Review: Bridal Girl by Meredith Schorr

Bridal Girl

by Meredith Schorr

Publisher: Henery Press

Pages: 276

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Warning: exposure to the contents of this book while eating or drinking could cause laughter-induced choking. Read at your own risk. 

Sassy book blogger-turned-author, Kim Long, thought her life couldn’t get any pinker when she received a two-book publishing deal and a marriage proposal in the same night. The wedding plans are coming together seamlessly, from the catering to the flowers to her much-coveted appointment at the exclusive and world famous Kleinfeld Bridal. Her debut novel is flying off the shelves to celebrated reviews, and her second book is practically writing itself. 

If only the above wasn’t a big fat lie. 

If only Kim could drown out the conflicting opinions of her overzealous bridal party, most notably, her sister and future sister-in-law, who haven’t stopped bickering since day one. 

If only everyone would adore her first book—or she’d take Nicholas’s advice and stop reading reviews—she might not second guess every new word she writes. 

If only Nicholas’s past would remain there rather than threaten their future.
The pressure is on, the clock is ticking, and in walks Hannah Marshak. 

Will the former “mean girl” lend a helping hand or make things worse? Will Kim ever write “The End” on her sophomore novel? And, will she and Nicholas make it down the aisle to say those two precious words: I do? 

We’ll never tell. So, put on your reading glasses, fill your champagne flute/cup of tea and prepare to laugh with (and sometimes at) Kim as she rewrites her happy ending until it’s worthy of five pink champagne flutes.

Kritters Thoughts:  The third in a series and a series would I completely recommend you starting at book one.  This series is a book for book readers and a book specifically for book bloggers!  Kim Long is a book blogger and in book three she is prepping for her wedding, dealing with her first novel's slow success and trying to write her second book - she has quite a bit on her plate and she is the personality that doesn't ask for help (don't blame her!!).  

I absolutely adore these books because they are light and breezy and I can completely relate to the main character.  I love that like me she has a full time job and book blogging is a happy hobby and I remember planning my wedding and doing full time job and book blogging and the overwhelming time commitment of all of those things.  I completely laughed out loud at moments in this book because I related so so well to it!

If you are a fan of the light and breezy genre of women's fiction or chick lit, this is a perfect addition to your collection for the summer.  I would definitely start at book one and start with Kim Long before she is engaged and in the middle of all the things.


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 30 out of 100


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from the author.  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 Optimist's Guide to Letting Go by Amy Reichert

The Optimist's Guide to Letting Go

by Amy Reichert

Publisher: Gallery Books

Pages: 352

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  1. Get through to your daughter. 2. Buy more cheese. 3. Don't forget to call your mother.

Grilled G's Gourmet Food Truck is where chef, owner, obsessive list-maker, and recent widow Gina Zoberski finds the order and comfort she needs to struggle through each day, especially when confronted with her critical mother Lorraine and sullen daughter May.

Image-conscious Lorraine always knows best and expects her family to live up to her high expectations, no matter what. May just wants to be left alone to mourn her father in her own way. Gina always aims to please, but finds that her relentlessly sunny disposition annoys both her mother and her daughter, no matter how hard she tries.

But when Lorraine suffers a sudden stroke, Gina stumbles upon a family secret Lorraine's kept hidden for forty years. In the face of her mother's failing health and her daughter's rebellion, this optimist might find that piecing together the truth is the push she needs to let go...


Kritters Thoughts:  Gina is still mourning the loss of her husband, but she is making ends meet and trying to connect with her daughter, May.  Early in the book, Lorraine, Gina's mother has a medical emergency and Gina, May and Gina's sister Vicky have to come together to help Lorraine and maybe put some pieces together as to why Lorraine has become the woman she has without her help.  I may have completely confused you by this synopsis, but really there are sister relationships, mother daughter relationships and maybe a big discovery as to the things that happen to you in your past will define your future.  

I loved reading about the girls putting together the pieces of Lorraine's past and how they inform the marriages that each girl went into.  I thought it was so interesting how the author had the girls learn about their mother's past and how she couldn't help them through the puzzle.  

