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Book Review: The Bridesmaid by Nina Manning @ninamanning78 @rararesources  @BoldwoodBooks

The Bridesmaid
by Nina Manning

‘Promise me? If you hear any secrets, never tell me. That would make you a most treasured friend. More than a friend really. You’re almost like a sister to me…’

 

Your best friend….

From the moment they met as children, Sasha knew that beautiful, wealthy, and confident Caitlin would always be her absolute best friend.  Sasha would do anything to make Caitlin happy.

Even keep her darkest secrets…

The years have passed, but their friendship remains.  And when Caitlin announces she’s getting married there is only one choice for the role of bridesmaid.

Sasha will make sure Caitlin’s wedding is as beautiful and perfect as she is.  Won’t she?

Your worst nightmare?

 

But Sasha is growing tired of always being in Caitlin’s shadow  – always the bridesmaid, never the bride.  And as the big day approaches, cracks begin to appear between the two women.  Secrets and lies swirl between the two friends like confetti. Both of them are hiding dark secrets, both of them are lying.

 

Could the secrets that once bound these two friends, rip them apart for good?

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 

He always makes me feel like the most upgraded version of myself. And that is worth something very special to me because it is the very thing that I don’t get from Caitlin.

My Review:

 

This is one of those cleverly plotted books that turned me inside out and slapped me around as everything I thought I had so smugly deduced was inside out and backward. Oh, that Nina Manning is a wily one. I was distrustful of all the characters as most of them seemed rather vile and deceitful. The storylines were multi-layered and cunningly textured to continually poke and taunt my curiosity. I was intrigued, ensnared, and invested in unraveling the dreadful secrets of the past that the author ruthlessly baited me with throughout. I was so wrong in my observations and wild theories, and quite happy to be. What a devious and shrewd scribbler, I am in awe of her capricious storytelling.

About the Author

Nina Manning studied psychology and was a restaurant owner and private chef (including members of the royal family). She is the founder and co-host of Sniffing The Pages, a book review podcast. Her debut psychological thriller, The Daughter in Law, was a bestseller in the UK, US, Australia, and Canada. She lives in Dorset.

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ninamanningauthor1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ninamanning78

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

Newsletter Sign Up Link: http://bit.ly/NinaManningNewsletter

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nina-manning

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Book Review: The Mix-Up by Elizabeth Neep @elizabeth_neep @Bookouture

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The Mix-Up
by Elizabeth Neep

Amazon  / B&N / Apple / GP / BB

What if you meet the love of your life, but he thinks you’re someone else?

Anna and Marley are best friends. So when Anna rings Marley, panicking because she has to miss a tour of an exclusive wedding venue, Marley agrees to go in her friend’s place. After being totally ignored by the glamorous receptionist who can tell she doesn’t belong there, Marley meets handsome hotel manager Cameron. He assumes she’s Anna and instead of admitting that she’s not the blushing bride, but the unlucky-in-love single friend, Marley plays along to see what it’s like to be Anna for a day.

After all, Marley is unemployed, single, and was woken up that morning by her flatmate playing the bagpipes. Anna has a high-flying career and is planning the perfect wedding. Why wouldn’t Marley want to be her?

Only she wasn’t counting on Cameron being so smart and funny. Or this spark between them that she can’t ignore. She hasn’t felt this way about a guy in forever. But he thinks she’s somebody better.

Marley needs a way out of this mix-up to get her shot at true love. But her fictional fiancé is now standing in her way and it’s harder than she thought to stop living someone else’s life…

A funny, uplifting, and poignant story of friendship, love, and finding your way. Fans of Dolly Alderton, Mhairi McFarlane, and Holly Bourne will adore Elizabeth Neep’s wit and warmth.

