Category: Book Reviews

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Book Review: Hero’s Return – The Montana Cahills by B.J. Daniels

 Hero’s Return

The Montana Cahills

by B.J. Daniels

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: HQN (March 27, 2018)
 .
The prodigal Cahill is back—and ready to confess
 .
Tucker Cahill disappeared from Gilt Edge, Montana, hoping to escape a secret that has haunted him for nineteen years. Then, when a young woman’s remains are found in the creek near his family’s ranch, he has no choice but to face his demons. The truth that sent him running years ago could take away his freedom now.
 .
Kate Rothschild came to town looking for vengeance—and Tucker Cahill. What she finds is a tortured and irresistible man who’s more than meets the eye. Caught up in the past, they are drawn deeper into a twisted game that’s not over yet. And the consequences could prove fatal for them both…
 .
“B.J. Daniels is at the top of her game…the perfect blend of hot romance and thrilling suspense.” -New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan
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“In her Cahill Ranch series, Daniels has created an intriguing setting and a cast of characters that prompt reader loyalty.” -RT Book Reviews on Outlaw’s Honor

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“We’re a team, right?” She couldn’t help but smile. “That’s us, one of the great detective couples. Like Nick and Nora.” He mugged a face. “More like Bonnie and Clyde.”

 

I swear, when it comes to women, Tucker doesn’t have the good sense of a rock.

 

My Review:

 

This book was 90% mystery/suspense and 10% slow building romance as the couple didn’t lock lips until 60% into the book and only indulged in one sizzling sensual encounter of knocking the boots at 80%. So my elderly mother could very well read this one if she knew where to “skip the naughty bit,” and wouldn’t require much use of her trusty sharpie to censor out much “language.” Sigh… We rarely read the same books but she would enjoy the several confounding and complicated mysteries involving several murders over nineteen years, family drama, disappearances, extortion, kidnapping, lust, betrayal, and paternity issues. I took note that the one mystery that I had assumed would be the easiest to crack was only partially resolved by the conclusion of the tale. Oh what an intricate plot this scribe has penned. While I didn’t care for the main character of Kate for the longest time as she was playing games and being manipulative, and her actions had been cruel and thoughtless, I adored the engaging Cahills and their knotty family tree of complex issues and personalities. B. J. Daniels has been a recent find and while I may be a city dweller, I do enjoy her small-town tales and well-seasoned cowboys for a chance of pace.

About B. J. Daniels 

Website

Facebook

Twitter

NYT and USA Today Bestselling author B.J. Daniels was born in Texas but moved with her family to Montana at the age of five. Her first home was a cabin in the Gallatin Canyon and later a lake house on Hebgen Lake outside of West Yellowstone.
Most of her books are set in Montana, a place she loves. She lives now in a unique part of the state with her husband and three Springer Spaniels.
When she isn’t writing, she loves to play tennis, boat, camp, quilt and snowboard. There is nothing she enjoys more than curling up with a good book.

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Book Review, Giveaway: Misadventures with a Rookie by Toni Aleo

 

Misadventures with a Rookie

 by Toni Aleo, New York Times bestselling author  

  Goodreads

 Buy Links
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2tp2KOo
Nook: http://bit.ly/2DA0RE6
iBooks: http://apple.co/2tqLPdK
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2tpEXhd
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2smhduo 

#MisadventureswithaRookieRelease

 

  Synopsis

 

Winning has always come naturally for stud ice hockey defenseman Gus “the Bus” Persson. On the ice or off, he’s never had any trouble scoring, racking up goals—and girls. As the best player in his rookie class and the number-one draft pick of the Malibu Suns, he’s taking his game to the next level and is justifiably full of swagger.
 .
So why does one of the Suns’ ice girls treat him like he’s invisible?
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Bo St. James doesn’t have time for rookie hotshots who think their gloves don’t stink. She knows them, she works with them, she trains them. It doesn’t matter that Gus Persson is the hottest newbie she’s ever seen. She knows his type. She’s got big plans of her own, and she’s not going to let some cocky rich kid athlete keep her from her goals.
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But there’s a chemistry between them they cannot deny. A lust that burns so hot, it threatens to melt the very ice on which they make their livings. The game has changed for both of them. Together, can these two play to win?

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

The way she looked at me, like I stole her doll and drew dicks on its mouth, revved my engines.

 

It had been a long time since I yearned for a woman, probably because they usually threw themselves at me. I was pretty sure the only thing redhead wanted to throw at me was a puck.

