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Book Review: A Better Man (The Heartbreak Brothers Book 3) by Carrie Elks @CarrieElks

 

A Better Man
(The Heartbreak Brothers Book 3)
by Carrie Elks

 

She’s his addiction. He’s her escape.

Logan Hartson is gorgeous, successful, and has a smile that’ll knock a woman off her feet. And from the moment Courtney Roberts meets him on a dirt road, the chemistry sizzles between them.

Everything about them is wrong. He’s city, she’s country.

He owns expensive restaurants. She runs a small farm.

None of that matters when they’re tangled together in her bed, his body promising things her heart shouldn’t want.

Until people start to talk, and things get rough, and after one last, sweet night together they agree to part.

She never thought she’d see him again. But nature has other plans. The serious kind.

Now she just has to tell him the truth.

So how do you tell somebody their life will never be the same again?

She takes a deep breath, her wide eyes meeting his. “Logan, I’m pregnant.”

*A Better Man is the third book in the Heartbreak Brothers series of emotional standalone romances, set in the small town of Hartson’s Creek. Find out why readers are falling in love with these handsome and brooding brothers!

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She’d been called Poor Courtney so many times she wondered if it was her new name.

 

“The downsides of small town living.” Lainey sighed. “If the gossip doesn’t kill you, waiting for it will.”

 

Courtney Roberts is having a baby, even though her husband’s cold in the ground. It’s like an early Christmas gift for the town gossips.

My Review:

 

I am infatuated with this series of handsome, swoon-worthy, and successful brothers; they have all been my favorite brand of catnip. Each of the three installments could easily standalone yet they have been so much fun I advise anyone who hasn’t read them to start at the beginning. The storylines and writing style are engaging, witty, amusing, well-conceived, and expertly paced. There are two more endearing siblings to go in this quirky small-town family, although maybe if we beg the author enough she could be bribed to extend the series to in-laws, friends, and friends of friends.

 

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: Still The One (The Heartbreak Brothers #2) by Carrie Elks  @CarrieElks


Still The One
(The Heartbreak Brothers #2)
by Carrie Elks

Nobody expects to meet the love of their life on their first day at school, but from the moment Tanner Hartson set his eyes on Savannah Butler, she stole his breath away.

She was beautiful, wild and free. And though her life was hard, she made everything feel easy.

As they grew up, they were best friends.
Then sweethearts.
And finally lovers.

Until he broke her heart in the worst way.

They haven’t spoken for the last ten years. But now she’s returned to their small home town and he can’t fight the intense attraction that keeps pulling them together.

He wants her back. And this time he won’t take no for an answer.

Doesn’t true love deserve a second chance?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She’d always been obsessive about saving. Maybe somewhere deep inside she’d known her mom was a ticking time bomb. It was a matter of when, not if, she’d detonate.

 

“I have a sprinkle next weekend. Would you like to come?” “A sprinkle?” Van asked, biting down a smile. It sounded like some kind of incontinence problem. “What’s that?” “It’s like a baby shower, but without all the gifts.” Regan shrugged. “After three kids I have almost everything I need. And anyway, Mrs. Fairfax said it would be bad form to ask for gifts for the fourth time around.” She blinked, then forced a smile on her face.

My Review:

 

I am enjoying this series, but then I always enjoy reading Carrie Elk’s work. She implants me so easily into her characters’ vortex, I was so thoroughly engaged I could smell the popcorn and taste the smores. The storylines were entertaining and smirk-worthy and cast with a bevy of quirky yet complicated characters who rippled with wit and snark. I seemed to have inhaled this tale and feel more than ready for even more Carrie Elk goodness with her latest missive idling on my Kindle.

 

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: Take Me Home (The Heartbreak Brothers #1) by Carrie Elks @CarrieElks

Take Me Home
(The Heartbreak Brothers #1)
by Carrie Elks 

 

A grammy-winning rock star falls for a small-town girl in this all-new standalone romance from author Carrie Elks.

Gray Hartson is coming home. After years of playing to sold-out stadiums around the world, the tattooed singer is determined to build bridges with his sick father and reconnect with the family he left behind.But then he meets her . . . the beautiful waitress with the smart mouth who makes him laugh more than he has in years.

One small problem. She’s his ex-girlfriend’s sister. The only woman he can’t have.

