Cover Crush (Summertime Edition): Secrets in Summer by Nancy Thayer

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at Flashlight Commentary, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. You'll find my Cover Crush selection below and I'll link to everyone else's at the end of the post.

For the month of June I've decided to gear my Cover Crushes towards all things Summer. I just can't think of much else right now and each of the covers I'll share this month will make you long to dip your toes in the water as much as I do!

So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....

 

 

 

 

Can't you just feel the wind whipping through your hair?? This is such a pretty picture, with the lovely-dressed woman on her pink bike with her basket full of brightly-colored flowers! And that blue sky...not a cloud to taint the day. This looks like my ideal vacation spot and I very much wish I could just climb right in!

 

Let's see what summer secrets this story is hiding....

 

 

The queen of beach books (The Star-Ledger) returns to the shores of Nantucket in a novel about one memorable summer when flirtations flourish, family dramas play out, and scandalous secrets surface.

Memorial Day weekend means that seasonal visitors have descended on the glamorous island of Nantucket. For year-round resident Darcy Cotterill, it means late-night stargazing in the backyard of the beautiful house she grew up in and inherited from her beloved grandmother. It s also Darcy s chance to hit the beach and meet her new summertime neighbors. But the last person the thirty-year-old librarian expects to see staying next door is her ex-husband, Boyz, along with his wife, Autumn, and stepdaughter, Willow.

Darcy must also navigate the highs and lows of a new romantic relationship with local carpenter Nash Forester even as she becomes smitten with handsome vacationer Clive Rush, a musicologist in town to write a book and visit family. And she finds herself pulled into the concerns of Boyz, Autumn, a charming elderly neighbor, and an at-risk teen.

As the season nears its end, Darcy must decide her next move: retreating to the comforts of her steady and secure island life, or risking it all for a chance at true happiness. 

Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):


Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired




Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede

 

Cover Crush (Summertime Edition): The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at Flashlight Commentary, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. You'll find my Cover Crush selection below and I'll link to everyone else's at the end of the post.

For the month of June I've decided to gear my Cover Crushes towards all things Summer. I just can't think of  much else right now and each of the covers I'll share this  month will make you long to dip your toes in the water as much as I do!

So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....

 

 

 

 

I'm pretty sure I have a tote bag (or five!) that look very similar to this one and I know for sure I've got sunglasses that I'd like to hang off the end of any of them! This cover just screams warmth and wind and sea gulls calling to you from above, doesn't it?! I love the little crab at the bottom as well. All in all a very inviting picture!

 

Let's read the synopsis to see what beach-side fun readers can expect from this read....

 

 

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Weekenders comes a delightful new novel about new love, old secrets, and the kind of friendship that transcends generations.

When ninety-nine-year-old heiress Josephine Bettendorf Warrick summons Brooke Trappnell to Talisa Island, her 20,000 acre remote barrier island home, Brooke is puzzled. Everybody in the South has heard about the eccentric millionaire mistress of Talisa, but Brooke has never met her. Josephine’s cryptic note says she wants to discuss an important legal matter with Brooke, who is an attorney, but Brooke knows that Mrs. Warrick has long been a client of a prestigious Atlanta law firm.

Over a few meetings, the ailing Josephine spins a tale of old friendships, secrets, betrayal and a long-unsolved murder. She tells Brooke she is hiring her for two reasons: to protect her island and legacy from those who would despoil her land, and secondly, to help her make amends with the heirs of the long dead women who were her closest friends, the girls of The High Tide Club—so named because of their youthful skinny dipping escapades—Millie, Ruth and Varina. When Josephine dies with her secrets intact, Brooke is charged with contacting Josephine’s friends’ descendants and bringing them together on Talisa for a reunion of women who’ve actually never met.

The High Tide Club is Mary Kay Andrews at her Queen of the Beach Reads best, a compelling and witty tale of romance thwarted, friendships renewed, justice delivered, and true love found.

 

Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):


Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired




Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede

 

 

New Release Spotlight on The Missing Wife by Sheila O'Flanagan

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pub. Date: February 6th, 2018
Pages: 480

Genres: Contemporary Fiction / Romance / Suspense


Readers of Marian Keyes, Lisa Jewell, and Santa Montefiore will love bestselling author Sheila O'Flanagan's THE MISSING WIFE.


Have you ever wanted to disappear?


When Imogen Naughton vanishes, everyone who knows her is shocked. She has a perfect marriage. Her handsome husband treats her like a princess. She's always said how lucky she is. So why has she left? And how will she survive without Vince?

What goes on behind closed doors is often a surprise, and Imogen surprises herself by taking the leap she knows she must. But as she begins her journey to find the woman she once was, Imogen's past is right behind her...

Will it catch up with her? And will she be ready to face it if it does?

