The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff

 

My thoughts

I loved The Bright Years. A debut by this author. It was a very emotional and touching story. This one is even better. It's a tearjerker that will leave your eyes swollen and read. I was weeping through parts of this story. But it's also so good. One that I didn't want to put down.

When Leo tells April that he wants a divorce things start to burn. Literally. Their house is on fire and they are scrambling to get themselves and their two small children out. They watch helplessly as their kitchen and other areas burn. 

Leo gets a text that they can stay with April's parents. They love Leo as if he was their own. They also have no idea that there is a divorce on the table. April has a brother and a sister. April is the oldest. Her siblings love Leo also. He's an important part of their family. 

Deb and Billy are April's parents. They also have a secret that they haven't shared with their children. Billy has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Neither of them are sixty yet. They thought they would have a lot longer to make memories. 

This story is written between April, Leo, and Deb's POVs. A few secrets from Deb and Billy's past come about but nothing life shattering. Billy says things that he forgets are secrets. He starts forgetting so much. It's very heartbreaking. 

I've always had a terrible fear of getting alzheimer's. Reading this made that fear rise again. This story is told in such a realistic way. Told with so much care and heart. This author did such a good job of bringing these characters to life. I liked them all. I was so happy that things worked for Leo. He had always felt so abandoned. So unloved. I'm sure he thought April was replacing him. 

This is such a heartfelt book. There was a few chuckles but a whole lot of tears. Very well written and presented in a way to make you feel each character. To get to know them. 

This book will definitely be in my top twelve books of the year. It's so good.

Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC.

Five stars and would be more if I could.

About

From the author of The Bright Years, the story of April and Leo, a couple on the brink of collapse. When their house goes up in flames, family secrets and thorny histories emerge as they are forced to decide what is worth salvaging.

When April and Leo’s house burns in the middle of the night, they escape with their two young children and the quiet knowledge that the fire is not the only thing threatening their family. They retreat to April’s childhood home in Dallas, where her spirited parents and siblings provide both comfort and complication.

As the family reckons with the aftermath—grief, guilt, logistics, and memories scorched and intact—the fire exposes the cracks already forming in April and Leo’s marriage. The novel unfolds in alternating perspectives: from April, who feels the crushing weight of motherhood, marriage, and self-blame; from Leo, a high school history teacher shaped by a lonely, fractured childhood; from Deb, April’s generous and no-nonsense mother who has to contend with her husband’s recent Alzheimer’s diagnosis; and from flashbacks that trace April and Leo’s relationship from its earliest days of connection to the devastating decisions that led them here.

A family saga suffused with humor, longing, and heartbreak, The Burning Side is about what we inherit and what we choose, about forgiveness and the ache of being known. It is, above all, about the meaning of home and the costs of long love.

Seek The Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth

 

My thoughts

This was my BOTM choice and I received an ALC copy. Great narrations. They kept the story flowing and making me want more. I really enjoyed it so much. 

This is a dystopia book and I usually don't read that genre but it's so good. The only problem is..... A sequel. You're kidding right. I have to wait now for the next book. To find out what happens to Elegy Ahn? 

This book started out with someone leaving. I thought it was going to be all about him. It wasn't. Not all anyway. It's about a two women who have to fight. Each with their own agenda. One is fairly good. The other is not. Both it seems love the same man. The one they will need to win a war and save their people. 

It's hard to write this review because I could easily give things away and I sure don't want too. Just suffice it to say this is an action packed story. There is a love story but not to explicit. Actually one of the women is married and expected to fall in love with another...

Very well written. Filled with just the right amount of action. Some edge of your seat battles. Lots of characters to hold your interest. Some bad but most are good. 

And there is the fever....

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC. Also to BOTM for having it as a choice. 

Five stars! 

About

A new epic romantic, dystopian fantasy begins in Seek the Traitor's Son, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth

Elegy Ahn did not ask for destiny to find her.

She is happy with her life as a soldier, defending her small country from the Talusar, a powerful nation who worships a deadly Fever. A fever that blesses half of its victims with mysterious gifts.

But then she’s summoned to hear a prophecy–her, and the most ruthless of Talusar generals, Rava Vidar. Brought face to face, they learn that one of them will lead their people to victory over the other…but they don’t know which. And at the center of both of their fates: a man. A man that, Elegy is told, she will fall in love with.

