Posts

Posted on

Book Review: After All (Romancing Manhattan #3) by Kristen Proby

After All (Romancing Manhattan #3) by Kristen Proby

The last sizzling novel in Kristen Proby’s Romancing Manhattan series finds a widower falling deeply in love again with a woman who has scars of her own.

After All by USA Today, New York Times, & Wall Street Journal bestseller, Kristen Proby, is now live! 

When Carter Shaw’s wife died five years ago, he was left to pick up the pieces not only of his own broken heart but also that of his devastated eight-year-old daughter, Gabby—leaving him with no time for anything else, let alone dating. But recently, Carter has noticed women again and soon even begins dating. No one has stuck around for long, mostly thanks to one very angry Gabby.

Nora Hayes has worked as Carter’s assistant for years. Recently divorced herself, Nora spends many hours at the office and helping Carter with his daughter whom she adores. Despite loving her job and being wrapped up in the Shaw family, Nora’s never given her handsome, kind workaholic boss a second thought, especially in the romance department.

But then the snowstorm of the century hits, and Nora finds herself stranded at work with Carter overnight. And suddenly, she sees Carter in a whole new, sexy light. The sadness that’s lived in his eyes for so long has now been replaced with pure, unadulterated lust—and Nora isn’t quite sure what to do about it. For after the pain of her divorce, she never thought she would give love a second chance.

Carter and Nora have always believed in never combining business with pleasure. But how can they possibly deny the all-consuming chemistry between them…?

Download Today!

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

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

Apple Books: https://apple.co/2YWqxUN

Nook: https://bit.ly/3eW60VE

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

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2ZCTDYu

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3eWQ2ux

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

  I have hard copies of everything, in case the power goes out or there’s a zombie apocalypse. Prepared is an understatement for what I am.   “I beg your pardon,” Mary demands just as Sienna snickers beside me. “You can beg for it, but I’m not going to give it,” I reply,   That man is hotter than July in Hades.   I don’t think anything in the world compares to the venom a twelve-year-old can spew in your face. Maybe I should call my own mother and apologize for once being twelve myself.   I’ve never loved anyone else the way I do you, Nora. You will never know a day when you’re unloved by me, because your soul is so tangled in mine, there will never be a time that I’d let you go.

  

My Review:

  Oh, swoon, I adore Kristen Proby, her characters are always an entertaining mix of smart and sassy as well as being a bit frayed and endearingly flawed. I was besotted with this couple, they were swoon and smirk-worthy with a sweet and steamy yet well functioning boss/employee relationship.   The painfully handsome single-dad boss was lost without his plucky assistant – during and after hours.   Written in my favorite dual POV, the engaging storylines were fresh, amusing, and relatable as well as hitting all the feels between the sizzle, clever banter, and the heavier and more volatile family issues. I had not read the previous installments in this enticing series and didn’t need to, although I am definitely feeling the pull to delve into them as well.  

About Kristen:

Kristen was born and raised in a small resort town in her beloved Montana. In her mid-twenties, she decided to stretch her wings and move to the Pacific Northwest, where she made her home for more than a dozen years. During that time, Kristen wrote many romance novels and joined organizations such as RWA and other small writing groups. She spent countless hours in workshops and more mornings than she can count up before the dawn so she could write before going to work. She submitted many manuscripts to agents and editors alike but was always told no. In the summer of 2012, the self-publishing scene was new and thriving, and Kristen had one goal: to publish just one book. It was something she longed to cross off of her bucket list. Not only did she publish one book, but she’s also since published close to thirty 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 Series. Kristen and her husband, John, make their home in her hometown of Whitefish, Montana with their two pugs and two cats.

Connect with Kristen:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BooksByKristenProby/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Handbagjunkie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristenproby/ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kristen-proby Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2kBRdpj Amazon: http://amzn.to/2BD4vfq Website: https://www.kristenprobyauthor.com/ Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/kristenproby/newsletter-sign-up

Posted on

Book Review: Wild Wedding Hookup by Jamie K. Schmidt

 

Wild Wedding Hookup
by Jamie K. Schmidt 

Amazon | B-A-M | B & N/ Apple / GP

 

A South Beach bachelor party stirs up a scorching affair in USA TODAY bestselling author Jamie K. Schmidt’s Wild Wedding Hookup!