 

I would never intentionally hurt you. And besides, my mom would kill me if I did.

 

She scoffed. “Please, the only thing I thought that man was put on this earth for was to give me you. After that, he was slime.” “I’m right here, Lauren.” My face broke into a grin as my mom went on. “Well, obviously that’s changed. I love you, duh.”

 

I’ll never finish loving you. It just keeps going on and on. I’ve finished a lot of things. A period during a game, a goal, and plenty of women that I shouldn’t really be bringing up, but oh well, it’s part of my point. With you it’s constant and I can’t… I just can’t finish.

 

My Review:

 

I smirked my way through this witty and amusing New Adult/College/Hockey Romance, which is in all honesty, a trifecta of genres I rarely peruse. Maybe I should indulge in them more often, or maybe I should just read more of the comically talented Ms. Aleo’s work as I was engaged throughout and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I was highly entertained by the premise as well as the expletive-spewing and quirky accident-prone characters with their salacious sensual scenes and inner musings, which morphed into a sweet/sizzling romance. Ms. Aleo has a wicked sense of humor and excellent pacing. I adored the character’s clever exchanges, witty quips, and saucy banter – especially those flowing from the elder Perssons who were obviously the fun parentals. More, please, Ms. Aleo. I greedily want all your naughty tales.




Meet The Author
My name is Toni Aleo, and I’m a #PredHead, #sherrio, #potterhead, and part of the #familybusiness!

I am also a wife to my amazing husband, mother of a gamer and a gymnast, and also a fur momma to Gaston el Papillion.

While my beautiful and amazing Shea Weber has been traded from my Predators, I’m still a huge fan. But when I’m not cheering for him, I’m hollering for the whole Nashville Predators since I’ll never give my heart to one player again.

When I’m not in the gym getting swole, I’m usually writing, trying to make my dreams a reality, or being a taxi for my kids.

I’m obsessed with Harry Potter, Supernatural, Disney, and anything that sparkles! I’m pretty sure I was Belle in a past life, and if I could be on any show, it would be Supernatural so I could hunt with Sam and Dean.

Also, I did mention I love hockey, right?

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Book Review, Giveaway: The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay by Nicola May

The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay

by Nicola May

Goodreads

Amazon US  /  UK  / CA  / AU 

 

Praise for Nicola May’s books

‘This book will twang your funny bone & your heartstrings’ – Milly Johnson

‘A fun and flighty read’ the Sun

‘A funny and fast-paced romp – thoroughly enjoyable!’ WOMAN Magazine

*

Rosa Larkin is down on her luck in London, so when she inherits a near-derelict corner shop in a quaint Devon village, her first thought is to sell it for cash and sort out her life. But nothing is straightforward about this legacy. While the identity of her benefactor remains a mystery, he – or she – has left one important legal proviso: that the shop cannot be sold, only passed on to somebody who really deserves it.

Rosa makes up her mind to give it a go: to put everything she has into getting the shop up and running again in the small seaside community of Cockleberry Bay. But can she do it all on her own? And if not, who will help her succeed – and who among the following will work secretly to see her fail?

There is a handsome rugby player, a sexy plumber, a charlatan reporter and a selection of meddling locals. Add in a hit and run incident and the disappearance of a valuable engraved necklace – and what you get is a journey of self-discovery and unpredictable events.

With surprising and heartfelt results, Rosa, accompanied at all times by her little sausage dog Hot, will slowly unravel the shadowy secrets of the inheritance, and also bring her own, long-hidden heritage into the light.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Brian, my late husband, passed just last year… he was a miserable old bugger and I had a face-lift and my teeth done with one of his insurances, which helped numb the pain slightly.

 

You’ve obviously already realised that you can’t do a silent fart around here without it being in the South Cliffs Gazette.’

 

I refuse to answer that on the grounds of sexual discrimination.

 

Meet me where the sky touches the sea.

 

My mum always says, “Follow your heart, but don’t forget to take your brain with you”. About men, she has another saying: “Keep their stomachs full and their balls empty,” but that’s not quite so poetic, is it?’

 

A boomerang always returns to the person who throws it. Karma will get him in the end.

