Tag: family

The Christmas Cookie Wars by Eliza Evans

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The Christmas Cookie Wars is a very funny, enjoyable Hallmark Channel type love story about a widow with two young middle school twins and the principal of the same school who is divorced and has a daughter. The two are very different in how they see the world, and how they parent. What they do have in common is their love for their children, learning how to let go of their pasts and taking a giant leap into what could be their future together. But there will be certain forces who will try and prevent this.

Melody Monroe has young twin boys. Her husband passed away only a few years ago. Her boys are her life. But she sees and realizes that they are beginning to grow up and grow away from her. Although her heart is broken, she understands this is part of the growing process. But it’s Christmas which is such an important time of year for them all as they try to preserve the memories and the traditions of the past.

Jonathan Braxton is the principal at her son’s school. He is very rigid and unfortunately her boys know him for all the wrong reasons. Let’s just say her boys know his office very well and so does she and leave it at that.

So, when Melody learns the school cookie committee has been disbanded thanks to its unpopular/popular chair, which also happens right before their famous Christmas cookie adventures, a great fundraising season, she decides in a moment of insanity to become the new chair.

Thus begins the relationship between the overworked and overstressed Melody and the by the book take no gruff cookie baker extraordinaire Principal Jonathan. Now Melody must work side by side with Jonathan to make sure all the fundraising dates go well which won’t be very easy as it seems someone is not very happy with her taking this position and is trying to make sure she does not succeed.

As Melody and Jonathan discover their attraction to each other, Melody is unsure of her feelings because of her late husband. But as they begin the holiday season and all the activities there becomes a spark neither of them can resist.

Chaos ensues but when something happens and her boys are blamed this may be the final straw for Melody. Can they overcome what seems to be a deal breaker?

The Christmas Cookie Wars is more than just a falling in love, love story. It includes lessons in learning how to deal with loss, change, opening your heart, letting your children grow and begin to learn life lessons on their own. It’s an enjoyable quick read and a very feel-good story.

Thank you #NetGalley #G.P.Putnam’sSons #TheChristmasCookieWars #ElizaEvans for the advanced copy.

Till Death Do Us Part by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

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Till Death Do Us Part is an amazingly shocking thriller you never thought you needed and won’t be able to put down. Each chapter draws you deeper into the riveting mystery and every revelation gives you tingles until finally, finally! the crescendo of the jaw dropping ending you do not see coming, slaps you in the face!

June is ready to take the leap and get married again. You see, ten years ago June met and married the love of her life Josh, only to have him taken away a week later when he disappears after going for a swim on their honeymoon. After an intense search he is presumed drowned making June a widow.

Now, after all these years, and with much therapy, she has met someone and is ready to marry again. Owning her own wine bar in New York City now, and having some success at it, June is taking the leap although still to this day she has never fully believed Josh died. Not after reading his final text to her. But she is finally excited for her future.

Until one day when she is in Central Park and turns to see a man who is Josh staring at her. She immediately returns back to the days just after he went missing when she would turn and see him, even though he was not there. But, for some reason this is very different. She absolutely knows what she saw was real!

So, she quietly begins to do a bit of research on where his family ended up, his family owned a winery in Napa Valley, and when she pulls the website up, there before her eyes is a picture of Josh, a woman and two young children. In shock, she decides to lie to her fiancé and go out to the winery to confront Josh.

But what June will discover is that nothing makes sense and the deeper she opens the Pandora’s box, the more confused she becomes. And then, she discovers her fiancĂ© has been hiding a secret from her. Something she is not sure she can forgive him for.

June must begin to wade through Josh, his family and her own past to discover some terrible truths that were hidden from her all those years ago.

The lesson in Till Death Do Us Part is… love can be the death of not only a life, of their love of their trust but open the flood gates to more questions than answers and horrible secrets and perhaps even more unknown tragedy…until it all becomes exposed.

Thank you #NetGalley #Simon&Schuster #LaurieElizabethFlynn #TillDeathDoUsPart for the advanced copy.

Two Dead Wives by Adele Parks

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Two Dead Wives is (spoiler alert) a sequel to Parks’ Woman Last Seen, but don’t let that stop you from reading this incredibly exciting thriller which goes above and beyond the usual twists and turns and will continuously shock the reader with its imaginative plot.

DCI Clements is coming off of the toughest case of her life. A woman who was kidnapped is believed to be dead. Although the woman had an incredibly complicated past, she leaves a husband and two stepsons, another husband and her grieving best friend. Now, one of the husbands is being charged with the murder.

Stacie Jones lives in a small village and is recovering from cancer. Having moved away years ago to live in Paris, she is now home with her father recuperating from her brain surgery. She can’t remember her past but is grateful her father who is a retired doctor is here to help her try and put the pieces back together. For her own safety, she stays close to home as she is still not sure of the area she lives. Although secluded, she remembers her past by her father telling her stories of her life and she is pretty content and appreciative for all he has been doing.

Back to DCI Clements. She can’t seem to let this case go. She feels as if she is missing something. No, there has been no new evidence, but when Fiona, the best friend moves into the husband with the sons’ house, well she gets a bad feeling. Who would do that? Shouldn’t she still be in mourning?

So, she decides to go to the last place the missing woman was ever seen. To see if there is any evidence that was overlooked. Something sparks her interest and the wheels in her brain begin to turn. But without any other evidence, it’s seeming dead on arrival.

And with these the only clues I choose to give you, a cat and mouse game begins which will include lies, crazy and perhaps hope. You see, one of the stepsons believes his stepmother is alive. He is determined to make everyone believe what he believes. 

And what does Stacie Jones have to do with this? With no memory of anything? Could she have seen something? What ties her to this mystery?

But beware. There is one person who wants this whole investigation to be shut down. That is the actual killer. Because you see, they don’t want to have to kill again, unless they really have to.

Two Dead Wives is a gripping tale of deceit, lies and spine-chilling suspense. If you have not read Woman Last Seen, read it because it is just a good as the second. Both are quite the killer stories!

Thank you #NetGalley #Mira #AdeleParks #TwoDeadWives for the advanced copy.