TLC Book Review: The Silent Treatment

About The Silent Treatment

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (April 7, 2020)

For readers of The Light We Lost and Me Before You, a life-affirming, deeply moving story about lies, loss and a love that is louder than words.

“The premise alone had me, but The Silent Treatment itself is just heartrendingly lovely. It’s beautiful, so moving and clever. I truly adored it.”   — Josie Silver, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One Day in December

A lifetime together.
Six months of silence.
One last chance.

By all appearances, Frank and Maggie share a happy, loving marriage. But for the past six months, they have not spoken. Not a sentence, not a single word. Maggie isn’t sure what, exactly, provoked Frank’s silence, though she has a few ideas.

Day after day, they have eaten meals together and slept in the same bed in an increasingly uncomfortable silence that has become, for Maggie, deafening.

Then Frank finds Maggie collapsed in the kitchen, unconscious, an empty package of sleeping pills on the table. Rushed to the hospital, she is placed in a medically induced coma while the doctors assess the damage.

If she regains consciousness, Maggie may never be the same. Though he is overwhelmed at the thought of losing his wife, will Frank be able to find his voice once again—and explain his withdrawal—or is it too late?

“A remarkably assured debut which doesn’t go where you expect it to go. I very much look forward to seeing what she writes next.” — Jojo Moyes, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Social Media

Please use the hashtag #thesilenttreatment, and tag @tlcbooktours, @williammorrowbooks, and @abbiegreavesauthor.

Purchase Links

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Review: This was a very emotionally charged read. This story was so beautifully written as we learn about Maggie and Frank and their marriage and what causes the 6 months that the two of them haven't spoke.

That's the whole point of this novel. Frank is telling his story as his wife is in the hospital having collapsed after taking sleeping pills.

If you don't cry at some point while reading this book, you have no heart. These two people's lives are so broken yet so full of love for one another that it hurts.

As Frank's story unravels and you learn of his daughter, your heart starts breaking, because its easy to see that she is going to be the cause of the strife and the reason Maggie is in the position that she's in.

When you learn the outcome of Eleanor's life, you won't have a heart because it will be dust on the floor.

This story was so beautiful and sad. It really is the love story of Frank and Maggie, as well the tragedy of their only child.

Both of them are holding back secrets from each other because they feel like they were unforgivable, but what they both needed was one another.

This is definitely one of the best and most heartbreaking novel I've read and its definitely a must read!

Rating: 5 flowers

Rating: 5 flowers

About Abbie Greaves

Abbie Greaves studied English Literature at Cambridge University. She worked in publishing for three years before leaving to focus on her writing. She now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Silent Treatment is her first novel.

Find out more about Abbie at her website, and connect with her on Instagram and Twitter.

TLC Book Tours Book Review: The DNA Of You And Me

About The DNA of You and Me

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (March 12, 2019)

“Refreshing.... Asks urgent questions about female ambition. Fans of Lab Girl have found a worthy successor.”—Real Simple

A powerful debut novel—a wonderfully engaging infusion of Lab Girl, The Assistants, and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine—that pits the ambition of scientific discovery against the siren call of love.

Emily Apell arrives in Justin McKinnon’s renowned research lab with the single-minded goal of making a breakthrough discovery. But a colleague in the lab, Aeden Doherty, has been working on a similar topic, and his findings threaten to compete with her research.

To Emily’s surprise, her rational mind is unsettled by Aeden, and when they end up working together their animosity turns to physical passion, followed by love. Emily eventually allows herself to envision a future with Aeden, but when he decides to leave the lab it becomes clear to her that she must make a choice. It is only years later, when she is about to receive a prestigious award for the work they did together, that Emily is able to unravel everything that happened between them.

A sharp, relevant novel that speaks to the ambitions and desires of modern women, The DNA of You and Me explores the evergreen question of career versus family, the irrational sensibility of love, and whether one can be a loner without a diagnostic label.

Social Media

Please use the hashtag #thednaofyouandme, and tag @tlcbooktours, @williammorrowbooks, and @andrearothmanauthor.

Purchase Links

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Review: This book brings to mind The Big Bang Theory and Sheldon and Amy, back before Amy really became part of the group and her character changed.

Emily is a research scientist looking for a gene that explains why we smell, or something of that nature. Aeden is another scientist in the lab she's working in.

Truthfully I wasn't sure what to expect with this book work vs love? Scientific competition?

Therein lies the problem with this story. You can't get invested in the romance between the two. They are attracted to each other, but in a strange way. Probably stranger than Sheldon and Amy or any of the other characters in BBT. There is really no spark between them that would say, these two should get together, yet they do. Kinda. They have awkward sex, which doesn't really show any spark either.

Then there's their research. Aeden's been there for awhile and his research didn't go anywhere, but now Emily's is. (Part A Star Is Born?)

Also Aeden wants more from life than just a lab. Emily knows nothing but science.  She also knows she doesn't fit in with his family. Saying to his mother "human companionship is overrated."

For this book to be really good, we really needed to know more of the struggle Emily was facing. Heck the relationship she had with Aeden needed to be more developed. Truthfully it felt like it was just sex until it wasn't and then..poof.

Also Aeden, unlike Sheldon Cooper, seems to get around, with the ladies in the lab, if you follow the story.  Nothing is really mentioned..but if you read and pay attention, he's a bit of a player.

The ending was even more of a let down. I won't spoil it but I'll just say I wanted a whole lot more then what we got between the two.

