Category: Book Reviews

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Book Review: Summer Season on the Seafront by Katie Ginger

Summer Season on the Seafront

by Katie Ginger

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA / B&N

The Greenley Players are back practicing their Shakespeare and, as usual, things aren’t going to plan.

Sarah Powell is fed up with her sad single status and when her estranged father walks back into her life things get even worse. Can dishy doctor Finn MacDonald mend her broken heart and help her figure things out?

TV star, Nate Hardy’s career is going from strength to strength until his performance is interrupted and he has to flee the West End to hide away in Greenley. Will he ever get his career back on track or will Sarah and the rest of Greenley’s madcap residents capture his heart forever?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Sarah sent Lottie the SOS message. For her and Lottie, SOS meant Sort of Scared. Which she was, on several fronts. Dean’s capacity for consuming Chinese food verged on the terrifying and knowing that if the date continued he may well expect a kiss at some point filled Sarah with the sort of fear she hadn’t experienced since watching Chucky as a kid.

 

Today had been hotter than Satan’s underpants.

 

Sarah hid behind her menu for a moment to regain her composure thinking about something completely un-sexy like Donald Trump… She popped her head back up and stopped picturing Trump ’s strange wig-like hair and Oompa Loompa face.

 

He had a nice mouth and she’d always imagined his kisses would be soft and gentle, and not like having a sink plunger attached to her face, which she had, unfortunately, experienced before.

 

My Review:

 

This was a fun and witty rom-com with a few heart-squeezing issues and a side order of stubbornness. I enjoyed Ms. Ginger’s crisp writing style, it was brightly entertaining and easy to follow yet pleasantly engaging and wryly amusing.   Her characters were endearingly quirky and humorously detailed. This was my first exposure to the author, who was quickly added to my new favorites list. And it has been a while since I’ve had an addition to my Brit Word List and Ms. Ginger has provided me with dustman – which is a garbage collector, and squiffy – which is slightly drunk (and oh, so, fun to say).

About The Author

KATIE GINGER lives in the South East of England, by the sea, and apart from holidays to very hot places where you can sit by a pool and drink cocktails as big your head, she wouldn’t really want to be anywhere else. Summer Season on the Seafront is Katie’s second novel. Her debut novel The Little Theatre on the Seafront was shortlisted for the Katie Fforde Debut Novel of the Year award. She is also the author of some cozy mystery short stories. Katie loves making her characters either fall in love, or killing them off – it depends on her mood!

When she’s not writing, Katie spends her time drinking gin, or with her husband, trying to keep alive her two children: Ellie, who believes everything in life should be done as a musical number from a West End show; and Sam, who is basically a monkey with a boy’s face. And there’s also their adorable King Charles Spaniel, Wotsit (yes, he is named after the crisps!).

For more about Katie, you can visit her website: www.keginger.com, find her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KatieGAuthor, or follow her on Twitter: @KatieGAuthor

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Book Review: Valencia and Valentine by Suzy Krause

Valencia and Valentine

by Suzy Krause

Hardcover: 254 Pages

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (June 1, 2019)

For readers of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, debut author Suzy Krause delivers a quirky, colorful story about love, loss, second chances, and what it means to truly live.

Valencia, a timid debt collector with crippling OCD, is afraid of many things, but the two that scare her most are flying and turning thirty-five. To confront those fears, Valencia’s therapist suggests that she fly somewhere—anywhere—before her upcoming birthday. And as Valencia begins a telephone romance with a man from New York, she suddenly has a destination in mind. There’s only one problem—he might not actually exist.

Mrs. Valentine is an eccentric old woman desperate for company, be it from neighbors, telemarketers, or even the funeral director (when you’re her age, you go to a lot of funerals). So she’s thrilled when the new cleaning girl provides a listening ear for her life’s story—a tale of storybook love and incredible adventures around the world with her husband before his mysterious and sudden disappearance.

The stories of Valencia and Mrs. Valentine may at first appear to have nothing in common…but then again, nothing in life is as straightforward as it seems.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She’s not dying, technically, but she’s old enough that if she keeps living, it’ll start surprising people. She’s eighty-seven years old—but she’s a young eighty-seven. She’s more like an eighty-six.

