Book Review - Summer by the Tides by Denise Hunter

Book Synopsis
From the bestselling author of The Convenient Groom (now a beloved Hallmark Original movie) comes a heartfelt story of family secrets, forgiveness, and unexpected romance.

Following a painful betrayal, Maddy Monroe’s love life is a wreck, and her restaurant career is in shambles. When her grandmother goes missing, she and her estranged sisters converge at the family beach house in Sea Haven, North Carolina. Being with uptight Nora and free-spirited Emma at the place where their family broke apart is a struggle, and undercurrents of jealousy and resentment threaten to pull the sisters under. In the midst of the storm, sparks begin to fly between Maddy and Gram’s maddening neighbor, Connor Murphy.

As the sisters pack up the family belongings, memories of idyllic, slow-paced summers are resurrected. But long-buried secrets also come to light as Maddy discovers that all was not as it appeared that last summer in Sea Haven—nor today in the seemingly perfect lives of her sisters.

As family tensions rise and Connor causes tumult in Maddy’s heart, the sisters must find a way to accept each other for the women they’ve become before the bitterness of the past destroys their hope for a future.

Purchase Links

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My Review

Summer By the Tides is a beach read about Maddy Monroe.  Maddy has just lost her job as a restaurant manager when she caught her boyfriend cheating with her boss.  Then Maddy finds out her beloved Gram has gone missing, so she hurries to her Gram's beach house in Sea Haven, North Carolina to look for her.  She is soon joined by her older sisters, Emma and Nora, who don't get along.  Over the summer they work on the house together, sort through family history, and Maddie finds a surprising new romance.

 

I wanted to read this book as soon as I heard about it.  It looked like a perfect beach read and it absolutely was!  Denise Hunter does a great job at capturing coastal North Carolina and beach life.  I enjoyed settings like Sullivan's Landing, the little seafood restaurant where Maddie works over summer, and the marina where Connor works.  I found details like hurricane preparations at the marina fascinating.

 

I really liked Maddie.  She is in such a conflicted place at the beginning of the book, but she really comes into her own when she is reunited with her sisters and when she meets Connor.  Connor is a perfect book boyfriend!  He is sweet and sad (a young widower), and their relationship moves slowly with a few little stops and starts.

 

This is also a lovely book about family and forgiveness and choosing to move forward instead of staying mired in the past.  I also liked Maddie's sister Emma (and her cute little beagle Pippy) and her delightful Gram.  Nora (her oldest sister) was a complex character, but I appreciated her by the end of the novel.

 

I recommend Summer By the Tides as a beach read or a good read for a leisurely weekend.  Fans of southern fiction and women's fiction will especially enjoy this book.  

Author Bio

Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 25 books, including A December Bride and The Convenient Groom, which have been adapted into original Hallmark Channel movies. She has won The Holt Medallion Award, The Reader’s Choice Award, The Carol Award, The Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist. When Denise isn’t orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking green tea, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband are rapidly approaching an empty nest.

Connect with Denise

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Book Spotlight and Cover Reveal - The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews

Book Synopsis
An Uncommon Beauty…
Hidden away in rural Devonshire, Phyllida Satterthwaite has always been considered more odd than beautiful. But in London, her oddity has made her a sensation. Far worse, it’s caught the eye of the sinister Duke of Moreland—a notorious art collector obsessed with acquiring one-of-a-kind treasures. To escape the Duke’s clutches, she’s going to need a little help.

An Unlikely Hero…
Captain Arthur Heywood’s days of heroism are long past. Grievously injured in the Peninsular War, he can no longer walk unaided, let alone shoot a pistol. What use can he possibly be to a damsel in distress? He has nothing left to offer except his good name.

Can a marriage of convenience save Philly from the vengeful duke? Or will life with Arthur put her—and her heart—in more danger than ever?

 

Available for Pre-Order: Amazon | Apple | Barnes and Noble | Kobo

 

Author Bio

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews (A Victorian Lady’s Guide to Fashion and Beauty, The Matrimonial Advertisement) writes both historical non-fiction and traditional historical romances set in Victorian England. Her articles on nineteenth century history have been published on various academic and history sites, including the Victorian Web and the Journal of Victorian Culture, and are also syndicated weekly at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes an Andalusian dressage horse, two Shelties, and two Siamese cats.

For more information, please visit Mimi Matthews’ website and blog. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, BookBub, Pinterest, Google+, and Goodreads.

