The Friendship Club by Robyn Carr

The Friendship Club by Robyn Carr

Published by MIRA ISBN 9780778311881

Hardcover, $28.99, 336 pages

Nobody writes about female friendships better than Robyn Carr and her latest novel, The Friendship Club,  is a perfect example.

Marni hosts a successful cooking show on television. Like Ina Garten ( The Barefoot Contessa), the show is filmed in her own home, where she is ably assisted by Ellen, who has been with her for twenty years. Ellen is creative with food but has no desire to appear on camera, she is happy to leave that to Marni.

Sophia is interning with Marni and hopes to have a career in broadcast journalism. Marni's daughter Bella  is anxiously awaiting the birth of her first child with her husband Jason.

Although Marni has very successful career, her love life could use some work. She was widowed at a young age and now is divorced from her second husband after she caught him cheating on her. Ellen was a longtime caregiver for her seriously ill husband and is wary about getting into a new relationship. 

Sophia is excited about a new man in her life, but soon discovers that he is possessive and potentially dangerous. Marni had experience with that with her first husband and begins to worry about Sophia. Bella has concerns about her own marriage as well.

As the story progresses, Marni finds herself unexpectedly attracted to a new man in her life and Ellen's retired firefighter neighbor would like to start a romance with her. Marni jumps in with both feet and encourages Ellen not to let her past get in the way of a possible happy future.

I liked that we see relationships at all stages and ages- young Sophia, Bella and her husband as they await the birth of a baby, and Marni and Ellen in the 60s opening up their hearts to new possibilities. 

Robyn Carr's characters are always so interesting, and seeing older women excited about new romance is enjoyable and refreshing to read. And no matter how long ago you went through a pregnancy, you can relate to Bella's situation. Carr's male characters are well drawn and realistic too.

I enjoy foodie books, and reading about Marni and Ellen's recipes and Ellen's volunteer work feeding people fleeing wildfires was fascinating. The Friendship Club is a wonderful book to gift to your girlfriends on Galentine's Day, I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on their Winter 2024 Blog Tours.

The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan

The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan

Published by Canary Street Press ISBN 9781335005120

Trade paperback, $17.99, 368 pages

It's September now and even though it's still very warm in many places, you can cool off with a Christmas themed-book and Sarah Morgan's charming The Book Club Hotel  is a great place to start.

Hattie is a 28 year-old widowed mom of a five year-old daughter and owner of the Sugar Maple Inn in a small town in Vermont. Christmas season is upon her and while the inn is full, Hattie is feeling overwhelmed. Her head housekeeper gives her constant grief, and the celebrity chef her late husband hired has an ego and temper that makes the kitchen an unhappy place to be.

Three 40-year old best friends- Erica, Anna and Claudia- are planning their annual Book Club Hotel week at the Maple Sugar Inn this year. Erica, a hard-charging workaholic consultant, chose the Maple Sugar Inn this year for their week, surprising Anna and Claudia, as she usually wants to stay at a big city hotel.

Anna is dreading becoming an empty-nester when her twin son and daughter head off to college next year. Claudia is blindsided by her live-in boyfriend of ten years when he leaves her for a younger woman, and then she loses her job as a chef.

Sarah Morgan draws the reader right into these characters lives, we want to know more about them. Hattie is attracted to her handsome and kind neighbor Noah, who would love nothing more than to become Hattie's boyfriend. Anna needs to find a way to cope with her sad feelings, and Claudia's has to figure out where she goes from here. 

We gather that Erica is hiding the true the reason why she chose the Maple Sugar Inn, but readers should be able to figure it out before it is revealed (or her friends figure it out).

Many readers will relate to the longtime friendship of the three women, how they care about each other and know each other so well. We can also relate to the stage of life they are in.

The description of the Maple Sugar Inn sounds so charming that I wanted to immediately go online and book a holiday week. I especially want to spend time in Hattie's library, it sounds so cozy.

My only criticism of this delightful novel is that since Sarah is a British author, she uses many words and phrases that Americans don't. While Hattie is British and would use words like range cooker for stove, advert for ad, and tv presenter for tv personality, Erica, Anna and Claudia are Americans and would not use those words. It can be a bit jarring.

I loved The Book Club Hotel, and I plan on picking up more of Sarah Morgan's novels. It's a wonderful book club choice for the holiday season, and the descriptions of food had me nearly drooling. It would be fun to recreate some of the recipes for a book club meeting. I highly recommend The Book Club Hotel.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Fall 2023 Blog Tours.

Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry by Sara Read

Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry by Sara Read

Published by Graydon House ISBN 9781525899980

Trade paperback, $18.99, 320 pages

In Sara Read's new novel Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry,  Johanna Porter, divorced soccer mom and part-time high school art teacher, receives an invitation to a gallery showing of her former lover and mentor Nestor Pinedo's works,  which she promptly tosses in the trash. She wants nothing to do with Nestor or his business manager/daughter Pilar, who ruined her reputation as an artist years ago. We know things ended badly, but we don't yet know why.

