Kristy Woodson Harvey delivers a fresh summer escape...plus a book giveaway

 

We're so glad to have Kristy Woodson Harvey back at CLC today to celebrate the publication of her latest novel, Summer State of Mind! This story sounds really intriguing and perfect for fans of Virgin River and Sweet Magnolias. We enjoyed chatting with Kristy and hope you will love her answers to our questions as much as we do. Thanks to Angela Melamud PR, we have one copy for a lucky reader!

Kristy Woodson Harvey is a New York Times, USA TODAY, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of fourteen novels, including Beach House Rules and the Peachtree Bluff series. Several of her books are in development for film and television, including A Happier Life (MGM/Amazon) and The Summer of Songbirds (Hulu).

Her work has earned honors such as Good Morning America’s Buzz Pick and Southern Living’s Most Anticipated Reads, and she is a Lucy Bramlette Patterson Award winner and Southern Book Prize finalist. She co-hosts the podcast Friends & Fiction and co-founded Design Chic.

Kristy lives on the North Carolina coast with her family and is always working on her next novel.

Visit Kristy online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram

Synopsis:

After the worst day in her professional life, burnt-out NICU nurse Daisy Stevens runs to Cape Carolina, North Carolina, looking for a new life—and possibly new romance. On her first day at her “simpler” job, high school baseball coach Mason Thaysden discovers an abandoned baby, sending ripples through the entire tight-knit town of Cape Carolina.

Mason is still struggling to reconcile the scars of the injury that kept him out of the big leagues, stuck in his hometown, and searching for a way out. This newcomer and the child they’ve saved together might be just the motivation he needs to stay put. Sparks fly as Mason acquaints Daisy with Cape Carolina, introducing her to his friends and family, including his batty Aunt Tilley, who is looking for relief from long-buried family secrets and her own fresh start.

But as Daisy becomes increasingly attached to this abandoned child, and begins facing her own demons in the process, a startling discovery is made that threatens to rip the entire town of Cape Carolina apart, placing Daisy, Mason, and Tilley in the center of the storm. In a novel that proves that “Kristy Woodson Harvey is (the) go-to for elevated beach reads” (People), they will each learn that with love, understanding—and a community theater production of Hello, Dolly!—sometimes life conspires to bring us just exactly where we belong. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

"Kristy Woodson Harvey has written the book that every contemporary romance reader will savor this summer. With wonderfully memorable characters and surprises around every corner, Summer State of Mind is a celebration of family, community, and the kind of magical, messy, complicated love that makes life real and worth living." 
- Marie Bostwick, New York Times bestselling author of The Book Club for Troublesome Women

"Kristy Woodson Harvey has perfected the art of the beach read. Summer State of Mind delivers pure summer escape through deliciously tangled family secrets and rich emotion. A story of found family, belonging, and second chances that will last long after the summer sun sets." 
- Meagan Church, New York Times bestselling author of The Mad Wife

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
When my debut novel was about to release, I was a wreck, of course. And an early reader wrote me to tell me that she had had a baby before she was married and given it up for adoption. Her husband knew, but her children did not. And Dear Carolina gave her the confidence to tell them, reach out to her adopted daughter, and gave them this whole new layer of family. I will never forget how gobsmacked I was by that. And I thought, Okay. If this whole thing is a flop, I was meant to write that story so that family could have a happy ending. That was enough. But I have such generous readers and, this might sound silly, but I keep a “kind emails” folder on my computer, and if I’m feeling down about the whole writing thing, I go read them!

What is something you've learned from writing your previous novels that you applied to Summer State of Mind?
I think I’m answering the opposite of your question here, but it sort of applies in a roundabout way! Generally, I write books about a protagonist whose life has recently fallen apart or does so on the first page or two of the book. And then we spend 375-ish pages watching them take a circuitous path to getting it back together. In this book, we watch Daisy fall apart and come back together a couple different times in real time. Something about that rang really true for me with her story!