Concierge Mikelina Presley works for a luxurious resort club in sunny South Beach, Florida. She’s thrilled to land a two-week booking for a bachelor party at one of the resort’s most expensive villas—not least because the fiery chemistry between her and best man Bastian Ainsworth is deliciously tempting.

When the groom-to-be suddenly disappears, Mikelina and Bastian team up to find him, bringing them closer together. Their irresistible desire for each other is dangerously distracting, but the stakes are high for both of them: if they don’t bring back the runaway bachelor, Bastian’s little sister will have her heartbroken. And Mikelina’s resort stands to lose out on the group’s lucrative booking—which would be devastating for her career.

As the search takes them all over South Beach’s sexiest hideaways, their racy fling becomes something much deeper and Mikelina finds herself falling for Bastian. But she hasn’t told him everything about her past, and a shameful secret weighs heavy on her mind… Can their passionate affair survive the truth?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I wish I was a delicate little flower that glistened when she perspired. Instead, I sweat like a warthog.

 

But to be honest, spontaneity gives me hives. I’d rather plan out my spontaneity.

 

Did you just quote Star Wars back at me? That’s like nerd foreplay. First Doctor Who and then this.

 

My Review:

 

Oh snap, ignore the cheesy title as clutch the pearls, this sexy sizzler was so deliciously steamy I was gasping for breath and desperately grasping for any and all liquid libations to rehydrate. I adored this lovely couple as they were well matched and had excellent chemistry, snappy banter, and superhuman stamina – especially for people who hadn’t been in any type of relationship for over a year. The storylines were fresh, interesting, and amusingly entertaining while the characters were uniquely engaging as well as alluring. This was my first exposure to the smooth and evocatively salacious word skills of Jamie K. Schmidt and she is naughty good as well as good and naughty.

 

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author, Jamie K. Schmidt, writes erotic contemporary love stories and paranormal romances. Her steamy, romantic comedy Life’s a Beach reached #65 on USA Today, #2 on Barnes & Noble and #9 on Amazon. Her Club Inferno series from Random House’s Loveswept line has hit both the Amazon and Barnes & Noble top one hundred lists and the first book in the series, Heat put her on the USA Today bestseller list. Her dragon paranormal romance series from Entangled Publishing, has been called “fun and quirky” and “endearing.” Partnered with New York Times bestselling author and former porn actress, Jenna Jameson, Jamie’s hardcover debut, SPICE, continues Jenna’s FATE trilogy.

Connect with Jamie

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Posted on

Book Review: THE LAST WIFE by Karen Hamilton

THE LAST WIFE
by Karen Hamilton

Amazon  B&N/ GP/ Apple/ 

Harlequin/ Books-A-Million

In Karen Hamilton’s shocking thriller, THE LAST WIFE (Graydon House, July 7, $17.99) Marie Langham is distraught when her childhood friend, Nina, is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Before Nina passes away, she asks Marie to look out for her family—her son, daughter, and husband, Stuart. Marie would do anything for Nina, so of course, she agrees.

Following Nina’s death, Marie gradually finds herself drawn into her friend’s life—her family, her large house in the countryside. But when Camilla, a mutual friend from their old art-college days, suddenly reappears, Marie begins to suspect that she has a hidden agenda. Then, Marie discovers that Nina had long suppressed secrets about a holiday in Ibiza the women took ten years previously when Marie’s then-boyfriend went missing after a tragic accident and was later found dead.

Marie used to envy Nina’s beautiful life, but now the cards are up in the air and she begins to realize that nothing is what it seemed. As long-buried secrets start surfacing, Marie must figure out what’s true and who she can trust before the consequences of Nina’s dark secrets destroy her.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

People think that envy is a bad thing, but in my opinion, envy is a positive emotion. It has always been the best indicator for me to realize what’s wrong with my life. People say, “Follow your dreams,” yet I’d say, “Follow what makes you sick with envy.”

 

…surely everyone fibs? It’s not just me. Lies make life palatable. It’s simply unavoidable at times. I do it to protect myself and others. Surely, it’s not a bad thing to tell people what they want to hear? Sometimes, there’s no choice.

 

It’s amazing how many noises can sound like police sirens if you have a guilty conscience.

 

I’ve never known a murderer before. I wouldn’t admit this to just anyone, but it’s really quite morbidly exciting!

