The Kindness of Strangers by Emma Garman

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The Kindness of Strangers is a very unique psychological thriller. The story, filled with dark secrets and perfectly imperfect characters takes the reader on an incredible journey as this group of boarders must somehow keep secrets and protect each other all while each of their lives seems to be falling apart. But when the skeletons in the closet begin to appear, no one is safe.

One night a man knocks on the door of Honor Wilson’s home which is also a boarding house. She pales when she sees Jimmy Sullivan standing there. Why? But she informs the other boarders he will be moving into the house.

The boarders, Robbie, a writer, separated from his wife, Saul, an older man who is a poet whose wife and daughter were killed, Mina, a seventeen-year-old who works very hard and wants to somehow become someone, and George, who comes from wealthy parents and is a female model among other things. They have lived side by side but hardly knew each other very well.

Until Jimmy Sullivan seems to insert himself into all their lives. And then they must act.

This story is juicy and filled with twists and turns and surprises no one could ever imagine. And when the police become involved that will be the glue the boarders will need to keep them together forever.

The Kindness of Strangers has heart-palpitating scenes, horrible revelations, but through it all a group of strangers become family in the only way they are able to protect each other and survive.

Thank you #NetGalley #S&S/SummitBooks #EmmaGarman #TheKindnessofStrangers for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: The Kindness of Strangers: A Novel: 9781668222546: Garman, Emma: Books

The Kindness of Strangers | Goodreads

Take Me with You by Steven Rowley

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Take Me with You is such a beautiful story about how sometimes spouses, siblings and family can get lost in all the minutia life throws at them and forget that once upon a time before life became difficult, it was the strength of leaning on those who we love which can somehow help solve any problems. But sometimes it just might take a problem out of this world to put life back into perspective.

Jesse is a college professor and Norman an architect. Married, they met and fell in love over thirty years ago. Norman is a bit older than Jesse. Married and living in Joshua Tree they seem to have gotten into a rut. Both are bored, snippy and a bit sarcastic towards each other. And Jesse is now beginning to feel Norman’s age from all those years ago.

And then Norman leaves.

In the most peculiar way. One night Jesse wakes up to find Norman in the backyard staring up at a bright light. Jesse yells to Norman to not go. But Norman looks back at Jesse and goes into the light leaving Jesse alone.

Bewildered and knowing he can’t tell anyone what he saw as they would put him in a hospital, he must now handle all the responsibility in their lives as he waits and hopes for Norman’s return. In the meantime, Norman’s sister Lally a flight attendant comes around not only looking for Norman, but also to ask them for a favor. As Jesse tries to hide the fact that Norman is clearly nowhere to be found, he begins to become angrier at Norman for going to…well he doesn’t know.

Jesse begins to change while he waits for Norman’s (hopeful) return. He becomes friends with their neighbor who lives in a camper, gets close to the students in his class and in his own way begins to search for answers as to where and why Norman left. Oh, and he begins to dig up his backyard.

As time goes by and chaos ensues Jesse misses Norman but realizes life must go on. And so, it does until the inevitable happens. What is it that happens? Well, you must read this extraordinary story, Take Me with You to discover how sometimes the secrets to happiness and love and forgiving may be closer than a light year away.

Thank you #NetGalley #GPPutnam’sSons #StevenRowley #TakeMewithYou for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: Take Me with You: 9780593851494: Rowley, Steven: Books

Edit Review – Take Me With You | Goodreads

The Shippers by Katherine Center

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Katherine Center has gone overboard with her latest romance novel, The Shippers. Wildly funny, sensitive and adorably swoony this is a beach read like no other. You will want to devour this satisfying feel-good story.

It’s JoJo Burton’s wedding day. It is unfortunately not the wedding of her dreams as it was taken over by her fiancé’s mother. Even the wedding dress she is wearing and seems to be allergic to was his mother’s. She suddenly sees her best friend from childhood Connor standing in the back. First, he had RSVP’d no to the wedding and second thank goodness he’s here!

Connor left JoJo four years ago without even saying goodbye to move to London and she has not heard from him since even though she tried to get in touch with him at the beginning. But, he’s here now and she needs advice. He happily gives her tips on how to stop a wedding.