Maddie Clark was an awkward teenager when Gray left. Now she slings hash in a backwater diner, her dreams of being a famous concert pianist left in tatters.

Don’t ask her why. She’ll never tell. Strong women do what it takes to keep a roof over their heads.

Until he walks through the door and complicates everything.

Their attraction is wrong.

But foolish hearts never listen to reason.

Maybe he should write a song about that.

Take Me Home is the first book in the Heartbreak Brothers series of emotional standalone romances, set in the small town of Hartson’s Creek.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“I’m sending the dogs out,” Della Thorsen shouted. “Sic ’em, Dodger.” “Dodger’s seventeen years old and incontinent,” Cora muttered to him. “Ignore her.”

 

Every day feels like one of those days sometimes, you know? Like you’re swimming against the tide when everybody else is on a motorboat, and right when you think you’re making progress, they circle around you and make sure their wake sends you under the surface.

 

“I only had a couple drinks.” “Four.” She held her fingers up. “A couple of couples.”

 

According to Mrs. Chilton, he looks like a ‘Beatnik’… I asked her what that meant, and it turns out he wears jeans that hang below his underwear, which is some kind of a crime around here.

 

I do kind of like her. The same way I kind of like Hannibal Lecter.

 

 

My Review:

 

This was a yummy, fun, and eventful read featuring a successful yet tired rocker returning to his small town after a ten years absence to check on his frail yet heinous father. The storylines were engaging, entertaining, and generously sprinkled with amusing wit, family drama, and a steamy romance.   I enjoyed every word and am eager to continue on to the second and third installments, which are thankfully already locked and loaded on my beloved Kindle.

 

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: Spells (Bayou Magic, #2) by Kristen Proby @Handbagjunkie @valentine_pr_

Spells
(Bayou Magic, #2)
by Kristen Proby

 

Spells by Kristen Proby is now live!

From New York Times Bestselling Author, Kristen Proby, comes Spells, the next installment in her gripping Bayou Magic series…

As a powerful hedgewitch and psychic, there isn’t much I can’t work to my advantage and finesse with a spell. Love, fortune, and even the perfect cup of coffee are all possible with the snap of my fingers. But some things are utterly beyond my control. Like the powerful and broody warlock who’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember–and even the lifetimes I often can’t. Things almost as dangerous as Lucien Bergeron’s hold on me and the breathtaking smiles only I get to see. Or the evil still stalking the streets of New Orleans that beckons to me to see. To feel. To die. With everything riding on a razors-edge, and things that have been portended coming to fruition, threatening both me and those I love, I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to resist my fate. Or his charm. If I work with Lucien, it could mean the end for both of us. If I don’t, those I love most will pay.

Download today on Amazon, Books & Noble, Kobo, Apple, Audible!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2CFKUN5

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

Apple: https://apple.co/2YJJREJ

Nook: https://bit.ly/3i5Dx1X

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2VsZdLH

Goodreads: bit.ly/SpellsGR

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Why can’t we be a normal couple? … Just a normal, run-of-the-mill couple, who likes to have sex all the time and watch old eighties movies.

 

“I love you. No matter what you look like, or what you eat, I love you. I always have. So, eat your sweets. I don’t care.” “If I could find a way to clone and sell you, I could be richer than that dude who owns Amazon. You’re exactly the guy that every woman is looking for.”

 

My Review:

 

Paranormal is not my typical jam so I had to work a bit harder to keep up with this one. Groundhog Day hooked up with The Witches and Practical Magic in this complicated, intriguing, gruesome, creative, and eerie tale.   While there was no naked dancing in the moonlight, Words of Power were spoken, spells were chanted, potions were brewed, covens convened, possessed souls were expelled, and amusing observations and an epic love story spanning a thousand years were woven in amongst several rather heinous murders.

But wait, the series isn’t done yet as there is still one sister to go and I’m not totally convinced the depraved villain was completely dispatched. I am thoroughly enamored with Lucien as he is the ultimate BBF – sexy, thoughtful, intelligent, romantic, highly skilled in every room, oh yes! And he can create snap his fingers and create fire, which is an exceptionally handy and convenient little trick, as I can never seem to find matches when I need them.  

 

Meet Kristen

Kristen Proby has published more than forty titles, many of which have hit the USA Today, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists. She continues to self publish, best known for her With Me In Seattle and Boudreaux series, and is also proud to work with William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins, with the Fusion and Romancing Manhattan Series.