My Rating:

My Review:

 

While I enjoyed the premise and humor of this women’s fiction story, I struggled some with most of the main characters and their immature behaviors. They were annoying me I didn’t find them all that likable, yet I was invested in their tale and was curious to see how their story would unwind.   I’m glad I stuck it out as it was well worth the effort when it all came together with some clever sleight of hand.   The set-ups were often humorous with the characters’ duplicities snowballing and compounding, as lies tend to do. There were a few unexpected twists and curveballs I would never have seen coming that were quite ingeniously contrived. My favorite of all was the caped crusader stoner, he was brilliantly developed to be underestimated.

About the Author

Elizabeth Neep was born in 1990 in Derbyshire and now lives in London Bridge. After studying Law at the University of Nottingham and the University of New South Wales, she worked in magazine journalism, most noticeably writing for Dazed and Confused and PETRIe. Elizabeth now works as a non-fiction Senior Commissioning Editor and writes and paints in her spare time.
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Book Review: When We Touch (The Heartbreak Brothers #5) by Carrie Elks  @CarrieElks

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When We Touch
(The Heartbreak Brothers #5)
by Carrie Elks 

 

There’s a fine line between love and hate… and they’re about to cross it.

Becca Hartson should be used to moody men by now. She grew up with four overprotective older brothers, after all. But nothing could prepare her for the hostility she encounters from her new boss – the annoyingly gorgeous Daniel Carter.Sure, his first impression of her was bad. She was in the arms of his brother, crying into his shirt. But the whole situation was purely platonic and Daniel knows that.

It doesn’t stop him from scowling at her every time they work together. Or from sending her heart into a crazy spin.

But if she wants to keep this job, she’ll have to grin and bear it.

Coming back to work at his family’s distillery after six years away was a mistake. Daniel knows it from the moment his gaze clashes with Becca’s. With her tumbling waves and soft smile, he knows she’s trouble from the start.

Daniel doesn’t believe in love. And he definitely doesn’t believe in falling for his employees.

But when Becca looks at him with those sweet doe eyes, he keeps forgetting to hate her…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Even with its modern buildings and political life, Charleston was a slower way of life. Bloodlines were important, manners were everything. And backstabbing was practically an art form.

She’d always found tuxedos a little comical before. Grown men wearing little bow ties that made them look like the mouse from Tom and Jerry, tied up and presented like a Christmas gift.

Oh come on. I haven’t heard so much squealing since Logan and Courtney bred their prize boar.

The gossip had disappeared about a week after they went public. It was amazing how boring a good relationship was to people.

My Review:

 

This was an enjoyable and satisfying installment and an excellent finale for the series although I fervently wish the family had more members, as I had grown attached to them. The characters were endearing and lovable and the storylines were relatable and easy to follow regardless of whether you had read the previous installments, although you should if you haven’t. The romance was tender and deliciously steamy with a minimum of conflict, my favorite type!   Generous helpings of humor and family drama with vile relatives provided balance and flavor. In addition to being well entertained, I learned quite a bit about distilling whiskey as well as the complications and management of diabetes.

 

Carrie Elks writes contemporary romance with a sizzling edge. Her first book, Fix You, has been translated into eight languages and made a surprise appearance on Big Brother in Brazil. Luckily for her, it wasn’t voted out. Carrie lives with her husband, two lovely children, and a larger-than-life black pug called Plato. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found baking, drinking an occasional (!) glass of wine, or chatting on social media.

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Book Review: Daisy’s Dilemma by Debbie Viggiano  @DebbieViggiano @rararesources 

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Daisy’s Dilemma
by Debbie Viggiano

Amazon  / BB

Florist Daisy is loved-up and blossoming. Boyfriend Dominic has proposed marriage!

However, Dominic isn’t in any rush to buy a ring, and meeting the parents is looong overdue. What is the problem? After all, Daisy’s mum has already bought her big hat and wants to know the wedding date!

Then careless words plant seeds of doubt and, like weed, Daisy’s concerns begin to multiply. Is Dominic hiding something?

Meanwhile, sexy ex Harry is back on the scene and begging Daisy for a reconciliation. He thought the grass was greener with HER but now says he made a mistake. Is Harry – for once – being genuine, or simply leading Daisy up the garden path?

