Barnes & Noble – Page 19 – Rosepoint Publishing

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday

Best Books of the Year 2023

Book Blurb:

The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.

In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.

Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.

My Review:

I admit to the curiosity as well as the accolades by reviewers that drove me to listen to the audiobook that Britney Spears wrote (with, I assume, help from a ghostwriter). I’ve read memoirs of other famous singers and actors and many were twice as long and certainly exhibited more depth.

I also admit that I’ve not one of her songs in my favorites list and couldn’t name one that made it big. So, yes, I might have gone into this slightly prejudiced, only seeing another young, pretty blonde exploiting her body for a short fall in talent.

Okay, okay! Sorry! Just not my generation but really my question is: Was this book a complete account of the evolution of the singer, her talent growth, the origin of her songs, personal life and creative assistants, or the horrendous chronicle of the family financially spoiled by excess into literally locking her up for thirteen years.

Thirteen years! How does that happen? Yes, I was aware of the news regarding the lawsuit. It’s an indictment of the system, the lack of proper legal representation, and the loss of financial power. But I’m not sure the memoir was meant to be the story of her rise to fame or an exposé of the family’s attempt to keep her under their total physical, financial, and media control.

Britney takes the opportunity to defend a lot of her actions, but it seems like she more than once pushed the envelope when it would have been in her larger interest to back off, particularly when she wanted so desperately to keep her boys. This would also be a condemnation of sexism in the media world (many admittedly of her choice–check the book cover) as well as conservatorships, mental health, exploitation, and (again) the paparazzi.

In the audiobook, she bubbles over with her love for Hesam (Sam) Asghari, but that was strike three as of May 2024 and fourteen months of marriage.

The memoir told a little flatly, there is always more to the story than is revealed.

Michelle Williams narrated and did a great job. I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Composer & Musician Biographies, Actor & Entertainer Biographies, Biographies of Celebrities & Entertainment Professionals
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
ASIN: B0BRBPSXCW
Listening Length: 5 hrs 31 mins
Narrator: Michelle Williams, Britney Spears – introduction
Publication Date: October 24, 2023
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: The Woman in Me [Amazon-US]
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Multi-platinum, Grammy Award–winning pop icon Britney Spears is one of the most successful and celebrated entertainers in music history, with more than 100 million records sold worldwide. In 2021, she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. Spears’s album Blackout was added to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Library & Archives in 2012. She lives in Los Angeles, California. [Amazon]

Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer, dancer, songwriter, actress and author. She has sold over 83 million records worldwide according to Zomba Label Group. The RIAA ranks her as the eighth best-selling female artist in American music history, having sold 32 million albums in the U.S. Her success as a recording artist has allowed her to work in other media; she has acted in film and television, has written two books, and has been contracted to endorse several products, including her own perfume line.

Spears released her debut album …Baby One More Time in 1999, propelling her to international stardom. It spawned the Billboard topping single “…Baby One More Time”. She released her second studio album Oops!… I Did It Again in 2000 with continued success. A third album Britney was released in 2001, followed by the release of her fourth album In the Zone in 2003. The album’s breakout single “Toxic” won Spears her first Grammy Award. After the release of a remix album/greatest hits collection, she released her fifth album Blackout in 2007.

As a result of her fame, Spears’s personal life has received much media attention. This only escalated after her marriage to Kevin Federline in 2004. She gave birth to her first child, Sean Preston, in 2005 and to her second child, Jayden James, in 2006. The couple’s divorce in November of the same year was highly publicized, followed by an ongoing custody battle over their sons. [Goodreads]

#ThrowbackThursday

If Something Happens to Me: A Novel by Alex Finlay – #AudiobookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Book Blurb:

For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. The car door ripping open. The crushing blow to the head. The hands yanking him from the vehicle. His girlfriend Ali’s piercing scream as she is taken.

With no trace of Ali or the car, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Ryan. But with no proof and a good lawyer, he’s never charged, though that doesn’t matter to the podcasters and internet trolls. Now, Ryan has changed his last name, and entered law school. He’s put his past behind him.