 

Everyone has ulterior motives. When an evil person has ulterior motives, it’s called scheming. When a good person has ulterior motives, it’s called planning. Mrs. Valentine is planning.

 

When I was your age, Anna, I always said I’d do everything later. I can’t tell you what an odd day that was, when I woke up and realized it was later. And now I’m living in the part that comes after. There’s a part after later, where almost everyone else is dead and you’re just killing time, and it’s … odd.

 

This was a drastic leap in logic, but Valencia was very good at this kind of leaping; it was her only claim to athleticism.

 

That’s how it is when you’re in your thirties; birthdays aren’t important anymore because everyone has gotten over the initial excitement of your basic existence. You’re old news.

 

Time had never done anything but crawl for Valencia; it had never even walked before (she had, at points, wondered if it had lain down and died). This new speed was exhilarating.

 

“It’s kind of a dumb hobby, but you need a good, dumb, eccentric hobby, I think. I heard somewhere that eccentric people live longer.” “Okay,” said Valencia, picturing her own life stretching on and on ahead of her, even more vast and endless than she had previously supposed. I’m so eccentric I might be immortal, she thought miserably.

My Review:

 

It took me several chapters to settle into this tale, as it was oddly paced and at times a bit tedious when minutely detailing Valencia’s irrational, delusional and catastrophic fears and beliefs as she spiraled into panic attacks which involved worse case scenarios and epic disasters. However, that was merely setting the stage for the cleverness and well-crafted storylines to come. Ms. Krause’s writing was often bitingly witty and profoundly insightful with frequent lashings of brilliance. I had four solid pages of highlights and favorite quotes and it was rather painful to pare them down. But what staggered and astounded me was the realization that this wryly written and cleverly conjured book was the author’s debut. Impressive!

About the Author

Suzy Krause is a Canadian writer and music lover. Like Valencia, she has worked as a debt collector, and like Mrs. Valentine, she likes to tell stories. She writes about her life at www.suzykrause.com. Valencia and Valentine is her first novel.

Connect with Suzy

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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Book Review: Gimme Some Sugar (Sex & Sweet Tea, Book #5) by Juliette Poe

Gimme Some Sugar (Sex & Sweet Tea, Book #5)
by Juliette Poe
Release Date: June 11, 2019

Synopsis:

Larkin Mancinkus prides herself on making the town of Whynot, North Carolina just a little sweeter. As owner of Sweet Cakes Bakery, Larkin gets all the town gossip – the sugar, the spice, and the everything not so nice. So when she finds herself on the tip of everyone’s tongue thanks to an encounter with a mysterious and handsome stranger, she learns the true meaning of ‘if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.’

Deacon Locke has spent his life traveling the world with no particular destination in mind. But when he rolls into Whynot on his Harley, he just knows there is something different about this town. What he doesn’t know is that out of all the places he’s traveled and all the people he’s met, the gorgeous bakery owner might just entice him to put down some solid roots.

Come on down to see what’s cookin’ between Larkin and Deacon!

Add Gimme Some Sugar to Goodreads!

Amazon | Nook | Apple | Google | Kobo | Paperback
** All books in the Sex & Sweet Tea series can be read as standalones, but if you’d like to start at the beginning, Ain’t He Precious? (Sex & Sweet Tea, Book #1) is #FREE for a limited time! **

Download Ain’t He Precious?
(Sex & Sweet Tea, Book #1) for FREE:
Amazon | Nook | Apple | Google | Kobo
.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

But the heart wants what the heart wants, and when it starts making you want something you shouldn’t have, then it can make you stupid.

But I didn’t get you anything,” she murmurs guiltily… So? That’s like the biggest breach of etiquette a Southern girl can have. To fail to get a gift for a momentous occasion, then it adds insult to injury when a gift is given to her without it being expected. It’s totally romantic and swoony, and I cannot reconcile these feelings of guilt and inadequacy with the overwhelming need to snatch that out of your hand to see what you so thoughtfully got me.

