Books

On the Blog today, I have a review for Both are True by Reyna Marder Gentin for Suzy Approved Book Tours!

Release Date: October 5, 2021

About The Book:

Judge Jackie Martin’s job is to impose order on the most chaotic families in New York City. So how is she blindsided when the man she loves walks out on her?

Jackie Martin is a woman whose intelligence and ambition have earned her a coveted position as a judge on the Manhattan Family Court-and left her lonely at age 39. When she meets Lou Greenberg, Jackie thinks she’s finally found someone who will accept her exactly as she is. But when Lou’s own issues, including an unresolved yearning for his ex-wife, make him bolt without explanation, Jackie must finally put herself under the same microscope as the people she judges. When their worlds collide in Jackie’s courtroom, she learns that sometimes love’s greatest gift is opening you up to love others.

Miss W’s Review:

Both are True is a compelling legal drama. This book was hard to put down and I was engaged and captivated from the first page until the last.

The main character, Jackie Martin is a family court judge. Her entire world is rocked when her boyfriend Lou, leaves her and only a note is left behind. The breakup really does a number on her and she is questioning and doubting all aspects of her life. All she wants is Lou back and she really thinks that if she gets Lou back everything will be better.

One day one of Lou’s family ends up in her courtroom and she is faced with a terrible moral choice.
One that will effect not only her life, but many others.

When a member of Lou’s family ends up in her courtroom, Jackie is faced with the difficult choice between her career and her relationship. But maybe there’s a way to have both? If women can supposedly have it all, could there be a way for her to have her cake and eat it too?

The characters are well written, complex, flawed and well fleshed out.

The story left me questioning what I would do. The themes of love lost and trying everything to get that person back thinking it will fix everything is one that I related to.

This is really a fantastic book that I really enjoyed. 

About The Author:

Reyna Marder Gentin grew up in Great Neck, New York. She attended college and law school at Yale. For many years, she practiced as an appellate attorney with a public defender’s office before turning to writing full time. Reyna has studied at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, and her work has been published widely online and in print. Her debut novel, a romantic legal thriller entitled UNREASONABLE DOUBTS, was named a finalist for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association Star Award in 2019. Her first novel for children, MY NAME IS LAYLA, (TouchPoint Press, January, 2021) is the story of a young teen with undiagnosed dyslexia. Reyna’s latest novel, BOTH ARE TRUE, is contemporary fiction set in New York City, and is available for pre-order now. It will be published in October, 2021, by Moonshine Cove Press. Reyna lives with her family in Scarsdale, New York. To learn more, please visit www.reynamardergentin.com.

Until the next Chapter,

Wilfrieda

I am thrilled to bring you my review of Crazy Free by Tori Starling for Suzy Approved Book Tours.

Release Date: April 20, 2021 

About The Book:

What if the story you believed about your past was overturned by one shocking piece of news?

There have always been glaring holes in Emily Sharp’s family history. 

br> Her mother, Pam, a high-strung attorney, rarely speaks of the father she despises or of the mother she never knew. But when Emily, a journalist for a local magazine, receives an assignment to investigate the sale of an old, sprawling mental institution in a nearby town, Pam reluctantly opens up and shares that her mother, Kora Mitchell, was a patient there and died shortly after she was committed. As Emily digs deeper into the tarnished asylum’s past, Kora’s voice comes alive, and long-buried secrets are unveiled that shake the foundation of Pam’s-and Emily’s-existence.

Based on records from a now-defunct mental hospital in the American South, Crazy Free paints a picture of women helping women cope–and even thrive–in confinement during the early 1960s. Contrasted with the roles of women in society today, it compassionately lays bare a time in our nation’s history when females were often committed for postpartum depression or other emotional imbalances.

Told from alternating points of view, this novel weaves together three generations of women and their passions, dreams, and losses. As Kora’s truth unfolds, Emily and Pam must decide if they will continue to be influenced by the lies of their past or if they will move beyond their haunted ancestry to forge new paths.