My Review:

 

This heralds my first experience reading this wily author and I am ever so impressed, her clever storylines were cunningly paced, well nuanced, and laced with brain-tickling intrigue while taut with tension. Her compelling characters were deliciously twisty, uniquely tainted, and curiously torqued. Written from the first-person POV of Marie, who was obviously emotionally and a bit mentally unstable as well as a compulsive liar, obsessively driven, paranoid, and riddled with anxiety, just to name a few of her most pesky symptoms.   The insightfully written and profoundly shrewd use of inner musings and observations detailing Marie’s obsessive and deceptive traits and compulsions were spot on and brilliantly crafted. I was riveted to my Kindle and thoroughly entertained while I immersed myself in Marie’s troubled yet compelling gray matter and devious schemes. It was divinely twisty.

About the Author

Author Website

Twitter: @KJHAuthor

Instagram: @karenhamiltonauthor

Facebook: @KarenHamiltonWriter

Goodreads

Karen Hamilton spent her childhood in Angola, Zimbabwe, Belgium, and Italy and worked as a flight attendant for many years. Karen is a recent graduate of the Faber Academy and, having now put down roots in Hampshire to raise her young family with her husband, she satisfies her wanderlust by exploring the world through her writing. She is also the author of the international bestseller The Perfect Girlfriend.

Posted on

Book Review: The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts (Riverside Lane, #1) by Alison Sherlock

.

The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts
(Riverside Lane, #1)
by Alison Sherlock

 

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA / 
B&N  / Google Play

A feel-good story of new beginnings set in a gorgeous country village, perfect for fans of Katie Fforde and Milly Johnson.


After losing her job in New York, Amber Green isn’t looking forward to visiting her godmother in the sleepy village of Cranbridge. With its empty lanes and rundown shops, it’s hardly a place to mend her lonely heart.

But when Amber discovers that Cranbridge Stores, owned by her godmother Cathy and son Josh, is under threat of financial ruin, she realizes that her skills as a window dresser might just be able to help save the struggling shop.

When disaster strikes, Amber and Josh must unite to save both the shop and the village from flooding.

Can Cranbridge Stores become the heart of the village once more?

And as the village begins to come back to life, perhaps Amber will discover a reason to stay…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘Love may be blind, but it’s marriage that’s the real eye-opener,’ she told him, glancing behind her as the shouting became even louder.

 

A facelift? The shop needed a full makeover, complete with major heart surgery.

 

‘It’s going to look worse before it looks better,’ she told Grandma Tilly. ‘Then perhaps I think you’re at rock bottom now, my dear,’ said Tilly, with a wink.

 

‘I don’t know what’s in it,’ Molly told them, making a face. ‘It’s pretty disgusting, but after a couple of glasses you lose all feeling in your tongue so you don’t care!’ … ‘That punch could strip paint off the walls. Although the wallpaper in here appears to be doing that all by itself.’

 

I didn’t even have time for a nightcap last night. I think my body’s gone into toxic shock.

My Review:

 

This was a wryly amusing, sweet, and insightfully written story filled with a full complement of likable, hard-working, and well-meaning characters who were struggling with lives that didn’t turn out as planned while residing in a small rural village that had seen better days.   The writing and storylines were easy to follow, engaging, and held my interest with humorous banter, family issues, and a slow-burn romance that did not progress beyond igniting the pilot light until the very last chapter. I admired the characters’ creativity, initiative, and innovations in attempting to save their business and community.

About the Author

Alison Sherlock is the author of the bestselling Willow Tree Hall books. Alison enjoyed reading and writing stories from an early age and gave up office life to follow her dream. Her new series for Boldwood is set in a fictional Cotswold Village and the first title will be published in July 2020.

Social Media Links –

Twitter https://twitter.com/AlisonSherlock

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/alison.sherlock.73

Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alison-sherlock

.

 

Posted on

Book Review: Death at the Dance (A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery #2) by Verity Bright

Death at the Dance
(A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery #2)
by Verity Bright

Amazon / B&N 

A masked ball, a dead body, a missing diamond necklace and a suspicious silver candlestick? Sounds like a case for Lady Eleanor Swift!

England, 1920. Lady Eleanor Swift, adventurer extraordinaire and reluctant amateur detective, is taking a break from sleuthing. She’s got much bigger problems: Eleanor has two left feet, nothing to wear and she’s expected at the masked ball at the local manor. Her new beau Lance Langham is the host, so she needs to dazzle.