I make a clucking sound in the back of my throat, realizing I sound just like my mom when she disapproves of something. That thought horrifies me, so I cough to clear it out.

I’ve never even thought about having kids. Don’t know much about them. The few I’ve been around have been loud and sticky.

My Review:

This was my first experience reading Juliette Poe, the alter ego of Sawyer Bennett and I am happy to report it was an amusing and effortless read despite being the fifth book in a sweet small-town series, although I now have four more books idling on my TBR as a result. Funny how that keeps happening. I adored this couple. Larkin was the last of her siblings still single, she was a bit pudgy, somewhat timid, and self-conscious small-town baker with deep family roots and a side order of southern sass. Deacon he was a sexy prior Marine turned nomad on a Harley who carried himself with confidence and worked whenever and where ever he pleased. It was a case of opposites attract with humor and sizzle with quirky small-town characters and an active and flourishing Gossip Mill to keep everyone up to date.

About the Author:

Juliette Poe is the sweet and swoony alter ego of New York Times Best Selling author, Sawyer Bennett.

A fun-loving southern girl, Juliette knows the allure of sweet tea, small towns, and long summer nights, that some of the best dates end sitting on the front porch swing, and that family is top priority. She brings love in the south to life in her debut series, Sex & Sweet Tea.

When Juliette isn’t delivering the sweetest kind of romance, she’s teaching her southern belle daughter the fine art of fishing, the importance of wearing Chucks, and the endless possibilities of a vivid imagination.

Connect with Juliette:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Newsletter
.

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Book Review: Montauk by Nicola Harrison

Montauk

by Nicola Harrison

 

Montauk, Long Island, 1938. 
For three months, this humble fishing village will serve as the playground for New York City’s wealthy elite. Beatrice Bordeaux was looking forward to a summer of reigniting the passion between her and her husband, Harry. Instead, tasked with furthering his investment interest in Montauk as a resort destination, she learns she’ll be spending twelve weeks sequestered with the high society wives at The Montauk Manor—a two-hundred room seaside hotel—while Harry pursues other interests in the city.
College educated, but raised a modest country girl in Pennsylvania, Bea has never felt fully comfortable among these privileged women, whose days are devoted not to their children but to leisure activities and charities that seemingly benefit no one but themselves. She longs to be a mother herself, as well as a loving wife, but after five years of marriage she remains childless while Harry is increasingly remote and distracted. Despite lavish parties at the Manor and the Yacht Club, Bea is lost and lonely and befriends the manor’s laundress whose work ethic and family life stir memories of who she once was.
As she drifts further from the society women and their preoccupations and closer toward Montauk’s natural beauty and community spirit, Bea finds herself drawn to a man nothing like her husband –stoic, plain spoken and enigmatic. Inspiring a strength and courage she had almost forgotten, his presence forces her to face a haunting tragedy of her past and question her future.
Desperate to embrace moments of happiness, no matter how fleeting, she soon discovers that such moments may be all she has, when fates conspire to tear her world apart…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

As we drove up the tight and winding road, tree branches reached overhead toward each other like lovers’ hands desperate to connect…

 

I’d felt paranoid that everyone already knew about Harry’s philandering. How could they not? Women talked and Harry, apparently, was about as discreet with his affairs as a pack of rats going through a dumpster.

 

Sometimes I yearned for that forever feeling—those hours that stretched into days and days into a week, without a thought for tomorrow. It was simple then. We wore swimsuits all day long and we slept long and deeply at night, eager for it all to start again the next day, never thinking for a second that another day wouldn’t come.

 

“What’s important in situations like these is that you find a way to relax and nature will most certainly take its course.” … He jotted these thoughts down on a prescription pad, tore off the page and handed it to me. “Take this seriously,” he said. “It’s your duty to your husband and to America.”

 

As a kid anything seemed possible; in the real world, though, nothing was. Youth gave us an inflated sense of possibility, that you could achieve anything if you really went for it, but it felt as if you’d have to fight your whole life to get there, and most of us just got married and had children.