If Summer State of Mind were made into a movie, which songs would be on the soundtrack?
Most of the Hello, Dolly soundtrack, but especially “Just Leave Everything to Me” and “It Only Takes a Moment.” Then, most definitely Ben Rector’s “Thank God for the Summertime,” The Highwomen’s “Crowded Table,” and “Summer Love” by One Direction!

What is your favorite summertime activity?
I am a summer girl through and through and there is nothing I love more than taking the boat over to one of the islands around our house – Cape Lookout is my favorite – with lots of friends and family and packing a big cooler of food and sitting around and talking and laughing. It’s so special!

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 

This is very difficult because it’s a real toss up between Reese Witherspoon and Matthew McConaughey. So it really comes down to whether a man or woman is narrating! 

If we were to visit you, what places would you take us to see?
Well, first, we would sit on my front porch and have coffee (from Historic Grounds!) and wave at the neighbors. Then we’d do the double decker bus tour around town at Beaufort Historic Site and a little morning shopping to hit up my favorite spots like Beaufort Linen Co and Island Proper. We’d grab lunch at Beaufort Grocery and go out on the boat and do some island hopping so you could see the wild horses and the dolphins and all the beautiful scenery. Then we’d come back and take a sunset sail on the Lookout Catamaran followed by either a dressier dinner at Blue Moon or a more casual one on the deck of Front Street Grill at Stillwater. Then we’d have to have a night cap at Back Street Pub – the oldest in Beaufort – and listen to a little live music. We’d stargaze a little on the widow’s walk when we got back home. It would be a really great day!

Thank you so, so much for having me – and for all your support for so many years. I’m so grateful! 

Thanks to Kristy for visiting with us and to Angela Melamud PR for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends May 10th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: Enormous Wings

By Jami Denison

There are only two reasons to look forward to menopause: getting rid of the monthly mess and no more worries about pregnancy. But in Laurie Frankel’s latest novel, Enormous Wings, something goes terribly wrong in the biological make-up of 77-year-old Pepper Mills. Shortly after moving into an independent living facility and meeting a nice man, Pepper finds herself pregnant. Pregnancy is tough enough at the usual age. But for a senior citizen with thin skin, weak knees, and diminished lung capacity, it could be fatal. Unfortunately, Pepper lives in Texas. She doesn’t have the right to make decisions about her own body.

Pepper is easy to root for, and Frankel lets readers get to know her well before revealing the twist. She has three grown children, four grandchildren (including 15-year-old Lola, who is enormously attached to her), an ex-husband, and a habit of washing other people’s cars when she’s stressed. The story begins when she rear-ends a priest, who cuts up her license and insists she shouldn’t be driving. Her panicked children convince her to move into the same independent living facility where they’ve already parked her ex-husband. She’d prefer to stay in her own home, but she moves in because she understands it’s easier for her children, and she doesn’t want them to worry about her. Even though the food is terrible and the enrichment activities have been oversold, Pepper doesn’t complain—instead, she makes good friends and even finds a boyfriend. With Pepper’s funny first-person narration, she’s immediately engaging. 

With the “miracle” of her pregnancy, Pepper immediately becomes a stand-in for every woman who becomes pregnant without wanting to be. But rather than a private anguish, her condition immediately makes her famous when an anti-choice doctor on her team lies to her about the dangers of abortion and then outs her pregnancy to the press—making it impossible for her to leave the state to end it. Paparazzi won’t leave her alone. Both the pro-life and the pro-choice camps want to make her their spokesperson. Her doctor puts her on bedrest. A good friend dies. Then Lola has a crisis that takes over everything. 

For the most part, Enormous Wings is a gentle, soft, family saga about a group of people working together to solve a problem. While Frankel does offer a scientific explanation for the pregnancy, it feels a bit out of place with the tone of the novel, and it’s a setup without a real payoff. Letting the conception be a weird biological fluke might have worked better. The pacing is consistent and steady, although I felt the pregnancy was diagnosed too quickly. Pepper gets sick what feels like a few days after she and her boyfriend become intimate, and the doctor immediately detects the pregnancy. Why would a doctor run a pregnancy test on a 77-year-old woman? Letting the pregnancy progress undetected for a few weeks while other conditions are suspected would have added more tension. 

