#siblingfiction – Rosepoint Publishing

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 Keeper of Secrets by Maria McDonald – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

A brand new completely gripping historical novel.

Book Blurb:

One lie changes a family’s path for generations—and finally brings them back to Ireland, in this saga by the author of The Devil’s Own.

In May 1917 the Americans sailed into Cork to join the Great War. When they left two years later, they brought their war brides with them, including Lizzie McCarthy. Still reeling from the tragic death of her sister Maggie, Lizzie leaves Ireland hoping for a better life with her new husband Ed Anderson.

Lizzie soon finds that America is not the land of opportunity she thought it was. Despite the obstacles in her path, she makes a good life for herself and her family. Ed’s sisters become her closest friends and allies. At home, Ireland’s bloody civil war ends. Lizzie’s brother Jimmy joins her and becomes part of the family until he feels compelled to return to a new independent Ireland.

But another conflict is on the horizon, and as their family grows and plants roots in America, they take the once-unimaginable step of boarding a plane and visiting Ireland. Once there, will Lizzie finally learn the truth about her sister’s death?

My Review:

Just in time for Reading Ireland Month (and my second contribution) comes a book from Irish author Maria McDonald. This author provides varied engrossing tales of historical fiction based on familiar characters—in this case, Irish WWI war brides.

In 1976, Beth in Florida, grapples with the tapes of her grandmother, Lizzie, and the startling revelations of her life in Ireland and the marriage to Ed Anderson, a sailor who takes her back to the US following the end of WWI.

Ed gets a job and Lizzie meets his family and gratefully begins the assimilation of life in America. Ed’s two sisters prove her new best friends and she begins a forty-plus year odyssey of life in America, watching both his family and her own grow, evolve, and emerge over the years through hardship and small triumphs.

The storytelling is compelling—following the lives and their progress, developments in both countries, the tragedies, and the impact of events that influenced both countries from prohibition and the depression, WWII, and the US President John F. Kennedy.

There is an interesting well-plotted twist and pace that keeps engagement. Lizzie is well-developed and sympathetic, as are support characters, although a couple of them take an unexpected course of action. The tension of the tightly held secrets holds the suspense in the background, always a cloud over the characters.

Only the tapes will relinquish the long-held and history-changing truths, although these too include a couple surprises. The conclusion becomes an ah ha! and satisfying moment.

I’ve read and enjoyed each of the author’s books, always finding tidbits I can tuck away, particularly in The Devil’s Own.

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 Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Sibling Fiction, 20^th Century Historical Fiction
Publisher: Bloodhound Books
ASIN: B0CTJC31PF
Print Length: 310 pages
Publication Date: March 26, 2024
Source: Author

Title Link(s):

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

The Author: Originally from Belfast, Maria McDonald lives in Kildare, with her husband Gerry.

Maria is an avid reader who loves to write but only indulged in her passion for writing fiction after retirement. Since then, her short stories and articles have been published in Woman’s Way and Ireland’s Own, as well as numerous anthologies; Intermissions, Grattan Street Press Melbourne; Same page anthology, University College Cork; Fragments of Time, Amber Publishers. Maria is a founder member of Ink Tank Writing Group, based in Newbridge library and contributed to their anthologies, Timeless in Kildare and Let Me Tell You Something.

Since signing with Bloodhound Books she published two historical fiction novels in 2023, The Devil’s Own and Tangled Webs. The Keeper of Secrets, her third novel with Bloodhound Books, is due for release in March 2024

https://twitter.com/mariamacwriter

Rich Justice by Robert Bailey – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Jason Rich Book 3

Book Blurb:

In this twisty thriller from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Robert Bailey, a disgraced attorney’s mistakes come back to haunt him when he’s tried for a murder he didn’t commit.

Once the flashy, successful lawyer known for his in-your-face billboards—IN AN ACCIDENT? GET RICH—Jason Rich has fallen from grace, his reputation scrubbed of its glitz and his life stripped of the people he cares about. All thanks to meth kingpin Tyson Cade.

But when Cade is shot and killed in the heart of his territory, things go from bad to worse for Jason as he is charged with his murder.

To clear his name, Jason seeks help from an unlikely source: Shay Lankford, an old adversary and attorney almost as disgraced as Jason himself. Now Jason and Shay have even more to lose—their lives—as they dig into the dangerous truth behind Tyson Cade’s murder.

Neither time nor evidence is on their side, but after everything he’s lost, Jason is determined to save his future from the mistakes of his past—no matter the price.

His Review:

Small towns in Alabama are often one-horse towns. Guntersville is a very good example of this fact. The control of the town rests on a former US Army Colonel named Chuck Tonidandel. Everything in the town and immediate environs is controlled by Chuck and his three sons. Everyone else in the burg answered to the Colonel or his three sons.

Jason Dean was raised by the Colonel and everything he did was to please the Colonel. People who crossed the Colonel or his family wound up in various stages of dead. The local gendarme pointed out that Jason was responsible for the killings in the area. He lost his law license due to malfeasance and is in limbo waiting for a two-year suspension of said license.

