The Lifestyle - Cover Reveal

Cover Reveal & Preorder Info 

I'm so excited to share with you the

beautiful cover for my upcoming novel

The Lifestyle

A Novel

Contemporary Women's Fiction

Release Date: November 12, 2024

Book Description:

Her life was picture perfect…until it wasn’t.  

 

What happens when a twist of fate makes all your dreams come true, and then you watch your life unravel before you?

 

Eight years ago, Kylie Madison was a new mother with a baby who rarely slept, even at eight months old. Exhausted and feeling isolated as a stay-home mom while her husband, Jordon, worked twelve-hour shifts, she opened up to her few friends on Instagram late one night, asking if there were any other tired moms out there struggling. To her surprise, many women answered her. After that night, she began to share her struggles, successes, and parenting dilemmas, and her following grew as other women feel a connection with her. Before Kylie knew it, she’s become an influencer and companies are willing to pay her to promote their products. Slowly, her life becomes her job and the earnings are amazing. But every silver lining has a dark cloud on the horizon.

 

Eight years later, Kylie is successful and on the verge of becoming a lifestyle guru with her own television show, but her past sneaks up to threaten to take it all away. Her children hate being a part of their mother’s brand, and her husband is pulling away from her. Then, the girl who once worked for her as a nanny has written a tell-all book about Kylie and her family, exposing secrets about their lifestyle that will ruin her. And there’s nothing Kylie can do to stop her. Or is there?

 

Be careful what you wish for—it might just come true. And when it does, will you be able to handle it?

Preorder now on: Amazon Kindle

Coming to Paperback on Release Day

Audiobook coming soon, too. 

Thank you to Deborah at DB Cover Design for the beautiful cover!

Book Review: Without a Trace by Danielle Steel

 Review

Without a Trace

Danielle Steel

 

Book Description:

Charles Vincent seems to have it all—a beautiful wife, two successful children, and a well-paying career. Yet happiness remains out of reach. He is trapped in a loveless marriage and his job is simply a paycheck. But his life changes forever one night as he drives along the Normandy coast, heading to their lavish château for the weekend. In one terrifying moment, Charles falls asleep at the wheel and veers off the road, plunging thirty feet down the face of a rocky cliff.

Miraculously, Charles survives. After gathering the courage to climb to safety, he starts to walk—bruised, bloody, and desperate for help. In the dark of night, he happens upon a cabin where he meets the kind and beautiful Aude Saint-Martin. They have an instant connection, and as she nurses him back to health, Charles begins to discover the passion he’s been missing for so many years.

In the aftermath of the crash, Charles has a startling realization: He doesn’t have to go back. He could simply choose to disappear, to walk away from his old life. When his car is discovered, he’ll be presumed dead, washed away at sea. If he stays with Aude, he has a chance at a fuller, happier life that he didn’t know was possible. It all seems too good to resist. But Aude has secrets of her own, and before long their pasts catch up to them, threatening everything they have fought to build.

What would happen if you were given a chance to walk away from everything in your life and start over with a blank slate, and you had a split second to decide? In Without a Trace, Danielle Steel tells an irresistible story of the risks two people are willing to take in exchange for a chance at the life they’ve always wanted.

 

Release Date: January 3, 2023

Preorder Now:

Amazon Kindle

 

My 5-Star Review:

What would you do if your life was unhappy and you had a chance to disappear and start your life all over again? Charles Vincent learns the answer to that question when his car slides over an ocean cliff into the water. He survives, and finds his way to a country house where a lovely woman takes him in and helps him heal. Charles hates his job, is unhappy in his cold marriage, and wants nothing more than to move on in his life. Could this be his chance to just disappear?

WITHOUT A TRACE by Danielle Steel is a page-turning story of a man struggling to let go of his past life so he can finally be happy again and move forward. As Charles and the new woman he’s fallen madly in love with face devastating complications, the only truth is their love and devotion to each other. And after all, isn’t that what everyone wants?

I highly recommend this exciting tale by the queen of women’s fiction. This is one Danielle Steel story you won’t want to miss.