 

 My Review:

 

This was my first time reading the talented and witty Nicola May, although reading her clever arrangements of words will most likely become a habitual practice. I frequently smirked and occasionally cringed as her writing has a bit of everything, entertaining and engaging storylines, saucy banter, amusing humor, witty quips, adorable animals, heartbreak, painful insights, duplicity, and most importantly – quirky and endearing yet flawed characters who could have a college degree in bad decision making. Ms. May cunningly captured both the good and bad elements of small-town living from the predatory abuse of gossip and intimidation, pettiness, and snooping; to the empathetic and caring concern, supportiveness, and comradery in times of need. I fell in love with a tiny dachshund cleverly named as Hot Dog, as he was stolen as well as a sausage. I hope Ms. May brings us back to this quaint little town; there would be no shortage of peculiar characters and adventures to annotate. Which brings me to the new addition to my Brit Vocabulary Word List of full-on (maximum) and chuffed (mightily pleased). I would be full-on chuffed to return to Cockleberry Bay.

About Nicola May

Award-winning author Nicola May lives in Ascot in Berkshire with her rescue cat Stanley. Her hobbies include watching films that involve a lot of swooning, crabbing in South Devon, eating flapjacks and enjoying a flutter on the horses. Inspired by her favorite authors Milly Johnson and Carole Matthews, Nicola writes what she describes as chicklit with a kick.

Follow Nicola May

Website – www.nicolamay.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NicolaMayAuthor

Twitter – https://twitter.com/nicolamay1

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/author_nicola/

 

 

Giveaway –

Win x 3 Paperback copies of The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay (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 despatch or delivery of the prize.

 

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Book Review: Beyond the Garden by Ashley Farley

Beyond the Garden 

by Ashley Farley

 Goodreads

Amazon

B&N

All is right in Ellie Pringle Hagood’s world. Recently married to the man of her dreams and in anticipation of the big family she’s always wanted, she focuses on restoring the large home she inherited from her grandmother on Charleston’s prestigious Battery. Abbott, the father she adores, lives just down the street from her. She treasures her beloved housekeeper, Maddie, who offers wise counsel and loving support, and is the closest thing to a mother she’s ever known. Two days a week, she volunteers for an art program she piloted at an elementary school. But then, in the midst of all her happiness, comes news that throws Ellie’s life into a tailspin. Her brother-in-law has been murdered in Key West, and her sister, Lia, is wanted for questioning in the investigation. No one in Ellie’s family has seen or heard from Lia in the seven months since she disappeared and left her twin three-year-old daughters in Ellie and Julian’s care. The newlyweds, with several questions nagging at them, fly off to Key West in search of the missing sister. Where is Lia? How is she connected to her husband’s murder? What will become of her twin daughters? The two are only at the beginning of their quest for answers and solutions, and the path they take turns out to be far more torturous and complicated than expected.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She arrived five minutes late for class to discover her students dancing around the room and singing into their fists to the sound of rap music blaring from one of the boys’ iPhones. Their shoes bore holes and their clothes were worn, but they all carried a smartphone of some variety.

 

Nothing in this life comes without risk, Miss Ellie. But if you don’t take the risk, you don’t get the reward.

 

My Review:

 

Beyond the Garden had an active and busy plot with several intense storylines involving lots of tension with family drama, tragedy, mental illness, murder, blackmail, and abuse, as well as the more positive elements of rescue, fresh starts, happy children, and a beach vacation, which is always the best ending for any story. The storylines were engaging, the characters were flawed yet intriguing, and the writing was highly descriptive, emotive, and keenly observant. I have enjoyed each and every book I’ve read by Ms. Farley. I relish her Low Country tales although I always seem to find myself with an intense hankering for shrimp, lobster rolls, and cornbread for several weeks afterward.

About the Author  

    

Ashley Farley writes books about women for women. Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life issues. Her goal is to keep you turning the pages until the wee hours of the morning. If her story stays with you long after you’ve read the last word, then she’s done her job.

After her brother died in 1999 of an accidental overdose, she turned to writing as a way of releasing her pent-up emotions. She wrote SAVING BEN in honor of Neal, the boy she worshipped, the man she could not save.

Ashley is a wife and mother of two young adult children. While she’s lived in Richmond, Virginia for the past 21 years, part of her heart remains in the salty marshes of the South Carolina Lowcountry where she grew up. Through the eyes of her characters, she’s able to experience the moss-draped trees, delectable cuisine, and kind-hearted folks with lazy drawls that make the area so unique.

Visit her website at http://www.ashleyfarley.net for more information. Or sign up for her newsletter using this link: http://ashleyfarley.net/get-your-free…

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Book Review: The Forgotten Ones by Steena Holmes 

 

The Forgotten Ones

by Steena Holmes 

Goodreads

Amazon

In this novel from a New York Times bestselling author, the search for truth is defined by secrets and lies.

