Kobo – Page 4 – Rosepoint Publishing

Party of Liars: A Novel by Kelsey Cox #AudiobookReview #crimethrillers

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Book Blurb:

Featuring multicast narration, a lavish, Texas-sized Sweet Sixteen turns deadly in this twisty, pulse-pounding new novel—serving up a fresh take on a classic locked-room whodunnit. Let the festivities begin…

Today is Sophie Matthews’s sixteenth birthday party, an exclusive black-tie bash in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, where secrets are as deep-rooted as the sprawling live oaks. Sophie’s dad has spared no expense, and his renovated cliffside mansion—once thought haunted and shuttered for years from outsiders—is now hosting the event of the season. Then, just before the candles on the three-tiered red velvet cake are blown out, a body falls from the balcony onto the starlit dance floor below.

It’s a killer guest list . . .

DANI: Sophie’s new stepmother who’s been plagued by self-doubt ever since the birth of her own baby girl

ÓRLAITH: the superstitious Irish nanny who senses a looming danger in this cavernous house

MIKAYLA: the birthday girl’s best friend who is not nearly as meek as the popular kids assume

KIM: the cunning ex-wife who has a grudge she can’t let go of

Everyone is invited in. Not everyone will get out alive.

My Review:

I confess. I downloaded this book because one of my favorite narrators worked the audiobook, Saskia Maarleveld. And yes, come time, I recognized her voice. Unfortunately, there were a lot of other voices as well, and the constant switching back and forth had my head spinning.

So, honestly? I found this book to be a bit of a slog. I can’t say bored. Well, maybe I can. Between all the characters, most unlikable, I had a difficult time engaging in any of them, although the new mother, Dani, had my sympathy once or twice.

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox — Party of Liars – UK cover

This is supposed to be a thriller, then not just character and voice switch, but time switches (before, during, after) slow the pace and was difficult to navigate. We are talking Dani, a new mom and step-mom to birthday girl, Sophie, turning sixteen and her dad, Ethan’s, reason for an all out, way over the top adult chance to show off their renovated mansion, wealth, and position to just about everyone but birthday girl’s friends. Well wait, there’s Mikayla, but Mikayla is just…messed up!

All the dialogue is relegated to background noise and becomes too easy to shut off as the listener waits for a change to someone else. Not really a thriller, although I must admit I listened to Órlaith. Ethan is just icky. Off with him!

I didn’t think it had all that many twists and turns but did enjoy that last little zinger delivered at the end. HA! Hadn’t given thought to that angle, but yeah. That worked for me.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Crime Thrillers, Psychological Thrillers, Suspense Thrillers
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B0DFRCW5M2
Listening Length: 10 hrs 57 mins
Narrator: Dan Bittner, Kate Handford, Pearl Hewitt, Saskia Maarleveld, Suzy Jackson
Publication Date: July 1, 2025
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)

Title Links:

Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Kelsey Cox (she/her) received her MFA in fiction from Purdue University and works from home in the Texas Hill Country. You can often find her writing at Mammen Family Public Library, chasing around her two young daughters, or watching British mysteries with her mom and aunts. On nights when bedtime goes as planned, she enjoys curling up on the sofa, glass of wine in hand, and a book with complicated characters and a killer twist in her lap. Party of Liars is her debut novel.

Happy Autumn

Dogged Pursuit by David Rosenfelt #AudiobookReview #animalfiction

An Andy Carpenter Mystery Book 31

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

In Dogged Pursuit, David Rosenfelt takes listeners back to the start of this beloved series as Andy Carpenter begins his career as a defense attorney in Paterson, New Jersey.

Andy Carpenter has spent the three years since graduating law school working as a prosecutor in Paterson. But having seen how the system never looks out for the little guy, he leaves to start his own practice as a defense attorney. His office might be a little bit of a dump, but he’s excited to make a change.

Andy goes to the shelter to adopt a dog, where he meets his beloved golden retriever, Tara, for the first time and feels an immediate connection. The shelter is crowded and Tara’s been sharing space with a dog named Sunny; Andy hates to break them up and so asks to take Sunny, too, but since there’s a pending criminal case involving the owner, he’ll need to get written permission for temporary possession.

