Book Review, Giveaway: ALL OF ME by A.L. Jackson

A forbidden stand-alone romance in A.L. Jackson’s Confessions of the Heart Series.

“This is without a doubt my top read for 2018.”

~A Book Lover’s Emporium Book Blog

Amazon

Paperback

Audible

⋆Sexy Attorney
⋆Forbidden Romance
⋆The one woman who will make him question everything
DETAILS:
TITLE: ALL OF ME
SERIES: A Confessions of the Heart Stand-Alone Novel
RELEASE DATE: December 3rd, 2018

People call me callous. Arrogant. Ruthless.

I call myself tenacious.

One of the most powerful attorneys in Charleston, I don’t let anyone or anything stand in my way.

Until a chance encounter changes everything.

One glance.

One touch.

One night.

It only leaves me wanting more.

But Grace is off limits. Most people would even say forbidden.

Everyone knows an attorney can’t sleep with his client.

Too bad I already did.

And even with the threat of losing everything, I don’t know if I can stop myself from having her again…

All of Me – a Confessions of the Heart forbidden, stand-alone romance

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“I’ve seen pictures of you. You were a knockout.” “Pssh.” She waved her hand. “What are you talking about, was? I am a knockout. You should see all the men fighting for me down at the bingo hall.”

 

He was doing that arrogant thing. You know, just breathing. As if he held the power to command all the air.

 

Their childhood . . . it was a battle. A warzone. One they were forced to fight even though they’d never enlisted. The aftermath left them completely different and so intrinsically the same.”

 

I could hear my grandmother shuffling through the night. “That squirrely bastard,” she hissed. “I have half a mind to go after that boy with a frying pan and teach him a lesson. Lord knows his mama must not have done it.”

My Review:

 

All of Me was a long book with lots and lots of angsty words and atomically steamy sex scenes. In fact, there were so many naughty words that I was forced to plug my Kindle into the charger to be able to keep reading them.   Oh my, this tale was full of torment, woe, conflict, and hot sex, but mostly woe. There was even woe about the hot sex. Written in my favorite dual POV, both characters were overflowing with stressors and tension of all varieties.   Their inner musings were a full-on angst fest, which at times felt tediously repetitive as well as more than a bit over the top, yet I was inexplicably unable to stop reading. I may have wanted to roll my eyes and sigh, but the hooks were deeply embedded – I had to know how it would unravel. Ms. Jackson can certainly spin a tangled tale as the storylines were well-crafted and intriguing. In addition to the intense sensual heat, a bit of much needed comic relief and sweet heart squeezes were provided by a feisty grandmother and sweet and imaginative children.

 

Don’t miss the awesome giveaway for the All of Me release! It’s a Fight for Me Bundle + More of You + $50 Amazon Gift Card!

I can’t wait for you to fall in love with Ian and Grace’s story the way I did! Enjoy!

xoxo ~

Amy

 

A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.
Her bestselling series include THE REGRET SERIES, CLOSER TO YOU, BLEEDING STARS, and FIGHT FOR ME novels. Grab A.L. Jackson’s latest novel, ALL OF ME, the second stand-alone novel in her brand-new CONFESSIONS OF THE HEART series.
If she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the pool with her family, sipping cocktails with her friends, or of course with her nose buried in a book.
Be sure not to miss new releases and sales from A.L. Jackson – Sign up to receive her newsletter http://smarturl.it/NewsFromALJackson or text “aljackson” to 33222 to receive short but sweet updates on all the important news.

Connect with A.L.

Facebook: http://smarturl.it/ALJacksonPage
Reader Group: http://smarturl.it/AmysAngelsRock
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/ALJacksonAmzn
Bookbub: http://smarturl.it/ALJacksonBookbub
Twitter: @aljacksonauthor
Instagram: @aljacksonauthor

Book Review: Bells and Bows on Mistletoe Row by Emily Harvale

Bells and Bows on Mistletoe Row

by Emily Harvale

Amazon US / UK CA AU

It’ll take a miracle to make Juliet’s Christmas merry, but Mistletoe Row is the place to be when you need some Christmas magic. 

