We're posting some reviews at our Amazon accounts, as either they've been sitting in queue for a while and deserve their time in the sun, fall under our featuring policy, or they're new reads that we couldn't wait to post at the blog. You can check them out at the links below. Hope we can help you find your next favorite book!
Melissa:
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*Reviewed in January, but somehow didn't make it into the January post.
Opposites Attract is available for FREE as an e-book!
Camilla Isley is an engineer turned writer after she quit her job to follow her husband on an adventure abroad.
She’s a cat lover, coffee addict, and shoe hoarder. Besides writing, she loves reading—duh!—cooking, watching bad TV, and going to the movies—popcorn, please. She’s a bit of a foodie, nothing too serious. A keen traveler, Camilla knows mosquitoes play a role in the ecosystem, and she doesn’t want to starve all those frog princes out there, but she could really live without them.
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within seven days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for fulfillment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. We are not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.
Today we are pleased to feature The Marriage Pass by Briana Cole. Thanks to SparkPoint Studio, we have one copy for a lucky reader!
If my recent reading list is any indication, the “locked room” mystery/thriller is back in full force. Agatha Christie’s bestseller And Then There Were None may be the earliest-known example of this genre, which features a small number of people who are trapped together in a building (or on an island) and who one-by-one start to die. The escape room craze may have started the latest rendition; The Escape Room by Megan Goldin was published in 2019. Ruth Ware’s version of this story, One by One, came out this past September. Now Allie Reynolds joins this impressive group, with her locked-room debut, Shiver, that prompted a ten-publisher auction.
One by One and Shiver both take place in the French Alps, and both feature a cast of characters that is trapped by weather and circumstance. Although Ware is the more experienced writer, Reynolds crafts a more complex plot, dealing with past and present timelines and characters outside the norm. While the plot points are similar, the execution is not. Both books are incredibly compelling, and reading one right after the other would be better than a skiing vacation.
Shiver’s protagonist is Milla, a former snowboarder who dedicated her teens and early adulthood to training. Ten years ago, she was preparing for the competition that would determine her future. Instead, twin tragedies among her friend group derailed her completely. Now she’s been invited to a reunion with those friends, at the same resort where they trained together. It’s off-season, and Milla, her former lover Brent, her former crush Curtis, and married couple Heather and Dale are the only ones there. The occasion: Curtis has finally had his missing sister Saskia declared dead. It was Saskia who disappeared ten years ago; aggressive, bewitching Saskia who was Milla’s best friend and most dangerous rival. But when the reunion kicks off, it’s clear that the event is more than just rehashing old times. An anonymous game implies that someone in the group killed Saskia, and someone else knows where her body is. When their phones are stolen and the lift is locked, the stakes get very high very quickly.
The book goes back and forth between present day and ten years ago, as Milla, in her first-person account, details her complicated relationships with the other snowboarders. In the burgeoning sport, only other competitors can truly understand and appreciate the challenges. But there are only so many spots in a competition, so many sponsorships. Saskia, who is as talented as she is self-centered, recognizes this instinctively, alternatingly befriending and sabotaging Milla. Estranged from her family and non-snowboarding friends, Milla has no choice but to stay in the group, even if it costs her everything.
The mystery of what happened to Saskia dominates the book; Milla did something to her rival that she feels guilty about, but she refuses to spell it out to the reader. As the danger increases, the reader wonders whether Saskia has returned from the dead, or whether one of Milla’s friends is attempting a delayed revenge.
I found the novel somewhat confusing at first. It kicks off in the present, so the reader needs to quickly keep track of a bunch of different characters while at the same time deciphering the specific snowboarding vocabulary. I’m a Florida girl who gets cold when it’s under seventy degrees, so that took awhile for me. But after Milla spends some time in the past, getting to know the other characters individually while starting her training, the book hits a very quick stride. While the ending didn’t work for me—parts of it were unintentionally comical—it was definitely a fitting climax.
It’s going to be a long, cold winter, folks. Spend it by the fire with books like Shiver. The heart-pounding that results will count as exercise!
Thanks to Putnam for the book in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Brianne for visiting with us and for sharing her book with our readers.
Plans for Hannah Townsend’s 35th birthday celebrations are about to be sidelined. In bestselling author, Jenny Hale’s new novel, THE MEMORY KEEPER (Harpeth Road Press) plans for a special trip to Barbados are cancelled when she sees her boyfriend kissing another woman and a snowstorm moves into New York City shutting down all airports. While waiting to decide what’s next, she gets a call from mom telling her 95-year-old grandmother is really sick in Franklin, Tennessee and she must come at once.
What’s a girl to do? She cries for a bit before realizing she has to ride share with someone, anyone. Of course, she meets two fellow stranded companions and they’re off to Tennessee. Turns out Liam is an old sort-of friend from high school going to pick up his son, Noah. Georgia is searching for her birth parents and carries around a friendly chihuahua named Jerry in a purse.
