Release Day Review: Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Pub. Date: August 28th, 2018
Pages: 352

Genres: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

From New York Times bestselling author Kristina McMorris comes another unforgettable novel inspired by a stunning piece of history.


2 CHILDREN FOR SALE


The scrawled sign, peddling young siblings on a farmhouse porch, captures the desperation sweeping the country in 1931. It's an era of breadlines, bank runs, and impossible choices.

For struggling reporter Ellis Reed, the gut-wrenching scene evokes memories of his family's dark past. He snaps a photograph of the children, not meant for publication. But when the image leads to his big break, the consequences are devastating in ways he never imagined.

Haunted by secrets of her own, secretary Lillian Palmer sees more in the picture than a good story and is soon drawn into the fray. Together, the two set out to right a wrongdoing and mend a fractured family, at the risk of everything they value.


Inspired by an actual newspaper photo that stunned readers across the nation, this touching novel explores the tale within the frame and behind the lens -- a journey of ambition, love and the far-reaching effects of our actions.

What Did I Think About the Story?

This is my third Kristina McMorris novel and what I've learned from reading her books is that she can tell one hell of a gripping and heartbending story that involves the innocence of children and some interesting point in history, pulling you in and refusing to let you go until the very end. In this particular story we see the kinds of consequences that can result from what seems an innocent action and the horrific and often cruel things that can be done to people, especially children, when they don't have the resources or abilities to help themselves. It breaks your heart but then stitches it back together with a lovely ending filled with hope for the future. It's simply put a great read!

Sold on a Monday starts with a short chapter taking place after the main events of the story have already unfolded and the life-altering consequences have happened. We don't know exactly who's involved or what exactly happened, but we know it was terrible, causing bodily harm or death to at least one person. One of our main characters, Lily, is going to go back and tell us all the events that led here, all starting with one innocent photo. This beginning had me quickly turning the pages to see what exactly happened and how our characters could have possibly gotten here. The whole story is fully of action and drama, circling back around to this point in time and leaving me feeling quite satisfied with the ending.    

I think my favorite aspect of the story would be learning about this quite unruly time in history and how what was going on in the greater world affected these characters. The year is 1931 and the country is dealing with Prohibition, mobsters, and hard times for many. Children are working dangerous jobs in mines, or ending up in orphanages or being sold when their parents can no longer take care of them for a number of reasons. Worse than that, some children are even being bought to be used as labor, a forced slavery being done "legally" under the guise of adoption, something I did not know had happened. Both our main characters, Lily and Ellis, are trying desperately to keep their jobs and advance in journalism when it's anything but easy to do. And, in Lily's case, she has to also deal with the lack of respect for woman and what they could do that was inherent during this time period. With so little work out there for people they have to do whatever they can to keep their jobs in order to survive. It's both an exciting and a violent time and I very much enjoyed navigating it with these characters.

I don't want to say too much more about the story in particular as not to give it away, but just know that it's touching and sweet and devastating and so many more things. There's a little bit of everything for readers to enjoy - from action to drama to romance to history - and the author even includes an author's note in the back that explains the picture that drove her to write this story. I'm always amazed when I can learn something new when reading historical fiction, especially set so recently in history, and I'm happy to say Kristina McMorris opened my eyes to things that I had no idea were going on. I now want to read more about it and that is always a great sign of a good historical fiction novel. Highly recommend! 

What Did I Think About the Cover?

It's heartbreaking, as is the story. I really think it's a great move to have the face hidden from view, making this young child representative of the unknown many who went through similarly horrible events. It's perfect for this story.

My Rating:4.5/5.0

I won a copy of Sold on a Monday in a giveaway on the author's Facebook page. Thank you, Kristina McMorris! All opinions are mine alone. To find more information about the book, including other reviews and links to where you can purchase a copy, see Goodreads HERE.

