Jamie and Charlotte (Charlie) lived in Chester England. They are a long term couple who plan to marry once they buy a house. One of their favorite holJamie and Charlotte (Charlie) lived in Chester England. They are a long term couple who plan to marry once they buy a house. One of their favorite holiday spots is in Crete where it seems like the sun is always shining unlike rainy England. While she is checking the homes for sale in their town, Charlie looks at houses for sale in Crete and finds one that she knows they can afford. When she mentions moving to Jamie, he is all for the idea. When they look at the house, they fall in love with it. Despite the work that will need to be done, there is a large garden and an olive grove. They pack up and move to Crete and get to work. The people who live in their small town are all very friendly and go out of their way to help them. After several months of hard work the house is done and Jamie admits that he misses England and wants to return. Charlie knows that this home is where she belongs so he returns to England and she remains by herself. The friendly people in Chania make sure that she isn't lonely for too long and make her part of their town. Will Charlie be able to stay in Crete and make it her new 'forever' home or will she return to England and bury her dreams?
This is a book full of fun and friendship. There are also some laughs provided by Charlie's 'talks' with the goat the hangs around her house. Chania and the surrounding towns are well described - the sun drenched days and the beautiful trees and flowers make you feel like you're there. Charlie used to have a bakery in England and decides to open one in her new town. The food descriptions are wonderful and you can almost smell the bread baking.
This was a fun book to read. Charlie was brave to decide to stay in her new 'forever' home when Jamie left and make a life for herself. I think for the first time she realizes that she can handle life on her own -- along with a little help from her friends.
This is my first book by this author and I see that she's written other books about Greece and Italy that look interesting so I plan to give them a try. I need some mental vacations after several years of being stuck at home. In my opinion, this book would be a perfect read while you are laying in the sun at the beach and want something light to read.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review.
Merged review:
Jamie and Charlotte (Charlie) lived in Chester England. They are a long term couple who plan to marry once they buy a house. One of their favorite holiday spots is in Crete where it seems like the sun is always shining unlike rainy England. While she is checking the homes for sale in their town, Charlie looks at houses for sale in Crete and finds one that she knows they can afford. When she mentions moving to Jamie, he is all for the idea. When they look at the house, they fall in love with it. Despite the work that will need to be done, there is a large garden and an olive grove. They pack up and move to Crete and get to work. The people who live in their small town are all very friendly and go out of their way to help them. After several months of hard work the house is done and Jamie admits that he misses England and wants to return. Charlie knows that this home is where she belongs so he returns to England and she remains by herself. The friendly people in Chania make sure that she isn't lonely for too long and make her part of their town. Will Charlie be able to stay in Crete and make it her new 'forever' home or will she return to England and bury her dreams?
This is a book full of fun and friendship. There are also some laughs provided by Charlie's 'talks' with the goat the hangs around her house. Chania and the surrounding towns are well described - the sun drenched days and the beautiful trees and flowers make you feel like you're there. Charlie used to have a bakery in England and decides to open one in her new town. The food descriptions are wonderful and you can almost smell the bread baking.
This was a fun book to read. Charlie was brave to decide to stay in her new 'forever' home when Jamie left and make a life for herself. I think for the first time she realizes that she can handle life on her own -- along with a little help from her friends.
This is my first book by this author and I see that she's written other books about Greece and Italy that look interesting so I plan to give them a try. I need some mental vacations after several years of being stuck at home. In my opinion, this book would be a perfect read while you are laying in the sun at the beach and want something light to read.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review....more
I'm thrilled to go back to the Beach House Hotel and catch up with Ann and Rhonda and their families. The two women have worked very hard to make theiI'm thrilled to go back to the Beach House Hotel and catch up with Ann and Rhonda and their families. The two women have worked very hard to make their hotel successful and one of the main reasons is that they protect the names of the people who are staying there which really makes a difference with movie stars and politicians who want to be away from the news media and the paparazzi.