 

About the Author:

Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world's bestselling authors, with almost a billion copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include High Stakes, Invisible, Flying Angels, The Butler, Complications and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; Expect a Miracle, a book of her favorite quotations for inspiration and comfort; Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children's books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood.

Book Review: The Heirloom Garden by Viola Shipman

Book Review:

The Heirloom Garden

Viola Shipman

Book Description:

In her inimitable style, Viola Shipman explores the unlikely relationship between two very different women brought together by the pain of war, but bonded by hope, purpose…and flowers.

Iris Maynard lost her husband in World War II, her daughter to illness and, finally, her reason to live. Walled off from the world for decades behind the towering fence surrounding her home, Iris has built a new family…of flowers. Iris propagates her own daylilies and roses while tending to a garden filled with the heirloom starts that keep the memories of her loved ones alive.

When Abby Peterson moves next door with her family—a husband traumatized by his service in the Iraq War and a young daughter searching for stability—Iris is reluctantly yet inevitably drawn into her boisterous neighbor’s life, where, united by loss and a love of flowers, she and Abby tentatively unearth their secrets, and help each other discover how much life they have yet to live.

Buy Now:

Amazon Kindle

Paperback

My 5-Star Review:

When you pick up a book by Viola Shipman, you know you’re in for a treat. This heartwarming story is no exception. Her novels are always populated with broken, lost characters who have lost their way or purpose and somehow find a way back to happiness. In this one, a woman who has lost everything and has isolated herself from the world soon befriends the family that is renting from her next door and finds there may be more to life than she’d thought.

Iris is a complicated character who has a broken life and has found solace in her garden. She creates beautiful flowers which originated from her grandmother’s garden, and they bring her joy. Abby, her neighbor, is trying her best to keep her family together despite the stress of her husband’s PTSD, her new job, and caring for her young daughter. She is overwhelmed. But upon meeting Iris, she feels a kinship with the older woman and slowly they begin to create a bond. But changing one’s life isn’t always easy.

This is a beautiful story that is sure to touch your heart. Perfect for those who love heartwarming women’s fiction novels.

About the Author:

Dear Reader:

Does your garden tell a story? Mine does. And it’s the inspiration behind my new novel, The Heirloom Garden, which explores the unlikely relationship between two very different women brought together by the pain of war, but bonded by hope, purpose … and flowers.

My grandma was a grand gardener, and many of her original flowers (like her perfumed peonies!) now live in my garden. Each has a memory that reminds me of family. If you love multigenerational sagas filled with hope and history (this explores WWII Victory Gardens, and 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of WWII’s end), love to garden or just love books and flowers, The Heirloom Garden is the spring “pick” for you!

I consider The Heirloom Garden to be my richest, deepest, and most moving work to date. The later Dorothea Benton Frank, who I miss dearly, said of the novel, “Every now and then a new voice in fiction arrives to completely charm, entertain and remind us what matters. Viola Shipman is that voice.”

The Heirloom Garden explores how loss and loneliness affect us, how we cope and – too often – how we don’t. As an author, I always start my novels not with an heirloom in mind, or certain character, but a question. In this novel, my questions were, “What makes us isolate ourselves from the world? And what gives us hope?” In the novel, two women scarred by war – World War II and the Iraq War – are united by loss and a love of flowers. In my case, much of the pain I explore in the novel is real: My brother died when he was just 17, still a child in so many ways, and his loss had a profound impact on me and my family. How we healed, how we came together, how we found faith – and each other – again is a huge part of this novel.

2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II (on August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered, with documents signed on the deck of the American battleship USS Missouri on September 2, officially ending the war). In addition, The Heirloom Garden also explores the history of Victory Gardens and their importance in America and World War II. Thousands of gardens were started in cities, large and small, all across America – women leading the charge – and they helped feed their own families and communities as well as our troops and allies. Today’s resurgence of urban and community gardens is a legacy of those Victory Gardens.

