Breach by Holly S Roberts #BlogTour #PsychologicalThriller #Giveaway

Breach by Holly S Roberts on Great Escapes Virtual Blog Tour

Breach: A Terrifying Summer Adventure
by Holly S. Roberts

I AM DELIGHTED TODAY TO PROVIDE A REVIEW FOR YOU AT MY BLOG STOP FOR Breach by Holly S Roberts ON THE GREAT ESCAPES VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR.

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Book Details

Breach: A Terrifying Summer Adventure
Psychological Thriller
Setting – Off the coast of California
Publisher ‏ : ‎Independently Published (March 22, 2024)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 202 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8320606989
Digital: Wicked Story Telling (June 20, 2024)
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CQYXJ3T1

Book Blurb

Craving the vastness of the open sea, Kate and her family set out on a journey of forgiveness and healing aboard Ryan’s Gift, their newly remodeled yacht. After a tragic accident, it’s imperative that Kate returns to the ocean, the place she once called home, in an attempt to restore her spirit.

In the middle of their idyllic voyage, the nightmare begins. With no power or communication, a monster lurks below the surface and the family must find a way to defeat the darkness before it destroys them.

Experience this gripping story of a family’s fight for survival and a terrifying reckoning from the deep.

Excerpt

“Eighteen months had passed since the accident that left Kate with an incomplete spinal cord injury, taking away the use of her legs. The rehabilitation center staff had believed her fortunate for retaining some sensation below the waist, but Kate had never felt unluckier” .

“Kate examined the water looking for a dorsal fin. Slight waves from the Sea Doo rocked the yacht. She wheeled herself frantically toward the stern, her pulse hammering as the real threat lurked unseen below”​​.

“Kate’s voice was a whisper, her hands tense on the wheels of her chair. ‘Ryan, hold on,’ she breathed as the shark’s massive silhouette darted beneath the yacht toward her daughter”​​.

“With every ounce of her being, Kate focused on the rolling waves. ‘This ends today,’ she declared, determination lining her features as she prepared to defend her family from a terrifying nightmare”​​.

My Review

I can’t imagine being in Kate’s shoes (or slippers) being confined to a wheelchair but excited to be leaving on a family vacation with hubby and their five-year-old daughter, Ryan. Even on a yacht, sometimes the pitching and yawing can throw off an able-bodied person. Still, it’s a maiden voyage for their new recently refitted yacht heading north well off the California coast.

Kate is trying to decide whether or not to try to continue the marriage with a hubby who admitted straying. The accident that took the use of her legs happened then and the vacation is a stab at mending the fissure.

The yacht, however, begins to exhibit problems almost from the beginning and events begin to cascade into disaster. If you’ve ever thought, “I can’t do this” the novel would be an excellent example of yes you can, you must, and you will!

I absolutely cannot believe the test of endurance, strength, and fortitude it took to survive this heart-pounding situation. The little girl is amazing, smart, and in no small part a reason they both survive.

In the meantime, the tension builds until it becomes explosive. I loved the writing style, the inexorable rise in terror as the monster of the deep seemed to anticipate their every move.

It’s an exciting and spell-binding beach read as long as you aren’t at the beach or dorsal fins don’t bother you. Recommended!

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Giveaway

The author is running a giveaway for a shark plushie! Enter  here for your chance to win!

 

About the Author

Holly S Roberts - author Holly S Roberts is the USA TODAY bestselling author of thrillers, mysteries, and romance. Her Detective Eve Bennet crime series is a #1 Amazon bestseller. She’s a retired homicide detective who worked high-profile cases in Arizona. Holly lives high in the mountains with her husband and two spoiled dogs.

Author Links

Website: http://wickedstorytelling.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hollysrobertsauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollysrobertsauthor/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hollysrobertsbooks?lang=en

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPzvSdXdeVFQhlGmbqYBJ3w

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6522660.Holly_S_Roberts

Purchase Links

Amazon/Kindle Unlimited

BREACH TOUR PARTICIPANTS

June 20 – The Mystery of Writing – SPOTLIGHT

June 20 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT

June 20 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

June 21 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

June 21 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

June 21 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 22 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 22 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 22 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

June 23 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

June 23 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

June 24 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

June 24 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

June 25 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

June 25 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

June 25 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW

June 26 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

June 26 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

June 26 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT

Logo for Great Escapes Virtual Book ToursThanks to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to read this cozy mystery.

