Review: A Family Affair by Robyn Carr

A Family Affair

by Robyn Carr

Publisher: MIRA

Pages: 320

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Life’s biggest dilemmas can provide its sweetest rewards

Anna McNichol knows how to take charge. Raised by a single mother, she’s worked to ensure her three children have every advantage she didn’t. And while her marriage has its problems, she values commitment and believes in "till death do us part." Now an empty nester, she’s at the peak of her career and ready to seize the opportunity to focus on her future.

But life can change in an instant, and when her husband dies suddenly, Anna’s carefully constructed world falls apart. The mysterious young woman at the memorial service confirms her husband had been keeping secrets, and Anna is determined to get to the truth.

For once, she doesn’t have the answers. Her kids are struggling with their grief, her mother’s health is in decline and Anna needs closure. Faced with one challenge after another, she finds support from an unexpected source. And as she puts her life back together, Anna realizes the McNichols may not be perfect but they’ll always be family, and family is forever.

Kritters Thoughts:  While I don't love a book with a cheating spouse, this cheating spouse is deceased and Anna is left with the aftermath, so it doesn't feel as raw and recent.  She is trying to help lead her three kids through the experience of losing a parent and reconciling her feelings of her husband right before he took the trip where he lost his life.  

I enjoyed my reading of this book as the reader follows Anna from the memorial service to the months after her husband has passed away and each of her three children react to the death in different ways.  The entire book was from Anna's point of view and you still get interesting glimpses of the children, I wouldn't have minded if they get the chance to move the story along from their points of view.  

I tend to like Robyn Carr stand alone books, this one wasn't one of my favorite, but it was a good read for a spring weekend as we wait for the true summer season to come.  

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

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 24 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from HarperCollins.  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: The Pilot's Girl by Catherine Hokin

The Pilot's Girl

by Catherine Hokin

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages: 232

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  ‘Smile, nod, and don’t breathe a word of what happens here. Or I’ll put you on the next train to Auschwitz myself.’

Four years later. Hanni Winter shivers in her thin coat as she hurries through the empty Berlin streets to her job. Despite the freezing winter and poverty all around, her cheeks flush when she meets the man she is photographing today, charismatic Tony Miller, the American pilot risking his life to bring food and provisions to the starving people of the city. But her rush of joy turns to ash as she sees the man behind him…

It’s been years since Hanni fled her terrible past, but seeing Reiner Foss now brings back harrowing memories of the man they called The Showman, and of the concentration camp he commanded. The last time she tried to expose him, Hanni almost died, can she dare to try again? Or should she seize the chance she sees in Tony’s sparkling eyes to leave the horrors of the war behind?

Hanni is no longer the frightened child she was when the Nazis devastated her life beyond repair. She vows to avenge every person who suffered at Reiner’s hands. But does her attraction to Tony leave her vulnerable? Can Hanni protect her loved ones from her past, or will the cost of fighting her demons ultimately prove more than she can pay?

Kritters Thoughts:  The second in a series and while it had been awhile since I read the first book, the author easily brought the reader up to speed to four years later when this book begins and Hanni Winter is headed to a photography job of an American pilot, Tony Miller when another mystery falls in her lap and she is back working with Freddy and trying to use her photography to help solve a mystery as unfortunately dead bodies keep showing up.  

A serial killer keeps leaving dead bodies behind and with a few trademarks that will eventually help Freddy and Hanni get to the bottom of the mystery.  For me, for mystery books, the pacing matters most and Catherine Hokin expertly released clues and kept the story moving from the beginning to the end.  Just as I thought that we had to come to the end, she threw something else out and I was ready to keep reading and guessing!

I love the combination of mystery and historical fiction and hope that there are many more to come.  To be swept into a mystery that takes place without the modern conveniences adds something - when the characters can't take the easy way out and instead have to really put their nose to the grind to solve it. 

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

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 25 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Bookouture.  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: Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak

Summer on the Island

by Brenda Novak

Publisher: MIRA

Pages: 400

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  After the death of her US senator father, Marlow Madsen travels to the small island off the coast of Florida where she spent summers growing up to help her mother settle the family estate. For Marlow, the trip is a chance to reconnect after too long apart. It’s also the perfect escape to help her feel grounded again — one she’s happy to share with friends Aida and Claire, who are hoping to hit reset on their lives, too.