The last person Juliet Bell expects to see when she returns home for Christmas is Harrison Bow.Especially with the most beautiful woman in the world by his side. Twenty years ago, Juliet and Harrison had the shortest romance in history, consisting of one date – and one blazing row. But Juliet will never admit when she’s wrong, and Harrison doesn’t forgive easily, so they haven’t seen, or spoken to one another since.

Harrison Bow vowed he’d never visit his grandfather at The Grange, again, or drive along Mistletoe Row, the scene of one of the unhappiest times of his life. He hasn’t been back for twenty years and he’s only here now because his brother pleaded with him to come. At least with his executive assistant joining him, he’ll be able to do some work. 

But Juliet’s sister, Zoe and Harrison’s brother, Luke have some surprises in store for their elder siblings, and so it seems does Fate. After Harrison risks his life to save Juliet, the least she can do is be nice. The problem is, Harrison is hotter than the log fire in The Mistletoe pub, and when she’s surrounded by twinkling lights and softly falling snow, it doesn’t take long for her to realize she’s in love with the man she thought she hated. Even if he doesn’t appear to be in love with her. 

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

You’re not getting any younger, dear, and I know it’s all the fashion to wait these days, but wait too long and you’ll find that ship has sailed. Mark my words. Your ovaries may be as plump as grapes today, but they’ll turn to raisins soon enough.

My Review:

Emily Harvale is a sly minx and has given her tale such a clever title, with one family named Bow and the another named Bell and Mistletoe Row being the central street in their village. So I have to wonder, which came first, the title or the characters’ names? This was a quick and easy holiday-themed second chance romance with likable yet endearingly flawed and secretly pining characters, misunderstandings, a conniving vixen villainess, a dastardly and rich grandfather, and a loving family that doesn’t communicate. The storylines were pleasantly entertaining, easy to follow and could easily be envisioned as a seasonal movie.

Author Bio

EPSON scanner image

Having lived and worked in London for several years, Emily returned to her hometown of Hastings where she now spends her days writing… and chatting on social media. Emily is a Member of the SoA, a PAN member of the RWA and a Pro Member of ALLi. She’s an Amazon bestseller and a Kindle All-Star. Emily loves writing and her stories are sure to bring a smile to your face and a warmth to your heart.


Emily says, “I write about friendship, family and falling in love. I believe in happing endings.” When she isn’t writing, she can be found enjoying the stunning East Sussex coast and countryside, or in a wine bar with friends, discussing life, love and the latest TV shows. Chocolate cake is often eaten. She dislikes housework almost as much as she dislikes anchovies – and will do anything to avoid both.

Social Media Links –  https://www.facebook.com/emilyharvalewriter

https://www.twitter.com/emilyharvale

https://www.instagram.com/emilyharvale

 

Book Review, Giveaway: A Lion Is Not Just For Christmas by Henriette Gyland

A Lion Is Not Just For Christmas

by Henriette Gyland

Amazon US / UK AU / CA

Is there life after the circus has left town?


Circus performer Justine Belmont works with big cats, but when the circus is disbanded and the old lion is sold to a private menagerie at a stately home in Norfolk, she is asked to spend a few weeks settling him into his new environment. When she arrives at the estate, however, she receives a mixed welcome.


The groundsman Tom Yates resents her presence as he doesn’t feel he needs her help with the lion. He revises his opinion when he sees the bond between her and the big cat, and she and Tom grow closer, although Justine remains torn about her feelings for him. The lady of the house, Priscilla – who is married to the reclusive owner, Lord Brooks’s, grandson – is not so easily convinced. She perceives Justine as a threat for the male attention and her plans for the manor. And her two young daughters are a little too curious about the lion for their own good.


When unsettling events occur, Justine begins to wonder if there is more to Priscilla’s animosity than meets the eye. Can Justine keep herself and everyone else safe until it’s time for her to leave again and start a new life elsewhere?