Praise for The Missing Wife

"...will have you gripped until the very end."--- Look Magazine

"Another first class bestseller. I read the book in one sitting as it was so enjoyable, full of romance and kept you riveted until the last page. A must for all [of Sheila's] fans."--- Woman's Way

"Must have"--- Sunday Express

"Smart and twisty"--- Heat

"O'Flanagan is one of our best-known, best-loved and most prolific women's fiction authors...[The Missing Wife] is a thoroughly satisfying, well-paced plot from a sure and experienced pen."--- Independent

Buy the Book

 

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | Book Depository

 

 

About the Author

Sheila O'Flanagan is the author of several books, including Someone Special, Bad Behaviour and Yours, Faithfully, which have been huge bestsellers in the UK and Ireland. Prior to taking the decision to write full time, Sheila pursued a very successful career in banking and finance. In her spare time she plays competitive badminton and is currently a director of the Irish Sports Council.

  





Review: Woman Enters Left by Jessica Brockmole + Tour-Wide Giveaway!!

Publisher: Ballantine Books / Penguin Random House
Pub. Date: August 8, 2017
Pages: 352 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction | Literary Fiction | Women’s Fiction

Synopsis

A woman sets out on a cross-country road trip, unknowingly tracing in reverse the path her mother traveled thirty years before.


In the 1950s, movie star Louise Wilde is caught between an unfulfilling acting career and a shaky marriage when she receives an out-of-the-blue phone call: She has inherited the estate of Florence “Florrie” Daniels, a Hollywood screenwriter she barely recalls meeting. Among Florrie’s possessions are several unproduced screenplays, personal journals, and—inexplicably—old photographs of Louise’s mother, Ethel. On an impulse, Louise leaves a film shoot in Las Vegas and sets off for her father’s house on the East Coast, hoping for answers about the curious inheritance and, perhaps, about her own troubled marriage.

Nearly thirty years earlier, Florrie takes off on an adventure of her own, driving her Model T westward from New Jersey in pursuit of broader horizons. She has the promise of a Hollywood job and, in the passenger seat, Ethel, her best friend since childhood. Florrie will do anything for Ethel, who is desperate to reach Nevada in time to reconcile with her husband and reunite with her daughter. Ethel fears the loss of her marriage; Florrie, with long-held secrets confided only in her journal, fears its survival.

In parallel tales, the three women—Louise, Florrie, Ethel—discover that not all journeys follow a map. As they rediscover their carefree selves on the road, they learn that sometimes the paths we follow are shaped more by our traveling companions than by our destinations.

What Did I Think About the Story?

I absolutely adored Jessica Brockmole's debut novel, Letters from Skye, when I read it a number of years ago. It was the first epistolary novel I can remember reading that just completely captivated me and brought the characters and the Isle of Skye to vivid life. While I haven't yet read her sophomore novel, At the Edge of Summer, I've been wanting to for some time and didn't want to miss the chance on this newest book, Woman Enters Left, when the blog tour was announced. So I jumped on board and I'm so glad I did!

Woman Enters Left is really two stories in one - that of film star Louise Wilde in 1952 and that of friends Florrie and Ethel in 1926. I say it's really two stories because each is so well developed and detailed that I sometimes forgot that they were even connected through mother (Ethel) and daughter (Louise). Louise's story is narrative in style, describing her journey across the country and her search for truth and self, while Florrie and Ethel's adventure is told in journal entries, grocery lists and notes and, later, letters, medical records, and court documents. I really loved having these two stories that seemed, in broad theme, to be very similar, told in such different and unique ways. Even the actual drives are very different - Louise's is relatively comfortable and stylish - in my mind she looks very much like the woman on the cover! - while Florrie and Ethel are camping outside, under lean-to tents, and trying to mask pain, both physical and emotional, from each other. Even with these differences each woman is searching for the same thing - honesty, love, and hope that what they truly desire will become easier to see and, in a perfect world, attainable.

The time periods and situations are wonderfully brought to life in each story as well. It is so easy to picture the Hollywood heyday that Louise lives within, a filmy glamour that hides sexism and ugliness not far below the surface. We also get to see the aftermath of war through Louise's husband, who has just arrived back from the Korean War and is still dealing - or not dealing - with trying to get back to normal life with the addition of an injury that has put him in a wheelchair. I love this juxtaposition of glitz and glamour with heartache and unseemliness. In our other storyline, we have, on the surface, two friends on a great adventure across the country - one reaching towards a fulfilling career and one reaching towards family - while hidden below this surface is complicated love and great illness brought about when both of these women worked together painting luminous dials on watches that, unbeknownst to them, was giving them radium poisoning. I was only vaguely aware of Radium Girls before reading this story but I found this aspect to be quite fascinating. I also became quite taken with both Florrie and Ethel and hurt along with them as they tried to find their own happiness in the midst of some devastating realities.

While these two stories are quite separated, there is still the connection between Ethel and Louise and it kind of broke my heart watching both, in their own timelines, trying so desperately to find each other (Ethel literally and Louise figuratively). Louise's search for the truth of what happened to her mother and why her father took her away (leading to Ethel's journey with Florrie) was bittersweet but what it did do was give her time to figure out her own life and what she wanted from it. It also led to a wonderful, heartfelt ending that I absolutely loved.

