The Copenhagen Affair by Amulya Malladi

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'The Copenhagen Affair,' A Book of Romance and Intrigue by Amulya Malladi.

Feelings and emotions often determine our course of direction. They determine our mood and the way we react around others. Emotional baggage is often the culprit, and the feelings often come with depression, sadness, and anxiety. In The Copenhagen Affair by Amulya Malladi, we meet Sanya, a woman who feels lost and alone. After experiencing an emotional breakdown at her place of work, she no longer understands her role.

Married to Harry for over 20 years, Sanya is not surprised when after one of their therapy sessions, he decides a change of pace will help her. His company is sending him to Copenhagen for work and he feels it will be just the thing to revive her. Harry is positive a new location is just the thing to bring her out of her doldrums. He has to temporarily relocate there to close a deal for his company, and Copenhagen's beauty and generosity are rumored as unsurpassed.

Sanya finds herself on her own once they reach Copenhagen. The beauty of the city mesmerizes her, but it is the meeting with Anders Ravn, that holds her attention. Although she initially does not know it, he is the owner of the company her husband is trying to acquire. Rugged, with a scar on his face, he intrigues her, and she struggles to get him out of her mind. Yet, he too seems just a bit smitten and she runs into him often through her travels. When she finds that her husband Harry has an affair, she no longer feels that she needs to hold her feelings in check. But there is more, there are allegations of crime in Anders’ business, tensions are heightened, and danger beckons.

Sanya finally begins to move through her breakdown, finding her way though her nightmare of fear and feelings. Yet how will it all end?  Can she emerge from her crisis whole, once more the woman she was? How will the danger surrounding both the men in her life affect her new-found strength?

Malladi takes us through a relationship full of pain and pitfalls. Her characters are likable, and her description of the beauties of Copenhagen make you feel as if you are there as well.

If you enjoy mysteries, romance and intrigue, you will find this an enjoyable book for your library. It is an easy read and will keep you interested as you follow the red herrings for the answers.

Rating 3.5 /5

Between Me and You by Allison Winn Scotch

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'Between Me and You,' a Novel by Allison Winn Scotch.

As life moves forward, we all evolve in differing directions. Often, relationships continue to work, but at other times lives also move apart.  In Between Me and You by Allison Winn Scotch, we follow the lives of a young couple that are much in love. When they first meet, Ben Livingston is an up-and-coming screen writer. Tatum Connelly is trying to make her way as an actress. Both very difficult situations. Marrying and having a child seems like the cement that will hold, but will it?

As Ben continues his career, he begins to make a name for himself. But as the years move forward, Tatum is discovered and soon her star is rising. Her rise though, co-insides with Ben’s screen writing failures. Suddenly life is not as it once was. Rumors, hurt, and distances between them begin an overwhelming gulf of distrust and hurt.

Remembering their past and the love they shared, can they find a way to bridge the hurt and anger that is pulling their family apart?

Scotch does an amazing job of creating a scenario where it is easy to see how people split up. We often read about it in the papers, and even in differing jobs, it occurs. Using jobs of power and prestige, the tale is much of what we often read in tabloids, both tantalizing and yet sad. We read and wonder, yet always hope it will never happen to us.

Her characters are both, great people, trying to find a way to make their lives together work, but often making mistakes due to the lack of communication and contact. This only makes the situation more volatile. Each character narrates their own feelings and insights, making it a provoking story of angst, anger and yet love.

If you are fond of drama and growth, with both romance, family and the glitter of movies and screen, you will find this to be a delightful book to keep you entertained. You become so engrossed in the reading it is difficult to put down.

This would be a clever work for a reading or discussion group. The dialogue it would create could start some very good debate.

Rating 4/5

Woman Last Seen In Her Thirties by Camille Pagan

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'Woman Last Seen In Her Thirties by Camille Pagan.

As we age we sometimes lose sight of who we once were. In Woman Last Seen In Her Thirties by Camille Pagan, we follow the life of Maggie Harris. In doing so, we are taken into a journey that happens to many.

Maggie is now 53 with a happy marriage and two grown children. She finds herself anxious about many things but the one sure thing in her life has always been her children and her marriage. When her husband suddenly leaves her for another woman, even that surety walks out the door.

Now Maggie suddenly realizes that she has lost track of life and hardly recognizes the woman she has become. Years of putting her husband and children first, the person she last remembers as herself seems to have been lost once she moved past her thirties.  Can she find that woman again and rebound from the hurt and anxiety that now absorb her?

Pagan does a wonderful job of bringing us a character that is so believable you feel like you know her. You can relate to many of her problems and concerns, as well as understand just how easy it is for some to find themselves in the same situation. With her usual precision, Pagan breaks down the barriers of thought and how we can find the strength that is within everyone of us.

Every day these same circumstances seem to happen, which makes you feel more involved in some way. Like you have more at stake. Often to move forward we must take stock of our past and our own decisions.

If you enjoy family drama and stories of growth you will find this a terrific addition to your library. Tie in drama and romance and this will also intrigue those more interested in finding a silver lining.

This would be an enjoyable book for a reading for discussion group with a great deal of ideas for dialogue.