The vice-president has asked Ann and Rhoda to rent a house on their property to Darryl Douglas, who is a nighttime talk show host. It seems like every time they listen to the VP, they end up with problems. But after watching his show, they decide to let him come. The other house on the property is being rented to Tina, a long time friend and movie star who is bringing her personal trainer to help her get in shape for a new movie. Both guests need anonymity as they hide from the public to deal with problems. When Darryl's ex-wife rents a room, trouble starts almost immediately. She doesn't know that he's also there and Ann and Rhonda work to keep it that way. But she's a real publicity hound and starts to give interviews and invite photographers to take her photos so she can stay in the news. To make things even more difficult, another person checks in who refuses to follow the rules. Ann and Rhoda have their hands full trying to protect their hotel and their goal to allow their guests total anonymity. Along with all of these issues, they are busy hosting weddings and, most importantly working very hard to find time to spend with their families.
Nightcaps at the Beach House is another fantastic book in this series. I'm going to hate to say goodbye to these two wonderful friends when the series ends with book 10. Once again as with the other books in the series, the author highlights strong older women who work hard to balance their time so that they can spend quality time with their families. ...more
Laura and Liam are in love and planning their wedding. But ongoing issues in both of their lives make it difficult to plan a wedding when they are botLaura and Liam are in love and planning their wedding. But ongoing issues in both of their lives make it difficult to plan a wedding when they are both under so much pressure. Liam is a lawyer working at the firm founded by his father and grandfather. He enjoys practicing law but wants to make sure that he doesn't get as conniving as either of them. He is currently working on am embezzlement case involving a prominent family. The family insists that they have done nothing wrong but as the evidence builds up against them, Liam is put under a lot of pressure because they won't tell him what they do know about the case.
Laura has found some hidden information about her sister's death 19 years earlier. She feels that there's a secret regarding the way that her sister really died but every clue she gets ends up as a dead end. When she starts to get threats advising her to drop her investigation of the death she is convinced that someone wants to cover up the truth. But who? Will her involvement bring her family closer together or tear them apart?
Can Laura and Liam keep their love alive with all of the outside pressure that they are under? Will they be able to give up the demons of their past and find a happy future together?
The 6th book in the Cape Cod series was a real page turner. There was romance and mystery and two great characters that you hoped would get their happily ever after. ...more
This character based novel follows the lives of four main characters. It's basically about family - not just family by blood by also family based on tThis character based novel follows the lives of four main characters. It's basically about family - not just family by blood by also family based on the people who are closest to you. There is also a major thread of grief and truth. It goes into the pasts of the four main characters and how their pasts affected the people that they are today.
In 2004 Juliette who was a white freshman in college and Noah who was a black high school senior connect with each other and end up going home together. Juliette had been Noah's poetry teacher during his senior year. Noah gradually forgets about their one night stand and is consumed by his desire to be a success in Hollywood as a writer. He has married Jesse and they are really happy together. She finds success as an author which makes feel even worse about himself because he feels that he should be taking care of her. Growing up Juliette and Annie were best friends -- well more than just friends. They loved each other deeply but things changed when Juliette went to NYC to college and they each had their own lives. Once Juliette dies, Annie finds herself consumed with her memories of her best friend and lover. When Annie reads Juliette's journal, she finds that Noah may have inadvertently been the reason for her best friends death. She has the power to destroy Noah's success as a writer in Hollywood. When she decides to go ahead and expose Noah , his life takes a turn for the worse - both his marriage and his career. But the real question is -- what is the real truth?
This was a rather dark book but was well written with a few surprises along the way. My problem is that I didn't like most of the main characters. I thought that Juliette and Annie were difficult for me to like because of their lifestyles and the choices that they made. I didn't like Noah much either. He put his dreams of success above everything else in his life including his family. I thought that Jesse was the most likeable of all of the main characters The story itself is very interesting and asks the reader to decide who was right and who was wrong in the he said/she said exposure. ...more
Barbara O'Neal is one of my favorite authors and this book further solidifies her place among my favorites. This is a book about family and memories, Barbara O'Neal is one of my favorite authors and this book further solidifies her place among my favorites. This is a book about family and memories, art and the beauty of nature. It has a mystery, friendship and romance all wrapped up with a wonderful plot about the love within a family.
Tillie is an artist who is preparing for a show at a gallery in New York City. She visits her best friend's art show at a local gallery and one of the paintings hanging in the gallery leaves her light headed. She has no idea why but has to go back to see it again. While she's at the gallery, she meets Liam and there is an instant spark between them -- but he's only in town for a few days. He feels the same way about her and wants to spend all of his remaining time in NYC with Tillie. Her beloved mother had recently died and Liam goes to upstate New York with her to remove some of the remaining boxes so that the house can be put up for sale. While they are there, Tillie finds a document of her mother's that makes her question her whole life and wonder why her mother raised her based on a lie. After she sees the document, she goes into a fugue state more often and paints pictures that he has no memory of painting. She also begins to have memories of people she's never met and places that she's never been. She tracks down the painter of the original painting that started it all and tries to find out more about the painting and travels to England to try to find out where the painting was made and why it is causing so many memories of a life that wasn't hers. As she is working on uncovering the mystery of the painting, she is also trying to figure out her relationship with Liam and whether it is as real as she first thought.
I really enjoyed this book. It was almost like reading a modern day fairy tale. At first I was a bit confused about the chapters of a woman in England but then when all was revealed, her chapters made a lot of sense and were an important part of the story. I really liked the main characters - Tillie and Liam and enjoyed watching their relationship bloom very quickly. The writing was lyrical which added to the feeling of a fairy tale. This is a book about love and family and has characters that I won't soon forget. ...more
This is another great addition to the Cape Cod series. This book is about choices that Charlotte makes that will totally affect her life. Since her faThis is another great addition to the Cape Cod series. This book is about choices that Charlotte makes that will totally affect her life. Since her father died, she's felt like her life was in a rut. She spent more time taking care of other people and telling her sister how she should be living her life, that there wasn't any happiness in her life.
Charlotte was teaching and that was about it. She wasn't dating and only had one good friend. Addison was a cancer survivor and she and her husband longed to have a baby but the chemo for her cancer ended her chances of having a baby. Charlotte has decided that her life has been lived on auto-pilot for too long and it was time to do something drastic so she decided to be a surrogate mother for Addison. Her sister is appalled that she is making this decision and feels like she'll ruin her life but Charlotte knows that it's the right thing for her to make. There is a small problem, she has been flirting with the science teacher and she really hopes that their friendship will turn into something more. But how is he going to feel about her being a surrogate? and is there a chance for their relationship?
I really enjoyed going back to Cape Cod for the fifth book in this series. Charlottes was a great character and I could totally understand her reasons for deciding to be a surrogate for her best friend. There are bits of information about many of the people in the Wilson clan but this book is primarily about Charlotte and her decision to give the greatest gift to her best friend. ...more
The fourth book in the Lilac Lake series isn't about one of the three sisters. Instead it's a story about Crystal, the owner of the Lilac Lake Cafe. SThe fourth book in the Lilac Lake series isn't about one of the three sisters. Instead it's a story about Crystal, the owner of the Lilac Lake Cafe. She has been friends with the three sisters for years and their grandmother, GiGi, helped Crystal deal with an unhappy family life.
Crystal has seen her three best friends fall in love and becoming settled in their new lives. She is divorced but is still friends with her ex and is beginning to wonder if there is a happily ever after in her future. She's a bit restless and not sure how change it. Enter Emmet, the new town doctor who is taking over from the long time doctor in town. He's just graduated and looking forward to practicing family medicine in the small town. He buys the doctor's home and decides to do a lot of renovations. He asks Crystal along with the sisters who have ties to building and decorating homes for help. Crystal is very interested in Emmett but he seems to be hiding a secret and she values honesty so she's unsure if they can have a relationship. Once she finds out the secrets that he's keeping and meets the family who he is estranged from. she understands him better. Can Crystal and Emmet live happily ever after.
I've really enjoyed this series. The characters are all well written and the plots very believable. It's great to meet more people in the town and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. ...more
The year is 2014 and Amy is 46 years old and lives with her husband and sons in Dayton Ohio. Her parents ask her to come to Houston to spend ThanksgivThe year is 2014 and Amy is 46 years old and lives with her husband and sons in Dayton Ohio. Her parents ask her to come to Houston to spend Thanksgiving weekend so that they can discuss their plans for their estate with her and her brother and sister. Somehow when she gets off of the private plane in Houston, she's in the year 1978. She is instructed to spend the next 36 hours with her family in 1978 and pose as a long lost cousin who just happened to be in town and needed a place to spend the holiday. One of the people she spends time with is herself as a 10 year old. I found it very interesting as she relived her memories -- spending time with her parents and looking at them differently as an adult than her 10 year old self did. There were a lot of references to clothes and music, TV cartoons, eating sweet cereal and having dinner at the Bonanza buffet. Some of the biggest things that she had forgotten is that everyone was smoking cigarettes and she was amazed to remember that there were no seat belts in cars. As she spends times with her family, she realizes that the difficult relationships that she had with her family were due to her faulted memory as she grew up and that the family was really more of a nuclear unit that she remembered. She was told that her trip to the past would not change her future but she realizes when she gets back to her real time period that she will never forget her new memories of her past.
The only thing that I didn't like about the book is that there was never a real reason given for Amy to go back into the past. She did learn more about her past but it seems like there should have been some very important reason for the time change. This left me a bit confused about the story.
I'll admit that books about time travel are not my favorite genre but this book may have changed that. It made me spend time thinking about how I would react to being in a similar situation and watching myself at certain ages when I was growing up, spending time with long gone parents and grandparents and having fun with my brothers and sisters back when every day was a new adventure. Reading this book brought back a lot of memories - bad as well as good - and that made appreciate the book even more.
Boss Lady has one of the elements that I really enjoy in a novel --a strong older woman who is working hard to make a better life for herself and her Boss Lady has one of the elements that I really enjoy in a novel --a strong older woman who is working hard to make a better life for herself and her children. Along with a strong main character, there is a bit of romance, an overbearing mother and friends that are always there when she needs them to be her support group.
Toni is a 40ish year old mom to two teenage girls. Her husband left several years earlier to 'find himself' and she's taken a job driving an airport shuttle to keep food on the table. She dreams of owning her own business and spends a lot of time trying out new ideas. Her friends are very supportive of her goal as is an elderly woman who she frequently shuttles to her airplane. Mrs. Eisenberg is very wealthy elderly woman and is one of her biggest cheerleaders and advisors. Throw Mrs. Eisenberg's grandson, Ash, into the mix. He is on a show similar to Shark Tank that tries to help entrepreneurs get money for start up of their business venture. Can she get on the show to pitch her latest idea -- and what is her wandering husband doing appearing on the same show to pitch his idea?? There seem to be some sparks between Toni and Ash -- will that help her get backing for her latest idea?
I really liked the character of Toni - she was a hard worker who was always thinking about ways to improve her life. She's spent so much of her life trying to come up with a business idea and as I read the book, I had my fingers crossed that she would succeed. When her husband shows up again, she has to decide whether to go back to her unfulfilling marriage or to continue to work to start up her own business. Mrs. Eisenberg always has good advice for her as do her friends at the airport. This book is a fun read with some laughs along the way. It's the first book that I've read by these authors and the reviews indicate that a lot of people liked their previous books, so I plan to look at some of their other books. ...more
Amy is very unhappy with her life. Her husband (and Lily's father) has been controlling her with his criticism for their entire marriage. She has trieAmy is very unhappy with her life. Her husband (and Lily's father) has been controlling her with his criticism for their entire marriage. She has tried to be the perfect wife - throwing lavish parties to help his career, keeping a beautiful home and raising two fantastic children - but it's never enough for him. She stays until she just can't take it anymore. She packs a bag and flees to Falmouth to the home of her step-daughter Lily who has found happiness and a new life. Amy knows that leaving her husband is going to be difficult but she has no idea that he'll resort to the underhanded tactics that he and his divorce attorney present. He is also working to turn her adult children against her and she begins to wonder if she made a mistake by leaving. But she has a sharp divorce attorney and a bunch of new friends in Falmouth who are helping her adjust to her new life where she controls her own destiny instead of always doing what she's told to do. Will she be able to maintain a new life or will her husband be able to get her back into the marriage? What will she have to give up to make her husband agree to a divorce? And will her children learn the real truth about their father?
This is book 4 in the Cape Code series and my favorite book so far. It was fantastic to see the changes in Amy as she learned that she was able to navigate her own life and make her own decisions. It wasn't easy and her mind kept telling her that maybe she'd made a mistake to leave her marriage but her friends are encouraging and loving and help her see how much better her life could be. Making a complete transformation in your life causes heartache along with the joy. Amy is hopeful that she can achieve a renewed life of joy....more
This book is full of eccentric characters who all live on a small, remote island in the South Atlantic ocean. It's about family and community and how This book is full of eccentric characters who all live on a small, remote island in the South Atlantic ocean. It's about family and community and how to make a place feel like home whether it's your first time there or if you are returning after a long absence.
Charlotte is a London veterinarian who was raised by an emotionally distant mother who would never tell her anything about her father. She and her mother had totally different outlooks on life so when Charlotte decided to go to Tuga on a fellowship to study the endangered gold coin tortoises, she leaves a note for her mother explaining where she's going. Charlotte was a real conservationist and this seems like the perfect way for her to spend a year of her life. But she has another reason for coming to Tuga -- she suspects that her biological father may have some connection to the island and she wants to find out what she can. She is accepted by the islanders -- not just as a researcher on turtles but also as a vet who can help with all of the animals on the island. On the trip to the island, she met Dan who was returning from London after years of training to become the island doctor. She had developed a crush on him during the long voyage and isn't sure if they'll have a relationship when they arrive in Tuga. The island is full of eccentric characters and it takes some time for Charlotte to accept everyone since she came from a very straight-laced life in London. Will she accept the lifestyle on an island that time forgot and will the residents accept her as their vet and a member of their community?
This was an interesting book and I really enjoyed some of the characters - the problem for me is that there were just too many characters with too many problems. I'd have liked more about Charlotte and a few less people to keep up with. But really how can you go wrong on a tropical island?? This book is the first book in a new trilogy and I'm looking forward to book 2 in the trilogy. ...more
Catherine Bybee is a new author to me and after looking at her list of books, I'm not sure why she never showed up on my radar. After reading All Our Catherine Bybee is a new author to me and after looking at her list of books, I'm not sure why she never showed up on my radar. After reading All Our Tomorrows, I plan to check out some of her earlier books. This book was a romance but it was much more. The characters were well written and believable and the plot was pretty exciting and kept me turning pages to find out if there would be a 'happily ever after' for two of the main characters.
When Chase and Alex Stone find out that their multi-billionaire father left all of his wealth and businesses to them after his sudden death, they were shocked. Their father had pretty much ignored the brother and sister after he divorced their mother. It's another shock when they find out that there is another heir, a half brother to Chase and Alex. Of course the dad left no information about how to find the brother but since none of the businesses can be sold or changed until he is found, it becomes a major search for them to find the brother before the end of a year. One of their biggest assets was Piper. She had been Mr. Stone's assistant for several years before he fired her several weeks before his sudden heart attack. When Chase offers her a significant raise, she agrees to work for him and help him find his brother before the media finds out. Will the working relationship between Chase and Piper develop into anything stronger? There are a lot of sparks between them but neither wants to do anything that will affect their working relationship plus they both have secrets that they are unwilling to share.
This is an interesting well written story with several great characters. Sometimes it's serious and other times there are some scenes that made me laugh out loud. This book has it all -- a bit of suspense, an evil gold digger widow, a dog that wants to protect Piper and a steamy romance. I enjoyed it and now that I've found this new author, I need to order some of her earlier books and series.
I didn't realize that this is the first book in a series until after I finished the book. Book 2 The Forgotten One is publishing in November, 2024. ...more
This was an interesting and well written book and the basic premise was good but I ran into several issues that ruined the story for me.
First a brief This was an interesting and well written book and the basic premise was good but I ran into several issues that ruined the story for me.