Andy discovers that Sunny’s owner, Frank Tierney, has been arrested for the murder of his ex-boss. But he takes an immediate liking to Frank and his clear dedication to his dog, and ends up with his first case along with the two dogs.

This prequel to the long-running and perennially popular Andy Carpenter mysteries is a gift for fans and a terrific entry-point for newcomers.

My Review:

I never get tired of the Andy Carpenter Mystery series and haven’t missed many since discovering them in 2016. In this case, I shared the wealth with the CE back in June of this year. Have to admit, however, he got gypped when he read the ebook, as you can’t beat one of my favorite narrators as the wise-cracking but extremely effective defense attorney.

This is actually a prequel to the popular series, introducing the reader to his first marriage, then to Tara, the Golden Retriever who starts it all. Additional support characters are gradually brought in and we see how the team is formed.

The prequel starts a fledgling criminal attorney position, having left the prosecution side of the court. Tara comes with a buddy, a little dog belonging to a man arrested for murder. Taking on the case of a person accused of blowing up a car resulting in multiple deaths also deals a blow to his already shaky marriage. It is also the introduction to Laurie, an ex-cop investigator.

As he is making friends and influencing people, the stakes are rising to deadly heights. The “I didn’t do it” mantra becomes centrally significant and begs the question, “then, who did?”

It gets complicated and there are no Carpenter books that aren’t. Combined with a snarky sense of humor, lively courtroom scenes, and heart-melting doggy vignettes, it’s a perfect launch for someone who hasn’t started the series. For those who have, but didn’t actually start with Book 1 (when do I ever?), it answers a number of questions.

Grover Gardner became Andy Carpenter a long time ago, but those discovering the series through the prequel will understand how and why he’s now the voice of the quintessential attorney. I always recommend Gardner’s narration over an ebook.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Book Details:

Genre: Animal Fiction, Animal Cozy Mysteries
Publisher:
Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B0DFRLWNHG
Listening Length: 6 hrs 30 mins
Narrator: Grover Gardner
Publication Date: July 1, 2025
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: David Rosenfelt, a native of Paterson, New Jersey, is a graduate of NYU. He was the former marketing president for Tri-Star Pictures before becoming a writer of novels and screenplays. “Open And Shut” was his first novel; “First Degree,” his second novel, was named a best book of 2003 by Publishers Weekly. He currently lives in Southern California with his wife and 35 dogs.

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Website

The Narrator:

Grover Gardner’s narration career spans twenty-five years and over 550 audiobook titles. AudioFile Magazine has called him one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and features him in their annual “Golden Voices” update. Publishers Weekly named him Audiobook Narrator of the Year for 2005. His recordings have garnered 18 “Golden Earphones” awards from AudioFile and an Audie Award from the Audio Publishers’ Association.
http://grovergardner.blogspot.com/

Have a Happy Thanksgiving

The Gift from Aelius by Michael Colon #BookReview #Post-ApocalypticScienceFiction

Book Blurb:

In the not-too distant future, A191, a Codex with artificial intelligence, feels like a misfit in Paradise, a walled city in the middle of an endless desert where humans imprisoned his race long ago. He’s not like the others of his kind; he longs to meet humans and make peace with them so man and Codexes can be reunited in the world. These thoughts and feelings are not allowed in Paradise; he risks banishment to the desert by the Overseer A. I. who rules by fear and force. Complicating matters, A191 has a glitch in his programming that conjures up a human boy named Aelius who tells him to go to Old Haven where he will find freedom. However, he’s drafted into a rebellion against the Overseer, and as Paradise enforcers close in with orders to terminate him, he escapes the city to wander the desert in search of humans. The journey reveals the truth about his existence, the Overseer’s lies, and the consequences of mankind’s untethered technology.

His Review:

Could the beginning of the decline of mankind be at hand? This is an ongoing theme in this book by Michael Colon. The book explores the development of various robots and other artificial life forms. The central character is a robot who does not follow the norms or codes of society. He and others of his generation are policed by robotic law enforcement that looks to eradicate any non-conforming life forms in society.

The Utopia of the story has an assembly of police groups who arrest the aberrant bots and then disassemble them. Piles of dismembered parts litter various areas in the city. Of course, with every attempt at weeding out the undesirables, further deviants continue to surface. Squads of the robot police scour the cities for those who do not conform to their laws. (Sounds very similar to some of the problems around the world with wars between societies.)