 

 

Book Review and Giveaway - Whiskers in the Dark: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery by Rita Mae Brown

Book Synopsis
Death stalks the Blue Ridge Mountains as a centuries-old mystery resurfaces and murder mars the lead-up to an annual beagle competition, in a thrilling new tale from Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown.

A massive nor’easter has hit northern Virginia, where Mary Minor “Harry” Harristeen joins groundskeeping efforts at the National Beagle Club at Aldie as the date for its springtime Hounds for Heroes veterans’ benefit approaches. Harry’s fellow volunteers, including her oldest friend, Susan Tucker, comprise a spirited group of hunting enthusiasts, some former service members themselves. But things take a sinister turn when, after a routine tree cleanup along the Club’s hunting trails, retired foreign services officer Jason Holzknect is found dead, throat slit from ear to ear. Soon enough, another murder in their midst jolts the preparations, convincing Harry that the killer is familiar with the Club—and must be close by, masked in plain sight.

The intrigue extends to the grounds of Harry’s beloved local church, where the identity of an eighteenth-century skeleton wearing precious pearls remains a mystery. The anonymous woman’s neck had been snapped, and marks on the grave where her body was secreted indicate that someone recently tried to remove it, leading Harry to question how well she really knows those around her.

As always, Harry’s crime-solving cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and Tee Tucker the Corgi share her determination to sniff out the foes among friends, even those long buried. Harry will need her four-legged companions’ help more than ever: a ghostly beagle only they can see may hold the key to the culprit.

My Review
Whiskers in the Dark is a cozy mystery set in rural Virginia.  There are two mysteries in this book:  one involves a body from the 1700's that was recently discovered in Virginia, and then in present day, retired foreign services officer Jason Holzknect is murdered.  The present day storyline takes place at a Hounds for Heroes benefit held by the National Beagle Club.

I wanted to read this book as soon as heard about it.  I read, and enjoyed, the Mrs. Murphy mysteries for years.  I have not read the past few books and wanted to get back into this series.  I love beagles, and that made this mystery particularly interesting to me.

Whiskers in the Dark has a dual storyline.  Most of the book takes place in the present day before, during, and after the Hounds for Heroes benefit.  Harry Harristeen and her best friend Susan are attending the benefit, and they become involved in solving the mystery when one of the fellow attendees is murdered.   The other storyline takes place in 1787 and involves a woman's murder from years ago.

I enjoyed reading about Harry and her mystery solving again, especially with the help of her cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter and her corgi dog Tee Tucker.  She has added another dog to the family, a young Irish Wolfhound named Pirate.  The pets meet Ruffy, a ghost beagle living at the Institute in Aldie, Virginia.  He is missing his person and wants a resolution for that mystery.  The pets talk in this book and they are both charming and wise!   There are also some lovely black and white illustrations in the novel of both pets and people.

This is a dense read, with a large cast from two different time periods.  Thankfully there is a Cast of Characters detailing both people and animal characters.  I bookmarked it and referred to it a number of times, especially keeping up with all the people from the 1780's who were part of the flashback story.

The historical details from 1787 were very interesting, and the element of historical fiction added something extra to this novel.  Although I love historical fiction, I still felt the heart of the book was in the present day with Harry, her friends, and her beloved pets.  I found myself reading through the historical flashbacks a bit quickly in order to move forward to the present day mystery.

I guessed the murderer early on but still enjoyed the unraveling of the mystery.   Harry is one of my favorite amateur detectives and it is enjoyable to see her at work.

I recommend this book, and the Mrs. Murphy series, to fans of cozy mysteries, dog and cat mysteries, and small town mysteries.  I am delighted to have picked up this series again and look forward to continuing.
  

Author Bio

Rita Mae Brown is the bestselling author of the Sneaky Pie Brown mysteries; the Sister Jane series; the Runnymede novels, including Six of One and Cakewalk; A Nose for Justice and Murder Unleashed; Rubyfruit Jungle; and In Her Day; as well as many other books. An Emmy-nominated screenwriter and a poet, Brown lives in Afton, Virginia, and is a Master of Foxhounds and the huntsman.

Sneaky Pie Brown, a tiger cat born somewhere in Albemarle County, Virginia, was discovered by Rita Mae Brown at her local SPCA. They have collaborated on numerous Mrs. Murphy mysteries—in addition to Sneaky Pie’s Cookbook for Mystery Lovers and Sneaky Pie for President.