In just one day, Elegy’s old life–her job, her purpose, and her future–is over. She and Rava are destined to collide, with the fate of their nations hanging in the balance. And when they do, only one will be left standing.

Elegy intends to make sure it’s her.

The Brunswick by Callie Murray

 

My thoughts

A heartwarming story of love, orphans, foster care, war (not explicit), family, and friends. 

This story is about a young lady named Cora. She runs The Brunswick. Her mother ran off and her dad stays in his room and is not quite right anymore. She is doing everything alone. She has friends and a best friend. But overall she does the work alone. Until Thomas comes along. He steps up and helps her. Together they work hard. Thomas was in medical school but moved to Georgia to be with his dad and brothers. 

The war is about to start and there are children in Austria who need saving. There are people who will go rescue as many as possible and bring them to The Brunswick for safe keeping. Hoping that soon their parents will follow. 

Thomas goes on the trip to help a man named George. Thomas is detained by the Nazis in Austria and goes through a lot. Cora is beside herself with worry as is his dad. 

This is a great story that will have you crying your eyes out in places. I did find a couple of chuckles. It's a very clean christian story. I think it could have used a touch of spice but that is not what happened. But it's a clean story. Not a preachy one though. No bible verses or anything to make me stop reading it. It was just a good clean story of hope and love. 

Anyone who does not appreciate what happened in Austria during this time has no heart. It was awful. Because someone is different they need to leave or be thrown in a camp. Killed. Tortured. Separated from the people they love. It is unexceptable. 

This was a quick read filled with a lot. It was very good. Well written and researched. 

For a debut you can't beat it. I think this author should be commended for this work of art.

Thank you NetGalley, Revel, and Uplit Reads for this ARC.

About

In 1939 Georgia, far removed from the war brewing overseas, Cora Cain's world feels small—and shrinking. There, she runs The Brunswick, her family's once-grand hotel, which is now struggling as the town's general store. When Thomas Watkins arrives seeking work and solace after his mother's death, a connection sparks between them. Through Thomas, Cora glimpses a life beyond obligation and her war hero father's unpredictable moods.

But everything changes when Cora's asked to turn The Brunswick into a sanctuary for Jewish refugee children fleeing persecution in Germany. As Cora and Thomas prepare for the children's arrival, they struggle to confront their pasts—and the prejudice of their neighbors—as their fragile hope is put to the test.

Meanwhile, in Vienna, ten-year-old Charlotte is offered refuge in America. But even with the horrors she sees around her, Charlotte wonders how her parents could possibly send her away. As war's shadow begins to reach small-town Georgia, each person must face what love demands and decide what they must hold on to and what they must let go.

Inspired by true events.

Two Kinds of Stranger by Steve Cavanagh

 

My thoughts

I've only read two other Eddie Flynn books by this author and enjoyed both. This one was so good. It kept me turning the pages to find out what was coming next. How was Flynn going to get this woman out of the situation. How would he prove her innocence..... Then what about his ex-wife and her husband. What would become of them...

Two cases. Both playing havoc on Eddie Flynn's nerves. Of course he could only handle one since they would both be tried at the same time. But his associates had things under control. All should work out fine. 

Eddie is defending a young woman named Elly Parker. Elly is accused of killing her husband of only six months and her longtime best friend. Elly had caught them in bed together. It went out viral on social media. Heard and viewed by millions of her followers. And him.

Elly always does an random act of kindness and urges her followers to do the same. Daily. But on this day her RAK does not exactly go as planned. Elly ends up in jail for murder. She did help someone. She didn't know he was setting her up. She didn't know that she was suppose to die too.

If you ever find yourself in need of a good lawyer you go to Eddie Flynn. He fights a good fight. Maybe a little crooked in places but he does fight for his clients. Eddie is the best.

I loved how this story played. How the characters interacted with each other and with the bad man/men. How the importance of family is shown throughout. This author is a terrific writer. He throughs you a story/case and does not let you sink. You have everything in front of you to hold your interest. 

This book did have two cases going on. Eddie played a part in each. He always gives it his all. 

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC. 

I would give it more than five stars if possible. It's that good. 

About

SHE HELPED A PERFECT A STRANGER. SHE DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS THE PERFECT KILLER...

Elly Parker had everything.
Perfect husband. Perfect apartment. Perfect friends and the perfect job.
As an internet celebrity - famed for her random acts of kindness - everyone knew it.
So when a betrayal causes her to lose it all, millions of people are watching.