So for me, this one was a bit of a disappointment.

Rating: 2 flowers

About Andrea Rothman

Andrea Rothman was born in Brooklyn NY and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. Her debut novel, THE DNA OF YOU AND ME, was published by William Morrow-HarperCollins in March of 2019. The novel has received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Library Journal, and won an award for Best Popular Fiction in English at the 21st International Latino Book Awards in Los Angeles.

Prior to being a fiction writer, Rothman was a research scientist at the Rockefeller University in New York, where she studied the sense of smell. She holds an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and was a fiction editor for the VCFA journal of the arts-Hunger Mountain.

Her essays and short stories have appeared in print and online journals such as Literary Hub, Lablit, Cleaver Magazine, and Litro Magazine among others, and can be viewed at www.andrearothman.com.

Rothman lives with her husband and two children in Long Island, New York. She is at work on a second novel.

Connect with Rothman on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

TLC Book Tours Book Review: Little Wonders

About Little Wonders

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (March 17, 2020)

If you like SMALL ADMISSIONS by Amy Poepell or CLASS MOM by Laurie Gelman you will love this novel about super mommies, private schools, and getting your worst moment plastered across the internet.

Her mommy meltdown is seen around the world!

When Quinn Barrett’s son refuses to wear his hand-crafted costume to the Little Wonders Preschool Happy Halloween Parade and Dance Party she loses it -- complete with stomping, screaming, and costume-destruction galore. Not her best day. And caught on viral video.   Yep, “Halloween Mom” is now internet famous.

The posting culprit: tattooed, blue-haired, west-coast transplant Daisy McGulch, out of place in the posh New England town and unable to blend with the other perfect mommies of Little Wonders Preschool.

While she couldn’t care less about organic snacks (paleo-preferred) or the winter quarters of the Little Wonders chickens, she’s not about to admit she’s the one who accidently brought Quinn’s worst moment to the entire world—she’d be kicked out of town!

But when Quinn and Daisy find themselves unlikely cohorts in the fight for Little Wonders Parents Association supremacy, they also discover they have more in common than they expected…but the internet is forever.  Can Quinn live down her new reputation?  And how far will Daisy go to keep the truth from coming to light?

Hilarious, clever, and unforgettable, Little Wonders offers a glimpse into the high-pressure world of modern momming, with natural toys, scrutinized playdates, PTA politics, and social media gone amok.

Social Media

Please use the hashtag #littlewonders, and tag @tlcbooktours, @williammorrowbooks, and @noblerorick.

Purchase Links

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Review: I'm not at all sure how I felt about this book. I read and enjoyed The Baby Plan, but this was different.

From the start, I hated Quinn Barrett. I didn't like Ham, and a really hated her husband. Daisy and Rob were ok, but only in that they were opposites of the Barretts. Almost normal folk, would be the best way to describe them.

I felt the most fun thing about the book were the newsletters that appeared randomly, with the little bits of snarky humor scratched out.

Little Wonders preschool...I mean..I just shook my head at all the goings on there.

Rich people problems for the most part, and unless the story is something like Dallas or Dynasty, I have no connection or feel any compassion for these characters.

Quinn's mantra is First I will be good, then I will be better, then I will be perfect.

GAH, that in itself is enough to make me hate her.

I started to soften towards her midway through the book though. She lost an awful lot over nothing. But still I couldn't truly relate to her or fantasize about wanting her life.  (Like I would if I were reading a book about the fabulous and wealthy)

Daisy was the most likable character. I loved that she was nerdy and a gamer and totally the opposite of everyone in town. She was also put together and probably more intelligent than some of the other crazy parents in town.

It was a fun read though and there were some chuckles to be had throughout, again those newsletters were fabulous, but it lacks a wow factor that I want in a book that is supposed to be part comedy. Granted I could see this book translating well on the big screen.

Rating: 3 flowers

About Kate Rorick

Emmy Award-winning writer Kate Rorick is the author of novels about modern motherhood.  She is also a television writer and producer, most recently for The Librarians and Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger.  She is one of the writers behind the runaway YouTube sensation The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and authored its two tie-in novels.  In her vast spare time she is a bestselling author of historical romance, under the name Kate Noble. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.

Find out more about Kate at her website, and connect with her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

TLC Book Tours Book Review: The Moonglow Sisters

About The Moonglow Sisters

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (March 3, 2020)

It’s Jill Shalvis meets Susan Mallery in this gorgeous novel by New York Times bestselling author Lori Wilde about three sisters, one small town, a wedding, and the summer that changes everything.

Welcome to Moonglow Cove, Texas, a place where your neighbors know your name and the gentle waves of the Gulf of Mexico lap lazily against the sands. It’s a magical spot, especially in the summertime…

Once the town was the home of the Clark sisters—brought up by their grandmother at the Moonglow Inn. Nicknamed “The Moonglow Sisters”, as children they were inseparable.  Then, a wedding-day betrayal tore them apart and they scattered across the globe and away from each other.  But the sisters have at last come home…

There’s Maddie: smart, sensible, and stubborn. Shelley, who ran off to find her bliss. And Gia, a free-spirit determined to keep the peace. It’s her impending wedding that keeps them together…but Gia has a secret, and when her sisters find out all heck is going to break loose!

The Moonglow Sisters continues Lori Wilde’s trademark storytelling to create an unforgettable novel of family, betrayal, love, and second chances.