 

My Rating:

My Review:

 

This quick and entertaining tale was hard for me to classify as it had a little of everything – a tight-knit small circus, big cats, a bit of suspense, murder, family drama, bratty over-privileged children, a dash of romance, and a secret identity – and all within one-hundred-thirty-four pages.  Impressive! The characters were likable and the storylines were easy to follow and quickly paced yet also engaging and unpredictable with a variety of hissing and petty villains to despise, after all, every hero story needs at least one.

 

Author Bio 

Henriette Gyland grew up in Northern Denmark but moved to England after she graduated from the University of Copenhagen. She wrote her first book when she was ten, a tale of two orphan sisters running away to Egypt, fortunately, to be adopted by a perfect family they meet on the Orient Express.

Between that first literary exploit and now, she has worked in the Danish civil service, for a travel agent, a consultancy company, in banking, hospital administration, and for a county court before setting herself up as a freelance translator and linguist. Henriette recently began to pursue her writing in earnest winning the New Talent Award in 2011 from the Festival of Romance and a Commended from the Yeovil Literary Prize.

Henriette lives in London.

Social Media Links 

Website: henriettegyland.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/henriette.gyland

Twitter: @henrigyland

Giveaway 

Win a sterling silver Thomas Sabo Snowflake Charm

(UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK  entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

 

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Book Review, Giveaway: A Little Christmas Charm by Kathryn Freeman

 

A Little Christmas Charm

by Kathryn Freeman

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

Would you swap sea and sunshine for tinsel and turkey?
Gabby Sanderson is used to being let down – even at Christmas. Which is why she’s happy to skip the festive season completely in favor of a plane ticket and sunnier climes.

But this Christmas could be different because this time she might not be spending it alone. Can Owen Cooper charm Gabby into loving Christmas in the same way he’s charmed his way into her life or is he just another person who’ll end up disappointing her?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She almost laughed out loud when she saw the car he finally climbed into. A deep blue Maserati – of course. Nothing said single man on the pull like a Maserati.

 

I’m so flabbergasted at your audacity I can’t find the breath to tell you to stop being so stupid.

 

As it’s December and frigging freezing in this house, despite the expensive new boiler, I’m covering up my important parts. I don’t want to ruin the image you have of me by appearing in front of you naked. And cold.

 

My Review:

 

This was an engaging holiday read yet it contained considerably more angst than I was expecting, sigh. Angst is just not one of my favorite things, and the main character of Gabby was riddled with it and was basically a tight knot of tension, anxieties, and a critical case of wariness. Thankfully, Ms. Freeman also tossed in her own special brand of levity, wit, emotive storylines, and enough clever banter to keep me from descending into the abyss.   Gabby was emotionally immature, exasperatingly stubborn, distrustful, easily startled, and a pain in the posterior.   Why the luscious Owen was so fully captivated by her prickly nature was a grand mystery. I adored Owen, he was extremely patient, witty, perceptive, and sex on legs.

I found two extra fun new additions to my Brit word list with throw a wobbly (a display of temper usually over something minor) and skivvy – which I have only known as underwear but apparently, it is also another word for servant. Oh my, now I am envisioning a butler clad only in his bow tie and boxers while tossing a tantrum.

 

 

Author Bio 

A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero.

With two teenage boys and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn’t always about hearts and flowers – and heroes come in many disguises.

Social Media Links –

Website:  http://kathrynfreeman.co.uk

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/kathrynfreeman

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/KathrynFreeman1

Giveaway 

Win a paperback copy of A Little Christmas Faith by Kathryn Freeman

(Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

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Book Review: Tales from the Pays d’Oc by Patricia Feinberg Stoner

Tales from the Pays d’Oc

by Patricia Feinberg Stoner

Amazon US / UK 

 

Twenty-one tales of life, love, and laughter in the land of sun and vines.  

What is Matthieu doing up an olive tree?  Why won’t Joséphine ever eat pizza again? Who went four by fourth? And who rescued two hapless Americans at Armageddon Falls?

Travel to the Languedoc, feel the scorch of the sun on your shoulders, smell the dust and the lavender and the ripening grapes and follow the adventures of the Saturday Club and the regulars at l’Estaminet.

In this collection of stories, Patricia Feinberg Stoner revisits the territory of her memoir, ‘At Home in the Pays d’Oc’ with a whole host of new and familiar characters.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Any big, butch vehicle with large knobbly tyres and an excess of mud flaps would set his eyes a-spark, but what he really loved were Land Rovers. And by Land Rovers, of course, he meant Series and Defenders. Not for him the high-falutin’ Range Rover, nor the serviceable but still sleek Discovery – these he called Bland Rovers, and he treated them with disdain.

 

Morbignan la Crèbe, a small village in the Languedoc…

Principal industry, winter and summer: gossip.

Secondary industry: wine.

 

Today Jeannette and her husband were coming to stay, and bringing the new baby. On the whole, Gaston approved of the fact that the baby was grey and white and fluffy rather than pink and squalling. As a grandfather of seven he was blasé about small humans, but dogs he loved.

 

Perhaps this was a teeny exaggeration, but Matthieu was never one to let a few facts spoil a good story.

 

The ladies of the village clung to their old ways: tightly-permed heads in steel grey or the eye-watering auburn universally referred to as menopause red.

 

My Review:

 

Being a complete Philistine, I had no idea what or where the Pays d’Oc was, so I went to the source of all things – Mr. Google – who informed me it is a very productive wine region along the Mediterranean coast.   I like wine, and I like Mediterraneans, so it seemed like a good fit. This was a collection of amusing and inter-related short stories featuring a large cast of international characters and their precocious pets.   Each well-written story was laced with clever humor and delightful observations. My favorites were The Boar Wars and those involving the precious little dogs named Visitor and Useless.

 

About Patricia Feinberg Stoner

 

Patricia Feinberg Stoner is a former journalist, advertising copywriter, and publicist. For four years she and her husband were accidental expatriates in the Languedoc, southern France.  During that time she wrote a series of magazine articles which eventually became her first book about the Languedoc: ‘At Home in the Pays d’Oc.’

 

Now back in the UK, she lives with her husband in the pretty West Sussex village of Rustington, where Michael Flanders encountered a gnu and the mobility scooter is king. 

 

 She spends much of her time writing short stories and comic verses. Her first book, ‘Paw Prints in the Butter’, is a collection of comic poems for cat lovers and is sold in aid of a local animal charity.  In 2017 she published her second book of comic verse: ‘The Little Book of Rude Limericks’.

 

In the autumn of 2018, Patricia returns to the locale of ‘At Home in the Pays d’Oc’ with a new collection of stories: ‘Tales from the Pays d’Oc’.

 

Patricia welcomes visitors to her Facebook page (Paw Prints in the Butter) and to her blog www.paw-prints-in-the-butter.com.

 

You may occasionally find her on Twitter @perdisma.

Book Review: Deception by C.A. Harms

Deception 

by C.A. Harms

Amazon 

 

Deception: The act of deceiving someone.

That became a pattern in my life. It was the way the chips fell. I’m destined to be that girl that fell for the wrong guy. If he was a liar and a cheat, I found him or he found me. It didn’t really matter how it happened, it just always did.

But when I met Jake, I thought he was different. He was just a guy trying to get by, much like me in a sense. He was happy with the little things in life…he made me feel safe and settled.

That was until I found out that his name, his life, and the man he pretended to be, were nothing but a fraud. He used me to get the answers he needed, and in the process, he managed to take my last ounce of hope and crush it.

I just wanted him gone. I wanted to forget the times we shared, the laughs we had. I wanted to ignore the fact that he’d so easily found a place in my heart.

Only there was one problem… I wasn’t allowed to forget.

I am reminded daily of him. Each morning, I have no choice but to look into the same, beautiful eyes he possessed. I see his smile, and that same shade of dark melted chocolate hair that at one point, I loved running my fingers through.

Every single day I reminded of the fact that the father of my child is nothing more than a man that truly never existed.

