Category: Book Reviews

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The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

Hello readers!  I wanted to tell you about another great book to check out – The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel.  It’s already creating a buzz in the book world even before its July 6 publication date.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

Kristin, a master storyteller through the historical fiction outlet, continues her exploration of the Jewish experience during WWII. She takes a fresh angle by setting the book in the forests where Jews are hiding, rather than in the ghettos or extermination camps.

Twenty-some years ago a woman kidnapped two-year-old Yona  from her German parents. (Don’t worry. This isn’t a spoiler. The kidnapping happens right at the opening of the book.) Since then they have lived together in the forest. Yona is taught survival skills – how to provide food, shelter and physical protection for herself. Just as the war closes in on them, her kidnapper dies leaving Yona on her own.

Russian partisans and German troops begin canvassing the forests for Jews who have escaped nearby occupied towns. Although Yona was taught to fear people, she feels the need to help the Jews she finds in the forest. She can teach them the skills they need to survive.

For a book set mainly in the forest, it covers many topics: love, family, betrayal, surprises, danger, sacrifice, evil, discovery of self, questioning of ancestry, leadership vs. power, and more. 

The story feels realistic because it has balance. Yona can help some of the groups she encounters; others she cannot.  Sometimes she feels like part of a family and sometimes she feels like the outsider. She makes mistakes and she makes wise decisions. Other characters aren’t simply good or bad; they are complicated like real people. Continue reading “The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel”

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This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

Hello readers!

Time to share another book worth your attention – This Tender Land. (Believe me, I read books I don’t share here because they just don’t make the cut!) Read the description below to see if this one interests you. Although I usually review books aimed at women, this historical fiction would definitely be of interest to men as well.

Living through The Great Depression is hard enough. Throw in four orphans involved in a crime and on the run from an abusive Indian school by canoeing down the rivers of Minnesota toward the Mississippi and you have an intense coming-of-age adventure reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn.

Odie and Albert O’Banion are the only white children at the Native American school. After a crime is committed, they flee with their friend Mose, a young Sioux at the school who is mute. At the last minute they include another friend, Emmy. As the four journey down the river, they rely on their instincts and the kindness of other people struggling through the depression. As kids, they need to learn to discern who to trust, and they don’t always get it right.  Loyalties and friendships are tested along the way. The journey includes displays of kindness, forgiveness, generosity, acceptance and self-discovery with a dash of mystery and a lesson in morality. 

 In a snapshot of The Great Depression Krueger has captured the essence of the American landscape including a traveling show with a faith healer, rail riders, and shantytowns dotting the banks of the rivers. William Kent Krueger has written This Tender Land so masterfully, I expect it will endure the test of time.

The book runs over 450 pages, but you wouldn’t want it to be any shorter. You may even find yourself wishing for more! These four children will touch your heart in a special way as you journey along with them .

If you’ve already read it, what did you think? If you haven’t, does my review tempt you to get a copy? I’d love to hear in the comments!

 

 

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The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton

Hello readers! 

If I think a novel is a good read, I share it here in my blog. Read the description to see if it interests you! 

It’s Labor Day weekend in 1935. WWI veterans are still struggling in Key West camps and the stock market crash has put the country into the Great Depression. Now add what many consider the worst hurricane in history approaching Key West. The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton is a fast-paced story centering on the lives of three women, all in difficult personal circumstances as this devastating Cat 5 hurricane draws near.  

Pregnant Helen Berner is a waitress at Ruby’s diner.  She dreams of leaving her abusive, alcoholic husband. When  a customer at the diner, a “regular,”  offers to help her escape,  Helen takes the opportunity to run away not knowing she is heading right into the path of the hurricane.

Mirta Perez has recently left her Cuban homeland after her marriage to Anthony Cordero, a well-to-do American with criminal ties.  She agrees to the arranged marriage after the Cuban Revolution left her family in a precarious position. While in the Keys for their honeymoon,  Mirta is struggling to understand her new husband and her place in his life. While the hurricane builds, Mirta doesn’t realize her husband’s enemies bring additional danger.  

Elizabeth Preston  has arrived in Key West via the famous Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway. She is searching for her brother in a camp for veterans of the Great War. She hopes he can help her avoid a marriage to a dangerous man back in New York. Coming from a family that lost it’s prominence in society after the stock market crash, her brother may be her only hope of escaping a marriage she doesn’t want.

The danger these three women are in is greatly increased with the deadly force of a historical storm that took between 400-600 lives over that fateful Labor Day weekend. Fast-paced and tension-filled, Last Train to Key West was an interesting read.

If you’ve read it, what did you think? If you haven’t, does my review tempt you to get a copy? I’d love to hear in the comments!

 

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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

   A cross between It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol and Waiting for Godot, The Midnight Library explores the question most of us have had – What if I had chosen a different route in life?
   Nora Seed has many regrets and is at a low point in her life. The midnight library is her chance to experience where other choices would have taken her, to see if those choices would have turned out how she expected, to see if any of them would make her happier. She learns about herself and the up/down cycles in life as she lets go of some of her biggest regrets. For a book that starts out quite dark, it leaves readers with hope and a reason to reflect on their own lives.
   I won’t give you more than that because it’s too easy to give spoilers with this one. A warning though, this book has had a mixture of reviews I think for two reasons: although it’s a quick read, it’s philosophical, and it deals with a character in a mental health crisis. I never felt it was depressing. It may cause you to  consider your own life choices, but will hopefully lead you to hope and contentment.
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Under the Magnolias by T. I. Lowe

I am impressed with T. I. Lowe’s latest book, Under the Magnolias,  Lowe has progressed to the major league with this Southern story. Lowe’s earlier Carolina Coast series is sweet, but Under the Magnolias is a tough, gritty family story that will stick with you. If you liked Where the Crawdads Sing, this is a must read. This heart-wrenching story will get you rooting for the kids living on a tobacco farm in South Carolina in the 1980s.

Austin Foster is forced to grow up at age 13 when her mother dies giving birth to twins. Austin is left the responsibilities of raising six siblings, running the house and helping her father, Dave Foster. Her father battles the darkness of a mental health issue while trying to make a living off his tobacco farm. When Vance Cumberland, the mayor’s son, shows interest in Austin, Continue reading “Under the Magnolias by T. I. Lowe”

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Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

If you’ve been following my blog, you know my favorite genre is women’s fiction, but historical fiction is a close second. Today’s recommendation fits this second category. It is one that would be enjoyed by both men and women readers. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford educates readers of the injustices done to immigrants in America during WWII through a sweet story of an unlikely friendship.

The fictional protagonist Henry is the son of a Chinese immigrant living near Seattle during World War II. When Henry gets a scholarship to attend the all white school, he doesn’t fit in. He becomes the target of bullies because he looks like the enemy.

When Keiko shows up on scholarship, Henry knows his father would not approve of their developing friendship because of her Japanese ancestry. His father holds a grudge against the Japanese for invading his homeland of China. This isn’t enough to keep Henry from forming a friendship with the only person in school he relates to.

When Keiko’s family (and all the other Japanese families in the area) are rounded up and transported to internment camps,  Henry has to decide how far he is willing to disobey and disrespect his father for the sake of his friendship. Readers will marvel at Henry and Keiko’s ingenuity in making the best of a bad situation while remaining loyal to a country that feared them.   