I always love a book where the relationships seem real and authentic.  All the relationships presented in this book felt like one I am in or one my friend is in.  I laughed out loud a few times as the conversations between these women felt just so real.  I love a book where there are both positive and negative relationships and life isn't all cloudy days or sunshine and rainbows!

Amy Reichert has three books on her backlist and this is my first time reading her.  I will absolutely have to pick up one or more from her backlist soon because I loved these women so much!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 40 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Netgalley.  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 bit of a busy weekend, but some good read and some good books, I am excited that I am still ahead of my yearly goal!
A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

Becoming the Talbot Sisters by Rachel Linden
Happier Thinking by Lana Grace Riva
How Far She's Come by Holly Brown
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

Currently Reading:

Ten Beach Road by Wendy Wax
I See Life Through Rose Colored Glasses by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella

Next on the TBR pile:

The Summer I Met Jack by Michelle Gable

Author Interview: Jacqueline Friedland

After reading Trouble the Water by Jacqueline Friedland, I was contacted and given the opportunity to send her some questions to answer!  Here are her answers. . . 

1)       What do you find yourself rambling about?

Pick a topic, any topic, and I’ll bet you that I can start rambling on about it.  I think that’s one of the reasons why I love writing so much. It gives me an outlet for the copious convoluted thoughts that occupy my busy brain.  If I must narrow it down, I suppose some of the topics you are most likely to hear me yarning on about include cheese (because who doesn’t love cheese), any of the many books I’ve recently read, and the conundrum of cardboard taking over in the world in the form of packaging for people’s online purchases.   

2)      If you could put your book into one person’s hands to read, who would that be and why?

Since I have to pick just one person, and I cannot choose between my grandparents, all four of whom passed away long before I finished writing Trouble the Water, then I am going with Reese Witherspoon.  She is a smart and inspiring woman who is talented in so many different ways, and I would be supremely honored to have her read my book.  I have enjoyed watching her over the years as she transformed from an adorable teen-aged actress to a dynamic woman who succeeds at everything she undertakes.  She possesses so many traits I admire, from rigorous intellectual curiosity, compassion for others, and a charitable nature, to a great sense of humor and a profound interest in books.  As a strong and independent woman, I believe she would find my protagonist, Abigail, a kindred spirit, and I think she would enjoy the book.    

3)      What part of the writing process do you love the most?

I love the days when I disappear so completely into the writing that I am able to learn new and exciting tidbits about my characters. Whether it’s a trait I hadn’t realized the character possessed, or an unexpected plot twist that a character’s behavior engenders, at some point I begin to see my characters as real people, and they do things that surprise me.  When that happens, all I can do is follow them down whatever path they are pulling me towards.  Those are the days where I really feel like I’m doing something right.    

4)      Is there a piece of you at all in this book?

There are pieces of me scattered all over this book.  On the surface, I would say that you can see me most easily in Abigail, the heroine who insists on asserting herself even when it might cost her.  When she learns that her benefactor, Douglas, is engaged in abolition, she wants to push herself into his work, regardless of the risks to herself.  She also suffers from a noisy internal dialogue, which is something to which I can relate.  I also see myself in Abigail’s best friend, Gracie, who is always attempting to be the ultimate people pleaser.  As I go down the list of characters, I can find bits of myself in almost all of them, and I think many readers would be able to do so, as well.

5)      What types of books do you like to read?  What has been the most recent favorite read of yours?

I am a voracious reader.  The types of books I read can loosely be categorized as “Women’s Fiction.”  I do not discriminate between high and low art within the genre.  I am just as likely to read a lyrical experimental novel as I am to read a more formulaic romance.  If a story is well-told, I am all in.  I read a little bit of non-fiction, as well, but only when it is required as research for a project that I am working on.  Most recently, I loved Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone and Loretta Nyhan’s Digging In.

6)      What is next on your plate?