 

My Review:

 

This beautifully written story was taut with tension and kept me on edge while I was mesmerized by the lushly descriptive and enticing writing style.   The storylines were wincingly well crafted and easily believable. This emotive tale upended me, I was quickly sucked into a confining and misogynistic 1938 vortex, something I would typically avoid – but not this time – I couldn’t put it down. I am totally in awe; this debut author has major skills and a bright future ahead.

 

Lies, deceit, rampant infidelities, and the petty dramas of social climbing women marked the days and nights of the betrayed and deeply disappointed Beatrice, and in many ways, she was just as tarnished and culpable as the rest, although she saw the hypocrisy and at least felt some guilt about it.   Apparently the entitled wealthy and social elite still existed and lived quite well throughout the Depression.   These compelling characters were rather vile yet kept me holding my breath and gripping my kindle from the very beginning to the crescendo finish that nearly broke me and left me in definite need of a spa day.

About the Author

Amazon
Goodreads
Website                                             Facebook

Born in England, Nicola Harrison moved to CA where she received a BA in Literature at UCLA before moving to NYC and earning an MFA in creative writing at Stony Brook. She is a member of The Writers Room, has short stories published in The Southampton Review and Glimmer Train and articles in Los Angeles Magazine and Orange Coast Magazine. She was the fashion and style staff writer for Forbes, had a weekly column at Lucky Magazine and is the founder of a personal styling business, Harrison Style. Montauk is Harrison’s debut novel.
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Book Review: Just One Bite by Jack Heath

JUST ONE BITE

by Jack Heath

ISBN: 9781335952844

Publication Date: June 4th, 2019

Publisher: Hanover Square Press

 

Buy Links:

Harlequin  / Amazon  / B&N  /  B-A-M / Powell’s

Timothy Blake, ex-consultant for the FBI, now works in body disposal for a local crime lord. One night he stumbles across a body he wasn’t supposed to find and is forced to hide it. When the FBI calls Blake in to investigate a missing university professor, Blake recognizes him as the dead man in his freezer.

Then another man goes missing. And another.

There’s a serial killer in Houston, Texas, and Blake is running out of time to solve the case. His investigation takes him to a sex doll factory, a sprawling landfill in Louisiana and a secret cabin in the woods.

As they hunt the killer together, FBI agent Reese Thistle starts to warm to Blake—but she also gets closer and closer to discovering his terrible secret.

Can Blake uncover the killer without being exposed himself?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

The rent is surprisingly high for such a crummy place. Ideally I’d split it with someone, but I ate my last roommate. It’s safest for everyone if I live alone.

 

I’m too exhausted even to dream. A small mercy— my subconscious would have made Freud vomit.

 

The government was paying her to feed and clothe us, and she was making quite a lot of money, because she never bought any food or clothing.

 

Most people know that pigs feel stress and that cows grieve when their calves are taken away. They might feel guilty, but they still eat bacon and drink milk. So what use is the guilt?

 

It’s a dangerous meal, since I still don’t know how he died… Eating people is dangerous, anyway, because of bloodborne viruses. Doesn’t mean I can make myself stop. Don’t judge me. Heart disease is the number-one killer in the USA, but you still eat donuts. Your diet is killing you, too.

 

I drive just above the speed limit. Anything less is considered suspicious in Texas.

 

The field office director comes on the radio. “We’re pursuing several leads,” she says. “We urge anyone with information to come forward.” That’s code for: We’re shitting ourselves. The news anchor is back. “The victims’ names have yet to be released,” she says, barely managing to keep the glee from her voice, “but the details of the case have been described as ‘disturbing.’”

 

 My Review:

 

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I delved into this stunningly crafted page-turner. Despite the disturbing issues, I was enthralled, mesmerized, and riveted to my kindle. I was on edge and biting my cuticles and more than a bit distressed about being so deeply invested in such a gruesome tale – what was wrong with me? But much similar to how the character in the book described his compulsion/hunger, I just couldn’t help myself. The writing was simply stellar while brilliantly paced, intriguing and unpredictable, action-packed, and unexpectedly laced with wry levity. It was also diabolically addictive; I couldn’t have stopped reading unless my kindle had been forcibly removed from my possession. Jack Heath is most certainly an evil genius; I would advise his family to keep him happy as well as to either sleep in shifts or with one eye open.