I can't say enough about Woman Enters Left. It is such a uniquely told story that captures what it means to search for love, meaning, and happiness in life. Highly recommended!

What Did I Think About the Cover?

Come on it's perfect! The woman on the cover is Louise, with all her style and Hollywood attitude (in a good way!) and the car is exactly what I pictures her driving across the country. I can't think of anything else I'd rather see on the cover.



My Rating: 5.0/5.0

Thank you to Amy at Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and Random House Books for providing me with a free copy of Woman Enters Left in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone. Be sure to continue below for more information on the book, the tour, and how you can enter to win one of two SIGNED copies for yourself!

 

 

Advanced Praise for Woman Enters Left

 

 

“Tender, touching, original, and rich with delicious period detail of Hollywood’s heyday—buckle up, because you’ll definitely want to go on a road trip after reading this delightful book!”—Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home

Buy the Book

 



Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | iTunes | IndieBound | Kobo

 

 

About the Author

 

 

Jessica Brockmole is the author of At the Edge of Summer, the internationally bestselling Letters from Skye, which was named one of the best books of 2013 by Publishers Weekly, and Something Worth Landing For, a novella featured in Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War. She lives in northern Indiana with her husband, two children, and far too many books.

For more information, please visit Jessica Brockmole’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

 

 

 

It's Giveaway Time!!

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away 2 signed copies of Woman Enters Left! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form HERE.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on October 6th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to residents in the US only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

 

Good Luck!!

 

 

Woman Enters Left Book Tour Schedule

Monday, September 4

Review at Creating Herstory
Feature at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Tuesday, September 5

Feature at Just One More Chapter

Thursday, September 7

Interview at T’s Stuff

Friday, September 8

Feature at Passages to the Past

Monday, September 11

Review at So Many Books, So Little Time

Wednesday, September 13

Feature at To Read, Or Not to Read

Thursday, September 14

Review at Pursuing Stacie

Friday, September 15

Review at Trisha Jenn Reads

Sunday, September 17

Review at Carole Rae’s Random Ramblings

Monday, September 18

Review at A Bookish Affair

Tuesday, September 19

Interview at A Bookish Affair

Wednesday, September 20

Feature at BookLiterati

Friday, September 22

Review at A Literary Vacation

Monday, September 25

Review at Portebello Book Blog

Tuesday, September 26

Review at Jorie Loves a Story

Wednesday, September 27

Feature at Books of All Kinds

Thursday, September 28

Review at Jenn’s Book Vibes

Friday, September 29

Review at The Lit Bitch
Interview at Jorie Loves a Story

Monday, October 2

Review at What Cathy Read Next
Review at CelticLady’s Reviews

Thursday, October 5

Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views

Friday, October 6

Review at Broken Teepee

 

 

 



Cover Crush: The Resurrection of Joan Ashby by Cherise Wolas

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!


One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at Flashlight Commentary, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. I've decided to join in this year and will link to their posts down below.


So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, wow, I love this cover!! It makes me think of those toy kaleidoscopes I had as a kid and, beyond what the fractured nature of the picture might mean, it's just really pretty! Being that the book references a "resurrection" I'm going to guess that the cover image symbolizes a person who has figuratively fallen into pieces and is putting themselves back together as someone knew and different. But let's see what the synopsis tells us about the story....

 

 

 

I viewed the consumptive nature of love as a threat to serious women. But the wonderful man I just married believes as I do―work is paramount, absolutely no children―and now love seems to me quite marvelous.

These words are spoken to a rapturous audience by Joan Ashby, a brilliant and intense literary sensation acclaimed for her explosively dark and singular stories.

When Joan finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, she is stunned by Martin’s delight, his instant betrayal of their pact. She makes a fateful, selfless decision then, to embrace her unintentional family.

Challenged by raising two precocious sons, it is decades before she finally completes her masterpiece novel. Poised to reclaim the spotlight, to resume the intended life she gave up for love, a betrayal of Shakespearean proportion forces her to question every choice she has made.

Epic, propulsive, incredibly ambitious, and dazzlingly written, The Resurrection of Joan Ashby is a story about sacrifice and motherhood, the burdens of expectation and genius. Cherise Wolas’s gorgeous debut introduces an indelible heroine candid about her struggles and unapologetic in her ambition.

 

 

Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):


Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Meghan at Of Quills & Vellum
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired



Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede

Cover Crush: The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!


One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at Flashlight Commentary, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. I've decided to join in this year and will link to their posts down below.


So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously, how do cover artists come up with stunning covers like this?! I'm in utter awe of their talent, I really am. This cover in particular seems very artistic. The colors are so soft and using what I believe is watercolor paint gives everything such an ethereal, delicate feel to it. The way the background seems to flow within the woman and the fact that she doesn't have a face makes her seem almost ghostly, or insubstantial in some way. And the flowers and writing within her skirt leads me to think there is something hidden within this story that we aren't meant to know yet.