Surrounded by partygoers with painted faces, pirates, priests, and enough feathers to drown an ostrich, Eleanor searches for a familiar face. As she follows a familiar pair of long legs up a grand staircase, she’s sure she’s on Lance’s trail. But she opens the door on a dreadful scene: Lance standing over a dead Colonel Puddifoot, brandishing a silver candlestick, the family safe wide open and empty.

Moments later, the police burst in and arrest Lance for murder, diamond theft, and a spate of similar burglaries. But Eleanor is convinced her love didn’t do it, and with him locked up in prison, she knows she needs to clear his name.

Something Lance lets slip about his pals convinces Eleanor the answer lies close to home. Accompanied by her faithful sidekick Gladstone the bulldog, she begins with Lance’s friends – a set of fast driving, even faster drinking, high-society types with a taste for mischief. But after they start getting picked off in circumstances that look a lot like murder, Eleanor is in a race against time to clear Lance’s name and avoid another brush with death…

Fans of Agatha Christie, T E Kinsey, and Downton Abbey will adore this tremendously fun cozy whodunnit, full of mystery, murder, and intrigue!

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Let’s hope this gown fools them and they don’t realise I’m as unladylike underneath as a frog in Wellington boots.

 

The poor old coot is as mad as a bucket of frogs.

 

Her tongue, it’s so sharp it’s incredible she doesn’t cut her own throat just by swallowing.

My Review:

 

I adore this clumsy and impetuous redhead with her infallibly omniscient butler and portly elderly bulldog. They make an exceptional crime-busting team as they bounce around their country lanes in their Rolls Royce. Her inner musings and personal observations were delightful engaging and whimsical, as was the crafty duo of authors’ smooth and seamless storytelling. The writing was pleasantly entertaining, cleverly amusing, and unpredictable and intriguing as well as true to the period with the deployment of colorful vernacular such as “you simple pimple,” “darling fruit,” and “the cat’s pyjamas.”   I can’t wait to see what rib-tickling calamity this unlikely group of sleuths embroil themselves with next.

About the Author

.
Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humor, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.
.
Posted on

Book Review: A Very English Murder (A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery #1) by Verity Bright

.

A Very English Murder
(A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery #1)
by Verity Bright

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU / B&N 

Move over Miss Marple, there’s a new sleuth in town! Meet Eleanor Swift: distinguished adventurer, dog lover, dignified lady… daring detective?

England, 1920. Eleanor Swift has spent the last few years traveling the world: taking tea in China, tasting alligators in Peru, escaping bandits in Persia and she has just arrived in England after a chaotic forty-five-day flight from South Africa. Chipstone is about the sleepiest town you could have the misfortune to meet. And to add to these indignities – she’s now a Lady.

Lady Eleanor, as she would prefer not to be known, reluctantly returns to her uncle’s home, Henley Hall. Now Lord Henley is gone, she is the owner of the cold and musty manor. What’s a girl to do? Well, befriend the household dog, Gladstone, for a start, and head straight out for a walk in the English countryside, even though a storm is brewing…

But then, from the edge of a quarry, through the driving rain, Eleanor is shocked to see a man shot and killed in the distance. Before she can climb down to the spot, the villain is gone and the body has vanished. With no victim and the local police convinced she’s stirring up trouble, Eleanor vows to solve this affair by herself. And when her brakes are mysteriously cut, one thing seems sure: someone in this quiet country town has Lady Eleanor Swift in their murderous sights…

If you enjoy witty dialogue, glamorous intrigue, and the very best of Golden Age mysteries, then you will adore Verity Bright’s unputdownable whodunnit, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T E Kinsey, and Downton Abbey!

.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She was convinced that all butlers were born a certain age at which they stayed until they disappeared in a puff of discreet smoke. For a good servant would never die on his employer, that would be just too inconvenient.

The thought of childbirth made Eleanor shudder. Bringing a new life into this world might be the work of God, but the mechanics of childbirth were surely the work of the devil. And triplets! What had the poor woman done to deserve that?

I should have banished him to roam the fields with his favourite hunting gun, rather than pouring him into a morning suit and inflicting him on our guests…

Now he was standing in front of her, she couldn’t help thinking whoever had moulded this man’s features had done the bulk of it with a boxing glove. And finessed the edges with a heavy plank of wood.