Social Media

Please use the hashtag #themoonglowsisters, and tag @tlcbooktours, @williammorrowbooks, and @loriwilde02.

Purchase Links

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Review:  I've read several of Lori's books before, so I knew I was in for an enjoyable read with The Moonglow Sisters. I wasn't however expecting it to hit so many triggers with me emotionally.

The sisters have been feuding for 5 years because of something that happened at a wedding, but their grandmother's illness brings them together.

That's where I'm triggered big time. Let's just say books dealing with the preparation for the death of a loved one hit me hard, and this book knocked me for a loop.

I also wasn't prepared to intensely dislike one of the sisters, even though she had her own hardships to deal with. Yes, I hated Madison from the start.

I felt horrible for Shelley because I think she got the raw end of life, even though her choices were her own. Also Yoga Cult? I had to look this up to see that OMG this is really a thing. Stuff like that really happens.

Gia however is my spirit heroine. I loved her so much and Mike too!!! I will say their sex scene was a trifle strange.

This was really a sweet story of forgiveness, second chances and finding love and most of all family. I would have loved more of Helen's story, which tied in with the girl's mother. Her story would have made things so interesting.

The end was another huge trigger for me, because it reminded me of things my mother said in the years before she passed. I definitely had to fight back tears when I turned the last page.

This was a lovely read.

Rating: 5 flowers

About Lori Wilde

Lori Wilde is the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers’ Weekly bestselling author of 87 works of romantic fiction. She’s a three-time Romance Writers’ of America RITA finalist and has four times been nominated for Romantic Times Readers’ Choice Award. She has won numerous other awards as well. Her books have been translated into 26 languages, with more than four million copies of her books sold worldwide. Her breakout novel, The First Love Cookie Club, has been optioned for a TV movie.

Lori is a registered nurse with a BSN from Texas Christian University. She holds a certificate in forensics and is also a certified yoga instructor.

A fifth-generation Texan, Lori lives with her husband, Bill, in the Cutting Horse Capital of the World; where they run Epiphany Orchards, a writing/creativity retreat for the care and enrichment of the artistic soul.

Find out more about Lori on her website, connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

TLC Book Tours Book Review: The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant

About The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (March 3, 2020)

A cache of unsent love letters from the 1950s is found in a suitcase on a remote island in this mysterious love story in the tradition of the novels by Kate Morton and Elizabeth Gilbert.

1951. Esther Durrant, a young mother, is committed to an isolated mental asylum by her husband. Run by a pioneering psychiatrist, the hospital is at first Esther’s prison but soon surprisingly becomes her refuge.

2018. Free-spirited marine scientist Rachel Parker embarks on a research posting in the Isles of Scilly, off the Cornish coast. When a violent storm forces her to take shelter on a far-flung island, she discovers a collection of hidden love letters. Captivated by their passion and tenderness, Rachel determines to track down the intended recipient. But she has no idea of the far-reaching consequences her decision will bring.

Meanwhile, in London, Eve is helping her grandmother, a renowned mountaineer, write her memoirs. When she is contacted by Rachel, it sets in motion a chain of events that threatens to reveal secrets kept buried for more than sixty years.

With an arresting dual narrative that immediately captivates the reader, The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant is an inspirational story of the sacrifices made for love.

Social Media

Please use the hashtag #theforgottenlettersofestherdurrant, and tag @tlcbooktours, @williammorrowbooks, and @kaytenunn2.

Purchase Links

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Review: The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant is a stunning work of historical fiction. It is told in dual time periods but it is also told through the eyes of three different women. The first woman is Esther who ends up on an island in mental hospital, committed by her husband. She is lured there on what she thinks will be a vacation.

Then there's Eve, who is helping her grandmother recover from a bad fall. She is also helping her grandmother write her memoirs.

Rachel is a marine biologist studying clams of all things. A discovery on an island brings them together and long hidden secrets are coming to light.

This was a story that I got lost in as soon as I started it. The three stories weave together beautifully. I really wanted to close myself off from the world while I read this book.

Esther was such a wonderful character and you heart will hurt for her through her experiences. Her time in the mental asylum wasn't what you'd expect. Mostly I wanted to hunt down her husband and clobber him.

Esther was unlucky to not marry a man that she truly loved, but then you don't really get a good portrait of her marriage here, just that they were struggling, but you aren't sure why until much later. When you do learn, you are frustrated for her for the lack of understanding that came from her husband.

Then there's Rachel, who doesn't seem to want to put down roots who finds out part of Esther's story in a round about way.

I really didn't connect with Rachel, but as we got to know her you saw she really had a good heart, especially when it came to Leah, who now lives on the island where the mental asylum used to be.

Perhaps there could have been a little more development between the stories. I would have loved to have learned more about Eve, Esther's granddaughter and definitely more about Esther's marriage, but it was still a lovely story.

It is nice to read a story that deals with postpartum depression and SIDS that doesn't make you want to run for the bridge.

There is a sweet little twist at the end too that will make the many years apart seem worthwhile too.

Rating: 5 flowers

About Kayte Nunn

Kayte Nunn is a former magazine and book editor, and the international bestselling author of four novels, among them The Botanist’s Daughter and The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant. Originally from Britain, she has also lived in the USA, and now resides in Australia, in Northern New South Wales, with her family.