About the Author

First published as a teenager, Jack Heath is the award-winning author of more than twenty fiction titles for young adult and middle-grade readers. In the course of his research, Jack has toured morgues and prisons, performed as a street magician and traveled through eleven countries, including Russia. His previous day jobs—in which he met many interesting characters—include fry cook, music teacher, TV salesman, call center worker, and bookseller. He plays several musical instruments and lives on the land of the Ngunnawal people in Gunghalin, Australia.

Social Links:

Author Website

Twitter: @JackHeathWriter

Instagram: @JackHeathWriter.

Facebook: @JackHeathWriter

Goodreads

 

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Book Review: Dying to Meet You by Rich Amooi

 

Dying to Meet You

Rich Amooi

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA

 

Liz Parker doesn’t like surprises, but winning the lottery isn’t something she would complain about. Before she has time to think about how to spend her new fortune, she’s hit with an even bigger shock than unexpected wealth. She has three months to live unless she finds a one-in-a-million bone marrow donor.

While her medical team scrambles to locate her miracle, Liz throws together a bucket list, charters a private jet, and takes off to see the world. The journey of a lifetime holds even more surprises, including the hunky pilot she’s falling for at the most inconvenient time.

Will Liz die before she can realize her happily-ever-after, or will the universe come through for her one more time? Find out in this humorous tale of true love and adventure!

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

… a blue-haired woman appeared on the other side of the glass. Dolly Pearson, a professional busybody and all-around snoopster. Everyone within a two-mile radius of our street called her Snoop Dolly Dog.

 

The lottery office had an armed police officer, and video cameras on the walls. Three employees worked on the other side of what appeared to be bullet-proof glass. The lottery was serious business.

 

A pen sat next to a notepad to his right. A coffee mug on top of a coaster. Lots of elbow room for working on his laptop. He was organized. He was clean. Adam was not a normal man.

 

This has been amazing with a capital A and a zing!

 

I’m President of the Frozen Buns Club… I think it should be illegal to be outside when the temperature is lower than your age.

 

My Review:

 

Rich Amooi is a recent discovery for me, this is only my third time reading his work and all three have been a delight. His stories are a pleasure to read, easy to follow, and thoughtfully detailed with cleverly amusing observations, relevant issues, and likable and endearing yet imperfect characters. Dying to Meet You was a light yet observant and perceptively written tale with a quirky and interesting cast of players.

 

Liz was a recognizable character to most of us, she was a career teacher, honest, prideful and stubborn, and rigidly set in her routines – she had been eating the same salad for eight years. She made plans and stuck to them, as she didn’t like surprises. Then she hit the motherload with an astronomical mind-blowing lottery win but soon after learns she may have only months to live without a difficult to find bone marrow match. Advised by her doctor to make a bucket list and do some good with her remaining time, she promptly sets off to do just that. I enjoyed her travel adventure; her bucket list was similar to my own.   I confess to coveting her first class accommodations and personal jet, as well as the hunky sweet pilot and fun first officer. I adored this story and was stoked that Liz generously used her winnings to assist others along the way in the most meaningful and sincere manner she could.

About the Author

Fun, Quirky Romantic Comedies from a Guy’s Perspective. Rich Amooi is a former radio personality who now writes romantic comedies full-time. He is happily married to a kiss monster imported from Spain. Rich believes in public displays of affection, silliness, infinite possibilities, donuts, gratitude, laughter, and happily ever after.

Social Media Links 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.richamooi

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RichAmooi

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/richamooi

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Book Review: Wine and Dine by L.B. Dunbar

Wine & Dine

by L.B. Dunbar

 

Amazon US ✦UK✦AU ✦CA 

.

