Tag: Harlequin Books

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New Girl in Little Cove (Monaghan)-Blog Tour-Fiction-Available May 11

I learned a lot of things from this book. including delightful new words and phrases.

I learned that small towns are the same whether they are in Newfoundland or the US or UK, and also that teenagers can be obnoxious regardless of country of residence.

That is what made this book so enjoyable to me. Even though I have never traveled to Newfoundland, I found the attitudes of the townspeople to be similar to a small upstate NY town we used to live in. As a former teacher, I felt the teenage characters were familiar as well.

Rachel was therefore relatable on a couple of different levels. I remember my first day of teaching high school like it was yesterday. That was one of my favorite scenes in the book.

She also handled everything the best she could. She wasn’t perfect and she made mistakes, but she came across as someone genuine who just wanted to fit in and do a good job.

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I especially liked how the author wrote phonetically or in the vernacular. I know that’s often a bone of contention when dealing with accents in a book.

But I prefer it because I read those parts out loud (yes, it probably seemed as if I was talking to myself) and it definitely gave me a better feel for the cadence and lilt of the townies’ language. I was also struck by how much it had in common with Irish inflections and contractions.

I really enjoyed all of the characters – quirky doesn’t begin to describe some of them.

But back to the teaching part, I thought the way Rachel figured out how to reach the students was accurately portrayed. Sometimes it’s all about just catching their attention in the smallest way – then you can expand on it to bring them further around.  

I guess if there was a phrase to sum up this book it would be “don’t judge a book by its cover.” The townies got to know Rachel instead of judging her as a mainlander and she got to know the students in spite of being warned about them by others.

This was a charming book and I would recommend it for a light, easy, relaxing read.

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Twitter: @Downith
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DAMHNAIT MONAGHAN was once a mainlander who taught in a small fishing village in Newfoundland. A former teacher and lawyer, Monaghan has almost sixty publication credits, including flash fiction, creative non-fiction, and short stories. Her short prose has won or placed in various writing competitions and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best Small Fictions, and Best Microfictions. New Girl in Little Cove placed in the top six from more than 350 entries in the 2019 International Caledonia Novel Award.

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Confessions from the Quilting Circle-Blog Tour (Review)-Women’s Fiction-Available May 4

I very much enjoyed this story that wove the history of three generations of women from the same family into one coherent narrative.

Although, I guess with quilting I should maybe say “patched” instead of “wove?” At any rate, I was drawn right into the plot as the sisters arrived at their grandmother’s house.

I did think that there was an awful lot going on in opening chapters, and at times I felt like it was bogged down a bit which made it slow going.

But I’m pretty sure the author plotted that way so that the reader could grasp the backgrounds of the three sisters to understand their current situations and mindsets.

I liked how the author used one word repeatedly to tie both the sisters’ lives and the quilt together. I thought that was illustrative and nice attention to detail.

I also thought that each of the sisters’ personal journeys were realistic and believable but also tailored to each sister. I related to Lark the most, but there were elements in Avery’s and Hannah’s stories that I could also understand on a personal level.

That showed some nice balance by the author, because more often than not there is a singular character to relate to, not a bit in each of them.

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I enjoyed the diary entries that started the chapters. It was an effective way to get the past across without jumping back and forth in timelines causing confusion.

One of the only things that kind of bothered me throughout the book was the heavy use of the pronoun “she.” I know that seems nitpicky, and I usually do not mention grammar in my reviews.

However, when the three main characters are female and talking to each other, repeatedly using “she” sometimes confused me as I couldn’t figure out exactly who was speaking. I often had to go back a bit and re-read, parsing out the dialogue so I was sure to understand it.

But that was minor. Otherwise, I thought it was a good read, and I would recommend it.  

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Twitter: @maiseyyates
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Author Bio: New York Times Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit. 

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The Bookstore on the Beach-Blog Tour (Review)-Fiction-Available Now

A lot of books in this genre center on a family secret that is revealed once said family is all together in the same place and can hash everything out.

This book has that, but on steroids. Seriously, pretty much every character in this book has at least one secret they’re hiding from the rest of the family.

These range from run-of-the-mill teen problems to troubled pasts to international espionage.

Seriously, there’s A LOT going on in this book.

In spite of this, I think the author did an admirable job of weaving everything together into a coherent plot.

Buy links can be found underneath “About the Author”

I was most interested in the grandmother’s story because I thought that had the most depth to it. It also went the furthest to explaining her present-day actions. Although, to some it might be farfetched.

To this, I think the reason that Autumn returned to beach was more of a reach. But that’s a personal opinion (obviously). It’s not that there was anything wrong with that storyline, but it didn’t work for me. Especially the way it all plays out in the end.

I also thought the same with Taylor’s storyline. While it was engaging and contemporary, it seemed a little bit forced and a lot for her (as a character) to deal with. Just one of the issues she was facing would have been fine.