Then he disappears… again.

Flashforward to her sister’s wedding weeks later on a cruise ship no less, where after discussing JoJo’s first kiss ever with a boy named Finn, at the age of six, her sister convinces her that’s why she can’t find her true love. Because she’s comparing everyone to her first kiss. So now, they have hatched a plan that while on the wedding cruise to work very hard to get JoJo and Finn together.

Then Connor shows up for this wedding cruise! He is adamant JoJo stay away from Finn. But she soon convinces him to come on board with the plan. He agrees but thinks this is a terrible idea and something is bound to go wrong. JoJo’s response…what could ever go wrong?

Needless to say, hilarity ensues as well as heartwarming discussions, life lessons, people hooking up left and right, and of course, misunderstandings.

The Shippers will keep you smiling so much that your face will hurt. It’s quite the tangled web, but so moving and lovely and cheerful! Take a chance and dive into this charming novel!

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #KatherineCenter #TheShippers for the advanced copy.

The Shippers: A Novel: Center, Katherine: 9781250408051: Amazon.com: Books

It Will Only Hurt for a Moment by Delilah S. Dawson

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It Will Only Hurt for a Moment is a can’t put down thriller with many twists and turns. Part psychological drama, part mysterious history the story will come together with an explosive ending no one will see coming. What starts out as a story about a woman trying to reclaim her life after she leaves her boyfriend, turns into some being fascinatingly eerie and ghostly.

Sarah Carpenter is on the run. She’s finally gotten the courage to leave her abusive boyfriend. With a mother who could care less about her and friends her boyfriend made sure she distanced herself from, Sarah has no one to help her. But she discovers an artist retreat called Tranquil Falls in Georgia. A pottery maker by trade until he met her boyfriend, she decides this would be the best place for her since he would never be able to find her. With no cell service, and deep in the woods, she will be able to not only hide for the next weeks but get her creative juices flowing again. Until she opens the door to her cottage and discovers a dead possum on the bed!

Although there is an old 1900’s dilapidated hotel on grounds, that is the one place no one is allowed. So strict are the owners of the retreat if found breaking this rule you must immediately leave. Of course, this piques all the artist’s interest, especially the photographer who has enrolled.

She, of course is not the only resident at the retreat. There is a young boy who is a musician, a calligrapher, a maker of stained-glass artifacts, a sculptor and a metalsmith. What an incredibly diverse group. Sarah can’t wait for them to all get to know each other. But it seems they are all carrying some kind of baggage.

But it is only when Sarah discovers a century old casket with a dead woman inside deep in the woods that it seems all their worlds begin to change. Sarah begins to find nails from the coffin in strange places. And she thinks the dead woman could be associated with the hotel.

After the discovery, strange occurrences begin to happen. Sarah begins to have vivid dreams at night, and the main character is a woman who seems to be trapped in some sort of institute. The young musician is found sleepwalking in the hotel where he seems to be endlessly playing the piano. One by one the artists seem to become affected.

Sarah along with Ingrid the photographer decides to break the rules and visit the hotel. The hotel is not very tranquil at all but seems dark and evil. What is going on at this artist colony? What happened at the hotel? And who is this woman who keeps visiting Sarah while she sleeps.

It Will Only Hurt for a Moment is an intense haunting story which will have you reading well into the night, (if you dare), as somehow the past merges with the present and no one is safe from the wrath and/or anger which seems to have bubbled up to the surface.

Thank you #NetGalley #DelRay #DelilahS.Dawson #ItWillOnlyHurtforaMoment for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: It Will Only Hurt for a Moment: A Novel: 9780593156674: Dawson, Delilah S.: Books

Edit Review – It Will Only Hurt for a Moment | Goodreads

The Island Club by Nicola Harrison

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Put your tennis gear on and enter the poshest social club in the 1950’s, The Island Club. The story will not disappoint and the characters lovingly damaged. With a feel of “back in day” the story revolves around three women whose lives begin to fall apart in very different ways. One, in her marriage, one in her wealth status and the last an embarrassing secret she has kept for decades which is about to be exposed. And the gossip…oh my goodness!

The Island Club is the place to be and be seen on Balboa Island in California. It’s all about the status. Anyone who is anyone is a member. There is pool life, dinner life and even tennis life played mostly by men. But of course, everyone wants to know everyone’s business! People go there to play tennis, swim, eat and learn all the chatter!

So, when Milly Kinkaid began to feel her marriage slipping away, she decided the family needed to move away from Hollywood where her husband worked and where all the beautiful women there seduced them. She honestly thought Balboa Island would fix all their problems. But unfortunately, her husband Lloyd still was staying in Hollywood, and she was now in Balboa Island alone with their two young children. So, she decides on her own, something very unlike any woman of the time, to sign the family up as members of The Island Club. She also decides to take tennis lessons. Lloyd is not happy.

Sylvia Johnson and her husband Walter own the fancy, enviable Island Club. The Club does well and with their investments they have more money than they know what to do with. They are the envy of all the members as well as residence on Balboa Island. Until something happens which not only puts their lifestyle into jeopardy, but also their life savings. As their lives begin to fall apart Sylvia knows she must step up and figure out what in the world to do before they lose the Club.

Resident of Balboa Island, Adele Lambert just wants to be left alone. Her past a humiliation she has never recovered from she moved to Balboa to disappear. She rarely goes out, only to her small job, or to her garden and she will sometimes hit a tennis ball in her backyard at the dilapidated unoccupied house next to hers. Suddenly Adele finds herself in a new position but with that position comes the possibility of her past and present merging. And then her worst nightmare comes true.

Three women from different walks of life with very different problems begin to become friends. With that friendship a bond is formed. With that friendship each are given strength and courage they never in their wildest dreams thought they would ever have. They also work together to help each other and become a power to reckon with.

Enter The Island Club at your own risk and you will discover an amazing story, not only of a particular lifestyle, but deep dark secrets with many twists and turns and three women you will begin to root for as they try and make better lives for themselves and their families, they love dearly.

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #NicolaHarrison #TheIslandClub for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: The Island Club: A Novel: 9781250277404: Harrison, Nicola: Books

Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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You will absolutely fall in love with Ms. Mebel, a sixty something woman in the prime of her life, even though she doesn’t know it yet in this empowering, imaginative and very funny story.

You see, Ms. Mebel is married but has been sheltered most of her life. Her husband, very rich…not her it seems but him… has pampered her with anything and everything her little heart has desired. Designer clothes, shoes, fancy restaurants and let’s not forget the jewelry! But Mebel expects it because that is how it is in their culture which is Chinese Indonesian. The husband takes care of the family. Until…

Said husband decides to fall in love with their very young chef who cooks for them and asks her for a divorce. Excuse me? Mebel is the only trophy wife in this forty-year marriage. But he has made up his mind.

Angry, embarrassed and lost, Mabel against her sons wishes, who feels she should just divorce his father, decides to fix the situation. She will win back Henk, her husband by going to a prominent culinary school in England. So what if she can’t cook. She will learn, he will fall madly in love again with her and dump trophy wife number two!

Mabel applies and gets into the school. She along with her beautiful jewelry, clothes and shoes schlep to the school. It’s….not what she thought it would be. It’s in a small village near Oxford not at Oxford which seems to be the first mistake. But she is determined.

The oldest student in the bunch, Mabel begins her experience by trying to pull her privilege card. Unfortunately, that does not seem to work with the other students, or the teacher.

As Mabel begins to understand how her young classmates seem to be determined to succeed, she herself with their help starts to appreciate them as well as herself. The better she does the more confidence she seems to exude. She becomes the other students’ advisor on life and problems, something she was never asked to do her whole life.

Mebel will begin to learn and understand how people can seem one way and be another. She becomes good at cooking and communicating (for the most part) with others. And she begins to grow in so many other ways. For herself, but for others as well. She now is determined to succeed not for anyone else but Mebel. Well, maybe for her family also whom she begins to understand in a way she never had.

Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block is such a humorous special story, in which there are so many lessons to be learned. You can change not matter what your age. You can absolutely do whatever you set your mind to. And it’s never too late to learn about love and humanity. A trophy wife? Well, I don’t think so!

Thank you #NetGalley #Berkley #JesseQ.Sutanto #Ms.MebelGoesBacktotheChoppingBlock for the advanced copy.

Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block: Sutanto, Jesse Q.: 9780593953051: Amazon.com: Books

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This Weekend Doesn’t End Well for Anyone by Catherine Mack

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This Weekend Doesn’t End Well for Anyone is the third in Mack’s vacation mystery series. Mack is also known for her thrillers under the name Catherine Mckenzie. This story is once again a very funny murder mystery where we follow our beloved heroine (but for some reason always wanting to be killed) author Eleanor Dash as she takes us along for the ride as she tries to get in a vacation with boyfriend Oliver and her sister/assistant Harper while at a book conference in the Bahamas.

But a death quickly occurs even before Eleanor opens the door to her room as she discovers a dead body in said room! As Eleanor tells the story to the reader with her exceptional wit, humor and footnotes, we will soon discover the death was not a suicide as first thought, but a murder. Shocking I know!

Eleanor who has a book coming out soon had been invited to the book conference to give a few lectures and figured she could use a little bit of a rest…I guess not because as the authors, agents and others assemble she discovers the cast of characters are similar to those in her previous books…I mean life. Crazy Cathy is there as well as her nemesis Connor Smith and even our favorite Italian detective makes an appearance. But unfortunately, a few people Eleanor has ticked off through the years.

As the clues begin to show themselves, we soon discover that someone is trying to kill Eleanor. Again. But for what reason now? As Eleanor and Oliver delve deeper into the suspects and their relationship, they soon discover they are all keeping secrets and they are not particularly good ones.

Will she figure out who is trying to kill her or will this be her last book conference ever! Also, guess how many murders are in this book!

This Weekend Doesn’t End Well for Anyone is not only hilarious, with terrific sarcastic characters but Mack actually incorporates great information into the story on how to actually write a mystery thriller. Which as I have mentioned was what Eleanor was actually there to do. The story and clues are exceptional, and the ending is very Agatha Christie surprising!

Thank you #NetGalley #MinotaurBooks #CatherineMack #ThisWeekendDoesn’tEndWellforAnyone for the advanced copy.

This Weekend Doesn’t End Well for Anyone: A Novel (The Vacation Mysteries, 3): Mack, Catherine: 9781250326164: Amazon.com: Books

Lisa Leone-campbell’s review of This Weekend Doesn’t End Well for Anyone: A Novel | Goodreads

Heart the Lover by Lily King

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Heart the Lover is extraordinary, heartbreaking yet hopeful and deserving of any literary prize it is nominated for. The story encapsulates every emotion known to a person… love, hate, regret, heartbreak and optimism. While the reader will experience a few shocking twists, the story’s honesty is its message which is genuine.

It all begins when her senior year in college she meets two males from her 17th Century Lit Class. They both sit up front. She is in the back. Their names are Sam and Yosh. Why they begin to talk to her she will never know. But they end up inviting her to the huge house they are staying at during the semester which actually belongs to a professor on sabbatical. All she has ever wanted to do was become a writer. But she needs all the help she can get.

Thus begins their friendships, beginning with them deciding to call her Jordan…not her name. The three become inseparable although their personalities could not be more different. Jordan enjoys the attention and begins to have a crush on one of them. She starts to stay over at the house which for her is exquisite as her small apartment she shares with too many students has no air conditioning, no heat and sometimes no water.

The year will be a rite of passage for all three. There will be arguments, relationship changes and some decisions which will hurt the others and carry them all into the future.

Until one day years later a visit from one of them will once again change the trajectory of the three of them, change their lives forever as the past and present must come together again.

What Jordan will learn is as some decisions from the past need to be addressed, others should try and stay buried so as not to hurt the others. Decisions will need to be made and lives will change. Friendships are fragile but in certain situations you must have superhuman strength to keep going.

Heart the Lover is just beautiful while showing the imperfections we all have when it comes to our friends. But also, the strength one needs to resolve issues which were hidden years ago before it’s too late. The story is painfully magnificent.