This is a story of opposites: of friendship and love as well as hatred and racial injustice, of honor and loyalty as well as betrayal and lies. Told through dual timelines, readers experience the immediate effect of WW II inside the U.S. borders as well as its long term impact on Henry’s life in the 1980s. Many wonderful fictional stories have been written about Europe during WWII, but it is rare to get a glimpse of this side of the story, here inside our own country. I recommend reading this book not only because it is a good story, but because it may fill in gaps in some readers’ understanding of history.

 

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The Summer of Lost and Found by Mary Alice Monroe

The Beach House series by Mary Alice Monroe continues with The Summer of Lost and Found, out May 11, 2021. If you’re a fan of the series, you’ve got to pick this one up and keep up with the Rutledge family story. If you’ve never read any of the series, Mary Alice did a great job of welcoming in new readers by giving enough background to jump in here (although I recommend you read them all at some point!). This is a great summer beach read series!

The Summer of Lost and Found is filled with Rutledge family (and other recurring characters) interacting, but this time, Linnea is the protagonist. The pandemic of 2020 has hit and she has been laid-off from her job at the aquarium. I know, I didn’t think I’d want to be reading about the pandemic (especially so soon), but instead of turning me off, I found myself more connected to these characters who were socializing in small pods, keeping socially distant in public, quarantining when necessary, stressing about finances, and having concern for keeping loved ones safe and healthy.

The story focuses around Linnea’s ex-boyfriend John, who has returned to visit his mother next door to Linnea, and her current boyfriend Gordon who is struggling to get out of England to visit her and conduct a research project. Who could blame John for trying to rekindle lost love?  But when Gordon arrives, Linnea is faced with tough decisions in this love triangle- who does she love and who does she want to be? And yet, there is so much more depth to this book than that! So good!

I just love this series. I wish Mary Alice had included more on the turtles and less background from the past books, but I sincerely hope she has many more adventures for the Rutledge family on the Isle of Palms. Pre-order your copy from your favorite book seller today!

(Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. The review is my own honest opinion.)

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Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan

Patti Callahan (also Patti Callahan Henry), writer of women’s fiction and historical fiction, is known for books such as Becoming Mrs. Lewis, about the love of C.S. Lewis, as well as Losing the Moon, And Then I Found You, The Bookshop at Water’s End and many more. Patti’s newest is an amazing story about the sinking of the steamship Pulaski, nicknamed the Titanic of the South,  in her newest historical fiction Surviving Savannah.

Told in dual timelines, readers experience the sinking of a luxury ship, the Pulaski, through the eyes of passengers from the Longstreet family as well as a modern day researcher.

Thirteen members of the Longstreet family (based on the real-life Gazaway Bugg Lamar family) board the ship transporting approximately 190 people. Travelers, seeking relief from the hot, humid Savannah summer, expect an easy trip sailing from Savannah to Baltimore with only one night on sea. No one foresees a simple mistake that causes one of the copper steam boilers to explode turning this into a real-life struggle for survival story.

Switching to a modern timeline, historian Everly Winthrop, is asked to curate a museum exhibition of the salvaged artifacts from the Pulaski shipwreck.  Everly wants to create a display worthy of the people who lost their lives and the families forever changed by the tragedy. Wanting the exhibit to feel personal,  she researches old letters and books to connect real lives to the finds coming from the research vessel at the wreck site.  Uncovering these stories also helps her work through a personal loss.

 

Patti, the author, began researching the sinking of the Pulaski to see if she wanted to write historical fiction based on the event. She knew it was meant to be when the actual 1838 shipwreck was discovered only weeks after she began her research. She chose to give these passengers a voice from a nearly forgotten, almost  two hundred-year-old story.  Finding written survivor documentation of the event and interviewing the wreckage recovery team helped Patti create authentic situations for fictionalized characters based on real people. Patti’s story began unfolding on the page concurrent with the real-life recovery of artifacts from the bottom of the sea. She has stated in numerous articles that the timing gave her “chill bumps.”

Patti’s novel follows survivors on the days directly following the sinking as they are being pushed beyond human limits to get to safety. Patti also goes beyond the rescue of some of the passengers to explore how surviving affects the rest of their lives. How do survivors survive being survivors? What will they do with the life they’ve been given? How does Savannah survive losing so many of their elite citizens? How do people move on after their world has been suddenly changed? 

Surviving Savannah is a read worth your time.

 

 

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The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews

What a joy to read! Even after writing nearly thirty books, Mary Kay’s voice still feels fresh in her newest book, The Newcomer. Her characters feel like people from your hometown put into unthinkable situations and danger. I didn’t want the story to end, and yet I couldn’t help but keep reading. It was entertaining and addictive!

“Her characters feel like people from your hometown….”

When Letty arrives at her sister Tanya’s apartment and discovers her body, Letty runs with her 4-year-old niece, Maya.  Suspecting danger, Tanya had warned Letty to run with Maya if anything happened to her. They flee from NYC to a small, old-Florida style motel that caters to long-term seasonal retirees. In time Letty, the “newcomer,” is accepted by the close-knit residents and the local cop, son of the motel’s owner, becoming part of the quirky “family.”  

Letty suspects Maya’s father in the murder although another suspect could also be a danger to them. And then there’s the small problem that Letty was seen leaving Tanya’s apartment making her a suspect as well. Can she trust Joe, the cop, to help protect them and catch the murderer?

“The Newcomer will be flying off the shelves as beach read season approaches.”

Readers will cheer for and worry about Letty and Maya. A murder mystery with romance, family complications, and greed surrounded with quirky characters at the Mom and Pop motel in Florida – so much to love! The Newcomer will be flying off the shelves as beach read season approaches. Get your pre-order in now for the May 4 release date! (Pre-orders really do help out authors.)

Thanks goes to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

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The Carolina Coast Series by T.I. Lowe

If you are a fan of the beach read and enjoy sweet, clean, Christian stories, this series is for you. T. I. Lowe has created a group of women friends – Opal, Josie and Sophia – who’ve dubbed themselves The Sand Queens. Each of the three books in the Carolina Coast series focuses on one woman’s story while the other two play secondary character roles. Once you’ve read one, you’ll want to read the others to fill in details hinted at. All of the books demonstrate the value of support from friends. Each story is unique because the three women have very distinct personalities. Readers will come to love their uniqueness as the women learn to appreciate who God has made them and the gifts they have to offer others. I thought each book in the series was even better than the one before it. 

Book 1 – Beach Haven 

Opal is an artsy, quirky, hippie. She may walk to the beat of her own drum, but her joyfulness is contagious. Bless This Mess is her funky, reclaimed furniture store where she puts her unique touches on every piece she resells.

Lincoln is in a dark pit emotionally and physically due to his disability. Wounded in battle, this Marine struggles to find his self-worth. He feels he’s disappointed his father, a high ranking, highly decorated soldier. Lincoln’s injury restricts his activities and causes him daily pain resulting in a stubborn, cranky man. Once Lincoln begins working for Opal, he begins to find purpose in life.

Only God could bring these two opposites together in Sunset Cove. This broken man is on a journey of restoration, paralleling how Opal restores furniture to give it new purpose.