Once in Franklin, Hannah sees how frail her gran is and she learns her flower shop, The Memory Keeper, has fallen into disarray.
“Every time I create a bouquet for someone, I’m creating a memory.”
Author Jenny Hale is known for writing heart-warming stories about close-knit friends and families. Her feel good romance novels make you just want to sit down with a cup of hot chocolate and read. THE MEMORY KEEPER is a warm and fuzzy that hooked me at the start. Her characters are the kind of delightful people you’d love to know. Two of Jenny’s novels have been adapted into Hallmark Channel original movies. I for one, would love to see a movie made of her new novel, THE MEMORY KEEPER.
Thanks to Author Marketing Experts for the book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Jenny Hale for sharing THREE signed copies with our readers!
More by Jenny Hale:
Chesapeake Bay, 1980. Eighteen-year-old Verity Vergennes is the captain of the USS Nepenthe, and her seven younger siblings are her crew. The ship—an oyster boat transformed into a make-believe destroyer—is the heart of the Vergennes family, a place both to play and to learn responsibility. But Verity’s had it with being tied to the ship and secretly applies to a distant college. If only her parents could bear to let her go.
Maeve and Arthur Vergennes already suffered one loss when, five years earlier, their eldest son, Jude, stormed out and never returned. Now Maeve is pregnant again and something’s amiss. Verity yearns to follow her dreams, but how can she jump ship now? The problem, and perhaps the answer, lies with Jude.
When disaster strikes and the family unravels, Verity must rally her sibling crew to keep the Nepenthe and all it symbolizes afloat. Sailing away from home, she discovers, is never easy—not if you ever hope to find your way back. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon)
This was a truly unique experience. From the get go, the reader is brought into a world that has been created by the Vergennes children, cleverly written in a way as to showcase that even in a world of make-believe, there are real-life truths that lie buried within the ship and its inhabitants. Told from various children’s perspectives, many of which who begin their chapters as though writing notes into a captain’s log, the story progresses from Verity and her need to reach out and apply herself by trying to enroll at a college that would not be acceptable for her parents, to discovering what really happened with Jude, and why he left the family home. Moments of chaos and frustration are also seen from the younger Vergennes, and I felt as though Yoerg did a great job in making sure that each voice matched the age and personality of the child who is reflecting.
The large family dynamic felt realistic, too. The need for help from the older siblings lends into Arthur’s fear in even thinking of the possibility of Verity going away to college, especially when Maeve is faced with health concerns. I could feel for both sides, considering the age Verity is (eighteen), and the fact that she is old enough to make her own decisions. Yet she feels bound to her family, especially with Jude gone, and the guilt in wanting to leave adds to the layer of guilt her father places on her. Not to mention long-ago events in her past that only complicate matters.
So much of The Family Ship showed all the little nuances and layers that go into not only making a family work and function, but how quickly and easily various obstacles can lead to dysfunction. It showed what grief can do, how it can extend out like ripples and affect each character in different ways, all fitting for who each person is and what they already experienced and have been through. But it also showed how family can be there for one another, when it’s least expected and in the most serious of situations, at times, life and death.
I really enjoyed the Vergennes family, and The Family Ship. The experience was well worth the five stars I’ve given it.
Thanks to Tall Poppy Writers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
More by Sonja Yoerg:
Mom Walks: Getting Crushed is the second book in a women’s fiction series that follows a mom and her two best mom friends as they navigate the chaotic trenches of parenting tweens. If you enjoy light, heart-warming stories about mother-daughter relationships and friendship, these books are for you.
Today we are featuring Serena Singh Flips the Script by Sonya Lalli. It sounds like a fun story and the location definitely is of interest to Melissa. Thanks to Berkley, we have one copy to give away!
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| Photo by Ming Joanis |
It may be unfair, but any book centered around a mother who’s trying to balance kids and career will be compared to the grandmother of Mom Lit, Allison Pearson’s I Don’t Know How She Does It. Although it’s been more than twenty years since I attempted this high-wire act myself, I loved Pearson’s book (and especially its sequel, How Hard Can It Be?) so much that I’ll look at any novel with a similar plot. (I may be the only person looking forward to the COVID versions of this story.) My latest read in this genre, Emma Murray’s The Juggle, doesn’t have the gravitas of Pearson’s work, but it’s an enjoyable escape all the same.
In a suburb of London, writer Saoirse’s biggest worry is her unspoken competition with the “Organics” – the judgmental ubermums at her four-year-old daughter Anna’s school. But when her husband David loses his job, Saoirse steps in as the main breadwinner by agreeing to ghostwrite a book with eccentric inventor Sebastian. The fifty thousand pounds he fronts her seems like a windfall—but if she can’t produce the book, she has to give it all back. Soon enough, Saoirse realizes that Sebastian’s world-changing invention is more revolting than revolutionary. Will she be able to write the book anyway?
