Review: Cold Feet by Amy FitzHenry

Cold Feet

by Amy FitzHenry

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 304

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Everyone’s expecting her to walk down the aisle.
But something is telling her to run.

Emma Moon's mother thinks it's acceptable to miss her only daughter's wedding rehearsal dinner for a work obligation. Her father left when she was six months old. Emma hasn't exactly been raised to be a happily-ever-after kind of girl.

So when her anxieties get out of hand, Emma and her best friend, Liv, decide to take a road trip to San Francisco, find her long-lost father, and put her family issues to rest.

But her quest for the truth stirs up events and emotions she didn’t expect. The urge to run away may just be a part of Emma’s genetic makeup, because she’s growing more and more tempted to do just that…


Kritters Thoughts:  Emma Moon knows she came from an atypical family and she thinks that it affects the person she would be in her future relationships and a week before her wedding she is doubting everything and decides to search to find the father that left when she was young to see if she can be a good married partner.

I loved the mix in each chapter of lawyer tidbits and how the things she learned in law school affected the person she has become and I think she has a lack of trust from her schooling and profession.  

I also loved the journey of finding her mother and learning about her mother through the journey.  I appreciate when a child doesn't really know their parent until they delve into the decisions they made as the child was young and I loved seeing Emma's eyes open as she almost got to really know her mom.

I loved the combo of wedding drama and family drama.  This book was a fun ride into someone else's personal life.


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley NAL.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: My Townie Heart by Diana Sperrazza

My Townie Heart

by Diana Sperrazza

Publisher: Smashwords

Pages: 144

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Laura DiStefano has flunked out of the University of Massachusetts just as the counterculture reaches its peak in the 1970s, and is living back home with her parents and her sister. She can’t deny the embarrassment that she has failed and the fact that she’s now trapped in the blue-collar town she so hoped to escape.


But Laura soon finds that her sister, a fierce survivor of a childhood attack who has rather foolishly gotten pregnant, needs her help, and she unexpectedly finds love with a local guy. Even though the school offers to reinstate her scholarship, leaving home again suddenly gets harder. She’s torn between dreams of a new countercultural life and the undertow of a dysfunctional family. As the conflicts in her life threaten to drag her under, Laura grows agoraphobic. How can she reconcile her divided loyalties and find her genuine life?

Kritters Thoughts:  A gritty novel about a woman coming into the 1970s and seeing a new culture emerge. Laura flunks out of school and returns home to the small town that she had wanted to escape, but unfortunately school wasn't the way out so she has to find a new way out.

This book felt real like a documentary and at a few moments it was hard to read because it felt so real.  With the 1970s this book focused on the sex, drugs and rock n roll that was coming out and I felt as though the author wanted to really focus on how it was affecting a small town.  

This book isn't for the faint of heart and even at times I had to pause and read something with a little heart and a little lighter.  If you enjoy documentaries or books that feel just so real then this one would be great for you.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Smith Publicity.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Beautiful Affliction by Lene Fogelberg

Beautiful Affliction

by Lene Fogelberg

Publisher: She Writes Press

Pages: 352

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Lene Fogelberg is dying—she is sure of it—but no doctor in Sweden, her home country, believes her. Love stories enfold her, with her husband, her two precious daughters, her enchanting surroundings, but the question she has carried in her heart since childhood—Will I die young?—is threatening all she holds dear, even her sanity. When her young family moves to the US, an answer, a diagnosis, is finally found: she is in the last stages of a fatal congenital heart disease. But is it too late?


Kritters Thoughts:  A memoir that read like fiction and from page one made me appreciate living in a country where healthcare is a priority.  Lene grew up in Sweden and as a child was diagnosed with a "heart murmur", but the doctor did not follow up and did not encourage Lene and her family to check back in as she grew.  As an adult with two children she gets another check up in the United States and the doctor immediately schedules open heart surgery to fix a valve.  

I love how this book was set up with alternating chapters, the ones in italics are stories from Lene's past from childhood and through adulthood as she dealt with her unknown condition.  The alternating chapters are current times and she has moved to the United States and is headed to the doctor and then diagnosed.  I liked that she included stories from childhood thru dating and giving birth to her girls it gave the story some depth and made it feel so much more hole than if she had left that out.