First a brief synopsis - Ben and Harper were madly in love and on their honeymoon when Ben first shows symptoms of his disease. After lots of tests and consultations, they find out that Ben has stage IV cancer and won't live very long. Ben has lot of wishes that he thinks will make Harper miss him less when he is gone -- he wants her to go back to her art career. She turned her back on a great chance for a gallery show ten years earlier in NYC. She got discouraged and has been teaching art but Ben feels that teaching isn't what she really should be doing and that she should pursue her art career again. His other wish is that she finds a new love before he dies so that he knows she'll have someone to take care of her. She doesn't like his wish about her art career and is adamantly opposed to finding a new man when her whole life revolves around Ben. Harper was totally immersed in Ben and his disease and making him comfortable. She isn't really thinking about life after he's gone. Will Ben get his wishes granted and plan Harper's life for her after he's gone?
Harper and Ben's love came across very strongly in the story and it was somewhat believable. There were some fantastic scenes in the story and yes, I cried a few tears throughout the book. However, parts of the book were just unbelievable. Ben is really kind of a sexist believing that he can control Harper's life after his death. After going through the death of a spouse, I can tell you that having another person in your life is very unrealistic plus you learn that you really can take care of yourself and make decisions after the death. The other part of the story that I did not like is the magical realism. It's a genre that I don't like but it's ok in small amounts if it fits into the story. The alternate time lines in this novel were really difficult to believe and didn't add to the romance of the two main characters.
If you enjoy magical realism, you should give this book a try. There were parts of it that I absolutely loved. I have read this author before and definitely enjoy her work. I won't give up on her because I didn't enjoy this book....more
This is M.K. Tod's first contemporary novel after great success as a writer of historical fiction. And I will tell you that she hit it out of the parkThis is M.K. Tod's first contemporary novel after great success as a writer of historical fiction. And I will tell you that she hit it out of the park with her new book. I enjoyed her historical fiction novels but That Was Then was a fantastic page turning novel full of tension and fear for the main characters.
Andrea and Emma were twins and they were each other's best friends as they grew up. Emma decided that they should go to different colleges so that they weren't so dependent on each other. It's senior year of college and they are both finishing up their degrees - Andrea in Chicago and Emma in New York city. When Andrea gets raped by a well known man during what was supposed to be an interview, she can barely cope. The first person she calls for help was Emma and her sister quickly flew to Chicago. She tried to convince her sister to go to the police but Andrea didn't want to share her story with anyone and even lied to her sister about who the rapist was.
Eight years later, the twins are not as close as they once were and geographically they are very far apart - Andrea is in New York working as a journalist and Emma is living in Paris. They still have a weekly call to catch up with each other but they aren't involved in each other's daily lives. When Andrea finds out that the man who raped her is running for Governor of Massachusetts, she knows that she has to keep his election from happening. She wants the world to know what a terrible person he is. She hatches a plan where she will work on his campaign undercover while she tries to find out more of his dirty little secrets. The closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous life becomes for her and her sister (who is in NY impersonating Andrea). How far will the backers of the campaign go to keep the truth from getting out to the public? How much danger are Andrea and Emma really in??
This book was full of intrigue and tension and parts of it resembled what is currently going on in the US political arena. Who is really running the election - the candidate or his backers who want him in place so that he can help them control American democracy. The novel also looks into the MeToo movement and the general disregard for women in all walks of life.
M.K. Tod has brought her readers a contemporary novel full of intrigue and suspense that is both believable but also reflects American politics. I really liked the character of Andrea who wanted to expose a rapist despite the danger to herself. She grew from a young girl who is having problems dealing with the rape to a strong and dedicated woman who wanted to expose the 'bad guys' and keep them out of political power. This was a great read. I look forward to the next book by this author -- whether it's historical fiction or contemporary.
Lynne Hugo has given us a fantastic book based on a real-life lawsuit in Cape Cod in 1996 when the rich people who had summer homes there, wanted to gLynne Hugo has given us a fantastic book based on a real-life lawsuit in Cape Cod in 1996 when the rich people who had summer homes there, wanted to get the oyster farmers off of their beaches and brought a lawsuit against them. But she's given her readers more than that -- she's created two strong characters who are letting the mistakes in the past affect their futures. Two people who deserve happiness but are afraid that they will never get their lives in order and leave the past behind.