Rating 4/5

The Child Finder By Rene Denfeld

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'The Child Finder', A Novel by Rene Denfeld. 

Children are some of the most vulnerable human beings. They often go missing or disappear without a trace. Some are found, and many are not, creating loss and turmoil in homes and families that change the core pattern of their lives. In The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld, we meet Naomi, a young woman known as the child finder.

She has no past she can fully remember, but she knows that she must never give up on finding those who are lost. She is methodical, and strangely knowing of how to move forward. She is often the last hope of those to have come close to giving up.

Madison Culver disappeared three years ago when her parents were in the wilderness looking for a Christmas tree. She was there, and then she wasn’t. Naomi learns that Madison would have been eight years old now, and is relentless in her pursuit of answers.

In a strange dilapidated old cabin, deep in the wilderness we also meet Snow Girl, a child transformed by the weather, and captured by a deaf-mute trapper in the woods. She is sure of herself, yet understands that her safety is tied to making sure the man who made her out of snow remains trusting and sure of her as she as she finds her own way. Snow Girl is smart and resourceful, writing fairy tales to keep herself occupied.

Is she the missing child, and if so, can the child finder track her down? Will their worlds collide and bring about the safety and release of both? Naomi has her own past, one that drives her to look, a dream that keeps her moving to find those missing. And who is the trapper that no one really seems to know?

Denfeld brings us a tale of growth and loss, one of danger and stress. She tells the story from both sides, alternating between different character’s voices as the drama unfolds. The story takes you forward on a fast-paced search and recovery, one that keeps you turning the pages. Imminent danger is palpable, keeping you reading, while the mystery is deep and full of angst and loneliness. Danger and urgency are the prevailing worries.

If you enjoy mystery, romance, danger and some darkness you will love this story. This work takes you on a journey and keeps you turning the pages until the truth comes out. The characters will stay with you a long time.

The Child Finder would be a great work for a reading or discussion group, with a great deal of information to discuss and debate.

Rating 5/5

The Idea of You by Robinne Lee

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'The Idea of You ,' a Romance by Robinne Lee.

Love comes where it will and not always with permission. In The Idea of You by Robinne Lee, Solene Marchand finds her life just where she wants it, she is friends with her ex-husband, she has a wonderful daughter, and her art gallery is thriving. When she takes her daughter Isabelle to her favorite boy band, she feels like the journey will make them even closer. That is very important to her since the divorce.

What she does not expect is the attraction she feels for one of the members of the band. Her daughter is smitten, as is usual, but Solene is in her late thirties, she is above such antics. Yet the attraction seems to go both ways. Intrigued and concerned, she embarks on a series of trysts, telling herself that it is just chemistry yet the situation grows into a genuine relationship, one that helps her to gain a sense of herself that she had thought gone forever.

Yet trouble is ever close as rumors and the madness of the media, begin to shine a light on her journey. She begins to realize how her own chance at happiness can now imperil all that she holds dear. How will her daughter take such a perceived betrayal, when she herself is attracted to members of the band? Can Solene take a chance at happiness if it could ruin her relationship with her daughter, and friends?

Lee gives us a sexy romantic story of a May, December relationship with all the excitement and peril involved. Her characters are spontaneous and bold, but also with a zest for life that is both refreshing and fun. She twists in guilt and remorse, making it hard to separate the woman from the mother, and she finds a way to keep a slight level of friction that is just a bit edgy. You find yourself rooting for both mom and child, hoping for it all to come out right.

If you enjoy a good romance filled with life and passion, you will find this a great read. Lee keeps you on edge wondering which direction Solene will take. This is a work that takes you into the romance of a woman who wants more, yet must find a way to ease the effect on her own family and friends.

This would be a clever work for both a reading or book club, with a great deal of discussion and debate tied in.

Rating 3/5

Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'Everything We Keep,' A Mystery by Kerry Lonsdale.

In Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale, we meet Aimee, a young woman whose wedding day has turned into a tragedy of untold proportions. What was to be the beginning of a life with her fiancé James, has become his funeral, turning her life upside down.

As she grieves and tries to come to terms with her loss, she finds an opportunity to open her own coffee shop, something that she had always wanted to do. Somehow things fall into place, and she finds that she can move forward, if she keeps herself busy. Hiring on Ian has helped and her friend Nadia keeps her grounded.

When a mysterious young woman reaches out to her with a secret, she is alarmed. This young woman tells her that James is not dead, but alive and unable to remember who he is. Can she believe this news or could there be some truth to it?

Getting a clue that sets her heart racing, she books a trip to Mexico, which is where James is supposed to be living. She must follow her heart and the clues. What if he is alive, she must know for sure and help him if she can. Little does she know that she will set a cavalcade of danger in motion that could put her and the life she has made, in danger. Is James alive, and can she find a way to reach the answers to his disappearance without risking it all?

Lonsdale gives us a mystery filled with characters both charming and sometimes naïve. You are both captivated and concerned as the story moves through its paces, as Aimee tries to find the clues and then helping bring James back to himself. The story is interesting and fast paced. It keeps you entertained while you find yourself choosing the characters you are looking to champion.