Until, on a summer trip abroad to Italy with his law-school classmates, Ryan gets a call from his father: Ali’s car has finally been found, submerged in a lake in his hometown. Inside are two dead men and a cryptic note with five words written on the envelope in Ali’s handwriting: If something happens to me…

Then, halfway around the world, the unthinkable happens: Ryan sees the man who has haunted his dreams since that night.

As Ryan races from the rolling hills of Tuscany, to a rural village in the UK, to the glittering streets of Paris in search of the truth, he has no idea that his salvation may lie with a young sheriff’s deputy in Kansas working her first case, and a mobster in Philadelphia who’s experienced tragedy of his own.

In classic Alex Finlay form, If Something Happens to Me is told by several distinct, compelling characters whose paths intersect, detonating into a story of twist after pulse-pounding twist. The novel cements Finlay as one of the leading thriller writers today.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.

My Review:

It appears there are many more people who enjoyed this one than I did. I listened to the audiobook and will add kudos to the female narrator. But for some reason, I had a problem getting into it and staying with it.

Three POVs, Ryan being the main character, who kicks off the backbone of the storyline by reliving the night he was pulled from his girlfriend’s car and sustained a blow to the head. He can only remember small glitches of that night, but remembers her screams as she is taken. He escapes an arrest for her disappearance, but public opinion as well as his schoolmates tries and convicts him. He changes his name and goes to law school, but it catches up with him in Italy five years later.

We are good so far, huh?

Okay, I’m digging the female deputy. Poppy McGee is earnest, giving it her all. This is it for her as her military experience didn’t go all that well. She is new on the job, suspects she’ll be handing out traffic tickets, when small town law enforcement needs her to follow up on leads for the car pulled out of the local lake with two male bodies inside. It could happen—it’s a small town remember (Leavenworth, KS). Coincidentally, it’s the missing girls’ car.

Okay, so behind the scenes, there is a little mischief going on with the local mob. Now we start getting twists, tropes, and the suspense ramps up. I love how the mob grandpa nurtures his grandson—it’s sweet—never mind what he’s doing with his business—the revenge third of the plot.

Then there’s the cryptic note found in the submerged car and there is much to do regarding decoding what the note says. But, generally, there is a lot going on and the narrative flips between one of the three POVs until there is gradually a connection and an audible, “Ohhh…”.

So, yeah, it is entertaining, engaging in sections while others appeared to lag a bit (for me anyway). Suspend a little disbelief and just go with the flow as the conclusion might just do it for you.

The CE read two of his previous books, What Have We Done in 2022, and enjoyed both.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Psychological Thrillers, Suspense
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B0CKM1LNKW
Listening Length: 7 hrs 16 mins
Narrators: Helen Laser, John Pirhalla, Paul Dateh
Publication Date: May 28, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: If Something Happens to Me [Amazon-US]
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Alex Finlay is the author of the 2021 breakout novel, EVERY LAST FEAR, the 2022’s GoodReads Choice nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller, THE NIGHT SHIFT, and his latest 2023 release, WHAT HAVE WE DONE. His work has been an Indie Next pick, a LibraryReads selection, an Amazon Editor’s Best Thriller, as well as a CNN, Newsweek, E!, BuzzFeed, Business Week, Goodreads, Parade, PopSugar, and Reader’s Digest best or most anticipated thrillers of the year. Alex’s novels have been translated into nineteen languages and are sold around the world. All of his books have been option for film and television, and EVERY LAST FEAR is in development for a series on a major streaming service. Learn more at https://alexfinlaybooks.com/

#TuesdayBookBlog

The Wild Road Home: A Novel by Melissa Payne #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

A beautiful and enriching novel about unforgettable love and the power of friends and family by Melissa Payne, the bestselling author of The Night of Many Endings and A Light in the Forest.

Mack Anders will do anything for his wife, Daisy. Even die. With the woman he loves fading away from Alzheimer’s, Mack fakes his own passing. The insurance makes certain that Daisy will be taken care of with dignity and comfort until the end. In a lonesome cabin in the Wyoming wilderness, he lives off the grid with nothing but thoughts of the past to keep him company and the belief that Daisy is better off without him.