Find out more about Kayte at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

TLC Book Tours Book Review: St Francis Society For Wayward Pets

About St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (January 14, 2020)

If you love Susan Mallery and Jill Shalvis, you won’t want to miss this new novel of second chances, dogs, and knitting, from the author of Pupcakes and Sit! Stay! Speak!

Laid off, cheated on, mugged: what else can go wrong in Maeve Stephens’ life? So when she learns her birth mother has left her a house, a vintage VW Beetle, and a marauding cat, in the small town of Timber Creek, Washington, she packs up to discover the truth about her past.

She arrives to the sight of a cheerful bulldog abandoned on her front porch, a reclusive but tempting author living next door, and a set of ready-made friends at the St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets, where women knit colorful sweaters for the dogs and cats in their care. But there’s also an undercurrent of something that doesn’t sit right with Maeve. What’s the secret (besides her!) that her mother had hidden?

If Maeve is going to make Timber Creek her home, she must figure out where she fits in and unravel the truth about her past. But is she ready to be adopted again—this time, by an entire town…?

Social Media

Please use the hashtag #stfrancissocietyforwaywardpets, and tag @tlcbooktours, @williammorrowbooks, and @aenoblin.

Purchase Links

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Review: This is the cutest book cover ever and the book is just as delightful as the cover.  Its the story of Maeve and her beginnings along with the secrets of her birth mother and her adoption.

You get to learn about Maeve in the present and her mother in the year before her birth.

Its a beautiful little story about how a bad day becomes a better life. It was a really bad day. She loses her job, her boyfriend is cheating on her and a video of him kissing another woman is all over the internet, oh and she gets mugged.

Maeve isn't exactly the most together woman either. She's on the upper side of her thirties and she's pretty much got nothing to show for it.

Then she learns her birth mother has passed away.

I loved how Maeve found her way by learning about her mother, Annabelle. I also loved the town of Timber Creek and all the quirky characters. Oh and the two animals that took over her life, Sherbert and Happy.

The title is a bit deceptive, but there is a whole lot more to the society of knitters that her birth mother was a part of.

By the end of the story your heart is in pieces because Maeve never got to know Annabelle and Annabelle was such a wonderful woman.

Don't get me wrong this book isn't all drama, its more a light hearted drama. There are many laugh out loud moments here.

I totally love Annie England Noblin's writing style. I started this book and finished it a day. There aren't many books that can pull me in that way these days.


Rating: 5 flowers

About Annie England Noblin

Annie England Noblin lives with her son, husband, and three dogs in the Missouri Ozarks. She graduated with an M.A. in creative writing from Missouri State University and currently teaches English and communications for Arkansas State University in Mountain Home, Arkansas. She spends her free time playing make-believe, feeding stray cats, and working with animal shelters across the country to save homeless dogs.

Find out more about Annie at her website, and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

TLC Book Tours Book Review: The Chocolate Maker's Wife

About The Chocolate Maker's Wife

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (August 20, 2019) Australian bestselling novelist Karen Brooks rewrites women back into history with this breathtaking novel set in 17th century London—a lush, fascinating story of the beautiful woman who is drawn into a world of riches, power, intrigue…and chocolate. Damnation has never been so sweet... Rosamund Tomkins, the illegitimate daughter of a nobleman, spends most of her young life in drudgery at a country inn. To her, the Restoration under Charles II, is but a distant threat as she works under the watchful eye of her brutal, abusive stepfather . . . until the day she is nearly run over by the coach of Sir Everard Blithman. Sir Everard, a canny merchant, offers Rosamund an “opportunity like no other," allowing her to escape into a very different life, becoming the linchpin that will drive the success of his fledgling business: a luxurious London chocolate house where wealthy and well-connected men come to see and be seen, to gossip and plot, while indulging in the sweet and heady drink. Rosamund adapts and thrives in her new surroundings, quickly becoming the most talked-about woman in society, desired and respected in equal measure. But Sir Everard's plans for Rosamund and the chocolate house involve family secrets that span the Atlantic Ocean, and which have already brought death and dishonor to the Blithman name. Rosamund knows nothing of the mortal peril that comes with her new title, nor of the forces spinning a web of conspiracy buried in the past, until she meets a man whose return tightens their grip upon her, threatening to destroy everything she loves and damn her to a dire fate. As she fights for her life and those she loves through the ravages of the Plague and London's Great Fire, Rosamund's breathtaking tale is one marked by cruelty and revenge; passion and redemption—and the sinfully sweet temptation of chocolate.

 

Purchase Links

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Review: Many people that know me, know I don't usually read chunkers. (Chunkers are books over 400 pages) The cover alone intrigued me for this one, as did the plot summary. 

I'm glad I gave this book a go. It was definitely worth the read, but I really felt that the story could have been just as good at 400 pages rather than nearly 600.

I loved Rosamund. Her's was very much a Cinderella story. The bastard child of a nobleman who is sold into marriage to a much older Lord. That lord is setting up a chocolate house.

Ah sigh.

At first you want to like Sir Evarard, but quickly you know he's not at all like he seems. As the story goes on, you know his whole family isn't what they seem and none of them are nice people. Some are actually pretty sick individuals.

There's so much I want to say about this book, but I'm not sure I can put the words around it. Its beautifully written. The attention to detail is great.  But oh my god is it long and at times the pacing is downright plodding, but even when the story creeps along, you want to know what is going to happen to the characters and the chocolate house. I mean really, you want to know what other tragedies can befall Rosamund.