 

 

I'm sure the synopsis holds some clues to what hidden depths the story might hold....

 

 

 

An incredible story of dangerous and hidden friendships, ambition, betrayal, and sacrifice.

The year is 1739. Eliza Lucas is sixteen years old when her father leaves her in charge of their family's three plantations in rural South Carolina and then proceeds to bleed the estates dry in pursuit of his military ambitions. Tensions with the British, and with the Spanish in Florida, just a short way down the coast, are rising, and slaves are starting to become restless. Her mother wants nothing more than for their South Carolina endeavor to fail so they can go back to England. Soon her family is in danger of losing everything.

Upon hearing how much the French pay for indigo dye, Eliza believes it's the key to their salvation. But everyone tells her it's impossible, and no one will share the secret to making it. Thwarted at nearly every turn, even by her own family, Eliza finds that her only allies are an aging horticulturalist, an older and married gentleman lawyer, and a slave with whom she strikes a dangerous deal: teach her the intricate thousand-year-old secret process of making indigo dye and in return -- against the laws of the day -- she will teach the slaves to read.

So begins an incredible story of love, dangerous and hidden friendships, ambition, betrayal, and sacrifice.

Based on historical documents, including Eliza's letters, this is a historical fiction account of how a teenage girl produced indigo dye, which became one of the largest exports out of South Carolina, an export that laid the foundation for the incredible wealth of several Southern families who still live on today. Although largely overlooked by historians, the accomplishments of Eliza Lucas influenced the course of US history. When she passed away in 1793, President George Washington served as a pallbearer at her funeral.

This book is set between 1739 and 1744, with romance, intrigue, forbidden friendships, and political and financial threats weaving together to form the story of a remarkable young woman whose actions were before their time: the story of the indigo girl.

 

 

Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):


Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Meghan at Of Quills & Vellum
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired

 

Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede

 

 

 

Book Blast: Where Rainbows End by Annemarie Brear

Publication Date: May 23, 2017
Choc Lit
eBook; ASIN: B071P7KBH6

Genre: Fiction/Historical/Romance/Western

Can she hold on to her dreams…?


It’s 1850 and the Noble family have travelled to the other side of the world to start a new life after scandal drove them from their native England.

Pippa Noble is determined to reclaim their honour by making her father’s plan for an outback farm reality, although her ambition is frowned upon by a society that has very set ideas about a woman’s place…

Pippa learns the hard way about the unforgiving nature of the bush, sometimes with devastating consequences. And when unfortunate circumstance leads to Pippa tending the farm alone, it is the friendship of neighbouring estate owner Gil Ashford-Smith that helps her through.

Then an unexpected visitor from England arrives, putting Pippa’s dreams in jeopardy. But she refuses to let go. She will hold onto her family’s land, even if it means losing everything else…

Praise for Where Rainbows End

“A compelling story of a headstrong woman who defies the traditional female role and forages a successful life through hard work and a strong vision. Excellent descriptions of the outback and the hardships of life in Australia in the 1850’s.” – Amazon Review

Buy the Book

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Chapters | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo

About the Author

AnneMarie has been a life-long reader and started writing in 1997 when her children were small. She has a love of history, of grand old English houses and a fascination of what might have happened beyond their walls. Her interests include reading, genealogy, watching movies, spending time with family and eating chocolate – not always in that order!

AnneMarie grew up in Australia but now lives in the UK.

For more information please visit AnneMarie Brear’s website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Goodreads.

Book Blast Schedule

Monday, May 29

100 Pages a Day
A Bookaholic Swede

Tuesday, May 30

Creating Herstory
Beth’s Book Nook Blog

Wednesday, May 31

Book Nerd
A Holland Reads
The Never-Ending Book

Thursday, June 1

Brooke Blogs
So Many Books, So Little Time

Friday, June 2

A Chick Who Reads
Susan Heim on Writing

Saturday, June 3

T’s Stuff

Sunday, June 4

Passages to the Past

Monday, June 5

CelticLady’s Reviews
Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Tuesday, June 6

I Heart Reading
WS Momma Readers Nook

Wednesday, June 7

Books, Dreams, Life
Faery Tales Are Real

Thursday, June 8

Let Them Read Books
History From a Woman’s Perspective

Friday, June 9

A Literary Vacation
Library of Clean Reads

Release Day Spotlight: A Bridge Across the Ocean by Susan Meissner

Publisher: Berkley

Pub. Date: March 14th, 2017
Pages: 384

Genre: Historical Fiction


Wartime intrigue spans the lives of three women—past and present—in the latest novel from the acclaimed author of Secrets of a Charmed Life.


February, 1946. World War Two is over, but the recovery from the most intimate of its horrors has only just begun for Annaliese Lange, a German ballerina desperate to escape her past, and Simone Deveraux, the wronged daughter of a French Résistance spy.