If you like romance and mystery you will find this an interesting read. It radiates the mystery itself as well as mysterious characters who show periodically through the story, keeping you guessing as to what part they play.

This would be an enjoyable book for a book club or reading group with numerous actions and decisions that would create great dialogue.

Rating 3/4

Royally Roma by Teri Wilson

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'Royally Roma, The Royals Volume: 1' by Teri Wilson.

In Royally Roma by Teri Wilson, we meet a young woman who is trying desperately to change her life, leaving a scandal laden past behind and beginning anew I Rome. Julia Costa has finally found a haven, taking her away from her father’s shadow and the scandal that has affected her own life. She is now working as a tour guide in the beautiful and historical city of Rome.

Due to the news and how it affected her life, she no longer reads the papers and stays away from both television and gossip. Her life is busy with tourists and clients to who she shares her love of the city through tours. When she greets a man who she believes is her next client, she has no idea of the strange adventure that is just beginning.

For, Niccolo La Torre, The Crown Price of Lazaretto, he is at his wits end of ways to keep his younger brother out of the gossip columns. His father relies on him and he is not looking forward to the events that are unfolding and making him feel so out of control of his own destiny. When he finds himself mistaken for a common tourist, he is both intrigued and surprised. Having someone who does not know who he is confounds him, and the young woman with her motorbike is refreshing and outspoken. As his duties close in, and his staff seeks to retrieve him, he decides to disappear for the day, and take Julia’s innocent offer of a tour.

Little do they both understand the events that are set in motion by such a move. Julia has no idea she has the crown prince, claiming to be her client, and the Niccolo has little understanding how his life will soon change in ways that no one can anticipate.

Teri Wilson gives us an adventure and a tour, taking us into the beauties of Rome, and introducing the beginning buds of romance, created by the connection of two people trying to escape their lives. She brings us characters full of strength and passion, with each hiding something from the other. The tension is strong and the passion begins to build as they both flee from the familial ties that bind them.

If you enjoy a solid romance, and the beauty of Rome, you will find this a great summer read. As the situation builds you will find yourselves immersed in the fun and action as the events play out to a satisfying conclusion.

Rating 3/5

Alex & Eliza, A Love Story by Melissa De La Cruz

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'Alex & Eliza', A Love Story by Melissa De La Cruz.

In Alex & Eliza, Melissa De La Cruz takes us back into history with a love story sure to ignite your imagination. During the time of the American revolution when Alexander Hamilton was still just a young mysterious man, yet even then at the right-hand of George Washington, Cruz entertains us with a story of politics and intrigue as well as love and romance.

One of New York’s biggest events was the Schuyler’s grand ball, and this well to do family had three daughters, each soon to be ready for marriage. A social event as well as an introduction of their daughters to society, their daughters Angelica and Peggy were excited for their chance to dress up and begin their round of social meetings.  

Eliza the youngest was not very into dresses and balls, she was more interested in aiding the colonists cause, but her parents were insistent. Both fierce and beautiful she was a handful, and they worried as to what type of man would attract her attention. Due to her fascination with the cause, she was very excited to learn that Alexander Hamilton would be arriving. Once they meet, their attraction and love begin a series of events that change the course of history.

De La Cruz does a wonderful job of taking you back in history and finding the most interesting of situations to bring into the story, holding you enthralled in the telling. By tying the politics and the romance together she brings in the danger as well as the strong feelings of her characters, holding you intrigued and wanting to know more.

If you enjoy history and love a good romance than this is the book for you. Enticing and interesting, De La Cruz finds a way to bring back the past and bring in history, romance, and mystery that satisfies both cravings of excitement, romance and knowledge.

This would be a great work for a Book or reading club with may merits to discuss and help create a great deal of dialogue. 

Rating 4/5

Twisted, The Girl Who Uncovered Rumpelstiltskin's Name by Bonnie M. Hennessy

Posted First to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'Twisted, The Girl Who Uncovered Rumpelstiltskin's Name by Bonnie M. Hennessy.

In a tale from childhood, Twisted by Bonnie M Hennessy, takes you on an alternate journey to a dark and bleak tale of love and courage, filled with revenge and regret as well as a strength of spirit.

Looking at the story of Rumpelstiltskin's rage and sadness, you follow The life of Aoife and a different path of how the lives of two such differing characters really came to being.

Aoife, the beloved daughter, is the strength of her family as she takes on the family farm to keep their finances afloat, while at the same time trying to keep her father out of trouble. He is deep in drink and gambling, but Aoife's goodness and strength of heart endears her to all those that see her dilemma.

When a young man of money happens to see her, he decides that she should be his, for unbeknownst to the town he is the Duke of the realm and will have what he fancies. Yet she rebuffs him, and while she has no idea of his identity, she has no time for a man with such airs.  As the Duke determines to have her, he finds a way through the weakness of her father, with both his drink and gambling. Joining the game and urging the poor man gamble his daughter away on a sure hand, all is lost when the hand does not come through. Her father through his muddled thoughts brags of her ability to make gold out of straw, his attempt to brag about her farming, but the Duke understands it to mean something far different.