Lets see..

Wicked step father

check

Abusive half brothers

check

Weird old husband

check

THE PLAGUE!

check

Weird son of husband that is off his nut

check

The burning of London

check

So yeah lots of bad stuff befalls Rosamund, and that's why you keep reading, because you want to find out if she really can triumph over it all.

Its a fine read if you have the patience to get through all those pages.

Rating: 4 flowers

About Karen Brooks

Karen Brooks is the author of twelve books, an academic of more than twenty years' experience, a newspaper columnist and social commentator, and has appeared regularly on national TV and radio. Before turning to academia, she was an army officer for five years, and prior to that dabbled in acting. She lives in Hobart, Tasmania, in a beautiful stone house with its own marvellous history. When she's not writing, she's helping her husband Stephen in his brewery, Captain Bligh's Ale and Cider, or cooking for family and friends, travelling, cuddling and walking her dogs, stroking her cats, or curled up with a great book and dreaming of more stories. Find out more about Karen at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

TLC Book Tours Book Review: A Beach Wish

About A Beach Wish

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (June 25, 2019)

New York Times bestselling author Shelley Noble returns to the beach in her latest summer read about the family we create and the wishes we make that can shape us.

Zoe Bascombe has never said no to her family. When she blew her Juilliard audition, she caved to their wishes and went to business school. But when her mother dies and leaves instructions for Zoe to spread her ashes at a place called Wind Chime Beach, she defies her brothers and starts out for a New England town none of them has ever heard of and discovers a side of her garden club mother that her wildest dreams hadn’t imagined.

Zoe has another family.

Her first instinct is to run home. Instead she is caught in the middle of her feuding new relatives. With one family fighting among themselves and the other not speaking to her, Zoe must somehow find a way to bridge her new life with her old.

For the first time in her life, Zoe must make a stand for her family—both of them. If only she can only figure out how.

Her answer lies at Wind Chime Beach where for generations people have come to add their chimes to the ones already left among the trees. And when the wind blows and the air fills with music, their secrets, dreams, and hopes are sent into the world. There’s a message for Zoe here—if she has the courage to open her heart.

Social Media

Please use the hashtag #abeachwish and tag @tlcbooktours and @williammorrowbooks.

Purchase Links

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Review: Shelly Noble is becoming one of my "summer" authors. I find myself always reading her latest at this time of year.

This book was a bit of an emotional read for me and it was slow going because of it. That's just me. I just lost my mother this past Oct and any book that involves the death of a parent, especially a mother is hard for me to read, no matter how good it is.

When Zoe's mom dies, she discovers that her mother has kept some secrets. She finds that out when she has to take her mom's ashes to a place called Wind Chime Beach. These aren't any old secrets either, this is, mom had a whole other family that no one knew anything about.

I loved how Zoe slowly becomes friends with everyone, even though she kept to herself at first. Truth be told, I didn't understand why she didn't say why she was there, instead telling people for awhile that she was just really vacationing.

The other family she discovers is full of drama. (Romeo and Juliet kind of drama). I want to give props to Shelley Noble for referencing The Reflections song Just Like Romeo and Juliet in the book.

I loved how all the characters managed to tie together. I loved Eve and her daughters that had there own drama. Then there was Henry and Floret and the hateful grandma, Hannah. The characters may all seem small at times but each played a big part in the outcome one way or another. Not to mention Lee, Mel and Eli

This was a wonderful story about families and secrets and one that was perfect for a lazy afternoon when you can get lost in a book.

Rating: 5 flowers

About Shelley Noble

Shelley Noble is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Whisper Beachand Beach Colors. Other titles include Stargazey Point, Breakwater Bay, and Forever Beach—a story of foster adoption in New Jersey—and four spin-off novellas. A former professional dancer and choreographer, she lives on the Jersey shore and loves to discover new beaches and indulge her passion for lighthouses and vintage carousels. Shelley is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Women’s Fiction Writers Association.

Find out more about Shelley at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

TLC Book Tours Book Review: The Islanders

About The Islanders

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (June 11, 2019)

"One of my own favorite writers." --Elin Hilderbrand

J. Courtney Sullivan’s Maine meets the works of Elin Hilderbrand in this delicious summer read involving three strangers, one island, and a season packed with unexpected romance, well-meaning lies, and damaging secrets.

Anthony Puckett was a rising literary star. The son of an uber-famous thriller writer, Anthony’s debut novel spent two years on the bestseller list and won the adoration of critics. But something went very wrong with his second work. Now Anthony’s borrowing an old college’s friend’s crumbling beach house on Block Island in the hopes that solitude will help him get back to the person he used to be.

Joy Sousa owns and runs Block Island’s beloved whoopie pie café. She came to this quiet space eleven years ago, newly divorced and with a young daughter, and built a life for them here. To her customers and friends, Joy is a model of independence, hard-working and happy. And mostly she is. But this summer she’s thrown off balance. A food truck from a famous New York City brand is roving around the island, selling goodies—and threatening her business.

Lu Trusdale is spending the summer on her in-laws’ dime, living on Block Island with her two young sons while her surgeon husband commutes to the mainland hospital. When Lu’s second son was born, she and her husband made a deal: he’d work and she’d quit her corporate law job to stay home with the boys. But a few years ago, Lu quietly began working on a private project that has becoming increasingly demanding on her time. Torn between her work and home, she’s beginning to question that deal she made.