New neighbor Seth seems like a fun guy, but a single throwaway comment has Daisy mimicking a species of Calla Lily – Red Alert! It’s time to do some digging. But even she never anticipated a mad car chase across London or unearthing a shocking secret that changes everything.

Sparks are set to fly in this gorgeous romantic comedy about love, trust, and new beginnings.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

My husband went off with HER. I can’t name HER but to give you a clue she has knockers the size of sunflowers and butt cheeks bigger than a ball cactus.

 

Seth blasted us both with a smile that threatened to singe my eyelashes and had Becky behaving like my ex-mother-in-law’s dog when it had cornered a squirrel.

 

Sometimes, if there was a lull at work, Becky and I played the “what if” game. What if the human population was extinct save for four people. Yours truly and Becky, and you had to populate Earth with the next two men who came into the shop. The rule was you had to choose one of them. On one occasion Becky and I had argued fiercely over who was bagging eighty-year-old Mr Harris against ninety-two-year-old Mr Payne who never wore dentures. The game had become quite heated… We’d eventually admitted defeat and agreed that, on this occasion, planet Earth would fail to be repopulated.

 

‘Well it wasn’t tiddlywinks we were playing last night, Daisy,’ she chortled. ‘And he definitely doesn’t have a tiddly wink.’

 

‘None of the other whatsits I’ve ever dated have been like Alfie.’ She paused to consider. ‘They were like the tide. Went out and never came back.’

My Review:

 

I giggle-snorted, chortled, and laughed aloud as I perused this cleverly amusing missive featuring the adorable, gentle, and rather hapless Daisy. Daisy had niggles about her fiancé and although she wanted to live in the land of denial, her waspish inner voice kept harping at her for being such a jellyfish. The snark was as humorous as it was insightfully keen. I wanted to give Daisy a few good bumps with my elbow to dislodge her cranium from her colon but she finally snapped to and being a gentle soul, took only a mild form of revenge. Being of the Lorena Bobbitt philosophy of vengeance myself, I was a bit outraged by her choice to desecrate innocent cheesecake, but that is neither here nor there.

 

About the Author

Prior to turning her attention to writing, Debbie Viggiano was, for more years than she cares to remember, a legal secretary. She lives with her Italian husband, a rescued pooch from Crete, and a very disgruntled cat. Occasionally her adult children return home bringing her much joy… apart from when they want to raid the fridge or eat her secret stash of chocolate. Tweet @DebbieViggiano or follow her on Facebook!

Social Media Links

TWITTER: @DebbieViggiano

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/debbie.viggiano.5/

INSTAGRAM: debbieviggiano

WEBSITE: www.debbieviggiano.co.uk

 

 

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Book Review: The Secretary by Catherine Hokin @cathokin @Bookouture

The Secretary
by Catherine Hokin 

Amazon  / B&N / Apple / GP / BB

The Tower House. Down a secluded path, hidden by overgrown vines, the crumbling villa echoes with memories. Of the family who laughed and sang there, until the Nazis tore them from their home. And of the next woman to walk its empty rooms, whose courage in the face of evil could alter the course of history…

Germany 1940. As secretary to the leader of the SS, Magda spends her days sending party invitations to high-ranking Nazis, and her evenings distributing pamphlets for the resistance. But Magda is leading a dangerous double life, smuggling secrets out of the office. It’s a deadly game, and eventual exposure is a certainty, but Magda is driven by a need to keep the man she secretly loves safe as he fights against the Nazis…

Forty years later. Nina’s heart pounds as she steps into an uncertain future carrying a forged passport, a few banknotes, and a scribbled address for The Tower House taken from an intricate drawing she found hidden in her grandmother’s wardrobe. Separated from her family and betrayed by her country, Nina’s last hope is to trace her family’s history in the ruins of the past her grandmother ran from. But, when she finally finds the abandoned house, she opens the door to a forgotten story, and to secrets that will change everything: past, present, and future…

A poignant and gripping novel about bravery, loss, and redemption during the Second World War. An unputdownable read for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, We Were the Lucky Ones, and The Alice Network.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Magda was shouting. She never shouted. Her eyes were black and hard, as if someone else was using them.