Other than those small issues, Enormous Wings is a highly enjoyable read. With its messages about autonomy, parenthood, grandparenthood, friendship, love, life, and death, it’s a reminder that all of life’s problems are better faced when one has a village to depend upon. 

Thanks to Henry Holt for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Laurie Frankel:
This is How it Always Is
One Two Three
Family Family

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Book Review: Wed or Alive

By Sara Steven

Whitney's life is not going to plan. Her romantic comedy novel isn't selling, her career feels stuck, and by the time she realises she's in love with her best friend and roommate, Andy, he's back from his work trip with a fiancée - and a wedding date that is alarmingly soon.

Enter a cowboy with his own problems, including a country estate he's desperate to buy and an owner who doesn't trust developers - or men without roots. When a viral moment throws Whitney and Jake together, they strike a deal. Whitney gets the real-life love story publishers want. Jake gets to look like a committed, family-minded man who belongs at Rosewood. All they have to do is pretend they're in love.

As Andy's wedding approaches, Whitney uncovers a plot twist that could change everything for him - but the romcom she's acting out with Jake is starting to feel dangerously real.

Falling for your best friend is complicated, but riding off into the sunset with a cowboy is pure fiction… Right? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

Wed or Alive was the perfect example of thinking you know what you want, or need, then something (or someone) becomes the catalyst that makes you change your mind; but really, what you thought all along that was right under your nose isn’t really what you wanted or needed to begin with. Or is it? 

Sound a little dizzying? That’s the type of viewpoint and perception that Whitney has when it comes to her love life. She’s all over the place. I get the feeling that she has a tough time finding her happily ever after because she wants the type of storyline she creates within her imagination. To find that perfect man that doesn’t exist in the real world. The only person who would ever come close is her best friend and roommate, Andy–but when she finally figures out that she could see a happily ever after with him, he’s found that scenario with someone else. 

Jake is a sexy cowboy that Whitney could see as perfect potential, but she doesn’t know him, other than how quick he’d been to save her from an unfortunate experience in a water fountain. (It was a cute and unique way to have the two characters meet each other for the first time.) Whitney’s best friend (and agent) JJ comes up with a clever plan for Whitney to get what she wants, creating a path to a successful romcom writing career, while Jake can get what he wants, which is buying a country estate–but in order for everyone to pull off the plan, Whitney and Jake have to pretend to be an engaged couple.

This could backfire, or it could go in Whitney’s favor, depending on what it might mean for Andy and his own personal feelings towards Whitney. There are moments of obvious jealousy, and there are moments of confusion when trying to decide if Andy’s fiance is really who she claims to be, or if there is some shrouded secret that surrounds that situation. During Whitney’s trial and error experiences, she ultimately discovers what she wants and needs, not based on outside influences, and the way she discovers that is a lot of fun to witness and see. It was also nice to recognize that there is no perfect person, only a perfect person for the individual seeking love. But Whitney has to decide what that means and who that might be for her, whether it’s Andy, Jake, someone else, or no one else. Wed or Alive was light-hearted and sweet, an easy-breezy five-star experience! 

Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase Links:
Amazon US * Amazon UK

Portia MacIntosh is the multi-million copy bestselling author of over 40 romantic comedy novels. Whether it’s southern Italy or the French alps, Portia’s stories are the holiday you’re craving, conveniently packed in between the pages. Formerly a journalist, Portia lives with her husband and her dog in Yorkshire.

Visit Portia online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram

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Checked out (in the best way) with Janet Skeslien Charles...plus a book giveaway

We're pleased to have Janet Skeslien Charles back at CLC to talk about her experience working at the American Library in Paris, which inspired her latest novel, The Parisian Chapter, which will be available next week. Melissa had a lot of good things to say about this novel, which you can read about in her review. Janet has one print copy and one audiobook to give away!

