Contributor: Allie
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – February 3, 2015. The story is set in France during World War II and focuses on the lives of two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle. Vianne is a young wife and mother whose husband has been sent to the front line to defend France from the approaching Nazis. Isabelle is her younger sister, a rebellious teenager who’s fallen in love with a French Partisan. After the Germans seize Paris, her passions lead her to join the Resistance and take dangerous risks in the name of love and loyalty. Meanwhile, Vianne is faced with heartbreaking struggles of her own as the French countryside is taken over by the Nazis and her loyalty is put to the test under the most brutal circumstances. This epic novel is about love and hate, loyalty and betrayal, and the devastating impact war has on families.
New Uses for Old Boyfriends by Beth Kendrick – February 3, 2015. Such a cute title for a book. After her marriage falls apart, Lily Alders returns to her hometown, Black Dog Bay (which will be familiar to readers of Kendrick’s last novel). Once there, she finds that her mom is living life in denial of her financial troubles. Lily attempts to help her mom get back on her feet. She opens a vintage dress shop and reunites with an old boyfriend. Lily finds that changing her surroundings is not a cure-all, and some things are meant to remain in the past. Or are they? After a mysterious man from her childhood (whom she’d forgotten) captures her interest, Lily reevaluates all her doubts about her hometown.
Little Black Lies by Sandra Block – February 17, 2015. Dr. Zoe Goldman is a psychiatrist who’s doing her residency in a psychiatric ward. She wants nothing more than to help her patients, but is thrown when the presence of one unlocks memories from her youth. Desperate for answers, Zoe turns to her adoptive mother, who’s suffering from dementia. Some of Zoe’s memories make her question her sanity and her desperation grows as the danger around her mounts. “Little Black Lies is about madness and memory – and the dangerous, little lies we tell ourselves, just to survive.”
Prodigal Son by Danielle Steel – February 24, 2015. This is the story of twin boys who grew up hating each other – which is beyond sad. Twin brothers, one good, one bad, but which one is which? Michael is the twin who remained in the small town where the boys grew up. He is the town doctor and a much respected pillar of society. Peter, on the other hand, is Wall Street’s golden boy – that is until the stock market crashes and he loses everything, including his wife. Humbled, Peter returns home and has a surprisingly cathartic reunion with his brother. As the twins rebuild their relationship, Peter discovers his late mother’s journals and realizes that Michael is not all that he seems.
The Girls of Mischief Bay by Susan Mallery – February, 24, 2015. This book is about the friendship of three women, Pam, Shannon, and Nicole – all of whom are at crossroads in their lives. Pam is faced with an empty nest that has her asking, “What’s next?” Shannon has regrets over her choice to concentrate on a career, rather than her personal life. Is it too late? And Nicole has always been the good wife – but her patience is put to the test when her husband experiences a midlife crisis and quits his job! Suddenly it’s up to Nicole to be the family breadwinner.
The Marrying Type by Laura Chapman – February 24, 2015
Always the wedding planner, never a bride, Elliot Lynch is famous for orchestrating the splashiest weddings in Charleston, South Carolina. When her father’s sloppy management practices leave them on the brink of bankruptcy, Elliot will do whatever it takes to save the family business. When asked to appear on “The Marrying Type,” a reality TV show about the people behind the scenes as couples exchange I dos, she says yes to the invasion of privacy (and the hefty paycheck that comes with it).
With a camera crew capturing every detail of her life, Elliot faces her most challenging contract yet: planning a wedding where her ex is involved in every part of the process. Add in a lazy assistant, liquor-loving bridesmaid, and rival planner encroaching on her turf, and Elliot’s wedding season goes from high-end to high-stress.
Forced to confront her past, Elliot must live out her troubled present on national TV if she has any hope of saving her future.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24766966-the-marrying-type