Miss W’s Review:

Crazy Free is a heartbreaking story.
Most stories about Mental Health are.
The story is about three generations of strong, independent women.
Though heartbreaking, there are some moments of light.
Mental Illness 50 years ago was very different than it is today.
There is still a long way to go though.
Wonderfully crafted characters and a story that will leave you weeping, but surprised as secrets are unfolded.

About The Author:

Always a lover of books, Tori Starling holds a bachelor of arts in journalism, and writing a novel of her own was a lifelong dream. She enjoys reading and writing about strong women who have lost their way due to challenges that we all face. She believes anyone can heal from past traumas if they are given the right support. Her debut novel CRAZY FREE is a women’s fiction family saga with a touch of hope and southern grace.

In addition to writing fiction, she is also the creator of Jake’s Journey with Apraxia, which ran with the help of contributing writers from 2012 to 2016. Tori is married with three sons and two gorgeous fur babies. In her spare time, she likes to read, journal, walk for pleasure, run for stress, chat with girlfriends, watch her boys play sports, and spend time outside with her husband. She is currently studying to be a holistic health practitioner and is passionate about helping others live their best life.

http://www.crazy-free.com/

Until the next Chapter,

Wilfrieda

On the blog today I am sharing a review of Windswept by Annabelle McCormack on book blog tour for Suzy Approved Book Tours.

Release Date: Sept. 21, 2021
About The Book:

A British nurse in WWI Egypt races to deliver explosive intelligence that could change the course of the war in this novel of suspense, adventure, and love. 

May, 1917. Ginger Whitman left a life of wealth and privilege in England to train as a battlefield nurse and serve in the Great War. Working on the brutal frontlines in Palestine, she finds a wounded soldier hiding in her camp. The soldier claims to carry intelligence unmasking a secret plot against the British—and that traitors within British intelligence are searching for him. Desperate and dying, the soldier entrusts a coded message to her care.

Ginger is hurled into an unfamiliar world of intrigue and murder amidst the war-ravaged Arabian desert. She’s determined to help her country but trusting the wrong person could cost her life. Then the arrival of mysterious and handsome British intelligence officer Major Noah Benson offers a chance of help. But Noah may be as dangerous as he is charming. As she’s swept away by stolen moments on the desert sands, Ginger realizes her heart may also be at risk. 

Hunted by a shadowy enemy spy, Ginger must decide if she can trust Noah. But as she grapples with her decision, Ginger makes a shocking discovery: a sinister secret that threatens to shatter the world she thought she knew.

Miss W’s Review:

Windswept by Annabelle McCormack is a wonderfully written historical fiction that takes place in Egypt during WWI.

I enjoyed the WWI time period, and the location of Egypt. I love reading about WWI, and I really liked the location during WWI, it was different than any location I had read in any historical fiction during WWI.

This story had everything: history, mystery, lies and secrets. The characters are well developed, researched and fleshed out.

This was a great story and I get a feeling that there is more to this story. Maybe a series? I really hope so!

About The Author:

Annabelle McCormack writes historical women’s fiction with epic settings, adventure, and romance. Her debut book Windswept, a novel about a British WWI nurse in the Middle East caught in a dangerous web of intrigue and romance, will be published September 2021.

She was born in San Jose, Costa Rica to a Costa Rican mother and American father. She moved to the US at the age of 4, but remains fully bilingual in English and Spanish. She studied at the Johns Hopkins University, where she obtained a Master of Arts in Fiction in 2010. Afterward, she dedicated herself to her photography business, while continuing to work on her

writing as a long-term goal. In 2018, she received the award for Best Novel at the 2018 Red Sneaker’s Writer Conference (now Writer-Con). She lives in Maryland with her husband and five children and writes as a staff blogger for Inkitt Writer’s Blog.  https://annabellemccormack.com/ 

Until the next chapter,

Wilfrieda

On the blog today I am EXCITED to bring you my review for Other People’s Things by Kerry Anne King for Suzy Approved Book Tours!