Janet Skeslien Charles is the New York Times, USA Today, and #1 international bestselling author of The Paris Library, Moonlight in Odessa, Miss Morgan's Book Brigade (called The Librarians of Rue de Picardie in the UK and Commonwealth). Her essays and short stories have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, The Sydney Morning Herald, and the anthology Montana Noir. Her work has been translated into 40 languages. 

Janet was born and raised in Montana. After graduating from the University of Montana, she got a job teaching English in Ukraine. She later went to France intending to teach for a year, and has been there ever since. Place is at the heart of every story she has ever written. She loves traveling, spending time with friends and family, and researching stories of forgotten people and places.  (Bio courtesy of Janet's website.)

Visit Janet online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram

Synopsis:

Paris, 1995: It’s been five years since Lily Jacobsen and her best friend Mary Louise arrived in Paris from their small town of Froid, Montana. Determined to establish themselves as artists, they shared a tiny walkup and survived on brie and baguettes. But when Mary Louise abruptly moves out, Lily feels alone in the city of light for the first time and needs a new way to support herself. She lands a job as a programs manager at the American Library in Paris, following in the footsteps of Odile, her beloved French neighbor in Montana who told her stories of heroic World War II librarians when Lily was growing up.

At work, Lily meets an extraordinary cast of characters—including her favorite writer, struggling students, haughty trustees, and devoted volunteers—each with their own stories...and agendas. In the library’s attic, Lily discovers a box of archives that may be a link to Odile’s own Parisian chapter.

This “stirring and rich with detail” (Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author) story is a love letter to the power of literature, the life of the artist, the importance of friendship, and leaving home only to find it again. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

"In The Parisian Chapter, Janet Skeslien Charles blends humor, heartbreak, and the magic of books into a beautifully layered narrative centered around the American Library in Paris."
 - @bookscoffeebrews

"I enjoyed every minute of Lily’s coming of age, which is a story of friendship, growing up, and the importance of forgiveness." 
- M DeFord (Amazon)

Hello, I’m thrilled to be back at Chick Lit Central with my fourth book, The Parisian Chapter. Many thanks to Melissa for her support over these last fifteen years! I love her description of my novel, “The Devil Wears Prada set in a library.”

I started writing the book in 2010, when I worked as the programs manager at the American Library in Paris. It was a dream job – working with books and authors, scheduling and planning evening events, sharing my love of the written words with longtime patrons and people just passing through. Still, there were difficult moment. One evening, after an event, audience members said goodbye and went home. As usual, I was the last person to leave. Or so I thought. Instead, I found myself alone in a darkened three-story building with a belligerent patron twice my size. When asked, then told to leave, he refused. It was a scary moment.

In my life, I’ve worked many jobs, from hotel maid to waiting tables to cooking in the University of Montana cafeteria. And yet I’ve never been talked down to as I was at the library. Patrons and staff were far from family in the States. Some booklovers were homesick and short-tempered, others were lost and didn’t know where to turn. My level-headed coworker kept a box of tissues on her desk because people sometimes burst into tears. In one case, Kate, an American volunteer, was thrilled because her French boyfriend had proposed. Over Sunday lunch, when the newly engaged couple shared the news with his parents, maman and papa convinced their son that marriage to a foreigner was a terrible idea. Kate dried her tears, ditched her fiancé, and continued her studies. I’m glad that she had the library, a place she could share her pain and confusion. 

In my novel, I wanted to show people like Kate, and what the library meant to each one. I hoped to capture happy memories as well as challenging moments that forced growth. Told from different points of view, the novel underlines the relationship each character has with the library. For David, a volunteer, the library is home; for Tolstoy, a soldier with PTSD, it is a second chance; for Lily, the library is a trampoline that jumpstarts her career. And because novels need friction, there are a few disgruntled characters. The head librarian has started to loath people - to him the library is a battlefield. To the director, the job is constant stress, ranging from problem patrons to busted water pipes. Depending on the POV, the library is a source of frustration, dread, hope, or joy.