 

 



Release Day Review: The Other Woman by Sandie Jones

Pub. Date: August 21st, 2018
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Pages: 304

Genre: Contemporary Fiction / Psychological Thriller / Mystery / Suspense

Synopsis

A deliciously disturbing, compulsively readable debut domestic suspense--prepare to meet The Other Woman: there’s nothing she won’t do to keep you away from her son ...



Emily thinks Adam’s perfect; the man she thought she’d never meet.

But lurking in the shadows is a rival; a woman who shares a deep bond with the man she loves.

Emily chose Adam, but she didn’t choose his mother Pammie. There’s nothing a mother wouldn’t do for her son, and now Emily is about to find out just how far Pammie will go to get what she wants: Emily gone forever.


The Other Woman is an addictive, fast-paced psychological thriller about the destructive relationship between Emily, her boyfriend Adam, and his manipulative mother Pammie.

What Did I Think About the Story?

Oh my oh my oh my...what will we ever do with Pammie? She truly is the mother-in-law every woman has nightmares about and one, thankfully, most people never have to deal with. She's  manipulative, sneaky, and just plain mean and, while things are definitely not exactly as they seem for much of the novel, she does make Emily's life a living hell from the moment she enters it. So is all the vitriol between these two women worth a read? Most definitely! Does it live up to the designation of a "fast-paced psychological thriller"? Well, yes and no.

What I initially enjoyed about this story was how, if not relatable than understandable, the story begins. While most women don't end up going down this terror ride of a relationship with their soon-to-be mother-in-laws, I think many can relate to at least experiencing themselves or witnessing some sort of rocky encounters with them. There is one encounter in particular - where Pammie purposely leaves Emily out of "family pictures" to make her feel like an outsider - that I can particularly relate to. However, thankfully, most mother- and daughter-in-laws find some sort of healthy balance between loving their shared human and not stepping into each other's territory. Well, not in this case! Pammie cranks it up to unimaginable heights, all the while making it seem like Emily is the mean/crazy one and somehow keeping Adam believing she's the one being wronged. Herein lies my problem: as the deception continues to grow so did my frustration with these characters, especially Emily.

As Pammie continued to ramp up her campaign against Emily, Emily continued to seem surprised and disappointed by what was being thrown at her and at a complete lose at what to do. Really, Emily? I kept wanting to scream at her "set up a camera or record your conversations so you have proof against her!!". Or, probably even more to the point of things, "demand your fiancée, who professes to love you over all things, support you more or get out!". She kept either letting mean things slide or trying to catch Pammie out and failing horribly and it just became too much to believe. She also acted like something of a doormat for Adam and forgave him every infraction until she clearly presented herself as all talk with so very little action.

Now, there is a twist in the last few pages that I kind of saw coming but still enjoyed. While it did end up explaining a lot of what happened in the rest of the story it still felt somewhat far-fetched. There are so many better ways the characters could have handled the situation that would have resulted in less hurt (mentally, emotionally, and physically) for just about everyone involved. I do get that this would not have made as interesting or "thrilling" a story but it would have definitely made it more believable.

The Other Woman was definitely a ride through crazy town and (sort of) back out again. While not filled with overly sympathetic or relatable characters I still couldn't help but keep reading how far they would all go to get what they wanted. Given the crazy antics in this story I'm really excited to see what the author might come up with next!   

What Did I Think About the Cover?

The cover on the advance copy I received is a little darker around the edges but still focuses on this wedding dress in the window. It's a nice image - representing what should be a happy time for our couple - but I prefer the darkness of my cover to really show that malevolence lurking just at the edges. On this cover I like the slash running through "other", giving me, at least, that same sense of malice. It's a nice cover over all.


My Rating: 4.0/5.0

I received an ARC (advanced reader copy) of The Other Woman from Minotaur Books. All opinions are mine alone. For more information about the book, including other reviews and links to where you can purchase a copy, see Goodreads HERE.

