Shelter Us - Review

Review by KT Sullivan

Sarah Shaw gives up her law career to be a stay at home mom. She has rehearsed her answer to the question “Do you have children?” “I have two children. My daughter died.” Sarah is lost in grief over Ella, her baby girl. She imagines Ella by her side and engaging in the family’s activities. She talks to her every day. When she was a teenager, Sarah’s mother died and her Guatemalan grandmother, Bibi, took her in. Sarah relies on her still to help with her sons. While driving, Sarah notices a homeless woman pushing a stroller. She pulls over and gives her lunch she packed for her son. Sarah becomes obsessed with helping the young mom and tracks her down. Josie and her son, Tyler, live in a shelter. A falling out with her mom and being abandoned by her boyfriend left her on the streets. Josie asks Sarah to drive her to Oakland from LA to help find her missing brother. Josie’s family isn’t happy to see her or Sarah. Sarah has lied about helping Josie to her husband, Robert, and finds herself looking up her old boyfriend. The combination of grief and helplessness take Sarah to the point of losing everything. “Mistakes make us,” Bibi says. In Sarah’s case it forces a sad conversation about how the family hasn’t dealt with Ella’s loss and brings them closer.

This is a sad story. Josie has so many hurdles to clear to make a life for herself and her son. Sarah needs to pick up the broken pieces of her former life and make a life for her sons. Life deals many bad cards and some people get more than their fair share. Healing has begun and both women try to start again. Excellent read.  

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About the Author:

Laura is the Editor of Deliver Me: True Confessions of Motherhood, a collection of true stories by 20 writers. Proceeds from book sales are donated to PATH Beyond Shelter, a non-profit that helps homeless families return to permanent housing.

Laura is a civil rights lawyer, and was the Editor in Chief of L.A. Family Magazine. She writes about family, parenting, and social justice for several publications, and on her blog, Confessions of Motherhood. 

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A Peach of a Pair - Review & Giveaway

Review by KT Sullivan

In March of 1953, Nettie Gilbert is getting ready to graduate from college and become a music teacher. She also plans to marry her long time love, Brooks Carter. She receives a letter from her mother clipped to a wedding invitation. Her sister, Sissy, is pregnant and marrying Brooks and Nettie needs to be there for Sissy. Her own feelings ignored, Nettie is crushed and drops out of school. She sees a job advertised on a bulletin board for live in help for two elderly sisters. She calls and finds out their doctor, Remmy Wilkes, has suggested the two need someone. They don’t agree and one of the sisters, Emily Eldridge, replies, they don’t need any “g. d. help.” The elder sister, Lurleen, is bedridden and very ill. She appreciates Nettie’s company and tells Emily to be nice and not work Nettie so hard. Remmy and Lurleen believe Nettie is pregnant. Why else would she leave school? Nettie realizes the mistake and tells them the truth. Lurleen is angry with Nettie’s family for treating her so badly. Remmy starts to fall in love with Nettie. Emily stays mean to her. Emily decides Remmy is a horrible doctor and wants to take Lurleen to a faith healer in Texas. Nettie, Emily, and Lurleen go on a bus trip and find out more about themselves and each other.

This is a fun story, the barbs between the sisters are priceless. The story continually asks and answers the question, what would you do for your family? How much sacrifice and tragedy are enough before forgiveness is offered and accepted? I enjoyed it very much.

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About the Author:

Kim Boykin was raised in her South Carolina home with two girly sisters and great parents. She had a happy, boring childhood, which sucks if you’re a writer because you have to create your own crazy. PLUS after you’re published and you’re being interviewed, it’s very appealing when the author actually lived in Crazy Town or somewhere in the general vicinity.

As a stay-at-home mom, Kim started writing, grabbing snip-its of time in the car rider line or on the bleachers at swim practice. After her kids left the nest, she started submitting her work, sold her first novel at 53, and has been writing like crazy ever since.

She is the author of A Peach of a Pair, Palmetto Moon and The Wisdom of Hair from Berkley/NAL/Penguin; Flirting with Forever, She’s the One, Just in Time for Christmas, Steal Me, Cowboy and Sweet Home Carolina from Tule. While her heart is always in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, she lives in Charlotte and has a heart for hairstylist, librarians, and book junkies like herself.

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Berkley Trade is giving one lucky winner a print copy of

Palmetto Moon and A Peach of A Pair
Kim Boykin is throwing in a copy of The Wisdom of Hair

One Winner, US only

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Rome In Love - Review, 12 Things About ... & Giveaway

Review by Marlene Engel

Cast as the lead role of Audrey Hepburn in the remake of Roman Holiday, Amelia Tate will be spending the next two months in Rome.  Although a dream come true, her acting career has put a strain on her relationship. 