If you tend to stay away from memoirs, try this one out, it read like fiction.  I am now thankful to have great healthcare and to be a mostly healthy person.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from BookSparks PR.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

What a great week in reading, a holiday Monday and a quieter weekend!  With work travel next week it could go really good or down hill fast, we shall see!
A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

Montpelier Tomorrow by Marylee MacDonald
All the Difference by Leah Ferguson
Crooked Little Lies by Barbara Taylor Sissel
Surface by Stacy Robinson
Beautiful Affliction by Lene Fogelberg

Currently Reading:

The Gates of Rutherford by Elizabeth Cooke
Cold Feet by Amy FitzHenry

Next on the TBR pile:

The Middle of Somewhere by Sonja Yoerg

Review: Surface by Stacy Robinson

Surface

by Stacy Robinson

Publisher: Kensington

Pages: 352

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Claire Montgomery has a lifetime of sensible decisions behind her. Yet all it takes is one impulsive indiscretion to bring everything crashing down--her marriage to a wealthy entrepreneur, her status as half of one of Denver society's power couples, and the future she dreamed of for their seventeen-year-old son, Nick. Claire's husband, Michael, angrily blames her for the recklessness that has left Nick's life in the balance, though not nearly as much as Claire blames herself. But as Nick struggles to move forward, Claire too begins inching toward a reimagined future. Along with a fresh perspective come new questions. Are there other reasons for her fractured relationship and Michael's increasingly erratic behavior? Has he, too, been harboring painful secrets? And does Claire dare to find the real truth, when her seamlessly decorated world of privilege and security is at stake?


Kritters Thoughts:  Claire Montgomery makes a decision that for some doesn't make this huge of an impact on their life, but this changes Claire's life in a HUGE way.  Her decision doesn't just affect her, it also affects her marriage and her child.  

When I first started this book, I was worried that this storyline couldn't fill 352 pages because the first few pages revealed most of the plot, but thankfully after the "accident" there was a lot to the story.  This is basically a family drama with no frills and nothing too crazy or soap opera, but that is what I liked about it, that there was drama, but it wasn't over the top and could have even been a memoir.

Unfortunately, the review for this book is short because I can't share too much, I don't want to ruin the major plot point.  I think it is a great read, I would recommend curling up with it in the winter with a cup of tea.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from BookSparks PR.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Crooked Little Lies by Barbara Taylor Sissel

Crooked Little Lies

by Barbara Taylor Sissel

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 346

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  On a cool October morning, Lauren Wilder is shaken when she comes close to striking Bo Laughlin with her car as he’s walking along the road’s edge. A young man well known in their small town of Hardys Walk, Texas, Bo seems fine, even if Lauren’s intuition says otherwise. Since the accident two years ago that left her brain in a fragile state, she can’t trust her own instincts—and neither can her family. Then Bo vanishes, and as the search for him ensues, the police question whether she’s responsible. Lauren is terrified, not of what she remembers but of what she doesn’t.

Unable to trust herself and unwilling to trust anyone else, Lauren begins her own investigation into the mystery of Bo’s disappearance. But the truth can prove to be as shocking as any lie, and as Lauren exposes each one, from her family, from her friends, she isn’t the only one who will face heart-stopping repercussions.

Kritters Thoughts:  Two leading ladies in this book and each take turns telling their side of the story.  Lauren Wilder had a horrific tragedy occur and she is still in the midst of recovery and is not the most reliable character.  At the same time Annie Beauchamp is the sister of the missing man and is highly emotional as her mother suddenly passed away in an accident and she is trying to hard to keep the family together as they all go off in different directions.

Both of these women were fantastic characters and I loved each of their perspectives.  I loved how I couldn't trust either of them at face value and who knew what they were saying was the whole truth?  I love when there are unreliable characters and I know it - made the book so interesting.

The author dropped hints and bits of knowledge at just the right moment.  Each puzzle piece fell out of the book at the right time and slowly but surely the whole story came together, the timing was just right on.  

The best way to describe this book is to say that a women's fiction and a mystery got together and made a baby and their baby was this book, it was an interesting combination of women's fiction with addiction and family issues along with a mystery of a missing man.

