At her father’s death, Casey Anderson discovers she was adopted at age four. Not able to remember anything, she sets out on a quest to discover why her birth mother gave her up and, and why her adopted parent kept it such a secret. She embarks on a dangerous and spiritually enlightening journey that proves to her, nothing is what it seems.
Title: The Bitches of Brooklyn
Author: Rosemary Harris
Received: CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: No zombies. No serial killers. No threat of global nuclear warfare. Just life, love, friendships, marriages, work, children, parents, laughs, tears and a fair amount of wine.
Are they really bitches? That depends who you ask…Rachel, Clare, Tina and Jane are four friends awaiting the arrival of a fifth at a secluded Cape Cod bungalow where they spend an all-girls weekend every year since reconnecting at a reunion. But the fifth woman doesn’t show.
Instead she sends a note that reads –
“I’ve run off with one of your men.”
Has she? Is it a prank? Do they run for the phone or try to enjoy the weekend without her? Fast, funny and filled with Harris’ trademark snappy dialogue you’ll recognize friends and maybe a little of yourself as the women are forced to reevaluate their friendships, their marriages and their memories.
Inspired by a classic Hollywood film, The Bitches of Brooklyn is for every woman who’s ever had a best friend and wondered…is she really??
Title: Accused
Author: Lisa Scottoline
Received: Sarah Hall Productions
Synopsis: New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–winning author Lisa Scottoline revolutionized crime fiction when she introduced her all-female law firm of Rosato & Associates, thrilling readers with her twisty, fast-paced plots and capturing their hearts with her cast of strong and relatable female characters. Now Bennie Rosato, Mary DiNunzio, Judy Carrier, and Anne Murphy are back with all cylinders firing in Accused.
Mary Dinuzio has just been promoted to partner and is about to take on her most unusual case yet, brought to the firm by a thirteen-year-old genius with a penchant for beekeeping. Allegra Gardner’s sister Fiona was murdered six years ago, and it seemed like an open-and-shut case: the accused, Lonnie Stall, was seen fleeing the scene; his blood was on Fiona and her blood was on him; most damningly, Lonnie Stall pleaded guilty. But Allegra believes Lonnie is innocent and has been wrongly imprisoned. The Gardner family is one of the most powerful in the country and Allegra’s parents don’t believe in reopening the case, so taking it on is risky. But the Rosato & Associates firm can never resist an underdog. Was justice really served all those years ago? It will take a team of unstoppable female lawyers, plus one thirteen-year-old genius, to find out.
Title: Bargain Fever
Author: Mark Ellwood
Received: Engeleman & Co.
Synopsis: Bargain Fever is the book you need to survive the new world of shopping. Everything is on sale, all the time. Discounts aren’t the exception – they’re the norm, and everyone wants a steal, a deal, a hook-up or a way to cut costs.
Ten years ago, retailers sold just 15-20% of their inventory at some kind of promo price – today, that number is 40-45%. Put simply, sales of sales have more than doubled in a decade. Bargain Fever looks at the seismic changes in shopping over the last decade, and offers a survival guide full of tips to triumph in this new cut-price world.
Title: Render
Author: Stephanie Fleshman
Received: Stephanie Fleshman
Synopsis: Koldan Holdt knows what he wants. The problem is his future was decided the day he was born—a future void of everything he has ever known. Days before summer vacation, Koldan’s grandfather suddenly dies, leaving the consequences that have followed him since he fled his country to fall to Koldan. As Koldan learns about his new fate, he must accept the terms to which he is bound and live without the one person he wants, or remain true to who he is and risk both their lives repeating the choices his grandfather made. Seventeen-year-old Raya Whitney thought she knew Koldan…until a sudden turn of events threatens both their lives. While she is not willing to give up without a fight, she knows it is a deadly game to stay together.
Title: Looking For LaLa
Author: Ellie Campbell
Received: Ellie Campbell
Synopsis: Looking for La La follows the story of Cathy, a bored, unappreciated housewife and mother of two. Her world of school runs, ferrying children here and there, and the occasional nights out with friends is radically transformed by the arrival of a love postcard to her husband. What follows next takes Cathy on a wild ride of suspicion, temptations, marital breakdown and some very dangerous territory.
Title: Going Home Again
Author: Abby Cavenaugh
Received: Abby Cavenaugh
Synopsis: Alyssa Jones’s high school crush probably never knew she existed.
Twenty years later, when the now-famous pop star returns home to coastal North Carolina, Alyssa gets a second chance to make a first impression on Michael.
On sabbatical from his failing marriage, Michael agrees to an interview with Alyssa, a journalist for the local tourist magazine.
When the chemistry between them ignites, Alyssa and Michael are hit with the harsh reality that he isn’t yet free to love her.
With Michael’s wife and son still very much in the picture, can Alyssa hold out until he ends his marriage for good?
Or will she risk it all for a second chance with the one who got away?
GOING HOME AGAIN is contemporary romance novel set in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.
This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
This is a fun romantic read set in the early 1800’s in Wyoming during the late homesteader days. The main character meets her husband through mail, they literally decide through mail written correspondence only that they both have something to offer the other and she travels from back east to marry him. He is seeking a mother for his little girl, someone to run his house and give him a male heir for whom he can pass the homestead farm onto. Quickly he finds out that she didn’t include vital information about herself…her disfigured face. But true to his word he marries her anyways and takes her home to his daughter. This is where the real fun begins as the daughter proves to be very angry with this new mother. The story continues on to tell of how these 3 people learn to heal from their losses and become a family, while that’s not to say they don’t have their troubles. It was a sweet read about love, friendship, healing and that looks aren’t what makes a person good. I loved that this story was so raw and real when it came to the cruel and sweet sides of life. It was a great read and I would recommend for anyone that loves an old fashioned love story.
I received a copy of Rescue Me, Maybe by Jackie Bouchard in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
If you lost both your spouse and your dog to cancer within weeks of each other, but you were sadder about the dog, would you tell anyone? Maybe your closest friends. Unfortunately, Jane Bailey’s closest friends are on the other side of the country. That’s where Jane plans to go now that she’s free to leave Philadelphia, the too cold, beachless, street taco-deficient city her husband dragged her to six years ago. But with no job prospects in her hometown of San Diego, Jane is roped into helping out temporarily at her uncle’s southwestern small-town B&B. En route to her new role as innkeeper and breakfast chef, she finds a stray at a rest stop. With her heart in pieces from the loss of her dog, she’s determined not to let this mutt worm its way into her affections. She’s also determined to have next-to-no interaction with the B&B’s irritating guests, and the even more annoying handyman who lives next door. Can Jane keep her sanity–and her secret that she’s not really a grieving widow–while trying to achieve her dream of getting back to the place she thinks is home?
Review:
When Jackie contacted me to read/review her latest book, Rescue Me, Maybe, I was so excited. Ever since I read her debut novel, I have been a huge fan of Jackie and her fido-friendly writing. As a fellow dog lover myself, I always appreciate it when another person is so loving and kind toward them, and Jackie definitely meets that criteria. Despite this book being fairly sad, I found it to be very sweet and heartwarming, really displaying what it means to love another, whether human or not. The book begins on rather rocky territory and things stay that way for a while, but Jackie handles the transitions and the emotions with ease. There are so many things to love about this book but I think mostly, you can feel the heart and the love on each page, and that is what I loved the most. If you are looking for a touching book with a lot of heart, I highly recommend this one.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Wendy will be on tour September 30-October 21 with her novel Killer Image As Philadelphia’s premier image consultant, Allison Campbell helps others reinvent themselves, but her…
This book is for the woman who wants to feel good about herself and her body, and learn how to start incorporating healthy habits into her life. It’s for the woman who doesn’t want to trade in her champagne for skinny jeans. It’s for the woman who is done with dieting, and ready to start paying attention to her health before that number on the scale. It’s for the woman who is ready to stop letting her weight define her, and is ready to understand why it always did. This is not a diet book. This is a lifestyle guide. This book will change the way you view your weight and yourself forever. You will walk away feeling empowered, inspired, and downright sexy (and probably craving a glass of bubbly). You will learn how to celebrate yourself and your body. You will learn to make your health a priority, always. And most importantly – you will learn to love yourself, exactly as you are. So get ready to embark on a complete dieting and lifestyle overhaul, sister. You are now on The Champagne Diet!