Over the twelve short weeks of summer, these three strangers will meet and grow close, will share secrets and bury lies. And as the promise of June turns into the chilly nights of August, the truth will come out, forcing each of them to decide what they value most, and what they are willing to give up to keep it.

Social Media

Please use the hashtag #theislanders and tag @tlcbooktours, @megmitchellmoore, and @williammorrowbooks.

Purchase Links

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Review: I love books that absolutely scream BEACH READ! This is definitely one of them/ Its set in the summer months and involves three very different people who are on Block Island and how their lives get intermingled.

The three characters Anthony, Joy and Lu will grab you from the start. Each has problems and secrets of their own. They are very well rounded and actually pretty likable characters. I liked that Block Island isn't a playground for the upper class or the upper middle class too. That made it easier to like these people. They felt "real"

I think of all the characters it was Anthony, I connected with the most. His story of being the son of a famous author, who had a career briefly before a plagiarism scandal sent him on a downward spiral, was the most intriguing of the three. There's just so much to his story, and oh how I loved him. He wasn't just a guy someone fell for, he had a story of his own and it was interesting and sad...very sad indeed.

Lu was the character I grew the most frustrated with. Not really her, per se, but her husband and his weird idea. Truth be told, I probably would have kicked his butt to the curb. Cos OMG she hired a babysitter so that she could do something for herself. I found Jeremy to be a selfish jerk of a barely there dad.

Joy was the most down to earth of the bunch. Her life was a bit more average, but its through her and Anthony that everything ties together.

This was a book that I wanted to read in a lawn chair in the back yard with the sun beating down on me. The writing is engaging and it really makes you want to lose yourself in the story. At least that's how I felt.

Put this one in your beach bag!

Rating 5 flowers

About Meg Mitchell Moore

Meg Mitchell Moore works as a non-fiction writer in Newburyport, Massachusetts, where she lives with her husband and three young daughters.

Find out more about Meg at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Instagram.

TLC Book Tours Book Review: The Stylist

About The Stylist

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (September 4, 2018)

In the tradition of The Devil Wears Prada comes Rosie Nixon's debut novel, which follows a young woman who is thrown into the fast-paced world of fashion and glamour as she’s forced to navigate the treacherous Hollywood red carpets…while finding a fairytale love of her own.

“A stylish, fun read, I absolutely loved it!”—Jackie Collins

Amber Green loves working at Smith’s, London’s ultra-exclusive boutique frequented by everyone who’s anyone, including Mona Armstrong, the stylist to the stars. She is fierce, demanding, and can make or break a career with a snap of her manicured nails.

When Mona’s latest assistant walks out and with awards season arriving faster than you can say “Rodeo Drive”, Amber finds herself agreeing to work for one of the most infamous—and volatile—women in Hollywood. And the stars aren’t much better. Amber’s life is turned inside out as she becomes familiar with all Hollywood has to offer, on and off the red carpet.

As she begins to enjoy life in the dressing rooms of the hottest stars, Amber discovers she’s the one in the spotlight when she catches the attention of two very different men. But Mona’s behavior is growing increasingly erratic and unless Amber can out-style everyone in Hollywood, she’s in danger of being Mona’s latest fashion victim.

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Review:  If any book needs to be opted for a rom com, its The Stylist. This book was so fun and amazing and just what I needed, right now after I've read some heavier material.

Amber was a Stylist by accident. She worked hard, but most of her opportunities came to her by accident, which makes things even more hilarious at times.

She's a good person, but she's getting caught up in the craziness that is Hollywood, and Stylist to the stars Mona, is pretty much crazy. The people she is styling are just as nuts, especially Beau, who may or may not be having an affair with her co-star, while being engaged to a producer. Amber gets roped into lying for her, and she also gets to pig sit her mini-pig Pinky.

The things that happen to Amber are unbelievable, between Beau and her dresses and the Jennifer who may be facing the biggest nights of her life at the Globes, BAFTAs and Oscars. Each event sees Mona going into hiding, and leaving Amber to face the actresses head on, and really without a clue.

The drama was high, but not tense, with just enough laughs to make this a great rom com. Oh and there are two guys in Amber's life, but only one matters, it doesn't really take long to figure out which guy that should be.

I also loved Amber's BF Vicky, who was really her anchor to reality.

I've always said that the best chick-lit books have a setting in the UK, and this book just adds to that belief.

Oh and I have to admit there was a line from the Catherine Tate show that made me giggle. Cos "I'm not bovvered!"

Awesome read!!!

Rating: 5 flowers

About Rosie Nixon

Rosie Nixon is Editor-in-Chief of HELLO! where she has worked for the past eight years and has a love of all things celebrity, royal and fashion-related. Rosie previously held senior positions at glossy women's magazines including Grazia, Glamour and Red. In her career she has been lucky enough to attend a multitude of glamorous award ceremonies, premieres and showbiz weddings all around the world. Ever discreet and protective of the big stars she has worked with, Rosie's experience has undoubtedly enabled her to write her debut novel, The Stylist, and the sequel, Amber Green Takes Manhattan.

Follow Rosie on Twitter and Instagram.

TLC Book Tours Book Review: Rainy Day Friends

About Rainy Day Friends

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (June 19, 2018)

Following the USA Today bestseller, Lost and Found Sisters, comes Rainy Day Friends, Jill Shalvis’ moving story of heart, loss, betrayal, and friendship.