My appreciation for the story is enhanced by the development of some of the current technologies being utilized for the benefit of mankind. The reduction in various industries of manual labor being replaced by automated systems is the foundation of the scenario in this tome. Read and enjoy this topical, controversial contemporary narrative. 4 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: FourStars

Book Details:

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction, Literature & Fiction
Publisher: TWB Press
ISBN-13: 978-1959768739
ASIN: B0DLJCC1SL
Print Length: 188 pages
Publication Date: October 29, 2024 – Just released!
Source: Author

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Kobo

Autumn reading time

The Intruder by Freida McFadden #AudiobookReview #PsychologicalThrillers

#2 this week

Book Blurb:

There’s someone at your front door—should you let them in? Find out in a riveting new thriller from global sensation and #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Housemaid, Freida McFadden!

Who knows what the storm will blow in…

Casey’s cabin in the wilderness is not built for a hurricane. Her roof shakes, the lights flicker, and the tree outside her front door sways ominously in the wind. But she’s a lot more worried about the girl she discovers lurking outside her kitchen window.

She’s young. She’s alone. And she’s covered in blood.

The girl won’t explain where she came from, or loosen her grip on the knife in her right hand. And when Casey makes a disturbing discovery in the middle of the night, things take a turn for the worse.

The girl has a dark secret. One she’ll kill to keep. And if Casey gets too close to the truth, she may not live to see the morning.

In this taut, deadly tale of survival and desperation, #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden explores how far one girl will go to save herself.

My Review:

I love books with a creepy factor. This one checks that box, though maybe not entirely for the reason you are thinking.

I’m beginning to worry about McFadden’s mind though, she appears to excel in the sick and twisted. At the beginning of the book, it can be assumed Casey is a normally intelligent person, but then she lets a young girl into her cabin in the woods during a massive storm who’s cover in blood. (Yeah, I know, don’t get me started.)

You only think that the girl has a secret. That’s because you are still sifting through the first two-thirds of the book. You have to wonder why a young woman with a decent education and a formerly appropriate job is out of work and in the woods. The back and forth gets you closer to the truth.

The girl with all the blood? Yeah, we’ll get to it. Interesting character development here, but can you allow yourself to lend sympathy with either character? Maybe not. The men, peripheral, support characters give you just enough background to think, “run, Forest, run.”

You might have caught on to the author’s tricks, her twists. The novels are well plotted and paced, engaging and entertaining. Might be compelled to just keep reading. But what you absolutely know you can count on is that one last zinger (really, you expected that?), the one you may not have seen coming. Good for you. This one caught me by surprise.

Again. (Kudos to the narrators for keeping the suspense going.)

Yeah, I’m beginning to catch on, having read two recently, The Housemaid’s Secret and The Boyfriend in August this year. There’s just something about watching a train wreck…

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Psychological Thrillers, Domestic Thrillers
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
ASIN: B0F94KB253
Listening Length: 8 hrs 19 mins
Narrator: Joe Hempel, Patricia Santomasso, Tina Wolstencroft
Publication Date: October 7, 2025
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)

Title Links:

Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: #1 New York Times, Amazon Charts, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Sunday Times, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author Freida McFadden is a physician who has penned multiple bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. Freida’s work has been selected as one of Amazon Editors’ best books of the year, she is the winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for best paperback, and she is a Goodreads Choice Award winner. Her novels have been translated into 40 languages.

Freida lives with her family and cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe.

To hear Freida talk about herself more in the third person, check out her website freidamcfadden.

Halloween

I Know How This Ends by Holly Smale #AudiobookReview #FamilyLifeFiction

Book Blurb:

If you knew how your life would turn out, what would you change now?

The second brilliantly uplifting and thrilling novel from the multi-million bestselling author of Geek Girl and Reese’s Book Club Pick Cassandra in Reverse.

Margot Wayward is in manically gleeful self-destruct mode. Following the implosion of a ten-year relationship, she’s wilfully derailing her successful career, joyfully taking down men on dating apps, and living in total chaos.

Until one day, when Margot has a vision of herself with a man she’s never met before. She doesn’t believe in fate. But when Margot meets single-dad Henry, the vision comes true: exactly as she’d foreseen it.

