When the Bennett family arrive at the shore house to spend the summer together, they bring more baggage than just suitcases…
When KayeBennett, matriarch of the Bennett family, summons her adult children to the shore house, she anticipates a vacation full of nostalgia. It’s a chance to relive the carefree joy of summers past: basking in the hot sun, cooling off in the surf, and enjoying long, relaxing evenings watching fireflies on the deck. But when Kaye’s son and daughter arrive, late and uncooperative, it becomes clear the family desperately need to reconnect.
Kaye and her daughter Stacy have been quietly at odds for years and resentment has grown around words unsaid. Faced with spending the summer months in such close quarters, Kaye is determined to remind Stacy of happier times and why she once loved their beautiful beachside home.
But both Kaye and Stacy are holding something back. And only when a heart-stopping accident on the beach puts what Stacy most loves at risk are the two women finally able to set free the secrets in their shared past.
Will opening up to each other about what’s in their hearts allow the Bennett family to finally heal? A story of love, forgiveness, and the power of family bonds, The Shore House is a heartfelt summer read, perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand, Pamela Kelley, and Nancy Thayer.
My Rating:
Favorite Quote:
… the master bedroom was directly above the kitchen, which was where Brad and Iona chose to settle their differences. Chase slept through it, oddly enough, but Kaye did not. She listened, like a Cold War spy, straining to hear and not at all proud of her curiosity.
My Review:
I giggle-snorted, smirked, and thoroughly reveled in this cleverly penned tale from start to finish. I was quickly drawn into the characters’ tangible vortex of complicated family dynamics and was dazzled by Ms. Hostetter’s effortless, crisp, wily, wryly humorous, and cunningly insightful writing. Her word voodoo was so strong I could smell the sea, hear the waves, and feel the sunburn. I want to know all about her curiously compelling yet deeply flawed characters; they intrigued me and left me with a taste for more. This was my first time wading into Ms. Hostetter’s pool but I am feeling the intense desire to splash further into her listings with a cannonball dive.
Heidi Hostetter grew up in New Jersey and spent summers at her grandparents’ house on the shore. Every magical thing was there, from sparklers and fireflies at night to whole days spent swimming in the ocean and exploring tide pools. She and her family have recently moved back to the DC-area and live in a one-hundred-year-old house that’s definitely haunted.
When she’s not writing – or reading – you can probably find her digging in her garden, ripping back a knitting project, or burning dinner. Her writing partner, a labradoodle named Emmett shares her office, keeping a careful watch for errant squirrels and neighborhood shenanigans.
For fans of Robyn Carr, commercial women’s fiction about three generations of women who come together at the family orchard to face secrets from the past and learn to believe in the power of hope and forgiveness.
In cherry season, anything is possible…
Everything Hope knows about the Orchard House is from her late-mother’s stories. So when she arrives at the Northern Michigan family estate late one night with a terrible secret and her ten-year-old daughter in tow, she’s not sure if she’ll be welcomed or turned away with a shotgun by the aunt she has never met.
Hope’s aunt, Peg, has lived in the Orchard House all her life, though the property has seen better days. She agrees to take Hope in if, in exchange, Hope helps with the cherry harvest—not exactly Hope’s specialty, but she’s out of options. As Hope works the orchard alongside her aunt, daughter, and a kind man she finds increasingly difficult to ignore, a new life begins to blossom. But the mistakes of the past are never far behind, and soon the women will find themselves fighting harder than ever for their family roots and for each other.
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
Hank had been able to throw around compliments and kindness like he had them coming out his ears. But Peg was always so stingy with hers, like she only had a tiny, meager supply to get her through life and she meant to take some with her to her grave.
Tink was glaring at her like she would start a fire in her hair, if she could.
She did not like this one bit. She liked all her emotions separate. Her anger with her anger. Her guilt with her guilt. Nothing touching.
It was like when your ears pop, and everything goes from distant and removed to loud and present. Life, right there in the kitchen.
My Review:
This was superbly written and exceptionally well-crafted. How have I never read this talented wordsmith before? I was consumed by this maddeningly paced and striking tale and well and truly sucked into a compelling vortex of tautly held family secrets that were tucked away on a fruit farm in rural Michigan. The original storylines were shrewdly constructed and sneakily emotive with stealthy and unexpected hits of the feels. This underhanded author was wily and cunning in ruthlessly plucking, squeezing, and pulling on my overworked coronary muscle. This sly she-devil was also guilty of stinging my eyes and putting hot rocks in my throat more than once. The nerve! I was stunned and loved it; her word voodoo is strong! I most do further research on this phenomenon by amassing and perusing all her clever words.
Molly Fader is the author of The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets. She is also the award-winning author of more than forty romance novels under the pennames Molly O’Keefe and M. O’Keefe. She grew up outside of Chicago and now lives in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter, @mollyokwrites.
A hopeless romantic.
A cynical web show producer.
An unscrupulous cameraman.
A sleazy businessman.
An aspiring actress.
A womanizing best friend.
A scheming ex-girlfriend.
A commitment-phobic roommate.
An unlucky-in-love buddy.These lives intersect when an average guy is awed by a gorgeous mystery woman on a New York subway and vows to meet her.
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
“Three G-er?” asked Diego. “You know. Like Luke here,” Ryan said. “Get in. Get off. Get out.”
There’s the telephone. The telegraph. And the tell Edna.
I also cut the crotch out of his favorite Tom Ford suit. Figured since he couldn’t keep it in his pants, I would make sure he wouldn’t be able to keep it in his pants.
“Sometimes, I wonder just how well I really know you,” Ryan said. “I’m an enigma.” Luke shrugged. “That is true,” said Ryan. Diego quietly chuckled to himself. Luke scowled. “I said enigma, not enema.”
Okay, here’s the plan. We’re gonna spend five minutes sharing our feelings like a bunch of teenage girls, and then we’re gonna go do a bunch of manly shit like chop down a tree with a crosscut saw…
My parents have been married so long that Mom finishes most of Dad’s sentences. She also starts most of them and fills in the middle, too.
“If he ever hurts you,” she said, gesturing to her brother, “tell me, so I can kick him in the balls.” Ryan winced and shook his head. “No worry,” said Angie. Ryan sagged in relief. “I’ll cut them off well before you would ever get the chance.”
My Review:
This was smirk-worthy good fun with lots of clever humor, witty banter, amusing scenarios, vile villains, and a few side orders of sensual steam that had me breathing funny. The characters were endearing and likable although Angie’s professional choices weren’t admirable in the least. I vastly enjoyed the levity provided by banter and exchanges of Ryan, Luke, and Diego and look forward to more of their interactions in subsequent installments.
About the Author
Lisa Becker is an award-winning romance writer who spends her time like she spends her money – on books and margaritas. As Lisa’s grandmother used to say, “For every chair, there’s a tush.” Lisa is now happily married to a wonderful man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach, California with him and their two daughters. So, if it happened for her, there’s hope for anyone! You can share your love stories with her at www.lisawbecker.com.
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…?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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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.
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.
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
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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.
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