 

© 2024 V Williams

Best House on the Block: A Thriller by T R Ragan #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

Revealing a neighbor’s deep secrets and dark obsessions turns to murder in a shocking novel of psychological suspense by a New York Times bestselling author.

Best House on the Block by T R RaganAspiring investigative journalist Shannon Gibbons and her family have moved into a beautiful house in the Fabulous Forties of East Sacramento, where Shannon finds a fast connection with a new neighbor. Renowned journalist Rosella Marlow appears to have a genuine interest in giving Shannon’s own career a boost―as personal assistant on Rosella’s new project. Appearances are deceiving.

Bitter, resentful, and consumed by excruciating grief, Rosella is obsessed with wiping the smiles off her contented neighbors’ faces. Now she’s watching closely, ready to expose their secrets. Secrets dark enough to destroy lives. In Shannon, Rosella has a trusting and unwitting accomplice. But Rosella is being watched, too. And when someone is found murdered, everyone on this quiet block is a suspect. Because everyone has a motive.

With the help of a friend, Shannon begins an investigation into the death of a person she just met. As neighbor is pitted against neighbor, the truth is much scarier than anything they imagined. 

My Review:

“If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.” Yup, and investigative journalist Shannon Gibbons should have remembered that old quote when she responded to the inquiry from Rosella Marlow. Rosella was a renowned journalist in the day and one of Shannon’s heroes. Excited about the prospect of being mentored by Rosella, she moves her family to the very neighborhood where Rosella lives.

Unfortunately, Rosella doesn’t live up to the hype and instead turns out to be a bitter, nasty woman who is the scourge of the neighborhood. It’s also unfortunate that the neighborhood is square in the Fabulous Forties of East Sacramento which is definitely not a fictional upscale historical area but certainly breathtakingly rich, impressive, and gorgeous.

Best House on the Block by T R RaganShannon is almost immediately introduced to the clique of the neighborhood but then before she can even start emptying boxes, the neighbor is murdered.  One of the lady’s has a keen interest in figuring out which of her friends is responsible and Shannon sees an opportunity for collaboration and a story.

Okay, but what do all these busy-bodies have to do with the prologue? There is a plethora of suspects. Everyone disliked the woman intensely and all had a motive and opportunity.

After the hook, the pace slows somewhat to introduce all the support characters—and there are a lot.

For an aspiring journalist, Shannon seems a bit clueless where or how to begin the investigation and is directed by the neighbor-turned-friend. Of course, her friend knows everyone and pretty much their business and it doesn’t take long before they begin to uncover some interesting secrets. Throw in a twist or two.

The denouement is neatly drawn together with one final douzy that was one too many and just didn’t work for me.

I noticed a couple places where even the author or editor used a name incorrectly, but no problem. I also stumbled on non-gender names used for either boy or girl and confused which gender we were talking about more than once (i.e., Mac, Ridley, Blake, Rowan), already having trouble with the sheer number of support characters.  Interesting plot. I waited to see where the prologue ties in, but after getting a few more clues, I knew.

I did, however, get a small chuckle out of the reference to an old Volkswagen van. “It was orange and Stephanie called it Pumpkin, as if it were a beloved pet.” Funny, because we recently adopted an orange, white, black, and brown Pomeranian we named Punkin. (Yeah—adopted her in October.)

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: Three point Five Stars Three point Five Stars

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Book Details:

Genre: Domestic Thrillers, Kidnapping Thrillers, Murder Thrillers
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN-10: ‎ 1662517300
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1662517303
ASIN: B0CWF9Z1MB
Print Length: 287 pages
Publication Date: November 5, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US  |  Amazon-UK   |   Barnes & Noble

T R Ragan - authorThe Author: T.R. Ragan (Theresa Ragan) has sold over four million books and is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling mystery and thriller author.