Now the two women are joining hundreds of other European war brides aboard the renowned RMS Queen Mary to cross the Atlantic and be reunited with their American husbands. Their new lives in the United States brightly beckon until their tightly-held secrets are laid bare in their shared stateroom. When the voyage ends at New York Harbor, only one of them will disembark...

Present day. Facing a crossroads in her own life, Brette Caslake visits the famously haunted Queen Mary at the request of an old friend. What she finds will set her on a course to solve a seventy-year-old tragedy that will draw her into the heartaches and triumphs of the courageous war brides—and will ultimately lead her to reconsider what she has to sacrifice to achieve her own deepest longings.

Praise for A Bridge Across the Ocean

“I was utterly spellbound, beguiled, swept up in this ghostly mystery.”—Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

“A beguiling tapestry of storytelling and a unique look at one of history’s most enigmatic ships.”—Sarah McCoy, New York Times bestselling author of The Mapmaker’s Children

Buy the Book

 

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

 

 

About the Author

 



Susan Meissner is a multi-published author, speaker and writing workshop leader with a background
in community journalism. Her novels include A Fall of Marigolds, named to Booklist’s Top Ten Women’s Fiction titles for 2014, and The Shape of Mercy, named by Publishers Weekly as one of the 100 Best Novels of 2008. A California native, she attended Point Loma Nazarene University. Susan is a pastor’s wife and a mother of four young adults. When she’s not working on a novel, Susan writes small group curriculum for her San Diego church. 

You can learn more about Susan on her website and connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.

 



Spotlight on Shadow of Whimsy: A Cape Cod Love Story by Ann Hymes + Tour-Wide Giveaway!!

Publication Date: June 15, 2016
Secant Publishing
Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Genre: Contemporary/Women’s Fiction/Literary


Several generations of one family have lived, loved, and lied at Whimsy Towers, a unique oceanfront house in Chatham, Massachusetts. Strong women who refuse to be suffocated by marriage have found excitement and refuge in this house filled with artists and parties. Love surfaces in unexpected ways.

The newest owner, Theresa Alston Crandall, has just inherited the property and leaves her too-predictable husband in Virginia to spend time on the Cape and unravel family secrets and history. She swims, reflects, explores, and watches dramatic cloud formations float high over the ocean as she sorts through the choices in her path forward.

Romance arrives in the form of a young widower and landscape gardener with an awesome pickup truck, who likes Theresa’s dog and provides temptation to stay at Whimsy Towers. Tips of tree branches dance with the weight of birds that seem to scream warnings of danger, and the churning ocean disrupts family continuity.

Theresa learns how her Southern grandmother came to buy a storm-weathered New England house and how loveless marriage is not a mandatory life style. The final decision feels just right.

Praise for Shadow of Whimsy

“In her debut novel, Hymes presents a conflicted young woman who is beginning to question her humdrum existence. From grief and loss to forgiveness and redemption, Hymes does not hold back. The author steers clear of predictable outcomes in this unexpected story, providing ample romantic suspense and witty prose to keep the reader turning pages. Chock-full of rich descriptions of the New England coast, as well as surprising scandals and an adorable dog named Gypsy, the book should satisfy even seasoned beach readers. A captivating and uplifting tale best suited for fans of meaningful beach-town romances.” -Kirkus Reviews

Buy the Book

 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Kobo

 

 

 

About the Author

 

 

Ann Hymes is a retired real estate broker and mother of two grown daughters. She has a B.A. in English from Mills College and an M.A. in English from Washington College. Her published work includes creative nonfiction. An active international volunteer, including service in the Peace Corps in the 1960s, Ann lives in St. Michaels, Maryland.

 

 

It's Giveaway Time!!

 

Five copies of Shadow of Whimsy: A Cape Cod Love Story are up for grabs during the blog tour! To enter, please click the link HERE.

Rules

 Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on March 10th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

 

Giveaway is open to residents in the US only.

 

Only one entry per household.

 

All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.

 

Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

 

Good Luck!!

 

 

Shadow of Whimsy Blog Tour Schedule

 

 

Monday, February 27

Kick Off at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, February 28

Spotlight at The Lit Bitch
Spotlight at What Is That Book About

Wednesday, March 1

Review at Books, Dreams, Life

Thursday, March 2

Review at A Chick Who Reads

Friday, March 3

Spotlight at Cafinated Reads

Monday, March 6

Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views

Tuesday, March 7

Review at Book Drunkard
Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

Friday, March 10

Review & Interview at The Book Junkie Reads

Tuesday, March 14

Spotlight at Susan Heim on Writing

Wednesday, March 15

Review at Book Nerd

Thursday, March 16

Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Tuesday, March 21

Spotlight at Just One More Chapter

Friday, March 24

Review at Blushing Babes Are Up All Night

 

 

 

 

 

 



First Book of the Year + 2nd Blogiversary!!

Happy New Year everyone!! 

I think, regardless of your beliefs and feelings about certain worldly events that have occurred of late, you can probably agree with me that 2017 can only improve on 2016.  On top of that, while 2016 was a wonderful year for reading, there are so many excellent new books to look forward to this year as well. I'm giddy with excitement to think about all the wonderful reading I have coming up in my future!

As with last year I decided to join Book Journey's First Book of the Year. Per Sheila's site:

"The First Book is a book that maybe you have been wanting to read for a while but have not had time for, a coveted book, an old favorite re-read – whatever you want. The point is that this is the book that will kick off the year for you. What will it be?"

For me, this was an easy choice as I've been waiting to find the time to read my pick. The author is a favorite of mine and I always know she's going to give me a complicated, controversial topic to think about as her characters experience extreme difficulties and the reader tries to determine what they would do in the same situations. Any ideas yet? No? Okay, well my pick for the First Book of the Year is....

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years' experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she's been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene?

Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy's counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family—especially her teenage son—as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other's trust, and come to see that what they've been taught their whole lives about others—and themselves—might be wrong.

With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion—and doesn't offer easy answers. Small Great Things is a remarkable achievement from a writer at the top of her game.

To see what everyone else is reading for their First Book of the Year make sure to go over to Book Journey HERE. 

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Today is also the 2nd Blogiversary for A Literary Vacation!! Happy Birthday to my little blog! I plan on doing a separate post sometime soon detailing the number of reviews, spotlights, giveaways, etc. I've done since the blog started two years ago, but until then I just wanted to thank, from the bottom of my heart, those fellow readers and reviewers who have embraced me and my blog on this fun journey. I have met some of the kindest, most supportive fellow book nerds over the last few years and I feel so blessed to have you all in my life. Here's to another wonderful year of reading and sharing what we love!!

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Review: Essie's Roses by Michelle Muriel

Publisher: Little Cabin Books, LLC
Pub. Date: March 23rd, 2015
Pages: 346

Synopsis

*READERS' FAVORITE BOOK AWARD WINNER
*Readers' Favorite Silver Medal Winner Southern Fiction


Growing up in the Deep South during the years leading to the Civil War, two young girls find freedom on a hillside overlooking Westland, an Alabama plantation. Essie Mae, an intuitive, intelligent slave girl, and Evie Winthrop, the sheltered, imaginative dreamer and planter’s daughter, strike up a secret friendship that thrives amidst the shadows of abuse.

Told from the viewpoint of four women: Katherine Winthrop, kind mistress and unexpected heiress to her father’s small, cotton plantation; Delly, her sassy and beloved house slave; Essie Mae, her slave girl; and Evie Winthrop, Katherine’s only child, Essie’s Roses tells of forbidden relationships flourishing in secret behind Westland’s protective trees and treasured roses.

After scandal befalls Westland, Evie and Essie, aged nineteen, travel to Richmond, Virginia, to escape their abusive pasts. There, they face the gross indecencies and divisions leading to the War Between the States. Though the horrors of slavery and discrimination prompt action, Evie and Essie’s struggles lie within. The secrets they hold and the pain of the past lead them away from one another and back home again.

A story about a black slave who frees a white woman, Essie’s Roses reveals the diverse meanings of freedom, the significance of a dream, and the power of love. In their efforts to save each other, will the women of Westland find the true freedom they desire?

What Did I Think About the Story?

I have to admit from the first sentence of this review that I have been just the worst reader ever! The lovely author of Essie's Roses, Michelle Muriel, sent me a copy almost a year ago, and I have just recently finished reading it. I started the book back in December 2015 (yes, you read that correctly) and at first attempt I just wasn't in the proper mood for a slowly unwinding story, as beautiful as it turned out to be. So it kept getting relegated to the bottom of my TBR pile, me stealing snippets of the story between other books. Then I resolved to buckle down and devote the time the book deserved to finish it, and I'm so glad I did. Essie's Rose's is a heartbreaking, heart mending look at the true meanings of love, family, and hope told in a unique and beautiful way.

The descriptions of Westland, the plantation much of the story takes place on, are absolutely stunning. This is not a story to be rushed as you really need to read it slowly and absorb all the imagery the author gives to the reader. So much of the story is taken up with building this background and the development of the characters, and their relationships, against it that you'll miss some of the key joy of the reading if you try and hurry through. This is especially true for the first part of the story, where not a lot of action happens but, instead, the reader is able to build a true understanding of and appreciation for the characters they'll be seeing go through some tremendously difficult times. Westland is both a salvation and a prison for these characters and it's only by the author's skill that this fact is fully realized.