Author Links 

Website – http://ritamaebrownbooks.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/RitaMaeBrown

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Google Play – IndieBound

Giveaway
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Dear Abby - Some Dachshund Memes

Dear Friends,

I hope you are having a good summer and staying cool!   I am staying busy with my summer plan to relax.  I have planned my naps and time in front of the fan strategically.  It's been pretty perfect so far!

I thought you might enjoy a few dachshund memes.  I have been helping my Momma with the Doxieposse Pals page on Facebook and these are a few memes we found and shared there.  (Also, if you love dogs, please come join us!  We have a lot of fun.)

"I ate your keys so you never have to leave me again."  (This sounds like a great idea!)

"Shine bright like a dachshund."

"I'm into fitness - fitness whole stack of pancakes into my mouth."  (Now I LOVE this picture, and those pancakes too!)

On a similar theme - "Did I just hear the fridge open?"

"I thought there would be bacon in here."

"So you're telling me the ball was in your hand the whole time?"  (Now that seems like a trick or something!)

I hope you enjoyed these memes and hope they gave you a smile.  Have a wonderful weekend!   I look forward to talking to you again soon.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Book Review and Giveaway - The Woman in the White Kimono by Ana Johns

Book Synopsis
Oceans and decades apart, two women are inextricably bound by the secrets between them.

Japan, 1957. Seventeen-year-old Naoko Nakamura’s prearranged marriage to the son of her father’s business associate would secure her family’s status in their traditional Japanese community, but Naoko has fallen for another man—an American sailor, a gaijin—and to marry him would bring great shame upon her entire family. When it’s learned Naoko carries the sailor’s child, she’s cast out in disgrace and forced to make unimaginable choices with consequences that will ripple across generations.

America, present day. Tori Kovac, caring for her dying father, finds a letter containing a shocking revelation—one that calls into question everything she understood about him, her family and herself. Setting out to learn the truth behind the letter, Tori’s journey leads her halfway around the world to a remote seaside village in Japan, where she must confront the demons of the past to pave a way for redemption.

In breathtaking prose and inspired by true stories from a devastating and little-known era in Japanese and American history, The Woman in the White Kimono illuminates a searing portrait of one woman torn between her culture and her heart, and another woman on a journey to discover the true meaning of home.

 

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

My Review
The Woman in the White Kimono is the story of two women who are far apart in both time and distance ... yet their connection draws them together.  Tori Kovac is taking care of her dying father when she discovers he had a secret life as a young military man.  In 1957 he was involved with a young Japanese girl named Naoko.  Tori is determined to find Naoko and to solve the mystery of her father's past.

I love dual-storyline novels that give a glimpse of the past and present at one time.  The author, Ana Johns, does an especially fine job with the dual storyline here.  The story is told in alternating chapters -- Tori in the present time and Naoko in 1957 Japan.  The characters are well developed and I was immediately drawn into their stories, wanting to know more.

Tori's father is another character in the novel, especially as he is seen so differently by these two women -- his first sweetheart, Naoko, and his daughter Tori.  Tori describes him:

"I adored him.

A man who drank fruit brandy like his Slovak father, swaggered like John Wayne and spun colorful yarns like no one else.

Although, with most of his stories, it was difficult to discern their truth.  'What is truth but a story we tell ourselves?'  Then he'd wink, tap my nose and leave me to dissect fact from fantasy.  Something I was still doing" (p. 18).

Part of what made this book so intriguing is the element of storytelling and myth, by both Tori's father Jimmy (Hajime) and Naoko.  There is also a strong element of history and tradition in Naoko's telling of life in 1957 Japan.

The descriptions of Japan were so beautiful and evocative -- I could picture the places the author described so vividly.

Naoko faced heartbreaking prejudice and barriers as a young Japanese woman in love with an American military man;  these struggles intensify when it is discovered that she is pregnant.  The chapters that detail her time in the maternity home were heart-rending.

I found The Woman in the White Kimono a compelling read about a rarely discussed moment in history, and a fascinating story of two very different women's lives.  I recommend this novel for fans of historical fiction, and especially for anyone who also has an interest in Japan.  It is a beautifully written book.

Author Bio
ANA JOHNS worked over twenty years in the creative arts field, as both a creative director and business owner, before turning her hand to fiction. Born and raised in metro Detroit, she now resides in Indianapolis with her family. The Woman in the White Kimono is her first novel.

Connect with Ana

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Giveaway
One lucky reader will win a copy of The Woman in the White Kimono.  To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter form, below.  Giveaway is open to U.S. entrants only.  The giveaway ends midnight, June 13.  The winner will be contacted by email and will need to respond within 48 hours or another name will be drawn.  Good luck!

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