Elle is a survivor. She’s managed to piece together a solid life from a childhood of broken memories and fairy tales her mom told her to explain away bad dreams. But weekly visits to her mother still fill Elle with a paralyzing fear she can’t explain. It’s just another of so many unanswered questions she grew up with in a family estranged by silence and secrets.

Elle’s world turns upside down when she receives a deathbed request from her grandfather, a man she was told had died years ago. Racked by grief, regrets, and a haunted conscience, he has a tale of his own to tell Elle: about her mother, an imaginary friend, and two strangers who came to the house one night and never left.

As Elle’s past unfolds, so does the truth—if she can believe it. She must face the reasons for her inexplicable dread. As dark as they are, Elle must listen…before her grandfather’s death buries the family’s secrets forever.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Truth be told, I’ve been ready to greet death for a while now. But there’s a difference between greeting death and accepting it.

 

They say life flashes before your eyes when you’re about to die. I tend to believe the memories of the life you miss surround you until that’s all you see.

 

I guess in the end… you start thinking about the beginning.

 

I look at Mom in shock. The disdain in her voice is unexpected. Like finding out the sweet little puppy you adopted is really a snarling, ankle-biting, rabid wolf.

 

How are you doing? Do you need anything? Some water? Wine? A time machine so we can start this day over?

 

My Review:

 

I quickly tumbled into this divinely written and evocative tale that was so lushly detailed, I felt like a spectator rather than a reader. This was my first exposure to the remarkably talented scribe known as Steena Holmes and I was an instant convert to her cult. Ms. Holmes is a master storyteller with major word voodoo.   I was enthralled, appalled, completely engaged, and immediately drawn to the character of Elle, as I well know the chill of looking down your family tree and seeing the deeply diseased roots of mental illness. My long-standing joke is that “stupid and crazy is everywhere in my family forest.”   The storylines were ingeniously crafted, cleverly honed, and held taut at a cunning and maddening pace to the very end. I was a quivering mess and consumed with curiously to unravel the multiple layers of devious secrets Ms. Holmes had ruthlessly taunted me with, secrets that had been literally and figuratively buried for over sixty years. It was exquisite torture. Sigh, I’ve added her entire listing to my TBR.

 

Steena Holmes

Website

Twitter

Goodreads

Amazon

NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author – Steena is the author of the heart-wrenching Finding Emma series.

The Word Game was included in the Top 20 Novels to be Written by Women in 2015 by Good Housekeeping.

Her latest novel – The Word Game won the 2015 USA Books Award for Best Fiction and her novel, The Memory Child was a finalist in the same category.

Steena Holmes grew up in a small town in Canada and holds a Bachelors degree in Theology.

In 2012 she received the Indie Excellence Award. Holmes was inspired to write Finding Emma after experiencing a brief moment of horror when she’d thought her youngest daughter was missing.

She currently lives in Calgary with her husband and three daughters and loves to wake up to the Rocky Mountains each morning.

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Book Review: Wait With Me by Amy Daws

the wait is over

From Buzzfeed to Babble to Scary Mommy and even network television—the most anticipated social media viral sensation is LIVE!

The story of romance writer Amy Daws’ relationship with a little tire shop in South Dakota is a refreshingly fun tale that ends in an auto shop romantic comedy that you have to read!

Daws’ fans have loved watching this story trend, but more importantly, they are loving this 5-star read about a couple who meet outside of a tire shop…

Its LIVE-flipped

When romance novelist, Kate Smith, finds her long lost writing mojo in the customer waiting area of a tire store, the complimentary coffee isn’t the only things that’s hot. But sexy mechanic, Miles Hudson, is just up for a friendly test-drive of her new book idea.
At least, that was the agreement…

Buy
⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎
Amazon US ⎢Amazon UK ⎢ Amazon CA ⎢ Amazon AU

 

smut writer

viral sensationIt all began when Daws went to Tires Tires Tires to get a new set of wheels on her car. She was suffering from writer’s block, but apparently the complimentary coffee and cookies cured her. So she decided to bring in cars of friends and family so she could keep writing in the magical waiting room.

Her social media musings had her fans in stitches and it wasn’t long before inspiration struck again. This time…Daws was to write a sexy romantic comedy about a romance novelist who sneaks into a tire shop and gets caught by a hot mechanic. You can imagine where the love story goes from here.