Kristen and her husband, John, make their home in her hometown of Whitefish, Montana with their two cats.

Connect with Kristen

Website: https://www.kristenprobyauthor.com/

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2kBRdpj

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2BD4vfq

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

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/684662744993031/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Handbagjunkie

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kristen-proby

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/handbagjunkie/

Book+Main: https://bit.ly/30ImsmP

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Book Review: Just A Little Bet (Smokejumper #2) by Tawna Fenske @tawnafenske

Just A Little Bet
(Smokejumper #2)
by Tawna Fenske

After a night of too many drinks, smokejumper Tony Warren and his best friend, photographer Kayla Gladney, come to the realization that they’re both bad at love. They even tried dating each other, but that crashed and burned, too. Now he’s got the hangover from hell and the certain conclusion he’s just a shit boyfriend. But Kayla thinks he’s a straight-up commitment-phobe.

So they make a bet—they’re going to hunt down his exes and decide once and for all why he’s so unlucky in love. Terrible boyfriend or commitment-phobe. Why does either answer feel like he’s still losing?

But between roadside burgers and late-night detours, they discover some fires never burn out—like the one slowly smoldering between them. And suddenly losing feels a whole lot like winning again.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

What woman wouldn’t want a chance to tell a guy how he screwed up? … If an ex came to me and asked me to list all the ways he’d messed up, damn straight I’d share. Hell, I’d build PowerPoint presentations for some of them.

 

“Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat— everyone screws up. Your doctor screws up. Your hairstylist screws up. Your accountant screws up.” “I can’t decide if this is reassuring or terrifying.”

My Review:

 

While still a humorous romantic comedy at its core, considerable family drama, angst, and delicately handled issues of domestic abuse were also found on the pages of this insightfully written missive. I was enthusiastically rooting for Tony and Kayla and intrigued by the premise of visiting ex-girlfriends to unravel the underlying causes of relationship failures and following the not so woo-woo advice of a self-help guru. It was entertaining, smirk-worthy, and deliciously steamy between Tony’s angsty bouts of self-doubt. I’m ready for more sexy smokejumpers in my life and already looking forward to the next installment.

About the Author    

Website 

Amazon

Goodreads

 

When Tawna Fenske finished her English lit degree at 22, she celebrated by filling a giant trash bag full of romance novels and dragging it everywhere until she’d read them all. Now she’s a RITA-nominated, USA Today bestselling author who writes humorous fiction, risqué romance, and heartwarming love stories with a quirky twist. Publishers Weekly has praised Tawna’s offbeat romances with multiple starred reviews and noted, “There’s something wonderfully relaxing about being immersed in a story filled with over-the-top characters in undeniably relatable situations. Heartache and humor go hand in hand.”

Tawna lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband, stepkids, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets. She loves hiking, snowshoeing, standup paddleboarding, and inventing excuses to sip wine on her back porch. She can peel a banana with her toes and loses an average of twenty pairs of eyeglasses per year. To find out more about Tawna and her books, visit www.tawnafenske.com.

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Book Review: The Two-Date Rule (Smokejumper #1) Tawna Fenske @tawnafenske

The Two-Date Rule
(Smokejumper #1)
Tawna Fenske

“Complete with hot sex scenes, snarky double-entendres, slapstick humor, and quirky girlfriends, this comedic romp through modern-day dating checks all the romance boxes.” -Kirkus Reviews

Willa Frank has one simple rule: never go on a date with anyone more than twice. Now that her business is providing the stability she’s always needed, she can’t afford distractions. Her two-date rule will protect her just fine…until she meets smokejumper Grady Billman.

After one date–one amazing, unforgettable date–Grady isn’t ready to call it quits, despite his own no-attachments policy, and he’s found a sneaky way around both their rules.

Throwing gutter balls with pitchers of beer? Not a real date. Everyone knows bowling doesn’t count.

Watching a band play at a local show? They just happen to have the same great taste in music. Definitely not a date.

Hiking? Nope. How can exercise be considered a date?

With every “non-date” Grady suggests, his reasoning gets more ridiculous, and Willa must admit she’s having fun playing along. But when their time together costs Willa two critical clients, it’s clear she needs to focus on the only thing that matters–her future. And really, he should do the same.

But what is she supposed to do with a future that looks gray without Grady in it?

