A thrilling, hard to put down novel. It relates the grit and determination of three sisters and grandmother during Prohibition in the Ozarks of Missouri. Each woman is extremely well defined and one can feel their joys, sadness, and struggles. This is a well worthwhile novel with clearly researched experiences of the people at that time and of the governmental impact on them.
The progression of twenty years of friendship for six people is told in five segments at different times in their lives. Relationships grow, change, and fall apart. Support systems break. It is a sad story to read. There is an excessive amount of alcohol and drug use that is a regular focus of the relationships.
A truly lovely novel of recovery from painful hurt and deceit. Hideaway House on the Isle of Wight offers safe shelter for those in need of care and love. It is a peaceful respite protected by a ghost couple that once lived there.
It is a novel to cherish as one character finds the rest, recovery and friendship she sorely needs.
A very moving novel. The harrows of illicit love and the wake of the hardship it creates could cause one to cry. Lives are finally right when others are uprooted in anger and humiliation. Does one wish it could all be corrected and bettered? Yes, but then the story would have lost in a rosy view of real life. Fabulous novel.
I absolutely loved this novel. The growing love of a surgeon and a short term nanny is tempered and affected by a thirteen year old daughter who is afraid she will lose her father to the nanny. It plays against the lightness of her sister. The nanny is sensible and fair-perfect for the father but threatening to the daughter.
A wonderful novel cover to cover. The delicate, painful, and truthful elements of friendship color each page and create a depth of emotion that paints a relatable picture of a developing relationship between two very opposite women. It will cause you to remember friends you have had and cherish those who have endured through the years.
The life of a woman is upended when she meets a mysterious and handsome man by accident. Hers is a world of philosophy, her life principle. All she relishes, the surety and steadfastness of philosophy come into question when he engages her in a dangerous plot.
A very interesting and fact filled novel.
On the flight to a huge conference in New York, Frances meets her nemesis in her post doctoral work, Lewis. She is thrown by how different he is from what she has envisioned. When a gross mistake of being seen as a couple turns into two weeks of fake dating, the challenge turns into more. With both of their insecurities battling, are their problems insurmountable?
I almost gave up on the novel as the beginning chapters were not catching my attention. I decided to continue on and found this to be a very captivating novel. The friendship of five college friends who developed a deep connection is related over the next twenty years. They stay in contact and offer support through all of life’s joys and trials. It is an engaging portrait of the extent to which very close friends will go the yard to be present for each other.
Friendship comes in all sizes and for three women living on Balboa Island in 1956, friendship becomes a well needed lifeline. They assist each other lovingly through trials and struggles.
A fascinating look at women’s roles in the mid fifties and of friendship in any time.
Part magic, part reality, full romance. A dreamy novel of time magic possibilities and hopes. The enchanting meetings over New Year’s Eve of Paige and Will will melt your heart and also pain your heart as their romance might never exist outside the mystical Charley’s bar.
Magic at its best.
This is an excellent yet rough story that takes place during the Dust Bowl in Colorado. It is a narrative of fortitude and loss, of the ugliness that becomes pervasive in the lives of people who have lost everything. Within the ugliness is the Kessler family, a family of compassion and honor. Their upstanding convictions set against the bleak and hopeless era create a story to remember. The novel led me to investigate the Dust Bowl in Colorado.
An intriguing novel. It considers mental illness recovery and over zealous book/content protesters at the library. But, it is mainly the story of a lesbian woman through her mental illness recovery and therapy. A rich narrative.
A magical and marvelous story of unusual happenings at a library and of love. Characters from books come to life for two weeks through sheer magic. A library assistant meets her book crush and more magic occurs plus a big oops and lots of book character fun.
A very captivating novel.
Sweet and wrapped in peppermint is this adorable romance. Love grows over Christmas time. One person whole heartedly embraces love. The other whole heartedly is in denial. Christmas magic can only go so far.
A crazy fun novel with delightful characters and the possibility of a second chance romance.
A moving novel about the three lives of Black Americans affected by the racial barriers prior to and during the Civil Rights era of American history. Their stories poignantly reflect the constraints and injustices of those times and of how they are affected. A very impactful story.