 
 

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 I would have waited a lifetime to hear those words, but I’m glad I didn’t have to.

My Review:

While I haven’t read her entire body of work, of those books that I have read I have concluded that C.A. Harms excels in writing highly engaging and poignant NA romances with generous helpings of angst, scorching sensual steam, and irreverent and highly amusing humor. This observation continues forward although her current book was considerably lighter on the humor and heavier on the angst than her more recent offerings. While I often feel exasperated with an over-serving of angst and conflict, I adored Deception anyway, although I seem to be pouting some over her neglect of my appetite for comedic balance; I’m sure she will make it up to me in the near future.

 About The Author 

I am an Illinois girl, born and raised. Simple and true. I love the little things; they truly mean the most. I may have a slight addiction to my new Keurig—oh my, that thing is a godsend. And so fast too. I have two children who truly are the greatest part of my days, and their faces never fail to put a smile on my face. I have been married to my best friend for seventeen years and looking forward to many more.

I am one of those authors that adore my readers. I love to hear from you. After all, it is because of each one of you that I continue to write.

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCAHarms/
INSTAGRAM: Instagram.com/authorcaharms/
NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/1xsgHCS
AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/C.A.-Harms/e/B0…

Book Review: My Quickie Wedding (Heartbreak Hotel #3) by Christie Ridgway

My Quickie Wedding

by Christie Ridgway

AmazonB&N

 

Instant. Attraction.

It heats the blood, causes the heart to race, and messes with the making of rational decisions. A person, may, for example, find themselves saying “I do” to a near-stranger on an impulsive overnight in Sin City.

The next morning, an aghast Connor Montgomery and Jojo Thatcher stare at each other over the tangled bed sheets. How had this happened? Neither is eager to acknowledge they followed a reckless urge and got hitched. Surely, it’s a bad nightmare.

Or maybe, just maybe, the beginning of a dream come true.

My Quickie Wedding is book three in the Heartbreak Hotel series and is a STANDALONE NOVELLA.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

That aghast expression would make any man take off, even as he’d briefly hoped—like an idiot—that the previous hours had all been a teenage-style wet dream followed by the kind of nightmare where you had to take a test buck naked in a language you’d never studied.

 

I’m your time and place, Jojo. I’m your person to share things with, sad and happy and all that’s in between.

 

My Review:

 

This installment was fast-paced, scorching the sheets sexy, a quick and easy read, and such a pleasant way to spend the part of the afternoon. I enjoyed Jojo and Connor as a couple, the instalove trope worked perfectly for them as they had more natural chemistry than they knew what to do with. Their story moved along at a brisk pace yet even had time for brief glimpses of the previous pairings from books one and two.   The Heartbreak Hotel’s reputation for love connections remains safe and well-merited.

About the Author

Goodreads   Amazon

Christie Ridgway is the author of over 60 novels of contemporary romance. All her books are both sexy and emotional and tell about heroes and heroines who learn to believe in the power of love. A USA Today bestseller, Christie is a six-time RITA finalist and has won best contemporary romance of the year and career achievement awards from Romantic Times Book Reviews.

A native of California, Christie now resides in the southern part of the state with her family. Inspired by the beaches, mountains, and cities that surround her, she writes tales of sunny days and steamy nights.

Book Review: Snowed In at The Little Duck Pond Café (The Little Duck Pond Cafe, Book 4) by Rosie Green

Snowed In at The Little Duck Pond Café

The Little Duck Pond Cafe, Book 4

by Rosie Green

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU

 

The biggest snowfall in years has blanketed Sunnybrook, cutting the village off from the outside world. For Fen, who finds herself snowed in at The Little Duck Pond Cafe, it’s little more than a minor inconvenience. Her love life is finally running smoothly; it looks as if she’s found the perfect man for her.

 

But then a shocking secret threatens to destroy Fen’s new-found happiness.

Will being snowed in be the final straw? Or will Fen find a way through the snowdrifts to the perfect love?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘I’ll be okay, Lellie,’ Maisie assures her earnestly. ‘Daddy says you fuss too much because you love me like I love Goldie.’ Ellie laughs and turns to Zak, who’s next to her on the sofa. Zak grins. ‘It’s true. I’m not sure anyone could love a hamster quite as much as Maisie loves Goldie.’