Eventually, the little tire shop opened their arms to Daws, even putting her release date on their marquee sign outside.

It wasn’t long before Buzzfeed got wind of it. Then Scary Mommy. Then InspireMore and several other blogs with followers well into the millions. WGN News in Chicago, Fox 10 in Phoenix and Canada Public Radio are all talking about the adorable feel good story of how inspiration can strike in the strangest of places.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I would have stayed longer if I could survive on coffee and cookies all day. But curses, I need some protein or I might die.

 

I’m livid over the nerve of Tire Depot! What kind of respectable business would charge a person excess consumption of complimentary coffee? … I snatch the sheet out of her hands and am mortified at the list. Jesus, I do look like a pig when you list it all out like that.

 

He smiles again, and I get those butterflies in my stomach that I painstakingly try to describe in different ways with every book I write. Stomach flips. Stomach somersaults. Fireworks in my belly. Wait, that last one is terrible, it sounds like diarrhea.

 

I just stuffed my face with a breadstick like some sort of prepubescent child on the run from fat camp.

 

What kinds of fish live in this lake? Not sharks, of course, I’m not that stupid. But what if I’m going to reel in some disgusting swamp creature that’s like a beaver and a bass that fucked during a full moon and created some kind of terrifying swamp thing that eats people like piranha. Oh my God, are there piranha in Colorado? I should have googled!

 

Sam’s eyes fly wide at my appearance. I haven’t looked in a mirror lately, but I’m betting I look a bit like Ronald McDonald after a bender.

 

My Review:

 

I smirked, barked aloud, and giggle-snorted my way through this crisply written, delightfully irreverent, and salaciously steamy romantic comedy. I adore Amy Daws and greatly enjoy her unleashed and sassy humor.   Written from my favorite dual POV, I quickly fell in love with her endearingly flawed main characters, who were smart and quick-witted dirty talkers whose their inner musings were riotously funny and highly provocative.

Check out these fun features:
Buzzfeed ⎢InspireMore ⎢ Babble ⎢ Scary Mommy

wgn image.jpg

excerpt

She slaps her hand on her knee and bellows gallantly, “But you know what, Miles, you’re right! I should totally find a random hookup tonight.”
“Whoa, I never said anything about random.”
“Well, you’re doing it, so why can’t I?”
I narrow my eyes. “You don’t seem like the random type.”
“Maybe I should be.” Her eyes narrow when she leans in and whispers against my lips. “Can I tell you a secret, Miles?”
“You can tell me anything, Mercedes.”
She giggles and crooks her finger for me to lean in even closer. I’m so close I can smell the faint scent of her cherry lip gloss, and it’s not helping the half boner having a party in my pants.
Her lips graze my ear when she whispers, “My writing makes me horny.”
I nearly choke on my beer. “I’m sorry, what?”
“My writing makes me horny.” She pulls back and nods her confirmation. “I’m serious. I have a sex toy that works really well and really fast, but I miss the heat of a man, ya know?”
My eyes scrunch together, and I rub my fingers in the sockets to make sure I’m awake and hearing this all correctly. “I mean…I don’t really ever miss the heat of man, so I don’t think I know exactly what you’re saying.”
“Fine, the heat of a woman.” She rolls her eyes dramatically “You know what I’m talking about. The heat.”
I frown and shake my head. “You’re going to have to elaborate because I think of a lot of things when I think of women, but their body temperature isn’t one of them.”
“You asked for it.” She laughs and leans in so she’s speaking low and soft and directly into my ear. “The heat of a woman is so much more than temperature. It’s the soft, sensual curves of the female form. The way your fingers dig into the meat of her thighs when she’s wrapped around you. Her smooth, sunken tummy when she’s on her back, the delicate bumps of her ribcage when she’s throwing her head back in pleasure. Tight little nipples in pillows of creamy softness. The fact that you could fold yourself around her and envelop her body almost entirely and still want more. You’re saying you don’t miss that kind of heat?”
I blink slowly, recovering from what just happened. Her voice was a sensual, verbal caress straight on my cock. Then there was the warm heat of her breath on my ear. The deep husk of her tone. The way her warm palm rests softly on my thigh.
Fucking hell.