 

It’s come at a price, believe me – being with men whose values are as twisted as Himmler’s corrodes a little piece of your soul. But if it means I can help decent men keep their jobs and old friends get to safety, close is where I have to be.

 

He was of medium height and medium build and his hair was thinning. He had the kind of pasty complexion that suggested long hours in dark rooms. He was so completely unremarkable, he didn’t seem real.

 

That’s the worst of these things, Nina; that’s what I never wanted you to have to learn. There’s always a choice that isn’t a choice. It’s always impossible to save everyone.

 

There has been talk of a memorial on the platform the death trains went out of, but… Every time a plaque is installed there, it gets stolen. Sometimes I wonder what kind of people are still living here.

My Review:

 

This was an intense and tragic read yet Ms. Hokin’s writing was extraordinarily poignant, well-crafted, and thrummed with a taut and anxious tone throughout due to the constant peril her characters faced in both timelines. The storylines were rife with family drama, intrigue, subterfuge, and the constant danger of discovery. I was quite taken by the quality of the characters’ development as the individuals were realistically flawed and believable human beings who made serious errors yet were well-intentioned and endearing, even though I often wanted to give them a pinch or two.

About the Author

Catherine Hokin is the author of two World War Two-inspired novels set in Berlin, her favorite city. Following a History degree at Manchester University she worked in teaching, marketing and politics while waiting for a chance to do what she really wanted which was to write full time. Her short stories have been published by iScot, Writers Forum, and Myslexia magazines and she was the winner of the 2019 Fiction 500 Short Story Competition. She is a lover of strong female leads and a quest.

Catherine now lives in Glasgow with her American husband. She has two grown-up children – one of whom lives, very conveniently, in Berlin – and a lifelong addiction to very loud music.

https://www.catherinehokin.com/

https://www.facebook.com/cathokin/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

https://twitter.com/cathokin

 

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Book Review: The Old Ducks’ Club by Maddie Please @MaddiePlease1 @rararesources @BoldwoodBooks

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The Old Ducks’ Club
by Maddie Please

Amazon  / B&N / GP

Sophia Gregory is fading away…

Recently split from her married lover and about to turn sixty, Sophia doesn’t recognize the old woman staring back at her in the mirror. Where has her life gone so wrong? How has it come to this? A quiet holiday in beautiful Rhodes is the perfect chance for her to find herself again.

Until she meets the Old Ducks!
Bold and brash, Juliette, Kim, and Anita are three friends who are determined not to grow old gracefully – and they are Sophia’s worse nightmare! But when Sophia is made an honorary member of The Old Ducks’ Club, she begins to discover a new side to life. Dancing and drinking till dawn Sophia starts to shake off her grey, drab old life and finds the fun side to living again!

And when she meets her gorgeous Greek neighbor, Theo, she thinks that maybe, if she’s just a little braver, she can learn to spread her wings again…

It’s never too late to teach an Old Duck new tricks!

A rip-roaring, laugh-out-loud story about the importance of friendship and always, always having fun! Perfect for fans of Judy Leigh and Dee Macdonald.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I’d been finding now I was approaching sixty that there had been a gradual increase in my invisibility… But sometimes that was a good thing, to be able to merge into the background. It meant I’d probably make a good shoplifter. Not that I ever would of course.

 

I didn’t have the figure for crossover bodices and dangling ties. I tended to look as though I was wearing a hospital gown backwards which wasn’t the look I was hoping for.

 

I needed to get the tweezers out and check my incipient moustache. I think it’s to do with hormones or lack of them. I dimly remember my grandmother when I was a child; she could have given Hercule Poirot a run for his money by the time she had died at eighty-seven.