Their eyes widened. ‘Are those meat pies, miss?’ … She’d guessed that some of the young lads’ families would rarely be able to afford such luxuries. ‘Whatever it is, we’re your men!’ Alfie cried. They stood to attention and saluted.

I say gang, what a wheeze!

My Review:

 

Though far from my usual fare, I adored this cleverly amusing cozy mystery set in the 1920s, it was an enjoyable and pleasantly entertaining read and good fun from beginning to end. I definitely need to add more such cozy tales into my reading rotation. I relished the author’s smooth and easy flow, colorfully quirky cast of characters, and delightfully detailed scenes with oddly curious observations and amusing descriptions.

I was particularly captivated by the enigmatic and sublimely complex character of the ever-efficient butler. Clifford was multi-layered and prone to imparting lesser-known facts, UBIs, and timely quotes from an unusual variety of sources ranging from Sir Isaac Newton to Oscar Wilde. Eleanor was also a treat and I reveled in her tendency to indulge, anthropomorphize, and talk things through with her departed uncle’s old bulldog, as I tend to behave in a similar manner with my precocious fur babies.

The crafty writing duo of Verity Bright was an instant addition to my favorites list. I was so taken by this one I already have their next missive locked and loaded on my beloved Kindle.    

About the Author

 .
Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humor, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.
Posted on

Book Review: She’s Faking It by Kristin Rockaway

.

 

You can’t put a filter on reality.

Bree Bozeman isn’t exactly pursuing the life of her dreams. Then again, she isn’t too sure what those dreams are. After dropping out of college, she’s living a pretty chill life in the surf community of Pacific Beach, San Diego…if “chill” means delivering food as a GrubGetter, and if it means “uneventful”.

But when Bree starts a new Instagram account — @breebythesea — one of her posts gets a signal boost from none other than wildly popular self-help guru Demi DiPalma, owner of a lifestyle brand empire. Suddenly, Bree just might be a rising star in the world of Instagram influencing. Is this the direction her life has been lacking? It’s not a career choice she’d ever seriously considered, but maybe it’s a sign from the universe. After all, Demi’s the real deal… right?

Everything is lining up for Bree: life goals, career, and even a blossoming romance with the chiseled guy next door, surf star Trey Cantu. But things are about to go sideways fast, and even the perfect filter’s not gonna fix it. Instagram might be free, but when your life looks flawless on camera, what’s the cost?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I could almost hear the squeak and clank of wheels turning in her head as she tried to piece together the solution to this problem.

 

Everyone always talked about finding your passion as if it was this evasive creature you had to smoke out of a burrow. They also seemed to operate under the assumption that everyone had a passion to find. But I had long since accepted the sad reality that I was born passionless.

 

“Did you Google me?” He looked horrified, as if I’d admitted to hacking his email or rifling through his underwear drawer.

My Review:

 

The main character in this story was a hot mess.   Bree was barely eking by and subsisting on ramen and protein bars while living in a hovel at the intersection of denial and procrastination and begrudgingly relied on her older sister Natasha to constantly bail her out. Bree annoyed me and in no small measure, and while Natasha was her exact opposite, she annoyed me even more, yet their tale and antics kept me smirking in my exasperation. I was more than a bit fraught and a cauldron of conflicted energy until in the middle of a ridiculous desert retreat with a successful charlatan, Bree smartened up that faking it wasn’t making it. As par for the course with this wily author, her writing was wryly amusing, insightfully observant, colorfully detailed, and slyly entertaining.

About the Author

.

Kristin Rockaway is a native New Yorker with an insatiable case of wanderlust. After working in the IT industry for far too many years, she traded the city for the surf and chased her dreams out to Southern California, where she spends her days happily writing stories instead of software. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son, and planning her next big vacation.
.

SOCIAL LINKS:

http://kristinrockaway.com/

 Facebook: /KristinRockaway

Twitter: @KristinRockaway

Instagram: @KristinRockway

Posted on

Book Review: Flying Solo by Zoe May

.

Flying Solo
by Zoe May

 

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA / 

 

Rachel Watson has it all worked out. By 30, she’s ticked off most of the goals on her Life List. She’s a homeowner, a partner at her law firm, she has a gorgeous boyfriend, lots of hobbies and loads of good friends. The only thing that’s missing is a ring on her finger.