It is here that you see my Montana roots. The form of The Parisian Chapter is a wagon wheel. The main character Lily Jacobsen is the hub. The other narrators are radiating spokes that connect to the tire. The wheel is endangered when several spokes break. Like a wagon wheel, the library is reinforced by the patrons and staff. And of course, these spokes speak to our experiences.

One of my favorite spokes is the character Felicity, a trailing spouse. She visits the library to check out books for her teen daughter, Ellen. At the scent of the stacks, she is hit by nostalgia, not only when she used to take Ellen to story hour, but to when her own mother used to take her to the library as a child. I love these beautiful echoes in life. 

The Parisian Chapter is an ode to libraries and to life. I hope that you will check it out!

Thanks to Janet for visiting with us and sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends May 5th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: The Last Sunday in May

By Jami Denison

Every February, my city of St. Petersburg hosts a Grand Prix race in the middle of downtown. Streets are closed, traffic diverted, tourists swarm. For the entire weekend, the noise from the cars dominates the outdoors, and even in the house it sounds like a giant swarm of bees about to attack. Needless to say, I’m not a fan of racing.

But I am a fan of trailblazing women, so Kate Clark Stone’s debut novel about a woman trying to make the Indy 500 sounded appealing. And it is. Even if your idea of racing is passing Grandma in the righthand lane on I-95, The Last Sunday in May has much more to offer than just fast cars. 

Ten years ago, MacKenzie “Mack” Williams, daughter of racing legend Wes Williams, had a ticket to qualify for the Indy 500. But instead, the 20-year-old passed another kind of test—a pregnancy test. Soon after Mack gave birth to her daughter Shaw, her father suffered a traumatic brain injury in a racing accident. Ever since, her life has been about raising Shaw, taking care of her recovering father, and running their small racetrack in rural Indiana. Then one night, racing legend Janet Joyner shows up on Mack’s doorstep. She wants Mack to join her team and race for her at the Indy 500. All she needs to do is line up a million dollars in sponsorships and race fast enough to qualify—even though Mack hasn’t raced in 10 years. Piece of cake, right?

It’s a dream come true… but who is going to watch Shaw? Run the racetrack? Take care of Dad? Surprisingly, her father’s girlfriend Billie steps up—even though Mack had her pegged as flighty and flirty. And Mack’s distant older half-sister Laurie, who lives in Indianapolis but left Mack in the lurch when she had a colicky infant and a sick father, offers a place to stay and a cheering squad. Even star driver Leo Raisman believes Mack can make the cut, despite their attraction that could complicate everything. In fact, it seems the only person who doesn’t believe in Mack is Mack herself.

Stone’s love for and knowledge of racing is evident on every page. The reader is immersed in the sights, sounds, and smell of the track, and even in the driver’s seat with Mack. She filters everything through Mack’s point-of-view, so the narrative never feels like a lecture.

The Last Sunday in May is about much more than a race. Mack might be only thirty, but she asks herself a question that people of all ages routinely ask: Am I too old to chase my dreams? And for women, especially: Is it fair to chase my dreams when people at home are depending on me? Mack not only has to re-learn how to drive a race car. She also needs to learn to trust other people: the engineers building her car. Billie, who’s changing her father’s lifestyle. Leo and her other teammates, who root for her even though she could take one of their spots. It’s a hard ask for a woman who’s used to doing everything on her own. Sometimes Stone gets a little heavy handed with the subtext, as Mack is in her head a lot.

I had a few quibbles with the plot. I wished Mack had done something on the page to earn Janet’s attention; instead, the woman swoops in like a fairy godmother. Leo seemed too good to be true to me, and I didn’t need a romance on top of everything else. And Shaw’s father, a bad boy motorcycle racer, was a one-note villain. 

However, this book delivers because it’s so optimistic. It tells readers to go after their dreams. It tells them to trust that the people in their life will be there to help them out. It says to go ahead and make mistakes, because the universe offers second chances. 

Stone ends the book before the story is over, which preserves its fairy-tale feeling. I would have appreciated an epilogue, but perhaps she’s planning a sequel. 