Caroline (or CiCi) has returned home to take care of her dying mother. She has a lot of guilt about something that happened in her past that totally changed her life. She didn't want to move home from Chicago to a town where everyone knew her past but she wanted to help her mother and make life comfortable for her. She has no real friends in town and has no idea what she'll do in the future. Ridley (Rid) has returned from prison to take care of the oyster beds deeded to him by his father. The work is unbelievably hard but he won't let his family down and devotes himself to his work. When Cici and Rid first meet, they realize that they knew each other in school but that was about all they had in common - that and the fact that they had both done time in prison in their recent pasts. A lawsuit is brought against three of the oyster fishermen by a rich man who lives in a summer home and Rid's life is turned upside down. When a nor'easter storm blows into town, CiCi and Rid's lives intersect again. Is there a future for them as a couple?
This book had it all -- well written characters who feel like people we know -- not only the good parts of them but also their flaws are part of the story. There is a mystery and a romance and a lawsuit. Most importantly it's a book about love and forgiveness -- forgiving yourself for mistakes in your life and learning how to look forward to the future instead of letting life be ruled by past mistakes. ...more
This is a book about three generations of women and takes place in Florida in 1999. It's a great book about aging and how some older women still have This is a book about three generations of women and takes place in Florida in 1999. It's a great book about aging and how some older women still have a love of life and adventure despite what the world thinks.
Cherie is 58 and has a strange family -- she has two mothers. One is her biological mother, Dale, who was a free spirit and left her daughter when she was a baby and saw her infrequently when she was growing up. The other mom (and the one she refers to as Mom) is Marlys who married her father and raised her after her bio mom left. Interestingly, Dale and Marlys are now best friends and see each other frequently. Both of the women have a major problem. Marlys is dying but doesn't want anyone to know - especially not her daughter. Dale is facing eviction from her budget senior apartment -- actually all of her friends there may soon be without a home when the owner sells the complex. Cherie is someone who always wants to be in charge and tell everyone what to do so she feels it's her duty to save the apartment complex. She decides that the women should compete in the South Florida Senior Synchronized Swimming Competition. The prize is $10,000 which will save the complex. Do any of the seniors know how to synchronize swim -- well no, but surely they can learn in a month. To help out, Cherie calls on her pregnant daughter to come to Florida to help out. Can this feisty group of older women win the prize and save their homes?
My favorite characters were Dale and the other women who lived in the apartment complex. They may all be in their 70s but they are an outspoken and tenacious group of women. Even when they argued, they remained friends. Some of their conversations were hilarious - they didn't really care what other people thought of them, they wanted to live their lives in peace and knew that winning this competition would keep them in their homes. It was also interesting to see the three different generations of women interact. Cherie was comfortable with both of her mothers but her daughter failed to understand the relationship at first.
This is a book about families of all types. The different type of family that Cherie had with two mothers. The life that her daughter was going to have by having a baby after her husband leaves her. The family unit made up of Dale and Marlys. And the unconventional group of women who lived in the apartment who were a family based on the love that they all had toward each other as they navigated their aging. Overall, there is no good or bad type of family - the important thing is that it works and brings people closer together and happy with their lives.
Book three in the Lilac Inn series is all about Whitney. Whitney and her two sisters Dani and Taylor are working to restore the cottage near the LilacBook three in the Lilac Inn series is all about Whitney. Whitney and her two sisters Dani and Taylor are working to restore the cottage near the Lilac Inn. In books one and two each of her sisters have found their happily ever after. Will it be Whitney's turn to discover love after the turmoil in her life for the last year?