I am putting the finishing touches on my next novel.  It’s contemporary fiction, and like Trouble the Water, the story also features a strong female lead.

For more information on Jacqueline, please visit https://jacquelinefriedland.com/ 

Review: Trouble the Water by Jacqueline Friedland

Trouble the Water

by Jacqueline Friedland

Publisher: SparkPress

Pages: 352

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Abigail Milton was born into the British middle class, but her family has landed in unthinkable debt. To ease their burdens, Abby’s parents send her to America to live off the charity of their old friend, Douglas Elling. When she arrives in Charleston at the age of seventeen, Abigail discovers that the man her parents raved about is a disagreeable widower who wants little to do with her. To her relief, he relegates her care to a governess, leaving her to settle into his enormous estate with little interference. But just as she begins to grow comfortable in her new life, she overhears her benefactor planning the escape of a local slave—and suddenly, everything she thought she knew about Douglas Elling is turned on its head. 

Abby’s attempts to learn more about Douglas and his involvement in abolition initiate a circuitous dance of secrets and trust. As Abby and Douglas each attempt to manage their complicated interior lives, readers can’t help but hope that their meandering will lead them straight to each other.

Kritters Thoughts:  I love a good solid historical fiction and Trouble the Water was just that.  Abigail Milton moves from a hard life in Britain to what should be a nice and pampered life in Charleston, SC with a friend of the family, but little does she know she is moving to the heart of race relations and into a home where the beliefs are different from the rest.

I love a book about the Underground Railroad and this book has it, but I wish it had more.  It took a long while to get to that point and I just wish it had more of the ins and outs of it in the book.

BUT I did love the time period and the characters and the setting.  I loved Abigail Milton and how her story unfolded.  I loved how the stories of her past are revealed and how Douglas Elling reacts and takes care of her.  I loved the balls and dinners and the etiquettes of the past - it is always fun to read about what goes into all the events of the past.

I think this book is Jacqueline Friedland's debut and I hope she has more to come, maybe in a different time period!


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

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 16  out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Netgalley.  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 Anna by Lisa Scottoline

After Anna

by Lisa Scottoline

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Pages: 352

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Nobody cuts deeper than family...

Noah Alderman, a doctor and a widower, has remarried a wonderful woman, Maggie, and for the first time in a long time he and his son are happy. But their lives are turned upside down when Maggie’s daughter Anna moves in with them. Anna is a gorgeous seventeen-year-old who balks at living under their rules though Maggie, ecstatic to have her daughter back, ignores the red flags that hint at the trouble that is brewing. Events take a deadly turn when Anna is murdered and Noah is accused of the crime. Maggie must face not only the devastation of losing her only daughter, but the realization that her daughter's murder was at the hands of a husband she loves. New information sends Maggie searching for the truth, leading her to discover something darker than she could have ever imagined.

Kritters Thoughts:  Anna has never really known her mom.  After her father passes away she decides to reconnect and see if she can redefine family and maybe join a new one.  Maggie her mother has since remarried and is living the good life with her doctor husband, Noah, and his son from his first marriage Caleb.  They welcome Anna in their home and life After Anna is very different.

Something that felt unique and original in this book was how the chapters were formatted.  It alternated between the trial, but went mostly backwards throughout the trial and the other chapters focused on the time "before Anna."  I liked how the trial unfolded and the reader finds out about what led to the trial; it was really interesting and made it hard for me to put this one down.  

Lisa Scottoline has quite the backlist and I have by no means read any part of it and after loving this one, I am definitely interested in curling up with a few of her books.  I loved the flow of her writing and the mix of story with procedural trial, it was just such a full story.  What other stand alone's of Lisa Scottoline should I read first?


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

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 41 out of 100


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from St Martin's Press.  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 High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews

The High Tide Club

by Mary Kay Andrews

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Pages: 480

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  When ninety-nine-year-old heiress Josephine Bettendorf Warrick summons Brooke Trappnell to Talisa Island, her 20,000 acre remote barrier island home, Brooke is puzzled. Everybody in the South has heard about the eccentric millionaire mistress of Talisa, but Brooke has never met her. Josephine’s cryptic note says she wants to discuss an important legal matter with Brooke, who is an attorney, but Brooke knows that Mrs. Warrick has long been a client of a prestigious Atlanta law firm.

Over a few meetings, the ailing Josephine spins a tale of old friendships, secrets, betrayal and a long-unsolved murder. She tells Brooke she is hiring her for two reasons: to protect her island and legacy from those who would despoil her land, and secondly, to help her make amends with the heirs of the long dead women who were her closest friends, the girls of The High Tide Club—so named because of their youthful skinny dipping escapades—Millie, Ruth and Varina. When Josephine dies with her secrets intact, Brooke is charged with contacting Josephine’s friends’ descendants and bringing them together on Talisa for a reunion of women who’ve actually never met.

Kritters Thoughts:  I have not read all of Mary Kay Andrews.  I have read a few here and there and I feel like it has been awhile since the last time.  I would quickly describe this book to another person as the perfect gateway for a reader who reads a lot of women's fiction and wants to dip their toes into the mystery genre.  This was a perfect hybrid of family drama story combined with a few who dun it storylines.  

Josephine Bettendorf Warrick is the last in her lineage and her land and home are in the middle of drama with the state of GA and before she dies she wants to have her affairs settled.  She summons old friends or members of their family and tries to set things straight, but dies in the process.  The story starts here and her friends and their family have to put some puzzles together and figure out how to make Josephine's last wishes come true.  

I absolutely enjoyed this book.  I liked the hybrid of having a family drama with the hint of who dun it.  Being a avid reader of mysteries, I was able to figure out a few of the puzzles ahead of time, but this didn't take away from the reading experience.  I was still surprised by two things and happily surprised!

I would love to know if you are a fan of Mary Kay Andrews if you would recommend where I go next?  Does she have some other books that have some good puzzles to put together?


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

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 39 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from St Martin's Press.  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 great week in reading.  It was kind of nice to have a crummy weekend as an excuse to curl up with a book!

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews
The Optimist's Guide to Letting Go by Amy E Reichert
After Anna by Lisa Scottoline
The Italian Party by Christina Lynch

Currently Reading:

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

Next on the TBR pile:

Becoming the Talbot Sisters by Rachel Linden

Review: The Family Gathering by Robyn Carr

The Family Gathering

by Robyn Carr

Publisher: MIRA Books

Pages: 288

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Having left the military, Dakota Jones is at a crossroads in his life. With his elder brother and youngest sister happily settled in Sullivan’s Crossing, he shows up hoping to clear his head before moving on to his next adventure. But, like every visitor to the Crossing, he’s immediately drawn to the down-to-earth people and the seemingly simple way of life.

Dakota is unprepared for how quickly things get complicated. As a newcomer, he is on everyone’s radar—especially the single women in town. While he enjoys the attention at first, he’s really only attracted to the one woman who isn’t interested. And spending quality time with his siblings is eye-opening. As he gets to know them, he also gets to know himself and what he truly wants.

When all the Jones siblings gather for a family wedding, the four adults are drawn together for the first time in a way they never were as children. As they struggle to accept each other, warts and all, the true nature and strength of their bond is tested. But all of them come to realize that your family are the people who see you for who you really are and love you anyway. And for Dakota, that truth allows him to find the home and family he’s always wanted.

Kritters Thoughts:  The third in a series that takes place in a small town semi near Denver, CO.  The series centers around the Jones family - four siblings, two boys and two girls and this book centers around Dakota Jones.  Dakota Jones returns to where his siblings had flocked and is going to stay here for a bit until he moves onto his next stop.  An Army guy, Dakota Jones hasn't kept in touch with his family and hasn't ever really made a home, but maybe he will want to make a home here.  

Most to all of Robyn Carr books that I have read focus on one couple's romantic journey and there are little bits and pieces of other couples from previous books or future books.  This one felt different.  Maybe the Dakota romantic story (won't divulge the other half, don't want to spoil the unveiling!) wasn't dramatic enough to fill a complete book, but in this book there were way too many side stories that weren't small but big and I felt like it was too much and overshadowed the Dakota story.  

