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Review: Angels and Demons (Robert Langdon #1) by Dan Brown
Is Dan Brown’s writing terrible? Yes. Are his stories far fetched and unbelievable? Yes. Are the books poorly researched? Yes. Did that stop me from reading this book in a frenzy? Absolutely not! I will fully admit, I loved The Da Vinci Code. I didn’t care how unbelievable or bad the writing, the story itself was so good that I was reading well into the night, every night. I simply had to know what happened next. That was at least 10 years ago that I read that book, so I felt like I was long overdue for a Robert Langdon mystery. For some reason, the mood just struck me and…
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Review: The Book of Summer by Michelle Gable
I’ve always wanted to read one of Michelle Gable’s novels and now, it’s finally happening! The first two books that caught my eye of her’s were both set in Paris so when I saw this one set on Nantucket Island, I felt kind of gypped. However, I have heard such great things about her writing style that I agreed to review it anyway. Physician Bess Codman has returned to her family’s Nantucket compound, Cliff House, for the first time in four years. Her great-grandparents built Cliff House almost a century before, but due to erosion, the once-grand home will soon fall into the sea. Though she s purposefully avoided the island,…
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Review: Slightly South of Simple: A Novel (Peachtree Bluff #1) by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Peachtree’s motto is “A place to call home” and oh what a home it is! There is something about Southern literature that is so homey and comforting. I loved Kristy Woodson Harvey’s book, Lies and Other Acts of Love…..her books kind of have that sweet tea and a soft summer breeze feel to them. I can almost smell the magnolias from here! In her latest book, we return to the South, this time to the town of Peachtree Bluff where, as I said it’s a ‘place to call home’ and that’s where we find Caroline Murphy. Caroline swore she’d never set foot back in the small Southern town of Peachtree Bluff; she…
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Review: All the Best People by Sonja Yoerg
I’ve come to hold Sonja Yoerg novels in very high esteem. They are usually very thought provoking, well written, and real. So naturally when this book came across my desk for review, I was thrilled. Though the description sounded slightly different than something I would expect from Yoerg’s novels…..this one had a magic element which surprised me. While this was unexpected, I love books with magical realism and magic themes so I was even more excited to read this one than I was her other novels. Vermont, 1972. Carole LaPorte has a satisfying, ordinary life. She cares for her children, balances the books for the family’s auto shop and laughs…
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Review: Gone Without A Trace by Mary Torjussen
When I read mysteries, I typically read historical mysteries but from time to time, a modern psychological thriller captures my eye and I pick it up but I kind of have to be in the mood. Well the mood struck me when Gone Without A Trace came up for review. So what caught my eye about this one? Well I liked the tag line ‘no one disappears completely’. One of my favorite shows on ID TV is Disappeared, so books that deal with disappearances intrigue me because that tag line is so true and the not knowing drives the interest for me. Gone Without a Trace is a compulsive thriller about a…
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Special Feature: THE BOOK OF POLLY by Kathy Hepinstall
I have a soft spot for local writers and when I saw that this author lives in Portland, OR I had to at least do a special feature on her novel! This is an unforgettable story about the grip of love in a truly quirky family, told with a particular blend of sass and warmth. Polly is one of those can’t-forget-her female characters with whom readers are destined to fall in love, and her daughter Willow’s coming of age story is one to which both mothers and their daughters will relate. Publishers Weekly says, “Polly is a hybrid of Granny from The Beverly Hillbillies and Shirley MacLaine’s Ouiser Boudreaux in…
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Special Feature: SHADOW OF WHIMSY: A CAPE COD LOVER STORY by Ann Hymes
Shadow of Whimsy: A Cape Cod Love Story by Ann Hymes Publication Date: June 15, 2016 Secant Publishing Hardcover, Paperback, eBook Genre: Contemporary/Women’s Fiction/Literary Several generations of one family have lived, loved, and lied at Whimsy Towers, a unique oceanfront house in Chatham, Massachusetts. Strong women who refuse to be suffocated by marriage have found excitement and refuge in this house filled with artists and parties. Love surfaces in unexpected ways. The newest owner, Theresa Alston Crandall, has just inherited the property and leaves her too-predictable husband in Virginia to spend time on the Cape and unravel family secrets and history. She swims, reflects, explores, and watches dramatic cloud formations…
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Review: Paris for One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes
When it comes to romance, there are few better than Jojo Moyes. Her stories are always so full of emotion and heart. Over the years I have read quite a few of her novels and each novel is unique and I always have a hard time putting them down. The main characters are always interesting, well drawn women and the romance elements are tenderhearted and emotionally charged. I don’t read a lot of short stories or collections of stories as I prefer a fully developed novel where I can focus on one character but because Moyes novels are always so enjoyable, I thought I would give this one a go. Initially…
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Special Feature: DOGS AND THEIR PEOPLE by Barkpost
Who doesn’t love dogs? Sure I might have started off as a cat person when I was younger but when I got my first dog the first year I was married…..I was in love. A suddenly became a dog person! Now I have two dogs and can’t imagine life without them! They just add so much love to my life! So when I saw this super cute dog book come across my desk, I couldn’t pass up doing a special feature to highlight how wonderful dogs really are. This is a collection of community-sourced and never-before-told anecdotes, stories, photos, and intimate insights, DOGS AND THEIR PEOPLE captures the depth, spirit, and power…
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Cover Reveal: SLIGHTLY SOUTH OF SIMPLE by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Earlier this year I had the chance to read a very lovely book by Woodson Harvey called, LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE. She has a beautiful prose and story telling ability to say the least! Unfortunately her latest novel, SLIGHTLY SOUTH OF SIMPLE will not be out until spring 2017……but between now and then we can enjoy some stunning cover art today! In addition to this lovely eye candy, Woodson Harvey is also hosting a giveaway for $100 Amazon gift card and several book bundles on kristywoodsonharvey.com/blog to celebrate the cover reveal! So I highly recommend heading over to her blog to see get entered! If you haven’t heard about…