Aoife, who has always found solace in the woods hides her pain and anger, as nature responds, her spark of spirit draws her magic, that of her kindness and regrets, but it is another, a strange interloper that finds his own home in the forest that takes notice of her pain and anguish as well as her affinity for magic and her beauty. So begins the strange friendship that begins with fondness and love and turns to hate and anger, that takes a tortured soul into the very depths of despair.

As Aoife finds herself in trouble trying to live up the talents her father has bragged of, the stranger from the woods uses his own twisted magic to help. Aoife, soon finds herself in love with the Duke, and with child. The temper of her rescuer from the woods sparks her urgent need to find his name, and takes her into further danger as she tries to save the child of her love.

The twisted tale of love and darkness builds in a direction both like and unlike that of the fairy tale of youth. Hennessy does a great job of holding true to the outline of the work but adds more depth of character, making you feel both appalled and sad, yet as the same time, the tension keeps you intrigues as to how it will all come together.

If you enjoy magic romance and danger, you will love this take on a fairy tale of old. It is darker and more thought provoking, but yet carries that same feel of the fear you felt as a child. Hennessy brings the tale to stark life and into the twentieth century.

This would be a great book for a reading group or book club.

 Bonnie M. Hennessy's Web Site:
http://www.bonniemhennessy.com/Bonnie M. Hennessy's Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/twistedthebook/Bonnie M. Hennessy's Twitter:
https://www.twitter.com/bonniemhennessyBonnie M. Hennessy's Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16075736.Bonnie_M_HennessyBonnie M. Hennessy's YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC23yBSLSEcbE2Bw98_4k-WQTwisted Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32962973-twisted?from_search=trueTribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

Twisted blog tour site:
http://twistedblogtour.blogspot.com




Bonnie M. Hennessy's Bio: Bonnie grew up a shy, quiet girl who the teachers always seated next to the noisy boys because they knew she was too afraid to talk to anyone. She always had a lot she wanted to say but was too afraid to share it for fear she might die of embarrassment if people actually noticed her. Somewhere along the line, perhaps after she surprised her eighth grade class by standing up to a teacher who was belittling a fellow student, she realized that she had a voice and she didn’t burst into flames when her classmates stared at her in surprise.

Not long after that, she began spinning tales, some of which got her into trouble with her mom. Whether persuading her father to take her to the candy store as a little girl or convincing her parents to let her move from Los Angeles to Manhattan to pursue a career at eighteen as a ballet dancer with only $200 in her pocket, Bonnie has proven that she knows how to tell a compelling story.


 
Twisted Book Summary:
Now she spends her time reading and making up stories for her two children at night. By day she is an English teacher who never puts the quiet girls next to the noisy boys and works hard to persuade her students that stories, whether they are the ones she teaches in class or the ones she tells to keep them from daydreaming, are better escapes than computers, phones, and social media.

An old tale tells the story of how a little man named Rumpelstiltskin spun straw into gold and tricked a desperate girl into trading away her baby. But that’s not exactly how it happened.

The real story began with a drunken father who kept throwing money away on alcohol and women, while his daughter, Aoife, ran the family farm on her own. When he gambled away everything they owned to the Duke, it was up to her to spin straw into gold to win it all back.

With her wits and the help of a magical guardian, she outsmarted the Duke and saved the day.

Well almost… Her guardian suddenly turned on Aoife and sent her on a quest to find his name, the clues to which were hidden deep in the woods, a moldy dungeon, and a dead woman’s chamber.

This is not the tale of a damsel in distress, but a tenacious, young woman who solved a mystery so great that not even the enchanted man who spun straw into gold could figure it out.

Not until Aoife came along.

Prices/Formats: $2.99 ebook, $12.99 paperback
Genre: Fantasy, Mythological, Fairy Tale
Pages: 306
Release: November 11, 2016
Publisher: self-published
ISBN: 9781539753421

Amazon buy link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N3MC1K4?&tag=tributebooks-20

Fractured by Catherine McKenzie

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'Fractured', A Novel of Suspense by Catherine McKenzie. 

In the novel Fractured by Catherine McKenzie, Julie Prentice and her family find themselves moving across country to escape a stalker who has terrorized her since her novel, The Murder Game, was published. Moving to Cincinnati she and her family hope that all the danger and drama is behind them.

Yet Julie can’t seem to shake loose from the past. Everything creates fear; looks that seem askance, reactions from people that seem out of place, and even the neighbors. She finds it difficult to fit in to a neighborhood that is tight knit and has expectations about how people’s behavior. The only one she feels comfortable with is their closest neighbor, Josh Dunbar. Yet even this connection creates a frisson that sets her life and chance at happiness into another unknown direction.

Can she come to terms with her past, and set a strong, safe path for her family? Will the connection she has formed with a new stranger be the very thing that unbinds her family for good? Are the actions of their neighbors really full of good intent or has her stalker found her again?

McKenzie gives us a story of possibilities, creating a crescendo of alarm as her character begins to believe her family is in danger. She takes you into jittery concern as well as that of feelings and personalities to bring you an edge of your seat thriller.

Her characters are very real and the back biting and jealousy are true to form. The feeling of being out of control makes you uncomfortable as you you try to piece together the clues to find what is happening.