In re-reading this, it appears as if I didn’t like the book, but that’s wrong. I did. I was engaged in the family drama and definitely interested in how everything was going to work out.

I just felt a little tired by it all because there was so much going on for each of the characters.

And I really thought that the bookstore would play more of a part in the whole thing, given that it’s in the title. As it was (again, to me) it was merely the setting and had very little further function.

I may have missed it due to the details of the characters’ lives, but I wanted more about how special the bookstore was. I would recommend this book for the detailed family drama and interesting plot threads.

TWITTER: @Brenda_Novak
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About the Author: 

Brenda Novak, a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, has penned over sixty novels. She is a five-time nominee for the RITA Award and has won the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Bookbuyer’s Best, and many other awards. She also runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity to raise money for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised $2.5 million. For more about Brenda, please visit www.brendanovak.com.

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Just My Luck-Blog Tour (Review)-Thriller-Available Now

I have to say that this was an odd read for me. I felt like it wanted to be a psych thriller but also a thriller…but also a family drama. It definitely kept me hooked, but I’m not sure it was for the right reasons.

To begin with, I really didn’t like any of the characters, except for Lexi (more on her in a minute). After finishing the book, I totally understand why the author wrote them all the way she did (especially Jake) but in the midst of reading, they all pretty much came across as unlikeable.

I suppose that could be chalked up to the overall theme that “money corrupts.” It certainly seemed as if Emily and Jake got more carried away than Logan and Lexi did. That could absolutely be because teenage boys need a lot less to be happy than teenage girls? I don’t know.

But the frimily (as Lexi called them) also didn’t seem to be likeable, almost to the point where I kept wondering how they had all remained friends for so long even before they fell out.

The story is primarily Lexi’s although we do get a few chapters here and there from Emily’s point of view. As such, we are supposed to (I think) feel sorry for Lexi as she stands to be the voice of reason when the rest of the family goes a little off the rails.

I have to agree with one of the other characters, though, that there were times where she came across as sanctimonious. Maybe that was (again) because the others lost their marbles a bit.

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About half-way through, the action began to pick up, with the planning of an event and lots of fall out from it. I started to feel like there was too much going on. It might have just been my frame of mind when I was reading, which was entirely possible.

It seemed that everything started to go a little gonzo and not all of the choices seemed rational to me. Again, could just be illustrative of money giving people bad judgment. There was definitely a lot of that.

Characters like Colleen and Toma had interesting roles in the bigger picture, but they kind of faded and came back into focus. There were some moments near the end where I thought one of them was going to have a much bigger part in the whole story…but they didn’t.

There were also a few things that seemed to come out of nowhere as issues were revealed and resolved. And the last couple of chapters felt hurried to me, especially with the information that they contained.

The last chapter actually raised more questions for me than answering anything. It did make me re-evaluate what I thought I understood from earlier in the story, and I even went back to read a few sections to see if I could have caught what the author was plotting.

I would recommend this book, but hold on to your hat because it really goes a bunch of different directions leading to the climax.

Author Bio: 

Adele Parks is the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of twenty novels, including Lies Lies Lies and Just My Luck, as well as I Invited Her In. Just My Luck is currently in development to be made into a movie. Her novels have sold 4 million copies in the UK alone, and her work has also been translated into thirty-one languages. 

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Tell No Lies-Blog Tour (Review)-Thriller-Available Now

This book starts with a heartbreaking event and takes an interesting turn almost immediately. Pretty soon, things are happening at a rapid pace and the reader is hit from all sides. It’s a well-plotted and intricate story that frankly left me a little tired after reading it.

Not that that’s a bad thing.

The author does a good job of dealing with timely references. It’s not a spoiler to say that child trafficking, widespread environmental pollution, and corporate greed are all bound together within the plot.

Honestly, it’s in the blurb as well.

While I read this, I got the feeling that there was a bit of background that I was missing. Shame on me for not realizing that it was the second in a series.

Buy links can be found underneath the Author Information section

That didn’t dim my enthusiasm for reading, but as there are only two books, I would recommend reading in order, if only to get the full scope of the two main characters, Quinn and Costa.

Apparently, they had a bit of history, and their roles in this book complicate what is an obvious chemistry between the two of them. Again, I think reading the first book might be helpful, because it kind of felt like the author was reluctant to explore their personal relationship any further.

That could also be because there were so many layers to the events in the book. Undercovers in various places, investigations that produce side-investigations, lies upon lies…it’s a lot to keep up with. And nobody really heeds the title of the book (oh, the irony).

But it does make for a page-turning read. Just start at the first one so this one is more enjoyable, and you have a firm basis going forward.

Facebook: @AllisonBrennan
Twitter: @Allison_Brennan
Instagram: @abwrites

About the author:

ALLISON BRENNAN is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of over thirty novels. She has been nominated for Best Paperback Original Thriller by International Thriller Writers and the Daphne du Maurier Award. A former consultant in the California State Legislature, Allison lives in Arizona with her husband, five kids and assorted pets.