As her future continues to reveal itself, a glimpse at a time, Margot realises she knows exactly what’s going to happen, and when. And there’s nothing she can do to change any of it.

So Margot has to decide how to live, how to love again, and how to be herself… Because if you can’t change your destiny, how on earth do you live your present?

My Review:

Determined to prove to her friends that she’s not totally crushed or ended by her devastating end to a ten-year relationship that was to have made her a wife, Margot has subscribed to a dating service.

By the time she is at date #16, she’s seen them all, the tricks; the guy who shows up not looking at all like his app pic, and the married ones looking for a fun fling to name just a couple. After all, she has a list of positives she’s looking for and a huge male ego isn’t on it.

So she’s down to counting red flags and begins numbering them as soon as the guy shows up. I love how she separates truth from fiction and puts them in their place!

Margot is a thirty-something, sharp, witty, independent main character. She is a meteorologist who left her position after the breakup to create a successful podcast. She is sharply critical and outspoken, but she loves her grandfather and checks in with him often. Doesn’t like cats, but discovers one can be a pleasant pet. And has a loving and close friendship group.

And then the magic happens. The novel introduces just a bit of magical realism, more than déjà vu, a vision. She’s had them before. He’s definitely not on her approved list—so why does he make her heart flutter? Laugh?

If you’ve read my reviews very often, you no doubt know I’m not big on romance. This is more than that. It’s a story of love, loss, destinies. It’s an intriguing and compelling read, the dialogue between characters bitter-sweet, frank, and realistic.

And, of course, I’m always up for a bit of magical realism! This one checked a box I usually avoid. Predictable—but not. Twists you don’t expect. Disappointed at one point then buoyed by another. If I can recommend it, you just might love it. (<half star F words)

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Family Life Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
ASIN: B0DK44Z7TY
Listening Length: 11 hrs 15 mins
Narrator: Alix Dunmore
Publication Date: August 12, 2025
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Holly Smale has been writing stories since she was four years old: constructing her own books from cereal boxes and a lot of sticky-tape, then forcing family readers to give her glowing reviews by standing in front of the television.

Her path to publication included teen-modelling, factory-work, PR, teaching in Japan and a chaotic stint as the world’s worst waitress, along with a BA in English Literature and an MA in Shakespeare from Bristol University. She uses neither of these qualifications on a daily basis, but still brings them up at parties.

Her debut children’s novel, GEEK GIRL, became the No.1 Young Adult title in the UK and won the Waterstones YA Book Prize, selling 3.4 million books in 30 languages. It is currently in development with Netflix.

At the age of 39, Holly was diagnosed as both autistic and dyspraxic. She writes and speaks passionately about neurodiversity and a lot of random topics she’s not really qualified to talk about yet does anyway.

Her debut adult novel, THE CASSANDRA COMPLEX (UK)/ CASSANDRA IN REVERSE (US) is out now, and is a Reese’s Book Club Pick, a BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick and the Aardvark Book Club pick.

She lives in Hove, England.

Happy Thursday!

The Night Fire by Michael Connelly #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday

A Ballard and Bosch Novel: Harry Bosch Book 22

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Mystery & Thriller (2019)

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

A finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize
A New York Times Book Review Best Crime Novel of the Year
A CrimeReads Best Crime Novel Notable Selection

Harry Bosch and LAPD Detective Renee Ballard come together again on the murder case that obsessed Bosch’s mentor, the man who trained him – new from number one New York Times best-selling author Michael Connelly.

Back when Harry Bosch was just a rookie homicide detective, he had an inspiring mentor who taught him to take the work personally and light the fire of relentlessness for every case. Now that mentor, John Jack Thompson, is dead, but after his funeral his widow hands Bosch a murder book that Thompson took with him when he left the LAPD 20 years before – the unsolved killing of a troubled young man in an alley used for drug deals.

Bosch brings the murder book to Renée Ballard and asks her to help him find what about the case lit Thompson’s fire all those years ago. As she begins her inquiries – while still working her own cases on the midnight shift – Ballad finds aspects of the initial investigation that just don’t add up.