Book 2 – Driftwood Dreams 

Josie’s high school heartthrob has become a famous artist traveling the world. She left her art school aspirations behind to help her father run Driftwood Diner after her mother died. Watching her friends move on with life, she feels stuck through obligation to her dad.

Now a successful artist, August returns to Sunset Cove to put down roots.  Hoping to pick back up where he left off with Josie, he gets her involved in setting up a children’s art camp. Josie’s passion for art is reawakened but her commitment to helping her father (and everyone else in town) doesn’t leave her much opportunity to dream of what could be.

Book 3 – Sea Glass Castle 

Sophia has recently been through a messy and very public divorce from a pro football player. She has returned to Sunset Cove and her best friends, The Sand Queens. Dr. Weston Sawyer hopes to start over in Sunset Cove after losing his pregnant wife in a horrible car accident. 

When Sophia takes her son to this new pediatrician in town, they start off on the wrong foot. Weston is not impressed with this feisty woman and he is certainly not looking for love; however, he does need an office manager and Sophia needs a job. God brings them together and shows them the way past their dark pasts to find love again.

 

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The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristin Harmel

The Winemaker’s Wife is another fabulous read from Kristin Harmel. Harmel shines in her research and historical fiction writing about World War II in France and this is no exception. We peek into life in the vineyards in the Champagne region of France and a brassiere in Reims during the Nazi occupation.

The Nazis are very interested in keeping the production going in the Champagne houses for their own consumption so even the rural vineyards strongly feel their presence. Some characters want to “get along” with the occupying Nazis while others do what they can to help the French resistance.

The fictional story revolves around Ines, a young wife to Michel, the owner of the Maison Chauveau champagne house, his chef de cave (head winemaker) Theo, and his wife Celine, whose father is Jewish. Choices made during these trying times impact relationships and futures. Lies, secrets, betrayal, and danger as well as love, hope, and friendship swirl around their lives.

The dual timeline also shows us Liv’s story in 2019. After Liv’s divorce, her grandmother Edith swoops in and brings her back to France with her. Edith has secrets she needs to share with her granddaughter, but the pain of the truth makes it difficult for her. When Liv learns about Edith’s past and her part in hiding family secrets, Liv sees history and her world in a new way.

I highly recommend The Winemaker’s Wife. It was one of those books where I didn’t want to see the end unfold because I didn’t want to say goodbye to the characters or the Chauveau winery.

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Under the Southern Sky by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Kristy Woodson Harvey‘s newest book Under the Southern Sky is my first ARC (Advance Reader Copy). An ARC book is given to reviewers before the book hits mass distribution in exchange for an honest opinion.

Right from the first page, I was sucked in. It wasn’t just the story or characters but a freshness and energy in the writing. Originally I was a bit hesitant about the topic, but Harvey brought hope and joy to a tricky, sensitive situation.

When journalist Amelia digs into her research for a story, she discovers that her childhood friend Parker and his late wife Greer have frozen embryos that have been classified as “abandoned.” Bringing it to his attention adds to Parker’s pain of his loss but also gives him new options to consider.

I had to keep turning the pages to see how their friendship would evolve as they dealt with these adult situations.  A nice addition to the list of characters included best friend/meddling mother characters that were patient and subtle. I also enjoyed Aunt Tilley’s character. She’s lovable, quirky, and more complex than first meets the eye. Plenty of twists and turns in the story keep readers engaged.

I would highly recommend reading Under the Southern Sky by Kristy Woodson Harvey. It comes out in April 2021, but you can pre-order a copy from your favorite bookstore today. Pre-orders are very helpful to authors so if you think you’ll buy this book, why not pre-order today? If your sweetheart is looking for a special gift to get you for Valentine’s Day, ordering this book would be a great suggestion.

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Feels Like Falling by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Time to share another book recommendation with you. Feels Like Falling was the first book I’ve read by Kristy Woodson Harvey. If you are looking for a light and easy read in women’s fiction, Feels Like Falling is a great choice. It’s a pleasant story to escape into. I really enjoyed the unlikely friendship that develops between two women from opposite socio-economic positions.  Feels Like Falling is an uplifting example of friends, new and old, supporting each other through good times and bad.

The structure of this book was refreshing since it was different from the women’s fiction books I’ve been reading.The structure switches POV back and forth (in a clear way) between Gray and Diana so the reader can experience these women’s thoughts and actions through their eyes.

While Gray seems to have it all, she struggles with a divorce that drags on and with dating again as a single mom. On the other hand, Diana seems to have nothing, living in her car after leaving an abusive relationship and getting fired from her job. When Gray gives her a chance to improve her situation, Diana takes the opportunity which changes the direction of her life. Both women become better people through the development of their friendship. Readers will enjoy unfolding their stories page by page.

Kristy Harvey Woodson

Harvey has also written the Peachtree Bluff series as well as Dear Carolina. Under the Southern Sky is currently on pre-order and slated to be released in April 2021.

Let me know if you’ve read a book by Kristy Woodson Harvey. If so, which one(s)? What did you think of it?

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Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber

Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber is categorized as Southern magical realism. This isn’t a normal genre I would pick to read, but I’m glad I did.  The title and cover intrigued me, and I had to find out why so many people were recommending it.

The cafe gets its name from a cluster of blackbirds that consistently appears outside the cafe only at midnight. This unusual behavior brings a large number of bird watchers to the small town.  The cafe also attracts the townies who come to get their fix of blackberry pie. They are “characters” in more than one sense of the word. They believe that eating the pie enables them to get messages in their dreams from their dearly departed loved ones. Readers are lead to draw conclusions about the birds and their connection to the pie and Anna Kate. This is where the “magical” in magical realism comes in, but it isn’t overdone.The characters are the main focus of the book, not the magical aspects, and the points made through the story are important ones.

The book is organized by alternating Anna Kate and Natalie’s point of view. Anna Kate has come to Wicklow, Alabama to bury her grandmother, Zee, and settle her estate. If she stays and runs Zee’s cafe for two months, she will inherit it. Anna Kate wants to sell it and go on to med school in the fall, just as she had planned. Natalie has just returned to Wicklow, the town where she grew up.  She and her daughter are seeking refuge in her parent’s guest house after the death of her husband. Living so close to her overbearing mother is difficult, but Natalie doesn’t have many options. Although the cafe has been set as off-limits by her mother, Natalie needs a job.

As Anna Kate finds herself embracing the town, she learns more about family secrets that explain why her mother kept her away from Wicklow her whole life. As family secrets are uncovered,  it becomes obvious that the two young women are more connected than they could have guessed.

Heather Webber

At the beginning I had to tell myself to keep going, that it’s just a different kind of book than I’m used to. Once I let go of expecting traditional conventions, I enjoyed the book. Occasionally reading something different helps to ignite creativity in my personal writing because it gets me to think about stories in a new way. Although it isn’t usually a word that describes literature, I felt the book was folk-artsy in the best possible way.

Fans of Sarah Addison Allen and Fannie Flagg will enjoy this story. Just like some people love apple pie while others love cherry,  Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe won’t be everyone’s first choice, but I recommend it. Blackberry may be the flavor of the day!