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The Last Bookshop in London-Blog Tour (Review)-Historical Fiction-Coming April 6

Done right, historical fiction not only evokes the time period in question, but also makes the reader truly feel the emotions of the events in the book.

This book is highly successful at that.

Descriptive and elegant, yet also haunting and brutal at times, I felt everything Grace was feeling as she found her way in London.

Right from the beginning, with the date stamp of August 1939 London, the reader knows what the background of the story is going to be, even as Grace and her friend Viv don’t. This added a sense of foreboding as the girls’ excitement at finally being in the city was quite apparent.

I liked the opening chapters because they set the scene for what was to come while also giving the reader a good look at just how “normal” everything was.

Until it wasn’t.

It also gave me time to get to know pivotal characters before the Blitz began (no spoiler there – if you’re reading historical fiction, you should know the time period and the history). This was a very good thing, because once the bombs started dropping, there were new things to focus on.

Buy Links can be found beneath the Author Bio

I thought Grace was a strong character and I loved her development over the course of the entire book. Even her name was an excellent choice because she was often the personification of it, even in the worst of times.

I really enjoyed her journey into reading. It was smart of the author for Grace to have that epiphany because it made her actions later in the book that much more poignant and impactful.

While I loved the scenes involving the bookstore, I do have to mention the details of the Blitz. I have read several books that contain scenes from the Blitz, but I don’t remember a time that it was described so thoroughly.

I felt like I could smell the smoke, see the fires, and feel the concussions of the bombs right along with Grace. It was harrowing and emotional. I honestly needed a break after a couple of the scenes and could totally identify with Grace’s exhaustion.

As the author writes, it’s a true testament to Londoners that they survived that onslaught.

But not only did they survive it, they pulled together. Even writing this part of the review right now, I’m tearing up thinking of the last few chapters.

It was that well-done. I’m not doing it justice. But it was just so good. All of it.

This book had a great story, a lead character to root for, charming supporting characters, and accurate depictions of war, both the good and bad sides of it. All of this together made for an excellent read that I highly recommend.

And make sure to have the tissues nearby.


Facebook: madelinemartinauthor 
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About the Author:

Madeline Martin is a USA TODAY bestselling author of historical romance novels filled with twists and turns, adventure, steamy romance, empowered heroines and the men who are strong enough to love them. Her website is http://www.madelinemartin.com/ 

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The Path to Sunshine Cove-Blog Tour (Review)-Women’s Fiction-Available Now

I enjoyed the first book about Cape Sanctuary by this author (see my review of The Sea Glass Cottage), so I was looking forward to this one. I wasn’t disappointed.

Aside from being a place I would love to visit Cape Sanctuary reminds me of the towns that my parents and I used to visit on weekend drives. Having grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area, there were no shortage of such towns.

To me, a setting that invokes good personal memories is almost as important as the plot or the characters. It certainly can help to put the reader in a positive frame of mind for reading.

I liked the way the author shaped this story.

First off, I thought the job that the job Jess had was fascinating. It was indicative of her true nature and in direct conflict with the prickly outer shell she exhibited – especially the one her sister thinks she has to break through.

I actually found myself wishing that Jess existed and would be available to help me and my mom clean out her house. There are 50 years of memories waiting to be sorted, and it will not be easy. Do people with jobs like Jess exist in real life?

I digress.

I appreciate how this isn’t a typical romance book, although there is romance involved. I thought the point/counterpoint of Jess figuring out what Nate meant to her and Rachel trying to juggle her homelife and realizing what Cody actually did for the family was interesting.

One thing that stood out to me in the previous book and is again present here is how well the author captures teenage girls. Sophie is a real person, not a caricature of a teenager. Her moodiness is perfectly accurate for her age, as is the way she capitulates (in relief) when someone offers her an alternative.

A potential surfing disaster headed off with the offer to build sandcastles is an excellent case in point.

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I also thought that Rachel was a perfect example of today’s social media conscious society. She obsesses over everything being perfect for Instagram or her blog even as her home life is messy and complicated.

What she didn’t initially realize was that her desire for everything to be perfect kept her from spending quality time with the family – which would have ultimately made her life easier.

While Jess and Rachel were at odds with each other initially, I liked how they came together and realized each other’s strengths. The same could be said about Nate and Sophie as he juggles learning how to parent a teenager. It’s all about family.

Ultimately, I found that to be the strongest message. When we stop to actually listen to each other, we can learn so much more than hanging on to assumptions and past interactions.

Words to live by.

I hope we get to visit Cape Sanctuary again. I’ve become fond of it.

Twitter: @raeannethayne
Facebook: @AuthorRaeAnneThayne
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Author Bio: New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne finds inspiration in the beautiful northern Utah mountains where she lives with her family. Her books have won numerous honors, including six RITA Award nominations from Romance Writers of America and Career Achievement and Romance Pioneer awards from RT Book Reviews. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.raeannethayne.com.

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