Month: June 2025

The Page Turner by Viola Shipman

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In my humble opinion, The Page Turner by Viola Shipman (Wade Rouse) is not only his best work, but the closest his fans have come to just how much his grandmother (the real Viola) meant to him. The story is a true heart and soul family love story! With a bit of mystery thrown into the mix.

Emma Page has just graduated from college. She wants desperately to be a writer. No surprise there, since her family owns a publishing company called The Mighty Pages. But Emma has always felt like an outsider on the ins and outs of the publishing world. She has always left that to her parents and her sister.

She has always identified more with her grandmother, Gigi who was her mentor. Gigi, with words of wisdom had an unheard-of work ethic. She would get up before everybody and work and cook and put in almost a full day before anyone was ever awake. Thus, making a vast fortune.

But Gigi is gone and now her parents are running the show, spending it seems way too much money. When her sister Jess and her parents ask her to join the company, Emma must make a decision feeling as if no matter what she decides, she will once again disappoint.

But when suddenly an author Emma thinks is very shady and sexist agrees to an imprint at The Mighty Pages, she decides she needs to intervene only to be told by her family that he is there to bail the company out as they are bleeding money.

But Emma discovers something which changes everything. Her grandmother had kept a secret from all of them. By signing this deal with the author, they will be headed for disaster. Now Emma must try and fight not only for her family but for her grandmother. How will she be able to convince them she knows what is going on and make them believe her?

Now is the time for the Page family to put all their arguments and jealousies aside and come together not only for their own good, but for Gigi.

The Page Turner is the essence of a family love story. Your heartstrings will be pulled at and will make you truly appreciate the beautiful dynamic of Viola Shipman and Wade Rouse. Please read the afterward by Wade Rouse for even more touching stories of his life with his grandmother.

Thank you #NetGalley #GraydonHouse #ViolaShipman #ThePageTurner for the advanced copy.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

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The Ghostwriter is not only a spellbinding shocking mystery, but also a glimpse at a family whose instability and grief blow up into incomprehensible dysfunction as two of the three children in the family, both young are viciously murdered. Flash forward to the present when the only survivor’s daughter, a ghostwriter who has been estranged from her father for years, the only child not killed and decides to come back home to the place the murders occurred to help him ghostwrite the story of his life before it is all forgotten. He leads his daughter on her last treasure hunt, one of the only joys from her childhood, with hints and clues to what happened all those years ago to not only solve the mystery but heal both their souls.

In 1975 Vincent Taylor’s young sister Poppy and his brother a teenager at the time, Danny were brutally murdered in their home, leaving him an only child as well as the prime suspect. The case was never solved.

Now in the present, Taylor is an acclaimed writer who needs a ghostwriter to help him with the last book he knows he will every write. He insists on Olivia Dumont who is a ghostwriter who has had a few problems recently. Unbeknownst to all, she is actually Olivia Taylor, Vincent’s daughter whom he has not seen in decades.

When she agrees to work with him, she is confused. She discovers this is not a book of fiction, but in fact a confession. But to what? Of course, she knew her family had a tragedy well before she was ever born, but for Olivia, she was a victim as well, of the aftermath of the losses and bullying and grief they all experienced. Her childhood was unpleasant to say the least.

So as Olivia begins to sort through her father’s now flawed memory and keep the publisher unaware of not only who she really is but what is really being written, she begins to discover bits and pieces of evidence from that time period. The more she discovers the more she hunts for what really happened all those years ago, at times frightened as to what the ending may really be.

The Ghostwriter is a wonderful, suspenseful look at a tragedy and those who survived and how they became flawed, and guilt ridden. The shocking ending will haunt the reader. But even more important what happens during this process, is forgiveness and love.

Thank you #NetGalley #SourcebooksLandmark #JulieClark #TheGhostwriter for the advanced copy.