AuthorBio13254841_1712669075674776_2966283892361812453_o

Amy Daws is an Amazon Top 100 bestselling author of the Harris Brothers Series and is most known for her punny, footy-playing, British playboys. The Harris Brothers and her London Lovers Series fuel her passion for all things London. When Amy’s not writing, she’s watching Gilmore Girls or singing karaoke in the living room with her daughter while Daddy awkward-smiles from a distance.
For more of Amy’s work check out her social media links below or visit: http://www.amydawsauthor.com

Website/Newsletter: http://www.amydawsauthor.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/amydawsauthor
Facebook Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/728136307274712/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amydawsauthor
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/amydawsauthor
Book and Main: https://bookandmainbites.com/amydaws
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/amy-daws
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/amydawsauthor/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/amydaws
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/amydawsauthor

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Book Review, Giveaway: Spring at The Little Duck Pond Cafe by Rosie Green

Spring at The Little Duck Pond Cafe 

by Rosie Green

Goodreads

 Amazon   US  / UK – 

 

Fleeing from a romance gone wrong, Ellie Farmer arrives in the pretty little village of Sunnybrook, hoping for a brand new start that most definitely does not include love! Following an unscheduled soak in the village duck pond, she meets Sylvia, who runs the nearby Duck Pond Café. Renting the little flat above the café seems like the answer to Ellie’s prayers. It’s only for six months, which will give her time to sort out her life, far away from cheating boyfriend Richard.

But is running away from your past ever really the answer?

Clashing with the mysterious and brooding Zack Chamberlain, an author with a bad case of writer’s block, is definitely not what Ellie needs right now. And then there’s Sylvia, who’s clinging so hard to her past, she’s in danger of losing the quaint but run-down Duck Pond Café altogether.

Can Ellie find the answers she desperately needs in Sunnybrook? And will she be able to help save Sylvia’s little Duck Pond Café from closure?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

… all the bravado drains out of me, leaving me feeling like a balloon three days after the party.

 

After all, they do say the joy of being a grandparent is that you can hand the little terror back at the end of the day . . .

 

My Review:

 

While reading, I vacillated in how to rate this slowly developing and somewhat bittersweet tale about a small British village, where each of the main characters appears to be in a transitional stage in their lives. The premise was relevant and the storylines and writing were chaste enough for my elderly mother’s church ladies book club, yet still held my attention, which is rare ;).  As the first story in a trilogy, the stage was being set for subsequent installments, which was thankfully done without feeling like an information dump – yet it felt a bit flat to me. While there were humorous items and amusing observations, the story seemed to come up a little short of a Four-Star ranking, but close enough. I enjoyed the quirky characters and look forward to their future antics and adventures and proudly have two new additions to my Brit vocabulary list which now includes “came a cropper” which is to fall headlong, and “browned off” which is to be greatly annoyed. I do love being able to claim learning something new.

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, Spring at the Little Duck Pond Café, is out on March 22nd, 2018.

Twitter – https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988

 

Win this Wooden Duck Ornament and Chocolates

(Open to UK Only). 

During each day of this blog tour, each clue will be revealed to the true identity of Rosie Green.

Today’s Clue is:

I’ve written seven romantic comedies, the first published back in 2014.

In order to enter, you need to follow Rosie Green on Twitter, RT this tweet and then take a guess using the hashtag #WhoisRosieGreen

https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988/status/978271556068630528

You may guess more than once.

All entries using the hash tag will be entered, and the giveaway closes 23:00 BST 12th April

The identity of Rosie Green will be revealed on twitter after 12th April as will the giveaway winner.

Good luck and don’t forget to look at posts on other days of this tour, for more clues.

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Book Review: We Own the Sky by Luke Allnutt

We Own the Sky

by Luke Allnutt

Amazon 

 Books-A-Million 

 Barnes & Noble

Hardcover: 368 pages

Publisher: Park Row (April 3, 2018)

 

A triumphant story about love, loss and finding hope—against all odds

“We looked down at the cliff jutting into the sea, a rubber boat full of kids going under the arch, and then you started running and jumping through the grass, dodging the rabbit holes, shouting at the top of your voice, so I started chasing you, trying to catch you, and we were laughing so hard as we ran and ran, kicking up rainbow showers in the leaves.”

Rob Coates feels like he’s won the lottery of life. There is Anna, his incredible wife, their London townhouse and, most precious of all, Jack, their son, who makes every day an extraordinary adventure. But when a devastating illness befalls his family, Rob’s world begins to unravel. Suddenly finding himself alone, Rob seeks solace in photographing the skyscrapers and clifftops he and his son Jack used to visit. And just when it seems that all hope is lost, Rob embarks on the most unforgettable of journeys to find his way back to life, and forgiveness.

We Own the Sky is a tender, heartrending, but ultimately life-affirming novel that will resonate deeply with anyone who has suffered loss or experienced great love. With stunning eloquence and acumen, Luke Allnutt has penned a soaring debut and a true testament to the power of love, showing how even the most thoroughly broken heart can learn to beat again.

“A breathtaking read that describes perfectly the joy and pain that comes with loving fully and all the compassion and forgiveness it requires. Brimming with hope to the very end.” —Steven Rowley, bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus

“Anyone who wishes David Nicholls would write faster needs to grab this with both hands. It’s a truly stunning achievement.” —Jill Mansell, Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Oh those Facebook mothers. The way they talked, as if they had invented motherhood, as if they had invented the womb, telling themselves they were different from their own mothers because they ate quinoa and had cornrows in their hair and ran a Pinterest board on craft ideas for the recalcitrant under-fives.

 

Her eyes are like lizard tongues, darting toward me when she thinks I’m not looking.

 

There was a strange musty smell in Anna’s parents’ house: it reminded me of Werther’s Butterscotch or the jasmine-scented handkerchiefs old people put in their drawers.

 

Too soon. He was seventy-four. He’d had his three score and ten. David Frost had probably spent more time on the toilet than my son had been alive.

 

I should have listened to my dad. He liked a drink, but hated drinkers. It’s all about them, son, he had told me, boring old bastards, always droning on. All them clever thoughts, son, but the boy could hardly stand. Because it gets you like that, the booze. It makes you think you’re unwrapping the world. But you’re not. The world is unwrapping you.

 

My Review:

 

This book gutted me, but in the best way possible. Cleverly written with wit and observantly insightful detail that tapped all the senses, I was engaged and invested throughout this tragic yet uplifting and transformative journey. I was staggered by the knowledge that this stunningly crafted work was Mr. Allnutt’s debut. I was quite taken by his well-honed and smooth writing style, which pulled me right into the vortex of a loving and desperate father’s cranium. I felt and absorbed his jubilance as well as his disequilibrium and misery. The premise was relevant and moving while the prose was heart squeezing and emotive.  I fell in love with the adorable little Jack.

About Luke Allnutt

Luke Allnutt grew up in the U.K. and lives and works in Prague.

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Book Review: The Good Liar by Catherine McKenzie 

The Good Liar

by Catherine McKenzie 

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Amazon

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Can you hide a secret with the whole world watching?

When an explosion rips apart a Chicago building, the lives of three women are forever altered.

A year later, Cecily is in mourning. She was supposed to be in the building that day. Instead, she stood on the street and witnessed it going down, with her husband and best friend inside. Kate, now living thousands of miles away, fled the disaster and is hoping that her past won’t catch up with her. And Franny, a young woman in search of her birth mother, watched the horror unfold on the morning news, knowing that the woman she was so desperate to reconnect with was in the building.

Now, despite the marks left by the tragedy, they all seem safe. But as its anniversary dominates the media, the memories of that terrifying morning become dangerous triggers. All these women are guarding important secrets. Just how far will they go to keep them?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I avoid eye contact. Teo’s far too handsome for my current level of self-esteem.

 

I learned a while ago that when you woke up in the morning, there was no accounting for how long the day would take, because not all days are created equal. The day I got Tom’s texts, that day started out normally but then slowed down until it took up the space of a week.

 

My heart cracks. She’s never called me “Mother” before. I feel an urgent need to call my own mother and apologize for every time I did that as a teenager.

 

Disappointing? That’s all you’ve got to say? I find out my life is actually some Lifetime movie plot and that’s ‘disappointing’?

 

I don’t like it, but it’s going to be effective, I think, kill another two birds, or three in this case. It’s just sad that there are so many birds that need killing in the first place.

 

I don’t know the future. I only curate the past.

 

My Review:

 

The Good Liar was one of those slowly evolving, sneaky, and cleverly plotted books that I didn’t fully appreciate the ingeniousness of until I reached the conclusion. The premise was unique and engaging and while the characters were not likable, they intrigued me and held my interest. The writing was easy to follow yet multi-leveled and complex; this cunning author kept me guessing as she was busy hiding lots of undercurrents in the subtext. This was my first experience reading Ms. McKenzie and I found her to be an insightful and thoughtfully observant writer as her book was well-crafted, maddeningly paced, well-textured, and had an ingeniously twisted ending that I never saw coming. I love when that happens.

