Tag: Families

THE OTHER WOMAN by SANDIE JONES

The Other Woman

A deliciously disturbing, compulsively readable debut domestic suspense–prepare to meet The Other Woman: there’s nothing she won’t do to keep you away from her son …

When Emily meets Adam its instant chemistry and she is sure he is the one. Soon they are living together and then become engaged. All before she meets his mother. Pammie.

There are so many things I could say about all of them but honestly I think you should just read it and come to your own conclusions. Don’t assume you know anything! Because I’m quite sure you don’t. Every one in this book is shady. No one is what or who they seem to be and that ending. What the heck??

I absolutely loved this twist. A most unusual one as I was ready to draw and quarter the person I thought was the evil one! Then, Boom. Nope.

Great job and I highly recommend this one!

Netgalley/St. Martin’s Press August 21, 2018

The Beloveds by Maureen Lindley *Release Day*

The Beloveds

An exploration of domestic derangement, as sinister as Daphne Du Maurier’s classic Rebecca, that plumbs the depths of sibling rivalry with wit and menace.

Oh, to be a Beloved—one of those lucky people for whom nothing ever goes wrong. Everything falls into their laps without effort: happiness, beauty, good fortune, allure.

Betty Stash is not a Beloved—but her little sister, the delightful Gloria, is. She’s the one with the golden curls and sunny disposition and captivating smile, the one whose best friend used to be Betty’s, the one whose husband should have been Betty’s. And then, to everyone’s surprise, Gloria inherits the family manse—a vast, gorgeous pile of ancient stone, imposing timbers, and lush gardens—that was never meant to be hers.

Losing what Betty considers her rightful inheritance is the final indignity. As she single-mindedly pursues her plan to see the estate returned to her in all its glory, her determined and increasingly unhinged behavior—aided by poisonous mushrooms, talking walls, and a phantom dog—escalates to the point of no return. The Beloveds will have you wondering if there’s a length to which an envious sister won’t go.

This was originally published in 2014.

The tale is told strictly from Betty’s point of view. And this chick is nuttier than a fruitcake! From the beginning to the end, I kept picking my jaw up off the floor!

The more she tries to get what she feels belongs to her, the more it just blows up in her face.

I think the problem I have with the story is there was no real back story to give us a frame of reference for any of the characters odd behavior. We dive right into Crazy Town with page one. And there was quite a bit I could have done with out, the story devolved during the last quarter and left me wondering what the heck I had just read! I didn’t care about any of them. Something was missing.

Netgalley/Gallery  April 3, 2018

 

Should’ve Been You by Nicole McLaughlin

Should've Been You (Man Enough, #3)

Childhood neighbors get a chance at love in Should’ve Been You, an achingly romantic novella in Nicole McLaughlin’s Man Enough series!

National Guardsman Jase Beckford wants to live a quiet life raising cattle and taking care of his mother. His childhood friend and neighbor Hannah is still his best friend, but when he walks into the Walters house one morning and sees her twin sister Becca for the first time in five years, he wonders if he missed out on something special.

Becca Walters has nursed a secret crush on Jase since childhood, but he always preferred Hannah, so she buried her feelings assuming her sister and Jase would one day turn their flirtation into a real relationship. And this Christmas, she is anticipating a proposal of her own, so Jase’s reappearance in her life doesn’t mean anything. Much. Okay, maybe more than Becca would like to admit.

However, when Becca’s sister gets engaged to someone who’s not Jase, Becca and Jase find themselves spending more together. And when secrets are revealed, suddenly those dormant feelings come back to life; but is the possibility of something between them worth risking the happiness of everyone they love?

This was a sweet story.  High School is over and the three friends have gone their own ways. Hannah is still best friends with Jase, but it seems rather one-sided as she uses him to get her out of jams and as a plus one. But Jase wants more and always has.

He was always romantically interested in Becca, not Hannah, but one small lie led Jase to believe she did not return those feelings and both moved on but never lost that feeling that they could have been something.

Can this homecoming Christmas fix the past and lead to love? It just might!

Netgalley/Swerve     January 30, 2018

Enjoying The Lights and Sounds of the Season!

It’s Saturday already! Time flies when you all have the flu. Luckily we are now a germ free zone.