The bond between Bosch and Ballard tightens as they become a formidable investigation team. And they soon arrive at a disturbing question: Did Thompson steal the murder book to work the case in retirement, or to make sure it never got solved?

Written with the intense pacing and masterful suspense that have made Michael Connelly “the hard-boiled fiction master of our time” (NPR), The Night Fire continues the unofficial partnership of two fierce detectives determined not to let the fire burn out.

My Review:

I’m a big fan of Harry Bosch whether TV series, ebook or audiobook and usually prefer the audiobook as narrated by Titus Welliver as Bosch and Christine Lakin as Ballard if I can find it.

These two MCs work so well together, both experienced, strong and intelligent, and manage to juggle a number of balls while working on their shared case. They both have a rather singularly driven personality.

The Night Fire by Michael Connelly — The Night Fire – US cover

Ballard works the LAPD’s “Late Show,” the midnight shift in this series installment while Bosch, retired detective is still wrestling with cold cases as well as support for Ballard, as he handles the wilds of LA as well as his personal life. He is currently battling health issues. Ballard continues to fight for equality and frequently clashes with male superiors while Bosch also works as a private investigator for his brother, attorney Mickey Haller (a spin-off series I also follow).

The character development fleshes out each protagonist and gives each a level of sympathy. They are characters you want to root for. The episodes are well plotted and build tension while pushing police procedures.

Always complex, each installment brings a fresh storyline (so many stories in LA) and keeps a strong pace that doesn’t lag in the middle. Neither character is above slightly bending rules when the case warrants whether or not they’ll face consequences.

Each installment can be read as a standalone, you get enough character development to bring them alive in your imagination. It doesn’t hurt, either, that both Bosch is seen in a TV series and Haller his own.

I’ve had just a small issue in prior audiobooks regarding what seems a slight lag in the conversations between Ballard and Bosch and happy to say, I thought this installment fixed it. Bosch’s voice on the audiobook creates a vivid mind picture. What’s not to love?

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Book Details:

Genre: Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch, Book 3 of 6
Publisher: Hachette Audio
ASIN: B07SM14SXT
Listening Length: 10 hrs 4 mins
Narrator: Christine Lakin, Titus Welliver
Publication Date: October 22, 2019
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of more than forty novels and one work of nonfiction. With over eighty-nine million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty-five foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. A former newspaper reporter who worked the crime beat at the Los Angeles Times and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Connelly has won numerous awards for his journalism and his fiction. His very first novel, The Black Echo, won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly’s 1998 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his #1 bestselling novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, hit theaters worldwide starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. His most recent New York Times bestsellers include The Waiting (2024), Resurrection Walk (2023), Desert Star (2022), The Dark Hours (2021), The Law Of Innocence (2020), Fair Warning (2020), and The Night Fire (2019). Michael is the executive producer of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, Amazon Studios original drama series based on his bestselling character Harry Bosch, starring Titus Welliver and streaming on Amazon Prime/Amazon Freevee. He is the executive producer of The Lincoln Lawyer, streaming on Netflix, starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. He is also the executive producer of the documentary films, “Sound Of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story’ and ‘Tales Of the American.’ He spends his time in California and Florida.

The Narrators:

Titus Welliver - actor, narrator — Titus Welliver–Compliments of Wikipedia–thank you!

Titus B. Welliver is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayals of the Man in Black in Lost, Silas Adams in Deadwood, Jimmy O’Phelan in Sons of Anarchy, and the title role in the television series Bosch. Wikipedia Born: March 12, 1962, New Haven, CT.

Christine Lakin - narrator — Christine Lakin – narrator – AI generated search

Christine Lakin is an acclaimed audiobook narrator known for her versatile performances in a wide range of genres. Best known for her acting role on Step by Step, she has narrated over 150 audiobooks and won awards for her work, including a Best of 2024 award for Just for the Summer. Her narration has been praised for its ability to capture character nuances and create atmosphere. [AI generated search]

#TuesdayBookBlog

Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday

Nantucket #4

Best Literature & Fiction

Book Blurb:

The beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author brings her Nantucket novels to a brilliant finish: when rich strangers move to the island, social mayhem and a possible murder follow. Can Nantucket’s best locals save the day, and their way of life? Includes special audio content!