But even at her lowest, Elly will always help someone in need.
Which makes her the perfect target for a sadistic game.
Because as she soon learns, you can never trust a stranger - and a seemingly random encounter plunges her into a nightmare worse than she ever imagined.

The only person she can turn to is conman turned trial lawyer Eddie Flynn, who must take on a case where nothing is what it seems. With the most cruelly ingenious mind manipulating events from the shadows, everyone is in danger - including Eddie and his family.

The Hired Man by Sandra Dallas

 

My thoughts

This is what a good friend called "a well-crafted story." She was so right. It had me doing some head scratching in places where I did know who was bad. Who really did the horrible thing to a young girl. Who murdered her?

Yes this is a story of hardships. Of the dust bowl. Of a time when people had little. When people didn't seem to want to help strangers. Anyone they didn't know what to be treated as lower than. At least if they were deemed vagrants.

The Kessler family had it rough. But they also had each other and they were good people. They believed in helping others. When they hired Otis the town's people were upset. He was a vagrant. How dare they let him into the community. But Mrs Kessler was adamant about helping him.

When a young lady disappears and is later found dead everyone thinks it was Otis. Everyone except Mrs Kessler. But why was she so set on his innocence? What secrets was she keeping?

This book is both historical and has a thriller effect. Parts had me on the edge wondering who did what. I was so wrong. I did not figure out who it was. I was stunned. To say the least it was a pleasant surprise to not figure it out though. A very well written story keeps you guessing but not giving a thing away...

I loved this story. It was hard to read in places but so very good. Times were hard. Times were bleak. People were cruel. But eventually the rain did fall!!!!

Thank you St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for this arc.

Five stars....

About

The Dust Bowl sweeps a handsome stranger into a small Colorado town to dangerous effect

1937. It’s been seven years since the dust storms started in Colorado. Folks can barely remember a time when the clouds were filled with rain instead of dirt, and when the fields were green instead of brown. High school student Martha Helen Kessler and her family are luckier than most; they still eke out a living from the land. Even so, evidence of the Dust Bowl’s grim impact on families, especially on the women who bear the brunt of their husbands’ frustration and their children’s hunger, is everywhere.

When Martha Helen’s compassionate mother insists they take in Otis Hobbs, a handsome drifter who saves a local boy from a vicious storm, she quickly discovers a darker side to their rural community. Suspicion, jealousy, and prejudice grip their neighbors–and emotions reach a frenzy after Martha Helen’s best friend, Frankie, disappears and is then found murdered. Ultimately, Martha Helen is forced to make sense of her conflicting feelings and loyalties in order to help find retribution and to reconcile the difference between the law and justice.

Full of period detail and Sandra Dallas’s trademark focus on the lives of women, The Hired Man entertains and ultimately surprises.

Summer State of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey

 

My thoughts

This is the best yet. This author took my breath away with this one. It's a sweet genteel story while also a heartbreaking heartfelt story. One that many may relate too. 

A love story. Family drama. Small town. Secrets. Lots of secrets. 

When Daisy Stevens, a NICU nurse, runs to Cape Carolina, North Carolina, to get away. To possibly make a new start, a few things happen. She meets a man. One she instantly has chemistry with. She helps a newborn baby, one she falls head over heels for. And she meets an old friend, one she may not really want to see. 

This story is about a woman and man. A love story. A baby and lots of secrets. When Mason finds a baby abandoned in a dumpster and takes her to the local hospital he has no idea how his life is about to change. Who would do such a thing to a baby. (I did guess this one) 

This story is told from three povs. Daisy, Mason, and Aunt Tilley. Daisy is a NICU nurse. Mason a high school baseball coach. Aunt Tilley, who is hard to describe. 

Aunt Tilley is considered a bit out there. Ever since she lost her true love many many years ago she has not been the same. You never know if you will get the real Tilley or a character from her mind. But she is a gem. I loved her. She is possibly my very favorite character in this story. 

Daisy becomes the foster mom for the baby found. Her and Mason named her Maisy. But somewhere out there is Maisy's real mother. Her parents. 

This story has a few secrets that come out. One minute I would be laughing so hard, then bawling my heart out. The emotions were flying in all directions. It's so good. A story that grabs you in all the right places. Pulls you in and doesn't let go. Through all the family drama, all the ups and downs, this one is the perfect beach read. I enjoyed every twist. Every secret. It is just so good. 