According to her Life List, Rachel should be getting hitched around now, so when her boyfriend, Paul, plans a romantic date, Rachel’s pretty confident he’s going to propose. Except Paul has other ideas. He’s jetting off to India to find himself.

Distraught, Rachel doesn’t know what to do. Not one to easily admit defeat, she embarks on a mission to win him back.

Flying solo to India is definitely not on Rachel’s Life List, but could her trip teach her some unexpected lessons about love, life, and herself? Could she realize that perhaps her Life List wasn’t exactly what she wanted, after all?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘No make-up? … But I look like a sick Victorian child without make-up,’ … ‘India’s hot. Even if you do want to wear make-up, it’s only going to melt off your face within seconds!’ ‘Hmmm…’ I mumble, wondering whether false eyelashes can melt off your face too. That’s something to Google while I’m waiting for my flight. The last thing I need is spidery lashes crawling down my cheeks while I’m trying to get my boyfriend to fall for me again.

 

Go with the flow, I tell myself, trying to breathe evenly. If you smile at India, India smiles back. I remind myself of Priya’s words as my driver continues to cut through the traffic like a five-year-old playing Grand Theft Auto after too many sweets.

My Review:

 

I enjoyed this light-hearted and cleverly amusing tale, but I always enjoy Zoe May’s wry sense of humor and quirky characters and Flying Solo was well within her forte. Ms. May’s lively storylines were unique and engaging and put a smile on my face while her main characters were often ridiculous yet still believable, as who among us has not been ridiculous at times, or in my case, often still is?  😉

About the Author

Zoe May is an author of romantic comedies. Zoe has dreamt of being a novelist since she was a teenager. She worked in journalism and copywriting in London before writing her debut novel, Perfect Match. Having experienced the London dating scene first hand, Zoe could not resist writing a novel about dating, since it seems to supply endless amounts of weird and wonderful material!

Perfect Match was one of Apple’s top-selling books of 2018. It was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Joan Hessayon Award, with judges describing it as ‘a laugh out loud look at love and self-discovery – fresh and very funny’.

As well as writing, Zoe enjoys walking her dog, painting, and, of course, reading! She adores animals and if she’s not taking a photo of a vegan meal, she’s probably tweeting about the dairy industry. She is half Greek and half Irish and can make a mean baklava. Zoe has a thing for horror films, India, swimming, hip hop, and Radiohead. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of handbags having spent several years working in fashion copywriting and could probably win Mastermind if this was her specialist subject!

Zoe loves to hear from readers, you can contact her on Twitter and Instagram at: @zoe_writes. Zoe’s Facebook page is: www.facebook.com/zoemayauthor/

She posts updates and blogs on her website, www.zoemayauthor.co.uk

Social Media Links –

https://www.twitter.com/zoe_writes

https://www.instagram.com/zoe_writes

https://www.facebook.com/zoemayauthor/

 

Posted on

Book Review: The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton

The Last Train to Key West
by Chanel Cleeton

 

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU /

B&N / GP/ Apple / Kobo

In 1935 three women are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s captivating new novel.

Everyone journeys to Key West searching for something. For the tourists traveling on Henry Flagler’s legendary Overseas Railroad, Labor Day weekend is an opportunity to forget the economic depression gripping the nation. But one person’s paradise can be another’s prison, and Key West-native Helen Berner yearns to escape.

The Cuban Revolution of 1933 left Mirta Perez’s family in a precarious position. After an arranged wedding in Havana, Mirta arrives in the Keys on her honeymoon. While she can’t deny the growing attraction to the stranger she’s married, her new husband’s illicit business interests may threaten not only her relationship but her life.

Elizabeth Preston’s trip from New York to Key West is a chance to save her once-wealthy family from their troubles as a result of the Wall Street crash. Her quest takes her to the camps occupied by veterans of the Great War and pairs her with an unlikely ally on a treacherous hunt of his own.

Over the course of the holiday weekend, the women’s paths cross unexpectedly, and the danger swirling around them is matched only by the terrifying force of the deadly storm threatening the Keys.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

The only things I’ve ever heard John say in addition to his name pertain to his order, as though God only gave him a certain number of words to use each day, and he’d already expended his quota before he sat in my section.

I envy men the freedom to choose their own spouses. They snap us up as though they are purchasing a piece of fruit at the market, and we are expected to have no say in the matter.

 

The running of this world is left to men, and quite frankly, I’m not impressed with what they’ve done with it.