 

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The Beach House series by Mary Alice Monroe

If the cold and snow is getting to you, why not spend some time at the beach with Mary Alice Monroe?  Back in July I reviewed The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe. The Beach House can be read as a stand-alone; however, it’s the beginning of a wonderful series. If you like the first one, be forewarned, you’ll get hooked on continuing the Rutledge family story in the Isle of Palms, South Carolina.

 

 

 

This series was my escape during the craziness of this CoVid year. Apparently I got so caught up in them, I just realized I hadn’t posted a review since the first book. I’ve finished five in the series! The Beach House is followed by Swimming Lessons, Beach House Memories, Beach House for Rent, and Beach House Reunion.  Rather than give you summaries of four books, I’ll just recommend you read them. Really. Go read them! Monroe brings favorite characters back each time with stories that are sometimes sweet, sometimes heart-breaking. It’s all about family relationships, friendships, romances, and, of course, sea turtles.

On Ocean Boulevard is the next installment which was published this year (2020). The Summer of Lost and Found comes out in 2021. You know I’ll be reading these soon! Maybe we’ll cross paths on the beach at Isle of Palms in our imaginations. If we do, be sure to look up from your book and wave at me.

(If you’d like to go back to read my review from July on The Beach House, click here.)

 

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The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs

I’ve been wanting to read The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs since I bought it at a book signing last year, but I held off because it felt like a book that needed read in the fall.  Although it fits with the fall season, it is delicious enough to read anytime. Anyone who enjoys the women’s fiction genre will love it, even Granny Smith.  Ok, ok. Enough of the apple jokes.

Tess Delaney loves living in the city where she makes a living restoring stolen treasures to their rightful owners. She is on the verge of great success in her career when Dominic, a good-looking banker, shows up at her workplace to tell her that her grandfather is in a coma after a bad fall. This is strange news since Tess never knew her father and never met her grandfather.  Dominic also explains that her grandfather’s will lists her to inherit half of Bella Vista, a working hundred-acre apple orchard. The other half will go to Isabel Johansen, a half sister she didn’t know existed.

Tess heads to Sonoma to see Bella Vista for herself.  Although Dominic, the love interest, has done everything he can to delay it, the property is nearing foreclosure. Tess and Isabel are challenged to find a way to save it. A missing relic from Grandfather’s past may be the answer which means learning about his younger life in Denmark during WWII.

The Apple Orchard  is family drama, mystery, romance and historical fiction, all in one. Wiggs does a great job tying the present and the past together. Although country life is a bit romanticized, I enjoyed this story and would recommend it. Susan Wiggs has become one of my top five best-loved authors. In my opinion, readers believe her books will be a light read but are pleasantly surprised with more depth and substance than expected.

The Apple Orchard is the first in the Bella Vista series. The Beekeeper’s Ball and The Lost and Found Bookshop are the second and third installments in the series.

 

 

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The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

Ok readers, here’s another book you need to check out. The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel is wonderful! Five stars! I didn’t know who Kristin Harmel was until a few months ago when I became part of the Friends and Fiction FB group. (See post from Aug. 4.) Listening to Kristin talk about her book got me hooked. I had to read it.

It’s historical fiction that takes place during WWII. But wait. If that turns you off, trust me. Keep reading. At first the WWII focus turned me off. I like historical fiction at times, but I’ve read a lot of HEAVY books about the war, extermination camps, etc. Don’t get me wrong. They are worth reading, but I have to be in the right mood and right time in my life to sit and read a book like that. Well, I was pleasantly surprised with The Book of Lost Names. It took place during the war and never diminished the seriousness of the circumstances, but it wasn’t the heavy reading I was expecting. I found it difficult to put the book down once I started.

Eva, a young Jewish woman, has to put her artistic abilities to work to fake documents. Her forgeries need to be realistic enough to get her and her mother out of Paris as the raids on Jewish people begin. Once they get to a small town at the base of the Alps, Eva feels safer. They should be able to cross over into Switzerland fairly easily. However, while in the town, she gets involved in a forgery ring helping make documents to get others out of dangerous zones and across to Switzerland.

“The danger is real, but the book illuminates valor and goodness in the human heart instead of focusing on evil and darkness.”

 

Instead of depressing, this book is intriguing. It is so interesting to learn about regular people working in the Underground to help Jews, adults and children alike. As Jewish children, often separated from their families by the raids, are being helped safely across the border, the story is secretly, quietly triumphant. The danger is real, but the book illuminates valor and goodness in the human heart instead of focusing on evil and darkness.

As Eva creates documents, she has to change people’s names. As many of them are children, she is afraid they will be too young to remember their real names. She states that the Nazis want to erase her people, and she doesn’t want to be a part of erasing their history through the forgeries, even if she is saving lives. That’s why Eva uses a book to keep track of the children’s names in code. She calls it  The Book of Lost Names. She wants to ensure a way later for them to reconnect with who they were before the war. Decades after the war the book reemerges and only Eva can tell the story and crack the code. Although Eva is fictional, her character and her methods of forgery are based on real people and techniques. What a great story!

This book gets 5 stars from me. Leave me a comment if you’ve read it or plan to read it!

 

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The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe

 

Mary Alice Monroe

Mary Alice Monroe, where have you been all my life? Why have I not read your books before?

Somehow, after all these years of reading, I had never read a book by Mary Alice Monroe. During the pandemic, I stumbled upon a new Facebook page sponsored by a group of five women writers including Mary Alice (more about that on another blog post). That’s when I learned about her newest novel,  On Ocean Boulevard, and wanted to read it. But . . . it was part of a well-loved series, The Beach House series, so I had to start at the beginning.

Last week while on vacation on Sanibel Island (my happy place), I read book one, The Beach House. Wow. I loved this book. Many of you are probably laughing at me because this book was even made into a Hallmark movie starring Andi McDowell.  Again, how have I missed all that?!

I want to say this author knows how to craft a story! Of course I read for enjoyment, but as a writer myself, I also pay attention to point of view, dialogue, how characters are introduced, how new conflicts are added, and so on. I was impressed by her skill. The story flowed perfectly and kept my interest the whole way through. I will certainly read the rest of this series and other books she’s written.   

The Beach House takes place on the Isle of Palms. Olivia Rutledge (Lovie to her friends) knows her time is short and has asked her 40-year-old daughter Cara to come visit her. Having been kicked out of the house at age eighteen by her father, Cara has had to work for everything on her own and has isolated herself from the family. Now that her father is gone, she decides to accept her mother’s invitation, especially since her life in Chicago has recently fallen apart. When she arrives, she discovers her brother inherited the Charleston house from their father, her mother has moved to the beach house full time, and pregnant eighteen-year-old Toy lives with her mother as a companion and helper.

While at the beach house, Cara learns to appreciate her mother. Being able to see her mother through her own 40-year-old lens rather than the lens of a teenager,  she learns why her mother made certain choices in an unhappy marriage. Cara is also able to better appreciate the importance of the beach house and the Turtle Team of which her mother is a founding member. Cara and Olivia are able to create a stronger mother-daughter bond after years of damage, hurt and misunderstandings. Cara also begins a relationship with a new man while on the island, a summer fling she tells herself.

I truly loved this book. Mary Alice is a master storyteller, knowing exactly when to introduce a new plot twist, character, or conflict. If you like a good beach read, you will love the story, the setting and the turtle rescues that go with it! What a great series to use to escape for awhile!