Mel, Johanna's 17 year-old superstar soccer playing daughter, convinces her that she should get all dressed up and go, to show them she is doing great. Reluctantly Johanna goes to the gallery and sees a painting Nestor did of her years ago- and she steals it.

La Rosa Blanca is the famous painting and we later learn why Johanna is so upset to see it hanging in the gallery. She feels like that is a part of her hanging on the wall, when she was "fearless and fierce", and that part belongs to only her, not to Nestor or the world. 

The theft becomes national news, and Johanna leaves town with the painting to hide out in her father's remote cabin. Seeing the painting and Nestor makes her realize everything she gave up twenty years ago, and she decides to stay at the cabin and rededicate herself to her art. 

Pilar is hot on the trail of the stolen painting, and Johanna fears she will be discovered as the thief. Johanna's new neighbor is a handsome surgeon who is recovering from a severe hand injury that has left him unable to work. They slowly circle around each other, working towards a romantic relationship with some steamy scenes.

Johanna throws herself into her work, feeling alive again. Mel helps her mother by posting her works on Instagram and Johanna begins to build a following. But what will happen if she is outed as the thief?

This is the second book I have read that featured addiction as a storyline (the other is Susan Mallery's excellent The Sister Effect) and I found that part interesting. Johanna's story is one that may resonate with many women, and I liked her relationship with her daughter. Mel is a character that I recognize and admire in many young women today- strong, confident and independent. Pilar also turned out to be an intriguing character as well.

Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry is a good book for someone who is looking for a story about following your dreams, no matter how long ago you first had them. 

Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on Sara Read's blog tour. 

The Sunshine Girls by Molly Fader

The Sunshine Girls by Molly Fader

Published by Graydon House ISBN 9781335453488

Trade paperback, 368 pages, $17.99

As Molly Fader's fascinating character study The Sunshine Girls opens, people in Greenboro, Iowa are gathering for the funeral of BettyKay Beecher, a highly respected nurse who gave so much of her time and talents to her small town. 

BettyKay's older daughter Clara has returned home for the funeral. Clara is a successful corporate lawyer in Chicago, where she lives with her wife Vicki. Things are strained back home as Vicki wants to start a family, but Clara is reluctant.

Clara's younger sister Abby is married with two young children. While Clara hasn't been home much,  Abby has spent much of her time with her mother following the death of BettyKay's husband, their father, three years ago. Clara tells Abby that she is leaving directly after the funeral, and Abby is dismayed that Clara is leaving Abby alone to clean out their mother's home.

When a stunning woman saunters into the funeral home, everyone is shocked to see that it its Kitty Deveraux, a famous Hollywood actress, who has walked up and placed a pink button  in the coffin. Why is Kitty Deveraux at their mother's funeral? Does it have anything to do with the memoir their mother wrote about her time as a nurse in Vietnam during the war?

Clara and Abby invite Kitty back to their mother's home and once there, Kitty tells the women that she knew their mother when they were young nursing students and roommates in nursing school in Iowa in the 1960s. Along with Jenny, a brilliant woman and one of the only Black women in their nursing school, they were inseparable.

I truly loved the story of BettyKay, Jenny, and Kitty in nursing school. This unlikely trio of women became lifelong friends, supporting each other through good times and bad. We see how difficult the life of a young nursing student was, and how their strong friendship sustained them.

Through their discussions with Kitty, they discover things about their mother that they never knew, things that Aunt Jenny never told them. Jenny tells them to beware of Kitty and her stories, but Kitty is determined to tell all of the secrets she has kept about her and BettyKay's lives.

Molly Fader has said that her own mother's stories about nursing school in Iowa in the 1960s inspired this wonderfully moving story, and you can feel that love in the book. The characters feel so real, and their friendship is deeply meaningful. It is a love letter to strong women and how they have to overcome the things that happen to them along the way.

I did wish there was more of BettyKay and Jenny's lives in Vietnam, I feel like that could be another equally interesting book. As a fan of the the 1980s-1990s show China Beach, I found myself wanting to know more about that time in their lives. Fans of The Seven Lives of Evelyn Hugo will want to read this one too.

I loved The Sunshine Girls, and I read it in one sitting not wanting the story of these strong women and their deep friendship to end. I give it my highest recommendation.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Fall 2022 Women's Fiction Blog Tour.

 

The Book Haters' Book Club by Gretchen Anthony

The Book Haters' Book Club by Gretchen Anthony

Published by Park Row Books ISBN 9780778333067

Trade paperback, $17.99, 352 pages

You might think it odd that someone who loves books as much as I do would read something titled The Book Haters' Book Club, but I could not resist finding out what Gretchen Anthony's book was all about.

Elliot and Irma are best friends and co-owners of Over the Rainbow bookstore in Minneapolis. As the novel opens, Elliott has recently passed away and Irma has summoned her two daughters- Bree, who works in the bookstore, and Lacey, who left home as a teenager and owns a tire repair store with her husband Tuck in Oakland- and Elliot's life partner Thom to a lawyer's office.

To everyone's surprise, Irma has decided to sell the store to a developer who has designs on putting high-rise condos in the store's place. Bree cannot believe that this is the first she is hearing about this; she had planned on taking over the store when Irma retired.