 

I bet she will look at you with an evil glint in her eye and ask you awkward questions. That’s what they do, old aunts… Stewart had three of them who were positively poisonous. Like the witches in Macbeth without the cauldron. Or the humanity. They came to our wedding because Stewart was too scared not to invite them and they sat together making snide comments. Asking if I was pregnant or just fat. Did I think it was appropriate to wear white? … And she will probably have an evil old dog on her lap, so make a fuss of it… but don’t try and stroke it because it will probably bite you. Stewart’s Auntie Mim had a Pomeranian with teeth like needles and the same temperament as Mim. I sometimes think Mim would have bitten me too given half a chance.

 

My Review:

 

Being that I am of a certain age and well qualified to be an Old Duck – I delighted in this lively and engaging tale featuring mature women with spunk; and yes, we do exist. This was my first exposure to the wry wit and amusing charm of Maddie Please and I quickly succumbed to her magic and soon found myself in Greece, overindulging in food and drink while sitting in a hot tub with new friends. Clearly, her clever arrangements of words resonated with me. Her characters were colorful and uniquely quirky yet endearing and curiously knowable. The storylines were pleasantly entertaining and easy to follow with generous helpings of humor, lush descriptions, and observant insights. Proof that we can be sassy and still classy and it is never too late to start a new chapter of our own.   I need more of this and have added her to my list of favorites.

About the Author

Maddie Please is the author of four bestselling romantic comedies, having had a career as a dentist and now lives in rural Devon where she enjoys box sets, red wine, and Christmas. She will be taking a new direction in her writing for Boldwood with joyous tales of older women – the first of which The Old Ducks’ Club was just published in May 2021.

 

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Spotlight, Excerpt: The Stepsisters by Susan Mallery

The Stepsisters

Paperback: 416 Pages

Publisher: MIRA; Original edition (May 25, 2021)

Once upon a time, when her dad married Sage’s mom, Daisy was thrilled to get a bright and shiny new sister. But Sage was beautiful and popular, everything Daisy was not, and she made sure Daisy knew it.

Sage didn’t have Daisy’s smarts—she had to go back a grade to enroll in the fancy rich-kid school. So she used her popularity as a weapon, putting Daisy down to elevate herself. After the divorce, the stepsisters’ rivalry continued until the final, improbable straw: Daisy married Sage’s first love, and Sage fled California.

Eighteen years, two kids, and one troubled marriage later, Daisy never expects—or wants—to see Sage again. But when the little sister they have in common needs them both, they put aside their differences to care for Cassidy. As long-buried truths are revealed, no one is more surprised than they when friendship blossoms.

Their fragile truce is threatened by one careless act that could have devastating consequences. They could turn their backs on each other again…or they could learn to forgive once and for all and finally become true sisters of the heart.

MIRA | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Excerpt

“Is Sage still in LA?” Daisy asked. “I thought she lived in Rome.” That was what she’d told Krissa.

“Not anymore. She’s back in Los Angeles and living with Joanne.”

Oh, joy, Daisy thought.

“I’ll let Esmerelda know,” she said, keeping her voice light. “I think the upstairs guest room would be best. There are big windows and lots of space.”

“I agree that’s a good choice. They’re emailing me a copy of her records. I’ll forward them to you as soon as I get them. Once you look them over, you’ll have a better idea of what she’ll need. Esmerelda can get it all in place.”

“No problem, Dad. We’ll figure it out.”

They spoke for a few more minutes before hanging up. Daisy stared at the blank screen, wishing there had been a way to say no. But she’d been unable to—

“Dammit, Dad!”

She stood and shoved her phone into her handbag as she dealt with the fact that she’d just been played. There had been no reason for her father to ask her to tell Sage about Cassidy’s accident. According to him, Sage was living with her mother and he had said he was calling Joanne. No doubt Joanne would tell her daughter about the accident. But he’d made Daisy promise to get in touch with Sage.

She heard the beep that alerted her to a text message. Probably her father forwarding Sage’s contact information. And because she’d said she would, now she would have to call, because not keeping her word wasn’t an option.

She was thirty-six years old and her father was still messing with her life. One day she was going to have to deal with that, although in truth, the more pressing issue was the fact that her half sister was about to move in. Daisy would be forced to deal with her injuries, nurses in and out of the house, while living with someone who disliked her. And trying to hide the fact that her husband had moved out. The same husband who had once been engaged to her former stepsister—and that same stepsister had loudly promised to love Jordan forever right in the middle of his wedding to Daisy.

“Later, there will be wine,” Daisy promised herself. “And possibly chocolate.”

Because some days, that was all that stood between her and madness.

Sage arrived home to an empty house. Grateful she wasn’t going to have to deal with her mother, she went to her room and quickly changed into jeans and a T-shirt. While she was willing to admit to a little anticipation about her evening with Adam, she didn’t want him to know that. And she’d learned the best way to tell a man an evening with him was no big deal was to dress as if it didn’t matter at all.

She went into the bathroom to brush her hair before pulling it back into a simple ponytail and tried not to notice the hint of wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. She knew she still looked good, but for how long? Five years? She really needed to start saving up to get some preventative work done. Something she would add to her money to-do list, along with an apartment and possibly putting aside a few dollars for a savings account.

“Not going to think about that right now,” she whispered, before returning to her room and collecting the bottle of tequila and the limes.

She walked over to Adam’s house and knocked. He opened the door and smiled at her.

“I have the blender ready to go,” he said, stepping back to allow her inside.

She held up the tequila and the limes. “Good, because we wouldn’t want these to go to waste.”

He led the way into the kitchen. She had a brief impression of newish appliances and a lot of leather furniture in the open-concept family room.

About Susan Mallery

No.1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming, humorous novels about the relationships that define our lives – family, friendship, romance. She’s known for putting nuanced characters in emotional situations that surprise readers to laughter. Beloved by millions, her books have been translated into 28 languages. Susan lives in Washington with her husband, two cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur.

Connect with Susan

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

 

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Book Review: The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club by Faith Hogan @GerHogan  @Aria_Fiction

The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club 
byFaith Hogan 

Amazon  / B&N / Apple / GP

 

Three women. Three different stages of life. United by one thing: the chance to start again.

‘Uplifting, emotional and brimming with warmth and humour’ – Cathy Bramley

When Elizabeth’s husband dies, leaving her with crippling debt, the only person she can turn to is her friend, Jo. Soon Jo has called in her daughter, Lucy, to help save Elizabeth from bankruptcy. Leaving her old life behind, Lucy is determined to make the most of her fresh start.

As life slowly begins to return to normal, these three women, thrown together by circumstance, become fast friends. But then Jo’s world is turned upside down when she receives some shocking news.

In search of solace, Jo and Elizabeth find themselves enjoying midnight dips in the freezing Irish Sea. Here they can laugh, cry and wash away all their fears. As well as conjure a fundraising plan for the local hospice that will bring the whole community together…

From bestselling Irish writer Faith Hogan, The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club is an emotional story about finding new friends and living life to the fullest, that will appeal to fans of Sheila O’Flanagan, Heidi Swain, and Liz Fenwick.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

To be honest, I think we were all a little in awe of your extensive vocabulary when it came to telling her where to go. The parish priest had to run into the pantry to hide his smirk.

 

The walls held charts that looked as if they could belong in a museum. The blinds that had stuck closed many years earlier had a tatty, neglected air about them. Even the doors creaked onerously as they were opened; it seemed they too were ready to hand notice in.

 

I’m sorry, Lucy, but consider yourself stepping into the TARDIS and re-emerging somewhere in the early 1970s.

 

‘It should be in the nip. A dip in the nip! That’s what I’d enjoy most, thinking of all of you, down here, in the altogether and jumping into the water… Think about it, Elizabeth, even old crabby boots O’Neill… herself.’ And they all began to laugh at the notion of Eric’s former receptionist pulling off her interlocking knickers before diving into the cold Atlantic.

 

What’s she thinking? The sight of her in the buff will be enough to frighten every fish from the bay.

 

‘I’ll strategically add in a pink ribbon to cover everyone’s jiggly bits at the end,’ she intoned to the startled Elizabeth as she began to unpack a fairly complex-looking camera.

