Monday, April 18, 2022

Blog Tour Spotlight & Excerpt: Summer at the Cape by RaeAnne Thayne

Hello there! I've been MIA for the last week since moving is kicking my butt and looking at other houses is has scrambled my brain, but I wanted to share the newest from a favorite author RaeAnne Thayne! I have an excerpt to share as well as details for the book:


Summer at the Cape by RaeAnne Thayne
Publication Date: April 12th 2022 by HQN
Pages: 336
Source: Publisher


Excerpt:




Book Description:
 

Summer at the Cape is the fourth original hardcover from New York Times, USA TODAY, and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne. With the emotional pull of Debbie Macomber, Barbara Delinsky, and Susan Wiggs, RaeAnne tells the story of the Porter sisters, Cami and Violet, who come together to mourn the death of Violet's twin, Lily. Over the course of the summer, the sisters must make peace with each other and also individually with their free-spirited, outspoken, activist mother who left their father two decades earlier.


As the older sister to identical twins Violet and Lily, Cami Porter had always been the odd sister out. The breach became even stronger when her parents split up—while the twins stayed in Cape Sanctuary with their free-spirited activist mother, Rosemary, fourteen-year-old Cami moved to L.A. with her by-the-book attorney father, Ted. Nearly twenty years later, when Cami gets the tragic news that Lily has drowned saving a child, Cami returns to her childhood home—her mother and Violet need her.



About the author:

New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne finds inspiration in the beautiful norhtern Utah mountains where she lives with her family.   Her stories have been described as "poignant and sweet" with "beautiful honest storytelling that goes straight to the heart."  She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.raeannethayne.com.



Connect with RaeAnne Thayne:





Saturday, April 9, 2022

Review: One Night on the Island by Josie Silver

 


One Night on the Island by Josie Silver
Publication Date: February 15th 2022 by Ballantine Books
Pages: 368
Source: Publisher & Purchased Audiobook
Rating: ★★★★★
Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:
Cleo and Mac arrive on the same secluded Irish Island to get away from their hectic lives and sort themselves out. Unfortunately, they’ve both booked Otter Lodge and here’s where the forced proximity fun begins. There’s a lot of introspection for Cleo and Mac as they each are at a turning point in their lives, not such a convenient time for a romance, but you know how that goes. They start off very much annoyed with the situation, each wanting the other to be the one to leave, but of course little by little they become friends and more. I loved the “three things” they’d reveal to each other every night in the dark, where it was safe to divulge personal and random things.

One Night on the Island was oh-so-lovely with beautiful and clever writing that made not only the characters come to life with all their emotions, highs and lows, but the island as well! I could feel the moodiness of the weather, the salt in the air, warmth from the fire inside the lodge. I adored the quirky and lovable people of this small island.

I alternated between the audio and e-copy and really enjoyed the audio. I loved Eleonor Tomlinson performance of Cleo and all other characters.  I only wished David Brooks performed Cleo’s parts with an English accent. He did a fabulous job with Mac. Definite recommend!

5 Stars


About the book:

Spending her thirtieth birthday alone is the last thing that dating columnist Cleo wanted, but she is going on a self-coupling quasi-sabbatical--at the insistence of her boss--in the name of re-energizing herself and adding a new perspective to her column. The remote Irish island she's booked is a far cry from London, but at least it's a chance to hunker down in a luxury cabin and indulge in some quiet, solitary self-care while she figures out her next steps in her love life and her career.

Mac is also looking forward to some time to himself. With his life in Boston deteriorating in ways he can't bring himself to acknowledge, his soul searching has brought him to the same Irish island in search of his roots and some clarity. Unfortunately, a mix-up with the bookings means both solitude seekers have reserved the same one-bedroom hideaway on exactly the same dates.

Instantly at odds with each other, Cleo and Mac don't know how they're going to manage until the next weekly ferry arrives. But as the days go by, they no longer seem to mind each other's company quite as much as they thought they would...

Written with Josie Silver's signature warmth, charm and insights into the human heart, One Night on the Island explores the meaning of home, the joys of escape and how the things we think we want are never the things we really need.


Friday, April 8, 2022

Blog Tour Review: A Family Affair by Robyn Carr

 

A Family Affair by Robyn Carr
Publication Date: April 5th 2022 by MIRA & Harlequin Audio
Pages: 320
Source: Publisher & Purchased Audiobook
Rating: ★★★★★

My Thoughts:
Fifty-seven-year-old Anna has just lost her husband, Chad, in a rafting accident, and it sends her family into a swirl of chaos and change. Her husband was far from a saint, unfulfilled and unhappy, playing the blame game with Anna. She’s angry with him for his recklessness, but she doesn’t share their troubles with their kids until they get a shock with the terms of Chad’s will.

I just loved this story so much! As usual Robyn Carr grabbed my attention from the first page! There are several story lines, with Anna the main focus and her children having to deal with the loss of their father and the issues they had never examined before. Jess and Michael had the most personal growth, both were self-centered in their own way even though Jess seemed like more of a mess at first. Angry and demanding as she went about her life, she managed to self-sabotage any romantic relationship in short order. It was interesting getting to the bottom of that and I ended up really liking her!

Michael, while likable was pretty juvenile and careless with his girlfriend. Grief made him act like a jerk, but I was happy to see him turn around.

My heart went out to Anna as the details of her marriage were recounted. I was impressed by how she dealt with everything, and she was such a great example! I was thrilled she had a second chance at happiness with a love interest of her own, and I thought it was refreshing to show a mature romance fulfilling and passionate!  

I alternately read and listened to A Family Affair, not wanting to put it down while I had to get things done! It was a treat to listen as Therese Plummer is one of my all-time favorite narrators. Perfection! I was filled with happiness for all the characters on finishing. Five star read all the way! A definite recommend!

5 Stars



About the book:

An exceptional storyteller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr beautifully captures the emotionally charged, complex dynamics that come with being part of any family. Readers will laugh and shed a few tears as they discover what it means to be loved, supported and accepted by the people who mean the most.


When a woman notices a young pregant woman attending her husband's funeral she realizes his mid-life crisis went far beyond his weekend warrior lifestyle. But Carr's story of a family dealing with their grief is full of surprises and as everyone examines their own beliefs and behavior, they become closer than they ever thought possible. Carr tackles the serious issues women face with humor and heart.



About the author:

Robyn Carr is an award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than sixty novels, including highly praised women’s fiction such as Four Friends, The Summer That Made Us and The View from Alameda Island, as well as the critically acclaimed Virgin River, Thunder Point and Sullivan's Crossing series. Virgin River is now a Netflix original series. Robyn lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can visit her website at robyncarr.com.


Connect with Robyn Carr:








Thursday, April 7, 2022

Blog Tour Review: Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak

 


Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak
Publication Date: April 5th 2022 by Mira Books
Pages: 400
Source: Publisher 
Rating: ★★★★

My Thoughts:
Marlow is back on Teach, an island off the coast of Miami, after her father’s death to help her mother pack up his stuff. She’s also there for a much-needed break with her two friends Aida and Claire.  After closing down her law practice, Marlow is mulling over what she’d like to do next, so she’s there indefinitely.  Seclusion has always been her favorite of the family’s houses and now her mother is condensing and planning on living on Teach full-time. But part of the past is regret over how she treated Walker, the housekeeper’s son. He had a wild crush on her and being young, immature, and selfish she wasn’t very nice about it, something she deeply regrets.  

Walker, now the Chief of Police for Teach, plans on keeping his distance from Marlow. He has no plans of repeating the past by fawning over her now. However, it seems life has other plans.
 
Walker and Marlow’s romance was a long time coming with him pining over her while they were teenagers. Unrequited love is one of my favorite tropes, so it was a pleasure to see Marlow, while trying to make amends, fall hard for Walker. They started off with a little bit angry, passionate encounters that lit up the pages! Of course, they couldn’t stay angry with each other for long.

There’s also the fallout after Marlow finds out her father wasn’t the saint she thought, a blow to her mother as well. And then there’s Aida and Claire, her two friends that joined her for the Summer. Aida met Claire when Claire found out she was seeing a married man, Aida’s husband. I had to scratch my head over that storyline. Not sure I could be friends with my husband’s ex-mistress, even if she didn’t know she was seeing a married man!  There’s some kerfuffle with that situation as things are not as resolved as they think.

Summer on the Island was part women’s fiction, part romance (my favorite part, of course!) with a little bit of danger mixed in the end, and I enjoyed every bit of it!

4 Stars


About the book:

For fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Nancy Thayer, New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak's newest standalone novel about friendship, family and the ties that bind and challenge us follows three friends as they escape to a coastal Florida town for the summer.


Marlo Madsen has just been through a global pandemic that turned her life—and the lives of almost everyone she knows—upside down. Her beloved father has died from COVID. Helping her mother, who has MS, handle his estate means returning to the small coastal Florida town where she was raised.


Having just left her job as a divorce attorney—which paid well but showed her too much of the worst in people—she’s invited two friends to join her for a seaside summer. The two friends are also facing huge life changes after the worsening California wildfires took everything from them, and need to decompress and recuperate. And travel has long been forbidden, so they are beyond appreciative for the ability to escape.


Unfortunately, a restful summer doesn’t seem to be in the cards, especially when Marlo learns about a special provision in her father’s will that reveals he has a love child with Rosemarie, the housekeeper who’s worked for the family for years. Rosemarie’s son was around while Marlo was growing up, but she never suspected a thing. Nobody did. And once the news is revealed, the fallout will cause waves big enough to topple two families and a whole community.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brenda Novak, a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author, has penned over sixty novels. She is a five-time nominee for the RITA Award and has won the National Reader's Choice, the Bookseller's Best, the Bookbuyer's Best, and many other awards. She also runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity to raise money for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised $2.5 million. For more about Brenda, please visit www.brendanovak.com.


Connect with Brenda Novak:







Sunday, April 3, 2022

The Sunday Post #160

 

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week.

Happy Sunday! I've been packing and packing and packing, and still it feels like I haven't made much of a dent.  Ack! Our escrow closes April 22nd which means I have two full weekends left to pack and move. We have to be out by Saturday the 23rd at 6pm. 

I have two more giveaways posted in the effort to clear out books (check the right sidebar) and I may post one more. 

Read:
Click on cover for Goodreads link:

Had a great reading week, but only posted one review: Tough Justice. 

Received/Purchased/Library Lend:


I haven't read Ilsa Madden-Mills but I loved the sound of Beauty and the Baller so I grabbed up the audio/e-copy through Kindle Unlimited read/listen for free. I can't believe I was approved for The Friendship Pact because Avon/William Morrow usually rejects me, but I was giddy when I saw the email! Love the Maggie D'arcy series so I was happy to get a copy of The Drowning Sea. Looking forward to Falling for You after enjoying the last book.

Instagram:

One of the two giveaways I've posted. 


How was your week?




Saturday, April 2, 2022

Giveaway: The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh

 The Love of My Life was a captivating read (click HERE for my review).  I'm thrilled to have a physical copy for my shelf, but I have two copies so I'm passing on my Paperback ARC. 


The giveaway is open to US Residents only. Fill in the rafflecopter for a chance to win1 Good luck!



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Friday, April 1, 2022

8 Book Giveaway!

Happy Friday!  I'm moving in three weeks!!! Ack! Let the packing begin. Here's my latest giveaway. Passing on books so I don't have so many to move:


Graveminder by Melissa Marr-Hardcover signed by author
Taking Shots by Toni Aleo-Paperback signed by author
Trying to Score by Toni Aleo-Paperback signed by author
Breaking Away-by Toni Aleo-Paperback signed by author
Meg & Jo by Virginia Kantra-Paperback
Behind the Curtain by Beth Kery-Paperback ARC
I Flipping Love You by Helena Hunting-Paperback
Charade by Nyrae Dawn-Paperback signed by author

The giveaway is open to US Residents only. Fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win. Good luck!



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