If you enjoy mysteries and family situations, this is a good book for your library. The danger is secretive and roils below the surface, making you wonder if it is real at all or just in the mind of our protagonist.


This would be a great book for a reading group or book club, one to give them a great deal of dialogue.

Rating 4/5

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'Leaving Blythe River', A Coming of Age Novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Divorce is usually just as difficult on the child or children of a union as it is on the adults. In Leaving Blythe River by Catherine Ryan Hyde, we meet Ethan Underwood, a 17-year-old who has been unable to come to terms with his parents divorce. He is small for his age and afraid of almost everything. After his parents divorce he found himself in a situation of danger that left him fearful and very quiet, feeling unable to trust most situations.

He is spending time with his father in his remote cabin in the Wilderness of Blythe River, and while unable to forgive his father for the divorce, he has tried to release his fear and anger but to no avail. When his father disappears and does not return to the cabin, Ethan notifies the rangers, who begin a search.

After some research though they are convinced that his father has left on purpose, to move on to other things, after all, that was why his parents were divorced in the first place. There was always something better, just out of reach.

Once more feeling betrayed, Ethan packs up to return home. Yet something keeps nagging at him. What if he is his fathers last chance at life? What if his father is out in the wilderness hoping and waiting for rescue and no one comes? Ethan knows that he should go home, but now he is unable to move forward.

With the help of some locals, an elderly widow, a pack guide, and a limited outdoors-man, he heads into the woods. Punishing cold and weather meet them on their journey but with the help of his new friends, he finds he learns to trust his instincts. With the punishing weather, Ethan wonders if he has set himself and his new friends up for failure and untimely death.

The decision is his, and when he finely realizes that it is his search, he turns his thoughts to what matters most. And as he continues the final phase of his search, he realizes that his discovery is about more then just finding his father, but in coming to terms with his anger and forgiving his father if he can only find him.

Hyde has given us the pain encountered in the break up of families, and the coming of age of a young man who has to find a way out of his own feeling of betrayal. The characters are an eclectic mix, and each has a strength of character that is lacking in Ethan. As they move further into danger, Ethan grows, and evolves, finding a pride he never knew existed. The dangerous and heartwarming story holds you captivated as the search winds down to the conclusion.

If you enjoy tales of courage and strength, as well as romance and friendships, you will find this is where you need to be. Hyde takes you on a steamroller ride of emotion as she fleshes out a story of redemption.


This would be a great book for a reading or discussion group. It hold a great deal of debatable material.

Rating 4/5

In Twenty Years by Allison Winn Scotch

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'In Twenty Years,' A Novel by Allison Winn Scotch.

College is a time to stretch your wings, meet new people and chose a direction in life. The friendships made during this time often last a lifetime. Yet there are times that we also lose touch. In Twenty Years by Allison Winn Scotch we follow a group of six friends from Penn State. Twenty years previous when they were all together they were sure their friendships would last. Held together by Bea, the one they all connected to, life seemed as magical as it could be.

Yet when she dies, the group splinters, they are now leaderless and the ties no longer seem to be enough to hold them. Each find themselves estranged, holding old grudges and feelings they have buried that helps to separate them from the easy camaraderie they once shared.

After twenty years they have agreed to meet again, the five remaining friends on the eve of what would have been Bea’s 40h birthday. They have all made their way in life and it is with great reluctance they meet. However, such was her influence upon them their promise to Bea twenty years prior binds them to this reunion.

Not knowing what will happen at this meeting, especially without their leader, they soon find they must confront their past, and come to terms with each other in order to heal and move forward. Even with her death, and the pain that came with it, Bea holds them as if she were still there. Can they find the glue that binds them and make the peace that seems to be what their old friend and ally Bea has expected from them even in death?

Scotch has given us a group of friends whose lives have grown and evolved over the years. Allowing hurts and grudges against each other they have unraveled their bond, which makes them very human. She takes us into their lives as well as that of Bea as they travel on the road that destroyed their trust. The telling evokes tears and joy as well as sadness and death. You will find yourself immersed in this group as they come to terms with their own feelings. Scotch pulls us into her story and the outcome seems to be one we need for ourselves.

If you enjoy literary excellence and friendships that last a lifetime, you will want this book for your library. If you enjoy drama and love this will fit the bill.


This would be a great book for both a Reading group or Book club with a great deal of information to decipher and debate.

Rating 4/5

The Memory of Us by Camille Di Maio

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'The Memory of Us,' A Novel by Camille Di Maio.

In The Memory of Us by Camille Di Maio, we are introduced to Julianne Westcott, the only child of a

wealthy family. She lives a dream life of money, gowns, and dances, as well as young men wanting to escort her about town. When she uncovers a secret that has been hidden from her, she suddenly sees life in a different manner. This secret changes her life, for she has found a brother, blind and deaf, whom her parents have hidden away in an institution since his birth. Her life suddenly looses its luster and seems pale in comparison to the life of others that surround her.