A leisurely beachfront summer promises the trio of women the opportunity to take deep healing breaths and explore new paths. But when her father’s will reveals an earth-shattering secret that tarnishes his impeccable reputation and everything she thought she knew about her family, Marlow finds herself questioning her entire childhood — and aspects of her future. Fortunately, her friends, and the most unlikely love interest she could imagine, prove that happiness can be found no matter what — as long as the right people are by your side. 

Kritters Thoughts:  Marlow Madsen goes to the summer home she enjoyed with her parents after her father has passed and she has sold her practice after so many years dealing with divorce and battling spouses she may not know what is next, but she is ready for something new.  She takes two friends with her who each have problems they need to escape and each need to regroup and find a new north.  

While a few sexy times in the book, this one had so much plot, that I could skip over the sexy times and enjoy these women as they battled with what they wanted to change and spend the summer trying to decide what is next for each of them.  While Marlow narrates the whole book, she is able to tell the complete stories of her two friends and this summer that changed their lives.  

I am not usually a fan of books with cheating spouses, but this one takes place after the act and is more about the women and how they recover and respond than it is about the actual deception.  

I think this book would be the perfect addition to any summer bag as it is easy to pop in and out of, but so engrossing that you don't forget what is going on and you want to know where these women end up.  

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

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 23 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from HarperCollins.  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: Scarlet Carnation by Laila Ibrahim

Scarlet Carnation

by Laila Ibrahim

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 314

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  1915. May and Naomi are extended family, their grandmothers’ lives inseparably entwined on a Virginia plantation in the volatile time leading up to the Civil War. For both women, the twentieth century promises social transformation and equal opportunity.

May, a young white woman, is on the brink of achieving the independent life she’s dreamed of since childhood. Naomi, a nurse, mother, and leader of the NAACP, has fulfilled her own dearest desire: buying a home for her family. But they both are about to learn that dreams can be destroyed in an instant. May’s future is upended, and she is forced to rely once again on her mother. Meanwhile, the white-majority neighborhood into which Naomi has moved is organizing against her while her sons are away fighting for their country.

In the tumult of a changing nation, these two women—whose grandmothers survived the Civil War—support each other’s quest for liberation and dignity. Both find the strength to confront injustice and the faith to thrive on their chosen paths.

Kritters Thoughts: Naomi and May come from the same lineage, but have very different life experiences, partly because of their skin color and the basic opportunities that come with that.  May is a young white woman who thinks that she is on the cusp of her life coming together and all of her dreams being met.  Naomi is a mother of grown children and a leader of the NAACP she is fighting each day for the rights that her community should have at this moment in time.  

While I loved both of these women dearly in this book and I loved their stories that were taking place in this moment in time which gave the story even more depth.  I wish there had been more interaction between the two main characters throughout the book.  I was enjoying their individual stories, but I also wanted them to interact as it felt weird to have their stories in the same book and not have them weave in and out of each other's lives.  

While each woman had a lot going on, it didn't feel like too much drama in the book.  I have had a few of Laila Ibrahim's books on my radar, but this was my first read and I hope to catch up on her backlist and also anticipate what comes next.  

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

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Wunderkind 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.

March - still cold, must read!

source

I am so thankful for the quiet moments this month where I was able to curl up with a book or more and I hope that with the coming great weather, I can spend some time in the sun with a good book!

1. Curfew by Jayne Cowie

2. The 4% Fix by Karma Brown

3. After the Wedding by Laura Elliot

4. The Shop on Royal Street by Karen White

5. Raised Bed Gardening by CaliKim

6. The Girl in the Shadows by Marion Kummerow

7. Home or Away by Kathleen West

8. Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak

9. What Animals Want by Julie McLaughlin

10. A Family Affair by Robyn Carr

11. Scarlet Carnation by Laila Ibrahim

12. Oh What Fun by Chandler Baker

13. The Pilot's Girl by Catherine Hokin

14. The Complete Language of Flowers by S Theresa Dietz

15. At Any Cost by Andrea Kane

16. The No Show by Beth O'Leary

17. How Dogs Work by Daniel Tatarsky

Total pages read, clicked and flipped: 4,745

Where Have I Been Reading?:

London (2)

Ireland

New Orleans, LA

Germany

Minnesota

Florida

San Francisco, CA

California

Berlin

New York City, NY

Review: Home or Away by Kathleen West

Home or Away

by Kathleen West

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 368

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Two friends, one Olympic dream, and the choice that stood in the way.