In case you’re interested, Mary Alice suggests the series should be read in this order: The Beach House, Swimming Lessons, Beach House Memories, Beach House for Rent, Beach House Reunion, and the newest addition, On Ocean Boulevard. Let me know if you’ve read and enjoyed any of Mary Alice’s books and what you thought, or if you want to read one of her books. Enjoy the warm summer days and a good beach read!

 

 

 

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The Heirloom Garden and Girls of Summer

Hi all! Hope you’ve been finding creative and enjoyable ways to spend your summer. It’s definitely different with social distancing, mask wearing, and activities cancelled, and yet there is so much to be thankful for. Enjoy family. Enjoy nature. Enjoy a good book. Speaking of good books . . . .

Did you like how I transitioned right there? I’ve read two good books since  my last blog and wanted to share about them in case you’re looking for something new to read.

The Heirloom Garden by Viola Shipman was so good. I loved the story of Iris who is a recluse in Grand Haven, Michigan. She lost her husband in WWII and then her only child at a young age. After Iris is misunderstood by the townspeople during another unsettled time, this botanist puts up a ten foot fence to block everyone out of her life.  She finds joy only in her gardening.  Iris hybridizes daylilies as well as masters growing a variety of other flowers in her garden. She also owns the house next door and rents it out to a new family. Cory, the father, is struggling with PTSD after serving in the Iraq War. Abby, hIs wife, and Lily, his daughter, are negatively affected by his disconnect to life at home. Gradually Cory connects with Iris since her husband died fighting in the military, but it bothers him that she never got closure since her husband’s body was never brought home. Iris connects with the couple’s daughter because Lily brings love and joy into Iris’s life that she’s been missing since the death of her daughter. Iris and the new family next door help each other heal.

The best way to describe The Heirloom Garden is as a lovely story. The author is able to balance difficult  topics so that they never become too heavy to interfere with the sweetness of the storyline. I truly enjoyed the story.

 

I also recently enjoyed reading Girls of Summer by Nancy Thayer. Although I felt the first few chapters delayed the real story from starting, I really liked this book. Lisa is a divorced middle aged woman with two adult children, Juliet and Theo.  After raising the children alone and putting her own life on hold, Lisa finally discovers she has interest in a man in town. Just about the same time, her daughter comes home to Nantucket for the summer.  On the boat to the island, she meets a new guy she’s interested in. Then Lisa’s son comes home and starts up a relationship with a girl he liked back in high school. Privacy becomes an issue for everyone since no one knows when someone else might pop in at the house, especially when they want to bring dates home. Add the complication that the girl Theo wants to date is the daughter of mom’s new boyfriend and you get an interesting story. This was a good, light, beach read.

I have read some other books over the last few months, but not all of them were ones I would recommend. Instead of writing a bad review, I have chosen to simply not mention them. I like to keep things on the positive side. Besides, as an author myself, I know how difficult it is to write a novel so I don’t like to talk badly about someone else’s hard work. I’ll  just focus on books I liked and hope you find some enjoyable books mentioned in my blogs. When you need a break from life, escape into someone else’s world for a little while.

Happy reading!

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Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is one of those books that has stuck with me for weeks after reading it. I recommend this coming-of-age story mixed with a murder mystery.

Kya’s family has abandoned her in their remote shack in the North Carolina swamp in the late 1960s. This ten-year-old’s struggle to survive in the harsh swamp tugs at the heart-strings, while the reader is also delighted by the marsh’s beauty as seen through Kya’s eyes. Her life is hard, but Kya values the marsh, she understands it, and living a simple life in nature suits her. Most of Kya’s experiences involving the nearby town are negative, so she remains reclusive out of self-preservation. Known as Marsh Girl,  no one in town cares about the well-being of this wild child.

Kya grows into a young woman with a natural beauty that catches the eye of two boys from town. Tate Walker gradually earns her trust and friendship until he abandons her to attend college. Kya longs to connect to someone, but being immature both in social norms and in love, Kya get used by Chase Andrews. Then, when Chase ends up dead, Kya becomes the number one suspect.

Where the Crawdads Sing is both a New York Times Bestseller and a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick. Reese loved the book so much, she is going to produce the movie version along with Lauren Levy Neustadter. Fox 2000 owns the rights. It is still too early in the process to know who will be cast in the film or when it might be released, but as of fall 2019, Owens stated the screenplay’s first draft was nearly completed although she couldn’t comment on who was writing it.

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Runaway Heart by Teresa Slack

Note: I just noticed this book review I wrote in February but never published to my blog. Hmmm. Well, hope you enjoy it now!

Thank you, Amber, for your thoughtfulness of buying this book, Runaway Heart by Teresa Slack, for me for Christmas. Amber recently became my daughter-in-law and we are so glad to welcome her into the family. She bought this book from an Ohio author at a craft show.

Ok, so I have to admit I was curious. I’ve read books either self-published or published by small presses that were less than expectation. That’s so sad to say because there are some really great authors writing great books that just can’t break in to the larger markets through the traditional publishing route. But there are also authors out there publishing books before they are really ready. So…I wasn’t sure what I was going to get with this book. I didn’t want to judge it before I’d given it a try, but my experience caused me to wonder. As I opened the book, I noted that Teresa Slack had published a half a dozen other books. Ok. That gave me hope. I wanted to like it. So I dove in.

A few chapters in I began to realize this lady can write. It had great flow, and interesting characters, it was free of distracting grammatical or spelling errors (that I find in many self-published books), and it kept my interest.

Runaway Heart is Christian fiction. It is sweet, wholesome, and heartwarming. Kya is a less than perfect character working through baggage left by her mother’s view of life and love.

Kya  gets spooked when her relationship with Will becomes serious. Love became very real for her, but she has learned from her mother that men are users. Rather than face her fears, she runs. She quits her job and moves to her grandfather’s house out of state. Brandon, the young man next door who has been of great help to her grandfather, works his way into Kya’s life as well. Since Kya last saw him, Grandfather has been positively affected by his connection to his local church. Kya’s connection to church had been sporadic growing up since her mother uprooted her often. Now, in a small town where life is slower,  Kya has a chance to grow in her faith. As she begin to rely on God, what direction will He take her? Toward Brandon? Or toward Will?

So thank you, Amber. I really did enjoy it! It just proves that sometimes authors have to work really hard to sell their books, even at craft shows, even after they’ve put the work and their heart into writing it, even after writing multiple books. If you see authors personally selling their books at a table out of a box, give them a chance to prove themselves! Runaway Heart is also available through bookstores and on Amazon both in paperback and for Kindle.

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What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand

Sun, sand, blue skies and turquoise water. Sounds like a dream right about now as we shelter-in-place due to the Coronavirus, doesn’t it? That’s what’s so wonderful about books. They can take you places you can’t go in person . . . at least not right now.

Just about a year ago I wrote about Elin Hilderbrand‘s book Winter in Paradise that takes place in St. John (USVI). I just finished the sequel, What Happens in Paradise, and it didn’t disappoint. Between these two books I have gotten attached to the characters and fallen in love with the location. It will be difficult to leave it all behind when she finishes the series.