Choosing to visit with her brother in secret, she meets a young man , Kyle McCarthy, an Irish Catholic gentleman working the grounds of the institution while studying to become a priest. Kyle is the only one who seems able to break through her brother’s barrier, and they have formed a friendship. The meeting is a distraction for them both, and Julianne finds herself falling in love, knowing she will have to soon make a choice. Kyle too must decide, and his choice is even more difficult.

War is on the horizon and creates a deadly shadow that changes their world as the Blitz strikes at the very foundation of England. Julianne is caught in the middle and an accident that changes her life makes her decision more intense. She chooses to leave everything behind, and devote herself to those in need while in every case hiding her identity to protect her loved ones left behind.

Yet there is often light after the darkness and she finds that there may be a way forward from the deceit and damage of her past. Can she find her way clear to becoming the woman she once was?

Di Maio gives us a tough and challenging romance, as well as a chilling rendition of how war tears apart more then the structure of cities, but lives as well. Her characters are a great mix of strength and reserve with just a bit of uncertainty and flaws, that make them very real and easy to relate to. She takes us on a journey into war-torn England and the lives of some who have been dealt some savage blows. The intensity and courage keep you enthralled and reading far into the night.

If you enjoy historical novels, romance, and tales of war you will find this to be a great book for your library. The characters and circumstances stay with you long after the book is finished, leaving you wanting more.




This would be a great work for a reading group or book club with a great deal of interest and discussion available for debate.

Rating 5/5

Return to the Isle of the Lost by Melissa De La Cruz

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'Return to the Isle of the Lost', A Descendants Novel by Melissa De La Cruz

In Return to the Isle of the Lost
by Melissa De La Cruz, we once again return to Auradon, to find that Mal as well as her other friends have received messages telling them to return home. Life has been good and much of their own evil ways are behind them. Mal is the girlfriend of King Ben, and she often even treats those around her good.
She is surprised that someone has the gall to push her around. Yet it makes her curious, why must they all return home. What is happening in the Isle of the Lost. Her friend Evie looks into her Magic Mirror and is only further bewildered.

King Ben is on his own quest to find the reason behind the stories of a dragon on the loose, and Mal worries that it could have something to do with her mother. But even as she follows up by looking in to her fears, she finds that Maleficent is still just as she left her, just a small lizard laying in a cage.

 Emboldened by the encouragement of her friends, they decide they must find out what is behind the summons. They have left both family and friends behind, and they need know if the rumors of a dragon have anything to do with Mal’s mom and the other parents from the Island.  They must sneak back in and see if the danger in Auradon is part of the evil lurking in their own home.

Can they find the plot, for they know there must be one, before it has a chance to destroy the peaceful Kingdom of Auradon, and thrust them back into the evil they left behind?

De La Cruz takes us back into the magical world of the Descendants, and gives us another adventure from the bold and brave children of the evil villains. She gives us a fun and dangerous quest to challenge our crew, and she keeps the adventure alive as they make their way one more time to the place they left behind. Can they steer clear of the danger that may be waiting for them?

This is a great follow up and tale of adventure to the Isle of the Lost. A great read for the young adult as well as those to remain young at heart. With the summer upon us this is a wonderful read for those lazy days as well as a great way to pass the time during travel or even lying on the beach. De La Cruz will keep you entertained.

Rating 4/5

The Last Woman Standing, A Novel of Mrs. Wyatt Earp by Thelma Adams

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'The Last Woman Standing,' A Novel of Mrs. Wyatt Earp by Thelma Adams.

As America settled and people made their way to the west for the lure of gold and land available to begin new lives, some of those people began to make names for themselves.  In Last Woman Standing by Thelma Adams, we meet the woman behind one of the most famous of men.  Josephine Marcus is an amazing woman, one that others either disliked intensely or wanted to emulate.

She did not come about marrying in the normal way; she is the cosseted daughter of Jewish immigrants but with a mind of her own. Running away with a friend, she met a lawman, one who has decided she is what he needs in his life. After returning home, she is enticed by the offer of marriage to this famous lawman, Johnny Behan.  Yet his schemes are nefarious as is his way with women, and as she leaves the shelter of her family, and moves to Arizona to get married, she finds she is just another of his women.

Angry and hurt she is much to humiliated to let her family know that they were right all along. Trying everything in her power, she attempts to solidify the relationship and move the marriage forward. Yet at the same time while waiting for this long awaited marriage, she finds herself drawn to another man.  Wyatt Earp is another strong young man and a colleague of Johnny’s. There is something about this man that draws her. Is it his intensity, or the way he looks at her? She tries to put him out of her mind and focus on what she is after and that is marriage to the man of her dreams.  Soon though she begins the see the real many behind her dream, he is not what she thought.  However, by now it no longer concerns her heart, as while her lawman played his games, her heart drew her to the only man for her.

This is the story of how Josephine Marcus became Mrs. Wyatt Earp and her own story of the life of Wyatt Earp and his brothers as she too helped to shape the history of the west.  She is amazing and her reminisces are strong and exciting, leaving you with that longing of having missed something very important.

Adams takes us into history with the unlikely vessel of a woman’s memories. She brings you a woman with flawed thinking, but brave and strong convictions. She wraps the history throughout the work and captures your imagination with the strength and bravado required of the time.  She gives us both the good and the bad, leaving you hurt and angry at the situations at times, but also helps you to understand the making of the legend of the Earp’s.