Six months after Lanie Jacobs’ husband’s death, it’s hard to imagine anything could deepen her sense of pain and loss. But then Lanie discovers she isn’t the only one grieving his sudden passing. A serial adulterer, he left behind several other women who, like Lanie, each believe she was his legally wedded wife.

Rocked by the infidelity, Lanie is left to grapple with searing questions. How could she be so wrong about a man she thought she knew better than anyone? Will she ever be able to trust another person?  Can she even trust herself?

Desperate to make a fresh start, Lanie impulsively takes a job at the family-run Capriotti Winery. At first, she feels like an outsider among the boisterous Capriottis. With no real family of her own, she’s bewildered by how quickly they all take her under their wing and make her feel like she belongs. Especially Mark Capriotti, a gruffly handsome Air Force veteran turned deputy sheriff who manages to wind his way into Lanie’s cold, broken heart—along with the rest of the clan.

Everything is finally going well for her, but the arrival of River Green changes all that. The fresh-faced twenty-one-year old seems as sweet as they come…until her dark secrets come to light—secrets that could destroy the new life Lanie’s only just begun to build.

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Review: I always think I've read more of Jill Shalvis' books than I have. I don't know why I've only read a few of her books, because most of them that I've read, I've enjoyed. They fall under the "feel good" category of reads.

This book had so many laugh out loud moments. Gosh I loved Alyssa and Mia and Mark's twins. Oh and the little anxiety tidbits at the start of each chapter were a hoot, mostly because I identified with almost all of them.

OK, I have to admit, I loved all the characters. That doesn't happen often for me, but with this book, everyone was great! I especially liked the twins Sam and Sierra, who were essentially cuteness overload. They could be a bit much for some readers, I'll admit, but for me, they were adorable.

Lanie was fabulous and so was River. I really couldn't find anything much to complain about here, except maybe Lanie's convoluted dearly departed husband, who had more wives than he had brains.

I couldn't understand Lanie's not telling people about what happened to her. Oh and anyone else feel like her mom was much like Mrs. Hoffstetter on Big Bang Theory? Though it was nice of her to become more sympathetic to her towards the end.

It was pretty easy to know who River was from the start, though what she was planning wasn't exactly what I was thinking when she was introduced.

The only thing that kept this from being a perfect read was the romance. I know, I know that's weird, but the romance felt incidental here and I expected more wives of Kyle's to turn up or even something that explained his polygamy, other than what we learned at the end.

This was fluffy fun summertime read that will make you fell warm and fuzzy after you finish it.

Rating: 4 flowers

About Jill Shalvis

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis is the award winning author of over three dozen romance novels. Visit www.jillshalvis.com for a complete book list and a daily blog chronicling her I-Love-Lucy attempts at having it all; the writing, the kids, a life …

Find out more about Jill at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Book Review: Sunburn

Author: Laura Lippman
Title: Sunburn
Publisher: William Morrow
Publish Date: Feb 20, 2018
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman returns with a superb novel of psychological suspense about a pair of lovers with the best intentions and the worst luck: two people locked in a passionate yet uncompromising game of cat and mouse. But instead of rules, this game has dark secrets, forbidden desires, inevitable betrayals—and cold-blooded murder.

One is playing a long game. But which one?

They meet at a local tavern in the small town of Belleville, Delaware. Polly is set on heading west. Adam says he’s also passing through. Yet she stays and he stays—drawn to this mysterious redhead whose quiet stillness both unnerves and excites him. Over the course of a punishing summer, Polly and Adam abandon themselves to a steamy, inexorable affair. Still, each holds something back from the other—dangerous, even lethal, secrets.

Then someone dies. Was it an accident, or part of a plan? By now, Adam and Polly are so ensnared in each other’s lives and lies that neither one knows how to get away—or even if they want to. Is their love strong enough to withstand the truth, or will it ultimately destroy them?

Something—or someone—has to give.

Which one will it be?

Review: Every time I read a talked about book, I am disappointed. Not that this book was bad, it just didn't live up to all the hype.

It is a slow burn...an excruciatingly slow burn.

The story is set in 1995, which was interesting for me, taking me back to my college days.

The story is told in so many alternating POVs from the main characters Polly and Adam to other characters that played into Polly's past.

I had a really hard time getting into the characters. Adam seemed so wishy washy when it came to his job, falling almost instantly for Polly and frankly I couldn't figure out what it was about Polly that made guys fall for her. Is everything all about sex? How could someone that seemed so intelligent, end up not being intelligent at all when it came to one woman? I can't fathom going from a PI to being a cook in a diner, serving up fancier food than a roadside diner/bar usually would.  Adam seemed to be taking High Ho to Diners Drive Ins and Dives levels...but that show is several years from happening.

Polly is an interesting, if not totally unlikable character. Her past leaves you wondering what she's capable of and what's she's already done and she's done a lot. Its the wherefore and why that make the story worthwhile in the long run.  She's the type of character that leaves a trail of disasters in her wake.

The two characters each have things that they are keeping from each other.

The book's end really brought all the disaster's full circle. I wasn't fond of the end. Things were finally moving at a faster pace and then the story stops and fasts forward. So for me, it was a huge let down.

The book was OK, but for me there was no, WOW.

Rating: 3 flowers

TLC Book Tours Book Review: Between You and Me.

About Between You and Me

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (June 26, 2018)

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs delivers a riveting story that challenges our deepest-held beliefs...

