Review: The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews

The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fun and wonderful! I love Mary Kay Andrews and this is a great one! Her books always deliver exactly what they promise - fun, drama, and lightness. This has a bit of everything - contemporary fiction with bits of romance, family dynamics and mystery. It’s a quintessential beach read (in my opinion). Southern fiction at it’s best! Loved this and I highly recommend you add this to your summer reading list!

[Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy of this book for an honest review.]

Review: Hooked On You (Chicago Rebels, #4)

Hooked On You by Kate Meader
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the fourth in an existing series but I haven’t read anything else in the series (although I plan to). I don’t think I missed anything. It read like a stand alone. I loved the characters here - Violet was delightfully quirky and Bren was a brooding hero with lots of baggage. Their relationship is fascinating since they seem to really balance each other out. I loved the family pieces which gave the reader a different perspective on Bren throughout the novel. Although there is lots of hockey (it is a sports romance), it felt like there was a good balance between sports and romance. It’s a really good one that I definitely recommend. I liked this one and plan to go back and read the earlier books!

[Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy of this book for an honest review.]

Review: Someday Soon by Laura Ward

Someday Soon by Laura  Ward
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is another book from within a series but I hadn’t read the earlier books and didn’t feel like I’d missed anything at all. I liked this one but didn’t love it. It’s a solid second chance romance but it didn’t blow me away. I love that the heroine is curvy and not traditionally beautiful. I love that she eats and isn’t shy about her love of food. I love that the story reminds us that we all have our own beauty, regardless of how it fits with society’s definition of beauty. My primary issue with this one is around Daisy’s family and their overbearing and non-supportive actions. She’s an adult and they’re telling her she can’t do what she wants … it just seemed like a bit too much to me. It frustrated me and made me want to yell at them!

[Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy of this book for an honest review.]

Review: Hidden Charm by Jill Sanders

Hidden Charm by Jill Sanders
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the fourth book in a series but I hadn’t read the first 3 books. I don’t think that was an issue at all. This is a romance with a mystery and some thriller aspects. It’s got more suspense than most general romances that I read. It was a nice change of pace for me. I love the idea of a writer who lives on his own island and his friendship (and more) with an up and coming actress. JT and Emma were a highlight of this one - their personalities are a perfect contrast for each other. All in all, I quite liked this one. I found it charming, interesting and suspenseful!

[Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy of this book for an honest review.]

Review: Beautiful Wreck by Kasey Lane

Beautiful Wreck by Kasey Lane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the 3rd in a series but I hadn’t read the first two and never felt out of the loop. This isn’t a light, fun romance. This is a darker take on romance. The couple both have baggage - a lot of it. And the book really focuses on their coming together despite that baggage as well as getting past that baggage to find their way together. There is quite a bit of sex in this one so if that’s not something you’re a fan of, I’d skip this one. But, if a romance heavy on the sex is ok with you, you may like this one. But, know that this is dark - there isn’t most light and breezy with this story. I still think it was a good read and recommend it!

[Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy of this book for an honest review.]

Review: The Start of Something Good by Jennifer Probst

The Start of Something Good by Jennifer Probst
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this story … so fun and interesting. The highlight of this one is the heroine, Mia, who is smart, interesting, loyal and a hard worker. She was vulnerable and strong at the same time … as we often are. I liked that the author brought that out in her. She also had some great moments when she gets all sassy! She stood up for herself at every turn which I enjoyed. I liked the hero as well and how their relationship grew from disdain to passion. There was more of a focus on the characters and the story than the sex. But, there is some sex … it’s just not the focus of this romance. There is a weird food obsession in this one - the hero constantly trying to get the heroine to eat. I generally overlooked it but at a certain point it became too much. The animals in this one were also a standout. A horse, a dog and a chicken named Hei Hei (my personal favorite). All in all, a really nice romance. Definitely recommend!

[Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy of this book for an honest review.]

Review: Must Love Babies by Lynnette Austin

Must Love Babies by Lynnette Austin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m apparently a sucker for a romance that involves a baby! This one is the single dad raising a baby trope but with a twist. I really liked the hero and heroine in this one. I liked the focus on family ties and how the two of them worked on their own issues as part of their coming together. Their friendship was a highlight of the story. I’d say this is more sweet than sexy which was nice for a change of pace. I’m excited to see this is the first of a series because I can’t wait to see what is to come with the hero’s brothers who I believe are the focus of those upcoming books.

[Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy of this book for an honest review.]

Review: Hot Asset by Lauren Layne

Hot Asset by Lauren Layne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really quite liked this one. The sexy manwhore and the SEC investigator looking into him for insider training. The Wall Street pieces were interesting to me (perhaps because I work for a financial firm in my day job?). The tension between them is fantastic and played well by the author. I love that both characters are strong and ambitious yet find a softness for one another. This is the first of a series and I can’t wait to see what’s to come with these characters. Really enjoyed this one and recommend it!

[Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy of this book for an honest review.]

Book Review: A Storied Life by Leigh Kramer

A Storied Life by Leigh Kramer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this novel ... it's fantastic women's fiction with a touch of romance, grief and complex family dynamics. This novel has all the elements of a good novel - humor, great characters, emotional resonance and an amazing exploration of grief.

I think what I connected to most in the story was the relationship between Olivia and Gram. It reminded me a great deal of my relationship with my own beloved grandmother, especially as she became sick and needed more care. The journey that Olivia took as she faced the grief of losing a beloved family member felt very real to me. Given the author's experiences as a medical social worker, I think she did an amazing job of making the experience of being sick and of hospice come alive in this story. I definitely felt like she stayed true to life and the details she offered were excellent. There were moments during the reading experience that brought me to tears as it took me back to the moments I had with my own grandmother as she became sicker and as she passed away surrounded by those of us who loved her.

I also loved the romance aspect of the story ... Olivia and Reagan were such an interesting couple. The issues they faced as they came together were really well explored and felt honest and true to life. I was glad that the romance was a bit on the chaste side as it really blended well with the other focus of the book - family dynamics and grief. The family dynamics were complex and true to life. I enjoyed seeing the family grow together through the experience of grief.

I think Leigh Kramer did an excellent job with this novel and I can't wait to see what's to come from her! She's definitely a talented storyteller! I loved this novel and highly recommend it!

NOTE: I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.

Purchase your own copy: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

A Small Break

I just wanted to post a quick note that I'm going to be on a small break with the blog due to how busy real life is these days ... I will be back as soon as I can!

Review: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Such a beautiful book! It's a middle-grade memoir in verse and it's such a wonderful read! Lovely writing and I loved the freestyle way she told the bits and pieces of her childhood. HIghly recommend for anyone and everyone!

Review: I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This one is haunting! There were times when I had to turn the light on while I read at night … McNamara was able to put me in the homes and in the footsteps of the Golden State Killer to the point that I literally felt terror at the idea of it. I didn’t want to put this book down. It’s not a perfect book – but that appears to be in large part due to it being finished after her death by others. I suspect if she’d lived to complete the book as she’d planned, it would have been all the better for it. In terms of the book serving its purpose of outlining her very personal search for this rapist and killer, it is extremely successful.

This is true crime at its best … McNamara takes the facts of the case and builds a fantastic narrative about her search for him. Meticulous in her research, this book just blew me away. She’s honest in ways that astound me. When I was about 20 pages from the end, I heard that there was an arrest made in the case (https://www.thedailybeast.com/golden-...) and I would imagine that McNamara’s work on the case (and this book) must have contributed to the fact that authorities were able to make an arrest all these years later.

Highly recommend this one but know that it’s a book that will get into your head and keep you up at night. This man terrorized California for YEARS and this book puts you in that place and time in a way that I haven’t experienced many times before.

Review: Idaho by Emily Ruskovich

Idaho by Emily Ruskovich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh, this book! It is not for everyone – if you need a book that is clear and easy to understand, that has no nuance and wraps everything up nicely, this one won't work for you. This is a complex narrative that shines a light on so many amazing things about identity, memory, and forgiveness. It’s a beautifully written novel that just blew me away … the prose is haunting and achingly beautiful. The story itself isn’t told in a linear fashion – it’s almost told in fragments of memory that the reader has to piece together for the narrative. The time frame is from the 1970s until 2025 and yet it’s told in bits and pieces. Pulling it all together is challenging but so worth it. The book answers very little. It asks question after question but gives no definitive answers. But, it’s so beautifully told and the voices are just haunting. It’s a book that I won’t soon forget. It’s stayed with me. The language, the characters, the story … all of it seems to almost be following me around!

Bookish Quote of the Week

Review: Beartown by Fredrik Backman

Beartown by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Although I liked A Man Called Ove, I didn’t love it. In fact, I wasn’t all that interested in reading more of his work based on that reading experience. But, I kept hearing about Beartown and how it was fantastic and nothing like Backman’s other novels. And so I finally picked it up and WOW. If you weren’t a fan of some of his other work, I definitely recommend that you give this one a chance. It truly is very different from his other work, in my opinion. This is much heavier than his ‘light and whimsical’ vibe in his other works. This is an exploration of hockey, small-town life, and community. It goes darker than I’d expected … but darker in the best way. Hockey is the town’s centerpiece … it’s something that means everything to the citizens. And hockey is used in this story to help the author weave a story of friendship, love and doing the right thing against all the odds. I’m not telling you much about it on purpose. I think the unfolding of the story is critical to the overall success of the novel. Just read it. Even if you hate sports, this is actually not a story about sports. It’s about hockey but not at all about hockey. Trust me … this one has it all – great characters, complex relationships, challenging events, sadness, hope, family drama and more. Don’t miss this one!