I’m still not a racing fan, but I’m definitely a fan of Kate Clark Stone. I look forward to her next project.   

Thanks to Kaye Publicity for the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Swing into summer with Nicola Harrison...plus a book giveaway

Credit: Yoshie Villarie

We're excited to have Nicola Harrison back at CLC to celebrate the publication of her latest novel, The Island Club! Melissa recently read and enjoyed it and will be reviewing soon. You can check out her Bookstagram post in the meantime. We had fun chatting with Nicola and hope you will check out our interview below. Thanks to St. Martin's Press, we have THREE copies to share with some lucky readers!

Nicola Harrison is the author of Montauk, The Show Girl, Hotel Laguna and The Island Club. Born and raised in England, she moved with her family to Southern California when she was 14. She is a graduate of UCLA and received her MFA in Creative Writing from Stony Brook University. Prior to writing novels she worked as a fashion journalist in New York City, where she lived for 17 years. Now she resides in Manhattan Beach, California, with her husband, two sons and a high maintenance chihuahua named Lily.

Visit Nicola online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram

Synopsis:

1956: On idyllic Balboa Island, just off the California coast, life seems peaceful and welcoming. But when the lives of three women begin to unravel in shockingly different ways, an unlikely friendship—and the game of tennis—may be the only thing that can save them.

Milly Kinkaid's plan to fix her crumbling marriage seems to be falling apart before it even begins. She believed that moving her young family from Hollywood to Balboa Island might entice her increasingly distant husband to come home earlier after work. Instead, he's barely coming home at all.

Society matriarch Sylvia Johnson and her husband have been pillars of their community for decades, and have just recently begun a new business venture: The Island Club, a place for members to swim, play tennis and dine in style. But when she learns that he has been risking their financial security and putting their family's future in grave danger, she's not only poised to lose the club, but the entire community she holds dear.

Meanwhile, standoffish loner Adele Lambert's entire world is on the brink of being destroyed if the dark secrets of her past and her hidden identity is revealed. Twenty years ago, she ran from a shameful scandal and left behind the only thing she ever loved. Now, terrified that the anonymity she's spent decades guarding will be exposed, but desperate to stay afloat, she risks everything to return to the game that brought her to her knees all those years before.

Set against the sun-drenched beaches of Balboa Island, with its prim and proper 1950s facade, The Island Club is a story of love, loneliness and the lies we tell ourselves—and what can be gained when the truth is finally revealed. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

"The Island Club is a Carrie Soto is Back meets Big Little Lies delight that will exceed all reader expectations!" 

―Lynda Cohen Loigman, USA Today bestselling author

"A story of the power of friendship, the defiance of societal expectations, and the finding of one's true self."

― Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author

"A beautifully written nuanced story that explores the power of female friendship."

 ―Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author

"The perfect summer read . . . for anyone who loves a smart, juicy escape!" 

―Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author

What is one thing you'd tell the debut novelist version of yourself?
I would say: Trust your instincts. You’ll spend a lot of time second guessing yourself, but that original spark of an idea, that reason you starting this story, is usually right. There’s a subconscious reason or need for you to delve into this story at this time in your life. Writing is how you figure out the world around you. 

Which of the three women in The Island Club did you identify with the most?
Oh, I think there’s a little of all three women in me for different reasons but I identify most with Milly the young hassled mother to two. Her story is set in the 1950s a time when the idealized image of the selfless, smiling housewife was at its height. Women were expected to raise perfectly well-behaved children, maintain immaculate homes, and keep up appearances, all while suppressing their own dreams. And while we have certainly come a long way since then, women still carry the weight of the world of their shoulders, maintaining households, raising children – there so much unseen labor that goes into being a woman and mother these days. I wanted to explore the pressure women feel to be everything to everyone. 

If The Island Club were made into a movie, what are some songs that would be on the soundtrack?