Readers interested in signing up for a monthly newsletter or getting their name in a TR RAGAN book should check out her website at http://www.trragan.com

Facebook • Twitter • Instagram: @trraganauthor

LIZZY GARDNER SERIES
Abducted
Dead Weight
A Dark Mind
Obsessed
Almost Dead
Evil Never Dies

FAITH MCMANN TRILOGY
Furious
Outrage
Wrath

JESSIE COLE SERIES
Her Last Day
Deadly Recall
Deranged
Buried Deep

SAWYER BROOKS SERIES
Don’t Make a Sound
Out of Her Mind
No Going Back
Count to Three
Such A Beautiful Family

Theresa Ragan Novels: Return of the Rose, A Knight in Central Park, Finding Kate Huntley, Dead Man Running, Having My Baby, An Offer He Can’t Refuse, Taming Mad Max, and Here Comes the Bride!

©2024 V Williams

Punkin
Courtesy Bones & Bows

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

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay
Editors' Pick 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.

If Something Happens to Me by Alex FinlayOkay, 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 Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Psychological Thrillers, Suspense
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B0CKM1LNKW
Listening Length: 7 hrs 16 mins
Narrators: Helen LaserJohn PirhallaPaul 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

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Alex Finlay - authorThe 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/

©2024 V Williams

#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.

The Wild Road Home by Melissa PayneMack 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.

The Wild Road Home by Melissa PayneThat’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 4.5 stars

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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

 

Melissa Payne - authorThe 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.

©2024 V Williams

Have a good week!

Lockdown (NYPD Negotiators Book 3) by Sara Driscoll – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

When a horrific school shooting turns into a hostage situation, only Gemma Capello, the NYPD’s most skilled negotiator, has a chance to save innocent lives and end the crisis . . .
Lockdown by Sara DriscollTalking a suspect into sending his hostages out alive is NYPD Detective Gemma Capello’s specialty. Alerted to a school shooting at her nephew’s Brooklyn high school, she is one of the first officers on-scene. Detective Sean Logan and the Apprehension Tactical Team arrive next and immediately enter the school to apprehend the two shooters, while Gemma remains outside to help students evacuate. But as time stretches on, and there is no word of her nephew, her fear builds that he is one of the lost.

One of the two shooters has holed up with a group of students and their teacher as hostages. Gemma steps in to negotiate for their survival. Floors away and armed with only her wits and the sound of her voice to convince him, Gemma fights for control of the situation even as tactical leadership pressures her for a more aggressive strategy. But for Gemma, it’s not about a quick solution. It’s about moving heaven and earth to bring everyone in that classroom home. And she’ll do whatever it takes to achieve that goal.

My Review:

I’m a solid fan of the FBI K-9 series and have read most of them but the NYPD Negotiators series was new to me.  Of course, I read the K-9 series because…dogs.

This is a whole nother kind of Driscoll experience. The author brings to this series her sharp-eyed focus on minute details that might fly over the heads of those not in this kind of life or death role.

Gemma Capello, however, is as solid and effective in her skill set of negotiator as Meg and Cody is of the canine disaster recovery team.

In Book 3 of this series, Gemma is on her way to her dad’s house when she gets a call regarding a school shooting at the school her nephew attends. She’s not that far and immediately becomes one of the first officers on the scene, albeit off-duty and out of uniform.

Lockdown by Sara DriscollIf you’ve ever wondered what it looks like, the chaos, the terror, the sights, sounds, and smells, then you’ll get your answers here—in graphic detail. Two shooters have mowed down fellow students (and teachers) when one realizes he has come to the end of the road. He had expected to go out “in a blaze of glory” and he did so, leaving the other shooter to hole up in a classroom with a group of hostages.

Gemma’s goal is to safely lockdown the school and take control of the tactical team whose leadership pushes for aggressive take-down. She is most keen on getting those hostages, and possibly the perp as well, out alive.

Securing an interesting and thorough psychological profile of the surviving perpetrator, Gemma manages to use her position of authority to provide personnel safety, quickly setting up triage stations, medical staff, and coordinating with law enforcement, including Detective Sean Logan who will have a crucial part in extraction.

The negotiations require large coordinating teams each doing their part and all Gemma’s training, education, and psychological experience to see a successful end to the tension and terror-filled scene.

The one point repeated more than once that I didn’t understand was the mantra, “Run, Hide, Fight.” How would an unarmed student without even a cell phone fight a perp with an automatic weapon bent on leaving no one alive? 

Definitely a heart-pounding exposé of those real life situations we’ve seen repeated too often lately. What would you do?