 

Most methods of contraception are found to be slightly less than wholly effective. But two thick winter coats, I can confirm, are one hundred percent foolproof.

 

I definitely don’t wish her any harm. A small Chinese burn, perhaps, but nothing major.

 

My Review:

 

The clever wordsmith known as Rosie Green strikes again with another sweet and entertaining installment of her Little Duck Pond series, I’ve read all four and have enjoyed each one. This somewhat angsty and heart-squeezing novella continued the freshly bloomed relationship between Fen and Rob but trouble soon surfaced (within a week) when Rob was caught in a small lie of omission, which then snowballed when he was caught in another one, and then yet another rather big one… sigh. MEN! But Fen, being rather naïve and inexperienced and prone to social anxiety and humiliation over the least little thing, was crushed and stewed in her angst, oh the drama. But what holiday season would be complete without at least a little light drama?

In addition to the Fen/Rob saga, Ms. Green also continued with ongoing events of the café and small village community. I adore the denizens of this quirky little hamlet. And instead of new Brit words for my ongoing list, today I have gleaned two unfamiliar British idioms with “gone down a storm” (well received) and “pushes the boat out” (to celebrate lavishly). I can always count on Ms. Green to further my education.

 

Author Bio

Rosie Green has been scribbling stories ever since she was little. Back then they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by ‘the baddies’. Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all, unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

 

Rosie’s brand new series of novellas is centered on life in a village café. The first two stories in the series are: Spring at The Little Duck Pond Cafe and Summer at The Little Duck Pond Café.

Twitter – https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988

Book Review: Fishing for Maui by Isa Pearl Ritchie

Fishing for Māui

by Isa Pearl Ritchie

Amazon US  /   UK  /  B&N /  Smashwords 

 

A novel about food, whānau, and mental illness.

Valerie reads George Eliot to get to sleep – just to take her mind off worries over her patients, her children, their father, and the next family dinner. Elena is so obsessed with health, traditional food, her pregnancy and her blog she doesn’t notice that her partner, Malcolm the ethicist, is getting himself into a moral dilemma of his own making. Evie wants to save the world one chicken at a time. Meanwhile her boyfriend, Michael is on a quest to reconnect with his Māori heritage and discover his own identity. Rosa is eight years old and lost in her own fantasy world, but she’s the only one who can tell something’s not right. Crisis has the power to bring this family together, but will it be too late?

“An accomplished story of a family in crisis – Ritchie’s great skill is her ability to conjure the inner lives if her characters. Fishing For Maui is a compassionate meditation on what it means to be well”. – Sarah Jane Barnett

My Rating:

3.75 Stars

Favorite Quotes:

 

The less they know the better it is for them. They sit on the fence between morality and legality, knowing as well as we do that the two concepts can be worlds apart.

 

It never made sense to me, this story. But I suppose myths don’t have to make sense – gods that became the world, why not? It’s about as likely as one very strict God who created everything in six days and then had a nap.

 

I don’t say any of what I’m actually thinking to her, because she doesn’t really want to listen. Most people don’t want to listen they just want to be heard.

 

That’s the thing with relationships; there are always two sides. No one’s ever innocent.

My Review:

 

I struggled valiantly with this book, it was not an easy read and required considerable mental expenditure, so know going in that this is not a book to pick up for a relaxing or leisurely perusal.   I grappled with the frequent use of unfamiliar words that were deployed without translation, and while I understood, respected, and appreciated why they were utilized and important to the story, it became so tedious to this non-native speaker that I gave up using the translator app. But, don’t get me wrong; this was not a poorly written or unpleasant book, quite the opposite. The narrative contained shimmers of brilliance with keenly insightful threads woven into uncommon and vividly detailed and emotive scenarios. The storylines were profoundly real and tackled a plethora of heavy hitting real-life issues faced by a completely dysfunctional family populated with hugely unlikable and extremely exasperating characters. This is the type of obnoxiously self-involved and rigidly judgmental family that felt uncomfortably familiar and of the ilk that any sane person would move far far away from to avoid; I should know, I highly recommend that technique as the best method for escape.