Thank you Gallery Books for this ARC.

Five big stars...

About

“Queen of the beach read,” (Cosmopolitan) New York Times bestselling author Kristy Woodson Harvey returns with a heartfelt escape to coastal Carolina.

After the worst day in her professional life, burnt-out NICU nurse Daisy Stevens runs to Cape Carolina, North Carolina, looking for a new life—and possibly new romance. On her first day at her “simpler” job, high school baseball coach Mason Thaysden discovers an abandoned baby, sending ripples through the entire tight-knit town of Cape Carolina.

Mason is still struggling to reconcile the scars of the injury that kept him out of the big leagues, stuck in his hometown, and searching for a way out. This newcomer and the child they’ve saved together might be just the motivation he needs to stay put. Sparks fly as Mason acquaints Daisy with Cape Carolina, introducing her to his friends and family, including his batty Aunt Tilley, who is looking for relief from long-buried family secrets and her own fresh start.

But as Daisy becomes increasingly attached to this abandoned child, and begins facing her own demons in the process, a startling discovery is made that threatens to rip the entire town of Cape Carolina apart, placing Daisy, Mason, and Tilley in the center of the storm. In a novel that proves that “Kristy Woodson Harvey is (the) go-to for elevated beach reads” (People), they will each learn that with love, understanding—and a community theater production of Hello, Dolly!—sometimes life conspires to bring us just exactly where we belong.

Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer

 

My thoughts

To me, this book was just beautiful. It was sad in places yes. But it was a beautiful friendship story. It was written with heart. I'm so glad I read this one. 

I love a book about older women. This one took my breath away. The two main characters, Joy and Hazel, are such special characters. They have been best friends since they were both eight years old. Both are fixing to turn ninety now. 

This book is about how one friend learns to let go of another. How to live life to the fullest even at eighty-nine years of age. While saying goodbye to her best friend who is dying of cancer. Yes it's heartbreaking but not in the way you think. Saying goodbye is hard but in this story it brings out a side of Joy that she never thought about trying. Doing things she would not have done before. While Hazel was always the outgoing of the two and never married it was Joy who settled into a life and took things that she should not have. Maybe the payoff was worth it. I don't know. I really liked Joy. She made me laugh and cry. Made me see life in a different way. How she befriended a new person in the neighborhood. How she faced up to a woman she knew had an affair with her husband. And finally how things with her daughter came out. I also loved her grandson Finn. He was such a good boy. 

This book is truly written in a way to pull you in and keep you turning the pages. I didn't want to put it down. It was a quick read for me. One I savored from start to finish. The things that Joy ended up doing had me holding my breath and laughing. She was truly a character. And her bestie Hazel was always there for her no matter what. Hazel had gone on many adventures over the years. Participated in protests. Gone to the ends of the world. Been held in a Russian prison. Then got sick and had to stop. Hazel was the kind of friend we all need at times. 

You get to know a few characters in this story. Some very good ones and a couple that you may not like to much. Written in a beautiful prose that had me spellbound. I absolutely loved this book and can't recommend it enough.

Five big stars 

About

From the bestselling author of The Collected Regrets of Clover comes a vibrant, heartfelt novel about friendship over the decades, self-discovery, and what it means to have a life well-lived.

Break the rules. Find your joy.

For over eighty years, Joy Bridport has played by the rules: she's been a devoted wife and mother, contributing to the community in her small Hudson Valley town. But her quiet existence is jolted when she learns that her best friend, Hazel, only has months left to live. Hazel has always been the more adventurous one of their duo, and she seems at peace with all that she’s squeezed out of her long life. Yet Joy realizes she can’t say the same.

Determined to live boldly and make the most of the time that she and Hazel have left together, Joy steps outside of her comfort zone—and into a bit of trouble. But as her foray into rule-breaking escalates into committing petty crime, Joy must consider what kind of legacy she wants to leave behind, and whether there's a way for her to embrace the liberation that "Bad Joy" offers without losing all that she holds dear.

Is it ever too late to become who we're meant to be? With laugh-out-loud hijnks and emotional heft, Good Joy, Bad Joy is a heartwarming and wise celebration of the choices we make, the friendships we cherish, and the lengths we go for love.