About the Author

Website
Amazon


Catherine McKenzie was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. A graduate of McGill in History and Law, Catherine practices law in Montreal. An avid runner and skier, she’s the author of numerous bestsellers including HIDDEN, SPIN, and SMOKE. Her works have been translated into multiple languages.

HIDDEN was a #1 Amazon bestseller and a Digital Bookworld bestseller for five weeks. SMOKE was a #1 Amazon bestseller, and was named as a Best Book of October (Goodreads) and one of the Top 100 Books of 2015 (Amazon). FRACTURED was a Best Book of October 2016 (Goodreads). She is also the author of THE MURDER GAME under her pseudonym, Julie Apple (the protagonist of Fractured).

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Book Review: If I Die Tonight by Alison Gaylin

If I Die Tonight

by Alison Gaylin

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Paperback: 384 pages

 Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (March 6, 2018)

Reminiscent of the bestsellers of Laura Lippman and Harlan Coben—with a dose of Big Little Lies or Stranger Things—an absorbing, addictive tale of psychological suspense from the author of the highly acclaimed and Edgar Award-nominated What Remains of Me and the USA Today bestselling and Shamus Award-winning Brenna Spector series, in which a seemingly open-and-shut police case with a clear-cut hero and villain turns out to be anything but simple.

Late one night in the quiet Hudson Valley town of Havenkill, a distraught woman stumbles into the police station—and lives are changed forever.

Aimee En, once a darling of the ’80s pop music scene, claims that a teenage boy stole her car, then ran over another young man who’d rushed to help.

As Liam Miller’s life hangs in the balance, the events of that fateful night begin to come into focus. But is everything as it seems?

The case quickly consumes social media, transforming Liam, a local high school football star, into a folk hero, and the suspect, a high school outcast named Wade Reed, into a depraved would-be killer. But is Wade really guilty? And if he isn’t, why won’t he talk?

Told from a kaleidoscope of viewpoints—Wade’s mother Jackie, his younger brother Connor, Aimee En and Pearl Maze, a young police officer with a tragic past, If I Die Tonight is a story of family ties and dark secrets—and the lengths we’ll go to protect ourselves.

 My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Nobody’s perfect… What gets us in trouble is when we try and pretend we are.

 

The bartender at Club Halifax was wearing flannel Snoopy pajama pants and a skintight tank top with a cannabis-leaf pattern. Yet still she was overdressed for this dismal place, which smelled of mold and decades-old cigarette smoke – an asthma attack waiting to happen.

 

I dated a guy once who wanted to know how far drive it was from Miami to Florida… He also thought Rosetta Stone was a civil rights leader. Thank God he was cute.

 

Mason Marx was short and squat, with mean little pig eyes and the personality of bad cheese.

 

… Jackie could not stand that mustache. Her eyes were drawn to it whenever Wacksman spoke, so thick and luxuriant she couldn’t help but imagine him grooming it, using a tiny tortoiseshell comb and a rack of imported oils as though it were a pet.

 

I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me… Such a strange expression – as though the heart were a messy closet you dug around in, forgiveness stashed in some long forgotten shoe box.

 

My Review:

 

If I Die Tonight initially appeared to be a slowly developing tale of family drama with a divorced single mother raising two teenage boys, one of which appeared deeply troubled and even more so when a tragic fatality struck the small town and it seemed a foregone conclusion that the troubled youth was involved. The characters were not immediately likable or admirable so it wasn’t a tale I was instantly sucked into, yet it held my attention and continued to draw me in. Notice I said initially, it wasn’t until the plot exploded with a confluence of twist after twist that I appreciated the subtlety and care the author had taken in crafting and planting the various elements of several mysteries that compounded and converged. The buildup was incremental and deftly devised, like a spider weaving a web. It was ingenious. I was so wrong in my hypothesis and would never have suspected the end result, and I was more than thrilled with the satisfying conclusion and reading experience. The stealthy and clever wordsmith Alison Gaylin has a new fangirl.

 

About Alison Gaylin

Alison Gaylin is the award-winning author of Hide Your Eyes and its sequel, You Kill Me; the standalones Trashed and Heartless; and the Brenna Spector series: And She Was, Into the Dark, and Stay with Me. A graduate of Northwestern University and of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, she lives with her husband and daughter in Woodstock, New York.

Find out more about Alison at her website, friend her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.