Like my previous book, The Summer Cottage – which was the #1 bestselling novel in Michigan last year – I am honored to be able to write novels that are inspired by my grandmothers’ and mom’s heirlooms, lives, lessons and love. The multigenerational family sagas I write are meant to serve as a universal tribute to our elders, whose stories and sacrifices helped shape us and make us the people we are today. They are meant to serve as a tribute to family and to remind readers of what’s most important in life. And in these turbulent times, my novels are meant to give us hope, something we need more than every right now.

(Viola Shipman is a pen name used by author Wade Rouse)

New Cover ~ Sara's Promise!

New cover alert!

I'm so excited to share that there is a brand new gorgeous cover for an old favorite:

Sara's Promise

I just love this new cover created by

Deborah at Tugboat Design.

If you haven't already read this 

heartfelt story,

I hope you will give it a try. 

Book Description:

Do you believe in soul mates?

William Grafton had the perfect life with his lovely wife, Sara, and two wonderful children. But one day his perfect forever was shattered when Sara died suddenly, leaving him alone to raise his children and wonder how he would ever get through life without his soul mate. Five years later, he finds himself looking into a familiar pair of blue-green eyes that remind him of Sara. The woman is the exact opposite of his late wife, yet he’s drawn to her. But after a few strange occurrences, he begins to wonder–are these just coincidences or has his Sara come back to him as she once promised in the form of this new woman?  

Annie Paxton doesn't believe in soul mates or fate. She had watched her father die of a broken heart after her mother passed away and has since cast away any fairy tale ideas of love. Then she meets the man who has been haunting her dreams and she begins to see love in a whole new light. But her dream man is still tied to his deceased wife, and Annie doesn't know if he will ever be able to break away from his past. As strange occurrences unfold, Annie wonders if William could ever truly love her for herself and not for the traits that remind him of Sara.

Were William and Annie brought together by fate, coincidence, or by Sara keeping her promise.

Buy now on Amazon:

Kindle

Paperback 

What readers are saying about Sara's Promise:

"With a realistic cast of characters who come alive and jump off the pages; a richly detailed and descriptive setting along the Oregon seaside; and a simply inspirational storyline that will have the reader experiencing the full gamut of emotions, Sara's Promise is a tenderhearted story of love that will touch your heart and soul, and will resonate with you long after the last page has been read." ~ Kathleen Higgins-Anderson - Jersey Girl Book Reviews

"Sara's Promise is a wonderful story that I just got lost in. Deanna writes such warm, beautiful words that makes one just keep reading and reading. I did not want to put the book down, I did not want to leave Sara's world." ~ The Book Bag – Susan Schliecher

"A rather charming love story, which should appeal to incurable romantics in search of a pleasant diversion. ~ Catherine Langrehr, IndieReader

I hope you'll give Sara's Promise a try. :)

Book Review: Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner

Book Review

Mrs. Everything

Jennifer Weiner

Book Description:

From Jennifer Weiner, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Who Do You Love and In Her Shoes comes a smart, thoughtful, and timely exploration of two sisters’ lives from the 1950s to the present as they struggle to find their places—and be true to themselves—in a rapidly evolving world. Mrs. Everything is an ambitious, richly textured journey through history—and herstory—as these two sisters navigate a changing America over the course of their lives.

Do we change or does the world change us?

Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born into a world full of promise.

Growing up in 1950s Detroit, they live in a perfect “Dick and Jane” house, where their roles in the family are clearly defined. Jo is the tomboy, the bookish rebel with a passion to make the world more fair; Bethie is the pretty, feminine good girl, a would-be star who enjoys the power her beauty confers and dreams of a traditional life.

But the truth ends up looking different from what the girls imagined. Jo and Bethie survive traumas and tragedies. As their lives unfold against the background of free love and Vietnam, Woodstock and women’s lib, Bethie becomes an adventure-loving wild child who dives headlong into the counterculture and is up for anything (except settling down). Meanwhile, Jo becomes a proper young mother in Connecticut, a witness to the changing world instead of a participant. Neither woman inhabits the world she dreams of, nor has a life that feels authentic or brings her joy. Is it too late for the women to finally stake a claim on happily ever after?