I will continue with this series, but I didn't love this book as much as the first two in the series.  I like the town and the people, but just wanted more from this story and a little less of the side stories.

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

Ebook 2018 Challenge: 38 out of 100


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Little Bird 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: Between Earth and Sky by Amanda Skenandore

 Between Earth and Sky

by Amanda Skenandore

Publisher: Kensington Publishing

Pages: 304

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  On a quiet Philadelphia morning in 1906, a newspaper headline catapults Alma Mitchell back to her past. A federal agent is dead, and the murder suspect is Alma’s childhood friend, Harry Muskrat. Harry—or Asku, as Alma knew him—was the most promising student at the “savage-taming” boarding school run by her father, where Alma was the only white pupil. Created in the wake of the Indian Wars, the Stover School was intended to assimilate the children of neighboring reservations. Instead, it robbed them of everything they’d known—language, customs, even their names—and left a heartbreaking legacy in its wake.

The bright, courageous boy Alma knew could never have murdered anyone. But she barely recognizes the man Asku has become, cold and embittered at being an outcast in the white world and a ghost in his own. Her lawyer husband, Stewart, reluctantly agrees to help defend Asku for Alma’s sake. To do so, Alma must revisit the painful secrets she has kept hidden from everyone—especially Stewart.

Kritters Thoughts:  Alma Mitchell is living a "normal" life when a newspaper takes her back to a time and place of her childhood and she has to go back there and help.  Her father was a part of creating a school where Indian children were schooled and she was the only white student.  The newspaper article is about a school mate and she feels as though she has to go back and help him through this trial.  

Although at times it made for hard reading at the same time I appreciated the honesty of including the authentic Indian words and language.  It made for slower reading, but it made it a much more honest read and I respected the inclusion of the words.  

The thing that stuck out for me with this book was the lesson that is hit on quite a few times was the question - did the lessons and such really help the Indian population?  Did "we" really "help" them or were we trying to impose our own ideals on their community?  It was hard to take a step outside of myself and my narrative and really question whether the things that these people were doing were helping or harming this community.  I wonder what the Indian community would be if "we" hadn't done what we did to/for them.

This wasn't my favorite historical fiction book because the reading experience was difficult, but it was unique and different because of the time period and focus.  I can appreciate a book that still teaches me something in an interesting way and opens my eyes to something that I was clueless about before reading.  


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't 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.

April, spring has sprung? OR not in Northern VA

source

WHAT a month of reading! I had such a good month of reading, the weather was spotty, so there were some weekends where curling up with a book was just the only thing to do!


1. Brooklyn in Love by Amy Thomas
2. On the Rocks by Ellen Hopkins
3. Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
4. Other People's Houses by Abbi Waxman
5. Bridal Girl by Meredith Schorr
6. The Forgotten Ones by Steena Holmes
7. Fingerprints of Previous Owners by Rebecca Entell
8. The Lemonade Year by Amy Willoughby-Burle
9. The House on Harbor Hill by Shelly Stratton
10. The Elizas by Sara Shepard
11. Hurricane Season by Lauren K Denton
12. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
13. Maybe I Do by Nicole McLaughlin
14. Maybe This Time by Nicole McLaughlin
15. Inherit the Bones by Emily Littlejohn
16. A Season to Lie by Emily Littlejohn
17. Daughters of the Winter Queen by Nancy Goldstone
18. The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni
19. Between Earth and Sky by Amanda Skenandore
20. The Family Gathering by Robyn Carr
21. The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews


Total pages read, clicked and flipped:  7,127

Where having I been Reading?:
NYC (2)
Las Vegas, NV
Los Angeles, CA (2)
Ontario, Canada
Caribbean 
Asheville, NC
Camden Beach, MD
Alabama
Japan
Kansas (2)
Colorado (3)
Burlingame, CA
Georgia