No One Was Supposed To Die at this Wedding by Catherine Mack

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Hold on to your stomach because it will ache after laughing so hard at Catherine Mack’s (Catherine McKenzie’s) second Eleanor Dash book. With the wit, charm, mystery, (and of course the hilarious footnotes) the reader will be captured on page one as they are greeted with a dead body, (whose we have no idea) and take a journey with Eleanor who proceeds to go back in time to explain it to us.

The story picks up where Eleanor’s first adventure left off, sort of. In this book Eleanor’s novel, When In Rome is being made into a movie. The filming is taking place on Catalina Island. Although Eleanor should be pleased, she is very unhappy about the rewrite of her beloved book. But she is there with her best friend Emma, an actress who is playing her, as well as her boyfriend Oliver and her sister/assistant Harper. Oh, and of course Connor…who could forget him!

What Eleanor is surprised about is that her best friend and the male lead, Fred Winters have fallen in love and have decided to get married at the end of filming. But two other issues have arisen. One, Eleanor is not happy about the wedding as Emma has not known Fred for long and oh yes, there is a massive hurricane bearing down on them and Emma refuses to cancel the wedding. What could go wrong?

But unfortunately for her nothing is going as planned. There is a dead body, Emma is being harassed online, and Eleanor is being ignored when she makes suggestions as her characters seem to be changing in front of her eyes. And on top of all that…Oliver and Eleanor are at a crossroads in their relationship.

With so many productions crew, movie stars and an evacuation order which they must ignore in order to get Emma and Fred married, Eleanor has her hands full. Especially since the police were no fools and have already left the island.

Eleanor must put her thinking cap on to save her best friend’s wedding…see what I did there? No One Was Supposed To Die at this Wedding is a funny, quick read with dead bodies, many mysteries to solve and footnotes to die for!

Published by Minotaur Books

Saltwater by Katy Hays

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Saltwater is an eerie saga of a wealthy family whose secrets go back generations. Within the beautiful backdrop of Capris in Italy, it tells the tale of deception, greed, jealousy and death. The family, dysfunctional yet able to put on an exceptionally good act until suddenly it all falls apart when another death occurs.

In 1992, Sarah Lingate, writer and wife of wealthy Richard Lingate was discovered dead on a cliff in Capris. Was it suicide or murder? At the time, her daughter, just three years old witnessed the aftermath of the terrible situation. Suspicion immediately fell upon the family/husband of Sarah, but wealth has its privileges but only while it lasts.

Through the years, the Lingates would make a pilgrimage to Capris to go to exclusive parties and make a show that they are still there and even more powerful than ever. Now, thirty years later, with Helen an adult who unfortunately had a miserable childhood and was basically kept hidden and found no joy from her life. She has befriended the family assistant Lorna and they have decided to hatch a plan to figure out what exactly happened to her mother all those years ago.

But something goes terribly wrong, and Lorna disappears. Helen begins to see the cracks in her family…her father, uncle and aunt. She will soon discover the mystery of the Lingate family and all that it encompasses, one tragedy at a time.

The story which is told by Helen, Lorna and Sarah is mystifying and shocking. Family corruption and selfishness will erupt for what? To save a name.

Saltwater is a suspenseful story in which you can’t imagine the twists and turns coming, but when they come, they are paralyzing! Such a good ride!

Thank you #NetGalley #BallentineBooks #KatyHays #Saltwater for the advanced copy.

Cat’s People by Tanya Guerrero

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Cat’s People is a wonderfully, beautiful touching story about well… humans, humanity and a cat. Can a group of strangers all who are dealing with problems put their own fears aside and help a surprising friend none of them knew the other had.

Nuria is a barista who loves cats. She enjoys her job very much to her mother’s dismay. Her mother wishes she would find a career and a husband! But being a barista and helping cats are her two passions. So much so she feeds the neighborhood strays with one particular cat she has a true love for whom she named, well, Cat.