Strong-willed eighteen-year-old Brandi has just been released from juvie. Willing to risk everything to save her young brother, Sy, from their unstable mother, Brandi takes him on the run. Her destination is their aunt’s house in Casper. Maybe there she can finally find a stable home for Sy. After a busted tire strands them in the remote wildlands of Wyoming, they cross paths with Mack. Brandi quickly realizes this quiet stranger might be their only hope of reaching safety.

On an unpredictable road ahead, escape brings these three kindred souls together. But the real world is closing in, and to help Brandi and Sy, Mack will have to come back to life in ways he never imagined.

My Review:

This is one of those beautiful stories of what can happen despite the plans so carefully laid out and then how wonderfully it all turns out anyway.

Mack is the loving husband of Daisy, terminal with cancer and Alzheimers. He has planned his (fake) death to provide insurance funds for her cancer treatment and will then head off to a remote cabin in Wyoming to live out his days anonymously.

Brandi, 18, was just released from juvie. She is determined to get her brother away from their druggie mother. He is only five, but Brandi was once told that her aunt would care for him if something happened to their mother. She just has to get him to Casper.

And there are a few problems with that. No money. An old car. Sure enough, it breaks down.

That’s where Mack meets her and her little brother. Really, he wants no part of it. He has problems of his own. For one, he is missing an arm. She is wary, but he’s plagued by “what would Daisy do” and that’s help!

These characters reach right in and grab your heart. They are so well developed, you can see the snark in the eyes of Brandi—she’s not had it easy—but she is determined to make a better life for Sy. Mack struggles with despair for his wife and the need to hide in his cabin—he took insurance money for his wife, after all. She kidnapped her baby brother. Broken, they are extremely relatable and the Wyoming wilderness comes alive around you.

Themes of love, loss, flawed characters desperate and accidentally finding love outside of family, respect, as well as drug addiction and the savage ravages of disease. The story pounds the feelings, prying senses you don’t wish disturbed. The writing style is disturbingly emotional—but it’s the good kind. A thoroughly unique storyline.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Alzheimer’s Disease, Sibling Fiction, Small Town & Rural Fiction
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
ISBN: ‎ 166251574X
ASIN: B0CFCXF5LQ
Print Length: 294 pages
Publication Date: June 18, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Melissa Payne is the bestselling author of four novels, including A Light in the Forest and The Night of Many Endings. After an early career raising money for nonprofit organizations, Melissa began dreaming about becoming a published author and wrote her first novel. Her stories feature small mountain towns with characters searching for redemption, love, and second chances. They have been three-time Colorado Book Award finalists and Colorado Authors League 2020 and 2023 winners for mainstream fiction. She enjoys speaking about her writing journey at book clubs, literary festivals and in interviews. She believes that everyone has a story to share. Her upcoming novel, The Wild Road Home, will be released in 2024. Melissa lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with her husband and three children, a friendly mutt, a very loud cat, and the occasional bear. For more information, visit http://www.melissapayneauthor.com or find her on Instagram @melissapayne_writes.

Have a good week!

The Curse of King Midas by Colleen M Story – #BookReview – #Mythology

Book Blurb:

The curse of King Midas is real.

In the ancient kingdom of Phrygia, tribal boy Karem Savas thirsts for revenge against King Sargon II, the man who killed his mother and kidnapped his sister. A deal with the dark goddess of the underworld propels him to a powerful position of leadership with a mighty army and thousands of loyal subjects. Crowned as King Midas, he rules from the prosperous capital city of Gordium, where the future shines bright for his two royal children, Prince Anchurus and Princess Zoe.

But Midas is unable to shake his traumatic past. As his deal with the dark goddess turns sour, he seeks help from another, never realizing it will be his undoing. Burdened with a cursed power and floundering against the savvy King Sargon II, Midas must right his wrongs and save his children before it is too late.

Packed with myth, magic, and vengeance, this captivating tale of King Midas begins the new mythological fantasy series from Colleen M. Story.

His Review:

Ah, everything you touch turns to gold! I remember this as a cherished childhood dream. Imagine, gold at every turn. I could have golden books and every coin gold instead of silver or clad coinage; what a dream.

Ms. Story paints a picture of an aging king trying to keep his kingdom from a jealous adversary. Mix in a couple of witches and the problem becomes compounded. To get the results of your dreams, you must give up your eternal soul! Money, however, is not the most important thing in most people’s lives. What about wives and children and other essentials such as food?

Greedy King Midas quickly discovers the problem with everything he touches turning to gold. How about a cool glass of water on a hot day? It becomes a heavy glass of gold with nothing to quench a thirst. Thank goodness for the sorceress who can alleviate some of the suffering by converting the gold back into food for humans.

Ms. Story has written a very interesting and thought-provoking story covering greed and all of its elements. I recommend you read and enjoy this fantasy. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Greco-Roman Myth & Legend Fantasy eBooks, Greco-Roman Myth & Legend, Mythology
Publisher: Midchannel Press
ISBN-10: ‎ 0999099175
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-0999099179
ASIN: B0D4DC9DQR
Print Length: 438 pages pages
Publication Date: June 10, 2024
Source: Author

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Colleen M. Story is a novelist, freelance writer, and speaker with over 25 years in the creative writing industry. “The Curse of King Midas,” her newest novel, was recognized as a top-ten finalist for the Claymore Award prior to publication. Her previous novels include “The Beached Ones” and “Loreena’s Gift,” which was a Foreword Reviews’ INDIES Book of the Year Awards winner.

Colleen’s series of popular success guides for writers—”Your Writing Matters,” “Writer Get Noticed!” and “Overwhelmed Writer Rescue”—have all been recognized for their distinction. She frequently serves as a motivational speaker, where she helps attendees remove mental and emotional blocks and tap into their unique creative powers.

A lifelong musician, Colleen plays the French horn in her local symphony and pit orchestras. When not writing, she’s exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest and making up more challenging games for her smart German Shepherd to play. Find more at colleenmstory dot com and writingandwellness dot com.

Enjoy Your Sunday

Long Time Gone by Charlie Donlea – #AudiobookReview – #womensleuthmysteries

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Book Blurb:

In this engrossing, masterfully twisting new thriller from the #1 internationally bestselling author, a forensics trainee learns through a DNA test that she mysteriously disappeared as a baby thirty years ago—and her life is still in danger …

When Dr. Sloan Hastings submits her DNA to an online genealogy site for a research assignment, her goal is to better understand the treasure-trove of genetic information contained on ancestry websites. Brilliant and driven, Sloan is embarking on a fellowship in forensic pathology, training under the renowned Dr. Livia Cutty.

Sloan has one reservation about involving herself in the experiment: she’s adopted. Grateful for a loving home, she’s never considered tracking down her biological parents. The results of her search are shocking. Sloan’s DNA profile suggests her true identity is that of Charlotte Margolis, aka “Baby Charlotte,” who captured the nation’s attention when she mysteriously disappeared, along with her parents, in July 1995. Despite an exhaustive search, the family was never seen again, and no suspects were named in the case.

Sloan’s discovery leads her to the small town of Cedar Creek, Nevada, the site of her disappearance. It also leads her to Sheriff Eric Stamos. The Margolis family’s influence and power permeate every corner of Harrison County, and Eric is convinced that in learning the truth about her past, Sloan can also help discover what happened to Eric’s father, who died under suspicious circumstances soon after he started investigating her disappearance.

Slowly, over the course of a stifling summer, Sloan begins getting to know her relatives. Though initially welcoming, the Margolis family is also mysterious and tight-lipped. Not everyone seems happy about Sloan’s return, or the questions she’s asking. And the more she and Eric learn, the more apparent it becomes that the answers they both seek are buried in a graveyard of Margolis family secrets that some will do anything to keep hidden—no matter who else has to die …

My Review:

Don’t you just love it when the blurb saves you the time of reading the book? I listened to it anyway and for the most part found it very engaging.

It’s fun when a big topic of interest is used to create a unique book plot and the author takes this one and really runs with it. At the beginning, I found Sloan Hastings to be intelligent, independent, a pathologist who secured a fellowship under a forensic pathologist, an avenue Sloan was keen to explore. Her assignment is a DNA study and she is required to submit her own to create her dissertation.

Oops! She’s always known she was adopted, but isn’t sure how her adoptive parents will receive that news. But no prob. They’re cool with it.