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book had all my favorite things! Shoes, Clothes, secrets, hot sex, a fantastic gay couple, and did I mention shoes???
This is a great story about what one does after your dream life doesn’t happen. The first chapter drew me in perfectly with the comparison of life to shoes. I am a shoe fanatic and believe that shoes are a very important and personal part of a person.
There are so many fun parts to this book! But the relationship between Haley and Nick and how it grew and changed over the course of the story was by far one of my favorite parts of the story. I also loved the tight friendships between Haley and her friends. It was unique to see even close relationships can have their up’s and down’s-but in the end that love for a friend can beat just about anything in a person’s troubled life.
I loved the reality of that going to New York to make it big didn’t happen, but hard work and loyalty produced far better results. It is fun to see how a dynamic duo can make a boutique such a success!
This book covered so many things, from friendship, to love, to how to deal with adult family member’s in your life…and the disappoint that they can leave you with. I also think that as the book went along, Haley’s character grew and changed and truly grew up. This was fun to read and “watch”.
I believe the only thing that was a little disappointing was the very immature relationship that she developed quickly with Keegan. But I understood by the end of the book it was part of watching her grow and change. It was a relationship I would compare to a much younger person having, and for her age it seems off.
I was satisfied by the end of the book that the author covered all sides to the story. It was a very well developed story and really kept my interest throughout the book.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
In the past year, Romy Fitzgerald learned three valuable lessons.
One: Never have sex at a party with a stranger dressed as Darth Vader.
Two: Don’t tell him things you’ve never told anyone else.
Three: Find out the stranger’s name because you never know when you might need it …
Like nine months later when the baby arrives.
While Romy is happy to raise Luke on her own, one day he’ll need to know the truth about his father, and Darth deserves to know that he has a son.
Will Romy find her dark knight or will she be left to raise Luke (Han) solo?
Review:
I’ll be honest – when I first started reading this book, I wasn’t quite sure why it was written. There didn’t seem to be any intrigue, any mystery, and I was really actually disappointed. While I don’t like giving much away in my reviews, I will say that I was pleasantly surprised to find that maybe the plot wasn’t as straight-forward as I thought in the beginning. As I kept reading, I kept getting more and more excited and intrigued by the characters. There are some hilarious moments, especially in regards to Romy’s elderly neighbor and all the miscommunication the characters keep seeming to find themselves in. Once I was just a few chapters in I was really hooked and I highly recommend this book!
4.5 stars
I Don’t Know How She Does It for the This Is 40 generation
Sophie Whelan is the epitome of the modern superwoman. When she operates at peak performance, she can cajole balky employees, soothe her cranky children, troubleshoot career disasters, throw a dinner party for ten and draft an upbeat Christmas letter—all in the same day.
But as Sophie’s fortieth birthday looms, her seamless life reveals disturbing web-like fractures. Conflict with her boss, blossoming jealousy of her husband’s femme fatale business partner and her feelings of hopeless inadequacy as a mother and daughter are cracking the edifice of her life.
Rescue may be at hand when Lillian Parker, a wealthy widow who befriended Sophie during her university days, makes Sophie an irresistible offer. Why, then, does Sophie hesitate? The answer is the reappearance of Lillian’s nephew, Will Shannon, the great unresolved love of Sophie’s life. As she remembers the vivid drama of their college romance, Sophie confronts the choices she has made in life and in love and looks for the one answer that has always eluded her: what does she really want?
The Hole in the Middle is a heartbreaking love story, a laugh-outloud portrayal of the twin demands of work and family and a fresh take on the hot debate about having it all. It is not to be missed.