Colin, who is a bestselling author, is a true loner. Although he writes masterful books, his life is filled with insecurity, no friends and a not so pleasant mother. And now with a new book due shortly for some reason he doesn’t know where to start. Then he spots a pretty woman coming daily who leaves food for a stray cat. He feels somehow drawn to her. Being so quiet and shy and uneasy he doesn’t know how to engage her. Then he gets an idea.

Lily has just moved to Brooklyn from Georgia. She is on a mission. She is looking for someone even though when she finds her, she won’t know what to do. Right now, she’s just trying to make ends meet due to the fact she can barely afford the rent in the apartment she shares and they’re threatening to evict her.

Bong owns the local bodega and recently lost his beloved wife. Since her passing he is lost. He is depressed. He does look forward to a woman who comes in daily and buys paper plates and the mailman who comes to deliver the mail, with a stray cat following him, so he can buy treats to feed him.

Omar is a mailman whose partner Carl wants him to go to cooking school to make more of himself. This is his dilemma. Although he does want to try something different it’s not cooking school. Afraid to tell Carl what his true passion is because he doesn’t know what it really is he just let’s him believe he will apply. As he travels along his route daily, he always picks up his friend a stray cat to tell his worries.

And of course there is Cat. Who tells us this tale of his human interactions. Cat is very naive, but very wise and has always lived on the street and does not know what to make of his “friends”.

What this group of people will suddenly have in common is how one stray cat will innocently change all their lives. This animal who they all love separately while never knowing each other existed and a special cat who brings them all together.

The bond these strangers create and the love they all share for this stray animal and what they will do to help each other will bring the reader to tears. Cat’s People is warm and uplifting and more importantly a story of hope which will impact anyone who reads about Cat’s people.

Thank you #NetGalley #DelacortePress #TanyaGuerrero #Cat’sPeople for the advanced copy.

The Little Lost Library by Ellery Adams

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In Ellery Adams latest book, The Little Lost Library, she truly has outdone herself! Between the intriguing story, a mysterious book within the book you will be writing the clues down yourself on paper to try and solve the puzzle! In my opinion this is her best Secret, Book, and Scone novel to date!

It all begins when Nora arrives to drop books of at an elderly woman named Lucielle’s very dilapidated mansion in Miracle Springs. They have had an agreement for quite a while that Nora would bring her books in exchange for some Lucille had in her house. Although Nora has never stepped foot into the house, only being allowed to enter the mud room where over tea, they would chat just a bit.

But unfortunately, on this visit, Nora discovers Lucielle has passed away, at first thinking from old age. The mansion known as Wynter Mansion was involved in a terrible scandal years ago and whatever happened, Lucielle never left the house again. When Nora is able to see the inside, she discovers it is filled with books and papers with practically nowhere to move. Lucille was a hoarder. Within all the mess Nora discovers Lucille has left her a very special book, The Little Lost Library. Why? She makes the decision to take the book before anyone else shows up.

As Lucille’s children two of whom left the area as soon as they were able and one who unknowingly to Nora lived in back of the mansion, swoop in to discover the secrets the mansion holds because they truly believe something valuable is hidden inside.

While the house begins to become decluttered Nora starts to read the book and realizes it is a book of clues she must somehow solve and put the pieces of the puzzle together. But more importantly, she begins to believe Lucille’s death was no accident. That’s when she and her boyfriend who is the Sheriff of the town and her Secret, Book, and Scone Society, her valuable, loving network of friends assist in finding out just what is going on.

Unfortunately for Nora, someone does not want her looking into this mystery. She finds herself in a desperate situation as well as fearing for her life. The more clues which come to light points to not only a terrible dark secret from the past but to someone who wants to hurt her.

What mystery does this mansion hold? More important who killed Lucille.

The Little Lost Library will have you riveted! The twists and turns and clues extremely exciting! And of course, the Society of Women once again remain strong for each other! As in every book there are suggestions from Miracle Books, Nora’s bookstore so keep a look out for any you might want to read!

Thank you #NetGalley #KensingtonCozies #ElleryAdams #TheLittleLostLibrary for the advanced copy.