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Special Feature: Are We There Yet? By Kathleen West
When I first saw the cover of this book, all I could think was that it must be a thriller. When I read the first line in the summary: Among fake Instagram pages, long-buried family secrets, and the horrors of middle school, one suburban mom searches to find herself. And all I could think was ok when does the murdering start? I kept reading the summary and I was like ok, come on where is the murder? So many novels that are set in the suburbs have a murder or thriller component to them that I just naturally expected this one to be the same but as I kept reading…
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Review: Ladies of the House by Lauren Edmondson
Sense and Sensibility is one of my favorite Jane Austen novels! Whenever I see Austen re-tellings with a modern flair…..I try to be wary. Some are great but others miss the mark and but yet no matter how great or awful the re-tellings are, I still can’t resist them in any form! When I saw that Lauren Edmondson was writing a modern re-telling of Sense and Sensibility, for good or for bad, I was so excited to read it! But I went into it knowing that nothing will ever live up to the original Sense and Sensibility—nor should it! Austen had her own unique voice and I expected Edmondson to…
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Special Feature: Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi
One of the thing that I love about own voices novels is experiencing a story within a story. On the surface you have the actual story and characters etc, but there is a second story within the novel and that’s the authors own unique narrative and how they interpret or experience the story and characters based on their own unique cultural perspective. This hot little own voices novel is out now and it sounds incredible! Author Nadia Hashimi has written a number of novels and all have been met with rave reviews! I haven’t read any of her books but I have seen them on many best seller lists and…
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Review: Shipped by Angie Hockman
This is a book I bought all thanks to ‘the gram’. This book has been all over my Instagram and I finally caved and bought it. I thought the cover was cute and I was looking for a quick easy read that I would enjoy and escape for a little while and since I am dealing with a major case of wanderlust, I thought this book would tick all the boxes. The cover is adorable and the enemies to lovers troupe is one of my favorites. The two characters, Henley and Graeme, are up for the same promotion and I thought that scenario might bring up some interesting competitiveness between…
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Review: The Family Ship by Sonja Yoerg
I am eternally grateful for Sonja Yoerg reaching out a few years ago asking if I wanted to review her debut novel, House Broken. I fell in love with it and knew that Yoerg was going to be one to watch! I have since read all of her books and am always excited to see when her next book is going to drop. Her books are always well written with powerful story telling that will draw readers in. Basically it’s a no brainer when I see one of her books come up for a review—-yes! I saw the cover for this one and was instantly drawn curious about what was…
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Special Feature and Excerpt: The Vineyard at Painted Moon by Susan Mallery
There are some tried and true romance writers whose names you recognize because they have such a huge fan following. Susan Mallery is one such author. I haven’t read any of Susan Mallery’s books but I recognize her name and anyone who has so many published books must be doing something right? Right? Susan Mallery is a New York Times Best Selling author with a dedicated fan base and in my mind that means her books much be amazing! I have been in line at the grocery store plenty of times and seen Susan Mallery’s books and in my mind, plus I have seen plenty of people grab copies of…
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Special Feature: Ladies of the House by Lauren Edmondson
Sense and Sensibility has always been my favorite Jane Austen novel. I adore the Dashwood sisters and their respective beaus and the dynamics between the sisters and their mother is so great and I simply can’t get enough of that book! When I saw that author Lauren Edmondson wa doing a modern day retelling of Sense and Sensibility, I had to job on it! I am reviewing it in March but it is out now and I wanted to give a little info about this book and make sure that it is on your radar too if you are a Jane Austen fan! It has been receiving a ton of…
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Special Feature: The Portrait: A Novel by Ilaria Bernardini
Ilaria Bernardini is a well known writer in Italy and has eight novels under her belt there including Faremo Foresta (“We Will Grow a Forest”) which was long-listed for Italy’s prestigious Strega Prize. She has been profiled by Vogue Italia and is a regular contributor for Rolling Stone. Her US release, The Portrait, has been identified as Bustle’s most anticipated new releases. It joins the ranks of some of the most buzz worthy books of 2021 so far! It is already winning praise across Europe and in the U.K. and obviously making a buzz here in the US. It sounds like an emotional novel full of tension and heart. I am so excited to be sharing…
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Special Feature: Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst
I don’t know about anyone else, but the coronavirus and all the lockdowns have left me with major wanderlust! I literally have a list of places that I have researched throughout the lockdowns and it’s titled ‘places I’m traveling to when COVID f*cks off’. Italy is at the top of this. I have long dreamed of traveling to Italy, starting at Lake Como and traveling all the way down to Sicily. So when I saw this book was coming out I knew it would be perfect for all those people who are also struggling with wanderlust like me! Books are so great, they give us somewhere to go when we…
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Special Feature: The Chicken Sisters by K.J. Dell’Antonia
Do you have a foodie and a reader on your holiday shopping list? Well this might be a good option for them! This Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick is sure to be a treat for the reader on your list plus it features a food element that sounds delicious (pun intended!) The cover is bright and sunny and also out now so add this one to your shopping cart and maybe a copy for a friend/family member today! It sounds like the perfect book to pass the time with that is both uplifting, funny, and mouth-watering! Plus Reese Witherspoon hasn’t steered me wrong yet when it comes to her book…