Dolores Chance.
When I was falling apart, I fell in love.
It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.
I ran away from life and ended up running into…his dog.
Actually, his dog ran into me. I don’t care for dogs.
Then I met the owner.
.
Garrett Fox.
When my neighbor’s sister came to visit,
I promised to show her around town.
I’m an investor in things, not people, not emotions.
I’m not a fan of love. I’ve been burned before.
Then I met Dolores.
When a sexy mature, man-of-means encounters a silver vixen,
healing her broken heart might be worth more than gold.
Romance has no age limit.
.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

He’s like a dreamy candy bar. Crisp and decadent on the outside, but nuggety good on the inside.

 

“You break her heart, and I’ll kill you.” The threat comes from a little old lady I didn’t hear approaching even though she uses a cane to stand inside the kitchen… “I own a 1965 Remington .22 I keep in good condition, and I’m not afraid to use it.”

 

Messes are what men make, and that’s why God created women. To clean them up.

 

 My Review:

 

Written in my favorite dual POV, this tense yet engaging story crossed the country from Georgia to California and back with several tank loads of angst, dashes of humor, heaping helpings of breath-stealing and volcanically hot sensuality, bitter lashings of family drama, and side orders of swoony romance. Dolores ran away from home and while she wasn’t looking for Oz, she felt as lost as Dorothy Gale and managed to meet a few botoxed witches, developed a fondness for Toto, and fell in love with a Tin Man and Wizard hybrid, but there were no flying monkeys. Roughly 80% of the storylines were fraught with emotional tension and conflict on both coasts before coming to that all-important HEA.

 

 

About the Author

L.B. Dunbar has been accused of having an over-active imagination. To her benefit, this imagination has created over twenty novels, including a small-town world (Sensations
Collection), rock star mayhem (Legendary Rock Star series), MMA chaos (Paradise Stories), rom-com for the over forty (The Sex Education of M.E. and After Care), and a suspenseful island for redemption (The Island Duet).   Her alter ego, elda lore, creates magical romance through mythological retellings (Modern Descendants). Her life revolves around a deep love of reading about fairy tales, medieval knights, regency debauchery, and strong alpha males. She loves a deep belly laugh, a strong hug, and an occasional margarita. Her other loves include being a mother to four grown children and wife to the one and only.
You can find me on Facebook, where I spend too much time.
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Book Review: Edie Browne’s Cottage by the Sea by Jane Linfoot

 Edie Browne’s Cottage by the Sea

by Jane Linfoot

Amazon US / UK / AU / B&N

Those who don’t jump will never fly…

Hurtling through the sky was supposed to be Edie Browne’s flight of independence. But when she falls head over champagne bucket while celebrating her successful landing, her life is changed in an instant.

But starting over has its benefits, and as Edie relearns the basics under the watchful eye of her Aunty Josie and an entire Cornish village of new friends and neighbors, she finds love and joy she never could have imagined in the unlikeliest of places…

Come home to St Aidan and Periwinkle Cottage for a romance full of love, laughter, and friends for life!

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Marcus’s mates in creative media – and he had a lot – took male bonding to a whole new level… Mostly they swilled back craft beers with odd names and incinerated choice lumps of cow from the craft burger shops while they tried to channel their younger selves.

 

One of those moments where you wish the world would stop turning, because for this split second I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, or any other way.

 

But if you’re not ready it’s hard to listen, and even more impossible to hear.

 

And what the hell did you do to Malcolm while he was there? Since he got back he’s as antsy as an elephant with eczema, yet we can’t get him out at all.

 

 My Review:

 

I enjoyed this cleverly amusing women’s fiction tale. It was written from the first person POV of Edie Browne, who was a hot mess. She didn’t use to be, but a mild stroke had scrambled her brains leaving her with word finding problems, reduced reaction times, memory gaps, the inability to smell or taste, and horror or all horrors – she could no longer read or drink alcohol – gasp! What a nightmare! Edie was also easily addled as she couldn’t process information as well or as quickly she knew she should, which understandably left her in a frequent state of bewilderment and prone to frustration, irritation, and overreaction.

 

I admired the author’s creativity in plotting Edie’s gradual recovery and the modifications and adaptations she devised. When she couldn’t remember the correct names or words, her substitutions were often humorous, as were her embarrassing accidents when she became flustered, I laughed aloud several times at this clever author’s colorful and witty descriptions. The storylines tugged at the heart while also entertainingly engaging and were cast with likable yet realistically flawed and multi-layered characters. The writing was insightful, perceptive, and comically detailed and concluded with a highly satisfying HEA, as all books should.

 

About the Author

 

Jane Linfoot is a best selling author, who lives in a muddy cottage, up a steep hill in Derbyshire, with her family, their pets, and an astonishing number of spiders. Although she loves seeing cow noses over the garden wall, she’s happy she can walk to a supermarket.

Jane grew up in North Yorkshire where she spent a lot of her childhood avoiding horizontal gales blowing off the sea, and wrote her first book by accident while working as an architect, and renovating country houses. While she loves to write feelgood books that let readers escape, she’s always surprised to hear her stories make people laugh, admits to (occasionally) crying as she writes, and credits her characters for creating their own storylines.

Jane’s garden would be less brambly if she wasn’t on Facebook and Twitter so often. On days when she wants to be really scared, she rides a tandem.

Her latest books include a series of stand-alone novels, based around a seaside wedding shop in Cornwall. Cupcakes and Confetti – The Little Wedding Shop by the Sea, Sequins and Snowflakes – Christmas at the Little Wedding Shop, and Bunting and Bouquets – Summer at the Little Wedding Shop, and most recently, The Little Cornish Kitchen. These are all published by Harper Impulse, an imprint of Harper Collins.

Follow Jane on Twitter @janelinfoot, or find her on her Author Page Facebook or her Personal Page Facebook. She’s also on Instagram, and has lots of Pinterest boards relating to her novels.

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Book Review: One Hundred Goodbyes (An Aspen Cove Romance #9) by Kelly Collins

 One Hundred Goodbyes

(An Aspen Cove Romance #9)

by Kelly Collins

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA

 

Welcome back to Aspen Cove, the town where a stranger is simply a friend you haven’t met…

Eden Webster has always been generous to a fault. The word no isn’t in her vocabulary. That’s how at twenty-eight she finds herself homeless, alone, and pregnant in Aspen Cove. Abandoned by the one person she should have been able to count on, her sister Suzanne, she’s forced to accept the generosity of strangers. The last thing she expects is to meet Mr. Right at exactly the wrong time.

Handsome firefighter Thomas Cross lives by one rule—never trust a woman with your heart. After months of waiting for his baby to be born, he’s delivered the truth of his girlfriend’s betrayal. When Doc Parker asks him to put Eden up for a few months until her baby is born, he’s certain he’ll be able to keep his distance. But the more time they spend together, the more he realizes love is not something that can be overruled by logic.

Will Thomas allow room in his heart for Eden and her baby, or will he go back to being the man who cannot trust? Find out in One Hundred Goodbyes…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

The old man finished off his beer. “Son, there are two things I never kid about. One is hemorrhoids and the other is women. It’s time you found yourself the latter because sitting on your ass at home alone will give you the former.”

 

DNA doesn’t make you a family. It just makes you related.

 

“You’re either a friend or a friend we haven’t met. We’ve met you, so now you’re a friend. No one turns their back on a friend.” Eden let out a semi-hysterical laugh. “No, you have to be related for that kind of dismissal.”

 

My sweetheart, Agatha. Damn woman is crazy to love an old fart like me, but she does, and I’m not investing in therapy to cure her.

 

Just let me know what you’re looking for. I have two bad habits. Loose women and garage sales.

 

It’s the detours that make life exciting.

 

Yes, there’s nothing like the feel of another woman’s child. At the end of the day, I get to go home and sleep eight hours. My boobs are still where they were years ago, and I can have all the wine I want.