This installment focuses on the relationships that are developing between the Steele family (Irene, Cash, Baker and Finn) and the people living on the island (Huck, Maia, Ayers, and Mick). They may live in a tropical paradise with beaches, boat excursions, and beach bars, but they aren’t immune to the ups and downs in life we all experience. And then the FBI gets involved. They, along with everyone else, want to know what Russ actually did in his job before he died in the helicopter accident. And was it an accident? Hilderbrand masterfully weaves in just enough information on the investigation and leaves us with a major dilemma to keep the reader wanting more in the third book to come.

While you’re at home quarantined, why not lose yourself in a good book that will take you to paradise with Winter in Paradise and What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand. The final book of the series Troubles in Paradise will be out in October of 2020.

I can’t give you more of the story because I don’t want to ruin the first book for you if you haven’t started this series yet. All I can say is that it is a light, enjoyable read. Or check your bookshelves for something you haven’t gotten around to reading. Buy an e-book. Order books on-line. Do a curbside pick-up at your local library or bookstore. Let your favorite author take you to another place and time for awhile.

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Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Have you noticed the upswing in movies about musicians over the last few years? The fourth remake of A Star is Born, a fictional story, was released in 2018. Two movies based on real lives, Bohemian Rhapsody (Freddie Mercury and Queen) in 2018 and Rocketman (Elton John) in 2019, also come to mind. Perhaps the market is there because we’re curious about what a rock star life is like. Perhaps we’re amazed at their talent so much that we want to see that they are real people with real struggles, too. Perhaps it’s the nostalgic part that brings us back to our lives in our teens and twenties. Yes, I saw all three movies. So when I heard there was a book out inspired by Fleetwood Mac, I have to admit I was interested.

Although Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Reid Jenkins is fiction, the book is loosely based on the experiences of the band members of Fleetwood Mac and other 70s bands. I have always enjoyed the music of Fleetwood Mac and there’s just something mesmerizing about Stevie Nicks. Her delicious, sultry voice, the carefree gypsy vibe like a breeze that can’t be caught or tied down, and the rebellious girl rock ‘n’ roller fascinate audiences. Yes, we want to know more about the band! But, remember, Daisy Jones and the Six is a fictional story of living in the 70s rock world loosely based on Fleetwood Mac. Be forewarned: you know the saying “sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.” That is this book. If reading about that world isn’t your thing, that’s fine. This book isn’t for you. If you want a closer look into that world – the ups and downs, the struggles and the big breaks, the insecurities and egos, the choices both good and bad, the friendships and the rivalries – then try it.

Even though I knew the book was fictional, the Fleetwood Mac members came alive to me as I read.  At times I believed I could pinpoint that this character or that event was about Stevie Nicks or Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie or Mick Fleetwood, as well as John McVie, Neil Finn or Mike Campbell coming through in the story. Other times I wondered if a detail was based on a real event or totally fictional. Reid has a way of making these people and this band seem totally real. You will catch yourself believing it all and then reminding yourself it is a fictional story and band.

Written in a unique style, the book is told through responses to an unseen interviewer, like a rock documentary. I wasn’t sure I would like this technique going in, but rarely did it throw me. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed hearing what one band member said and then hearing another band member with a different perspective or different memory of the same event. It added realism. Although this technique doesn’t allow for inner-dialogue, I found myself sometimes questioning what the person really thought, what they couldn’t or didn’t want to say to an interviewer. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, that’s how relationships are in real life. It makes us question but perhaps also not be so judgmental since we don’t really know the whole story that makes up a person’s heart. Be prepared to keep an open mind at trying this unique technique in storytelling. It might work for you. It might not.

If you grew up with bands like Fleetwood Mac, you will relate to this story. It’s not necessarily a feel good story, but it is realistic look into the 70s rock world. It doesn’t apologize for the 70s rock experience. It simply lets us peek into the inner circle.  Daisy Jones and the Six is a New York Times Bestseller and a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick. Amazon is currently working on a series based on the book.

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Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan

If you are a fan of C.S. Lewis, you need to pick up Patti Callahan’s book Becoming Mrs. Lewis.  This historical fiction is based on many interviews and loads of research which enables Callahan to bring Joy Davidman’s experiences to life as she develops a long-term relationship with Lewis.

I have read books by CS (Jack)  Lewis (The Narnia books and The ScrewTape Letters, for example) and by JRR Tolkien (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series), but years ago when I found out they were friends, I was enchanted by the thought. These two giants in the literary world hung out together. They were in a writing group together called The Inklings.  And as the story goes, Tolkien helped lead Lewis to faith in Christ. After this, Lewis began to weave Christian themes and undertones into his writing. It has fascinated me for years how these two men could write such brilliant, fantastical stories with Christian themes and symbolism that has been and continues to be loved by both the secular and Christian worlds. Lewis is well known for his theological and philosophical writings, as well.

Although Becoming Mrs. Lewis mentions Tolkien and The Inklings, it is really the story of Joy Davidman. As a person with a similar conversion story as Lewis, she began writing letters to him. She also felt a literary connection to him since she was a published poet. Struggling in an abusive marriage and new to the Christian life, Joy sought counsel from Lewis. Her letters from America traveled across the ocean to Lewis at Oxford and he wrote back, gradually leading to a long-term pen-pal friendship.

Over many years Lewis continued to give her advice and encouragement, but he always kept his integrity. This life-long bachelor kept his feelings in check, only allowing his love to be philia (friendship/brotherly love). After many years when Joy’s circumstances changed and Lewis had the support of the Church of England, only then did he allow his feelings of eros (romantic love) to surface and they were married. For years there was a clear line he never crossed, often leaving Joy to wonder if the love she felt was only one-sided.

I applaud Patti Callahan’s success in writing this book. The amount of research she did truly made these two people come alive again. The love and respect readers have for Lewis will only be reinforced by seeing his continual integrity and kindness. As for Joy, we see a woman who endured many struggles with strength and courage during a time when society did not see a woman’s value. Additionally, we see how Lewis valued her and was influenced by her. Readers will realize that she greatly impacted Lewis to become the man we cherish today.

If this sounds like your kind of story, pick up a copy of Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan.

 

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Map of the Heart by Susan Wiggs

 

I’ll admit it’s been a few years since I read a book by Susan Wiggs, and I’m so glad I rediscovered her. When she was on a book tour in our area last month, I attended so I could listen to her and hopefully pick up a few tips on getting into the business. I also picked up a couple of her novels including Map of the Heart.  I just finished it last night and I loved it!

Susan’s skill at storytelling is impressive. In Map of the Heart she seamlessly intertwines stories from two different generations. The first story surrounds Camille,  an American photographer who specializes in developing old film.  People  come to her to salvage the images on long forgotten film in canisters found in attics or film found in old cameras. When Finn, a college history professor, comes to her about some personal film, Camille is instantly attracted to him, but she struggles with moving on after being widowed five years earlier. Her teenage daughter is also struggling with an overprotective mom and school bullies.

Meanwhile Camille’s father receives some old family film from France.  The pictures lead Camille, her teenage daughter and Camille’s father to spend the summer in his hometown in France to research the parents he never knew. The lack of family resemblance in the photos make them question if his father truly was the tyrannical mayor, hated in the village because he was a Nazi collaborator during WWII, or if his father was someone totally unknown.

