Civilisation Française by Mary Fleming ~a Review

by Susan Roberts

I'm drawn to books that take place in Paris - sometimes it ends up being a great book and sometimes it doesn't.  This one ended up being a great choice.  It's character-driven driven so there's not a lot of action but what marvelous characters exist in the pages of this book.  Plus there are references and descriptions of places all over Paris which really made me fall in love with it.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Women of Pearl Island by Polly Crosby ~ a Review

by MK French

Tartelin Brown answers an ad for a personal assistant for Marianne Stourbridge, an eccentric old woman whose only companions for years had been butterflies and memories. Marianne's family once owned the island she lives on, but it had been commandeered by the British government in World War II. Some of Marianne's painful memories involve family secrets, and she can only get past them if she can share them with Tartelin.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

A New Coming of Age Duology From Marjorie Jackson

by MK French

Debut author Marjorie Jackson has a new young adult coming of age duology focused on friendship. Both books are now available.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

A Frenzy of Sparks by Kristin Fields ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

A poignant story of innocence lost and what it means to grow up too fast.

Swimmers and Abuse: A Cold and Quiet Place #NewFiction #YAFiction

by Alison DeLuca

Sometimes the deepest scars can be invisible.

I did a lot of research about competitive swimming and emotional abuse as I wrote A Cold and Quiet Place. This Young Adult novel is about a young swimmer who suffers horrible emotional abuse from her boyfriend, who is also a swimmer. 

The Key to Everything by Valerie Fraser Luesse ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"You can't follow any else's path, like I tried to do with Daddy - like Daddy thought he had to do with Granddaddy.  Somewhere along the way, you gotta draw your own map." (p 282)

The Last Bathing Beauty by Amy Sue Nathan ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

September 1951
Any other bride might have gazed into the mirror, stepped away, and then glanced back over her shoulder for another peek. Not Betty. She hadn't looked at herself once today, in fact she'd avoided her reflection all week. She knew the person looking back from the mirror would not be her. Betty Claire Stern no longer existed. She wanted to say she died, but Betty was mindful of her reputation for melodrama. (Prologue)

3 Books of Historical Fiction

by MK French

Historical fiction covers so much ground. Today, I have reviews of 3 very different stories of historical fiction. The first is an adventure story set during Mayan times and then we move the 1900s with two stories looking at the limited options of women.

Camp Lake by John A. Heldt ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

While I don't read a lot of romance, I do sometimes like the sweet stories of discovering love. When I'm in the mood for such a story, I know John A. Heldt will deliver. Camp Lake is a satisfying conclusion to the Carson Chronicles.

4 Books for Fans of Historical Fiction

by Susan Roberts

I enjoy reading historical fiction books especially if they mainly focus on women.  Here are several that I've read recently.

3 Gritty Stories of Survival

by Susan Roberts

Two Coming of Age Stories

by Susan Roberts

There are a lot of books about growing up but it seems that most of them about teenage girls.  These two books are both about teenage boys.  One book takes place in the South in the late 50s and the other takes place current day and is about the drug epidemic in this country.

Two Books about Sick Children

by Susan Roberts

I try to stay away from books about sick children because I hate to see them suffer and somehow, I ended up reading two in a row.  Their illnesses are very different as is the outcome of the novels but I recommend both of them.

We Went to the Woods by Caite Dolan-Leach ~ a Review

by MK French

I'm the wrong one to tell our story. I was the late arrival, the last on board, the self-effacing supplement to the lopsided structure of which Louisa and Beau were the main architects. If only it were Beau telling our tale, drawling his way through it, cigarillo dangling from his lips. Or Louisa, nattering on with her breakneck fluency. Best of all, maybe, Jack, with his sculpted insights, frank amazement, arms carving ut a circumference of joy. Chloe could convince anyone that we were beautiful and right and noble to do what we did. Instead, of the five of us, I am the only one left. I was the least important, the watchful cipher who served only as an audience and an extra body, an afterthought. Maybe Beau knew that he would need someone outside their tight quadrilateral, to record and capture them, to witness - an extra point to make a pentagon. After all, he was the only one who knew the ending of the story we all thought we were writing together. p. 3

Clover Blue by Eldonna Edwards ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

Sometimes when you read a book, you are aware that it's a story that you are watching from the outside. Very, very rarely is a book written that consumes you totally and makes you feel like you are part of the story. Clover Blue is one of those books.

Dumplin’ Movie Tie-in Edition by Julie Murphy ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

I don't read much YA literature but made an exception with this one because I want to watch the Netflix movie made from the book. I was very pleasantly surprised with the book -- it was told from a YA perspective but was a story for any age -- be proud of who you are and live your life to the fullest.

A Review of Two Books by Mandy Mikulencak

by Susan Roberts

Even though I have stacks of books to read, I still enter every contest for free books on Facebook.  I 'm not very lucky but every once in a while I win a book.  I was lucky enough to win two books by Mandy in a giveaway on a book site called 'A Novel Bee'.  This author was new to me but after reading her books, she's been added to my list of favorite authors.

The Fourteenth of September by Rita Dragonette ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

There will be some readers who will consider this book historical fiction. Other readers, like me, who lived through this tumultuous time, will consider this book as a reminder of what life was like during the late 1960s. The country was divided like never before - there were many people who felt that the war was justified and that people who spoke against it were traitors to America. There were others who felt that the government was sending soldiers to be slaughtered in a totally useless war. In The Fourteenth of September, Rita Dragonette does a fantastic job of presenting both sides of the conflict.

2 Excellent Debut Novels You Must Read

by Susan Roberts

Today I have reviews for you of a debut novel by Laura Holtz and the first historical fiction novel by Lauren Speeth.  Both of them were excellent and it was difficult to believe that these were new paths for both authors.

Harlow by Karyn Rae ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"When coming of age arrives late."

This was my first book by Karyn Rae but it certainly won't be my last. This book had me interested from the first page and I had trouble putting it down until the end. I am thrilled to know that this is part of a series and can't wait to read the next book.