Thom seems very angry at Irma for reasons other than selling the store. He has always been jealous of the close relationship Irma and Elliot had. Irma recently lost her longtime boyfriend Nestor to cancer and now her best friend and business partner has died. Bree and Laney want Irma not to make any rash decisions while she is grieving, but Irma is firm- she is selling and will give Thom Elliot's share of the sale, which appears to be a paltry sum, not close to what the store is worth.

Laney and Bree are confused by Irma's behavior. While the women were close when they were younger, they have grown apart. Laney rarely comes home, she is busy running her and her husband's business. The sisters band together with Thom to try and stop the sale.

As someone who works in a bookstore, I especially enjoyed and related to that aspect of the story. I also loved the humor in the story. Bree's attempts to woo the owner of the neighboring distillery made me laugh. She cannot hold her liquor. 

The sisterly relationship is realistic as well. Lacey has a sarcastic sense of humor, and the way she needles her mother is delightful. Irma's exasperation at her daughters' attempts to save the store was something every mother can understand.

What makes the reader keep turning the pages is to find out exactly why Irma is adamant about selling the store so quickly. Everyone here has secrets that come to play (including the deceased Elliot) and they have to figure what they want out of life.

The Book Haters' Book Club is a newsletter that Elliot sent to customers, and we get to read some of the clever ones, which include several book suggestions. I squealed when I spied two of my favorite books by Helen Ellis - American Housewife and Southern Lady Code- in a newsletter.

If you are a true book lover, as I am, you must put The Book Haters' Book Club on your list. It's a treasure.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Fall 2022 Women's Fiction Blog Tour.

The Boardwalk Bookshop by Susan Mallery

The Boardwalk Bookshop by Susan Mallery

Published by MIRA ISBN 9780778386087

Trade paperback, $16.99, 448 pages

Summer for me always means it's time for a Susan Mallery book (or two!), and in addition to her earlier The Summer Getaway (my review here), Mallery's The Boardwalk Bookshop is here just in time for beach weather.

Three women decide to take a lease on a building right on a California beach boardwalk. They each have their own business- Bree owns the Boardwalk Bookshop, Mikki has opened a touristy giftshop, and Ashley sells her delicious treats in the bakeshop.

Bree is a young widow, and was raised by parents who weren't interested at all in raising a child. They were too busy with their careers as literary authors. Bree was left on her own, wondering why her parents didn't love her. It made her cautious with others, unwilling to get close to anyone, let alone date.

Mikki is a divorced women with two teenage children she shares with her ex-husband. She gets along with her ex, and her ex-mother-in-law even works at her gift shop. It's been three years since her divorce, and her friends are trying to convince her it's time to start dating. In this world of online dating, it's daunting.

Ashley has the perfect boyfriend. She and Seth like the same things, and agree on just about everything- except for the concept of marriage. Ashley wants to get married, Seth thinks they don't need to be married to have a lifetime of happiness.

While their business seems to be doing well, their love lives need work. Ashley's brother is an author, and she fears that he will fall in love with the beautiful Bree who will break his heart. Mikki is contemplating connecting with a man she met online, and Ashley is torn between her love for Seth and her wish for the serious commitment of marriage.

The friends meet every Friday night to share a bottle (or two) of champagne on the beach and review their week. If you are a fan of the bubbly, you'll get some terrific suggestions for different bottles to pick up at your local liquor store for your next get-together. 

I truly liked all the characters in this endearing novel. Mikki's mother (who works with Bree) and her mother-in-law are both wonderful characters, and the way that all the women support each other is heartwarming. The men in this story are also interesting, well-drawn, not stereotypes.

As someone who works in a bookshop, I really enjoyed that aspect of the book. I would love nothing more than to work in Bree's bookshop on the beach, it would be heavenly. Put The Boardwalk Bookshop in your beach bag this summer, you'll enjoy spending time with these three ladies.

Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on Susan Mallery's tour. 

Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak

Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak

Published by MIRA ISBN 9780778311856

Trade paperback, $16.99, 400 pages

In Brenda Novak's latest novel, Summer on the Island, successful young divorce attorney Marlow Madsen leaves Los Angeles to go to her family's summer retreat on Teach Island in Florida, unsure if she will return to her life in LA. Her father, a longtime respected Senator, has passed away from COVID, and her mother has suffered from MS for years. 

Marlow intends to help her mother pack up the family's other homes in Virginia and Atlanta for sale, and then reassess her life plan. She brought two friends with her- Aida, whom Marlow represented in a difficult divorce, and Claire, a young woman who lost her home and yoga studio in a recent California wildfire.

When Marlow returns home, she finds her grieving mother Eileen and longtime family housekeeper Rosemary, who helps with Eileen's care. Rosemary's son Reese takes care of the house and property, and his older brother Walker is now the town's chief of police.

Walker and Marlow grew up together, and as teenagers their friendship blossomed into something more. Because of their different backgrounds, they grew apart. Marlow went onto college and law school, Walker into police work. 