Finn, the history professor, returns to his teaching position in France. Along with his assistants, they help uncover the second storyline in the novel about Camille’s grandparents, Lisette and Didier. They learn that Lisette felt forced into marrying this Nazi collaborator, but she secretly helped the resistance. Is Camille’s father the son of Lisette and Didier as he had always believed? Or did an occupying Nazi soldier force himself on Lisette? Or is he the son of someone from the resistance or allied troops? Although revealing the past brings Camille and Finn closer together during their summer in France, what happens when she returns to America and he remains to teach in France?

I love these unique and yet relatable characters. Lisette’s story in a small worn-torn village occupied by Germans in WWII France was captivating. I’m not one to usually go for a war story, but this novel has such a nice balance of yesterday and today contrasting the problems faced by people in WWII versus now. The author in me kept thinking about the amount of research on WWII and France Susan must have done for this novel. Because of all the French cultural details, I wonder if she has a French background. Even though I don’t speak any French and know very little about France, the French words and traditions she included added interest and flavor.

I would recommend this book and  I will definitely read more by this author. The newest book by Susan Wiggs is The Oysterville Sewing Circle which tackles the topic of domestic violence. Susan says it isn’t about sewing. It’s about a support group for women who have experienced abuse. I haven’t read it yet, but it is on my “to read” list!

 

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Farewell Dear Dottie

My week began with taking a few moments to catch up on Facebook when I noticed a post from one of my favorite authors that I follow. I sat in shock as I realized the post was from her page, but it was written by her family. They were announcing that their dear mother and wife, Dorothea Benton Frank, had passed on Labor Day, September 2, 2019. Dottie, as her family, friends and fans called her, died after a brief battle with MDS, Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a type of cancer much like leukemia. She was 67.

I was especially shocked since I had just been at a Meet and Greet event for Dottie in June as she promoted her latest book, “Queen Bee” which reached no. 2 on The New York Times best-seller list.  She seemed healthy then. At another author Meet and Greet event this week, many of those in attendance were saying the same thing and wondering if she even knew she was sick. It really reminds me how precious every day is when I see how quickly this illness took her.

Dottie was known for writing about the Lowcountry/Charleston area. Her writing would be categorized as women’s fiction and even “beach reads,” but the labels may not clearly identify the depth of her writing skill and style. Her first book, “Sullivan’s Island,” was semi-autobiographical. It debuted at no. 9 on The New York Times best-seller list. She was known to add another title approximately one per year having completed 20 books total. Some of the titles include: “Isle of Palms,” “Pawleys Island,” “Folly Beach,” “The Last Original Wife,” “By Invitation Only” and “Same Beach, Next Year.”

I love the story about Dottie’s childhood home on Sullivan’s Island. When her mother passed, the siblings wanted to sell the house. Dottie did not; however, she didn’t have the money to buy them out. At the time Dottie was a fashion buyer turned executive for a sportswear line. She announced, “I’m going to write a book and I’m going to sell a million copies and I’m going to buy Momma’s house back.” Her first book ,”Sullivan’s Island: A Lowcountry Tale,” was published in 1999 and sold more than one million copies. Although she could now afford to buy her mother’s house, it had already been sold. She and her husband bought another house on the island instead.

I’m grateful I got the chance to hear her speak. Authors truly pour their souls into their writing, but I get a whole new appreciation of the master storyteller when I meet one in person. I got a sense of her personality, a warmth and sweetness mixed with a bit of humorous Southern sass.

Although Dottie will live on through her beloved stories, I will miss reading new books by her. I think it will be time to go back and re-read the ones in my personal library soon.  If you haven’t read Dorothea Benton Frank, I think you should.

 

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Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews

Meeting Mary Kay Andrews

Put Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews on your reading list even though the summer is coming to an end.  It isn’t about lounging around on the sand and it’s not a romance on the beach. It is about a young woman, Drue, moving past tough experiences in life to create new possibilities while helping others and finding justice. 

After Drue’s mother dies, she finds herself in a tough spot in life. She decides to move back to her hometown and take a job at her father’s  law firm even though he hasn’t been a part of her life since she was 15. Drue learns that she inherited her grandparents beach house, but it’s in rough shape.

While fixing the place up, Drue finds newspaper clippings and a police file from the ’70’s on a missing person case that was never solved. Her curiosity is piqued about both the missing woman and her family’s connection to it. Meanwhile, a disgruntled woman visits the law office wanting to see Drue’s father. The woman’s daughter was killed while housekeeping at an area hotel. Although Drue’s father won the case, he wasn’t able to get much money. The hotel claimed the daughter was killed while working which made it a workman’s comp case with a cap of $150,000 for a settlement. The woman is struggling financially to raise her granddaughter and can’t get to the money until the child turns 18. Drue feels the settlement is ridiculously low and wonders what can be done to help the woman and her granddaughter. Without her father’s knowledge, she begins to investigate both situations.

After reading so many beach romances, I found this book refreshing. Even with the murder mystery, it is still a light read, not the kind of story that keeps you awake a night. The characters and plot kept me engaged.  I enjoyed a strong female character who took chances while investigating. Sometimes her curiosity put her in danger, but her motive was always to help someone.  I enjoyed it enough that I will definitely read more books by Mary Kay Andrews.

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Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand

Elin Hilderbrand is one of my go-to authors. Most of Hilderbrand’s stories take place in the Nantucket area where she lives. However, when I attended an author series presented by the Cuyahoga Public Libraries last fall, I was excited to hear her speak about her new series that would take place in St. John (USVI). If spring weather isn’t coming fast enough for you, try escaping to St John for awhile in her first book in the series, Winter in Paradise.

Irene discovers that her husband Russell has died in a helicopter accident while away on “business” in St. John. When she and her adult sons arrive in St. John, they uncover that he was living a secret second life there. Russell owned a $15 million villa and had a long-time lover (Rosie) who was also killed in the crash. We learn about Russell through the people he impacted on the island including Huck (Rosie’s step-father), Ayers (Rosie’s best friend) and Maia (Rosie’s daughter). The way Irene’s family becomes entangled with Rosie’s family makes for interesting relationships.

Although Irene has been living a life of wealth, readers may think it is unrealistic that Russell could have hidden a $15 million villa and another family.  However, suspicions arise concerning both the helicopter crash and what Russell was actually doing for a living. The villa had been cleaned out of any personal items before Irene arrived and the company Russell worked for has disconnected their phone and taken down their website.

Readers will want to read the next book to find out what Russell was involved in and whether or not the crash was an accident, but they will also be excited to spend more time with fun and unique characters in the Virgin Islands. I give it a thumbs up!

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Sand Dollar: A Story of Undying Love by Sebastian Cole

Hi everyone! In my last post I shared part of my journey to pinpoint the genre term publishers and agents might use to describe the book I’ve written, The Lighthouse Legacy. ( In case you wondered, I concluded it is upmarket fiction with a crossover to the women’s fiction market.)

Anyhoo – while researching, I came across a book that has romance using a male protagonist, like my novel. (Not a common thing, apparently). It isn’t chick lit ( a real publisher term, by the way) and it isn’t women’s fiction (because of the male protagonist).  Sebastian Cole, the author, labels Sand Dollar: A Story of Undying Love as romance fantasy (as in events happen outside our idea of reality, not as in “sexy”). Ok, so it doesn’t match my novel’s genre, but I had to read it to find that out. I’m glad I did.  I still think about the characters months after reading the book.