Once Leigh and Susy were close friends and teammates bound for Olympic hockey gold, but when Leigh's sure-fire plan to make the final roster backfired, she left everything behind to start over, including the one person who knew her secret.

Two decades later, Leigh's a successful investment banker, happily married, and the mom of a hockey prodigy, so when a career opportunity lands the family back in Minnesota, Leigh takes the shot for her kid. Back in the ultra-competitive world she left behind, the move puts her in Susy's orbit, a daily reminder of how Leigh watched from the sidelines as her former teammate went on to Olympic glory.

Despite the coldness between them, Susy can't help but hope that Leigh might lace up her skates and join her in the coaches' box--after all Leigh knows better than anyone how hard it is to be a woman in this world. Susy's coaching decisions are undermined by the all-male board and she knows soon her daughter, Georgie, will be seen as a "girl athlete," relegated to the B team, with less support and opportunity to advance.

But Leigh's sure keeping Susy at arms' length is the only way to hide her history with her coach Jeff Carlson. When he hints of new favors in exchange for her son's ice time and allegations arise over his conduct, Leigh is caught in the ultimate bind: come clean about what happened when she was an Olympic hopeful and risk her marriage or play Jeff's game. In a moment of desperation, Leigh turns to Susy and realizes the one person she thought was her biggest competitor might turn out to be her biggest ally.

Kritters Thoughts:  A mom is returning to her Minnesota hometown with her husband and son in tow, so that her son can enter a more competitive hockey "market" with players who have been playing longer than they could walk!  Leigh, the mom, sort of ran away after she tried to get on the Olympic team and didn't make it and there are secrets that are still hidden that she she returns may come to light.  

I love a book where a character or two are returning home and when they do, they will have to confront some things from the past.  And while I am not a hockey connoisseur, I loved how this author put us in this specific sports world and made it interesting to someone who doesn't know much!  

I am trying not to spoil the big secret and its reveal, but gosh darn did it make me think of some news stories that made a lot of athletes and their parents stop, watch and ask questions.

I have read two out of three Kathleen West's books and I want to catch up on the one I haven't read and I will be looking out for what comes next.    

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 25 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley.  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: The Shop on Royal Street by Karen White

The Shop on Royal Street

by Karen White

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 284

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  After a difficult hiccup on her road to adulthood, Nola Trenholm is looking to begin anew in New Orleans, and what better way to start her future than with her first house? But the historic fixer-upper she buys comes with even more work than she anticipated when the house's previous occupants don't seem to be ready to depart. Although she can't communicate with ghosts like her stepmother, luckily Nola knows someone in New Orleans who can--even if he's the last person on earth she wants anything to do with, ever again. Because Beau Ryan comes with his own dark past, a past that involves the disappearance of his sister and parents during Hurricane Katrina, and the unsolved murder of a woman who once lived in the old Creole Cottage Nola is determined to make her own whether or not the resident restless spirits agree...

Kritters Thoughts:  A spin off series from the books set on Tradd Street and while you don't have to read those books to read this one, it could be more fun to have that backstory before diving into this one!

This series focuses on Nola, the step daughter of Melanie and her husband and while Melanie has the gift to speak to ghosts her step daughter hasn't inherited, but she sure knows when one is around!  And there are many living in New Orleans from years upon years of major tragedies and a city that I believe has quite a welcoming habitat for ghosts and spirits to hang around long after they have died.  

I loved how this book flowed so well from the previous series.  With two characters moving to New Orleans, it felt like such a seamless transition and it was easy for me to get in and get invested in this book and hopefully this new series!  I also appreciated that Nola was following in her step mother's footsteps by wanting to renovate a historic home and wanting to keep it as close to accurate as possible while also making it live-able!  I like that the mystery is self contained, but there is still a drive to anticipate the next book to come.  

I hope that Karen White has quite the plans for Nola and this series.  

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 21 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley  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?

A weirdly cold weekend made for some perfect curl up and read time.

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

At Any Cost by Andrea Kane

The Complete Language of Flowers by S. Theresa Dietz

The Pilot's Girl by Catherine Hokin

The No Show by Beth O'Leary

Currently Reading:

Summer at the Cape by RaeAnne Thayne

Next on the TBR pile:

The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani

Review: The Girl in the Shadows by Marion Kummerow

The Girl in the Shadows

by Marion Kummerow

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages: 290

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  1943, Germany: Two years ago, fate gave a beautiful young Jewish woman named Margarete Rosenbaum the chance to survive the Nazis, by pretending to be one of them, hiding in plain sight. Now she must make a terrifying decision…

Margarete lives as Annegret Huber would have, in a beautiful rural mansion by a forest in northern Germany. She is the heiress to the entire Huber fortune—one which she has devastatingly discovered includes a factory and Nazi prison camp. Margarete has done everything she can to help improve conditions there, and to reduce suffering for the prisoners who remind her so much of her own lost family and friends.

However, as the war rages on and the Nazis become more brutal in their treatment of Jews, she realizes she must do more. She has to help the prisoners escape to real safety, because they will never survive in Hitler’s Germany.

She’s heard of a route to freedom through Sweden. Although that means secretly reaching out to the resistance. With the risk of betrayal at every turn, her enquiries lead her to a man named Stefan, who she instantly feels a powerful connection to. But she fears he will never trust her… unless she reveals the secret that keeps her safe.

At the same time, a Nazi officer begins to show romantic interest in her, making it harder to keep her identity a secret. His loyalty to the party is beyond question, so if he finds her out, not only will her plan be at risk, but also her life and those of everyone she cares for.

But can she let that fear stop her from saving others? Because she knows she herself could so easily be one of the faces on the other side of the fence. And that, in the darkest times, sometimes the only person who can rise up is the girl in the shadows…

Kritters Thoughts:  The third book in a series that I highly recommend starting at the beginning as these book build on each other.  And in that note - spoilers for book one and two could be below.

In this book Margarete is still living in the country and hiding as a German heiress.  She feels responsible for the lives of those who work at her family's factory and while the Nazis are getting more obsessed about getting rid of the Jews, she employs quite a few and is hoping to save each and every one of them.  Margarete can't hide in this book and instead has to put on a brave face and host events and act like the German heiress she is trying to be.  

Marion Kummerow has created such a great series that shares some interesting perspectives on World War II and for those who are faint of heart, I appreciate that this book doesn't show some of the more harsh realities of this war.  Instead she concentrates on the small towns and how they tried to make an impact on the war effort in any way they can.  

While this is book three and most series end here, I hope that Marion has more about this character as I love to follow her efforts in this time and place.   

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

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 22 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Bookouture.  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: After the Wedding by Laura Elliot

 

After the Wedding

by Laura Elliot

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages: 346

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Everyone said she was the prettiest flower girl. But now her dress lies on the floor. It’s wet and torn, her shoes are lost. ‘Where did you go?’ her daddy asks. She shakes her head. All she can remember are the red rose petals scattering like drops of blood spilling to the ground.

When Christine Lewis was a little girl, she witnessed something terrible at a wedding and buried it so deep in her memory, she managed to forget it ever happened.

Jessica Newman was a baby when she and her father came to live in an isolated cottage on the Irish island of Cullain with Margaret – the woman who loved Jessica as if she was her own. Until the day Jessica and her father left, and she never saw Margaret again.

Years later, Christine and Jessica cross paths working at the advertising agency Christine runs with her husband. These two women are about to uncover the dark secrets of their own traumatic pasts. But they have no idea that they are connected.
The shocking truth of what happened at the wedding all those years ago, and what became of Margaret, is going to blow their lives apart in more ways than each of them could ever have imagined…

Kritters Thoughts:  A young flower girl is rescued and while this incident seems isolated, it will ripple and come back up and after a trip with a therapist, the memories will come back and Christine's life will be upended.  

This was such a fun read - it felt like two mysteries for the price as one as the clues from Christine's childhood are being revealed while the mystery of her and husband's advertising agency's demise.  Of course, since this has all sorts of clues and things in this book, I don't want to share too much and give anything away, but I have to say the way that this book unfolded was just genius.  

The characters in this book were built so well.  I both trusted them and questioned them at the same time!  I loved following Christine's pursuit for the truth and her wanting to find out the details as to what happened to her when she was young and to find out what all was going on around her that at a young age she would have never known.  

I was surprised to find out after finishing this book that I have a lot of Laura Elliot's books on my TBR, but this was the first one I have read.  With her pacing being on point and her characters having such depth, I am even more excited to read Laura Elliot's other books.  