There is a shocker, of course. She is “Baby Charlotte” (Margolis) who disappeared with her birth parents almost thirty years ago. Now for the fun part.

The Margolis family are very well to do and pretty much have the little town of Cedar Creek, Nevada wrapped up. They appear to receive her with open arms, thrilled at the discovery she is not only alive but back to discover her birth family. It’s her chance to dig into the mystery of her birth parents and get some history.

And here’s where it changes for me from her being a brilliant pathologist to a naïve, under-educated woman who requires detailed explanations that had me rolling my eyes and slapping my forehead.

Can she learn what happened to her parents and discover secrets buried for thirty years? The switch in timeline provides insight into Sloan’s birth parents, but you’ll have to start swallowing some disbelief. Twisty plot, interesting and engaging characters, and fast pace keep you flipping pages (sometimes looking for credulity). And I must admit, though I had my suspicions (eeny, meany), I picked the wrong one.

It’s entertaining. I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Women Sleuth Mysteries, Psychological Thrillers, Women Sleuths
Publisher: Recorded Books
ASIN: B0CQZ3GZ48
Listening Length: 9 hrs 19 mins
Narrator: Vivienne Leheny
Publication Date: May 21, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Long Time Gone [Amazon]
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Charlie Donlea is the USA Today and #1 International bestselling author of propulsive, female-driven thrillers including The Girl Who Was Taken, Don’t Believe It, Twenty Years Later, and Those Empty Eyes. His eighth thriller, LONG TIME GONE, explores the science of forensic genealogy.

A late bloomer, he was twenty years old when he read his first novel–THE FIRM by John Grisham–and knew he would someday write thrillers. Published in forty countries and translated into nearly twenty languages, his books have sold more than 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone and have been optioned for film and television.

Praised for his “soaring pace, teasing plot twists” (BookPage) and talent for writing an ending that “makes your jaw drop” (The New York Times Book Review), Donlea has been called a “bold new writer…on his way to becoming a major figure in the world of suspense” (Publishers Weekly).

He was born and raised in Chicago, where he continues to live with his wife and two children. Learn more at his interactive website at CharlieDonlea dot com.

happy thursday!

Can’t We Be Friends by Eliza Knight – Denny S Bryce #AudiobookReview #BiographicalFiction

A Novel of Ella Fitgerald and Marilyn Monroe

Book Blurb:

Award-winning author Denny S. Bryce and USA Today bestselling author Eliza Knight collaborate on a brilliant novel that uncovers the boundary-breaking, genuine friendship between Ella Fitzgerald, the Queen of Jazz, and iconic movie star Marilyn Monroe.

One woman was recognized as the premiere singer of her era with perfect pitch and tireless ambition.

One woman was the most glamorous star in Hollywood, a sex symbol who took the world by storm.

And their friendship was fast and firm…

1952: Ella Fitzgerald is a renowned jazz singer whose only roadblock to longevity is society’s attitude toward women and race. Marilyn Monroe’s star is rising despite ongoing battles with movie studio bigwigs and boyfriends. When she needs help with her singing, she wants only the best—and the best is the brilliant Ella Fitzgerald. But Ella isn’t a singing teacher and declines—then the two women meet, and to everyone’s surprise but their own, they become fast friends.

On the surface, what could they have in common? Yet each was underestimated by the men in their lives—husbands, managers, hangers-on. And both were determined to gain. Each fought for professional independence and personal agency in a time when women were expected to surrender control to those same men.

This novel reveals and celebrates their surprising bond over a decade and serves as a poignant reminder of how true friendship can cross differences to bolster and sustain us through haunting heartbreak and wild success.

My Review:

Marilyn died in 1962, the year we were married. Many historical events happened the same year and I must confess many of them were lost in my own life concerns at the time. Born in 1926, Marilyn was thirty-six. Born in 1917, Ella passed in 1996 at 79 years. Both achieved legendary status, and while it is true that they did form a friendship, this is a fiction accounting of that friendship.

At times, the palaver got so thick, I completely discounted the incident. Indeed, it’s explained at the end of the book that (remember) it is a work of fiction.

What isn’t fiction is that given the time in the civil rights movement, Monroe’s support of Ella could have hurt her career which was already flourishing. It was because Marilyn was up for a pic in which she was to sing that she began hounding Ella to coach her as Ella was admittedly one of her singing idols.