In her most ambitious novel yet, Jennifer Weiner tells a story of two sisters who, with their different dreams and different paths, offer answers to the question: How should a woman be in the world?

Release Date: June 11, 2019

Women’s Fiction

Buy on Amazon Kindle

My 4-Star Review:

When I first started reading this book, I wondered if I even wanted to finish it. Having grown up in the 1960s and 1970s, I knew the drill. Cold mother, loving but hardworking father, no one understands you, everything is changing around you. Those of us who experienced those turbulent times can certainly identify with how difficult life was for women in those days and the limited choices we had then compared to now. I did continue to read it because I wanted to know what happened to Jo and Bethie as they went through their transformations.

As expected, the book is well-written, the time period is realistic, and the characters were intriguing. Ms. Weiner is a talented writer, no doubt. But I thought that maybe these sisters went through too many changes, had a few too many tragedies, and the story came off as a bit too unrealistic to me. Any one or two of the tragedies they suffered seemed plausible, but all of it? I guess the book does give the reader a lot of drama for their money. All in all, though, it was an interesting read and I did enjoy how it followed the family for generations.

A good story for those who love the fifties, sixties, and seventies time period and books with a lot of family drama.

About the Author:

Jennifer Weiner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of fourteen books, including Good in Bed, The Littlest Bigfoot, and her memoir Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing. A graduate of Princeton University and contributor to the New York Times Opinion section, Jennifer lives with her family in Philadelphia. Visit her online at JenniferWeiner.com

Book Review: Just After Midnight by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Just After Midnight

Catherine Ryan Hyde

Book Description:

No longer tolerating her husband’s borderline abuse, Faith escapes to her parents’ California beach house to plan her next move. She never dreamed her new chapter would involve befriending Sarah, a fourteen-year-old on the run from her father and reeling from her mother’s sudden and suspicious death.

While Sarah’s grandmother scrambles to get custody, Faith is charged with spiriting the girl away on a journey that will restore her hope: Sarah implores Faith to take her to Falkner’s Midnight Sun, the prized black mare that her father sold out from under her. Sarah shares an unbreakable bond with Midnight and can’t bear to be apart from her. Throughout the sweltering summer, as they follow Midnight from show to show, Sarah comes to terms with what she witnessed on the terrible night her mother died.

But the journey is far from over. Faith must learn the value of trusting her instincts—and realize that the key to her future, and Sarah’s, is in her hands.

Buy Now:

Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/2Ph5gwJ

Paperback: https://amzn.to/2zIni65

Audiobook: https://amzn.to/2St55Am

My 5-Star Review:

A young girl is coming to terms with a tragedy. A grown woman is running from her husband. A grandmother is fighting desperately to get custody of her granddaughter. When these three people meet, their lives are forever changed, surprisingly by a beautiful horse.

Author Catherine Ryan Hyde creates magic again in her latest novel, Just After Midnight. Hyde is a master at creating down-to-earth stories with characters that you feel you know immediately and want to root for from the get-go. She uses emotion and sometimes humor to keep a story flowing steadily along and knows how to make a reader connect to the real-life characters. Life isn’t glossed over in her stories, and that’s why they are so heartfelt. True, raw emotion comes through and that’s just one of the reasons her stories capture readers.

I enjoyed reading Just After Midnight and recommend it to anyone looking for a story that will touch your heart.

About the Author:

Catherine Ryan Hyde is the author of more than 35 published and forthcoming books, including JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT, HEAVEN ADJACENT, THE WAKE UP, ALLIE AND BEA, SAY GOODBYE FOR NOW, LEAVING BLYTHE RIVER, ASK HIM WHY, WORTHY, THE LANGUAGE OF HOOFBEATS, TAKE ME WITH YOU, WHEN I FOUND YOU, WALK ME HOME, and DON'T LET ME GO. 

An avid hiker, traveler, equestrian, and amateur photographer, she has released her first book of photos, 365 DAYS OF GRATITUDE: PHOTOS FROM A BEAUTIFUL WORLD.