This story is told in retrospect by an 80-year-old Noah to Josh, a hospital orderly. (Yes, I believe the character is meant as a nod to Nicholas Sparks’s Noah in The Notebook.) In his 30’s, Noah seems to have everything a person could want – a nice car, a secure, well-paying job in his father’s company, and a great beach house. What Noah doesn’t have is his soul mate.

When he meets Robin, he is enticed by her free spirit. His parents, however, don’t see her as a good fit, so they exercise their strong control over his life by threatening his future in the family business. Due to both his inability to break away from his parents’ control and Robin’s own issues with staying in a relationship, they find each other and lose each other several times. In time he discovers that Robin’s issues revolve around a childhood trauma which brought on Borderline Personality Disorder.  All his attempts to fix their relationship fail. Although he loves Robin, he realizes it’s time to move on with his life. Just as Noah is preparing to marry Sarah, a woman who is more his friend than soul mate, Robin arrives at the church to interrupt the wedding.

Robin could be too late to save their relationship. Besides his fiance waiting at the altar, Noah must also consider his position in the family business. Sarah is the safe option. Which road will he choose and can he find true happiness in his decision?

The end of the story returns to 80-year-old Noah as he continues to tell his story to Josh in the hospital. All the people he has loved are standing around his death bed, so we still don’t know what choice Noah made on that wedding day. The author gradually reveals the choice. As a reader, I felt content with the ending.

I loved the story and the characters, but occasionally the time period of the scene or the organization of the story was confusing. The symbolism also seemed a bit heavy-handed. While the story is original, at times I felt it pulled ideas from The Notebook too much.  Having said that, Cole’s character of Noah has stayed with me. He felt like a friend I didn’t want to say goodbye to.

Sand Dollar: A Story of Undying Love by Sebastian Cole has earned several awards. In 2012  ForeWard Reviews Book of the Year named it their bronze winner, Feathered Quill Book Awards awarded Sand Dollar as their silver winner, and it was a USA Best Book Awards finalist, just to name a few. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

 

 

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Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks

Hi my shells! Thanks for taking a few minutes out of your day to hang out with me.

Photo courtesy of IslandLifeNC.com

I hope you caught my last post on the Kindred Spirit mailbox located in the middle of nowhere on a North Carolina beach. People leave stories from their lives there for others to discover. (If you missed it, I hope you will look back in your email or go to the blog page on robinshelley.com to read it.)

I first became aware of this intriguing mailbox when I read Nicholas Sparks’s newest novel Every Breath, released in October of 2018. Sparks uses this very real mailbox as an important part of his fictional story. With a unique narration, Sparks puts himself into the novel creating a frame story (a story inside a story). The novel begins with Sparks (as the narrator) finding the mailbox which contains a large envelope. Inside is a story that piques his interest. As the narrator, Sparks tells us he felt compelled to research the story which takes us back into the 1990’s to meet our characters, Hope and Tru.

Hope Anderson is spending a week at the family beach house before it gets sold, trying to work through some emotional issues in her life. Her long-term relationship isn’t headed any closer to a marriage proposal and her father has been diagnosed with ALS. 

Tru Walls, born and raised in Zimbabwe, makes a career out of being a safari guide. When he receives a letter from the father he never knew, he travels to North Carolina to meet him.

Tru and Hope end up in side-by-side beach houses. It doesn’t take long for them to meet and for the “sparks” to fly. The problem is to figure out how to make a relationship work when they live on different continents and both have obligations at home. The fairy tale beach romance gets overshadowed by reality. Hard choices are made putting family ahead of personal happiness. The story jumps to 2014 when they meet again.  Is it too late for Hope and Tru to find their personal happiness with each other? I can’t tell you more or it will spoil the book for you!  Just read it yourself.

Personally, I would have liked more scenes in Africa and more development of Tru’s relationship with his father. After all, Tru came all the way from Zimbabwe to the United States to meet him. It also bothers me that Hope and Tru fall so deeply in love in a matter of days, but that’s part of the formula. I’m able to set that aside while reading so I can enjoy an otherwise well-written story.  

The last Nicholas Sparks book I reviewed, Two By Two, disappointed me because it didn’t fit the brand Sparks has developed. It wasn’t the love story we’ve come to expect from him. However, with Every Breath, Sparks has found his way back to telling a love story like previous ones loved by so many. There will always be people who don’t like the formula he follows.  For others, it’s just what they crave. All I can say is it seems to work for him. I TRU-ly enjoyed Every Breath and give it a 4.8 on a 5 star rating.  If this is your kind of book, I HOPE you will pick it up and give it a try. Keep on reading!

 

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Two By Two by Nicholas Sparks

Do you have a favorite author?  For me, it’s Nicholas Sparks. If you don’t know who he is, which I find hard to imagine, perhaps it will ring a bell if you hear some of his titles, several which have been made into movies. He wrote A Walk to Remember, Dear John, Nights in Rodanthe, The Last Song, Message in a Bottle, Safe Haven, and the iconic The Notebook, just to name a few. He is usually thought of as an author of romance with tragic elements. He was my inspiration to start writing novels.

I just finished his latest book Two By Two. As much as I want to give it 5 stars, I can only give it 3.5. It was definitely worth the time to read it; however, Spark’s heartache from his own divorce understandably appears to be leaking into his writing. If you are looking for the typical Nicholas Sparks love story, this isn’t it. You might call it an anti-romance. Yet, I found the development of the main character interesting.

Through a large part of the novel (probably too much) we see the slow disintegration of a marriage. Russ is a people-pleaser. His wife Vivian manipulates him to the point that he becomes a non-entity in the relationship. When she leaves him, he struggles with his self-worth. He is overwhelmed by the divorce, his new role as a single parent and getting his new business up and running. Through these experiences and with the support of loved ones, Russ grows into a stronger man.

At first I thought it was strange that Sparks would write a book about a failing marriage. He’s supposed to write about romance, right?  And yet, it works. Readers feel for Russ as he goes from drowning in a nasty divorce to gasping Continue reading “Two By Two by Nicholas Sparks”

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The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand

Robin’s Rave Reviews 2018 

Reading goes hand-in-hand with writing.  Writers need to be reading.  So in between writing, researching how to get published, building my social network/platform, and living life, I still find time to read.

I just finished The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand which I would highly recommend.  The story revolves around twin sisters who are nothing alike.  One raised by her mother, the other by her father; one lives on Nantucket, the other on Martha’s Vineyard; one is very proper, the other leaps into trouble because she doesn’t think first.  They have been at odds with each other for years until a family tragedy forces them to cross paths.  Only they can decide if blood is thicker than the water that divides them.

What I liked:  The characters became like family to me.  They were realistic and interesting.   When I finished the last page, I didn’t want to leave their world.   I didn’t notice any slow spots in the story.   I just wanted to keep reading!  Elin used a smart parallel structure in her writing to masterfully show the differences in the women while also showcasing the differences between their two islands.  You will enjoy her nod to The Parent Trap when the women switch lives as they try to work out their personal issues.  

Fun Side Note:  Elin has a twin brother.  Obviously they aren’t identical, but she knows a thing or two about twinning!

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