Ella was well-known and successful but struggled for the level of acceptance and the better gigs as that of Lena Horne, Dinah Washington, and Nina Simone. And Ella was a big woman. The Mocambo wanted small and pretty; Marilyn helped her get into the Mocambo.

While I was fully engaged in the voice of Ella in the audiobook, I found the voice of Marilyn annoying at times, cloying, sure she did not use her public persona voice during all the private conversations.

An audiobook, I hoped for a tidbit of one of Ella’s songs. And then there was the iconic Happy Birthday song to President Kennedy by Marilyn—that breathy, sexy song so familiar to generations of fans.

The book jumps between reflections of Ella and Marilyn, sometimes creating a disjointed narrative, Ella coming over as most authentic. I enjoyed the different stories of both ladies and their families, including the account of Ella’s Aunt Virginia! Marilyn’s story inevitably covered failed marriages, including the extremely physically abusive Joe DiMaggio marriage, although Arthur Miller—while not physically abusive—swung just as hard to the mental side of abusive and was just as damaging.

“There is something in the bond of an honest friendship between women that a lover can never breach and that fake friends will never understand.”

To her credit, Ella didn’t drink, smoke, or do drugs and that became a heavy wedge between their friendship. While Ella decried Marilyn’s increasing dependency on drugs and booze, she couldn’t be a part of it.

Lots of literary license here, still there are tidbits to be gleaned between dramatic recreations or fictionalized accounts of what may have or could have happened. The authors spent untold hours in research. Perhaps the most telling is the insight given in the epilogue.

If you enjoy biographical accounts, historical accounts of some of our famous personalities, you might very well enjoy this collaboration. I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Biographical Fiction, Friendship Fiction, Biographical Historical Fiction
Publisher: HarperAudio
ASIN: B0C7DXY8TW
Listening Length: 11 hrs 15 mins
Narrators: Karen Chilton, Caroline Hewitt
Publication Date: March 5, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Can’t We Be Friends [Amazon-US]
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Authors:

Eliza Knight is an award winning, USA Today and international bestselling author. Her love of history began as a young girl when she traipsed the halls of Versailles and ran through the fields in Southern France. She can still remember standing before the great golden palace, and imagining what life must have been like. Growing up in the Washington, D.C. area, her weekends were filled with visits to museums, and historical reenactments. Escape into history for courageous heroines, irresistible heroes and daring escapades. Join Eliza (sometimes as E.) on riveting historical journeys that cross landscapes around the world. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and Novelists, Inc., the creator of the popular historical blog, History Undressed, a co-host on the History, Books and Wine podcast and a co-host for the true crime podcast, Crime Feast.

While not reading, writing or researching for her latest book, she tries to keep up with her three not-so-little children. In her spare time (if there is such a thing…) she likes daydreaming, wine-tasting, traveling, hiking, staring at the stars, watching movies, shopping and visiting with family and friends. She lives atop a small mountain with her own knight in shining armor, three princesses, two very naughty Newfies, and a turtle named Fish.

Look for STARRING ADELE ASTAIRE a story full of glitz and glam, delving into the life of Adele Astaire, a spirited and talented woman who served up smiles and love both on and off the stage—with and without her also famous brother Fred Astaire— along with a determined young dancer with rags-to-riches dreams. Coming in June 2024, THE QUEEN’S FAITHFUL COMPANION.

For more information about book club visits, downloadable reader guides, upcoming author events, book news, newsletter and more, visit her website: http://www.elizaknight.com

If you love history and want to dive in for some fun, visit Eliza’s popular, award-winning blog:

http://historyundressed.com or her history podcast: https://historybooksandwinepodcast.buzzsprout.com

To connect on social media, visit/follow Eliza at the following:

Twitter: @elizaknight

Denny S. Bryce is a best-selling, award-winning author of historical fiction. A former dancer and public relations professional, Denny is an adjunct professor in the MFA program at Drexel University, a book critic for NPR, and a freelance writer whose work has appeared in USA Today and Harper’s Bazaar. She is also a member of the Historical Novel Society, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Tall Poppy Writers. Originally from Ohio, she likes to call Chicago her hometown but currently resides in Savannah, Georgia. You can find her online at DennySBryce.com.