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 4.5 stars

 

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Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedurals, Women Sleuths
Publisher: Kensington Books
ASIN: B0CM85MQ1V
Print Length: 303 pages
Publication Date: May 21, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon   |   Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo

Sara Driscoll - authorThe Author: Sara Driscoll is the pen name of Jen J. Danna, coauthor of the Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries and author of the FBI K-9s and the NYPD Negotiators. After over thirty years in infectious diseases research, Jen hung up her lab coat to concentrate on her real love—writing “exceptional” thrillers (Publishers Weekly). She is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada and lives with her husband and four rescued cats outside of Toronto, Ontario. You can follow the latest news on her books, including the FBI K-9s, at http://www.saradriscollauthor.com.

©2024 V Williams

#TuesdayBookBlog

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

Can't We Be Friends by Denny S Bryce and Eliza Knight

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 Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Biographical Fiction, Friendship Fiction, Biographical Historical Fiction
Publisher: HarperAudio
ASIN: B0C7DXY8TW
Listening Length: 11 hrs 15 mins
Narrators: Karen ChiltonCaroline 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

 

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The Authors:

Eliza Knight - authorEliza 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 - authorDenny 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.

©2024 V Williams

#TuesdayBookBlog

Small Mercies: A Novel by Dennis Lehane #AudiobookReview #historicalthrillers

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars 5 stars

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane

Editors' Pick Best Books of the Year 2023

Book Blurb:

Instant New York Times Bestseller

“Small Mercies is thought provoking, engaging, enraging, and can’t-put-it-down entertainment.”—Stephen King

The acclaimed New York Times bestselling writer returns with a masterpiece to rival Mystic River—an all-consuming tale of revenge, family love, festering hate, and insidious power, set against one of the most tumultuous episodes in Boston’s history.

In the summer of 1974 a heatwave blankets Boston and Mary Pat Fennessy is trying to stay one step ahead of the bill collectors. Mary Pat has lived her entire life in the housing projects of “Southie,” the Irish American enclave that stubbornly adheres to old tradition and stands proudly apart.

One night Mary Pat’s teenage daughter Jules stays out late and doesn’t come home. That same evening, a young Black man is found dead, struck by a subway train under mysterious circumstances.

The two events seem unconnected. But Mary Pat, propelled by a desperate search for her missing daughter, begins turning over stones best left untouched—asking questions that bother Marty Butler, chieftain of the Irish mob, and the men who work for him, men who don’t take kindly to any threat to their business.

Set against the hot, tumultuous months when the city’s desegregation of its public schools exploded in violence, Small Mercies is a superb thriller, a brutal depiction of criminality and power, and an unflinching portrait of the dark heart of American racism. It is a mesmerizing and wrenching work that only Dennis Lehane could write.

My Review:

The air in Southy (deeply Irish South Boston) is crackling both from the summer temps and also from the recent mandate to bus students from mostly white South Boston High to mostly Black Roxbury and vice versa. It’s 1974 and there is a sharp divide in integration from both sides. Violence is teetering on the slightest provocation and it won’t take much to light that match.

Small Mercies by Dennis LehaneMary Pat Fennessy is struggling like the rest in the projects; not enough money for anything, a teenage daughter pushing boundaries, and now missing. Mary Pat is not a woman who will go quietly in the night. She’s been a scrapper all her life, there is little that scares her and she was taught never to run from trouble. She starts a search for her daughter that disturbs the neighborhood Irish mob boss.

The story hooks immediately, such a dark period, rampant racism backdropped against a widow who has already lost an only son. She confronts with disbelief what she discovers about her daughter and that may be the last straw.

The well-plotted novel is dark, extremely atmospheric of the brutality of the time and locality, the gangs. The frustration weighs heavily, pain and grief in attendance, Mary Pat is an exceptionally well-drawn main character. The narrator nails the heavy resignation.

Yes, triggers of racism, language, sexual abuse, drugs. Hard to read or listen to this one and no way not to.

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

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Thrillers, Amateur Sleuth Mysteries
Publisher: HarperAudio
ASIN: B0B8PHDJLD
Listening Length: 10 hrs 23 mins
Narrator: Robin Miles
Publication Date: April 25, 2023
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Small Mercies [Amazon]
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

 

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Dennis Lehane - authorThe Author: Dennis Lehane (born Aug 4th, 1966) is an American author. He has written several novels, including the New York Times bestseller Mystic River, which was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also called Mystic River, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon (Lehane can be briefly seen waving from a car in the parade scene at the end of the film). The novel was a finalist for the PEN/Winship Award and won the Anthony Award and the Barry Award for Best Novel, the Massachusetts Book Award in Fiction, and France’s Prix Mystere de la Critique.