If The Island Club were a movie, I’d lean heavily into that dreamy, nostalgic 1950s beach-town energy.  In the novel – and in real life during the forties and fifties - college students flocked to Balboa Island for Spring Break spending their nights at the iconic Rendezvous Ballroom where big bands played and everyone danced until the wee hours. I’d definitely include "Earth Angel" by the Penguins, "Little Darlin'" by The Diamonds, "Fever" by Peggy Lee, and "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley – all songs that capture the mix of romance, rebellion and late night magic on the dance floor. 

What is something you are looking forward to this summer?
I’m really excited about my book tour (my mom is coming along to keep me company which makes it even more special). We’ll be visiting thirteen different cities in fifteen days, so it’s going to be a whirlwind but a fun one. After that I’m very much looking forward to a slower pace, a relaxing, hopefully beachy family vacation where no one needs anything from me, I don’t have to nag my kids about homework, and I can sit in the sun and read books all day someplace warm.

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 
If my life were a TV series, I’d choose Julia Whelan to narrate it. She’s technically an audiobook narrator, but in my eyes she’s absolutely a celebrity. Her voice just brings stories to life in such a compelling, emotional way. I feel like she’d add the perfect mix of warmth and wit to all the highs and lows. 

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
I would definitely take you to Balboa Island, the setting of my novel, a tiny, walkable island in Newport Beach, California, just forty-five minutes from where I live. First we’d cross over on the historic ferry, which has been running since 1919, just eight-hundred feet across the harbor and I’d show you the charming cottages from the 1920s and 1930s on the streets are named after gemstones. We’d walk to the main street and try the famous Balboa Frozen Banana dipped in chocolate and nuts, then we’d rent a little Duffy boat to cruise around the island and check out the million-dollar yachts while sipping Rose. How does that sound? 

Thanks to Nicola for chatting with us and to St. Martin's Press for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends May 3rd at midnight EST.

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Book Review: Lies Lies Lies

By Becky Gulc

Back in the noughties Adele Parks was one of my go-to authors, I loved her books such as Playing Away, Still Thinking of You, and The Other Woman’s Shoes. For no reason other than life, it's been a while, but I recently went along to an event for Adele Parks’ latest book release (Our Beautiful Mess). As part of the event, we were given an audiobook code for a previous novel, Lies, Lies, Lies. I knew Adele’s writing has shifted somewhat over recent years to her books becoming more suspenseful psychological dramas (perfectly suiting my changing taste too!) so it was about time I became reacquainted with her books. 

‘Daisy and Simon’s marriage is great, isn’t it?

After years together, the arrival of longed-for daughter Millie sealed everything in place. A happy little family of three.

And so what if Simon drinks a bit too much sometimes – Daisy's used to it, she knows he’s letting off steam. Until one night at a party things spiral horribly out of control. And that happy little family of three will never be the same again.’ (Courtesy of Adele's website.)

On the face of it Daisy and Simon have a pretty much perfect life, a happy marriage, a  happy daughter and a lovely home. Yet we quickly learn that things are far from perfect here. Simon drinks way too much, Daisy is hiding a major secret, and their lack of communication culminates in an event that changes both their lives forever

I was really torn when reading this. On the one hand I really felt for Daisy, I felt exhausted for her, the emotional weight she carried was immense. On the other hand I found her incredibly frustrating at times and questioned her decisions. Simon was complex too, I didn’t warm to him for a long time; I don’t think I was meant to! However, he slowly grew on me as elements of the story came to light (great twists!) and by the end I was completely rooting for both of these characters, they’d been through so much!

What was great about this book for me was that the characters felt real. They’re flawed and make mistakes like we all do but when it comes down to it, they have good hearts. The book really delivered for me when the twists were revealed, none of which I saw coming and they all made me reconsider how I viewed the characters and their actions in a good way. 

This book manages to remain relatively light although it delivers emotion, frustration and covers some difficult subjects and it was a good balance for me. If you enjoy domestic dramas and enjoy books that explore the messier and sometimes darker side of relationships, this is definitely worth a read! This was a great book and I can’t wait to begin Our Beautiful Mess. 

More by Adele Parks:
Woman Last Seen
I Invited Her In
Just My Luck

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