Whitney went to Hollywood at a young age and became a star. When she left to pursue her dreams, she left Nick behind. He was her first serious boyfriend and she pictured them as being together forever, but her acting career ended that dream. When she returns to help her sisters restore the cottage, her life is in turmoil. Her former love, Zane was a very popular actor and when his addiction to drugs ended up killing him, social media needed someone to blame so a small group decided to blame Whitney. In Lilac Lake, she begins to re-think her life and decides that she wants to help children. She sets up a children's theater to help give the children in town a chance to grow their artistic side. All of the parents are very happy with her theater except for one father who feels like his son should be playing baseball and not pursuing his dreams. Danger looms with this father but it is overpowered by the danger of the people on social media who want to punish Whitney for the loss of Zane. Along with that, there is a ghost to find in the cottage. Life is in a turmoil and it makes the three sisters become closer as they try to deal with the danger. More important Nick, her old high school boyfriend, still lives in town and there are still sparks between them. Will Whitney leave Hollywood far behind and find her happily ever after in the small town?
This is a great book about sisters (and I love books about sisters) and the love and support between them. It's also a romantic love story with a bit of mystery and a ghost thrown in. I don't know if there are any other books in this series but I'm not ready to say goodbye to these characters so I hope that the author sends us back to the cottage in the future. ...more
After 44 years of marriage, Lily's marriage implodes and she's left to pick up the pieces. She had been a stay-at-home mom to three children and spentAfter 44 years of marriage, Lily's marriage implodes and she's left to pick up the pieces. She had been a stay-at-home mom to three children and spent her life trying to make her family happy. She was a socialite who threw lavish parties but now she wasn't sure what the future held for her. She decided to take a step that worried her children -- she sold the family home and moved to Cape Cod to get to know some relatives of her mother, who she never even knew existed since her father had kept them a secret from her after her mother's death when she was very young. So off she goes from a settled life to the adventure of meeting new family.
When she arrives at her grandparent's home, she is greeted with tears and open arms. They always wanted to know her better but Lily's father kept them apart. He didn't want Lily to know that all of the negative things he'd said about her mother over the years were lies. When she meets her mother's sisters, the same thing happens. The family is thrilled to meet her and to tell her about her mom. She had been raised to believe that her mom had abandoned her but was that really the truth or was it a lie told to her by her father? As she meets more of her mother's family -- and there are a lot of people to meet - she begins to feel that she belongs in Cape Cod. Can she start her life over and find happiness or is there too much baggage to keep her from starting anew?
This is a beautiful story about an older woman starting her life over the way she wants to after years living the life that her father and then her husband control. It’s a story of healing from past lies and the excitement of falling love with a different life than she had lived for years....more
Wedding Issues is a light read that will have you shaking your head as you laugh at the antics of the main characters. This is a book about the importWedding Issues is a light read that will have you shaking your head as you laugh at the antics of the main characters. This is a book about the importance of female friendships, family and falling in love with your best friend's brother even though you've promised her that you'll never even date him.
Liv is finishing up her classes to become a lawyer like her father. She wants to get a job at a major law firm - not so much for herself but because she thinks it will make her dad happy. Her best friend Leighton is getting married and Liv has promised to get her a cover on the once a year wedding issue of Southern Charm magazine. Leighton is working on a new clothing line and knows that a cover article will help her new business. At the same time, her aunt wants to get her daughter on the cover. Aunt Charlotte is about the sneakiest and most conniving character that I've read in a long time. She manages to get Liv to agree to be her cousin's maid of honor even though she knows that Liv is going to be Leighton's maid of honor and the weddings are only one week apart! Liv is trying to make everyone happy so she agrees to be maid of honor at both weddings and tells each of the brides that she'll try to get them on the cover. What ensues is utter chaos. She has bachelorette parties to plan plus all of the wedding details for both weddings. She thinks she can handle all of it plus finish law school....but can she do it without alienating either her best friend and/or her cousin? At the same time, she finds herself falling in love with Leighton's brother and had promised her best friend years before that she would never even go on a date with him.
Liv is an interesting main character. At times I felt sorry for her being in all the chaos and trying to keep everyone happy. At other times, I wanted to shake her and tell her to quit trying to make everyone happy at her own expense. Both of the brides were interesting and totally different. Aunt Charlotte is over the top and her antics often made me laugh out loud.
This book is a fun easy read with a lot of drama and a lot of laughs. This is a debut for Elle Evans and I'm looking forward to her future books. ...more
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