An engrossing novel full of secrets, lies, murder, and revenge. The Rosalie Inn is in the center of it all. Three friends, an elite playboy, a journalist/writer, and a hurricane join together to create a breathtaking story.
Strange occurrences are happening at the Bramble House B & B, things that could ruin their 5 star ratings. There is a grumpy guest who might be the culprit but no one is certain. Journalist Larkin is staying at the inn with her recovering grandmother and is collecting clues about the events. She is being wooed by Carson, a long time friend and more who broke her heart. Will the Bramble House work its magic on Larkin and Carson? And, who is the culprit? A story full of love to happen and a mystery to be solved.
This is my second Emma Cooper novel and once again I love her stories. They are filled fondly and tenderly with emotion that causes the heart to ache and then rejoice.
The Truth about You and Me tells of the relationship between Jack and Maggie. Each of them have unique problems that play problems with their chances for a lasting love. This uniqueness draws them together yet also pulls them apart. It is a stay up late to finish novel.
Will the magic cookbook strike again and bring love to Forster and Sarah? He has battled with the mother of his daughter with her mother and has finally won full custody. Sarah and her entire family bring love and stability to Daughter Sage and to Forster. A loving story, truly wonderful.
The last Chrisrmas at Butterfly Lake Lodge will be exceptional due to the planning of Quinn. One invitee, Declan, is not in a Christmas mood. Quinn’s bubbly spirit-along with her long ago crush on Declan, works magic on him and on his heart. A heart warming Christmas story.
A young woman who usually backs out of things when they get hard has developed a live nativity program for Marietta. Her past of failures follows her everywhere and she really wants this event to happen. She is partnered with a new firefighter with his own problems but the two of them meld well together and maybe this time will be the best. A delightful story.
A beautiful novel of an engaging story of the end of life musings and events of a 92 year old woman. Through a long letter lovingly written to a dear friend to the daily occurrences, it is a tale of love, of woes, and of wonders that weaves through the pages. A more than enjoyable and wonderful novel.
A sweet and endearing story of love and of struggles. The pain and fears of the main characters are well written and convey to the reader the depth of emotion they feel.
Oh, wow!
This psychological thriller is so scary that it made my stomach twirl. Chilling and shiver-inducing. A definite must for psychological thriller lovers.
It is a love that is meant to be but the fears of an artist are way too hard to overcome. Willow has very acute ESP and cannot allow herself to fall in love and risk the pain if a loss occurs. Hunter fell for Willow a year before. They fall into a fake engagement and chemistry spice is way too overpowering for her. Can Willow overcome her fear in this touching and engaging story?
The spirits are active and present communicating clues to the deaths and disappearances of families in this engrossing novel of the supernatural. In a house under renovation, a kindly spirit protects a child spirit and those seeking answers about a murder within it. The son with psychic abilities is fighting any contact from his deceased mother even though it would answer all his fearful questions.
A whirlwind of a psychic novel which holds your attention from beginning to end.
Great book. The lives of a knitters retreat insect with the men of a bachelor’s party over a weekend. The main characters Maggie, her daughter, Piper, a bachelor’s party member, Aidan, and his son, Cole, are striving to have better relationships during the weekend. Trouble for Maggie and Piper brews. Aidan is at a loss as to what is bothering Cole. All along, Maggie and Aidan may have a romance in the offing. Other relationships ebb and flow at the retreat and combine to create a winning novel.
A love story of something meant to be, at least for one person, Riley. Letty is determined not to fall for him or any man. She lost her parents at seventeen and has committed herself to never loving someone who could be gone like her parents. Riley is set on winning her over but to no avail. Very spicy, heartbreaking, yet hopeful.
Jaxon and Bea were grade school friends until his grandmother moved him away after his family was killed in a car accident. Later, she returned to Wirralong and is suffering from Alzheimer's. He is back in Wirralong to care for her as is Bea for her grandmother. Love begins to stir for them but the mystery of why their grandmothers immensely dislike each other is keeping them wary. A secret, a wrong assumption and love create a lasting story.