This is my first Barbara Taylor Sissel read and will most definitely not be the last.  I am excited to see her backlist and look for her future titles.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from BookSparks PR.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: All the Difference by Leah Ferguson

All the Difference

by Leah Ferguson

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 304

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  All it takes is one word—yes or no—to decide Molly’s future. As the clock counts down to midnight and the ball slowly begins to drop, Molly’s picture-perfect boyfriend gets down on one knee and asks her to marry him. She knows she should say yes, especially considering the baby-sized surprise she just discovered she’s carrying. But something in her heart is telling her to say no…

Now, Molly’s future can follow two very different paths: one where she stays with her baby’s father, despite her misgivings and his family’s unreasonable expectations, and one where she ventures out on her own as a single mother, embracing all the hardships that come with it.

And by the time the next New Year is rung in, Molly will know which choice was right—following her head or listening to her heart…


Kritters Thoughts:  Molly is proposed to and finds out she is pregnant at the same moment and she has a lot of decisions to make.  This book takes the reader down two paths, one where she says yes to the proposal and their relationship moves forward and the other chapters are if she were to turn down the proposal and decides to go the route alone.  

The chapters were easily labeled with a yes and no and each chapter moves the story along month to month, so as I started I was worried that I would miss seeing each month yes and each month no instead of every other and would not feel like the story was complete, BUT I was wrong!  It worked so well.

This book really made me think about the decisions I have made and not only how they impacted how my life would go, but how they impact those around me and even just the small decisions.  I love when even a "light" book can make me think!

As a side note - I love this type of book - the what if of life!  If you have read this and liked it, stop what you are doing and go read Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid.


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Penguin RandomHouse.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Montpelier Tomorrow by Marylee Macdonald

Montpelier Tomorrow

by Marylee Macdonald

Publisher: All Things That Matter Press

Pages: 318

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Mid-life mom, Colleen Gallagher would do anything to protect her children from harm. When her daughter's husband falls ill with ALS, Colleen rolls up her sleeves and moves in, juggling the multiple roles of grandma, cook, and caregiver, only to discover that even her superhuman efforts can't fix what's wrong.


Kritters Thoughts:  Told from the perspective of a mother who has struggled as her husband and the father of her children died when two of her children were very young and one was on the way.  She raised the three children on her own and struggled the entire time to balance providing for the home and being the mother figure at the same time.

While it is from her point of view, the focus of the story is on her oldest child, her daughter who is dealt a blow as her husband is diagnosed with ALS as she is pregnant with their second child, so her mother comes to the rescue.  

First let me say that I did not like this book.  I could not believe how this child reacted to her mother coming - she was downright rude and I couldn't handle it.  It made me think of the times I have asked for my mom to help and I would never have acted that way.  I felt as though the author tried at the last minute to blame the daughter's behavior on the death of her father and I just couldn't get past how she treated her mother who dropped everything to care for her son-in-law and daughter and their children - even when his family didn't step up AT ALL.  

I couldn't get past the daughter to enjoy this book.  In almost every chapter, I wanted to kick her and throw her out of the book!  I would read another by this author, but I would be very critical of the synopsis and plot of the book. 

Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Come Away With Me by Karma Brown

Come Away With Me

by Karma Brown

Publisher: MIRA

Pages: 368

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  One minute, Tegan Lawson has everything she could hope for: an adoring husband, Gabe, and a baby on the way. The next, a patch of black ice causes a devastating accident that will change her life in ways she never could have imagined.

Tegan is consumed by grief, not to mention her anger toward Gabe, who was driving on the night of the crash. But just when she thinks she's hit rock bottom, Gabe reminds her of their Jar of Spontaneity, a collection of their dream destinations and experiences, and so begins an adventure of a lifetime.

From the bustling markets of Thailand to the flavors of Italy to the ocean waves in Hawaii, Tegan and Gabe embark on a journey to escape the tragedy and search for forgiveness. But they soon learn that grief follows you no matter how far away you run, and that acceptance comes when you least expect it. 

Kritters Thoughts:  Tegan has a life altering accident change the course of her life and she must learn how to live in her new normal.  Her husband and her made a bucket jar of things to do and places to visit and she decides to embark on three of them to help heal from this accident.

I absolutely adored how the author weaved in stories from their past in different ways, they were all creative and worked so well.  It was also helpful that these chapters were nicely labeled with their relation to the accident as that is the pivotal moment in this couple's lives.

Be warned - I cried my tears out for the back half of this book.  It just went somewhere I couldn't predict and I loved where it went.  I am so glad I was finishing this book in the comfort of my home so I could just cry it out!


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

It was a busy week at our house with a lot of things going on and baseball games are still on the calendar, so not as much reading as I wanted - which I feel like I say every week.  Holiday day tomorrow AND baseball game, and hopefully a quiet week at work also!

