Friday, February 25, 2022

Book Spotlight and Excerpt - The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery


Book Synopsis

One woman discovers the beauty in chaos in this poignant and heartwarming story about the threads that hold family together from #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery.

With her divorce settlement about to run out and a mortgage she can’t afford, Robyn Caldwell needs a plan for her future. She nurtured her family and neglected herself.

But how’s she supposed to think when her daughter has become the most demanding bride ever, her son won’t even consider college, her best friend is on the brink of marital disaster and her ex is making a monumentally bad decision that could bring everything crashing down on Robyn’s head?

So when her great-aunt Lillian invites her to Santa Barbara for the summer, Robyn hops on the first plane.

But it’s hard to run away when you’re the heart of the family. One by one, everyone she left behind follows her across the country. Somehow, their baggage doesn’t feel as heavy in the sun-drenched, mishmash mansion.

The more time Robyn spends with free-spirited Lillian, the more she sees the appeal in taking chances—on dreams, on love, on family. Life is meant to be lived on purpose. All she has to do is muster the courage to take a chance on herself.


Author Bio

#1 NYT bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming, humorous novels about the relationships that define our lives: family, friendship, romance. She’s known for putting nuanced characters in emotional situations that surprise readers to laughter. Beloved by millions, her books have been translated into 28 languages. Susan lives in Washington with her husband, two cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur.

Visit her at SusanMallery.com.

Excerpt

She left him to his meal and walked through the house to the master suite. After changing into cropped yoga pants and a tank top, she grabbed her rolled mat and went out through the French doors off the sitting area.

The heat hit her the second she stepped outside. The temperature was in the high eighties, and the humidity was about the same. She unrolled her yoga mat in the shade on her patio. After drawing in several deep breaths, she began the simple routine she practiced nearly every afternoon. The slow movements relaxed her and kept her flexible. Plus the rhythm of the routine helped her clear her mind.

Austin’s announcement relieved her. At least he knew he wasn’t ready to “adult,” as he’d called it. She would miss him while he was gone, but she appreciated knowing he would be back in the fall. Of course, that was a slight complication when it came to selling the house. In the back of her mind, she’d thought maybe, when she listed the house, Jase would invite her to move in. They hadn’t talked about it, but they’d been dating a year now, and…

Okay, she didn’t know what the “and” was, but they’d been together a while. Moving in together was the next logical step. But if Austin was still living with her, that wasn’t an option. Jase’s two preteen girls stayed with him every other weekend. His house didn’t have a bedroom for Austin, and she wasn’t going to tell her son he wasn’t welcome. The obvious solution was for her to find a smaller place of her own.

She looked out at the gorgeous pool, the hot tub and the waterfall. This and the kitchen were her favorite parts of the house. The rest was too big and too perfect for her taste. She’d never felt comfortable here, and once she and Cord had divorced, she’d been eager to sell.

But Austin had only been fourteen, and she’d figured he’d been dealing with enough without adding a move to the mix. Harlow had also been a consideration, still coming home regularly from college. Now Austin was out of high school, and Harlow was engaged and living with her fiancé. Moving made sense for the kids and for her financially. She was tired of the large mortgage payment that chewed up so much of her monthly income.

She sat on the mat. She would need to get a place big enough for her and Austin—something with a pretty outdoor space and relatively close to where she lived now. If the backyard was nice enough, maybe Harlow wouldn’t throw a fit about not being able to be married in this one.  For reasons not clear to Robyn, Harlow had become fixated on a backyard wedding.

Robyn wanted something a lot less showy than this place. Smaller and cozier, with a few modern touches. Later she would check out local inventory online. If she saw something she liked, she would view it. As for Harlow and the wedding, it wasn’t anything she had to deal with right now. One crisis at a time. And in less than two hours, the current one was going be ringing her doorbell.

Thursday, February 3, 2022

Book Review - A Heart Adrift by Laura Frantz


My Review

A Heart Adrift is a historical novel set in Colonial Virginia.  Esmee Shaw is a chocolatier who surprisingly meets her long lost love Captain Henri Lennox again.  As they both work for the Colonial cause, will they also find love again?

I wanted to read this novel because I love historical fiction.  I don't see a lot of historical novels set in Colonial America, so I found the setting particularly intriguing.  I have also read (and enjoyed) fiction by Laura Frantz before.

This is such a wonderful, swept away type love story.  It was such an engrossing story.  I loved the aspect of the old loves reuniting and trying to see if their romance will work out a second time around.

Esmee was a fascinating protagonist. I enjoyed reading about her work as a chocolatier and admired her strength and courage.

I really enjoyed A Heart Adrift and recommend it for other fans of historical fiction.

Book Synopsis

It is 1755, and the threat of war with France looms over colonial York, Virginia. Chocolatier Esmée Shaw is fighting her own battle of the heart. Having reached her twenty-eighth birthday, she is reconciled to life alone after a decade-old failed love affair from which she's never quite recovered. But she longs to find something worthwhile to do with her life.

Captain Henri Lennox has returned to port after a lengthy absence, intent on completing the lighthouse in the dangerous Chesapeake Bay, a dream he once shared with Esmée. But when the colonial government asks him to lead a secret naval expedition against the French, his future is plunged into uncertainty.

Can Esmée and Henri'sshared vision and dedication to the colonial cause heal the wounds of the past and reunite them? 

Author Bio

Laura Frantz is a Christy Award winner and the ECPA bestselling author of a dozen novels, including An Uncommon WomanTidewater Bride, The Frontiersman's DaughterCourting Morrow LittleThe Colonel's LadyThe Lacemaker, and A Bound Heart. She is a proud mom to an American soldier and a career firefighter. When not at home in Kentucky, she and her husband live in Washington State. Learn more at www.laurafrantz.net.