She is co-author, with fellow author and publishing industry blogger Anne R. Allen, of HOW TO BE A WRITER IN THE E-AGE: A SELF-HELP GUIDE.

Her novel PAY IT FORWARD was adapted into a major motion picture, chosen by the American Library Association for its Best Books for Young Adults list, and translated into more than 23 languages for distribution in over 30 countries. The paperback was released in October 2000 by Pocket Books and quickly became a national bestseller. Simon & Schuster released PAY IT FORWARD: YOUNG READERS' EDITION in August of '14. It is suitable for kids as young as eight. A special Fifteenth Anniversary Edition of the original PAY IT FORWARD was released in December of '14

LOVE IN THE PRESENT TENSE enjoyed bestseller status in the UK, where it broke the top ten, spent five weeks on the bestseller lists, was reviewed on a major TV book club, and shortlisted for a Best Read of the Year award at the British Book Awards. Both BECOMING CHLOE and JUMPSTART THE WORLD were included on the ALA's Rainbow List, and JUMPSTART THE WORLD was a finalist for two Lambda Literary Awards. WHERE WE BELONG won two Rainbow Awards in 2013 and THE LANGUAGE OF HOOFBEATS won a Rainbow Award in 2015.

New Kindle editions of her backlist titles FUNERALS FOR HORSES, EARTHQUAKE WEATHER AND OTHER STORIES, ELECTRIC GOD, and WALTER'S PURPLE HEART are now available. Also available is THE LONG, STEEP PATH: EVERYDAY INSPIRATION FROM THE AUTHOR OF PAY IT FORWARD, her first book-length creative nonfiction. 

More than 50 of her short stories have been published in The Antioch Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Ploughshares, Glimmer Train and many other journals, and in the anthologies Santa Barbara Stories and California Shorts and the bestselling anthology Dog is my Co-Pilot. Her stories have been honored in the Raymond Carver Short Story Contest and the Tobias Wolff Award and nominated for Best American Short Stories, the O'Henry Award, and the Pushcart Prize. Three have been cited in Best American Short Stories.

She is founder and former president (2000-2009) of the Pay It Forward Foundation, and still serves on its board of directors. As a professional public speaker she has addressed the National Conference on Education, twice spoken at Cornell University, met with Americorps members at the White House and shared a dais with Bill Clinton. 

Book Review: A Widow Redefined by Kim Cano

Hi all,

I purchased A WIDOW REDEFINED by Kim Cano because the plot intrigued me. I thought I knew what kind of story it would be. Was I ever surprised. And it was a good surprise. Kim took the story in a different direction, making it unique and interesting. Below is more about this novel and my review.

A Widow Redefined

Kim Cano

Book Description:

On a cold Valentine’s Day in Chicago, Amy White, a young widow who lost her husband to cancer, visits the cemetery and makes an unsettling discovery: a bouquet of fresh daffodils lying in front of her husband’s grave.

Curiosity grows into obsession as Amy searches for the stranger who left the flowers, while keeping her activities a secret from her live-in mother and seven-year-old son. The search leads to an unusual friendship that transforms her world and redefines her life.

 Buy at:

Amazon Kindle

Paperback

Audiobook

Or Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited.

My 5-Star Review:

Two years after the death of her husband, Amy is surprised to see that someone has left a bouquet of daffodils on his grave. Unable to push this from her mind, Amy sets out to learn who the mystery person is. When Amy sees a woman leaving flowers again, she follows her car and confronts her about her relationship with her husband. She is a beautiful woman who was a loyal customer of Amy’s husband. What ensues is an unexpected friendship with a woman who Amy had thought was a rival. Until she learns the truth.

A Widow Redefined is not the story you assume it will be. With well-developed characters and a fascinating storyline, it surprises you with interesting twists all the way to the end. Well written and thought-provoking, this story will stay with you long after you’ve closed the book.  

About the Author:

Kim Cano is the author of four women's fiction novels: A Widow Redefined, On The Inside, Eighty and Out, and His Secret Life. Kim has also written a short story collection called For Animal Lovers. 10% of the sale price of that book is donated to the ASPCA® to help homeless pets.

Kim wrote a contemporary romance called My Dream Man under the pen name Marie Solka.

Kim lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and cat.

Visit Kim's website to learn more and sign up to be notified of new releases: www.kimcano.com

Read my review of Kim Cano’s novel HIS SECRET LIFE

Book Review: The Prayer by Norma Budden

The Prayer

(The Wish Trilogy Book One)

Norma Budden

Book Description:

University student, Sierra, has become bored with life, unable to find passion for anything. All she desires is to get in her car and drive.

Five-year-old Tamara loves her mom with all of her heart, but the unthinkable happens: her mom falls and suffers a head injury, then goes into a coma. A month later, the heartache has become too much to bear so she insists upon a trip to the ER, where she meets Doc Brady and wishes he could be the dad she never had.

Long after Tamara left the ER, she was still on Brady's mind – so much that, at the end of his shift, he makes a trip upstairs to visit her mother, Katarina. The moment he sees her lifeless form in the bed, he gravitates toward her in a way that takes him by surprise, even as a paternal instinct he didn't know he possessed yearns to shelter Tamara from further emotional pain.

A chance meeting later brings Sierra and Brady together. As they get to know each other, an emotional connection develops between them, but is it strong enough to withstand the pull Brady feels toward Katarina?

When all is said and done, will Brady and Tamara be able to hold onto each other, become the father-daughter team they both desire, or will something greater than either of them imagined stand in their way?

Buy Now on:

Amazon Kindle

Or read for free on Kindle Unlimited

My 5-Star Review:

A college student has yet to find her passion in life. A young girl is desperate for her mother to come out of a coma. A doctor tries to help the young girl, and in the process finds he is being drawn to both mother and daughter. Three strangers are pulled together by fate, design, or as the answer to a prayer.

THE PRAYER, the first book in The Wish Trilogy, by Norma Budden is a heartfelt story about love and faith. Filled with a cast of interesting characters, heartwarming moments, and a few twists and turns, it is sure to hold your interest and leave you wanting more. I highly recommend this story to readers who believe in the power of faith.

About the Author:

Norma Budden currently makes her home in Arctic Canada where she has lived for 25+ years. Working as a department manager at The North West Company by day and writer/mother/grandmother by night, Norma knows what it's like to be busy and appreciates moments of solitude, perhaps, more than the average person.

Though Norma's first serious attempts at writing involved poetry and song, she later went on to write non-fiction titles. However, over recent years, her truest passion seems to be in writing stories to appeal to readers' emotions, with a touch of mystery and romance built into the stories.

Norma is the proud author of the Freedom in Love series which, currently, has five titles published: An Affair to Remember, When Love Abides, Soul Confessions, Divided Loyalties and The Promise. She has recently published the first book in The Wish Trilogy titled, The Prayer. She is also the author of stand-alone titles, Coming Unglued: A Mother's Journey into Hell and If Only, among others.

Some of Norma's greatest passions in life are reading, writing, traveling and taking photos. She enjoys spending time with friends and spending time in the great outdoors.

You can learn more about what is happening in her world by visiting www.normabudden.com

Book Review: Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky

Hi all,

If you haven't read a Barbara Delinsky book - then start with her latest! You will be hooked.

Before and Again

Barbara Delinsky

Book Description:

Mackenzie Cooper took her eyes off the road for just a moment but the resulting collision was enough to rob her not only of her beloved daughter but ultimately of her marriage, family, and friends—and thanks to the nonstop media coverage, even her privacy. Now she lives in Vermont under the name Maggie Reid, in a small house with her cats and dog. She’s thankful for the new friends she’s made—though she can’t risk telling them too much. And she takes satisfaction in working as a makeup artist at the luxurious local spa, helping clients hide the visible outward signs of their weariness, illnesses, and injuries. Covering up scars is a skill she has mastered.