If you enjoy history and romance, danger and deceit, you will find this is a terrific book for your library. Learning more of the past through such a venue keeps you reading and searching to the very end. She has given us a strong and passionate story filled with historical facts, and you will find it hard to put this book down.

This would be a great book for a reading or discussion group, with a great deal of interest to them both.

Rating 5/5

The Matchmaker's Playbook by Rachel Van Dyken

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'The Matchmaker's Playbook,' A Wingmen Inc. Novel by Rachel Van Dyken. 

When injuries occur to potential professional athletes, their career choices must change. In The Matchmaker’s Playbook, A Wingmen Inc. Novel by Rachel Van Dyken, we meet Ian Hunter, a former NFL prospect and one-half of the team in Wingmen Inc. His new company is a secretive, word of mouth dating service where he and his partner use their skills with women to help them become noticeable to their crush, and possibly even get them to hook up.

They have garnered a reputation for success and when Ian gets a new client named Blake Olson, he is sure he is ready for his next triumph. Blake is everything he dislikes in a woman, from her choice of clothing to her footwear as well as her irritating attitude. He finds her to be very annoying and even he is not sure he is up to the task of helping her realize her crush.

As he pushes forward and his recommended transformation occurs he realizes that he is beginning to like her, her spunk and humor are engaging. However, he knows he must stay clear, as his job is to help her succeed in reaching her own goal of romance. He is beginning to wonder if he can make it, for his final ploy is in making the target jealous and that will require some closeness with which he is no longer comfortable.

What will he do when he succeeds; his heart is already feeling the terror of loss. Can he move forward and get past his hurt as he helps Blake realize her dream?

Dyken creates strong male characters with charisma and charm, and puts them in the business of helping women find mates. This also makes her characters just a bit bold but also a little vain. Good looking and charismatic, their own thoughts and quirks make sure they have just enough flaws to make them likable.

Her interaction between characters is initially subtle, but the heat begins to build as Ian begins to loose just a bit of his armor. This keeps your interest as each chink he develops makes him more likable. With Blake being so entertaining and feisty, you will love the way Van Dyken gradually develops their relationship.

If you enjoy romance and fun, you will enjoy The Matchmakers Playbook. It will make a great summer read, sure to keep you enthralled. This would also be a great gift for any of your book-reading friends, sure to keep them entertained.

Rating 4/5

The Restaurant Critic's Wife by Elizabeth La Ban

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'The Restaurant Critic's Wife,' A Novel by Elizabeth La Ban.

The Restaurant Critic’s Wife by Elizabeth La Ban is a great take on how each individual reacts to what each believe is living the dream. Lila Soto has a master’s degree, but she has chosen to be a stay at home mom. This has worked pretty well but when they move to Philadelphia, her husband, Sam is suddenly taking his job just a bit more seriously. He is a restaurant critic, and while always just a bit eccentric, Lila believes he may be taking it too far. Striving to protect his credibility and with his entry into a new market, he is determined to remain anonymous.

His new direction hinders the lives of both Lila and the children. She wants to meet new friends, but Sam is sure that they will find out his identity and it will ruin his career. Lila loves him but she is beginning to feel as though he has gone over the edge. Trying to follow his wishes about his anonymity and still make friends, she begins walking a tightrope of decisions.

When she finds out she is pregnant again, she finally loses her patience, leaving her questioning all of her decisions. These include taking a break from her career, her marriage, and even breaking up with her ex-boyfriend after meeting Sam. As Sam grows more fixated, Lila wonders if her own identity has begun to disappear. She is determined to discover herself and do whatever it takes to get back on track to a life of substance.

La Bar has given us an interesting look at life that seems both bizarre and funny on the outside, but creates pain and hurt on the inside. Her characters are both amazing. With Lila, a woman feeling lost and losing her identity but clinging to her remembrance of love, and her husband Sam who feels threatened by the overall populace and is concerned about his own secret job getting out. For him he feels it makes him a target for those looking for good reviews plus those unhappy with his assessment

If you enjoy romance and family with just a bit of zany action and incredible food, you will find this to be a fun and surprising read. La Bar takes you on an unexpected and crazy ride, one you will not soon forget.Though it all she keeps a thread of humor that keeps you chuckling at times. However, you can also understand the disbelief his wife and children feel at some of his antics. It is charming and warm with bits of the way we as humans must find to come together in spite of our differences.

This would be a great book for a reading or book club with a great deal of discussion for debate.

Rating 4/5

Some Women by Emily Liebert

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'Some Women,' A Novel by Emily Liebert.

Life is often difficult and changes in many ways as we grow older. Marriage and children add another twist but also bring both joy and often heartache. In Some Women by Emily Liebert, we are introduced to and won over by three different women with very little in common who find a way to connect and develop a friendship that helps them each to move forward and live the life that is thrust upon them.

Annabel Ford devotes her time to twin boys and her home. When her husband suddenly tells her he is leaving she is unprepared and finds her world spinning out of control. Piper Whitley has always been in control and run her life faultlessly. Raising a daughter and having a career as a reporter, she seems the epitome of a super mom. Yet when she finally meats the man of her dreams, her daughter’s father decides to show up, creating a maelstrom of emotion, causing cracks in the façade of her reality.