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

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 20 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Bookouture.  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: Curfew by Jayne Cowie

Curfew

by Jayne Cowie

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 320

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Imagine a near-future Britain in which women dominate workplaces, public spaces, and government. Where the gender pay gap no longer exists and motherhood opens doors instead of closing them. Where women are no longer afraid to walk home alone, to cross a dark parking lot, or to catch the last train.

Where all men are electronically tagged and not allowed out after 7 p.m.

But the curfew hasn’t made life easy for everyone. Sarah is a single mother who happily rebuilt her life after her husband, Greg, was sent to prison for breaking curfew. Now he’s about to be released, and Sarah isn’t expecting a happy reunion, given that she’s the reason he was sent there.

Her teenage daughter, Cass, hates living in a world that restricts boys like her best friend, Billy. Billy would never hurt anyone, and she’s determined to prove it. Somehow.

Helen is a teacher at the local school. Secretly desperate for a baby, she’s applied for a cohab certificate with her boyfriend, Tom, and is terrified that they won’t get it. The last thing she wants is to have a baby on her own.

These women don’t know it yet, but one of them is about to be violently murdered. Evidence will suggest that she died late at night and that she knew her attacker. It couldn’t have been a man because a CURFEW tag is a solid alibi.

Kritters Thoughts:  What if you lived in a world where men had a curfew and could be punished for being outdoors between certain hours?  Would this be a place you would want to live?  When I first read the synopsis and before I started reading, I thought this could be interesting if you thought about it, but then as the book started and the logistics of how this could affect life really made me wonder if I would want to live in a place like this.  

Told through multiple perspectives, but all from female points of view - these women are all affected positively and negatively from the curfew that they lived with.  I appreciated that the author really gave diverse points of view from a teenager who is questioning why these rules are in existence from a woman who needs them for her own safety.  I found myself really appreciating seeing the different people and their thoughts on the rules of their world.  

This book is the kind of "post apocalyptic" kind of book that I like to read.  I like to think about what if our world was different and would I like the different rules or would I wish for the old world!  

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

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 19 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley.  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?

Another busy week, but a quieter weekend of garden prep and reading!


A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

What Animals Want by Julie McLaughlin

Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak

A Family Affair by Robyn Carr

Scarlet Carnation by Laila Ibrahim

Oh What Fun by Chandler Baker

Currently Reading:

The Pilot's Girl by Catherine Hokin

Next on the TBR pile:

At Any Cost by Andrea Kane

Review: The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery

The Summer Getaway

by Susan Mallery

Publisher: HQN

Pages: 416

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  With her divorce settlement about to run out and a mortgage she can’t afford, Robyn Caldwell needs a plan for her future. She nurtured her family and neglected herself. But how’s she supposed to think when her daughter has become the most demanding bride ever, her son won’t even consider college, her best friend is on the brink of marital disaster and her ex is making a monumentally bad decision that could bring everything crashing down on Robyn’s head? So when her great-aunt Lillian invites her to Santa Barbara for the summer, Robyn hops on the first plane.

But it’s hard to run away when you’re the heart of the family. One by one, everyone she left behind follows her across the country. Somehow, their baggage doesn’t feel as heavy in the sun-drenched, mishmash mansion. The more time Robyn spends with free-spirited Lillian, the more she sees the appeal in taking chances—on dreams, on love, on family. Life is meant to be lived on purpose. All she has to do is muster the courage to take a chance on herself.

Kritters Thoughts: Robyn Caldwell is in that next phase of life where her children don't need her every day and instead need her during the big decision moments and her ex husband is fully an ex and she hasn't quite moved forward since they divorced.  This may sound a little weird, but this book felt as though it was a coming of age for a woman entering the second half of her life - she is coming into her new age!

There was one character that for me, I didn't enjoy her storyline and thought the book could have done without her - the friend, Mindy.  From page one, I didn't love her, but I was glad to keep reading and find that she wasn't involved in the heart of the story, but she sure was distracting and I could have loved the book more without her.  

I tend to love Susan Mallery's stand alones and I did like this one, but this wasn't one of my favorites that I would widely recommend.  If you have read her others, you will love how she builds strong women and sends them down interesting paths.  

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

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 18 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from HarperCollins.  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.