Jetlagged and having consumed too much champagne, Amelia is eager to get out of her gown and walk the streets of Rome.  Knowing that the paparazzi will be hot on her heels, she changes out of her fancy clothes and into a maid’s uniform to go incognito. 

While out, she meets an American journalist named Philip.  Withholding her true identity, she allows him to believe that she is a maid.  It’s after their paths continue to cross, and her boyfriend’s surprise visit ends with an ultimatum of her having to choose her career or her relationship, Amelia starts to develop feelings for Philip.  Wanting to reveal her true identity, but never finding the right time, she continues her deceit.  But Philip isn’t without fault.  He too is holding back truths from Amelia. 

Sophie is a princess who has snuck away from her royal family and is spending six weeks living a normal life.  She, too, is actively avoiding any recognition and engrossing herself in her short-lived freedom.  Arranged to be married, she is surprised with the feelings she’s starting to develop for a handsome doctor that she befriends.  Caught between wanting to do right by her family and following her heart, Sophie is at a cross roads. 

With a cast of amazing characters, a storyline that will have you fully enthralled and set in the luxurious city of Rome, Anita Hughes takes you on an amazing voyage.  Destined to be the top summer read, this book is sure to please!

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“12 Things About Anita Hughes”

1) I live at the beach. This is probably one of the things that make me happiest. I love seeing the ocean when I walk.

2) I adore frozen yogurt - my whole family does so it is a daily ritual to get frozen yogurt after dinner.

3) I studied French in college and read all the great nineteenth century French authors.

4) My favorite author of all time is Somerset Maugham. I think you can learn everything you need to know from his books.

5) My second favorite author is probably George Eliot. I remember reading The Mill on The Floss in college and being mesmerized.

6) I love coffee - so I would be happy spending all my time sitting at an outdoor cafe in Rome, drinking espresso and people watching.

7) I wear flip-flops most of the time but I do love a beautiful pair of shoes.

8) I grew up in Sydney, Australia - near Bondi Beach. (another wonderful beach).

9) My favorite actress is Audrey Hepburn. I watched all her movies to research Rome In Love and especially loved Roman Holiday and Two For The Road.

10) My favorite actor is Cary Grant. He has the most amazing voice.

11) I have five children.

12) And of course, I love chocolate. Who doesn't?

About the Author:

Anita Hughes was born in Sydney, Australia and had a charmed childhood that included petting koala bears, riding the waves on Bondi Beach, and putting an occasional shrimp on the barbie. Her writing career began at the age of eight, when she won a national writing contest in THE AUSTRALIAN newspaper, and was named "One of Australia's Next Best Writers." (She still has the newspaper clipping.)

She received a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in Creative Writing from Bard College, and attended UC Berkeley's Masters in Creative Writing program.

She lives in Dana Point, CA with her family, where she interrupts her writing to watch the glorious sunsets.

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St. Martin’s Press is giving one lucky winner a print copy of

Rome In Love by Anita Hughes

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Rainy Day Sisters - Giveaway

Welcome to Hartley-by-the-Sea in England’s beautiful Lake District, where two sisters who meet as strangers find small miracles tucked into the corners of every day....

When Lucy Bagshaw’s life in Boston falls apart, thanks to a scathing editorial written by her famous artist mother, she accepts her half sister Juliet’s invitation to stay with her in a charming seaside village in northern England. Lucy is expecting quaint cottages and cream teas, but instead finds that her sister is an aloof host, the weather is wet, windy, and cold, and her new boss, Alex Kincaid, is a disapproving widower who only hired her as a favor to Juliet.

Despite the invitation she offered, Juliet is startled by the way Lucy catapults into her orderly life. As Juliet faces her own struggles with both her distant mother and her desire for a child, her sister’s irrepressible optimism begins to take hold. With the help of quirky villagers, these hesitant rainy day sisters begin to forge a new understanding…and find in each other the love of family that makes all the difference.

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About the Author:

Kate was born in Pennsylvania, went to college in Vermont, and has spent summers in the Canadian wilderness. After several years as a diehard New Yorker, she now lives in the lovely Cotswolds in England with her husband, five young children, and an overly affectionate Golden Retriever.

