Tea by the Sea by Donna Hemans ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

 

"Perhaps it was also a woman's lot in life - get up and carry on, no matter what.  Plum had suffered, was still suffering,  Yet, her mother's only focus was that Plum make something of herself, be someone who mattered." (loc 431)

Where the Road Bends by David Rawlings ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

How did I get here?

This is not a normal genre for me which will probably impact my review.  I enjoyed Where the Road Bends and the setting in Australia but didn't connect well with any of the characters.  But no matter what we read or who we are, we all come to a point in our lives when we wonder how we got to where we are in life.

A Royal Kiss & Tell by Julia London ~ a Review & Excerpt

by MK French

Lady Caroline Hawke is insulted when Prince Leopold doesn't remember her name, so she starts spreading rumors about him even as she plans to marry him herself. But the prince is investigating the British government and needs access to high society. He needs Lady Caroline's help to get back into the ton's good graces, and it is definitely higher stakes than either thought.

The Heirloom Garden by Viola Shipman ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"Grandma Myrtle would take her pruners and point around her gardens. 'Just look around, Iris.  The daisies remind you to be happy.  The hydrangeas inspire us to be colorful.  The lilacs urge us to breathe deeply.  The pansies reflect our own images back at us.  The hollyhocks show us how to stand tall in this world.  And the roses - oh the roses! - they prove that beauty is always present even amongst the thorns.'" (p 19)

Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland ~ a Review

by Alison DeLuca

  
Weeks into quarantine I hit a reading slump. Our Chemical Hearts was loaded on my Kindle, but I felt like cooking/cleaning/disinfecting had taken over and left no energy for books.

You Brought Me the Ocean by Alex Sanchez ~ a Review

by MK French

Jake Hyde doesn't swim because his father had drowned. Living in New Mexico has few opportunities for swimming, though he yearns for the ocean on some level and applied for college in Florida despite his mother's urging to stay safe. He's also very attracted to Kenny Liu, the swim team captain. The markings on his skin glow blue in contact with water and is an oddity he can't explain. Does he hide all of this, or does he embrace all of himself?

Murder on a Mississippi Steamboat by Leighann Dobbs ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

I loved everything about Murder on a Mississippi Steamboat by Leighann Dobbs. It was the perfect summer cozy mystery.

Stranger In the Lake by Kimberly Belle ~ a Review

by MK French

Charlotte had a humble past when she married the widower Paul, leading to a lot of gossip in town. Her life with him starts to unravel when a woman is found drowned in the lake in the same spot his first wife was found. He denied ever seeing her before, but Charlotte had seen the two talking in town. The lie makes her begin to doubt him, and wonder what other secrets he hides.