Nalini Akolekar, Spencerhill Associates, represents her.

#TuesdayBookBlog

City of Secrets by P J Tracy – #BookReview – #policeprocedurals

Book Blurb:

LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan returns in P. J. Tracy’s City of Secrets, the next book in the series praised by the New York Times Book Review: “Tracy seems to have found her literary sweet spot.”

Los Angeles Police Detective Margaret Nolan and her partner have worked a lot of different cases, ones where things aren’t always as they appear. And it’s Nolan’s job to find the truth in the darkness around her. When they’re called to the scene of what looks like a fatal car-jacking, Nolan soon realizes her victim was a founder of a company about to sell for millions, and within a day of his death, his partner’s wife is abducted. As Nolan learns more about the victim and his life, she gets pulled into a disturbing world of sex, violence, and big business; and an even darker world, where whispers of an “Angel of Death” are beginning to surface.

One of today’s finest crime writers, P. J. Tracy has created a series that is a rich and authentic portrait of LA, filled with the tragedy and optimism of her multi-layered characters and a story guaranteed to keep readers enthralled.

His Review:

Bruce Messane is filthy rich. He has the attitude to go along with the money. He is cruel and repulsive to everyone. Camille, one of his former wives, would dearly love to see him underground. The only good thing to come out of that union is his very lovely daughter Mimi. Mimi is the apple of his eye.

Mimi is beautiful, blond and every man’s eye turns when she enters the room. Mimi has only one problem, she has learned to hate all men! Her male victims gladly follow her until her true mission is revealed.

Detective Margaret Nolan fought hard to get her position in the LA SWAT Division. How could she have known over 13 years ago just how much she would grow to hate the job and the idiots assigned to her as her partners! She had hoped to be kicked upstairs into management but instead is dragging inept partners to investigate cases. Her latest partner is no better than her last thirty or so.

When Bruce Messane and his wife are found brutally murdered, Detective Nolan is assigned to bring the killer to justice. She will have to drag one of the rookies with her to teach them the ropes. Just the thought of this task makes her groan and turn even more caustic. What a lucky junior trainee/partner!

This book is well written with a few belly-laughs during the reading. With a rather slow start, the action is evenly paced and the results are predictable. I enjoyed the characters and can recommend it as a great distraction. 3.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedurals, Crime Thrillers
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ASIN: B0CGRZCFBV
Print Length: 304 pages
Publication Date: August 20, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: PJ Tracy is the pseudonym of mother-daughter writing duo P.J. and Traci Lambrecht, authors of the New York Times and internationally bestselling MONKEEWRENCH series, and winners of the Anthony, Barry, Gumshoe, and Minnesota Book Awards.

After PJ’s death in 2016, Traci began writing the Detective Margaret Nolan series, set in Los Angeles, where she lived for many years. DEEP INTO THE DARK and DESOLATION CANYON are available now, and the third novel, THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, will be released in January 2023.

Have a Great Sunday

After Dusk: A Mystery Novel by Lynda McDaniel #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Appalachian Mountain Mysteries Book 8

Book Blurb:

Laurel Falls, N.C., Summer, 2015: “What do you do when the sheriff says an old friend killed someone … but he swears he didn’t do it?

Believe him.

I never thought I’d see Dusk Holt again. He was just a boy when I helped Della Kincaid find what happened to his mother all those years ago. And now here he stood at my front door—an ex-con with prison tats crawling up his neck.

He promised he wanted to do good going forward. But next thing we knew, he’d gotten himself arrested for murder before his hair had time to grow out from that awful prison cut.

Not to mention all the evidence that kept piling up against him. No question about it. The sheriff was after Dusk.

Instead of the real killer.

I’m not proud how often I wanted to give up our investigation. And why wouldn’t I? I got beat up, tires slashed, and almost drowned. Della and I tore all over the mountains of North Carolina and chased clues to the Pacific Northwest and back.

I’ll say this for that killer—he was good at being evil. He wore us out and then some.

But when a friend—even one from long ago—needs you, how can you turn your back?

You can’t.”~ Abit Bradshaw

You’ll enjoy this suspenseful story because who doesn’t long for justice?

If you love Jacqueline Winspear, Sue Grafton, and Cheryl Bradshaw (no relation to Abit Bradshaw that we know of), you’re sure to enjoy the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series.

Get it now—for the rich natural setting, colorful characters, and suspenseful investigations.

After Dusk is the eighth novel in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series by award-winning author Lynda McDaniel. It is a standalone novel.

My Review:

I was hooked by the first book in this series, the main character, Abit, back then a boy relegated to the porch of his folks’ little general store. The character has now grown, been married, become a father of boys of his own, and lost the bond with their mother along the way. The character is so magnetic, you can’t help but follow him every step of the way through his adventures, triumphs, and sorrows.

Abit Bradshaw met Della Kincaid when she took a short sabbatical into the mountains and caught sight of Laurel Falls and little general store where she stopped for snacks. Inexorably drawn to the beauty of the area and the boy, she discovered the store was for sale. Abit and Della form a very special bond and discover that together they have a knack for solving mysteries.

The character-driven mysteries may feature subtle, off-page mayhem that includes murder. This installment brings back a person in his history that he and Della worked with before. Dusk Holt is in serious trouble again, not the first time, but this time he didn’t do it. Abit can’t deny him support.

It’s not long before the reader is immersed in the atmospheric location and both the main and support characters. The chapters switch POV that deepen engagement with them as well as the area and the introduction to “benevolent vigilantism.” Interesting until it turns to the much darker mind of the antagonist.

This installment also introduces a possible new romance for Abit, who, on the surface appears to be a pleasing and positive match. Guess I’m still disappointed in the loss of Fiona to think about him falling for another woman. He seems such the innocent. Is she?

Of course, Keely joins Abit and Della in the investigation, following the clues, gaining intel and it’s possible we are given to see that this addition might work. Throughout there are subtle miscues, twists, and turns, but they manage to pull it together and provide a satisfying conclusion.

As each book brings a unique storyline, even location, you might expect to read this as a standalone. There are references to previous characters/events. I’ve read most, not all, of the books in the series, including Deep in the Forest, and enjoyed them all.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery Series, Cozy Craft & Hobby Mysteries, Christian Suspense
Publisher: Lynda McDaniel Books
ASIN: B0D2VPYMR1
Print Length: 316 pages
Publication Date: April 26, 2024
Source: Author

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: ** For a free starter library of two books in the series, go to LyndaMcDanielBooks.

[Lynda McDaniel] I love writing page-turners—both fiction and nonfiction. And I love coaching others to do the same, living into their dreams of writing books.

I got my start as a writer in the most unlikely place—a town of 200 people in the mountains of North Carolina. But living there changed my life in so many positive ways. My Appalachian Mountain Mysteries–“A Life for a Life,” “The Roads to Damascus,” “Welcome the Little Children,” “Murder Ballad Blues,” “Deep in the Forest,” “Up the Creek,” “Unwrapped,” and “About Dusk”–pay homage to the people of Appalachia who taught me so much. And to Mollie the Wonder Dog, who plays a role in every book starting with “The Roads to Damascus” (called Millie in that book).

To read more stories from the mountains and to keep up to date with Abit, Della, and the gang (plus receive a free novelette, “Waiting for You,” that pulls back the curtain on Abit’s and Della’s lives before they met in Laurel Falls), just head over to my website, Lynda McDaniel Books.

Over the years, I’ve written more than 1,200 articles for major magazines and newspapers. I’m proudest of the 21 books I’ve written. My nonfiction books include my Write Faster Series. “Words at Work,” which I wrote straight from my heart, is a much-needed response to all the questions and concerns people have about writing today. (It won top honors from the National Best Books Awards.) “How Not to Sound Stupid When You Write” and “How to Write Stories that Sell” complete the series.

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, but I’ve lived all over this country—from the Midwest to the Deep South to Appalachia to the Mid-Atlantic to the Pacific Northwest. Whew! I finally settled by the sea in Eureka, California, a place that reflects the values I learned while living in the mountains of North Carolina, all those years ago.

http://www.lyndamcdanielbooks.com

#TuesdayBookBlog