 

My Review:

 

I adore Faith Hogan and her latest missive was yet another one to savor. I read it slowly and enjoyed every storyline while keeping my fingers crossed for a happy ending that tied them all together, and of course, she delivered in spades. I am enamored with Ms. Hogan’s agile craft and nimble word skills, she has her own unique brand of insightfully written and poignant storytelling that pulls in just the right amount of wry humor to balance out the drama and tension. I have never been to Ireland and every time I read one of her tales it ignites my desire to see the land of leprechauns and distant ancestors. I have enjoyed every book of hers I’ve had the luck to pick up and I covet the ones I don’t have. She has mad skills and a lifelong fangirl in me.

About the Author


Faith Hogan is an Irish award-winning and bestselling author of five contemporary fiction novels. Her books have featured as Book Club Favorites, Net Galley Hot Reads, and Summer Must Reads. She writes grown-up women’s fiction which is unashamedly uplifting, feel-good, and inspiring.

She is currently working on her next novel. She lives in the west of Ireland with her husband, four children, and a very busy Labrador named Penny. She’s a writer, reader, enthusiastic dog walker, and reluctant jogger – except of course when it is raining!

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Book Review:  The Complete Stars Duet by Amie Knight

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The Complete Stars Duet
by Amie Knight

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited! 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3tEEHG1

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/completestars

The Stars Duet Boxed Set, including the complete The Stars Series including the bonus story Christmas Beneath the Stars from Amie Knight, is available now! 

 

Beneath His Stars

I met Adam Nova under the twinkling lights of a nighttime sky.

He was hiding, but that gorgeous boy didn’t belong in the dark.

Nevertheless, it was where he lived; a different world than mine.

I was Livingston Montgomery, Southern debutante.

With the world at my fingertips, I was well on my way to being another spoiled socialite.  

But I didn’t want money.  

I didn’t want social status.  

I wanted him; tattoos, sarcastic smirk, bad boy reputation and all.  

It didn’t matter that he was from the wrong side of the tracks.  

It didn’t matter that my family forbade me from seeing him.  

I just wanted to be Beneath His Stars.    

 

In Her Space

I was reunited with Livingston Montgomery in the broad sunshine of a Carolina morning, right where she belonged; in the light.   

It’d been too long since I’d seen her face.

She had changed, but so had I.  

I was Adam Nova, reformed bad boy.  Now, successful businessman.  

I had it all, except for the one person I’d always wanted, and now I was back to claim her.  

She was living in the shadows, just a shell of the former girl I knew.   

But it didn’t matter that she tried to hide from me in the dark.

I’d follow her into the deepest depths of hell.

I just wanted to be In Her Space.

My Rating:

 

Favorite Quotes:

He was covered in tattoos. They didn’t just peek out of the sleeves of his shirt. No, this man wore his tattoos like clothes. They blanketed his arms and came out of the top of his shirt and onto his neck.

My finger brushed the paper and I felt a spark of something. Something that felt bigger than me… It was like coming alive. It was electric and it lit me up from the inside until I felt like all of the stars above my head were suddenly all living inside of me.

He was one big contradiction I couldn’t get enough of. His tattoos and attitude screamed bad boy, but his mind? It screamed nerd. I loved it.

I don’t just love you to that moon and back, baby. I love you to Pluto and back even if it would take me nineteen years to get there and back.

“Man, if I knew all it took was coffee to get a proclamation of love, I would have started with that sooner.” She took the coffee from my hand while holding up the blanket with the other and shot me a sassy look. “This isn’t just coffee, Adam. This is nectar of the gods.”

My Review:

 

Sizzle and snap, this was smokin’ hot and fever-inducing. While the first installment was angsty YA, the second half was adult-rated with breath-stealing sensuality and angsty adulting. Oddly, I didn’t seem to mind despite my abhorrence of constant contrived conflict. The characters were sympathetic and endearingly appealing while struggling with relevant issues, although I did want to give them each a few smacks to the back of the head from time to time. I adored Adam, he was such a romantic. The storylines were angsty yet intriguing and taut with flinch-inducing family drama and tensions that remained tautly held throughout. I had trouble putting my Kindle down. Amie Knight has mad skills.

