This week was crazy busy. Seriously. But, I still got in two writing days!
About 1,500 words of fiction this week. (Ah…10,000-word days are such a fond/unbelievable memory now. Thank you, NaNo!). I also wrote five book reviews this week (three of those were written and scheduled on Thursday, before I left for my conference.)
For accountability purposes: in addition to three writing days this week (or 2,200 words), my goal is also to get two lessons done in HTWAN, because I am woefully behind.
After the death of their mother, Daisy and Beatriz were raised by their aunt Stella, barely 10 years older than Daisy. Stella gave up all her dreams to raise the girls, but now she’s hoping for a chance to realize her deepest dream—and maybe get a chance to correct a mistake she made long ago.
Bea made a happy life for herself after her marriage ended. Her beautiful daughter keeps her on her toes, and her art keeps her fulfilled. She’s even wondering if there’s something more between her and her best friend when her ex-husband shows back up, eager for reconciliation. It would make their daughter happy, but what about Bea?
Daisy works hard, gets thing done, and never, ever takes risks. That’s the way to get hurt, and Daisy has had quite enough of that, thank you. Until she meets a handsome stranger who makes her question everything she thought was true.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Cliff House. The characters are so distinct yet make such a perfect family. I could relate to all of them and their struggles—poor Stella—and I wanted them to find happiness. An enjoyable read!
RaeAnne Thayne was a journalist before she started writing fiction. The Cliff House is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/HQN via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
Chloe Daniels wakes up in the hospital with no idea how she got there, who she is, o what happened to her. She doesn’t recognize the strangers who call themselves her family, and she desperately wants to find out who she is.
As Chloe starts working to recover, some things just don’t make sense, and she realizes her family is keeping secrets from her. Life-shattering secrets. About her life. Her past. And what really happened the night of the car wreck.
Chloe’s family is horrible, frankly, and they made this novel difficult to read because I disliked them so much. I had trouble relating to Chloe as well, but she’s lost all memories of herself, so that’s a bit understandable. This is a pretty bleak read, but it does have a lot of secrets in it.
Michele Adams was born in the U.K., but now lives in Cyprus. Between the Lies is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
Martha Storm volunteers at the library. She does projects for anyone who needs help—laundry for a neighbor with a broken appliance, repairing a paper mache dragon head for the school, altering school uniforms for her nephew— and she’s so busy she doesn’t have time to wonder what happened to her life.
Until she receives a mysterious book filled with stories from her childhood, stories she wrote, and dedicated to her by her grandmother, Zelda, who died suddenly years before. In the book, Martha finds a clue that her grandmother may still be alive, and she’s determined to unravel the family secrets once and for all. And maybe, along the way, she’ll discover the truth about herself she’s kept hidden.
Martha experiences tremendous growth as a person in this book. Who she is and what she thinks she knows is completely upended, and she becomes someone new, like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis into the sun. I was enthralled by the mystery of Zelda and what happened in the Storm family all those years ago.
Phaedra Patrick is a bestselling author who lives in the U.K. The Library of Lost and Found is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Park Row/Harlequin via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
Chloe was three years old when she was adopted and became Chloe Holden. She wishes her biological mom had wanted to keep her, but she’s had a good, happy life. Until her parents’ divorce, when her mom moves her to Joyful, Texas—where joy is in short supply for Chloe’s mom, still bitter and angry from her dad’s betrayal.
Chloe runs into Cash—a hot guy from her new school—but his suspicion makes her wary. Who does Cash think she is? Chloe’s trying to parent her mother, and she could really use someone to rely on, but when Cash tells her he thinks she’s the kidnapped daughter of his foster parents, Chloe can’t deal with the questions this possibility raises.
In Another Life is a quick, read. It’s billed as a suspense novel, but I’d just say it has a little suspense in it. The focus is on the relationship between Chloe and Cash, but also on Chloe’s mom and her issues. I enjoyed reading it, but there weren’t any “I didn’t see that coming!” moments. Chloe and Cash both have some growing-up to do, and this novel explores the beginnings of that.
C.C. Hunter is a NY Times-bestselling author. In Another Life is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
Alice never expected to be a stay-at-home mom, but 7-year-old Eddie is on the autism spectrum and nonverbal, and needs all the care Alice can give him, while 10-year-old Callie is smart enough to cause herself problems. So, Alice’s world revolves around her kids and her husband, until her beloved grandmother falls ill, and asks Alice to find those she left behind in Poland during WWII. Her only clues are a faded photo of a young man, a tiny leather shoe, and a letter.