This book is well written with the exception that it has too many murders. Anyone who seemed to cross the Colonel or Jason Dean wound up dead. There are simply too many deaths pointing back to the Tonidandels and their father, nor does the author leave the fairer sex out of the mix. Dating any lady in Guntersville could be a quick trip to a three-by-six-by-six future. I enjoyed the book but found the number of killings over the top. Read to see if you agree. 4 stars – CE Williams

[Note: It’s been a while since we read a Bailey book, Legacy of Lies, that one in 2020 that I read from a different series and thoroughly enjoyed. VW]

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

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Sibling Fiction, Legal Thrillers
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN: 1662516630
ASIN: B0C62FWRL2
Print Length: 515 pages
Publication Date: May 7, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Robert Bailey is the bestselling author of the McMurtrie and Drake Legal Thrillers series, which includes The Final Reckoning, The Last Trial, Between Black and White, and The Professor. The first two novels in the series were Beverly Hills Book Awards legal thriller of the year winners, and Between Black and White was a finalist for the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year.

For the past nineteen years, Bailey has been a civil defense trial lawyer in his hometown of Huntsville, Alabama, where he lives with his wife and three children. For more information, please visit http://www.robertbaileybooks.com.

Wintertime Books and Reviews

Someone Else’s Bucket List by Amy T Matthews – #BookReview – #siblingfiction

Book Blurb:

A bingeworthy, bittersweet, sisterly P.S. I Love You for the digital age, Someone Else’s Bucket List follows shy Jodie Boyd after the untimely death of her outgoing, hugely successful Instagram influencer sister, Bree—and Bree’s last wish: that Jodie complete her bucket list. Instructed by a series of videos left by Bree, Jodie takes on the terrifying challenge as the world watches. The venture will not only change Jodie’s life, but save the family—and possibly others—from staggering medical debt. Perfect for fans of Josie Silver and Rebecca Serle.

My dying wish is for you to finish my bucket list. I refuse to die without knowing this list will be completed. And I refuse to die without knowing my family will be okay . . .

Jodie Boyd is a shy and anxious twenty-something, completely unsure what to do with her life. Her older sister, Bree, is an adventurous, globe-trotting, hugely successful Instagram influencer with more than a million followers. She’s the most alive person Jodie knows—up until Bree’s unfathomable, untimely death from Leukemia. The Boyds are devastated, not to mention overwhelmed with medical debt. But Bree thought of everything—and soon, Jodie is shocked by a new post on her sister’s Instagram feed.

The first of many Bree recorded in secret, the post foretells a jaw-dropping challenge for Jodie: to complete Bree’s very public bucket list. From “Fly over Antarctica,” to “Perform a walk-on cameo in a Broadway musical,” if Jodie does it—and keeps all Bree’s followers—a corporate sponsor will pay off the staggering medical debt. If she gains followers, the Boyds won’t be the only ones to benefit. It’s crazy. It’s terrifying. It’s impossible, immoral even, to refuse. So, despite the whole world watching, Jodie plunges in, never imagining that in death, her sister will teach her how to live, and that the last item on the list—“Fall in love”—may just prove to be the easiest.

His Review:

Bree had her life all figured out. She had prepared a bucket list of 100 things she wanted to do before she died. Climb Mount Everest, run with the bulls, learn martial arts in Brazil; yes, it was all planned out. Then, she went into the hospital with a mild case of pneumonia! What did the doctor mean, she had leukemia?! She still had too much to do on her list!

Jodie is living a predictable life until her sister’s diagnosis. She and both of her parents are working two or three jobs each to pay off the medical bills. Ryan Air steps in and offers to not only pay off the bills but help Jodie complete her sister’s bucket list. Jodie agrees to complete the list and embarks on a planned promotional trip to help rid the family of the massive debt. Jodie is less than thrilled with her commitment.

The author skillfully works through the minefield that is the endeavor to complete Bree’s bucket list. Jodie ruefully approaches each task with cameras and cell phones recording her every move. The entire task becomes morbid at times and the people tasked with recording the saga are relentless. I applaud Ms. Matthews and her rendering of this experience. It is a unique contemporary tale, gripping and entertaining, easy to become engaged. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. Currently on pre-order.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Sibling Fiction, Women’s Friendship Fiction, Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Kensington Books
ASIN: B0BFC6RJFV
Print Length:
Publication Date: May 23, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link: Someone Else’s Bucket List [Amazon]

The Author: Amy T. Matthews is a novelist and an academic. Her new book Someone Else’s Bucket List will be out May 2023 – it’s a tear-jerking, heartwarming story of sisterly love. Amy’s first novel, End of the Night Girl, won the Adelaide Festival Unpublished Manuscript Award and was long-listed for The Australian/Vogel literary award, and short-listed for the Nita B Kibble Dobbie Award and the Colin Roderick Award. She has published short stories in collections including Best Australian Stories and co-edited three collections of short stories and poetry. Amy is Senior Lecturer and Discipline Lead in Creative Writing at Flinders University, Deputy Director of Assemblage Centre for Creative Arts, and a former Chair and long serving board member of Writers SA; she is also an Associate Member of the JM Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice.