep this story moving along….secrets, secrets and more secrets…makes the world go around!
Need a very good WWII spy novel…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
Four women from Haiti, St. Thomas, and Guam meet at a college counseling session for first-year students and learn they have a shared history of abuse. Dubbing themselves the “island sisters,” their unyielding friendship is their touchstone across oceans, through labyrinths of forced marriages and violent men, motherhood, and their dreams of freedom.
Strong-willed and hot-headed Monique, quiet and romantic Cecilia, devout Lanei, and determined Ella are four friends who seem to makeup for what the other lacks. But no matter what is happening in their lives or the struggles they face, they share an unbreakable bond of friendship that serves as their anchor, helping and supporting each other through and through.
To succeed, each woman must make choices that will challenge her long-held cultural beliefs, choices that will come with consequences, in the pursuit of her own individual freedom.
An empowering narrative told from alternating perspectives of each friend, Micki Berthelot Morency has crafted four remarkable and hard-to-forget women whose fates are bound together by culture, by history, and most importantly, by a deep, irrevocable friendship. Heartfelt and deeply moving, THE ISLAND SISTERS is an important story about hope and determination.
Review
Four women who find strength in their friendships. Each woman face challenges beyond belief but they thrive on each other and their determination is above and beyond.
These four ladies, Monique, Cecilia, Lanei, and Ella are lifetime friends. They are very different and approach life in different ways. But they are each knocked down and they struggle but they all succeed. Now, this book has some major traumas. So, be aware, there are some triggers. I could not stop reading to find out what happens.
Now, this book has some issues. It is a bit jumbled and the conversations are a bit canned. But, this is minor. The story itself is something everyone should read. It is about courage and hope!
Need an emotional story…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the author for a honest review.
“Patti Murin offers a fun, vivacious performance of this lively romance…with steady pacing and a believable narration, this romance will charm listeners.”- AudioFile Magazine
This program includes an author’s note and supplementary materials read by the author.
Love isn’t blind, it’s just a little blurry.
Sadie Montgomery never saw what was coming . . . Literally! One minute she’s celebrating the biggest achievement of her life—placing as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition—the next she’s lying in a hospital bed diagnosed with a “probably temporary” condition known as face blindness. She can see, but every face she looks at is now a jumbled puzzle of disconnected features. Imagine trying to read a book upside down and in another language. This is Sadie’s new reality.
But, as she struggles to cope, hang on to her artistic dream, work through major family issues, and take care of her beloved dog, Peanut, she falls in love—not with one man but two. The timing couldn’t be worse.
Making judgment calls on anything right now is a nightmare. If only her life were a little more in focus, Sadie might be able to have it all.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.
Review
Sadie really wants to stand on her own two feet. But, she is having some terrible difficulties. She thinks her life is looking up. She has been selected as a finalist in a major art portrait competition. Then she wakes up in the hospital with a major brain abnormality. She has to have brain surgery. And this leaves her with face blindness. No way can she compete if she cannot see faces!
This book has some of the best characters (as do all her books)! Sadie has flaws but she is struggling to do her best. Life just keeps knocking her down. Then there is her sweet 14 year old dog named Peanut. Enter veterinarian, Dr. Oliver Addison. He is a good-looking guy that goes out of his way to help Sadie. But, as you can guess, there is a little bit of confusion in places!
I have been a fan of this author since I read my very first book. And I love this one just as much as How To Walk Away! This author can just transport me into her stories and keep me there.
This book is more than just a romance. It is a story about strength and courage. Sadie’s perseverance is amazing. And the research that went into this affliction is incredible. Katherine Center has done it again!
Need an adorable story to get you through the day….THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
In this sparkling debut rom-com, a perpetually single podcaster has to break all of her own dating rules.
Margo Anderson is sworn off commitment.Alongside her best friend Jo, she runs a viral podcast laying down the ground rules for hooking up without catching feelings. So when Jo takes up a sponsor’s offer to host an all-expenses-paid wedding on Catalina Island, they have the whole internet to answer to.
In a scramble for content to appease their disappointed listeners, Margo cooks up a social experiment: break all her own dating rules, just to prove to everyone that it’s a bad idea. All she needs now is someone to break them with, and thanks to the wedding, she’s found the best man for the job. Declan Walsh is about as smug and annoying as he was in high school, though he’s maybe a bit easier on the eyes than Margo remembered. More importantly, there is no chance she’d ever catch feelings for him.
The more time they spend together through cake tastings and photoshoots, the more Declan sees past all the filters. As the wedding looms ever closer, the careful façade Margo wears for social media starts to chip away. There’s just one problem: she’s not sure anyone’s going to like what they find underneath.
Review
Margo and her best friend, Jo are successful podcasters and Instagram influencers. They do a podcast about hooking up but with no entanglements. Then, Jo breaks all the rules and decides to get married. Margo is the maid of honor, of course. But the best man is her nemesis from high school, Declan. He is much better looking than Margo remembers but she will never forget how awful he was to her in high school….or will she?!?!
These characters are a hoot and heat up the pages nicely. Declan is an old fashioned nerd and Margo is a tech savvy podcaster. These two do not seem to have much in common except for a past! Margo has a beef against Declan. She remembers it all very well, all the high school pranks! But, honestly, Declan doesn’t exactly remember it the way Margo does. So, there is quite a bit of miscommunication…up until there is not and then sparks fly!
I needed this escape. This hit me at just the right time. I needed a book which took me away with ease. And this one fit the bill!
Need a cute rom-com for the vacation…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
Lights, camera, action in bestselling author David Rosenfelt’s Flop Dead Gorgeous, as Andy Carpenter goes bicoastal to prove an old friend’s innocence.
Retired lawyer Andy Carpenter remembers every dog that’s come through the Tara Foundation’s doors, but the most well-known alum of the dog rescue organization that Andy founded in Paterson, New Jersey, may be Mamie. Adopted by famous actress Jenny Nichols—Andy’s high school girlfriend—the miniature French poodle is now practically a starlet in her own right.
Andy doesn’t hold it against his friend. In fact, he and his wife, Laurie, have dinner with Jenny while she’s in town filming her next big hit. But after an eventful meal, there’s a plot twist the next morning that none of them see coming: Jenny’s costar is found dead, a knife in his back. It’s not long before Jenny is arrested for the murder and finds herself in need of Andy’s legal services.
While Mamie becomes reacquainted with Tara, Andy’s golden retriever, Andy digs into the lives of the rich and famous.
Review
Andy is a retired lawyer and an animal rescuer. When his old high school girlfriend, Jenny, comes to town to film a movie, he invites her to have dinner with him and his wife. Things do not go as planned. Jenny’s costar is found dead and Jenny is arrested for his murder. So, Andy comes out of retirement to save his friend.
I have never read this series. And I just might have to go back and pick a few up. I enjoyed how quickly this tale moved and the characters were fabulous. It is a bit predictable and simple but that just added to the charm! And there are definitely places that had me giggling in my chair!
And the dogs are such a treat! I wonder if the author has visited my house and decided to use Peanut and Lulu as characters!
Need a quick, laugh out loud mystery…THIS IS IT!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
In the thick of the Cold War, a betrayal at the highest level risks the lives of two courageous female spies: MI6’s best Soviet agent and the CIA’s newest Moscow recruit.
Vienna, 1954
After losing everyone she loves in the final days of World War II, Ingrid Bauer agrees to a hasty marriage with a gentle Soviet embassy worker and follows him home to Moscow. But nothing within the Soviet Union’s totalitarian regime is what it seems, including her new husband, whom Ingrid suspects works for the KGB. Inspired by her daughter’s birth, Ingrid risks everything and reaches out in hope to the one country she understands and trusts—Britain, the country of her mother’s birth. She begins passing intelligence to MI6, navigating a world of secrets and lies, light and shadow.
Moscow, 1980
A student in the Foreign Studies Initiative, Anya Kadinova finishes her degree at Georgetown University and boards a flight home to Moscow, leaving behind the man she loves and a country she’s grown to respect. Though raised by dedicated and loyal Soviet parents, Anya soon questions an increasingly oppressive and paranoid regime at the height of the Cold War. Then the KGB murders her best friend and Anya chooses her side. Working in a military research lab, she relays Soviet plans and schematics to the CIA in an effort to end the 1980s arms race.
The past catches up to the present when an unprecedented act of treachery threatens all agents operating within Eastern Europe, and both Ingrid and Anya find themselves in a race for their lives against time and the KGB.
“Eloquently portrays the incredible contributions of women in history, the extraordinary depths of love, and, perhaps most important, the true cost of freedom.” —Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Veil
Review
Anya is a student at Georgetown University. She is sent by Russia under the Foreign Studies Initiative. When she graduates, she must leave the man she loves and begin her career in Russia. Life begins to deteriorate for Anya when her best friend is killed by the KGB. She reaches out to a contact from her Georgetown days and this begins her life as an informant to the CIA.
I don’t think I have ever read a novel that begins in college. Most operatives are a bit older and established in life. Anya is just a young girl but she faces so many challenges. As she grows older, her eyes are opened by many things and she refuses to take it lying down.
I have not had a Cold War novel in quite a while. This book hit all the marks! The intrigue, the characters, the mystery and the chase are worthy of an award! I also enjoyed learning about some of the rules and regulations in Russia. Plus, the way people lived within the constraints of the KGB was very fascinating.
The narrators of this tale are Saskia Maarleveld and Lisa Flanagan. They are a fabulous tag team and just did an excellent job. I have listened to several other books by each of these narrators and they are pros!
Need a fabulous, Cold War thriller…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
Money and fame: in 1970s Los Angeles, everyone is fighting to reach the top, but very few have the talent, ambition, and luck to get there.
Meet LA darling Evra Scott. The daughter of an Oscar-winning director and a Brazilian bombshell actress, Evra is the city’s reigning style queen. By day, she’s at the helm of Sunset on Sunset, the store beloved by Hollywood’s young and beautiful. By night, she’s on the arm of Kai de la Faire, Hawaii’s hottest export, and the screenwriter of the moment.
Enter Theodora Leigh. The twenty-something Paramount assistant looks like a big screen star, but her sights are firmly set behind the scenes, as she fights to become a movie producer in a town where sex and sexism sell. Theodora’s got the talent and instincts, but she’s not willing to wait. Luckily, getting ahead by any means necessary is LA’s mantra.
Observing it all is Bea Dupont, a photographer for Rolling Stone and Vogue, who never misses the party, but always keeps to its fringes. A Manhattan blue blood turned West Coast bohemian, Bea holds Evra’s Sunset crowd together. She’s also Kai’s oldest friend, and she’s harbored a not-so-secret flame for him since they met at an elite Swiss boarding school.
But in Hollywood, no one stays on top forever. And it’s not long before Theodora’s unrelenting ambition sets in motion a dramatic quest for power in an industry that is as glamorous as it is duplicitous. From Rodeo Drive to the French Riviera, The Sunset Crowd is a tale of survival and reinvention, of faking it until you make it, and the glittering appeal of success and stardom, as it seeks to answer that timeless question—who gets to have the American dream?
Review
Evra and Kai are the hottest couple in Hollywood. Then there is Theodora. She is a “want to be” producer and she knows just which buttons to push to get it done. Add in Bea. Bea is a photographer for Rolling Stones magazine. And she is just taking in all the limelight and extra curricular activities. But, she secretly harbors a love for Kai! So where does this lead???
This book has a very slow start. I almost ditched it. But then I remembered reading this author’s other book, A Woman of Intelligence , and so, I kept going. I am glad I did! I found these characters completely insane, entertaining, weasels! Every single one. Talk about flawed! This whole book is full of real life people making real life mistakes and bad choices.
I found this novel fascinating in many places. I did figure out Theodora. But she is definitely a character which MADE this book for me. Everyone knows a Theodora. Maybe not to this extent…but we all know someone like her! That is what makes this author’s books for me. Her characters are always someone I know. And trust me…you will know them too.
The narrator, Sarah Molly-Christensen, really kept this book moving. I will be honest, I might have dnf-ed it if not for an audiobook.
Need a book which will have your cringing…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
For decades, the Campbell women have reunited at the family’s rambling seaside cottage known as Beech House to celebrate life’s many occasions. But this year, they will be called back to Martha’s Vineyard for a celebration of a different sort: their beloved matriarch Cora is getting remarried. And all the town gossips are calling him the one who got away, years ago…
For renowned chef Mickey Campbell, this wedding isn’t just a welcome excuse to return to the place she first learned to cook at her grandmother’s side. It’s also a chance to regroup while she figures out a way to tell her smoldering head chef boyfriend that she’s mismanaged their restaurant into the red.
Mickey’s mother, Hedy, is still mourning the passing of her adored father three years earlier, and she isn’t sure she’s ready to welcome a new man into the fold—and she’s not certain her own thorny relationship with her mother will weather the storm of her upcoming marriage.
But everyone knows a woman’s heart holds more than meets the eye. For Cora, drawing her daughter and granddaughter back to Beech House isn’t just about a ceremony, but a chance to reveal a history she has kept close to her heart for decades. As the days leading up to the wedding unfold, secrets of Cora’s past come to light– a secret that will cause three generations of Campbell women to question marriage, motherhood, and ultimately learn to savor the delicious joy of following your own heart.
Told in dual timelines on the sumptuous beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, OUR PLACE ON THE ISLAND is the sparkling, romantic read of the season.
Review
Mickey has been a chef her whole life. She learned at her grandmother, Cora’s, side. She now owns a fabulous restaurant that gets great reviews. But Mickey’s management has not been on par and now the restaurant is failing. She is too chicken to tell her boyfriend/chef. So she takes her mother, Hedy, up on the offer to head to their beach house for her grandmother’s wedding. But this is a time full of change. Mickey is not sure she is up to all these challenges. And when her boyfriend shows up, she knows it’s time to fess up and come clean.
Even though Mickey is lying through her teeth via omission, I really enjoyed her. She knows she has got to do something about her situation. Then there is Cora and Hedy. They clash when they are together but as the story begins to unfold there is a lot that needs to be said and these two begin to heal some old wounds.
This story is full of family secrets and great characters. And I just love the setting of this beach house and all the drama! And how these ladies come together to help each other adds so much charm! Add in the romances for all three ladies and you have a delicious escape.
Need a sweet, romance for the poolside…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
reecaspieces 