Every Time You Go Away - release day review & giveaway

Review by Deb Czajkowski

Now you see him; now you don’t.

Ben was supposed to be gone only for the weekend.  He went to their beach house in Ocean City, Maryland, to take care of routine maintenance. Willa had seen him just before he left. And then, suddenly, Ben was gone. Now you see him; now you don’t.

Three years after Ben’s unexpected death at the beach house, Willa is still struggling in a big way.  She has vaguely gone through the motions of parenting their son, Jamie, these past three years, but her emotional distance is taking its toll on him ─ as well as on Willa herself.  Finally acknowledging this, Willa decides it’s time to move on with her life and to try to reconnect with her son before it’s too late.  With this realization, Willa starts the process by facing the beach house, the old haunts, and the ghosts of summers past.

At first the years’ of memories ─Ben and Willa met here at this beach house when they were both still teens─ overwhelm Willa, and she pictures Ben everywhere she goes. But then she actually ─literally─ sees Ben.  Well, his ghost. She would see him, then he’d be gone.

Now you see him; now you don’t. Is Willa going insane?  She doesn’t think so, but can an insane person be a reliable source? Willa enlists the help of Jamie, her best friend, Kristin, and Kristin’s daughter, Kelsey for the summer ─for more reasons than one! It is Willa’s hope that working together to fix up the beach house will bring far more benefits than just the house, for each of them.

Every Time You go Away is bottom line a story of loss, of grief that is heart-wrenching and far-reaching.  Author Beth Harbison’s main character, Willa, has quite unexpectedly, at age thirty-five, lost her husband and best friend. It happens.  And how a person traverses the days that follow are personal to everyone who has been in Willa’s shoes. Some may even assert to have seen their loved one’s ghost, or felt a “presence.” Grief is a path unto itself.

Every Time You go Away is also a story ─Willa’s story─ about finding a way through the grief, finding a way to heal from the pain and loss, finding a way to fully rejoin the world of the living again. For the people in her world ─ family, close friends─ that new normal is an adjustment as well.

We all know someone who’s grieving a personal loss ─maybe it’s even you!  If so, you have my sympathies. Read Every Time You go Away. Yes, it begins with grief and loss, but it’s also Willa’s journey to hope, to living again. And hope ─and living life─ are both worth it every day of the week!

Purchase the book at:

Amazon* Barnes&Noble

About the author:

BETH HARBISON is The New York Times bestselling author of One Less Problem Without You, If I Could Turn Back Time, Driving with the Top Down, Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger; When In Doubt, Add Butter; Always Something There To Remind Me; Thin, Rich, Pretty; Hope In A Jar; Secrets of a Shoe Addict; andShoe Addicts Anonymous. She grew up in Potomac, Maryland, outside Washington, DC, and now shares her time between that suburb, New York City, and a quiet home on the eastern shore.

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

St. Martin’s Press is giving 1

Lucky winner a print copy of

Every Time You Go Away by Beth Harbison

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Late Bloomers' Club - release day giveaway

A delightful novel about two headstrong sisters, a small town's efforts to do right by the community, and the power of a lost dog to summon true love

Nora, the owner of the Miss Guthrie Diner, is perfectly happy serving up apple cider donuts, coffee, and eggs-any-way-you-like-em to her regulars, and she takes great pleasure in knowing exactly what's "the usual." But her life is soon shaken when she discovers she and her free-spirited, younger sister Kit stand to inherit the home and land of the town's beloved cake lady, Peggy Johnson. 

Kit, an aspiring--and broke--filmmaker thinks her problems are solved when she and Nora find out Peggy was in the process of selling the land to a big-box developer before her death. The people of Guthrie are divided--some want the opportunities the development will bring, while others are staunchly against any change--and they aren't afraid to leave their opinions with their tips.

Time is running out, and the sisters need to make a decision soon. But Nora isn't quite ready to let go of the land, complete with a charming farmhouse, an ancient apple orchard and the clues to a secret life that no one knew Peggy had. Troubled by the conflicting needs of the town, and confused by her growing feelings towards Elliot, the big-box developer's rep, Nora throws herself into solving the one problem that everyone in town can agree on--finding Peggy's missing dog, Freckles.

When a disaster strikes the diner, the community of Guthrie bands together to help her, and Nora discovers that doing the right thing doesn't always mean giving up your dreams.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the author:

Louise Miller is a writer and pastry chef living in Boston, MA. Her debut novel, THE CITY BAKER’S GUIDE TO COUNTRY LIVING was selected as an Indie Next pick by the American Booksellers Association, a Library Reads pick by Librarians across the U.S., and was shortlisted by the America Library Association’s Reading List Council for best women’s fiction in 2017. Her 2nd novel, THE LATE BLOOMERS’ CLUB, will be published in July 2018. Louise is an art school dropout, an amateur flower gardener, an old-time banjo player, an obsessive moviegoer, and a champion of old dogs.