Mackenzie Mead has everything, she is married to the heir of a huge media outlet, and life seems to be hers for the living. Yet she has a strong and difficult boss at work, one who is also her own mother-in law. The life that seemed so perfect is eroding as she finds she can no longer find that connection for communicating with her husband.

Life is suddenly not coming out as planned. Thrust together, these women form an unlikely friendship and against all odds. Yet it’s this bond that helps them each reach within to find the person they each know is inside. Can such a friendship help them to cope with the changes and challenges of their unraveling lives?

Liebert brings us life and humor where we often see only struggle. She takes us into the hardships and challenges of modern day life. She brings together three very different women who become the backbone and the strength that helps them to move forward. Each character is very different from the other and yet Liebert finds a way to make the bond work in a realistic and tantalizing way. You find yourself immersed in the lives and problems, rooting them on, urging them to find a way to mend the hurts and hardships they are struggling with.

If you enjoy women’s fiction, drama, and witty, funny dialogue you will find this a great work to keep you entertained. Liebert keeps you entranced from start to finish in her heartwarming and funny look at the life of those we often deem most perfect. Life happens to us all, and Liebert’s work gives us the blueprint to keep moving forward.

This would be a great book for a Book club or discussion group. Full of interesting and challenging subjects it will create great open dialogue and fun.

Rating 4/5

The Practical Navigator by Stephen Metcalfe

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: "The Practical Navigator,' A Novel by Stephen Metcalfe.

In The Practical Navigator by Stephen Metcalfe, we follow the life of Michael Hodge, a contractor in Southern California.  He is currently single and raising his son, a wonderful child challenged with autism. Michael shares a special bond with Jamie; they have each other as they work on the kinks of moving forward. When his estranged wife comes back to the scene, he isn’t sure what she is looking for. Her motives seem mysterious. Does she want to get back together? Or is she trying to get back into Jamie’s life to be the mother he remembers.

Michael has to put his own life on hold as he struggles to find the best answer.  Can he let her back into their lives for a second chance or will this just open up his son’s life to one more form of hurt?

For Michael, the timing is not the greatest. He has just met a woman and on the verge of beginning a relationship that he thought might be leading him back to love. But his love for his son is all prevailing and he puts his own feelings on hold to try and understand how he feels about the woman who abandoned them years earlier. Jaime is open to receiving her and her love one more time. Is this a situation that will be the best, or just another hurdle in their lives?

This is a strong, emotional look at the relationship between a father and his son. It delves deep into the meaning of family and what love is really all about. Can Michael do what is necessary and right for his son, and still find a life that is best for them both?

Metcalfe takes us to a place that is sometimes uncomfortable. But he does is with grace and panache. The lives of those on the spectrum are difficult for the family as well as the child. Yet he shows us the love and respect that is required to keep them safe, and the relationships he develops in his characters will have you cheering, and at times overwhelmed. But the love feels so real and the story is enchanting.

If you enjoy romance and love, heartfelt stories that have meaning and stories of inner courage, you will want this work for your library. Metcalfe’s adult debut work is certainly inspiring.

This would be a wonderful work for a reading or discussion group.

Rating 5/5

Where We Fall by Rochelle B. Weinstein

Posted first on blog critics as Book Review: 'Where We Fall', A Novel by Rochelle B. Weinstein.

The secrets we hold often determine our lives, but the truth is often hard to find. In Where We Fall by Rochelle B. Weinstein, we are introduced to a family that on the outside seems to have it all. Abby Holden has everything she always wanted, a lovely daughter and a loving husband. Her husband Ryan is an excellent high-school football coach. He can encourage and push his team to victory, but for some reason he is unable to make his wife, Abby, happy.

She struggles with depression, dark, heavy and overwhelming, often leaving her unable to even get out of bed. It has marred their marriage and takes a toll on their daughter. Unsure where to start his journey Ryan begins to lose faith. This is not how life was to be lived; they all grew up together when life was much simpler.

Lauren Sheppard, another friend has spent her life documenting the beauty of the world through photography.  Avoiding her home town, her work has now brought her back into the fold. Suddenly these three once inseparable friends find themselves together again.  Lauren and Ryan once dated and Abby and Lauren were the best of friends. The three of them did everything together. Ryan wonders where it all went wrong.

Life continues and lies have no hold when love, hurt, and the eddying of life pull at the heart.  Suddenly a secret that has torn them apart may be the very thing that heals them all.

Weinstein has given us a wonderful tale of life and its distractions. She gives us characters that are both flawed and yet lovable, capable of great things including healing. She takes us deep into the heart of depression and the undertow of how that affects both friends and family alike. You will find yourself affected to the very core by the depth of her work.

If you enjoy literary drama, romance, relationships, and family, you will find this a great addition to your family. A work that initially seems overwhelming that will take you to the depths and then lift you up to the light of love; you will find it difficult to put it down.

This would be a great book for a book club or reading group. Depression and the hurt it creates would be a great topic for debate.

Rating 4/5