Her only goal is to stay under the radar and make it through her remaining probation. But she isn’t the only one in this peaceful town with secrets. When a friend’s teenage son is thrust into the national spotlight, accused of hacking a powerful man’s Twitter account, Maggie is torn between pulling away and protecting herself—or stepping into the glare to be at their side. As the stunning truth behind their case is slowly revealed, Maggie’s own carefully constructed story begins to unravel as well. She knows all too well that what we need from each other in this difficult world is comfort. But to provide it, sometimes we need to travel far outside our comfort zones.

From a multimillion-selling master of women’s fiction, Before and Again is a story of the relationships we find ourselves in—mothers and daughters, spouses and siblings, true companions and fair-weather friends—and what kind of sacrifices we are or aren’t willing to make to sustain them through good times and bad.

Preorder Now:

Amazon

Or at your favorite online retailer.

My 5-Star Review:

I have to admit that I am a long-time fan and have read nearly every book by Barbara Delinsky. So, when I had the chance to read an ARC of BEFORE AND AGAIN, I jumped at it. Ms. Delinsky writes unique, smart stories with interesting characters and plots. Her latest novel doesn’t disappoint.

Mackenzie Cooper is starting her life over again after suffering a tragedy that destroyed her marriage and former life. In her new town, she’s created an entirely new life with a new career, new friends, and a house that she loves. But when her friend’s life is suddenly turned upside-down, Mackenzie, now going by Maggie, is thrust back into the spotlight and slowly her safe new life begins to unravel. She must decide if she should hide away or begin to trust herself to take chances again.

BEFORE AND AGAIN should definitely be your next read.

About the Author:

Barbara Delinsky, author of BEFORE AND AGAIN (coming June 26, 2018), BLUEPRINTS (2015), SWEET SALT AIR (2013), ESCAPE (2011), and NOT MY DAUGHTER (2010), has written more than twenty-two bestselling novels with over thirty-five million copies in print. She has been published in thirty languages worldwide. 

Barbara's fiction centers upon everyday families facing not-so-everyday challenges. She is particularly drawn to exploring themes of motherhood, marriage, sibling rivalry, and friendship in her novels. Publishers often reissue beloved titles; THE PASSIONS OF CHELSEA KANE, FACETS, and COMMITMENTS were trade paperback releases in 2017.

A lifelong New Englander, Barbara earned a B.A. in Psychology at Tufts University and an M.A. in Sociology at Boston College. As a breast cancer survivor who lost her mother to the disease when she was only eight, Barbara compiled the non-fiction book Uplift: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors, a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes. She donates her proceeds from the sale of this book to her charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Barbara enjoys knitting, photography, and cats. She also loves to interact with her readers through:

Website:  www.barbaradelinsky.com 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bdelinsky 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbaradelinsky/ 

Twitter:  @BarbaraDelinsky.

Book Review: Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton

Hi all,

I had the pleasure of reading THE HIDEAWAY by Lauren K. Denton, so I was thrilled to be offered the opportunity to read HURRICANE SEASON too. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this fascinating novel.

Hurricane Season

Lauren K. Denton

Book Description:

Betsy and Ty Franklin, owners of Franklin Dairy Farm in southern Alabama, have long since buried their desire for children of their own. While Ty manages their herd of dairy cows, Betsy busies herself with the farm’s day-to-day operations and tries to forget her dream of motherhood. But when her free-spirited sister, Jenna, drops off her two young daughters for “just two weeks,” Betsy’s carefully constructed wall of self-protection begins to crumble.

As the two weeks stretch deeper into the Alabama summer, Betsy and Ty learn to navigate the new additions in their world—and revel in the laughter that now fills their home. Meanwhile, record temperatures promise to usher in the most active hurricane season in decades.

Attending an art retreat four hundred miles away, Jenna is fighting her own battles. She finally has time and energy to focus on her photography, a lifelong ambition. But she wonders how her rediscovered passion can fit in with the life she’s made back home as a single mom.

When Hurricane Ingrid aims a steady eye at the Alabama coast, Jenna must make a decision that will change her family’s future, even as Betsy and Ty try to protect their beloved farm and their hearts. Hurricane Season is the story of one family’s unconventional journey to healing—and the relationships that must be mended along the way.