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Pamela Dorman Books is giving

One lucky winner a print copy of

The Late Bloomer’s Club by Louise Miller

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Her Pretty Face - release week giveaway

The author of the bestselling novel The Party—lauded as “tense and riveting” by New York Times bestselling author Megan Miranda—returns with a chilling new domestic drama about two women whose deep friendship is threatened by dark, long-buried secrets.

Frances Metcalfe is struggling to stay afloat.

A stay-at-home mom whose troubled son is her full-time job, she thought that the day he got accepted into the elite Forrester Academy would be the day she started living her life. Overweight, insecure, and lonely, she is desperate to fit into Forrester’s world. But after a disturbing incident at the school leads the other children and their families to ostracize the Metcalfes, she feels more alone than ever before.

Until she meets Kate Randolph.

Kate is everything Frances is not: beautiful, wealthy, powerful, and confident. And for some reason, she’s not interested in being friends with any of the other Forrester moms—only Frances. As the two bond over their disdain of the Forrester snobs and the fierce love they have for their sons, a startling secret threatens to tear them apart.

Because one of these women is not who she seems. Her real name is Amber Kunik. And she’s a murderer.

In her masterful follow-up to The Party, Robyn Harding spins a web of lies, deceit, and betrayal, asking the question: Can people ever change? And even if they can, is it possible to forgive the past?

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the author:

Robyn Harding is the author of several books, including The Party and Her Pretty Face, and has written and executive produced an independent film. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband and two children.

Connect with the author at:

Website* Facebook * Instagram

Gallery/ScoutPress is giving

One lucky winner a print copy of

Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I See Life Through Rose'-Colored Glasses - release day giveaway

In I See Life Through Rosé-Colored Glasses, the bestselling mother/daughter pair is back with another hilarious and heartfelt collection of essays about the possibilities and pitfalls of everyday life.

The New York Times bestselling mother daughter duo are back with more hilarious, witty, and true tales from their lives. Whether they are attempting to hike the Grand Canyon, setting up phone calls with their dogs, or learning what “adulting” means, Lisa and Francesca are guaranteed to make you laugh, cry, and appreciate the funniest moments in life. Like the perfect glass of rosé, they’re always here to help you escape from your own busy, modern life and instead, get lost in theirs.

Praise for the series:

"This summer beach read―which is indeed “like a glass of rosé, between two covers”―is sure to cheer readers spanning the generations." ―Publishers Weekly on I See Life Through Rosè-Colored Glasses

“We all need down-to-earth wisdom and comedy now more than ever, and you will find both in abundance in I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere But the Pool.” ―Connecticut Post

“We get to be flies on the wall as the mother-daughter team fights, makes up, and hurls barbs just like you and your mom.” ―O, The Oprah Magazine (“Perfect Summer Must Read”)

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the authors:

LISA SCOTTOLINE is a bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author and a columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer.She has been published in thirty countries. She lives in the Philadelphia area with an array of pets.

FRANCESCA SCOTTOLINE SERRITELLA graduated cum laude from Harvard University, where she won the Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize, the Le Baron Russell Briggs Fiction Prize and the Charles Edmund Horman Prize for her creative writing. She lives in New York with one dog and one cat, so far.

Together they have written I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere But the Pool, Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat, Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog and many others.

Connect with Lisa at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

Connect with Francesca at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

St. Martin’s Press is giving

One lucky winner a print copy of

I See Life Through Rose'-Colored Glasses

a Rafflecopter giveaway

When We Found Home - release week promo

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery masterfully explores the definition of a modern family—blended by surprise, not by choice—and how those complicated relationships can add unexpected richness to life.

“Heartwarming…this book is sweet and will appeal to readers who enjoy the intricacies of family drama.”—Publishers Weekly

Life is meant to be savored, but that’s not easy with no family, limited prospects and a past you’d rather not talk about. 

Callie Smith doesn’t know how to feel when she discovers she has a brother and a sister—Malcolm, who grew up with affection, wealth and privilege, and Keira, a streetwise twelve-year-old. Despite her trepidation, she moves into the grand family home with her siblings and grandfather on the shores of Lake Washington, hoping just maybe this will be the start of a whole new life.

But starting over can be messy. Callie and Keira fit in with each other, but not with their posh new lifestyle, leaving Malcolm feeling like the odd man out in his own home. Becoming a family will take patience, humor, a little bit of wine and a whole lot of love. But love isn’t Malcolm’s strong suit…until he learns that an open heart, like the family table, can always make room for more.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the author:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming and humorous novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship, romance. She's best known for putting nuanced characters into emotionally complex, real-life situations with twists that surprise readers to laughter. Because Susan is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books. Beloved by millions of readers worldwide, her books have been translated into 28 languages.

Susan lives in Washington state with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. 

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter