Month: January 2025

Winter Solstice by Elin Hilderbrand

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Winter Solstice is the long awaited (a bit longer for me as it has been on my TBR shelf for a while) finale of Hilderbrand’s Winter in Nantucket/Quinn family series. The story is beautiful, funny, but also heartbreaking yet heartwarming. It’s time to say goodbye to the
Quinn family and discover what they have been up to and where they end up as they prepare for the chaos of another Quinn Christmas at their Inn. Our final one.

Bart Quinn is home from being held captive in Afghanistan but can’t quite seem to get settled back into “normal” life as his life and mind are still back in the war. He’s tried a few jobs, but nothing can even compare with where he was and what he went through. He is certainly depressed and as he thinks about his life lying in bed all day long, Mitzi, his mother decides to throw Bart a birthday party on his Halloween birthday, much to his dismay.

Kevin and Isabelle have a very popular Nantucket restaurant. They also have two babies now and their lives are full of work, family and love. That is until Isabelle witnesses something and her feelings for one of them changes.

Patrick is finally out of prison and once again living on Beacon Hill with his wife Jennifer and their young children. Jennifer is trying to be the breadwinner by working as an elite interior decorator while Patrick begins all over again to form a company. But something happens to Jennifer, and she loses a client and can’t tell Patrick. Perhaps the secrets begin again…

Ava has moved to New York to teach music and be closer to Potter, whom she now believes is “the one”. Of course, we’ve been here before so…

Margaret (Patrick, Kevin and Ava’s mom) who has married is now having an identity crisis. The long-time famous TV anchor feels like it might be time to retire. But to what?

Mitzi is trying to stay strong as health issues have arisen. She just wants one final Thanksgiving and Christmas with the whole family together.

And in an incredibly delightful twist, Hilderbrand has included Eddie and Grace Prancik, characters from a previous book, The Rumor, to join into the festivities as well since the funny Eddie has just come out of prison himself!

In Winter Solstice you will laugh and yes, you will cry at the Quinn family’s attempt to have their last holiday season together, but they all come from strong loving parents and no matter what, will always, always remain family. So, just sit back, enjoy and treasure all these characters we have grown to love and their memories!

Published by Back Bay Books

The Lost House by Melissa Larsen

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The Lost House is an incredible whodunit with so many missing pieces that when the puzzle is finally put together, well you just have to gasp! You will fall in love with the main character, flaws and all and root for her with your last breath! The second character in this story is its location, Iceland. Through Larsen’s amazing writing, you will see the beauty and feel the frozen temperatures. But most of all, this is a twisty thriller you won’t be able to put down!

Agnes has come to Iceland to find out if her late grandfather really did kill his wife (her grandmother, and his infant daughter, her father’s sister). You see, over forty years ago he was accused of murdering his wife and drowning his daughter in the freezing dead of winter. The accusations at the time so undeniable that he took her father, a young boy at the time, and they left their beloved homeland and moved as far away as possible to California.

Agnes never wanted to believe he was a murderer, although her father made no bones about his thoughts. It was the law in their house to never discuss what happened and when she tried, she was always angrily rebuffed. As for her grandfather, he too would never speak of what happened just pleading with Agnes that she will always love him right?

Now, a criminal podcaster named Nora Carver has invited her to Iceland to see the house her grandfather and father grew up in (which is still a notorious place… for parties) and be interviewed and watch as Nora interviews those who are left who witnessed what had happened all those years ago. Her father, upset that she would even consider going, wants nothing to do with her but Agnes has finally recovered from a horrible accident which almost killed her a year ago and her grandfather’s passing still very new convinces her she needs to put all this to rest, whatever the outcome.

As Agnes tries to adjust to not only the freezing snowy weather conditions but also visiting the house and area where the murder took place, she begins to grapple with her still unresolved anxieties. To add to this, she discovers the weekend prior, a local girl disappeared after a drinking party and has not been seen since.

She begins the interviews with Nora and listens in on other interviews from witnesses from many years ago, Agnes starts to lose hope that her grandfather is innocent. She also takes interest in the missing girl’s story and with Nora begins to look into this terrible case which most people believe was either an accident from drinking too much and wandering away or suicide.

But everybody has secrets, including Agnes herself. She is afraid of digging too deep because of her fears coming true, but something feels off and she can’t explain what. The closer Agnes gets, the more frightened she feels. Is she being played? or is she the next victim or in danger? Is this all worth trying to exonerate a dead man?

The Lost House is a “chilling” thriller with an intense plot as well as an incredibly suspenseful story with an imaginative breathtaking backdrop.

Thank you #NetGalley #MinataurBooks #MelissaLarsen #TheLostHouse for the advanced copy.

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia

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Hold on to your seatbelts! This incredibly exciting book, The Business Trip had me from the very first to the very last page! It did not disappoint. The story will keep you in suspense and your imagination will fly you to unexpected places! The story is filled with unimaginative mistreatment in so many ways, greed, narcissism and secrets…so many secrets.

Jasmine has decided today is the day she leaves her abusive boyfriend before he ends up killing her. He seems to be getting close. Her plan, a year in the making, she now just has to find her way to the airport.

Stephanie works at a television station and is going on a business trip to a convention. She has an older son and is divorced and partly wishes she could get back out into the dating world. This is a quick trip, and she too heads off to the airport.

Jasmine and Stephanie are supposed to be flying to different places, until suddenly they aren’t… something happens, and neither will make it back home.

Although Stephanie does make it to the convention, and continues texting her cat sitter, something happens which makes everyone fear for her safety. Jasmine too is texting but for her it’s the terror of her boyfriend figuring out what she is doing which makes what she types cryptic. Then the texting of one becomes a passionate plea for help. And then nothing from either of them.

Trent McCarthy who is also in attendance at the convention immediately has his eye on Stephanie. You see, Trent thinks he is a lady’s man. But unfortunately, only he seems to think it. He treats women awfully as he feels they are so far beneath him. And very much disliked. A narcissist bully who is clueless to social norms.

But for Trent, these two women’s disappearances will look as if he had something to with them going missing.

The story which uniquely told by all the characters in chapter form is riveting with the ending revelations brilliantly startling! The Business Trip is very messy, suspenseful adventure you don’t want to miss!

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #JessieGarcia #TheBusinessTrip for the advanced copy.

The Examiner by Janice Hallett

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With her new book, The Examiner, Janice Hallett creates an original cross between a thriller, a who-done-it and a spine-chilling genre. The story is told in her usual masterful prose of texts, emails and other social media platforms. This well-crafted imaginative narrative will have you stunned as you read the story and especially as it begins to come together and of course, the absolutely shocking ending!

The Royal Hastings University’s Mulitmedia Art course has six students who the head of the department, Gela Nathaniel has hand chosen for a new innovative class. But unfortunately for her, from what she reads from their texts and emails these “students” have become nothing but a headache!

The class consists of:

Cameron, an executive in marketing.

Patrick, the manager of an art store.

Jem, a recent graduate who is a sculpter.

Johnathan, who assists in running his family’s art gallery.

Ludya, a single mother who is a designer and desperate for income.

Allyson, a well-known artist who is there…just because.

But immediately the reader begins to see the dynamics of the group start to fall apart. At first, they are cordial, but very quickly they seem to begin to turn on each other as to who is not doing enough of the work, or who seems to come and go as they please. Jealousy in its purest form. As artists, they also begin to critique each other’s work, and that too becomes a problem. They are supposed to be working together to an end goal, but that seems unlikely to happen.

As they push towards their final essay and project which will be judged by an examiner, we begin to see the cast of characters in a different light. Each seems to have their own secrets and dislike which then spills over into their work. They also have a group dark secret which no one knows…not even the reader!

We discover Gela has her own secrets. Who are these students? What are they hiding and why? Then, of course they start to turn on each other. This experiment seems to have gotten out of control. No one really seems to be who they say they are and when the truth reveals itself, so one is safe, at least not from each other! It’s every artist for themselves as the final project begins to sink.

The Examiner is a remarkable, inventive, intense story of a group of students and their love/hate relationship which gets them into a great deal of trouble as they begin to fall apart and reveal an astonishing secret.

Thank you #NetGalley #AtriaBooks #JaniceHallett #TheExaminer for the advanced copy.

Life’s Short, Talk Fast 15 Writers On Why We Can’t Stop Watching Gilmore Girls by Ann Hood

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Ok so I must confess when I am depressed, I do watch a few episodes of Gilmore Girls to make me feel better. Something about that show, heals me. I began watching it when it started streaming on Netflix, so I am a late bloomer. It’s like a drug…one or two episodes and I’ve had my fix and can move on.

I have also recently met Lauren Graham who plays Lorelai Gilmore who in real life talks just as fast as her character. And of all the questions I could have asked, I blurted out “who’s the father?” If you know, you know! She looked at me and I thought here it comes! And she said, “I really don’t know.” Dang!

So, when I saw Ann Hood, who is the editor of this book of essays, her brainchild, who also wrote an essay for the book, I ran home and pre-ordered it. What I must tell you though is the book has not been sanctioned by anyone from the show.

For those who love Gilmore Girls, this group of essays will be a delightful treat. Some humorous, but others, quite deep. So, let’s get to some of the essays…

The first essay is written by Ann Hood herself. It is her confession to her and her teenage daughter, Annabelle’s obsession with the show, to this day. They started watching it together at a very low point in Ann’s life. So many things were going on and when she and Annabelle moved to the loft they live in now in Rhode Island, she was depressed and overwhelmed. Enter Gilmore Girls. Once discovered it was a show she and Annabelle watched together while eating dinner on boxes as they began their new life. Sort of like Lorelai and Rory! They loved the deliciousness of Lorelai and Rory’s relationship! The show helped soothe their fears. To this day they still watch episodes and continue to be on opposite sides of the team Logan or team Jess controversy.

Author Nina de Gramont writes an absolutely hysterical essay on the many coats and their colors in which Lorelai wears. She made it her mission to count them. Now, that’s a fan! She also ponders where they all went. Were they donated? Why did she have so many??

One of the most difficult essays to read was Anjanette Delgado’s essay entitled Guilty Gilmores of a Parallel Universe. This essay compared Delgado’s not so happy/troublesome relationship with her own mother throughout the years and wishing? perhaps it could have been more like the Gilmores, and how with her own daughter she tried to have a better relationship, as she did not want to base her own mother-daughter situation on her mother.

Ann Hood’s husband, Michael Ruhlman (as does Ann’s daughter Anabelle Mei) have essays in the books as well. Ruhlman’s titled Digger and Me talks about his total lack of interest in the Gilmore Girls but because he knew this was something Ann and her daughter bonded over, he tried to use the show to get closer to Annabelle and just what it took to get there!

They essays are wonderfully different with very divergent perspectives, and some will even make you wonder about certain situations which occurred. Who would have ever though a show such as Gilmore Girls would have had such an outpouring of interest. If you are a fan, this book of essays will not disappoint!

And by the way, I have once again started the series over again from scratch, just because.

Published by W.W. Norton & Company

The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose

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Molly the Maid is back! In this delightful, comforting novella by Nita Prose, The Mistletoe Mystery, we once again glimpse what Molly’s life was like with her wonderful late Gran, her recently discovered grandfather and her beloved boyfriend Juan Manuel.

In true Molly fashion, the story is adorable, heartwarming, and funny as Molly learns Christmas and the holiday season can be a bit anxiety ridden and can also come with a few life bumps but in the end surprisingly miraculous!

This is the time of year in which Molly misses her Gran especially. They had many traditions which kept them excited about the holidays no matter how much (or little) money they had.

And now, Molly gets to share this special time with her cherished Juan Manuel who tries to keep all those traditions alive, an advent calendar to be opened daily, picking out a tree, and of course his delicious cooking each night!

But Molly can’t help but feel something is off with her and Juan Manuel. He seems much more tired than usual, perhaps from cooking and baking at the hotel, but he also seems extremely preoccupied when he is at home, always making excuses to go out but being vague as to where he is going. Molly knows there is no fibbing allowed in their relationship. And so does Juan Manuel!

On top of all this, The Regency Grant Hotel has decided to once again do the Secret Santa exchange amongst the employees. But the last time they did this Secret Santa, most everybody laughed at what Molly had given for her gift. Now, she feels this terrible pressure to not have that happen again!

Then one day she witnesses Juan Manuel doing something that she considers bad at work. So does her arch nemesis maid! When she confronts him, he out and out lies! Why is he lying? She thought they loved each other! So, as all this is happening and with the gift exchange drawing closer, well Molly’s fearfulness that something bad is going to happen increases.

How could she have been so wrong about her boyfriend? What would Gran think! Or do?

The Mistletoe Mystery is pure joy wrapped in a beautiful, holiday story which has charm, sensitivity and of course, love.

Thank you #NetGalley #BallentineBooks #NitaProse #TheMistletoeMystery for the advanced copy.

Magical Meet Cute by Jean Meltzer

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In Magical Meet Cute, Jean Meltzer, author of the hysterical The Matzah Ball, proves she can tell a story a bit out of her rom-com comfort zone by creating an amazing, haunting, funny romance/thriller which will tug at your heart but also emphasize what is happening in today’s world.

Faye Kaplan has a broken heart. Once engaged but that went south, she decides to leave her law practice and create a new life in Woodstock, New York doing something she always loved as a child. Create art through pottery.

Faye’s childhood was perfectly imperfect with a horrible mother and what she ended up getting out of that life was she always needed to be perfect in everything she does, which includes if there is one mistake while creating her art, means it gets dumped.

Now, lonely and feeling like she will never find someone, she goes to a mixer and discovers someone is putting anti-semantic flyers everywhere. This on top of her loneliness (and perhaps because she was a bit drunk, she decides to create a “golem” a being from Jewish folklore which is made from bits and pieces of whatever you have around, like clay for example, and once buried you make a wish. She buries it in the backyard. She hopes it will protect her.

But unfortunately, the very next day while riding her bike she accidently knocks down a very handsome man who is rushed to the hospital. He can’t remember anything about himself. Faye, who feels terrible and because no one has claimed him decides he needs to come home with her and recuperate, much against the advice of all her friends who think she will now be murdered!

They come to the decision together that his name should be Greg. Unfortunately for Greg, he remembers nothing not even how to do the simplest things. So, he begins reading books on just about everything. He does become a pretty good cook, and a great listener for Faye. As they begin to spend more and more time together, they both feel the start of something, but for Faye, she starts to believe he is the golem in human form she buried in the backyard and is now waiting for the right moment to make her life miserable.

And then it does. As the antisemitism begins to increase, a brick is thrown through the window of her pottery shop. The community doesn’t understand why this is happening, or maybe they do. Faye decides to take a stand and puts a pro-Jewish display in her window trying to lure whoever the beasts are who hate them so much.

As for Greg, she believes he is a bad golem and tries to do everything in her power to get rid of him. But he won’t go! She is so scared to fall in love, she’s willing to believe the worst of man she thinks she conjured.

But terrible things are brewing in this small town and trying to discover who and what are causing the violence will take the whole community banning together. As for Greg? Well, you’ll just have to read the book…

Magical Meet Cute is a fun book with very serious issues, which is trademark Meltzer, which melds romance with ripped from the headline problems, with a touch of mystery and of course, magic!

Thank you #NetGalley #MiraBooks #MagicalMeetCute #JeanMeltzer for the advanced copy.

https://www.amazon.com/Magical-Meet-Cute-Jean-Meltzer/dp/0778334414/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32BUFEDQ97GW&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vihd-XX5iQk2OSqsXNFIKGg3ycn8T9zmWq6JQ_pryFgbOJ9xDc5oZ41oLU0Tm9uGi1L_0-wbEL6P4lkfIZQ65bgiGbPh9TEih17cR9TuuQw.R5Klhs5_AKtTmE014g7At1tPph7aM2JbLukt3LW9-38&dib_tag=se&keywords=magical+meet+cute+jean+meltzer&qid=1736523504&sprefix=%2Caps%2C160&sr=8-1

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord

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Emma Lord, author of the adorable book, Tweet Cute, has once again created an imaginative story, with lovable characters who must re-discover not only themselves but also learn to live in the moment and let go of their pasts in order to have any kind of future, not matter how difficult that can be. The story is funny, sensitive and just lovable!

June is struggling to pay the rent on her tea shop which she and her late sister Annie created. On top of that, her boyfriend of years has left her for someone else and she was caught on a video having a complete sobbing meltdown which then went viral and now she is the laughingstock of the internet.

To add to all this, her childhood friend (and crush) Levi, who was also her sister Annie’s best friend has come back to their seaside town after living in New York as a financial manager. When she sees him, she is shocked at the change. The old Levi was an imaginative writer who only wanted to create stories, but it seems something happened to him, and he stopped trying.

She discovers he is going through a bad break-up and after the two are caught unknowingly gazing into each other’s eyes on a video and that too blows up on social media, well, they decide on a plan. Pretend they are falling in love and attempt to make their former partners jealous.

But what they never expected would be all the interest they would generate and the feelings it would bring up in both of them. But June and Levi are still trying to get over what they think are their past mistakes which continue to haunt them today.

So now, they must decide separately and together which direction their lives must go. They must reflect and try and move on both together and separately. One thing is for sure, they know they can’t live in the past anymore and they know they can’t try and fool each other either because when you attempt that, you only fool yourself. How honest are they both willing to be?

The Break-Up Pact is a tender love story which is filled with poignant messages about life, loss, moving forward and of course, love.

Thank you #NetGalley #GriffinBooks #EmmaLord #TheBreak-Up Pact for the advanced copy.

Cross My Heart by Megan Collins

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Cross My Heart is a heart palpitating thriller with surprising twists and turns during the story in Megan Collins style, which will keep you reading until the stunning unexpected ending. Her creative deviousness plays well into the plot about a woman who previously had been jilted by a boyfriend, and she ends up having a heart transplant. But it is so much more. You are going to have the ride of your life!

Rosie Lachlan’s life was changed forever when she discovered she needed a heart transplant. She now must take medications without fail morning and night for the rest of her life, or until she needs another transplant. She works in a bridal salon owned by her parents. Even though she has a new life, she finds herself a bit depressed because prior to the transplant she was dumped by someone she thought she would be spending the rest of her life with (and it became very difficult) and being in the wedding dress industry, she starts to feel like she will never find the one.

Also, Rosie is curious about the person whose heart is keeping her alive. She decides to do a bit of research, and she discovers (or so she thinks) the heart came from Daphne Thorne, wife of the best-selling author and local, Morgan Thorne. According to what she can find, Daphne had an accident in their house and tripped and fell.

She goes against protocol and contacts Morgan through the Donor Connect Service which has been set up. She at first emails Morgan anonymously to find out if she was right. As they begin to correspond, she begins to feel a connection to him. Is this in part because Daphne is inside her? They begin to tell each other more about each other’s lives and Rosie begins to fall for Morgan. She even finds out he lives close to where she lives. Sometimes she even walks by his house.

But as she looks online, she discovers social media does not have the same feelings about Morgan. Many believe he actually killed his wife. Even Rosie’s best friend Nina who works at the hospital in which Daphne died said Morgan had been acting strange the night of her death.

It is then that Rosie begins to research Morgan and Daphne’s relationship. And she begins to wonder…

Until Morgan is found dead in his home and unfortunately for Rosie she suddenly becomes the main suspect in what is now considered a murder! Due to Rosie’s complicated past relationship, well, it does not help with the process of finding her innocent.

Rosie knows it wasn’t her. Which means someone else killed Morgan. But who? Did they know what she was up to by having an online relationship with the author? As Rosie ponders these questions, she discovers her new life is in danger. But what on earth does she know that would make someone want to kill her?

How can Rosie save herself and prove she did not kill Morgan?

Cross My Heart is filled with psychological drama and shocking revelations. Trust me you will never see the ending coming…cross my heart…

Thank you #NetGalley #AtriaBooks #MeganCollins #CrossMyHeart for the advanced copy.

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

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I have always enjoyed Ina Garten. Her cookbooks and television shows, her soft-spoken funny approach to cooking and her obvious love for her husband Jeffrey have fueled me on at times to try recipes I probably would not or more realistically should not have tried. So when she came out with her memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, I hesitated at first to reading it. What on earth after following her for years could I possibly learn about her that I don’t already know? Well, everything actually!

In this fascinating, very open and honest book, she really delves into what her life was like as a child, and that was sad to read, how when she met Jeffrey when she was in high school and he college, her life truly began and since that meeting their lives which have had ups and downs has been what I would call a magical cooking ride. What a life this woman has lived!

Her childhood was not happy. Her mother did not mother and her father was a strict disciplinarian who abused both her and her brother. Structure and order was how the house was run. Her mother, a nutritionist, never allowed a carb in the house. It would be years into her life when Ina would eat her first bowl of pasta. Her parents kept her under their strict rules and when she would explain what she wanted to do with her life they would always tell her no. You are getting married and running a household. Sadly, Ina thought everyone’s parents were like this.

But, that all changed when she met her husband Jeffrey, accidentally at the college her brother was attending. That meeting would change the trajectory of not only Ina’s life but of Jeffrey. And the question Ina is grateful she never has to answer is what if she had not met Jeffrey?

Her parents were hesitant to allow her to date him, but Jeffrey in his calming intellectual way was able to make them love him. But when it came time to ask for Ina’s hand, well that was tough. And for the first time in her life, Ina put her foot down and made the decision to marry and told her parents whether they liked it or not it was going to happen.

And then they married and that’s when the magic truly set in. They decided to take the summer and go camping in Europe. And by camping it was on the ground in a little green tent with one pan. They lived on five dollars a day. But for Ina this was when she truly discovered her love for cooking as they would go each day to the farmer’s markets and gather ingredients for their meals for the day and sightsee and meet new people. As they continued the adventure that summer, Ina told Jeffrey someday she wanted to go to Paris and live there. Again, a dream which came to fruition years and years later.

But reality set in and they moved to Washington D.C. where Ina worked writing bills which were never passed, and she was bored out of her mind. What she would spend most of her time doing during the day would be creating menus for their dinner parties which they would have every weekend. And some of them were pretty epic and hysterical!

Then one day while at work she saw an advertisement for a specialty store in the Hamptons which was for sale called The Barefoot Contessa, mentioned it to Jeffrey and of course, that would once again change the trajectory of their lives forever.

But buying the store and working up to 16 hours a day, and with Jeffrey still working in Washington, put pressure on their marriage and at one point she told Jeffrey she felt they needed to separate for a while. And once again, Jeffery with his wisdom told her if that’s what she really wanted then they would. But as we all know they did resolve their differences.

Ina had complete control of the menu at Barefoot and created delicious concoctions the tourists during the summer would line up for. During this time she had been approached by Martha Stewart to do a cooking show but that did not go very well.

When Ina felt she had completed her task of creating what she wanted at Barefoot, someone suggested she write a cookbook of all the recipes from the store. And with that the real Barefoot Contessa was born. And over time there was television which she very reluctantly stepped into.

Ina has worked hard all her life, but to her it’s playtime. When another offer comes in, she analyzes it and sees how she feels. Childless by choice, her baby is her love of food and her love of making people happy by eating and of course, Jeffrey. She and Jeffrey who is a dean at a college comes home on weekends and oh yes, she built her own apartment in Paris where they travel to constantly.

Be Ready When the Luck Happens is a rollercoaster ride of the life, love and stories of a woman who was determined to do what she wanted not to matter what the outcome with the love of her life by her side. To add to this amazing story, she has included her most popular recipes for all of us to try. How good is that?

Published by Crown Publishing