A delicious second chance romance for two people over 50. The characters are delightful and true to their personalities. The setting of Paris is wonderful. A delightful book.
What a mess could happen for a young couple in love. They do not know that their respective father and mother were once engaged. This is such a sweet story of young love and second chances.
If you like spicy romances, this one is for you. There is romance, tension, miscommunications, more romance, and spice. Throw in a terrible ex-girlfriend and an angry mother and it is something else.
Love blooms in the outback when Gabi meets Cormac. The chemistry is instant, however, he is due to return home to Texas in a couple of weeks. They struggle to deal with his leaving as their unstoppable love grows. Sweet and spicy story.
Nona is a kind, friendly mom raising her daughter. Things go awry when her ex-husband sends her a letter after seven years of no contact. Weird things start happening, even causing near death. This is an engaging cozy mystery.
Such a warm hearted, splendidly magical romance. The tiny town of Hazard is in for the delightful arrival of Alina, the new docent. One of the town’s matriarchs hired her and rented her a room. When illness strikes the matriarch, her grandson Carter flies out to see to her care. Lots of magical events happen to them, all in custom with Hazard.
A warm, touching story that is a delight for a Christmas season filled with hope, wishes, desires, and dreams. The backstories of both Brock and Haley are so sad and affect their lives. The power of providence shines from each page. Truly a wonderful Christmas or any time story.
A long time family feud forced young friends Jaxon and Charlotte to part friendship. Joining together again, they find purpose and love even though her gruff, unforgiving father will not like it and belittle her unceasingly. A pleasing story of a second chance at friendship and bigger chance at love.
This is a fabulous book. Ms Crane has such a way with words and characters that grab you tightly. The way she gives each character its own chapter-all the thoughts, feelings and reactions-is so on point. Each character grows more and more defined.
This story is of Knox Carey and Dr. Ramona Taylor, a second chance at a lasting relationship at last or not. He is the last unattached son of Zeke Carey who has feigned cancer to force his boys to get serious about marriage. It is a tremendous story of love and denial.
A winning story that gently carries you to the heart of a man and the woman who grows in it. Both Miles and Riley were struck with each other the moment their eyes met. As they form a relationship, they begin to see more in each other to relish. But, his life is in Los Angeles and hers is in Last Stand. Maybe, just maybe, things would be different.
A captivating story develops when four women and two men form a club for victims of heartbreak at a local wine bar. The women all have a story to tell about breakups, one man has never had a girlfriend and the other man, the bar owner, has a story he keeps to himself. A delightful story of friendship and love with one explosive former boyfriend.
An inviting novel. Clashes of personality erupt when a distressed actress’ drunken display of behavior causes her to run-to the home of her high school love. Unfortunately, she broke his heart and it is hardened against her. Fate comes into action as the story progresses, throwing them both into turmoil.
Irresistible romance to love. The Cabin in the Pines resort is gearing up for the Christmas Wonderland when Dr. Ella Brent-Collingsworth arrives to visit her sister. Her car hits Jack Allen, the Pines investor and they are off on the wrong foot of assumptions. There is more to them than good looks and as they clash, they begin to meld.
Wow! Twists and turns galore as Sheriff Zak works to uncover the mysterious and coincidental death by car accident of his old friend, Brent. Olivis, Brent’s wife, enlists her journalist sister to find the truth of Brent’s accident. Great crime novel.
My heart is still warm and full from this story. There is love and genuine acceptance on every page of the ways in which Destiny’s River welcomes Ally into their fold. Plus, Sheriff Matt and his adorable daughter Jillie become very important to Ally. But, her tentative plan is to leave after she completes a Will designated task. Can Matt and Jillie persuade her to stay?
Cuter than ever story. Love, contention, and Christmas flow from the pages, trial and error, too. It is a story to just enjoy.
Captivating story of mothers and daughters, their relationships, and learning to stand on their own two feet. Depressing at times due to the strife that presents itself when two former friends run into each other and their daughters after a years’ long estrangement. The cause of the separation causes problems for both the mothers and the daughters when it all comes out.