 

It’s strange how your life can change so quickly, how one moment you can barely eke by, desperation filling your days, and suddenly, out of the unimaginably horrific, a glimmer of something beautiful can appear like a bud pushing through the hard-formed earth.

My Review:

 

I was relatively new to Chanel Cleeton when I started this series featuring a fascinating family of Cuban sisters and had generally avoided historical fiction prior to this as being a strong feminist, I bristle at the limitations placed on women and how poorly they were treated, even by their families. The Cuban sister featured in this installment was Mirta, who had been forced into marrying a man of questionable ethics and criminal ties and whom she did not personally know, to clear her father’s mistakes in judgment.   Meanwhile, the same situation had also occurred to a former New York socialite named Elizabeth. Both women crossed paths in Key West during Mirta’s honeymoon and were served by the same heavily pregnant waitress who, for me, had the most compelling storylines featured in this dynamic tale. The three women could not have been more diverse yet they were sharing an overlapping experience during the most challenging period in their lives.

All of this drama happened to occur during hurricane season, and it got a bit breezy when the worst storm ever hit the area.   The storylines were slowly and craftily constructed with a writing style that was stunningly emotive, compelling, and mesmerizingly immersive. I fell right into each woman’s anxious vortex and enjoyed their various journeys and travails as their lives briefly intersected.

I had no idea it wasn’t just women and minorities who were so devastatingly maltreated and was appalled by the shameful and horrific conduct and attitude of the US government toward the returning Veterans of WWI. I mean no slur to the brave souls currently serving but why anyone still bothers to join the military given their heinous history of atrocities boggles my tiny brain and scorches the little pea lying therein.

About the Author

Chanel Cleeton is the USA Today bestselling author of Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick for Next Year in Havana. Originally from Florida, Chanel grew up on stories of her family’s exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. Her passion for politics and history continued during her years spent studying in England where she earned a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Richmond, The American International University in London, and a master’s degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics & Political Science. Chanel also received her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. She loves to travel and has lived in the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.

Posted on

Book Review: A Dog’s Chance by Casey Wilson

 

  A Dog’s Chance
by Casey Wilson

 

Amazon / B&N 

 

Sometimes the dogs we rescue… also rescue us.

A heart-wrenching and beautiful story perfect for dog lovers everywhere. Fans of A Dog’s Purpose, The Art of Racing in the Rain, and Marley and Me will be utterly entranced by this gorgeous page-turner.

Madison knows her fourteen-year-old daughter Abbie is struggling. She wishes she could give Abbie stability, the promise of a forever home in Millbury, but she is scared to stay in one town for too long, and every day Abbie seems more anxious. Until a chance encounter with a beautiful, boisterous golden retriever puppy called Duke changes everything…

Duke bounces into the community center where Madison is working and when Abbie meets him she stops pacing the room. Duke is tugging his owner, seventy-five-year-old Arthur, along for the ride, and instantly Madison sees a way she and Arthur can help each other. She offers to train Duke so that Abbie gets to see him, and from that moment the four of them become a family.

Madison finally feels like she has a second chance at life and a reason to stay in town, but when her past catches up with her they are all at risk. Duke may have united this family, but will he be able to keep them together?

A reminder of the unbelievable bonds we form with the dogs in our lives. No matter how broken you are, the unconditional love of a dog can piece you back together.

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 

That’s the beautiful thing about sharing the love in your heart— it doesn’t mean you have less of it. Love is the only thing that grows the more you give away.

 

My Review:

I relished this tender and sweet story.   Duke’s tale squeezed my heart, stung my eyes, and caused my lips to quiver, and more than a few times. This lovely story included a rescued puppy’s point of view and Duke’s observations were my favorites. The characters were endearing and highly likable, realistically flawed, and each struggling with significant personal challenges.   However, they found their burdens were easing once their paths had crossed – which was all due to the exuberant introduction and interventions of Duke. The writing style and storylines were easy to follow, emotive, relevant, and quite moving. I am an animal lover and adore stories featuring clever animals almost as much as the precious animals themselves.

 

About the Author

 .

Casey Wilson is the author of A Dog’s Hope and A Dog’s Chance, published with Bookouture.

Born and raised in the United States in Nevada, she is the owner of a gorgeous golden retriever, who may or may not have inspired the dogs in her novels.