Things ended badly between Walker and Marlow, but clearly the heat is still there.  (Oh yes, it is steamy in summer in Florida!) Even though Walker does his best to avoid Marlow while she is home, when they are in close proximity things happen.

Marlow's work makes her jaded about love and marriage. She has to deal with Aida's ex-husband who threatened her during the nasty divorce. Although she knows her marriage is over, Aida still remembers the good times she had with her husband. Claire also has to deal with a man- her ex-boyfriend who lied about being married and is determined to win her back.

Summer on the Island is about former loves, secrets, friendship, and how to (or if you should) forgive people who have wronged you. I found the theme of forgiveness intriguing, it really made me think about the topic. Brenda Novak writes characters who are interesting; they certainly have their flaws, and who doesn't love a book with a fabulous beach town setting when the spring weather is so unpredictable? This is another solid book from Benda Novak.

Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on their Winter 2022 Women's Fiction Blog Tour.

The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery

The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery

Published by Harlequin ISBN 978133547990

Hardcover, $27.99, 416 pages

I enjoy getting lost in a good story, and Susan Mallery's books never steer me wrong. (I always look forward to a new addition to her Happily, Inc. series.) Her latest novel is a terrific stand-alone, The Summer Getaway.

Robyn is a forty-something woman, divorced from her husband and mother to daughter Harlow, who is engaged and in full-on wedding planning. Harlow works for her dad in his charter boat service as a captain and has designs on getting her dad to buy a kayak rental business for her to run.

Son Austin is out of high school and working for his dad too. Robyn would prefer Austin went to college first before settling on working for his father, but Austin chose not to do that. Harlow has her heart set on getting married at the house she grew up in, where Robyn lives now. But in her divorce agreement, Robyn has to either sell her house and split the proceeds with her ex, or buy him out. She only has a part-time job, so buying him out is not feasible.

Harlow is furious with her mother for ruining her wedding plans, and Robyn's ex's choice of current girlfriend is too much for Robyn to deal with. When Robyn's current boyfriend says something disrepectful to her, she travels to Santa Barbara to visit with her great-aunt Lillian, who at the age of 94 is preparing for the future.

Lillian asks Robyn to come and catalogue all of her massive home's furnishings and art works for donation to museums and for sale. She will leave the entire contents of the house to Robyn when she passes away. The actual house will go to her husband's distant cousin, Mason, who has been invited to come and live with Lillian.

Mason never knew his cousin Leo and is surprised to find out he will inherit this oceanside mansion. He is a twenty-year veteran of the army and a military historian, and immediately he is attracted to Robyn. The attraction is mutual and Robyn surprises herself with her actions.

Austin decides to travel to Santa Barbara to visit his mom, and Harlow tags along, now angry at her father. Robyn's friend shows up having blown up her own marriage, and then Robyn's ex-husband show up. Pretty soon an entire clown car of people (including her ex-boyfriend) have made the trip from Florida to Santa Barbara seeking Robyn's guidance, and her summer getaway has gone off the rails.

It seems that every character is at a crossroads in his or her own life, and expect Robyn to help them fix it. Robyn is like so many women who are always there to take care of family and friends. I bet some women will be able to relate. (Although most of us won't inherit the contents of our great-aunt's mansion.)

It's refreshing to see a mature couple like Mason and Robyn have a hot physical relationship, instead of the usual 20 or 30-something characters in novels. Can they overcome all the obstacles thrown in their way by Robyn's family and friends?

The Summer Getaway has something for everyone, and the characters and some of the issues they face are relatable (we are all concerned about our children, no matter how old they are). I loved the beautiful setting of an oceanside mansion that I could see in my mind's eye (and want to visit.) Escape your life for a few hours with Susan Mallery's delightful The Summer Getway. 

Thansk to Harlequin for putting me on Susan Mallery's tour.

An excerpt from Susan Mallery's upcoming novel The Summer Getaway

Nothing says spring like a good book from perennial favorite Susan Mallery. (Her Happily, Inc. series is one of my must-reads.) Her upcoming novel, The Summer Getaway, takes us on a trip to Santa Barbara, California, as Robyn Caldwell seeks an escape from her family who are driving her crazy with all their issues. What Robyn finds is that no matter how far you travel, your family is always with you.

Enjoy this excerpt from The Summer Getaway. My full review will publish on March 16th.

ONE

“I’m going to sleep with Dimitri.”

Robyn Caldwell picked up her glass of white wine and briefly thought about swallowing the entire contents in one gulp. Mindy’s statement was certainly gulp-worthy. But she knew pacing herself through lunch was the responsible thing to do. A lesson her friend had yet to learn.

“You are not,” Robyn murmured, because shrieking wasn’t attractive. Especially at “the club,” where their friends and frenemies were also enjoying Thursday’s lobster salad. The dining room was filled with forty or so women, all dressed in Florida chic—diamonds sparkling, gold or platinum charm bracelets clinking, necklaces resting on tanned and toned skin.

“I might,” Mindy Krause said, picking up her champagne. “He’s gorgeous.”

“Of course. He’s a thirty-year-old tennis pro. What else would he be?”