 

About  Amie

Amie Knight has been a reader for as long as she could remember and a romance lover since she could get her hands on her momma’s books. A dedicated wife and mother with a love of music and makeup, she won’t ever be seen leaving the house without her eyebrows and eyelashes done just right. When she isn’t reading and writing, you can catch her jamming out in the car with her two kids to ’90s R&B, country, and show tunes. Amie draws inspiration from her childhood in Columbia, South Carolina, and can’t imagine living anywhere other than the South.

 

Connect with Amie

Facebook: https://bit.ly/2UtTe85

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Website: https://www.authoramieknight.com

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Book Review: Italy Ever After by Leonie Mack @LeonieMAuthor @rararesources  @BoldwoodBooks

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Italy Ever After
by Leonie Mack

Amazon  / B&N /  GP

Escape to the sun and head off to Italy, with the wonderfully warm and ever-so-page-turning Leonie Mack!

TV journalist Lou feels battered and bruised after her divorce from Phil, the father of her daughter Edie. Her confidence and sense of fun have steadily been drained away, and she isn’t sure who she is anymore.

When the opportunity arises to accompany Edie to a music camp in Italy for a month in the summer, Lou jumps at the chance for new adventures, new horizons, and new friends. The hazy warmth of the summer sun, shining brightly over the stunning Lake Garda, slowly brings Lou back to life.

Nick Romano, Edie’s music teacher, loves being home in Italy, but coaching his students for their concert in Milan, is bringing back difficult memories. His blossoming friendship with Lou is the perfect distraction, although a summer fling would be easier to conduct without the scrutiny of his mother Greta, not to mention the interference of his extended Italian family.

As the summer passes, full of sunshine and breath-taking scenery, gelato, and delicious feasts, Lou and Nick get ever closer. But as the time for farewell creeps up on them, will they be able to say goodbye and leave their memories behind in the Italian sun, or can a summer romance last a lifetime?

Leonie Mack is back with a sizzling, sun-baked love story, perfect for all fans of Mandy Baggot, Jo Thomas, and Carole Matthews.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She always looked as though she were hurtling through life straddling a hydrogen bomb.

 

She was finally letting go of her identity as Phil’s wife and latching on to the first man who came into range. Urgh, it made her sound like a sniper peering through her scope.

 

Watching Lou suppress a moan at the mushroom ravioli was like accidentally catching a glimpse of someone in the shower.

 

He knew it hadn’t been easy for her, but she didn’t just accept life’s lemons, she grabbed them off the tree and made silly faces with them.

My Review:

 

I adored every word of this cleverly amusing and delightfully engaging tale. It was my first chance to read this witty and talented author and I found her work pleasantly entertaining as well as insightful and deliciously textured with humor, lush descriptions, and keen observations.

A newly divorced mom finds she is crushing on teacher – her daughter’s teacher – but it is a huge crush and she can’t stop looking at his delectable backside while he conducts her young daughter’s music group. And that could be a problem as she is to chaperone her daughter’s class of preteens to a musical retreat with the hot teacher at his family’s farm in Italy. And be still my heart, the hot man blushes, a lot.

The struggling characters were fun to unravel and endearingly appealing, except for the heinous ex-husband, he was a waste of good skin. The premise was inviting while the writing craftily took us on an exploratory adventure of the heart and soul as well as exposure to a new country. Sigh. I seem to have an intense craving for pasta with some gelato for dessert. There goes my diet…

 

About the Author

Leonie Mack is a debut novelist whose first book My Christmas Number One was published by Boldwood in September 2020. Having lived in London for many years her home is now in Germany with her husband and three children. Leonie loves train travel, medieval towns, hiking, and happy endings!

Social Media Links

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Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/leonie-mack

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