Caught between two worlds, Caleb Stoltz is bound by a deathbed promise to raise his orphaned niece and nephew in Middle Grove, where life revolves around family, farm, faith—and long-held suspicions about outsiders. When disaster strikes, Caleb is thrust into an urban environment of high-tech medicine and the relentless rush of modern life.

Dr. Reese Powell is poised to join the medical dynasty of her wealthy, successful parents. Bold, assertive, and quick-thinking, she lives for the addictive rush of saving lives. When a shocking accident brings Caleb Stoltz into her life, Reese is forced to deal with a situation that challenges everything she thinks she knows—and ultimately emboldens her to question her most powerful beliefs.

Then one impulsive act brings about a clash of cultures in a tug-of-war that plays out in a courtroom, challenging the very nature of justice and reverberating through generations, straining the fragile threads of faith and family.

Social Media

Please use the hashtag #betweenyouandme and tag @susan_wiggs_, @williammorrowbooks, and @tlcbooktours.

Purchase Links

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Review: Sometimes there are books that make me go "READ THIS!" This is one of those books for me. These are the reasons why.

1. Susan Wiggs is one of my go to authors when it comes to books I absolutely love.

2. Amish people figure into this story. OMG! I love when non-Christian writers, write about the Amish. This book felt so real and the characters were exactly what I wanted. Also the story is so emotional.  The first three chapters are all about the tears.

3. Relationships between the Amish and English. Even better so that they are romantic relationships. Its wonderful that the relationship between Caleb and Reese is really a slow burn as they are both from two very different worlds.

4. The back story is perfection. As you get to know more about Caleb and how he came to be taking care of his niece and nephew and Reese and her parents. This is another OMG moment. So much drama, of different sorts

5. The surprise twists and turns at the end that leave your mouth gaping and yup, more tears.

6. The Epilogue that was just too beautiful for words.

This book was just the perfect read, full of strong characters and loads of emotion.

Rating: 5 flowers

About Susan Wiggs

Susan Wiggs is the author of many beloved bestsellers, including the popular Lakeshore Chronicles series. She has won many awards for her work, including a RITA from Romance Writers of America. Visit her website at www.SusanWiggs.com.

Connect with Susan on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

TLC Book Tours Book Review: Boardwalk Summer

About Boardwalk Summer

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (June 19, 2018)

In this new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Dressmaker’s Dowry, two young women two generations apart discover the joy and heartbreak of following their dreams. Aspiring Hollywood actress Violet makes a shocking choice in 1940, and seventy years later, Mari sets out to discover what happened on that long ago summer.

Santa Cruz, Summer 1940: When auburn-haired Violet Harcourt is crowned Miss California on the boardwalk of her hometown, she knows she is one step closer to her cherished dream: a Hollywood screen test. But Violet’s victory comes with a price—discord in her seemingly perfect marriage—and she grapples with how much more she is willing to pay.

Summer 2007: Single mother Marisol Cruz lives with her parents in the charming beach cottage that belonged to her grandfather, Ricardo, once a famed performer on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Drawn to the town’s local history and the quaint gazebo where her grandparents danced beneath the stars, Mari sells raffle tickets at the Beach Boardwalk Centennial Celebration, and meets Jason, a California transplant from Chicago.

When Mari discovers the obituary of Violet Harcourt, a beauty queen who died too young, she and Jason are sent on a journey together that will uncover her grandfather’s lifelong secret—his connection to Violet—a story of tragedy and courage that will forever transform them.

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Review: I have to admit, when I think of beach reads, I seldom think of historical fiction. This book is however the best beach read I've encountered in ages. I read it in one sitting, that's how engrossed I was in the lives of the characters.

Boardwalk Summer gives us the stories of two women, Violet Harcourt, a young woman in 1940 who has big dreams and Mari Cruz, a single mom with a passion for history in 2007 who becomes even more passionate when she reads the obituary of a young woman who was Miss California who committed suicide in 1940.

Though the more contemporary part of the story is set in 2007.  The issues that face Mari are things we are seeing right now, with the treatment of Mexican immigrants to our country.  Mari is fiercely devoted to her family and a wonderfully caring mother. Then she meets Jason at the restaurant where she works. From there a slow romance blossoms and a wonderful plot twist at the end makes things really wonderful, bittersweet and even a little bit tearful.

Violet's story is truly addicting. She's a young wife with dreams of stardom, but her husband has a violent temper and wants her at home. She starts out winning Miss California and then on to Hollywood, but it is the way that she gets there that makes you turn the pages. Nothing is what Violet hopes it will be.

As Mari looks for clues to Violet's death she finds a connection to her own grandfather. The Boardwalk setting is beautifully described, and I longed to be there.

There are very few books that take place in two different times, that are equally as interesting , but this book is one of them. Meredith has created characters that you fall in love with and care about.  I loved them so much that I started this book in the morning and by mid-afternoon I was done.

Some might say that the ending wrapped things up too perfectly but for me it made the book bittersweet and had my wiping away a few tears. This was the perfect summer read.

Rating: 5 flowers

About Meredith Jaeger

USA Today bestselling author Meredith Jaeger was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, the daughter of a Swiss father and an American mother. While working for a San Francisco start-up, Meredith fulfilled her dream of writing a novel, the result of which was The Dressmaker^,s Dowry. Meredith lives in Alameda with her husband, their infant daughter, and their bulldog.

Find out more about Meredith at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.