Mindy, a petite brunette who was six months from turning forty, sighed. “I need a Dimitri in my life.”

“You have a great husband. Payne loves you and the kids, and never has eyes for another woman. Why would you screw that up?”

“Payne would never know.”

“There aren’t any secrets in this town. Not in our social circle.”

Something Robyn had learned the hard way herself. She’d been blissfully unaware of her ex-husband’s affairs until a “friend” had oh-so-sweetly informed her.

“Maybe just some kissing,” Mindy mused. “I want a little Dimitri action. The fantasies make me happy, so imagine what the real thing would do.”

“The fantasies are safe. The real thing could destroy everything you have. Knowing you’ve cheated would devastate Payne.”

Mindy’s mouth formed a pout. “I never see him anymore. All he does is work.”

Robyn stared at her friend-slash-boss. “You two talked about how that promotion would be more work for him but that it would be worth it. You wanted this for him.”

“I didn’t know how much he’d be gone.”

The unreasonable statement grated nearly as much as Mindy’s whine. “This isn’t a good look for you,” Robyn murmured. “You’re changing the rules without telling your husband. That never ends well.”

Mindy dismissed the warning with a quick shake of her head. “I’m not worried. Besides, if he does find out, I can just move in with you.” She laughed. “You’ll soon have that big house all to yourself.”

“You have four kids,” Robyn pointed out. “If things go south in your marriage, I’d rather have Payne move in.”

“Well, that would get people talking.” Mindy held up her empty glass to the server. “More, please.”

The server obliged.

Mindy took another sip. “My sister called, swears she found a Thomas Pister chest in a tiny shop in Wales. It’s dirt cheap, so I’m afraid it’s a fake. She’s looking for someone to prove authenticity. Wouldn’t that be a find?”

“It would. I’d love to see it.”

Thomas Pister had built beautiful chests and cabinets in the late 1600s and early 1700s. His intricate designs with stunning inlays sold quickly and for huge amounts. Depending on the condition and the materials, a good-sized chest of drawers could go for sixty or eighty thousand dollars.

Excerpted from The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery, Copyright © 2022 by Susan Mallery, Inc.. Published by HQN Books. 

The Liz Taylor Ring by Brenda Janowitz

The Liz Taylor Ring by Brenda Janowitz

Published by Graydon House ISBN 9781525806476

Trade paperback, $16.99, 384 pages

I always enjoy a good family story with realistic sibling relationships, and Brenda Janowitz's latest novel with the enticing title The Liz Taylor Ring fits that bill perfectly.

When Lizzie falls for her older sister's former boyfriend Ritchie, her parents and sister are not happy. Ritchie doesn't seem to be able to keep a job, yet he always seems to have money. Add on the fact that Lizzie is infatuated with all things Liz Taylor (including her stormy relationship with Richard Burton), and Lizzie feels that it is destiny that she and Ritchie belong together.

We see their courtship and eventual marriage. Their marriage has its ups and some serious downs, including a nine month separation after Ritchie's gambling addiction comes to light in a bad way. Ritchie convinces Lizzie to take him back and gifts her with a huge diamond ring, similiar in style to the ring Richard Burton gave Liz Taylor.

After running through a series of jobs, Ritchie opens an inexpensive clothing shop that becomes successful in part thanks to their eldest child Addy's creative ideas. Eventually the store is being run by Addy's husband Gary and her brother Nathan. Their younger sister Courtney is still trying to get work as an actress, but she has problems of her own.

Following the death of their father, the siblings receive word that their father had a safety deposit box in the Cayman Islands no one knew about. Inside the box was the ring he gave their mother, which they had always believed had been stolen years ago. The three siblings disagree on what to do with the ring- keep it in the family (and who should get to keep it) or sell it and share the profits.

As the oldest sibling, Addy feels she deserves the ring. She has always felt that she doesn't get enough credit for making the store the success that it is. Nathan believes his husband Diego is cheating on him. Courtney has a drinking problem, and she and Addy fall right back into their troubled sibling relationship, with Nathan having to play peacemaker.

The siblings have to deal with the reality of their parents' marriage, their father's addiction, and how that all affected them in adulthood. Brenda Janowitz does a great job with the complicated sibling dynamics, it feels real to anyone who has siblings. She shows how adults fall right back into their old childhood ways with the people who know them best.  

The characters are all so well-drawn, from the siblings to Nathan's husband Diego and Addy's husband Gary to Lizzie and Ritchie to Addy's teenage daughters, I cared about all of them. I highly recommend The Liz Taylor Ring. 

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Winter 2022 Women's Fiction Blog Tour.

My review of Brenda Janowitz's novel, The Grace Kelly Dress is here.

The House Guests by Emilie Richards

The House Guests by Emilie Richards

Published by MIRA ISBN 9780778331865

Trade paperback, $16.99, 544 pages

Although Emilie Richards has written over 70 books,  The House Guests is the first one I have read. After finishing this wonderful novel, I will be reading more of them.

Savannah is a 15 year-old girl who is angry that her stepmother Cassie moved her from New York City to Tarpon Springs, Florida following the drowning death of her father. She blames Cassie for his death because she overheard them arguing before he left and went sailing in a storm and died.

Amber is a single mom raising her 16 year-old son Will in Cassie's hometown of Tarpon Springs. They have moved frequently because Amber is on the run from someone. She works as a waitress at a restaurant, and money is tight. 

When Amber loses a small money pouch filled with her rent money, she and Will are evicted from their apartment. Savannah finds the money pouch, and in a bid to make new friends, throws a party at her stepmom's new home. The partygoers trash the home, and Cassie is at her wits' end what to do with Savannah.

Cassie discovers that Amber and Will have been evicted, and offers for them to move into her home. Amber is wary at first, but Will is a good student and athlete, and she wants to give him some stability after years of constantly being on the move.

Cassie and Amber become friendly, although Savannah is less than kind to Will. Cassie confides in Amber that her husband lied to her about many things, and spent most of their money with no explanation. The two women find strength and companionship in each other.

I really enjoyed the Greek restaurant that Cassie's family owned. As someone with previous restaurant experience, that setting, and her boisterous Greek family, were so interesting to me. Richards details there were so well drawn that I could see the restaurant in my mind's eye.

The House Guests drew me in from page one with characters I grew to care deeply about. Every good story has secrets (why is Amber on the run, and what was Cassie's husband hiding), and this had more than enough to keep me turning the pages to find the answers.

I highly recommend this moving story of female friendship and the family you create. I read it in one day because I did not want to put it down. I also did not want it to end. Maybe we'll meet Amber, Will, Cassie and Savannah in Tarpon Springs again. (Pretty please, Emilie Richards?)

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Summer 2021 Mystery/Thriller Blogger Tour.

 

Lady Sunshine by Amy Mason Doan

Lady Sunshine by Amy Mason Doan

Published by Graydon House, ISBN 9781525804670

Trade paperback, $16.99, 368 pages

Books set in the music scene of the 1970s are popular right now, (novels like Taylor Jenkins Reid's Daisy Jones and the Six, Emma Brodie's Songs in Ursa Major, Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau and Ronald Brownstein's nonfiction Rock Me on the Water) and if you fondly remember those days, Amy Mason Doan's new novel Lady Sunshine is for you.

The novel is set in two time periods- 1979 and 1999- at the Sandcastle, the home of once-popular folk singer Graham Kingston. The Sandcastle is a sprawling rural estate, where Graham, his wife Angela, and teenage daughter Willa live in a commune-like existence, along with the myriad of stragglers and fans who show up.

In 1999, Graham's niece Jackie, a Boston music teacher, has inherited the Sandcastle and returns to pack up the remains of the place and prepare it for sale after the death of Angela. Graham is already dead, and the story hints that there is something mysterious about his death, as well as questions about what happened to Willa.

While there, Jackie meets Shane, a musician who tells her that Angela asked him to record a tribute album at Graham's studio at the Sandcastle. Angela gave Shane a notebook with Graham's original music and lyrics, and although Jackie wants to finish the task and go back to Boston, something from the past haunts her.

Jackie came to stay at the Sandcastle one summer in 1979 when she was 17 years old. She didn't know her aunt and uncle well, and it is with Willa whom she creates a solid friendship bond. Willa teaches Jackie to surf, and they write songs together.

Although Graham is a hero to the many people who come and stay at the Sandcastle, there are hints that Angela and Willa think differently about him. After Jackie witnesses something disturbing, she and Willa decide to do something that results in tragedy.

Jackie lost touch with the Kingstons after that summer, and returning to the Sandcastle twenty years later brings up things she doesn't want to remember. She thinks she sees Willa on the property, although no one has seen Willa in twenty years, and other items show up that relate to the mystery of the night of Willa's disappearance.

Lady Sunshine is a story of young female friendship, with a mystery twined around it. Anyone who grew up in that 1970s time period will be transported back to those summer days, when music and friendship meant everything.

 

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Summer 2021 Beach Reads Blog Tour.

The Path to Sunshine Cove by RaeAnne Thayne

 

The Path to Sunshine Cove by RaeAnne Thayne

Published by Harlequin ISBN 9781335665430

Harcover, $27.99, 336 pages

Sometimes you just need a comforting read, a book that you curl up with at the end of hard day. RaeAnne Thayne's new novel, The Path to Sunshine Cove, perfectly fits that bill.

The setting is Cape Sanctuary, a California coast town "defined by whimsical houses, overflowing gardens, wind chimes, and Japanese fishing balls." Jess is in Cape Sanctuary for work; she travels the country helping people clean out and reorganize their homes. Her task is to help Eleanor, a woman who lost her husband six months ago, and now wants to downsize her beautiful home.

Eleanor's adult son Nate and his teenage daughter Sophie live in a home on the property and are taken by surprise when Jess shows up in cute little Airstream trailer to help Eleanor. Nate is gruff with Jess, and not happy to be blindsided by her presence.

Jess will also visit with her sister Rachel, something that doesn't occur too often. Jess unexpectedly shows up at Rachel's home, just as Rachel is dealing with two young daughters and her three year-old son, who is on the autism spectrum and having a bad day.

We are given clues that something traumatic happened to Jess and Rachel, and that incident caused the two sisters to become estranged after the death of their parents. Jess joined the army and served in the Middle East, and Rachel married her high school boyfriend Cody and started her family.

Rachel is an Instagram influencer, and projects a happy, wonderful life to the world. But her son's diagnosis and husband's consuming job as a construction company owner has been causing her stress she is unwilling to admit to anyone, particularly her sister.

Jess is a loner, with only one close friend, her fellow soldier and business partner. She finds herself attracted to Nate, and enjoys the company of his mother and daughter, but is wary of becoming more involved with the family.

Thayne does a wonderful job with the sibling relationship between Jess and Rachel, and the marital relationship with Rachel and Cody. Cody wants to help Rachel, and he is a good father to his children, but Rachel can be too rigid and it could drive him away. I think many women may be able to see some of themselves in Rachel.

You know what you are going to get in a RaeAnne Thayne novel- characters you care about, in situations that you can relate to (and some you thankfully can't), in a beautiful setting. I enjoy learning about other people's jobs, and I found Jess' career going into people's homes and helping them organize fascinating. I have a friend who is so good at this, all she needs is an Airstream trailer.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Women's Fiction Winter Blog Tour.

Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison

Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison

Published by MIRA ISBN 9780778331988

Hardcover, $28.99, 368 pages

In J.T. Ellison's newest thriller, Her Dark Lies, Eliza, an emerging artist from Nashville is about to marry Jack Compton, the scion of a wealthy industrialist family. From the beginning of the festivities, things go wrong.

When Jack takes Eliza home from their engagement party the night before they leave Nashville to go to his family's remote private Italian island for the wedding, they are attacked by a masked intruder. Eliza shoots the intruder dead, but Jack convinces her to lie to the police and say that Jack's bodyguard killed the man.

Eliza hopes that once they get to the island, everything will be fine. She is bowled over by the beauty of the island and can't wait to paint there, her future home with her beloved. After her beautiful wedding gown is discovered defaced with the word "whore" written in blood on it, Eliza begins to wonder if her wedding is jinxed.

There is a lot going on this story, and people are hiding secrets and lies. Jack and his family's successful computer business is not exactly what it seems. And what is the true story behind the death of Jack's first wife on their honeymoon? Jack's parents have a strange reaction whenever her name is brought up.

Eliza is no Cinderella either, plucked from obscurity by the handsome prince. She was involved with some bad people in her younger days, and her sister blames Eliza for a car accident that killed their father.

As Eliza's family and other guests arrive for the week-long wedding celebration, the bodies begin to pile up. It has become clear that someone desperately wants to stop this wedding, and there are so many suspects and motives. Ellison puts lots of red herrings in the story that will test even the most clever sleuth to figure out exactly who is behind this and why.

Her Dark Lies has a mysterious island, power outages at the wrong time, a grandfather with dementia who yells out cryptic accusations of murder, family dysfunction, and a brunch filled with such delicious descriptions of food it would make Downton Abbey jealous. If Rebecca and the 1980's TV show Dynasty had a baby, it would be Her Dark Lies. Thriller fans will enjoy trying to figure it all out.

Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on J.T. Ellison's tour.

Glimmer As Your Can by Danielle Martin

Glimmer As You Can by Danielle Martin

Published by Alcove Press ISBN 9781643855233

Hardcover, $26.99, 320 pages

If you read Fiona Davis' Chelsea Girls or Jennifer Weiner's Mrs. Everything, Danielle Martin's debut novel Glimmer As You Can is a book to put on your TBR pile. Set in 1962 Brooklyn, it tells the story of three young woman trying to make their way in world that tells them men should make the decisions for them.

Madeline is trying to a make a living owning a dress shop. She is stuck in a horrible marriage with Fred, an awful man who is a powerful councilman in Brooklyn. Fred is a serial cheater, and has embarrassed Madeline more than once. He lives with other women, and only comes home to Madeline when he needs a respectable wife on his arm to squire to social events.

Madeline has poured her heart and soul into the Starlite, her dress boutique, but one bad word from her now ex-husband Fred and she could lose her clientele. At night, she turns the Starlite into a salon/dance club, where women come to read poetry, discuss literature and current events, and dance the night away.

Elaine is a British young woman who has lived through WWII and dreams of working for the Chronicle newspaper. She is living with her boyfriend Tommy, an alcoholic, and her sister Catherine is crashing with them and hopes to make a living as a singer. Tommy is an unemployed wreck who wants Elaine with him day and night. When Elaine gets an interview with the Chronicle, she has to decide if her dreams are worth upsetting Tommy.

She hangs out at the Starlite, reading the poetry she has written. One day she has a chance encounter with Lisa, a stewardess, whose boyfriend Billy was supposed to pick her up at airport and never showed up. Lisa loves traveling to Italy and Beirut and all the exciting places she gets to go, but when she marries Billy, she will have to leave her job. Is that what she wants for her future?