In 1940s Poland, Alina is young and in love, and gets engaged to Tomasz just before he goes away to college. She can’t wait to start their future together. Then the Nazis arrive, and her whole world changes to hunger, fear, and a desperate longing for Tomasz. She knows he’ll keep his promise to return to her, but so many obstacles stand in the way, and the darkness around them may sweep them under if anyone finds out their secrets.
This book. This book. Fantastically well-written, I found myself drawn into both timelines effortlessly, caring about both Alice and Alina and their happiness. The horrors of war are captured in small bits, enough to paint the picture, but not so much that the reader can’t move past it. I cried at the end, but this story is filled with so much hope and love. A wonderful read!
Kelly Rimmer is a USA Today bestselling author. The Things We Cannot Say is her newest book.
(Galley courtesy of Graydon House via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
Confession time: I think I only wrote about 600 words this week. Yep. Two 10-minute sessions and that’s it.
But…at least it’s writing. And I did do academic writing. Like…two decently long discussion board posts, and a 5-page paper that kind of made me want to bang my head on my desk. And three book reviews. So, at least there was writing.
Jessie McBride moved back home to Glory Road ten years ago when her marriage failed. She lives with her 14-year-old daughter, Evan, and her aging mother, Gus, and they run a garden shop together. Jessie has given up on love and is content with her life, though she worries about her daughter, who’s about to enter high school, and her mother, who’s starting to forget things.
Then two men arrive on Glory Road: handsome Sumner Tate who asks her to do the flowers for his daughter’s wedding, and Ben Bradley, her best friend from high school who she never quite voiced her feelings for. Jessie loves the attention that Sumner gives her, but Ben is safety and security. Between her daughter, who’s interested in the new boy down the road, her mother’s health, and these two men, Jessie’s quiet life is in shambles.
This is the second Lauren K. Denton book I’ve read, and I have to say two things first off: her cover artist is amazing, and I love her writing. I do love Southern fiction as a whole (once I realized it was a thing), but she does it so well, making the setting live and breathe. Her characters are strong and struggling, imperfect and impossible not to love, and her writing is beautiful. Go read this.
Lauren K. Denton was born and raised in Alabama. Glory Road is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Thomas Nelson via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
An aborted 911-call brings an officer to a quiet house, with signs of a struggle and blood. Lots of blood. A terrified child and two frightened, battered women, along with the dead husband of one of the women tell the same story: crazy, ex-military man snaps and tries to strangle his wife’s best friend, so his wife kills him in self-defense.
But to get the whole story, you must go back in time to when Maddie and Ian first met, back in the war-torn Balkans where she and Jo lived and worked and played, and Ian was a bodyguard. Back to when Maddie came home after 9-11 and struggled to start her life over, and Ian abandoned her for nine years. Back to their fledgling relationship and new marriage, when Ian wanted a quiet country life and Maddie wanted to travel and explore, and instead they had a baby. Back to that night in the forest camping, where Maddie was injured, but she doesn’t remember how.
Only by going back do you learn what happened now.
I finished reading this, but it was a struggle. Maddie is an unreliable—and for me, unlikable—narrator, and Jo is…erratic. So is Ian. Basically, none of the relationships in this story made sense to me. Obsession, maybe, dependence, surely, but love and caring? Nope. Didn’t see it. The ending is supposed to be a shock, but…it wasn’t. The signs are there all along and aren’t exactly subtle.
Annie Ward lived and worked in the Balkans, was a Fulbright Scholar, and now writes novels. Beautiful Bad is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Park Row via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
Alice Roosevelt is the oldest daughter of Teddy Roosevelt, who becomes president unexpectedly. Life in the White House isn’t what Alice expected, and she chafes at the restrictions and rules she’s expected to follow, until she decides that doing her own thing is the way to be and becomes the darling of the press.
But Washington is not for the faint of heart, and Alice will be pushed to her limits to survive, love, marriage, and raising a family—all while keeping her political hat in the ring. Through two world wars and more loss than anyone should have to endure, Alice remains America’s princess.
Honestly, I wasn’t even aware that Teddy Roosevelt had a daughter (two, actually). I know basically nothing about his presidency or his family, but Alice is a fascinating character. It’s interesting watching her grow up in the public eye—as if growing up and navigating love isn’t hard enough by itself—but watching her adroit political maneuvering was even more fascinating. This is a solid historical read.
Stephanie Thornton is a writer and a history teacher. American Princess is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
Tomorrow Is Another Day 