 

 



Release Day Spotlight: Nothing Forgotten by Jessica Levine

Publisher: She Writes Press
Pub. Date: April 10th, 2018
Pages: 256


When Anna, now living in California, is contacted by the Italian lover she knew decades before, she recalls their affair and the child she gave up for adoption. As the episode returns to haunt her―threatening the life she’s built, including her marriage―the story moves back in time to her youth in Europe.

Rome, 1979. Anna, twenty-two and living abroad, is involved with a man already engaged to be married. When she meets and befriends his fiancée, she is forced to confront the moral consequences of her actions. But an unexpected pregnancy, an anonymous letter, and threatening relatives complicate the picture. A novel in which an unconventional heroine, far from home, is forced to reckon with the judgment of others.

Praise for Nothing Forgotten

"Fans of Emma Straub, Anne Tyler, and Liane Moriarty will adore Levine’s treatment of domestic drama and how she brings light to the dusty corners of marriage and motherhood....an intricately layered, deeply heartfelt, and bittersweet novel."—Booklist, starred review


“…women’s fiction at its best….enjoyable, memorable, and thought-provoking all at once.”—Foreword Reviews


"This is a richly detailed story of passion and failure, deception and honesty, with anticipation and nostalgia. It is about making hard choices and living with those decisions, and the twisted ties that hold a family together."—Ann McCauley, StoryCircle Book Reviews


“If you’ve ever dreamed of having an Italian romance, Jessica Levine’s Nothing Forgotten is the next best thing . . . and maybe better . . .”—LAURA FRASER, author of An Italian Affair

Buy the Book

 

Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes and Noble

 

 

About the Author

  


JESSICA LEVINE is the author of the novels Nothing Forgotten (She Writes Press, 2018), which

Photo Credit: Chris Loomis

earned a starred review from Booklist and Foreword Reviews called “women’s fiction at its finest,” and The Geometry of Love (She Writes Press, 2014), chosen as a Top 10 Women’s Fiction Title for 2015 by Booklist, which called it an “outstanding first novel” in their starred review. Her literary history, Delicate Pursuit: Discretion in Henry James and Edith Wharton, was published in Routledge’s Outstanding Dissertation Series. Her essays, shorts stories, and poetry have appeared in many publications including The Southern Review and The Huffington Post. She has also translated several books from French and Italian into English. Jessica holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of California at Berkeley, where she was a Mellon Fellow. She was born in New York City and now lives in the Bay Area.

Learn more about Jessica on her website and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.



Release Day Blitz: Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

Pub. Date February 6th, 2018
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 394

Genre: Historical Fiction


After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban-American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity--and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution...



Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest--until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary...

Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa's last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth.

Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she'll need the lessons of her grandmother's past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.

Advanced Praise for Next Year in Havana

 

Chanel Cleeton's Next Year In Havana is a flat-out stunner of a book, at once a dual-timeline mystery, a passionate romance, and paean to the tragedy and beauty of war-torn Cuba. The story of sugar heiress Elisa, watching Cuba fall into revolution as Castro rises, is intertwined with the modern-day tale of Elisa's granddaughter Marisol as she returns to Cuba after Castro's death. Both women fall for fire-brand revolutionaries, but Cuba itself emerges as their true love-interest, threatening to break both women's hearts as Elisa and Marisol each grapple in their own way with what it is to be Cuban, what it is to be an exile, and how to love and live in a homeland riven by revolution. Simply wonderful!- Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network

Cleeton has penned an atmospheric, politically insightful, and highly hopeful homage to a lost world. Devour NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA and you, too, will smell the perfumed groves, taste the ropa vieja, and feel the sun on your face. Just a wonderful and educational book!- Stephanie Dray, New York Times bestselling author of America's First Daughter


A vivid, transporting novel. Next Year in Havana is about journeys-- into exile, into history, and into questions of home and identity. It's an engrossing read. - David Ebershoff, author of The Danish Girl and The 19th Wife

An evocative, passionate story of family loyalty and forbidden love that moves seamlessly between the past and present of Cuba’s turbulent history— how one young woman’s sacrifice becomes the key to her granddaughter’s future—how culture and spirit survive against all odds. Next Year in Havana kept me enthralled and savoring every word.- Shelley Noble, New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Beach