Bio and photo from Goodreads.

©2024 V Williams

#TuesdayBookBlog

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

#1 Best Seller in Historical World War II Fiction

Book Blurb:

Can a woman ever really know herself if she doesn’t know her mother?

From the author of the smash-hit bestseller Firefly Lane and True Colors comes Kristin Hannah’s powerful, heartbreaking novel that illuminates the intricate mother-daughter bond and explores the enduring links between the present and the past.

Winter Garden by Kristen HannahMeredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time—and all the way to the end.

Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya’s life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother’s life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.

My Review:

Stalwart and stoic, the mother of Meredith and Nina was Russian-born and as unemotional and cold to her daughters as a Siberian winter.  The sisters, 180 degrees in temperament and life experience gave up some time in their early teens vying for their mother’s attention that was never going to come. They adored their dad.

The problem, and the premise of the novel, is the promise he exacted from Meredith as he lay dying—one she freely gave to ease her dad’s passage—but certainly not one she expected to actually keep.

Winter Garden by Kristen HannahMeredith is the Earth Mother, deftly handling family and career to exhaustion, taking on more than she should, not realizing she could ever say no. She took on the care of her parents while Nina, the younger sister galllivanted over the globe in search of her next Pulitzer Prize photo. A photojournalist of some reputation, she never stayed in one place long, always scurrying to the next big story—somewhere across the globe.

The two sisters under one roof never do well together for long, particularly when they are left with their mother. It is Nina who finally decides she will discover “the story.”

Be prepared to hang in there. I’ve read a number of Hannah books and they always capture my attention quickly. I think this is possibly the longest to go beyond mundane back story, dual timeline then and now, to get to the crux of the matter. Then it heats up.

With the slow build during the first half then, I guess the author isn’t worried about wringing out the last bit of emotion in either sister, the mother so cold and austere as to barely register as background noise. Anya loved her winter garden. It’s where she could go and be lost to the world—and she was—often.

So, while I was waiting for something to happen, it apparently did and swept right over me and I had to play a little catch-up. I enjoyed getting into the war years in Leningrad as I often wonder how people can go on in these heinous circumstances. What drives them forward? Keeps them from quitting? In this instance, wasn’t it Anya’s children?

The descriptions have the reader shivering with both the weather and the conditions of war. I never quite understood Anya’s arm’s length love for her American children. She was certainly capable of demonstrable love toward her husband. The sisters being opposites rang true of families; one the ant, the other the grasshopper.

A story of a dysfunctional family finally looking for redemption. Did the conclusion smooth everything out—make it all better? Maybe.

Never too late? Maybe.

But for me, too little too late. Sorry.

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 Stars

 

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Book Details:

Genre: Historical World War II Fiction, 20th Century Historical Fiction, Mothers & Children Fiction
Publisher: St Martin’s Press, First Edition (January 28, 2010)
ASIN: B003672JHG
Print Length: 401 pages
Publication Date: January 28, 2010
Source: Library
Title Link(s): Winter Garden [Amazon]

 

Kristin Hannah - authorThe Author: Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels. Her newest novel, The Women, about the nurses who served in the Vietnam war, will be released on February 6, 2024.

The Four Winds was published in February of 2021 and immediately hit #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Indie bookstore’s bestseller lists. Additionally, it was selected as a book club pick by the both Today Show and The Book Of the Month club, which named it the best book of 2021.

In 2018, The Great Alone became an instant New York Times #1 bestseller and was named the Best Historical Novel of the Year by Goodreads.

In 2015, The Nightingale became an international blockbuster and was Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People’s Choice award for best fiction in the same year. It was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week.

The Nightingale is currently in pre-production at Tri Star. Firefly Lane, her beloved novel about two best friends, was the #1 Netflix series around the world, in the week it came out. The popular tv show stars Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke.

A former attorney, Kristin lives in the Pacific Northwest.

©2024 V Williams

#TuesdayBookBlog

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