Published by Grove Press

Amazon.com: Heart the Lover: 9781837265589: Lily King: Books

The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief by Marilee Dahlman

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The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief is a very funny, fast-paced story with quirky characters. Two who are very different people with very different personalities, values and lifestyles although they seem to have similar taste for 007 meet under very strange circumstances and must come together somehow to get out of a very messy and I mean that literally, situation. Who would have thought being a night nurse could almost kill you!

Nancy Norman is having a bad time. Her house exploded leaving her and her beloved cat Dr. GoldenPaws homeless. The good news was that her ex-husband’s car was ruined. The bad news besides being left homeless with practically no money is that Dr. GoldenPaws was hurt but recovering.

As she moves into an apartment complex with her cat, Nancy, a nurse decides it’s time to retire. But she, her cat and her glue gun (she loves to bejewel) realize quickly she’s not really interested in pickleball and gossip. She envies her ex who is now living THEIR dream of traveling and enjoying life.

So, when she receives a call asking if she would like to work one night shift for an excentric billionaire who is in a coma she hesitates, but when the price goes up, she decides why not? She will have enough money to do a little of the traveling she dreams of. How hard could a job giving meds to a man in a coma be?

Well, unfortunately for Nancy the night turns into a nightmare. The compound is burglarized and the thieves seem to know what they are doing, looking for a stash of precious sapphires worth a great deal of money and trying to destroy the work empire of a man in a coma. Suddenly she is in for the fight of her life trying to get out alive with one of the robbers, (although he is pretty cute) and avoiding the other misfits who are it seems former business associates of the mansion owner.

As Nancy’s fear turns into anger at the situation, she decides to go on the offensive and teach them all a few lessons. She’s had a look at the caviar and champagne life, and she wants to get out alive!

The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief is a humorous cozy with a James Bond theme. I personally couldn’t get enough of GHOST. You’ll see! He needs his own backstory!

Thank you #BrotherMockingbird #MarileeDahlman #TheNightNurseandtheJewelTheif for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief: 9781960226327: Dahlman, Marilee: Books

Edit Review – The Night Nurse and the Jewel Thief | Goodreads

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

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Mad Mabel is a mysterious story about an elderly curmudgeon woman who has been able to keep her identity hidden for many years. Her early life was filled with trauma, embarrassment and fear. But she was able to make a quiet life for herself living on a cul-de-sac and keeping to herself. But unfortunately, that will all change when one of her neighbors passes away and her real identity is exposed. What on earth should she do now?

Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is eighty-one years young. She has lived in this neighborhood for decades. She keeps to herself for the most part except for her lifelong friend Daphne. She has everything she needs and enjoys the quiet. Very opinionated, the neighbors keep their distance. Until…

Two situations happen simultaneously. First, she realizes she has not seen a certain neighbor for a bit and discovers the body inside his house. Second, she seems to have made friends with a very young girl named Persephone who decides she wants to be Elsie’s best friend, and she cannot get rid of her.

But unfortunately, the police discover her past and how she was called Mad Mabel when she was young. They also discover Mabel was the youngest Australian child at the age of fifteen to ever be imprisoned. As her world begins to blow up and the neighbors begin to look at her as if she’s crazy, Mabel is visited by a true crime channel and asked if she would like to tell her story.

As she decides what to do, we go back in time with Mabel as she tells her story revisiting her childhood and what has brought her to this point in her long life. What is discovered is there is much more to her story, and to Elsie and how she was able to come out of her youth unscathed, even though she went to prison is amazing.

Unfortunately, no one believed her then and so why would they believe her now?

Does she risk her privacy to open that door in which has been locked for years? What on earth will the neighbors think? What will this lonely child think of her? How does she reconcile her past with her present?

Mad Mabel is very funny, yet a bit sad, heartbreaking but so uplifting. You will fall in love with Mabel as she begins to understand life and friendship and love at the ripe young age of eighty-one!

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #SallyHepworth #MadMabel for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: Mad Mabel: A Novel: 9781250284549: Hepworth, Sally: Books

Lisa Leone-campbell’s review of Mad Mabel | Goodreads