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

Again and Again by Ellen Bravo
Starlight on Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs
Come Away with Me by Karma Brown

Currently Reading:

Montpelier Tomorrow by Marylee MacDonald

Next on the TBR pile:

All the Difference Leah Ferguson

Review: Again and Again by Ellen Bravo

Again and Again

by Ellen Bravo

Publisher: She Writes Press

Pages: 256

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  If sexual shenanigans disqualified candidates for Congress, the U.S. would have no government. But what if the candidate was a pro-choice Republican supported by feminist groups—and a college rapist whose secret could be exposed by a leading women’s rights advocate? 

Again and Again tells the story of Deborah Borenstein—as an established women’s rights leader in 2010 Washington, DC, and as a college student, thirty years earlier, whose roommate is raped by a fellow student. The perpetrator is now a Senate candidate who has the backing of major feminist groups . . . which puts Deborah in a difficult position. Torn between her past and present, as the race goes on, Deborah finds herself tested as a wife, a mother, a feminist, and a friend. 


Kritters Thoughts:  A political drama that had an interesting twist.  Two storylines - one from the past as Deborah is in college and she becomes the activist that you see in the other storyline which is Deborah in the current time as she is the head of an organization that is bringing women's issues to the forefront in the political atmosphere in DC.

I live in DC, but don't read or know a ton about the influence of organizations and how they really work with politics.  I loved seeing the inside of the organization and how they influence politicians to make their issues a priority.  I appreciated that the author put in the struggle with her husband and his job and how sometimes your home life can affect your work life and the balance can be hard, not just time management.

The storyline in college was hard to read, but felt so real.  Rape is not a subject matter that I read often (or ever), so I appreciated reading a hard subject, but seeing how it affected the victim in the long term and not just right after it happened.  I was so glad to see their friendship stand the test of time so we could see her years after the rape and I felt like the author portrayed the truth of her having a lack of trust with men and unable to "settle down."

This is Ellen Bravo's first fiction and I loved it.  It felt like a full novel and I hope she is working on another, I will read it!


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Starlight on Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs

Starlight on Willow Lake

by Susan Wiggs

Publisher: MIRA

Pages: 384

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  When caregiver Faith McCallum arrives at the enchanted, lakeside estate of Avalon's renowned Bellamy family, she's intent on rebuilding her shattered life and giving her two daughters a chance at a better future. But she faces a formidable challenge in the form of her stubborn and difficult new employer, Alice Bellamy. While Faith proves a worthy match for her sharp-tongued client, she often finds herself at a loss for words in the presence of Mason Bellamy—Alice's charismatic son, who clearly longs to escape the family mansion and return to his fast-paced, exciting life in Manhattan…and his beautiful, jet-setting fiancée. 

The last place Mason wants to be is a remote town in the Catskills, far from his life in the city, and Faith McCallum is supposed to be the key to his escape. Hiring the gentle-hearted yet strong-willed caregiver as a live-in nurse gives his mother companionship and Mason the freedom to return to his no-attachments routine. For Faith, it means stability for her daughters and a much-needed new home. When Faith makes a chilling discovery about Alice's accident, Mason is forced to reconsider his desire to keep everyone, including his mother, at a distance. Now he finds himself wondering if the supercharged life he's created for himself is what he truly wants…and whether exploring his past might lead to a new life—and lasting love—on the tranquil shores of Willow Lake. 


Kritters Thoughts:  My second book that I have read from the Lakeshore Chronicles and now I am really wanting to go back and start at book one.  This book I am reviewing today is book 11, and I have read book 9, so still have a lot of catching up!  

This book felt like a stand alone most of the time, but I could tell that there was some back story that I was missing on, but it didn't ruin the read for me.  The Bellamy family is dealt a crisis with a father dying and a mother left confined to a wheelchair so the three child return home to get their mother in a good place and to spread their father's ashes.  Faith McCallum is a nurse who has been out of work for a while and her and her two girls are at the end of their line until the perfect job falls in their lap.

Like most romance novels, the ending isn't a surprise, BUT with good romance novels, the journey is more enjoyable whether you know the ending or not.  Susan Wiggs is one of those romance authors where the plot is way more important than the sex scenes, so if you are a plot person (like me) then you can enjoy that there is a story with some love in it (instead of the other way around).


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.