Yesterday I scrubbed everything with the Vinegar of the Four Thieves just to be sure. Then we read a story called The Green Ghost by Marion Dane Bauer. It came out in 2008 and is a good short chapter book for young readers. It’s a Christmas story told by two little girls. We laughed, we cried and then we laughed again. It is a lovely story to share this time of year! And the five year old asked if this was Fiction or Non-Fiction and my heart melted. He’s 5 and knows the difference. So proud.

The Green Ghost (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) by [Bauer, Marion Dane]

In the afternoon we made more paper snowmen and they are now every place you look. Last night we all went to the light show at Regional Park. I’m pretty sure everyone in town had the same idea as traffic was moving at a snail’s pace. After that we went over to Santa’s Village and played around and took pictures. Then it was home for cocoa and a donut. By that time everyone was falling asleep on their feet so it was off to bed for them while we watched Vikings again.

I think everyone is over the worst of it. No more all day pajama days. So it’s back to work. Finalizing plans for our Christmas get away and finishing up the TBR pile.

I imagine everyone is busy running around doing last minute shopping and baking up a storm. I hope you have great weather and a good weekend!

xx Patricia

The Ice House by Laura Lee Smith

The Ice House

From a writer who’s been praised for her “intelligence, heart, wit” (Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls), The Ice House follows the beleaguered MacKinnons as they weather the possible loss of the family business, a serious medical diagnosis, and the slings and arrows of familial discord.

Johnny MacKinnon might be on the verge of losing it all. The ice factory he married into, which he’s run for decades, is facing devastating OSHA fines following a mysterious accident and may have to close. The only hope for Johnny’s livelihood is that someone in the community saw something, but no one seems to be coming forward. He hasn’t spoken to his son Corran back in Scotland since Corran’s heroin addiction finally drove Johnny to the breaking point. And now, after a collapse on the factory floor, it appears Johnny may have a brain tumor. Johnny’s been ordered to take it easy, but in some ways, he thinks, what’s left to lose? This may be his last chance to bridge the gap with Corran–and to have any sort of relationship with the baby granddaughter he’s never met.

Witty and heartbreaking by turns, The Ice House is a vibrant portrait of multifaceted, exquisitely human characters that readers will not soon forget. It firmly establishes Laura Lee Smith as a gifted voice in American fiction

I have to admit there were a few times I put this one down. Although the story was a good one. With themes of family, forgiveness, second chances and more, the characters were real and flawed. To be honest the only one I cared about was Chemal.

There was a point in the story where all of the bad blood between father and son could have been mended with apologies, but Pauline never mentions it. No one was really talking to anyone on a deep level. And I can’t count how many words were a mile long and left one looking for a thesaurus!

For me these characters and the story were rather surface deep. But I will definitely try another of the authors works.

Netgalley/Grove Press   Dec. 05, 20017

Something Like Family by Heather Burch

Something Like Family

Abandoned by his mother when he was young, twenty-two-year-old Rave Wayne knows all about loss. That doesn’t mean he’s used to it. After he’s dumped by the girlfriend he assumed he’d spend his life with, Rave is longing more than ever to connect.

Then, as if by miracle, he receives an invitation from his grandfather, a man he thought was long gone, to come for a visit in rural Tennessee. Loyal, honest, and loving, dear old Tuck is everything Rave could have hoped for. He’s family. Soon, Rave finds himself falling for a down-to-earth local girl, and he thinks his life is finally coming together.

But the past isn’t through with Rave. When his mother returns after many long years, looking to reconcile the terrible mistakes that once defined her, Rave struggles to put together the unsettled pieces of his heart. Will this once-estranged family be able to come together to understand the meaning of unconditional love, the fragile bonds of family, and the healing power of letting go?

This is a beautiful book. So well written it involves every emotion you can think of!

None of these characters are perfect. They are all flawed in some way exactly like most families. A story of love, hope, courage and forgiveness. It shows us that what we believe isn’t always the truth. The truth is always more complicated.

Doing the right thing is sometimes the hardest thing to do. But it usually turns out to be the best thing.

Heather Burch is a storyteller of the best kind. From the first page to the last you cry, laugh, mourn and feel every emotion her characters feel. I don’t know how she does it but I’m awfully glad she does!

This book will be released on September 12, 2017 by Lake Union Publishing.  Netgalley