In Next Year in Havana, Chanel Cleeton's prose is as beautiful as Cuba itself, and the story she weaves--of exile and loss, memory and myth, forbidden love and enduring friendship--is at once sweeping and beautifully intimate. This is a moving, heartfelt, and gorgeously realized story that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.- Jennifer Robson, USA Today bestselling author of Somewhere in France

Buy the Book

 

 

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Indiebound | Kobo

*Learn more about Next Year in Havana including downloading the book club guide and more HERE*

  

About the Author

 

Originally from Florida, Chanel Cleeton grew up on stories of her family's exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. Her passion for politics and history continued during her years spent studying in England where she earned a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master's degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics & Political Science. Chanel also received her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. She loves to travel and has lived in the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.

 

Learn more about Chanel on her website and connect with her on Facebook (and her Facebook Reader Group), Twitter, Goodreads, and Instragram. You can also sign up for her newsletter HERE.

 

 

 



 

 



Release Day Review of The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Pub. Date: January 9th, 2018
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 352

Genres: Fiction / Suspense / Contemporary Fiction / Mystery

Synopsis

A novel of suspense that explores the complexities of marriage and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.

When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.

You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement.

You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man she loves.

You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her.

You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.

Assume nothing.


Discover the next blockbuster novel of suspense, and get ready for the read of your life.

What Did I Think About the Story?

As you will notice in the synopsis above, not much is given away regarding this story. You are warned not to assume anything, which instantly piques your interest. You're told to "get ready for the read of your life". How can a book lover resist?! Well, if you enjoy a good, twisty mystery, then resistance is unnecessary as The Wife Between Us will give you much to enjoy when reading.

Because of the many twists and turns within this story it's nearly impossible to tell you much of anything without possibly giving away clues that could ruin some of those revelations. I will tell you that the main character is a recently divorced woman who, for reasons you will discover, cannot stop thinking about her ex-husband or his soon-to-be new wife. That's about all I can say (see, told you I couldn't say much). From that one nugget of information these two authors spin a complicated web of obsession, betrayal, pain, and revenge that would be nearly impossible to fully guess when starting. I will admit that I did guess one of the bigger revelations pretty early on, however I still enjoyed seeing how that revelation would come to pass as well as seeing how the many other surprises would unfold. There were a few instances of those awesome moments when I stopped and said "oh wow, THAT'S what was happening there!". I love when that happens and it happened quite often when reading The Wife Between Us.

Something else I quite enjoyed about the story was the fact that the writing flowed seamlessly even though there were two separate authors writing it. I cannot determine which author wrote which portions, which is great and always surprising to me in these sorts of situations. I've been a fan of Sarah Pekkanen's writing for a long time now and I'm so excited that I've discovered a new novelist to follow in Greer Hendricks!

The Wife Between Us is full of complicated characters, none of which are who they appear to be initially.  There are so many dropped clues throughout the story and hanging threads of narrative that all come together and make sense by the end. The wrap-up feels neat and ordered, which I love as I hate when there are still tons of questions left unanswered at the end of the story. While I will say that there are sections of the story that dragged somewhat, making the pacing not quite as "thrilling" as I would have liked, overall this is a great mystery that will appeal to a wide range of readers interested in complicated characters and well thought out and developed plots.

What Did I Think About the Cover?

I think it's pretty cool! If you sort of squint at the two faces they kind of look like they're melding into one, which is a great representation of how you feel when reading the book...everything seems to meld/shift/twist together.  The brighter yellow letters also make the title stand out, which I love. Nice contemporary cover.


My Rating: 4.0/5.0

I won an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of The Wife Between Us from Shelf Awareness...thank you Shelf Awareness and St. Martin's Press for my copy! All opinions are mine alone. To find more information about the book, including other reviews and links to where you can purchase a copy, see Goodreads HERE.