Release Date: September 21, 2021

About The Book:

From the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Whisper Me This comes a witty, magical story about improbable connections, difficult gifts, and the unexpected events that heal us and bring us together.

Jailbird. Klepto. Spectacular failure to launch. Nicole Wood’s sticky fingers have earned her many names, but it’s not that she’s stealing―some objects just need to be moved elsewhere, and the universe has chosen her to do it. Still, being a relocator of objects isn’t easy. With her marriage on the rocks, no real-world skills, and the threat of prison hanging over her head, Nicole is determined to change her ways.

Things seem to be looking up, thanks to a godsent job with her sister’s housecleaning business―until she encounters a seemingly harmless paperback that insists on moving from one client’s home to another’s. Nicole hopes no one will notice, but the action stirs up long-hidden secrets and triggers a series of fateful events that threatens to destroy the life she’s creating and hurt those closest to her. She’ll need to embrace her unwieldy gift and take a chance on love in order to unravel the mystery and fix what’s gone wrong.

Miss W’s Review:

Other People’s Things by Kerry Anne King is a wonderful book with such a unique premise.
Nicole is someone that has been called a thief but truly she believes she is relocating items.
This book was very hard to put down and has a bit of everything. A contemporary fiction with romance and magical realism, which I LOVED!

There are multiple story lines that are expertly woven together. But lets not forget the twists and turns. I really loved Nicole, she was well written, fleshed out, complicated and flawed. I really loved this story and highly recommend it.

About the Author:

About The Author:

Kerry Anne King is the Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestselling author of Whisper Me This; Everything You Are, a finalist for the Nancy Pearl Book Awards hosted by the Pacific Northwest Writers Association; and A Borrowed Life, a best women’s fiction nominee in the 2020 Authors on the Air Book of the Year Awards. Voted the 2020 Writer of the Year by the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Kerry writes compelling and transformational stories about family and personal growth with elements of mystery, humor, and an undercurrent of romance.

When she’s not absorbed in creative pursuits, you’ll find Kerry hanging out with her real-life Viking on their little piece of heaven in rural northeastern Washington. For more information visit www.kerryanneking.com.

Until the next chapter,

Wilfrieda

Today on the blog I have a review for Two Winters by Lauren Emily Whalen for Suzy Approved Book Tours!

Release Date: September 14, 2021 

About The Book:

Two Winters is a contemporary YA retelling of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale about birth, death, Catholic school, improv comedy and the healing nature of time.

The winter of 1997 is a tragedy waiting to happen. Small-town life isn’t easy for seventeen-year-old, bisexual and closeted Paulina, especially when her best friend Mia becomes pregnant and doesn’t want to tell the baby’s father, Paulina’s other best friend, Tesla. Meanwhile, Paulina’s secret relationship with volleyball star Ani is about to go public. One fateful night, everything changes forever. 

In the winter of 2014, Perdita, bi and proud in Chicago, is weeks away from turning seventeen. She loves her two moms, but why won’t they talk about her adoption? When Perdita meets improv performer Fenton, she discovers both a kindred soul and a willing accomplice in her search for the truth. Will Perdita find what she’s looking for? 

Miss W’s Review:

Two Winter’s is a retelling of Shakespeare “A Winters Tale”

The story is told through multiple timelines, 1997 where Mia is pregnant and then 17 years later when Mia’s daughter is 17 years old. I enjoyed this story telling. The characters were well written and I enjoyed the nod to the original story.

This was a great retelling of the story and having read the classic, this adaption was really a great take. The plot was nicely paced and well thought out.

About the Author:

Lauren Emily Whalen is the author of two books for young adults: the novel Satellite (2017) and the nonfiction book Dealing with Drama (2021). Her queer YA short story “I Saw Her Again” appears in the holiday ghost anthology Link by Link (2020). Lauren is a freelance writer, professional performer, and very amateur aerialist who graduated from Catholic school and is an unabashed devotee of the Bard. She lives in Chicago with her cat, Versace, and an apartment full of books.

Until the next Chapter,

Wilfrieda

On the blog today I have a review of A Cuban Russian American Love Story by Adam Pelzman on tour for Suzy Approved Book Tours.

Release Date: May 11, 2021

About The Book:

A young Cuban woman passes her nights dancing in a seedy Florida strip club. A Russian orphan loses everything, then builds a new and prosperous life for himself in America. An American woman struggles to maintain her hope and dignity after a life-changing accident.

As their lives become unexpectedly intertwined, Perla, Julian and Sophie are forced to confront their suffering and reimagine their futures in surprising and unconventional ways.

In A Cuban Russian American Love Story, Adam Pelzman has written a poignant and inspiring novel about three wounded people who attempt to turn tragedy into beauty—and discover that love, forgiveness and healing can sometimes be found in the most unlikely places.

Miss W’s Review:

A Cuban Russian American Love Story is a poignant tale of unexpected love.

The story is about “a young Cuban woman passes her nights dancing in a seedy Florida strip club. A Russian orphan loses everything, then builds a new and prosperous life for himself in New York. An American woman struggles to maintain her hope and dignity after a life-changing accident”.

The story is well written and encompasses themes of love, damage, healing and forgiveness.

The characters are complex, complicated, and well fleshed out.

This is an unexpected, beautiful multi-cultural love story. 

About The Author:

Adam Pelzman was born in Seattle, raised in Northern New Jersey, and has spent most of his life in New York City. He studied Russian literature at the University of Pennsylvania and received a law degree from UCLA. He is the author of The Papaya King (Jackson Heights Press, 2019), The Boy and the Lake (Jackson Heights Press, 2020), and A Cuban Russian American Love Story (Jackson Heights Press, 2021).

https://www.adampelzman.com/

Until the next chapter,

Wilfrieda

I am thrilled to bring you my review for The Magic of Found Objects by Maddie Dawson for book blogger tour for Suzy Approved Book Tours!

About the Book:

Release Date: 8/1/2021

From the bestselling author of Matchmaking for Beginners comes a feel-good story about becoming who you were meant to be all along.

Phronsie Linnelle was conceived at Woodstock in a serendipitous liaison between a free-spirited hippie and a farmer’s son and was born with magical wonder flickering in her DNA and rationality knit into her bones. All her life she’s been torn between the two. But now that she’s been betrayed by both love and the mother she once idolized, her rational side is winning.

So when her best friend from childhood proposes that they give up on romance and marry each other, Phronsie agrees. Who better to spend your life with than your best friend? Maybe the connection they already have is love. Maybe there’s no falling to be done. But immediately after they announce their engagement, she encounters someone who makes a very charming and compelling argument for revisiting romance.

While her even-keeled stepmother argues for the safety that comes with her new engagement and her mother relays messages from the universe to hold out for true love, Phronsie must look to her own heart to find the answers that have been there all along.

Miss W’s Review:

The Magic of Found Objects by Maddie Dawson is a FANTASTIC read. Phronsie Linnelle is the main character and I know what its like to have a different name (Wilfrieda here). You always here the story of if you and your bestie both reach a certain age and your not married you will marry each other. Well this is a fantastic twist on that story. When Phronsie’s bestie proposes that they do exactly that, she’s all in. They agree there won’t be love, but she’s okay with the deep connection they already have. After she has announced her engagement, someone pops into her life that may put a wrench into things, maybe real romance? This was such a well written novel. The characters are well developed, fleshed out, flawed and simply embraceable. This story is about more than just love and romance. It is about family and family drama and how Phronsie came to be and how she has dealt with that her whole life. A wonderful womens fiction novel with elements of family, friends, love and romance. I cannot recommend this book enough!

About The Author:

Maddie Dawson grew up in the South, born into a family of outrageous storytellers. Her various careers as a substitute English teacher, department-store clerk, medical-records typist, waitress, cat sitter, wedding-invitation-company receptionist, nanny, day care worker, electrocardiogram technician, and Taco Bell taco maker were made bearable by thinking up stories as she worked. Today Maddie lives in Guilford, Connecticut, with her husband. She’s the bestselling author of seven previous novels: A Happy Catastrophe, Matchmaking for Beginners, The Survivor’s Guide to Family Happiness, The Opposite of Maybe, The Stuff That Never Happened, Kissing Games of the World, and A Piece of Normal. For more information visit www.maddiedawson.com.

Until the Next Chapter,

Wilfrieda

I am thrilled to share my review of Snow in Summer by Laura Kemp for the book blog tour for Suzy Approved Book Tours.

Release Date: November 11, 2020

About The Book:

It’s been a year since Justine Cook defeated an immortal enemy that had hunted her family for generations. Settling into a peaceful life with her boyfriend in the small town of Lantern Creek, Michigan, she hopes to escape the events of the summer before. But the past won’t let go so easily. When a woman named Amanda Bennett survives a fall from a cliff on Mackinac Island, it triggers a series of events that reawakens the past. Soon Justine and her brother Adam are pulled into a mystery that threatens to destroy the new life they have worked so hard to create. As people begin to die- people only Amanda Bennett can see- Justine must race against time to destroy a dark power she thought she had buried the summer before.

Miss W’s Review:

Snow in Summer is an INCREDIBLE follow up book to “Evening in the Yellow Wood”. This can be enjoyed as a wonderful stand alone novel, but I highly recommend the first book as well. Snow is Summer is a compelling , exciting novel. This story refuses to be put in a box. There are so many wonderful things about this book, I love the suspense, paranormal and time travel aspect so much. I absolutely love Justine and Dylan, they are incredible characters that are so well written and fleshed out and multi dimensional. I highly recommend this exciting novel . I really hope there are more books to follow!

About the Author:

Laura is a teacher who loves to write about her home state of Michigan. She has a B.A. in Creative Writing from Western Michigan University where she studied under Stuart Dybek, and has had her short fiction and poetry published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Word Riot, Tonopalah Review, SaLit and SLAB: Sound and Literary Art Book. “The Pursuit of Happiness,” – a short story she wrote while at WMU, was chosen as a finalist in the Trial Balloon Fiction Contest.

When not writing, Laura enjoys musical theatre, hiking, swimming, reading and performing with her Celtic band- Si Bhaeg Si Mohr. She also enjoys spending time with her husband and children as well as her pets. https://laurakempbooks.com/

Until the Next Chapter,

Wilfrieda

I am such a HUGE fan of Jill Shalvis and I am exited to be on the book tour for Suzy Approved Book Tours for Love for Beginners!

Release Date: June 8, 2021

About The Book:

What would you change if you had to start your life—and love life—over again?

When Emma Harris wakes up from a coma she learns that her fiancé and her BFF have fallen in love, she’s lost her job, and the life she knew is gone. Overwhelmed but grateful to be alive she starts over from scratch. Not as easy as it sounds, of course. But she’s never been a quitter, even if she wishes she could quit rehab, where her hot but evil physical therapist, Simon, puts her through the wringer. 

Eager for a new beginning, Emma opens a doggy day care. Unfortunately, the only space she can afford is owned by her childhood nemesis Ali Pratt. But hey, she’s been through worse, right? She tries to roll with the punches, but a friend drops his grandpa off at the doggy day care in desperation then on top of that, she and Ali bring the term ‘frenemies’ to a whole new level. And then another grandparent shows up. And another.

In the midst of all that, Emma realizes she’s accidentally fallen for Evil PT. But the most horrifying thing of all is that Ali just might have turned into the best friend she’s ever had. And as Emma grows from the pain of her past and takes on her new path, she comes to realize that life isn’t what you’re given, it’s what you make of it.

Miss W’s Review:

I have read (devoured) all of Jill Shalvis’s Wildstone series and Love for Beginners was totally my favorite! This is book 7 in the series but all books are wonderful stand alone stories.

We meet Emma who wakes up from a coma to discover her fiancé has left her for her best friend. But that’s not even enough because she has to live with them. I mean you just got out of a coma, where would you go? What would you do?

Then we meet Emma’s physical therapist Simon and I absolutely loved the chemistry between these two. Next level snark, yes please!

The characters had such a great chemistry and the story was well written. I had such a hard time putting this book down. It was such a joy to read such a wonderful story!

I highly recommend this book !

About The Author:

Multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is … mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning heartwarming and full of humor novels wherever books are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures. https://www.jillshalvis.com/

Until the next chapter,

Wilfrieda

I am excited to bring you my review for When I Last Saw You by Bette Lee Crosby on Book Tour for Suzy Approved Book Tours

Release Date: May 4, 2021

About The Book:

Georgia, 1968 – Margaret Rose McCutcheon has just buried her husband and must now name a beneficiary for their estate in case of her demise. She is hard-pressed to do so because there is no one. No children. No family. At least none to speak of. At one time, she had two sisters and six brothers, but the lot of them were scattered to the four winds, with no one knowing where the others went. In the hope of finding at least one of her siblings, Margaret hires a detective and sets off on a journey to uncover the truth of why the family broke apart as it did. 

West Virginia, 1901 – When Eliza Hobbs gives birth to her sixth child, her husband is not there to welcome his daughter into the world. No surprise, because Martin is seldom there. He works in Charleston and returns to Coal Creek only when he has a mind to. Yes, he sends money on occasion, but seldom enough to make ends meet. Although Eliza believes each new child a blessing, he sees them as yet another responsibility on his already overloaded shoulders. When he discovers another child is on the way, he demands she get rid of it. he stops returning home and there is no more money. 

Left with the children, a mountainside patch of land, and a house in sorry need of repair, Eliza seeks help and turns to someone powerful enough to hold sway over Martin and force him into providing for his family. Pushed to the brink, Martin does something unforgivable and the family is forever torn apart.

Now, after all these years, will Margaret be the one to find the pieces of her broken family?

Miss W’s Review:

When I Last Saw You by Bette Lee Crosby is a poignant and heartwarming story with endearing characters that I instantly fell in love with. I was so surprised to find out that the novel was based on a true story!

I was captured instantly by the first chapter until the very last chapter. There were a few surprises that I honestly didn’t see coming. Bette Lee Crosby is an incredible story teller.

My heart was broken in parts of this family drama. I absolutely loved Eliza’s characters who was complex, flawed, intuitive and well fleshed out.

The family dynamics , secrets, friendships and romance tell of a perfectly imperfect family.

The story is told in two timelines, both in the past.

I cannot recommend this book enough!

About the Author:

Bette Lee Crosby is the USA Today bestselling author of twenty-four novels, including The Twelfth Child and the Wyattsville series. She has been the recipient of the Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal, Reviewer’s Choice Award, FPA President’s Book Award and International Book Award, among many others. Her 2016 novel, Baby Girl, was named Best Chick Lit of the Year by Huffington Post. Her 2018 novel The Summer of New Beginnings, took First Place in the Royal Palm Literary Award for Women’s Fiction and was a runner-up for book of the year. Her novel, Emily, Gone is the winner of three literary Gold Medals, and the Benjamin Franklin Award. Her newest release When I Last Saw You is a historical saga based on a true story.

Crosby is a wife, mama, grandma and dog lover who specializes in heartwarming family fiction. She credits her mom for giving her such a love of Southern storytelling and laughingly admits to being a night owl and a workaholic. Her guilty pleasures are iced latte, chocolate, and late-night chats with fans and friends on Facebook.

Until the next chapter,

Wilfrieda