We learn a lot about how women were forced to rely on men in 1962. They had to choose between being married or having a satisfying career- you couldn't have it both ways. The women in this novel were free to be themselves only at their nightly sojourns to the Starlite, where Madeline created an atmosphere of acceptance, creativity, and joy.

When Madeline's ex-husband threatens the existence of the Starlight, the women band together to keep the one place that brings them joy. As a fan of the Brenda Starr comics growing up, I would have liked to have learned more about Elaine's job as a fact checker, I found that part of the story so interesting. Lisa's job as a stewardess in 1962 was intriguing as well. 

The world was changing, and Glimmer As You Can shows us a time when women decided they wanted more and were willing to defy society's expectations to get it.

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on Danielle Martin's tour. The rest of her stops are here:

Tuesday, November 10th: @welovebigbooksandwecannotlie

Wednesday, November 11th: @mynovelmenagerie

Thursday, November 12th: @baytownbookie

Friday, November 13th: Amy’s Book-et List and @amysbooketlist

Monday, November 16th: Nurse Bookie and @nurse_bookie

Tuesday, November 17th: Hallie Reads

Wednesday, November 18th: Leighellen Landskov and @mommaleighellensbooknook

Thursday, November 19th: Run Wright and @karen_runwright

Friday, November 20th: @mrsboomreads

Friday, November 20th: @readwithmason

Friday, November 27th: Bookchickdi

Monday, November 30th: @vicireads

Monday, November 30th: Kritter’s Ramblings

Tuesday, December 1st: 100 Pages a Day… Stephanie’s Book Reviews

Thursday, December 3rd: @irishgirliereads

Friday, December 4th: @lyon.brit.andthebookshelf

Monday, December 7th: Girl Who Reads

Tuesday, December 8th: @katieneedsabiggerbookshelf

Wednesday, December 9th: Books Cooks Looks

Thursday, December 10th: Eliot’s Eats

Thursday, December 10th: @suethebookie

Friday, December 11th: What is That Book About

 

Instagram features:

Friday, November 27th: @booksloveandunderstanding

Saturday, November 28th: @lifeinlit

Sunday, November 29th: @babygotbooks13

Sunday, November 29th: @shobizreads

Monday, November 30th: @sweethoneyandbrei

Tuesday, December 1st: @shesalwayswithabook

Wednesday, December 2nd: @the_unwined

Thursday, December 3rd: @megsbookclub

Friday, December 4th: @suzysbookshelf

Saturday, December 5th: @liferhi_inspired

Sunday, December 6th: @giuliland

Monday, December 7th: @bluntscissorsbookreviews

Monday, December 7th: @books_with_bethany

Wednesday, December 9th: @thephdivabooks

Thursday, December 10th: @thebookend.diner

Thursday, December 10th: @readinggirlreviews

Thursday, December 10th: @the.caffeinated.reader

Friday, December 11th: @somekindofalibrary

Rescue You by Elysia Whisler

Rescue You by Elysia Whisler

Published by MIRA Books ISBN 9780778310082

Trade paperback, $16.99, 319 pages

Elysia Whisler's novel Rescue You opens with massage therapist Constance slamming on her van brakes to avoid hitting a dog. She gets out of the van and manages to coax the lost dog, who was in bad shape and had recently given birth, to eat a biscuit.

She followed the dog who led her to newborn puppies in an abandoned house. Constance wasn't sure if the dog was a stray or from a nearby overcrowded and dirty puppy mill, run by Janice, an awful woman. She managed to get all the sick, dirty puppies and mom in her van and took them to her sister Sunny's dog rescue home, Pittie's Place.

Sunny has been trying for years to get the puppy mill shut down, and along with childhood friend Pete, (who owns Canine Warriors training dogs as pets for veterans) has snuck onto Janice's property to rescue dogs on their own. Janice looks at it as stealing, as does Detective Callahan of the local police department.

After Constance helps Callahan with a stiff neck, he asks her to help his buddy Rhett, a former Marine who suffered a bad leg injury and PTSD. Rhett owns a weight training gym, Semper Fit, for people who are serious about their training.

Constance has had a rough few years- she cared for her late father through an

 illness, and her husband left her. She used to be a runner, but these last few years she hasn't kept herself in shape. Sunny offers her a place in her spin classes, but one day Constance finds herself in front of Semper Fit and goes in.

Rhett is intrigued by Constance, and impressed by her determination and work ethic. They circle around each other, and eventually Rhett takes her on as a client and they become friends- maybe even more.

Rescue Me is the perfect novel for anyone who loves dogs (especially pit bulls) and takes their exercise training seriously. (I know more than a few of those people.) We are introduced to a cast of characters in an interesting settings of the world of dog rescue and weight training. If you spend a lot of time in the gym, you will get this wonderful novel on an entirely other level. 

It's the first novel in Dogwood County, a new series, and the characters win you over in such a way that you look forward with great anticipation to the next installment and get to know some of the other characters better. The Christmas gala party at Pittie's Place was so vivid, I felt like I was a guest at the party. I hope I get invited next year.

Thank you to Harlequin Books for putting me on their Fall Reads tour.