Publish Date: April 3, 2018

Pre-order now:

Amazon Kindle

My 5-Star Review:

Two sisters. Betsy wishes she had what here sister has. Jenna isn’t sure she’s happy with what life has handed her. When an opportunity arises for Jenna to follow her dream – at least for two weeks – Betsy steps in to care for Jenna’s two daughters. And as a hurricane brews, so do the sisters’ emotions, both reexamining what it is they want out of life.

Hurricane Season explores the complicated relationship of sisters and family. Each sister has problems she has to deal with in their own lives, plus the issues of their relationship with each other. We watch as they each delve deep inside themselves to find the happiness they seek. We also see them struggle between the one thing each wants, which seems unattainable, and how they each come to terms with how to get it, or let it go. An enticing family drama that shows how strong the bond between sisters, and family, really is.

About the Author:

Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Lauren now lives with her husband and two daughters in Homewood, just outside Birmingham. In addition to her fiction, she writes a monthly newspaper column about life, faith, and how funny (and hard) it is to be a parent. On any given day, she’d rather be at the beach with her family and a stack of books. Her debut novel, The Hideaway, is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon Charts bestseller. Her second novel, Hurricane Season, releases April 3, 2018. 

Find her at LaurenKDenton.com or on Facebook (LaurenKDentonAuthor), Instagram (LaurenKDentonBooks), or Twitter (@laurenkdenton).

Read my review of Lauren K. Denton’s novel THE HIDEAWAY.

Book Review: The Hideaway by Lauren K. Denton

The Hideaway

Lauren K. Denton

Book Description:

After her last remaining family member dies, Sara Jenkins goes home to The Hideaway, her grandmother Mags’s ramshackle B&B in Sweet Bay, Alabama. She intends to quickly tie up loose ends then return to her busy life and thriving antique shop in New Orleans. Instead, she learns Mags has willed The Hideaway to her and charged her with renovating it—no small task considering her grandmother’s best friends, a motley crew of senior citizens, still live there.

Rather than hurrying back to New Orleans, Sara stays in Sweet Bay and begins the biggest house-rehabbing project of her career. Amid drywall dust, old memories, and a charming contractor, she discovers that slipping back into life at The Hideaway is easier than she expected.

Then she discovers a box Mags left in the attic with clues to a life Sara never imagined for her grandmother. With help from Mags’s friends, Sara begins to piece together the mysterious life of bravery, passion, and choices that changed her grandmother’s destiny in both marvelous and devastating ways.

When an opportunistic land developer threatens to seize The Hideaway, Sara is forced to make a choice—stay in Sweet Bay and fight for the house and the people she’s grown to love or leave again and return to her successful but solitary life in New Orleans.

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5 Star Book Review:

Sara Jenkins returns home to Sweet Bay after her eccentric grandmother’s death, determined to tie up loose ends and then go back to her life in New Orleans. But two things change her plans: her grandmother has willed her the house—a B&B that has seen better days with permanent senior residents—and she finds a box revealing her grandmother’s past in a way that Sara could never have imagined. Sara stays on, remodeling the house (and meeting a good-looking contractor in the process), and searching out answers to her grandmother’s past. What she finds amazes her.

The Hideaway is a heartfelt story of returning home and learning that you really don’t always know the people in your life as well as you think. Sara begins to understand her grandmother’s odd behavior as she explores her past, and also finds that she is still in love with her childhood home, despite having run away from it years before. It’s a sweet story that will warm your heart.

(I received an advance copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.)

About the Author:

Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Lauren now lives with her husband and two daughters in Homewood, just outside Birmingham. In addition to her fiction, she writes a monthly newspaper column about life, faith, and how funny (and hard) it is to be a parent. On any given day, she’d rather be at the beach with her family and a stack of books. The Hideaway is her first novel. Her next novel, Hurricane Season, releases in spring of 2018. 

Find her at: 

www.LaurenKDenton.com   

Facebook (LaurenKDentonAuthor) 

Instagram (LaurenKDentonBooks) 

Twitter (@laurenkdenton).