July 27, 2018

Review: The Beach House by Sterling Keyes


The Beach House by Sterling Keyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Charlotte Winters returns to Shimmer Pointe Beach to settle her father's affairs, she's not sure what she is going to do next. Not only with the stuff in his house, but also with the rest of her life. She has just filed for divorce from her husband of 10 years after she caught him cheating. She's not sure if she will stay in the family beach house or return to life in Seattle. But when Charlotte meets Theo, things get even more confusing. She's not ready to start another relationship, but she also can't imagine her life without Theo in it.

Thank you to Sterling Keyes for the opportunity to read and review her book.

This book was a short romance that had me hooked from the start. Immediately I wanted to be Charlotte's friend and help her through her difficult time. Imagine living on the other side of the country from your family and slowly losing the closeness you once had. Losing them would be a tragic event, but even more tragic is deciding what to do with all of the things they have left behind. Finding a man while completing this task was the last thing on Charlotte's mind, but Theo was a good friend and companion to her father, so they couldn't help coming together.

Theo is not looking for a relationship either, but when he meets Charlotte Winters, things are very different. Not only is she the daughter of his friend who is now gone, but there is something about her that he just can't seem to resist.

These two were brought together for a reason. Love is the reason.

I highly recommend this short love story to all my romance lovers!!


Author Interview

ME: Where is your favorite place to write?

STERLING: Right now, I don't have a dedicated office. So, I am writing on my living room couch (At least it is comfortable!)  My dream is to one day have a nice office where I can close the door and write in peace and quiet.  I think when you have a dedicated space, it makes it easier to focus.  But, we do what we can, with what we have, and that's ok too.

ME: Which is your favorite book right now?  Of all time?

STERLING: I'm a sucker for Nora Roberts.  I love anything that woman writes.  I also really like Meredith Wild.  My favorite book of all time has to be books I read as a child, such as: Nancy Drew and Mrs. Frisby & The Rats of Nimh.  Those books really stuck with me as I grew up and helped make me want to write my own stories, they fueled the fire. 

ME:  What inspired you to become a writer?

STERLING: I think I was born with the desire to want to write stories.  I was writing stories and making little books as early as 5 years old.  It was just something I always wanted to do.  It's my passion and I am really trying to make it my full time career. 



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July 13, 2018

Review: The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll

The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Published: May 2018

Goal Diggers is a reality TV show based on women entrepreneurs. These women have made their own way in life without the help of a man. The story centers around two characters on the show, Brett and Stephanie. Brett is the lesbian who doesn't care about what others things about her, with the bike riding studio who donates proceeds from her studios to women in Morocco who have to walk miles for water. They use the money to purchase bikes for these women. Stephanie is just the opposite refusing to film without a full face of makeup and she has written a few novels and now is on tour for her first "memoir". The other 2 characters on the show are Jen and Lauren, who don't really get along with the rest of the cast, and joining them this season is Kelly, Brett's older sister. Is reality TV really real? Are what is going on in these women's lives really happening or is it played up for the audience. This book takes us from Pre-Production on the show to Post-Production for one of the most explosive seasons. Are you ready for the ride?

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Getting into this book was hard. It took me 10 days to read it and I thought I would get through it pretty quickly. I love the Real Housewives series with my favorites being Atlanta, and Beverly Hills and this book I thought was going to be like taking a behind the scenes look at a show like that. It was, but for me it fell a little short.

The book starts with Kelly talking about Brett's death. But we have to go through the whole season of filming to see how that all plays out. Each woman has a secret to keep with one being bigger and juicier than the next. So from the start I was intrigued and I had to find out how Brett died, but it just took so long to get there. Back stories and front stories, and Interviews and lies. It's all a complete mess. The best part of the book for me was the last 10%.

Do you watch Reality TV? My husband calls it mind polluting. But he watches a couple of them with me. I've always wanted to know if the show was scripted and if these women were all either enemies or best friends when the cameras go off. You get a glimpse of that in this book. They take us through an entire filming season before the audience gets to see what happens. Producers sending texts to cast members before they are going to meet up with certain people to remind them of last filmed conversations? I need to ask Andy Cohen if that really happens. But with so much drama going on, whose lies do you believe?



