Future Tour: Geoducks Are for Lovers by Daisy Prescott
Daisy will be on tour June 10-17 with her contemporary romance/women’s fiction novel Geoducks Are for Lovers Food writer Maggie Marrion is just getting back…
Book Review: Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
I received a copy of Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Orphan Train is a gripping story of friendship and second chances from Christina Baker Kline, author of Bird in Hand and The Way Life Should Be.
Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to “aging out” out of the foster care system. A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse…
As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.
Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life – answers that will ultimately free them both.
Rich in detail and epic in scope, Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are.
Review:
I have been finding myself really enjoying stories that switch from past to present tense, and I’m glad my shelves are filling with them! I loved going back and learning about Vivian’s life in the early 1900’s, though of course I was also quite sad. She didn’t have a lucky situation when she was on the orphan train, and was bounced through a handful of families until she finally landed somewhere where she felt safe. While I still enjoyed Molly’s story and was entertained at how her life was similar to Vivian’s, it was really the older woman that took the cake for me. It was breathtaking at times to read how she survived not only the journey to America, becoming an orphan, traveling in the train with dozens of other orphaned children, but then finally the struggles she had with the families who took her in. The ending was so wonderful because readers get so much closure, not just for Vivian, but for other supporting characters as well. This is such a touching read, and a new favorite of mine for the year.
5 stars
Blog Tour Sign Up: Riverstar by Tess Thompson
After ending an affair with a married movie producer, feisty Hollywood makeup artist Bella Webber finds herself back in the quaint Oregon town of River Valley, the location of a famous director’s latest film. Despite trying to distract herself with work, Bella is unnerved by the proximity of Benjamin Fleck – a man who once so expertly made love to her she’d temporarily forgotten everything painful about her life. But now Ben sees her as nothing more than a heartbreak waiting to happen.
When an actress is found murdered after she’s seen leaving the restaurant Riversong with Ben, he is accused of the crime and arrested. Convinced of his innocence, the River Valley ‘gang of misfits’ band together to find the real killer, and Bella must face her biggest fear to ensure the truth is revealed.
Romantic, suspenseful, and engaging, bestselling author Tess Thompson’s third novel in the River Valley Collection delivers another tribute to the power of community and the bonds of friendship.
Future Tour: Adventure to Love by Bethany Ramos
Bethany will be on tour August 19-26 with her chick lit novel Adventure to Love In a “Bachelor” meets “Survivor”-style reality TV show, twelve women…
On Tour: Eleusis by Genevieve Fairbrother
Genevieve will be on tour June 3-17 with her novel Eleusis Macy needs a break to sort out her life. Her parents are dead and…
On Tour: Meeting Miss Mollie by Di Jones
Di will be on tour June 3-24 with her novel Meeting Miss Mollie She’s the Agony Aunt who has it all. Except for one small…
Book Review: Domestic Affairs by Bridget Siegel
I received a copy of Domestic Affairs by Bridget Siegel in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
When twenty-something political fundraiser Olivia Greenley is recruited by her close friend Jacob Harriston to join the Presidential campaign of Georgia Governor Landon Taylor, she is intoxicated by optimism and opportunity. Taylor’s commitment to social equality and economic responsibility in the post-housing-bubble era is palpable. Sacrificing her sleep, comfort and income are certain to help make the world a better place. Right?
Domestic Affairs: A Campaign Novel vividly captures the fervor and idealism of campaign life—as well as the disillusionment staffers feel when told to make the inevitable compromises. Leaving a meeting with foreclosure victims to hop onto a private jet is one thing, but how to justify dining at a $2,000-a-plate dinner knowing how many lunches the money could buy for at-risk kids? How far does one go when the ends appear to justify the means? And what’s a girl to do when the most charming, erudite, capable and ostensibly honorable man in the free world wants to take her to bed (but he’s married and her boss)? How does it feel to keep the biggest secret of her life from her best friend and coworker, even as the three of them spend every waking hour together? The tension between characters, right and wrong, and between success and implosion are taut.
Review:
This is the second political-based book I’ve read in the past month, and I have to say I’m really enjoying them! It’s interesting to learn about a world that I don’t know much about (politics confuse me, I’ll admit it) and then to also get a behind-the-scenes glance at all the key players. I like learning from my reading, and it was great fun to be able to chat with my fiancé over dinner and tell him about the “body guy” of a campaign and what fundraisers are like to plan. I wanted to shake my head more than once at Olivia for getting pulled into an affair with her boss that we could all see was a bad idea, but I liked the way the ending worked out. A very intriguing novel, and one I recommend!
4 stars
Future Tour: The Legacy of the Key by SL Morgan
SL Morgan will be on tour July 29-August 5 with her YA/fantasy romance novel The Legacy of the Key No matter where you are, facing…
Book Review: What Happiness Looks Like by Karen Lenfestey
I received a copy of What Happiness Looks Like by Karen Lenfestey in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Joely Shupe had a vision of what her thirties would look like: she’d be the mother of two, finger painting with her kids during the day and cooking dinner for her loving husband at night. Instead she’s a single mother struggling to provide for her only child.
To make matters worse, her ex-fiancé, Jake, shows up–unemployed and reeling from a personal tragedy. He claims he’s ready to parent the daughter he abandoned five years ago. Joely is more interested in Dalton, a devoted father to his own son, who offers to take care of her the way no man ever has. Should Joely risk her daughter bonding with someone new or with the man who broke her heart?
Meanwhile, Joely’s sister, Kate, has the husband and the home, but no baby. After several failed attempts at fertility treatments, Kate’s husband is ready to give up. Kate believes his solution to their problems will tear them apart.
For Joely and Kate, one thing is for sure: this is not the life they expected. Is it time to adjust their idea of what happiness looks like?
Review:
I enjoyed about the first 3/4 of the book. The family dynamic between sisters Joely and Kate was interesting to read about, and I like books that have a very real feeling towards them. I like reading about women’s situations, and this story definitely fit that bill. I actually didn’t even realize this was the second book in a series until about halfway through, when Kate was talking about how her husband Mitch had left her previously. I thought something more should be said about that, then looked it up to realize it’s book two, and I’m sure that situation had been discussed in the first book. That being said, I really didn’t feel like I was missing anything by not having read A Sister’s Promise, so that’s good! Now, I said I enjoyed the first 3/4 book – the ending just fell flat to me. I got confused by the relationship Joely had with both Dalton and Jake, and Kate’s struggle with infertility had me scratching my head at points. I almost felt like maybe it was being rushed, because all of sudden everything is wrapped up and I was a bit lost. Overall a good read and I would like to check out the first book as well.
3.5 stars