Each book in the Where There’s Smoke series is STANDALONE:
* The Two-Date Rule
* Just a Little Bet
* The Best Kept Secret

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“Yes, please.” Kayla’s attention was fixed on Tony, and Grady couldn’t tell if her response was for the beer or for the tall smokejumper with rumpled black hair and dark eyes that seemed to make women crazy.

 

Sometimes I feel like I’m wearing a gorilla suit and trying to tread water in a pool filled with molasses.

 

My Review:

 

I adore Tawna Fenske and am greedy to amass every clever word she has and will ever scribble. Her wit is sharp, fathomless, and cleverly irreverent; who else would come up with a male stripper group named “The Bone Yard Gang,” or would give the main character a trio of special needs pets and name the three-legged cat Wheelbarrow and her deaf cat Earmuff? I eagerly ripped through this engagingly amusing missive and am licking my lips in readiness for the next in the series. I was quickly enamored with the featured couple and deeply infatuated with the secondary cast of characters and can’t wait to see what the wily minx has in store for the rest of them.

 

About the Author    

Website 

Amazon

Goodreads

 

When Tawna Fenske finished her English lit degree at 22, she celebrated by filling a giant trash bag full of romance novels and dragging it everywhere until she’d read them all. Now she’s a RITA-nominated, USA Today bestselling author who writes humorous fiction, risqué romance, and heartwarming love stories with a quirky twist. Publishers Weekly has praised Tawna’s offbeat romances with multiple starred reviews and noted, “There’s something wonderfully relaxing about being immersed in a story filled with over-the-top characters in undeniably relatable situations. Heartache and humor go hand in hand.”

Tawna lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband, stepkids, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets. She loves hiking, snowshoeing, standup paddleboarding, and inventing excuses to sip wine on her back porch. She can peel a banana with her toes and loses an average of twenty pairs of eyeglasses per year.

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Book Review: The Girl She Wanted by K.L. Slater @bookouture

The Girl She Wanted
by K.L. Slater

What if my sister is unstable and everyone can see it but me? What was she really doing standing over Florence’s cot in the middle of the night?

Alexa has always looked up to her older sister Carrie. Carrie lives in Alexa’s family home, and adores her one-year-old niece Florence. Alexa doesn’t know how they would cope without her. So when Carrie is suspended from her job as a senior nurse, accused of the most terrible crime, Alexa reels in disbelief. Alexa knows how caring Carrie is, and as she watches Florence gurgling and cooing whenever Carrie is around, she knows her little girl is in safe hands.Alexa’s husband doesn’t trust Carrie. He wants her out of the house, unable to ignore what people are saying about her. But when he suggests that Carrie could be a danger to their daughter, Alexa shuts him out. Nobody will ever come between her and her sister.

Then Florence is hurt while in Carrie’s care and Alexa, at last, starts to wonder. Alexa has always wanted to protect Carrie from the past they have hidden. But does Alexa know what Carrie wants? And will the secret that has kept the sisters together now destroy her little girl?

A completely gripping rollercoaster of a read about the darkness families hides behind closed doors. Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will be hooked on The Girl She Wanted.

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 

He was dog-tired most of the time these days, even on his day off. Exhaustion was like a fusty smell that clung to his clothes no matter how often he washed them. It was always there.

 

My Review:

 

I rarely write negative reviews as I generally stop reading, so keep in mind, this is just my highly unqualified opinion. But I felt all itchy and prickly reading this one – it just wasn’t doing it for me.   The storylines were all over the place and were extremely far-fetched and didn’t hold water while cast with characters who were too annoying for words, or maybe I can’t seem to find the right words to express my discontent.

The main character was painfully exasperating and working my last nerve as she was terminally naïve and living in a death spiral of gullibility while suffering a stubbornly fatal case of denial. Yet the author kept me reading, damn my insatiable curiosity and need for closure, they are a plague and will most likely be the death of me!

My friend Shalini has niggles, I have moanings, carpings, grumbles, grousings, and with this tale, I dare say I’ll go all fancy pants with remonstrances. Yet I kept reading, and I will confess – I never saw this ending coming, at all! So I was glad I hung in there, but again, this is just my highly unqualified opinion.

For many years, Kim sent her work out to literary agents but never made it off the slush pile. At the age of 40, she went back to Nottingham Trent University and now has an MA in Creative Writing.