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AudioBook Review: The Year We Turned Forty by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke

The Year We Turned Forty by Liz Fenton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: April 2016

Claire, Jessie, and Gabriella have been friends for many years. They all have birthdays around the same time and they always celebrate together. On their 50th birthday, they decide to spend it in Vegas. The first night is Claire's birthday and they visit a magician who gives them an offer they can't refuse, or can they? They can go back to this same night 10 years prior to Claire's 40th birthday and make changes in their lives. But the changes they make won't affect just them. Will they take the offer, or leave it and continue to live their lives?

Seeing as this is the year that I turn 40, I was intrigued by this book. If I had the opportunity to go back in time and relive a year of my life, would I do it? I think that I would. I don't think that I would think twice about it. There are a lot of things I would like to change about the past, and having the ability to do so, sounds great.

For Claire, Jessie and Gabriella, they have some serious issues to get through and see if they can't fix the second time around. From the death of a parent, to an award winning career and an affair, will going back in time make things different in this new life? Will things be better or worse?



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Review: Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris


Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Published: June 2018

Let me start off by saying that this book was at the top of my Summer Reading List.  I tried every way I could to get this from the publisher as an ARC without success.  I was the first to read it from my library though.

Ten years ago, Finn's wife, Layla disappeared. They were on their way home from a holiday in France, when they stopped at a rest area for a bathroom break. When Finn returned from the restroom, Layla was gone. He tried to find her right away and contacted the police and told them everything that happened from the time they pulled in until he walked out of the bathroom and his wife was gone. But he left out one detail. Now Finn is dating Layla's sister, Ellen, and things keep popping up to bring Layla back to the forefront. Is Layla alive or is someone playing a twisted game to stop Finn and Ellen from being together?

I love B.A. Paris! Everything she has written so far has been incredible to me. This was another book that I couldn't put down. I think I read it in less than 48 hours.

What would you do if your significant other went missing and was presumed dead. Ten years later when you are about to marry her sister, there are little signs everywhere that she may be still alive. But how is that possible? Why would she stay away all this time if she was alive? Has someone being keeping her captive?

All these questions are answered in the book. And the twist, that I kind of saw coming, but couldn't wait to see how the author laid it all out for us.

Whatever BA Paris writes, I'm definitely going to read. Every book has been unputdownable!!  Have you read any of her books?  Let me know.   If not, what are you waiting for?  Below are my reviews for her other 2 books:

Behind Closed Doors
The Breakdown




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Review: The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews

The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Published: May 2018

Josephine Bettendorf Warrick is 99 years old. She has terminal cancer and any day could be her last. She asks for the help of Brooke Trappnell an attorney in town to help settle her affairs. Brooke is aware that Ms. Warrick has attorneys and lives on an island off the coast of Georgia. Why she needs Brooke's help is unclear. Brooke's grandmother was an old friend of Josephine's and they lost touch over the years. Josephine would like to make amends to her friends and leave them a part of the island so that the state will not get a hold of it, for that she needs Brooke's help. Josephine, Ruth, Millie, and Varina were The High Tide Club. Before she dies she wants to see in person her friends or their relatives. Will Josephine be able to accomplish everything she needs to before her death?

Thank you to NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

It has been a while since I have read one of Ms. Andrew's books. This book was good.  It held my attention and kept me intrigued throughout.

Can you imagine living on an island in a palatial estate? Cut off from most of the world by the ocean. Sounds like a dream come true to me.

The story switches time from present day to 1941 when The High Tide Club was formed. There are many secrets that these friends shared and kept from one another. The four friends lost touch after the war except for Josephine and Varina, although their relationship has strained over the past few years.

Brooke herself is the granddaughter of Millie which is why Josephine chose her for the job in the first place. Brooke finds out things about her family she didn't know about and is successful at bringing together the ancestors of her friends. But the state wants the land and Josephine's distant relatives want to give it up to them. Discoveries are made and secrets are uncovered in this book.



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