The Juggle is a quick, fun read. It didn’t infuriate me the way I Don’t Know How She Does It did—mainly because David is a good husband and father, and his relationship with Saoirse is filled with love and laughter. But because that relationship isn’t a source of conflict, the book does feel a little unfocused. Similarly, Saoirse’s job with Sebastian represents only a portion of the novel. Saoirse spends a lot of time getting involved in other people’s dramas, such as her best friend Bea’s issues, David’s dealings with his adoptive and birth mothers, the Organics and other school mums, etc. Since the title implied that the book would center around the work/motherhood conflict, I was a little disappointed in all the tangents.
Before I picked up the book, I wasn’t aware that The Juggle was actually a sequel to Murray’s first book, Time Out. And it does read like a sequel, as many important events that happened in the back story are referenced. Readers who are interested in Murray’s work may want to start with Time Out before reading The Juggle. Either book will be a good escape from the chaos of COVID.
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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Becky thought she was leaving London for the Lake District to house and pet sit. She didn’t plan on finding herself in the middle of a custody battle over the loveable dog named Bella. In Zara Stoneley’s, novel, THE DOG SITTER (One More Chapter/HarperCollins), all Becky is looking for some time to chill and do her artwork. Becky is also using her time alone to break up with her controlling boyfriend, Teddy. When she arrives, there’s an unexpected hunk named Ashley James claiming Bella is his and not Georgina’s, the woman Becky made arrangements with.
Georgina is an influencer who uses Bella as a subject on her Instagram account, in order to get freebees. She’s quite successful, but her ex, Ashley believes she’s exploiting Bella. She’s made it clear she doesn’t want Ash near Bella, but it’s obvious Bella loves him.
As time goes on, Georgina regularly contacts Becky to remind her of her rules, but Ash keeps making it more difficult to keep Bella away from him. One thing leads to another and soon Becky is falling for both Bella and Ash. Or is it Ash and Bella?
THE DOG SITTER is about much more than taking care of a pet. It’s about finding yourself and learning that making concessions to be considerate of others is one thing, but it’s another to try so hard you lose who you are and what you want. It’s a cute rom-com you’ll read quickly.
Bella is the star of THE DOG SITTER. She’s a happy, energized dog sensitive to everyone’s feelings. I really liked the characters of Becky and Ash. Becky was honest and able to see both Georgina and Ashley’s perspectives. Ash is a really delicious hunk that readers will fall in love with. Georgina reminded me of a spoiled brat, but she was necessary in this story. The take away for me is if you’re going to house and pet sit, make sure the rules are really discussed and agreed upon.
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.
Today we are thrilled to feature The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. Melissa says it was incredible from start to finish and that you won't be able to put it down. Check out her five star review. Thanks to St. Martin's Press, we have FIVE copies for some lucky readers!
“My land tells its story if you listen. The story of our family.”
Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is on the brink of a new and optimistic era. But for Elsa Wolcott, deemed too old to marry in a time when marriage is a woman’s only option, the future seems bleak. Until the night she meets Rafe Martinelli and decides to change the direction of her life. With her reputation in ruin, there is only one respectable choice: marriage to a man she barely knows.
By 1934, the world has changed; millions are out of work and drought has devastated the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as crops fail and water dries up and the earth cracks open. Dust storms roll relentlessly across the plains. Everything on the Martinelli farm is dying, including Elsa’s tenuous marriage; each day is a desperate battle against nature and a fight to keep her children alive.
In this uncertain and perilous time, Elsa—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or leave it behind and go west, to California, in search of a better life for her family.
The Four Winds is a rich, sweeping novel that stunningly brings to life the Great Depression and the people who lived through it—the harsh realities that divided us as a nation and the enduring battle between the haves and the have-nots. A testament to hope, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit to survive adversity, The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)
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| Photo by Kevin Lynch |
The film of Hannah’s much loved novel, The Nightingale, (published in 43 languages) starring Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning, is slated for December 2021, and Netflix released a 10-part series based on Firefly Lane in the past week. Her last novel, The Great Alone, has also been optioned for the screen.
Kristin is a former-lawyer-turned writer who lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband. She can’t imagine a better career than writing every day and doesn’t miss practicing the law—or wearing high-heels to work. Kristin writes because it frees something in her and allows her to be the wife, mother, and friend she wants to be.
Kristin’s work touches millions of people. Her novel, Firefly Lane, became a runaway bestseller in 2009, a touchstone novel that brought women together, and The Nightingale, in 2015, was voted a best book of the year by Amazon, Buzzfeed, iTunes, Library Journal, Paste, The Wall Street Journal, and The Week. Additionally, the novel won the coveted Goodreads and People’s Choice Awards. The audiobook of The Nightingale won the Audiobook of the Year Award in the fiction category. Her #1 New York Times bestselling novel, The Great Alone won the 2018 Goodreads Best Historical Novel of the Year and appeared on numerous “Best Of” lists. Renowned for her strong women characters, Hannah’s books are read, discussed, and revered by book clubs all over the country.