Before graduating, she received five offers of representation from London literary agents which was, as Kim says, ‘a fairytale … at the end of a very long road!’

Kim is a full-time writer and lives in Nottingham with her husband, Mac.

 

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Book Review, Giveaway: Take A Number by Amy Daws

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When Norah needs a date for her parent’s anniversary party and Dean needs a date for his best friend’s wedding, the two agree to something that can help them both out of a bind: Fake Dating.
The only problem? Highly flammable chemistry.
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Title: TAKE A NUMBER
Author: Amy Daws
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Release Date: October 15, 2020
Cover Designer: Amy Daws
Cover Photographer: Wander Aguiar
Cover Model: Philippe Belanger

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Take A Number-front-no apple

Fake dating the cute owner of a bakery Dean is an investor in sounds kind of messy…but messy can be fun.

Norah Donahue wants bakeries not babies, but her matchmaking mother won’t stop trying to play Cupid.

Dean Moser is a cocky stock market savant whose friends are all settling down, leaving Boulder’s infamous ladies’ man all alone.

When Norah needs a fake date for her parents’ anniversary party, her new silent investor is the perfect guy for the job. It seems like a foolproof plan…

That is until Norah decides to break her biggest rule and lock lips with Dean in the middle of the party to spite her meddling mother.

Turns out that Dean and Norah’s chemistry is sizzling hot, and mixing business with pleasure could turn out to be a recipe for disaster.

Or maybe they can have their cake and eat it too

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Books are my life. Of course I want the book nerd to end up with another book nerd. That is basically porn in my world.

 

But that girl had nothing going on upstairs. She thought Ebola was a country.

 

You look so put together and professional, and then you open your mouth and ruin everything.

 

He’s made my mother stop speaking to me for five blissful days, so he deserves free croinuts for life.

 

Trust me, I write erotica for a living… I’m basically a doctor of boning.

 

I’ve heard good things about Kegels. I, on the other hand, am really hoping for a C-section situation for our future children so I can keep it all high and tight down yonder. I’m not a fan of cardio, and Kegels seem dangerously close to cardio.

  

My Review:

 

I giggled-snorted and smirked my way through this crisply written wit-fest, it was stuffed with many of my favorite things like quirky characters, clever storylines, delectably volcanic chemistry, snarky banter, and delightfully irreverent humor.   Shortly after starting my perusal, the room fell away and I was sucked right into Ms. Daws’s cleverly contrived vortex of sugar, flour, and copious servings of delicious spice. I was reluctant to return to my banal life, which is sadly devoid of the main character’s ingenious baked signature creation of scrumptious croinuts. I have enjoyed imbibing in every installment of this lively series and while each could be read as a standalone, you’d be crazy to miss out on a single word this vivacious scribe has scribbled.

 

 

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Amy Daws is an Amazon Top 13 bestselling author of sexy, contemporary romance novels. She enjoys writing love stories that take place in America, as well as across the pond in England. When Amy is not writing in a tire shop waiting room, she’s watching Gilmore Girls, or singing karaoke in the living room with her daughter while Daddy smiles awkwardly from a distance. For more of Amy’s work, visit: http://www.amydawsauthor.com

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Book Review: First Date by Sue Watson @suewatsonwriter  @bookouture

First Date
by Sue Watson

Amazon  / B&N / GP/ Apple 

She’s been waiting her whole life to meet a man like Alex. But he’s been waiting too. And once he has her, he’ll never let her go…

Hannah has done everything to make sure her life is safe and secure. A long way from her unstable childhood growing up in foster care, she’s content with her sweet, little, messy apartment, and her satisfying job as a social worker. She quietly worries that, aged 36, she might never fall in love. But otherwise, her life is where she wants it to be.Until encouraged by her best friend to join a dating app, she meets Alex. He’s irresistibly handsome. He loves the same music as her. The same food as well. They both dream of traveling the world but agree they’d be equally happy escaping to a cottage by the beach in Devon. Both of them would love to own a Labrador one day. It’s like he’s made for her. It’s like he’s too good to be true.

Hannah’s friends aren’t so sure about him. But Hannah thinks he’s perfect.

Which is good. Because Alex knows she’s perfect for him too. In fact, she’s exactly the girl he’s been looking for…

And nothing Hannah’s done to make her life safe will ever be enough.

A gripping and suspenseful psychological thriller about dark obsession and internet dating. Fans of The Wife Between Us, Friend Request and Gone Girl will adore this unputdownable twisted love story.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘I thought we were getting somewhere, until he sent me his photo,’ she says. ‘Oh, not a pretty face?’ I ask. ‘I don’t know, didn’t see his face.’ ‘Oh gross.’

 

My Review:

 

I am a bit concerned about the British system as this office was staffed with social workers that were so poorly trained they should petition their universities for a refund on their educations.   I waffled over how to rate this book, but as the writer kept me reading and second and third guessing and shrewdly included several unpredictable twists and curveballs near the end that livened up the tale, I felt generous. The storylines progressed slowly with questionable characters and red herrings tucked in all the way through. I seriously wanted to give the main protagonist several swats to the head to hopefully wake up or jar loose a few working brain cells, but alas, it would have been a waste of my energy as she was truly entrenched and a lost cause.

About the Author

Sue Watson was a TV Producer at the BBC until she wrote her first book and was hooked.

Now a USA Today bestselling author, Sue has written sixteen novels, and many have been translated into several languages. Sue is now exploring the darker side of life with her latest thrillers OUR LITTLE LIES, THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR, THE EMPTY NEST, THE SISTER-IN-LAW, and FIRST DATE out on October 16th.

Originally from Manchester, Sue now lives with her family in Worcestershire where much of her day is spent writing – okay, procrastinating, eating too much confectionery, and watching ‘My 600lb Life,’ on the sofa.

visit Sue’s website; http://www.suewatsonbooks.com/

Sue would love to meet you on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/suewatsonbooks

Follow Sue on Twitter @suewatsonwriter  

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Book Review: My Husband’s Daughter by Emma Robinson @emmarobinsonuk @bookouture

My Husband’s Daughter
by Emma Robinson 

 

Amazon / B&N / GP/ Apple 

Cara took a deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘She’s not just my daughter,’ she said as she turned in her seat to face Jack. This man she had once loved, but who she hadn’t seen for nearly five years. ‘Sophie is your daughter too.’

It is just past ten o’clock on a cold Friday evening when Rebecca and her husband Jack’s doorbell rings. Outside is a woman who introduces herself as Jack’s ex-girlfriend Cara. And she’s holding the hand of a shivering, blue-eyed, four-year-old girl. Who she claims is Jack’s daughter.

Rebecca is shocked to discover he has a child from his last relationship – even one he hadn’t known about. Because becoming parents isn’t part of their life plan. They like children, but they also love their freedom and spending time together uninterrupted; the way that, if they wanted to, they could travel the world at a moment’s notice.

But Cara needs them. Because Cara has a devastating secret that she can’t tell anyone yet. Not even her daughter. A secret with the power to change all of their lives.

A secret that will ultimately mean Rebecca has to ask herself – could she find it in herself to welcome her husband’s child into her home, and into her heart?

A heartbreaking and powerful emotional women’s fiction novel about love, friendship, and what it truly means to be a parent, perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Jodi Picoult, and Kate Hewitt.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

… she was so tired of people like Linda preaching on about the wonders of motherhood. It was like a cult. She had nothing against children. She’d even been one once… Somehow, no one judged a man who wasn’t bothered about having children. But when a woman said it, she was either an unnatural witch or a deluded soul headed for a life of lonely regret.

 

Money can’t buy happiness, but it sometimes has a damn good try.

 

My Review:

 

The premise and plotting of this tale were expertly paced and executed and posed quite a quandary for all the characters with a few unexpected twists that made it even better.   The storylines were thoughtfully written with extraordinary insights on both sides of the issue. I felt for them all as each character became increasingly endearing as the story thundered toward the climax. This was my first exposure to Emma Robinson’s poignant style and I found to easy to follow yet heart-squeezing and perceptively penned.

About the Author

Emma Robinson thinks of herself as one of the ‘Bridget Jones generation’ – who are now grown up and having children – and writes novels for women who feel the same.

She also has a blog, Motherhood for Slackers, which takes a humorous look at parenthood, and includes poems such as ‘Dear Teacher’ about her son starting school which has been shared around the world. Emma is an English teacher and lives in Essex with a patient husband and two children who are an endless source of material.

https://twitter.com/emmarobinsonuk

https://motherhoodforslackers.com/

https://www.facebook.com/motherhoodforslackers/

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