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NAL is giving one lucky winner a print copy of

Rainy Day Sisters by Kate Hewitt

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The Canterbury Sisters - Review & Giveaway

Review by KT Sullivan

Che Milan’s longtime boyfriend dumps her in a letter shortly after her mother, Diana, dies. To fulfill a promise to her, Che embarks on a pilgrimage from London to Canterbury Cathedral like the characters in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. She joins a tour group of American women, Broads Abroad, walking the sixty miles. The shrine is thought to be the site of miracles fulfilled and the women decide to tell stories on their journey. Some are true, others false. Some are famous stories, others too painfully personal. Love, loss, regret, and funny, everyone listens and shares. One’s story asks a question: “What does a woman desire?” It’s a loaded question and not easily answered. The storyteller says sovereignty: the ability to chart one’s own course and lead the life she wants. All agree the power to choose one’s own path is essential. Many wish they had chosen a different road, but life goes on.

The stories are interesting and very relatable to any woman. The saddest was Steffi’s story regarding weight and the merciless scale with its needle that never moves, no matter how much she sacrifices. Becca is a teenager on the trip with her mom. She says, “virgins are unchosen.” At her age, boyfriends are the sign of achievement. First kisses are the stories her peers swap. The age range between the women on the journey spans sixty years. Many life experiences shared and discussed. Excellent read.

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About the Author:

Kim Wright is the author of Love in Mid Air and The Unexpected Waltz and has been writing about travel, food, and wine for more than twenty years for many magazines, including Wine Spectator, Self, Travel & Leisure, and Vogue. She has twice won the Lowell Thomas Award for travel writing. The Canterbury Sisters is her third novel, and she also ballroom dances competitively. Kim lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Gallery Books is giving 1 lucky winner a print copy of

The Canterbury Sisters by Kim Wright

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The Witch of Bourbon Street - Review #SRC2015

Review by Marlene Engel

Set in the bayou of New Orleans, this book seamlessly goes from past to present as the Sorrow family seeks healing, forgiveness and moving on. The women in the Sorrow family come from a long line of seers, witches and healers.  In 1901 is when their suffering started with Sister Vesta Grace’s confession.  It was rumored that she had something to do with the death of all but one member of the once well-known Sorrow family.  However, some believed that it was Rosella, the voodoo witch.  For over a century, this mystery goes unsolved. 

Frances Sorrow was looked at as the person who would bring back the honor to the Sorrow family.  However, she had other thoughts.  Instead she took off and had a short lived marriage to Danny Amore.  When she returned home, she was introverted and kept away from the outside world.  Then, her son disappears.  As she goes in search of finding her son, she comes on secrets that tell of the mysteries of the past while also setting free the ghosts that haunt the family.

The Witch of Bourbon Street is a magical story about family and forgiveness.  With a cast full of amazing characters and a story that will draw you in from the first page, this book is one for your To-Be-Read List.

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About the Author:

Suzanne Palmieri is the internationally bestselling author of The Witch of Little Italy, The Witch of Belladonna Bay, and The Witch of Bourbon Street. She is the co-author of I’ll Be Seeing You and Empire Girls as Suzanne Hayes. Her novels have been translated into five different languages and have earned stars from Kirkus and Booklist. She lives in a haunted farm house by the ocean with her husband and three darling witches, and is currently hard at work on her next novel. 

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Up To I Do - Promo & Giveaway

About the Book

Emerson Sinclair, twenty-seven year old hotel heiress, has said yes. With just over a year to plan her extravagant, over the top nuptials to Logan Worthington, it’s all hands on deck with the wedding plans. A Sinclair marrying into the Worthington family is the talk of their small New Hampshire town, and ideas include filming the wedding for a TV segment. But as the items get checked off the list, plans start to go ... not as planned. From not getting a designer dress to a selfish bridesmaid and unaccountable best man, Emerson is afraid her wedding will be more a joke than anything. 

When both her mother and sister seemingly begin to lose interest in her wedding plans in favor of their own personal lives, Emerson fears her big day will turn into the forgotten wedding. With the pressure to pull off a beautiful and elegant event that everyone expects from their respectable families, Emerson starts to forget the reason why she is saying I Do in the first place.

                                                                                                                  

Book Links

Amazon * Barnes&Noble * Kobo

Author Bio

Samantha March is an author, editor, publisher, blogger, and all-around book lover. She runs the popular book/women’s lifestyle blog ChickLitPlus, which keeps her bookshelf stocked with the latest reads and up-to-date on all things health, fitness, fashion, and beauty related. In 2011, she launched her independent publishing company, Marching Ink, and has four published novels—Destined to Fail, The Green Ticket, A Questionable Friendship, and Up To I Do. When she isn’t reading, writing, or blogging, you can find her cheering for the Green Bay Packers. Samantha lives in Iowa with her husband and Vizsla puppy.

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Samantha is giving away a $10 Gift Card to each of the following:

Amazon, Target, Ulta & Bed, Bath & Beyond

$40 Total!

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