And oh the characters you'll meet! I was really impressed with how the author gave wholly unique voices to our four main female characters. Each chapter begins with the name of the woman who's point of view we'll be seeing the story through in that chapter and each is written in that woman's voice, as you'd hear it in her own words. I have to admit that, because of this, it took me a little bit of time to get into the rhythm of speech of some of the characters, especially Delly, but once I got used to it the story flowed. There is so much that bonds these women and it was really interesting, if sad, seeing how each was living in her own personal prison and dealing with her own set of abuses, regardless of her skin color, age, or opportunities (or lack thereof) for a better future.  These women help each other in a myriad of ways, especially Evie and Essie Mae, and it is only when they are fully honest with each other that they can support each other to try and  move on from the horrors of the past.    

Essie's Roses deals with a lot of very difficult topics (slavery, abuse, rape) but does so in a very tender and sensitive way. The story, for me, became more about the bonds of these women and how they truly loved each other enough to push each other to get past the hurt of the past and have hope for a better future than anything else. It took some time for me to really get into the book, but this might have more to do with the sort of book that was drawing my attention at the time than about this one itself. It's a beautifully rendered story and one that deserves to be felt and not just read.

What Did I Think About the Cover?

I think the cover represents Westland very well, which is important for this story as Westland comes to represent so much to these characters. I will say that the roses shown aren't what I tend to think of as a rose garden (I think my image is of an English rose garden) but as these roses seem to be more wild and tangled it does fit the story better.


My Rating: 4.0/5.0

Thank you to author Michelle Muriel for providing me with a free copy of Essie's Roses in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are solely my own. You can find more reviews of Essie's Roses and links to where you can purchase your own copy on Goodreads.

 

 

 

Spotlight on Wild Girls by Erica Abeel

Publisher: Texas Review Press
Pub. Date: October 25th, 2016
Pages: 344
ISBN: 978-1-68003-103-4



What Happens When Three Women Rebel Against The Stifling Culture of the 1950s and 60s in America? Erica Abeel Explores The Consequences In Her Stunning New Novel WILD GIRLS.


Ever since the publication of her first book Only When I Laugh, Erica Abeel has been a keen observer of the lives of women and the societal constraints that often stand in their way of achieving deep personal and professional fulfillment. Mixing fact and fiction, her new novel WILD GIRLS interweaves a story about women rebels ahead of their time with an under-exposed slice of social history: the late 1950s and early 60s when the culture stood poised for enormous changes, the Beats were smashing taboos, and pioneers like Yoko Ono were expanding the boundaries of art.


Brett, Audrey, and Julia meet at an elite women’s college in 1954, connecting immediately through their ambition and contempt for the prevailing “niceness.” They are clearly light years ahead of the men they know who are steeped in the period’s conventions and freaked by women who want more in life than just marriage and family.

After graduation, Brett goes off to Paris to hang with the Beats, those legendary firebrands who changed the face of literature forever. When she becomes romantically involved with their kingpin, Allen Ginsberg, she feels she’s finally living life to the fullest. It doesn’t take her long, though, to realize that although the Beats may be rejecting standard American values, their approach to women is still typically 1950s. She returns to New York City where she struggles to write a memoir about her Paris experiences, supporting herself as an assistant at a cutting edge book publisher. But there, too, she learns that women are treated as less equal then men. As the 1960s start to bring a whiff of cultural change, the only woman she knows who is truly able to overcome the constraints of their time is an avant-garde artist reminiscent of the real-life Yoko Ono. Some of the funniest scenes in WILD GIRLS revolve around the mayhem she creates.

Meanwhile Audrey and Julia are following their own unique paths. Audrey decides that she too will become a writer, and her tales of working girls in the city become bestselling novels. Although successful in her work, on a personal level, she pays a heavy price for defying period codes. Her unconventional relationship – living as the wife-in-all-but-name of a married man – has dire consequences.

Julia, on the other hand, follows a more conventional path, abandoning her dreams of becoming a photographer and opting instead to make marriage her real “career”. But she too must face the negative effects of her decision as her husband’s secret life threatens to destroy them both.

These three friends are the standard-bearers of women’s right to live any way they choose – to enjoy successful careers, to express themselves freely, to become wives, mothers, and lovers – carving their own unique paths to happiness. Erica Abeel portrays them as revolutionaries ahead of their times. But are these “wild girls” really that much different from today’s “girls” as depicted by writers and film-makers like Lena Dunham? Perhaps the times have changed, but readers will recognize that the challenges faced by Brett, Julia, and Audrey remain relevant. This is what makes WILD GIRLS a true tour de force. Erica Abeel has written about the dilemmas that women face with wisdom, humor, and a wicked eye for the ironies of existence. Her message is timeless.

Praise for Wild Girls

“WILD GIRLS is a novel about a few women rebels who came of age in the 50s with the Beats in Paris . . . and a Yoko Ono-based character in early 60s New York. More importantly, Erica Abeel IS a ‘wild girl’— she lived the life, these are her friends, and this is an insider’s peek into that world." - Kevin Kwan, author of Crazy Rich Asians


“Erica Abeel's WILD GIRLS tells the delicious, page-turning story of three very different but equally thoughtful rebels from 1950s America, embarking on adventures that involve everyone from Allen Ginsburg to Yoko Ono. . . this book will bathe the reader in a time and place in which female self-invention was never more important, exhilarating, and challenging.” - Sheila Weller, author of GIRLS LIKE US: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon--and the Journey of a Generation and other books


“A very funny, rueful and accurate recapture of things past. Erica Abeel's stylish prose delivers surprises and pleasurable shocks of recognition in every paragraph.” - Phillip Lopate, author of PORTRAIT INSIDE MY HEAD

 

Buy the Book

 

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound

 

 

About the Author 

Erica Abeel, author of WILD GIRLS, is a novelist, journalist, and former dancer, who has published

five books, including Women Like Us (a Book of the Month Club selection), Only When I Laugh, I’ll Call You Tomorrow and Other Lies Between Men and Women, and Conscience Point. Based in New York and Long Island, she writes about women rebels who dared to live against the grain before the upheavals of the 1960s and shows how their lives unfold over subsequent decades. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times, Esquire, and Ms, among many other publications and websites. In addition, Abeel reviews films and interviews directors for The Huffington Post and Film Journal International.

 

For more information, visit Abeel's website, and connect with her on Twitter and Goodreads.

 

 

 



Audiobook Review: Windfallen by Jojo Moyes

Publisher: Tantor Audio
Pub. Date: March 10th, 2014
Length: 14 hours, 52 minutes

Synopsis

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Me Before You, the basis for the major motion picture, comes a breathtaking drama of two women whose lives entwine through a lovely English seaside house.


For Lottie Swift, Arcadia has always been magical. The breathtaking art deco house perched above the shoreline of the well-ordered village of Merham seems to stand still throughout the years. It has never changed, not really, but Lottie's fate and fortune have been inextricably linked with that of the beautiful house, and it will forever be fixed in her mind as a symbol of adventure, youth, and of loves lost and gained. Even as her life—and the house—fall into disrepair.

Years later another young woman comes to Merham. A designer hired to make over the now-empty Arcadia, Daisy Parsons seeks a new beginning, as Lottie once did. Fleeing a broken relationship and now facing being a single mother, Daisy finds refuge in the house, and something more—a love she thought she would never know again and a friendship unlike any she’s experienced before.

What Did I Think About the Story?

I've read a couple novels by Jojo Moyes (The Girl You Left Behind and Me Before You) and really enjoy her ability to whisk me away to either the past or the present with humor and heart, all while making me care for her characters and the ups and downs they experience. With Windfallen, I felt like I got the best of both worlds: a look into the past as Lottie Swift tackles the obstacles before her shortly after WWII as well as a present storyline showing Daisy Parsons tackling her own set of issues. What I wasn't expecting was the similarities between these two women and how their lives would become intertwined.

Unlike most novels I've read that deal with dual timelines, the first half of Windfallen deals exclusively with Lottie's coming-of-age story as she decides to stay in Merham after being sent to the country and out of London during the WWII bombings on the city. I quickly came to like Lottie as she navigated the uppity family she lived with that never quite accepted her as their own. I ached with her as she fell in love with someone not  meant for her (as well as felt for the boy who clearly loves her and which she doesn't feel the same for). She's a kind, forthright and sympathetic young character and I'm very glad I already liked her by the time we see her in what I think of as "Daisy's half" of the story as she becomes quite the crotchety and overly opinionated older woman. This is somewhat understandable given her life experiences, but still.

I wasn't as big a fan of Daisy's story but I did appreciate how she grew as a character during her time remodeling Arcadia House. We get to see her go from a battered and broken single mom into a strong woman able to face anyone - whether that be a brash boss, busybody townfolk, selfish ex-lover, or pushy babysitter - with confidence and determination. I also liked how she ended up influencing and helping Lottie as much as Lottie helped her. They both had so much in common, even given the very different circumstances they experienced, and it was interesting to see how both their stories would twist together and apart and ultimately resolve.

As I always do with audiobooks, I should mention that I enjoyed the narrator (Michelle Ford) and thought she did a good job of differentiating the characters. She did an excellent job of effectively expressing the humor in the story as well, and was able to shift between warring emotions clearly and with a good bit of impact for the listener.

Jojo Moyes has such a unique way of telling a story that I'm pretty much a fan for life. While Windfallen isn't my favorite of her novels I've read (that designation still goes to The Girl You Left Behind) it is still a great story full of heart, humor, and emotion.   

What Did I Think About the Cover?

I think it's very pretty, although I don't know if it really matches the story. I could be wrong but those trees look like they have fruit on them, and I don't recall there being any discussion of fruit trees. Otherwise, this could be Daisy walking through the overgrown gardens of Arcadia House. I'm a little surprised that the author's name is so big as well, although I imagine her name alone is a huge draw to the story. All in all a nice cover.


My Rating: 4.0/5.0

 

I purchased a copy of Windfallen for my own collection. You can find more information about the book, including other reviews and links to where you can purchase a copy, on Goodreads HERE.