Chief of Police Ed Kapenash is about to retire. Blond Sharon is going through a divorce. But when a 22-million-dollar summer home is purchased by the mysterious Richardsons—how did they make their money, exactly?—Ed, Sharon, and everyone in the community are swept up in high drama. The Richardsons throw lavish parties, flirt with multiple locals, flaunt their wealth with not one but two yachts, and raise impossible hopes of everyone they meet. When their house burns to the ground and their most essential employee goes missing, the entire island is up in arms.

The last of Elin Hilderbrand’s bestselling Nantucket novels, SWAN SONG is a propulsive medley of glittering gatherings, sun-soaked drama, wisdom and heart, featuring the return of some of her most beloved characters, including, most importantly, the beautiful and timeless island of Nantucket itself.

The audiobook edition features an interview between Elin and her longtime narrator Erin Bennett.

My Review:

I guess I get a bit tired of the uber-rich stories. Those poor people have no clue how the masses live. That must be a serious problem as they have nothing left to do but gossip about each other.

Still, the star of this novel, the major character is Nantucket, a tiny island off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and a summer destination of storied history. Settled in 1641, it was a 19th-century whaling hub that evolved into an exclusive, high-end resort, replete with five-star restaurants, quaint cottages, and cobblestone streets.

I loved the descriptions of the area, the town, the coast, and the food. The characters—not so much.

When the mysterious Richardsons purchase a long vacant mansion and begin deep restoration while hosting exclusive parties, the island inhabitants take notice. Who they were, their history, and where they came from produced speculation that ran the rumor mill for weeks. Mrs. Richardson, in particular, invited the deepest and awestruck circumspection.

The lavish parties and themed beach swims managed to finally produce a twist not seen coming—the fire. A big one. And it happens when holding another party out on the yacht. The personal assistant goes missing.

Finally. Some excitement!

I guess this is the final installment of a series and the first I’ve read and I may not have missed much. I wasn’t thrilled with the characters and tired of the parties. The police chief (I think), looking at retirement, was intended to have a stronger voice but was left in the background. There really wasn’t much of a mystery, not sure it is intended as such or a sub-plot left in layered storylines.

Just could not get into this one. I see mixed reviews from both those new to the author (as I am) to die-hard fans…and many of the latter also disappointed. You may love it for the atmospherics and it does enjoy that aspect.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Friendship Fiction, Small Town & Rural Fiction
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
ASIN: B0CMFBSVY9
Listening Length: 13 hrs 31 mins
Narrator: Erin Bennett, Elin Hilderbrand
Publication Date: June 11, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Elin Hilderbrand first discovered the magic of Nantucket in July 1993. Her recipe for a happy island life includes running, writing at the beach, picnics at Eel Point with her three children, and singing “Home, Sweet Home” at the Club Car piano bar. Here’s to Us is her seventeenth novel. [Amazon]

Elin Hilderbrand lives on Nantucket with her husband and their three young children. She grew up in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and traveled extensively before settling on Nantucket, which has been the setting for her five previous novels. Hilderbrand is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the graduate fiction workshop at the University of Iowa. [Goodreads]

Enjoy Your Sunday!

The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristin Harmel #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday

Book Blurb:

From the author of the “engrossing” (People) and “poignant” (Booklist) international best seller The Room on Rue Amélie comes a remarkable and moving story of love, danger, and betrayal: two women in France in the darkest days of World War II and another in present-day America on a quest to uncover the secret that connects them.

At the dawn of the Second World War, Inès is the young wife of Michel, owner of the House of Chauveau, a small champagne winery nestled among rolling vineyards near Reims, France. Marrying into a storied champagne empire was supposed to be a dream come true, but Inès feels increasingly isolated, purposely left out of the business by her husband; his chef de cave, Theo; and Theo’s wife, Sarah.

But these disappointments pale in comparison to the increasing danger from German forces pouring across the border. At first, it’s merely the Nazi weinführer coming to demand the choicest champagne for Hitler’s cronies, but soon, there are rumors of Jewish townspeople being rounded up and sent east to an unspeakable fate. The war is on their doorstep, and no one in Inès’s life is safe – least of all Sarah, whose father is Jewish, or Michel, who has recklessly begun hiding munitions for the Résistance in the champagne caves. Inès realizes she has to do something to help.