  

My Review:

 

I giggle-snorted my way through this delightfully amusing and tender sweet small-town romance. This was a fun and satisfying read. I typically avoid pregnancy stories but since I will gleefully pick up anything Kelly Collins cares to print (although I’d have to think long and hard if she took a turned at zombies), I was willing to give it a perusal and lucky me, it was one of her best. The storylines were relevant, topical, and thoughtfully put forth with an interesting and colorful cast of quirky small-town personalities for extra flavor. I adored this couple and enjoyed spending time with them.

 

    ABOUT KELLY COLLINS   

Kelly Collins writes with the intention of keeping the love alive.

Always a romantic, she is inspired by real-time events mixed with a dose of fiction. She encourages her readers to reach the happily ever after but bask in the afterglow of the perfectly imperfect love.

Kelly lives in Colorado with her husband of twenty-seven years. She loves hockey, shiny objects and has a new-found appreciation for green smoothies.

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Book Review: The Dinner in the Sky by Anne John-Ligali

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Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

 

After a shocking confrontation with an unexpected encounter, Constance tries to piece her life back together and is on a mission to finally move on.

The thought of having her friends near is comforting as they take time out of their busy online lives and meet up at their favorite place, A Cupful of Dreams Café. Everyone seems happy enough until cracks begin to show and all is not as good as it seems. Constance tries desperately to keep positive as there’s so much to look forward to shopping for posh frocks, dinner at The Shard and a movie premiere.

As things start to look rosy, a few odd tweets begin to pop up from nowhere. At first, they seem innocent, but as the weeks go by and premier night draws near, not only do the tweets increase but they become more obnoxious.

By the time Constance and her chums arrive on the red carpet, she’s determined to work out who the troll could be and to keep them from spoiling her evening. However as Constance soon learns, the troll wants to destroy far more than that!

Breathtaking views of London.

Posh frocks and Paparazzi

But there’s definitely trouble in the air …

 

Spotify Playlist of the whole series –
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7lYuwzrSYvz77Iuq6NymVY?si=b7FFD0EURuy-jhIdr5amZQ

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

If he ever so much comes near you again and tries to play happy families with you and my grandson, I swear, I’ll fry his dangly bits.

 

‘I can also picture Adelios and me sipping wine,’ Karmel continues dreamily. ‘Playing footsie and crotchsie under the dinner table and —’ Estelle stares at Karmel in astonishment. ‘Crotchsie?’

 

Good heavens, not another complicated relationship. The Facebook “It’s Complicated” button must be exhausted.

 

One of her Facebook friends tagged her in a post, showing a huge picture of a cake with a massive 53 on it. She deleted that thing faster than a cheetah riding a bike.

 

My Review:

 

I enjoyed this first-person POV series, while a women’s fiction tale, there were elements of romance as well as several mysteries that folded in ways I never saw coming. The writing was lushly detailed and wryly detailed with a fairly even balance of humor, angst, common problems, family dramas, and puzzling and rather uncomfortable situations. The same odd grouping of online friends which were assembled in the short story The Big Event was more than met the eye and became a surprisingly cohesive and supportive unit and what she termed her “author family.” I was a bit conflicted with the ending as I would not have been nearly as forgiving as Constance and would have gladly assisted her mother in frying “his dangly bits.”

About the Author

Anne John-Ligali is a writer and found of Books and Authors UK, a website that features author interviews, cover reveals, blog posts, features, and reviews. She loves all things books, going to book events and meeting other book worms. She has written her first series and is currently writing her first novel.

When Anne is not writing she is likely to be playing with her kids, going for walks in the park, watching Netflix or thinking up more stories. Originally from Peterborough, Anne now lives in London. After moving to London she studies graphic design at the University of Arts and held a number of IT jobs in the city. Anne continues to write romantic comedies, women’s fiction and has the desire to write a non-fiction book and a few children’s books.

Author Social Media Links –

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anne_johnligali/

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnneJohnLigali

Author FB: https://www.facebook.com/annejohnligali/

www.annejohnligali.com

Anne’s Book Blog Links – Books and Authors UK

Books and Authors UK: www.booksandauthors.co.uk

Books and Authors UK Twitter: https://twitter.com/BooksNAuthorsUK

Books and Authors UK Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Books-and-Authors-UK-674729805905507/