Author Bio 

Isa Ritchie is a Wellington-based writer. She grew up as a Pākehā child in a bicultural family and Māori was her first written language. She has completed a Ph.D. on food sovereignty in Aotearoa. She is passionate about food, wellbeing and social justice.

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/isapearlritchie/

https://twitter.com/IsaPearlRitchie

https://www.instagram.com/isapearlritchie/ 

 

Book Review: Family Trust by Kathy Wang

Family Trust

by Kathy Wang

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

Hardcover: 400 pages

 Publisher: William Morrow (October 30, 2018)

THE INAUGURAL BUZZFEED BOOK CLUB PICK

NAMED ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE FALL BY

The Washington Post • Elle.com Buzzfeed Entertainment Weekly • Bustle The Globe and Mail • Apartment Therapy • Town & Country • Harper’s Bazaar

“Reads like a brilliant mashup of The Nest and Crazy Rich Asians (with a soupçon of Arrested Development for good measure).” — Cristina Alger, author of The Banker’s Wife

Meet Stanley Huang: father, husband, ex-husband, man of unpredictable tastes and temper, aficionado of all-inclusive vacations and bargain luxury goods, newly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Meet Stanley’s family: son Fred, who feels that he should be making a lot more money; daughter Kate, managing a capricious boss, a distracted husband, and two small children; ex-wife Linda, familiar with and suspicious of Stanley’s grandiose ways; and second wife Mary, giver of foot rubs and ego massages.

For years, Stanley has insistently claimed that he’s worth a small fortune. Now, as the Huangs come to terms with Stanley’s approaching death, they are also starting to fear that Stanley’s “small fortune” may be more “small” than “fortune.” A compelling tale of cultural expectations, career ambitions and our relationships with the people who know us best, Family Trust draws a sharply loving portrait of modern American family life.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Erika didn’t like most ethnic restaurants, and in particular the cheap authentic ones, an admission that in native Bay Area circles was viewed with the same muted horror as Holocaust denial or the use of trans fats.

 

…her fingers flew past an array of the graying and bald. “Here’s someone I went on a date with last week,” she said. “But he was only interested in, you know, a nurse with a purse.”

 

Do not speak to her again. Someone like that, you end all communication, immediately. Witches feed off attention. Take away the broom, they can’t fly. All right?

 

Linda was satisfied to note that Teddy, the alleged future husband of Shirley Chang, was at least the same height if not shorter than Winston and had the same pitch-black pomade hairstyle—it must be a trend with older Asian men, she thought, just like how all the women simultaneously emerged with the same enormous perms after sixty.

My Review:

This book was a bit uneven for me, but maybe it was just flying several levels over my head as I have zero interest in venture capitalism or corporate lifestyles as those topics are more than my tiny brain can comprehend and tends to scorch the little pea inside. However, I seem to quickly queue up for all the snark and salacious details mined from this unusual family’s tangled secrets and snide inner musings. The storylines were complex and highly nuanced with generous servings of razor-sharp wit and eviscerating observations. It was well worth wading through the more tedious detritus of their obsessive financial wranglings to get to their peculiar predicaments and curiously confounding choices. They seemed overly driven and nearly consumed with amassing status and money, and how they were being seen while doing so. The vast majority of this large and oddly intriguing cast of characters were rather vile, although Stanley was full-on heinous.   I was equally repulsed and fascinated, and couldn’t quite seem to get enough or a full grasp of what was transpiring – what does that say about me? I have not yet read Crazy Rich Asians, and while I really wish I had, I also know I’d actually rather be one.   I was provided a review copy of this clever tale by HarperCollins and TLC Book Tours.  

 

About Kathy Wang

Kathy Wang grew up in Northern California and holds degrees from UC Berkeley and Harvard Business School. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two children.

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