Sarah feels as lost as Inès does, but she doesn’t have much else in common with Michel’s young wife. Inès seems to have it made, not least of all because as a Catholic, she’s “safe.” Sarah, on the other hand, is terrified about the fate of her parents – and about her own future as the Germans begin to rid the Champagne region of Jews. When Sarah makes a dangerous decision to follow her heart in a desperate bid to find some meaning in the ruin, it endangers the lives of all those she cares about – and the champagne house they’ve all worked so hard to save.

In the present, Liv Kent has just lost her job – and her marriage. Her wealthy but aloof Grandma Edith, sensing that Liv needs a change of scenery before she hits rock bottom, insists that Liv accompany her on a trip to France. But the older woman has an ulterior motive – and some difficult but important information to share with her granddaughter. As Liv begins to uncover long-buried family secrets, she finds herself slowly coming back to life. When past and present intertwine at last, she may finally find a way forward, along a difficult road that leads straight to the winding caves beneath the House of Chauveau.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale and Kate Quinn’s The Alice Network, The Winemaker’s Wife is an evocative and gorgeously wrought novel that examines how the choices we make in our darkest hours can profoundly change our lives – and how hope can come from the places we least expect.

My Review:

Well, I really enjoyed the description of the Champagne area of France during WWII. The characters not so much, but then one of the characters becomes the main thrust of the switch between time periods and the book takes off.

Liv is the granddaughter who accompanies Grandma Edith back to France where it’s anticipated she’ll reveal a secret too large to divulge in the US. Since the blurb covers pretty much the entire story, there is little to speak of the storyline, although the characters (both WWII and contemporary) still suffer under heavily weighted romance threads, which quickly become tedious.

I enjoyed the historical aspects of the Champagne area under German occupation as well and their need to enjoy the fruits of the French countryside. Loved the information regarding the massive tunnel system and the stashes of wine and champagne. The resistance, mentioned in the blurb, gets very little elaboration beyond what is already noted and it would have been nice to have had a little more of their exploits.

The contemporary story has Liv embroiled in an “instalove” situation as well, and the romance angle seems to overshadow the earlier time plot of the Germans in occupied wine country.

Can you say twisty? There were quite a number of them, crafting a narrative that quickly layers complexity. I didn’t understand Grandma Edith’s gnarly attitude or her relationship with Liv, and with all the affairs going on in, wasn’t crazy about the WWII generation.

Having read The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau in September, I thought I’d try another of the author’s novels. I think I see a common plot device here using an octogenarian in present day with historical time line sub-plot. I found that narrative strangely compelling, almost more so than this one.

If you can overlook all the romance entanglements, there is a story there and the plot moves at an even pace. Extensive research is obvious and the denouement satisfies sufficiently to add back a star.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The narrators do quite the job with accents and added authenticity. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: World War II & Holocaust Historical Fiction, World War II Historical Fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
ASIN: B07NJFDHYH
Listening Length: 11 hrs 32 mins
Narrators: Robin Eller, Lisa Flanagan, Madeleine Maby
Publication Date: August 13, 2019
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Kristin Harmel is the New York Times bestselling, USA Today bestselling, and #1 international bestselling author of The Paris Daughter, The Forest of Vanishing Stars, The Book of Lost Names, The Winemaker’s Wife, and a dozen other novels that have been translated into more than 30 languages and are sold all over the world.

Kristin has been writing professionally since the age of 16, when she began her career as a sportswriter, covering Major League Baseball and NHL hockey for a local magazine in Tampa Bay, Florida in the late 1990s. In addition to a long magazine writing career, primarily writing and reporting for PEOPLE magazine (as well as articles published in numerous other magazines, including American Baby, Men’s Health, Woman’s Day, and more), Kristin was also a frequent contributor to the national television morning show The Daily Buzz. She sold her first novel in 2004, and it debuted in February 2006.

Kristin was born just outside Boston, Massachusetts and spent her childhood there, as well as in Worthington, Ohio, and St. Petersburg, Florida. After graduating with a degree in journalism (with a minor in Spanish) from the University of Florida, she spent time living in Paris and Los Angeles and now lives in Orlando, with her husband and young son. She is also the co-founder and co-host of the popular weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction.