Title: If You Must Know

Author: Jamie Beck

Release Date: June 1, 2020

Publisher: Montlake

 

Synopsis

 

Sisters Amanda Foster and Erin Turner have little in common except the childhood bedroom they once shared and the certainty each feels that her way of life is best. Amanda follows the rules—at the school where she works; in her community; and as a picture-perfect daughter, wife, and mother-to-be. Erin follows her heart—in love and otherwise—living a bohemian lifestyle on a shoestring budget and honoring her late father’s memory with a passion for music and her fledgling bath-products business.

The sisters are content leading separate but happy lives in their hometown of Potomac Point until everything is upended by lies that force them to confront unsettling truths about their family, themselves, and each other. For sisters as different as these two, building trust doesn’t come easily—especially with one secret still between them—but it may be the only way to save their family.

 

 

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Q&A with Bestselling Author Jamie Beck

 

How do you describe your newest novel If You Must Know?

 

This book is a “beach book” in the best sense. It’s not angsty, yet it has a page-turning plot and a bunch of interesting, relatable characters. I think it’s entertaining and heartfelt at the same time, which is exactly what many enjoy reading while on vacation.

 

What inspired the novel?

 

The external plot came to me as a result of the influence of two people in my life. My dear friend’s husband is a forensic accountant, so some of his stories about how people hide money and flee their families provided one point of inspiration. The second is my mother’s best friend who, in her seventies, sold her house and bought a boat, which she and her husband live on full-time. The impetus for the oil-and-water sisters was to provide myself an opportunity to explore the sibling-rivalry dynamic.

 

Tell us about the two main characters in the story—sisters Amanda and Erin.

 

Amanda is the middle child. She’s diligent, earnest, hard-working, and generous. She wants the people she loves to be happy and feel her love. Her weakness is a deep-seated insecurity—a sense that she is not interesting enough to be lovable. This leads her to overlook when she is being taken for granted because her need to be pleasing is omnipresent.

Erin is the baby of the family and her late-father’s pet. She is outgoing, fun-loving, and views her average intelligence as a blessing (rather than lamenting that her siblings are smarter). She is willful and has her own way of moving through the world. The big weakness she has is her impulsiveness, whether with jobs or relationships. As she approaches her 30th birthday, she’s looking to mature and create a more stable life for herself.

 

What kind of relationship do the sisters have?

 

I think they share a typical relationship insofar as their differences cause many misunderstandings and instill in each a sense of being judged by the other, and yet they do care about and love each other, too. They simply do not know how to be true friends and trust the other—at least not at the outset of this tale.

 

This book focused on the main female characters growing and learning about themselves. What prompted this ‘women’s fiction’ approach to the story?

 

Partly market forces and partly my own need to stretch. At 53, it was becoming more difficult to write a 20-something woman facing the challenges of dating. The shift to women’s fiction allows me to write late-30 and early 40-something characters, which comes more naturally to me. I also enjoy exploring family and friendship dynamics, and absolutely love having endless options for story arcs (as opposed to having to follow a traditional romance arc).

 

What does your new Potomac Point series have in common with your previous books?

 

All my books to date have focused on critical relationships and some type of redemption theme. I find damaged people to be very interesting and believe that there is good in most everyone, so I prefer to populate my stories with flawed people who must confront their inner demons in order to be happy. My new books will also focus on relationships and redemption, but the non-romantic relationships (or even the relationship with one’s self) will be more central.

 

***

 

If You Must Know Excerpt

 

I rolled onto my side with a groan, coming face-to-face with one of my favorite family photos. We’d taken our annual family summer trip to Hilton Head—the one real splurge my dad had made sure we enjoyed every year. We had a tradition of having lunch at a little open-air cabana bar and restaurant called Coco’s on the Beach.

Between the deck and the volleyball court in the sand stood a tall pole with colorful arrow-shaped signs pointing in different directions. Each one was painted with the name of a different city somewhere on the globe, along with the mileage to get there. We’d dream about all the places we might go, and after high school I’d had the chance to see many. In this picture, our whole family is standing around that sign, smiling at the camera. My dad has his hand on my shoulder, and if you look closely, you can see Amanda holding my hand. I must’ve been only five or six—young enough that she hadn’t given up trying to be my second mother. At the time, I’d felt smothered by her attention, but looking back, I’d also felt loved.

I grabbed my phone and called my sister, but it went to voice mail. A heaviness pressed on me, but I couldn’t tell if it was from looking at that picture of our family that would never again be whole or from the fact that I’d disappointed my mom and sister today.

They loved me in their way even if they couldn’t love and accept me as I am. My dad had, though, and to honor his memory and wishes for our family, I couldn’t continue to drift out of their lives as I’d been doing.

After the beep, I said, “Hey, it’s moi. Surprise! My plans have changed and I’ve got a little time. If you get this message, let me know where you are and I’ll try to catch up.”

I hit “End,” my feet restlessly kicking the foot of my bed. The small bedroom seemed claustrophobic, but I didn’t want to talk to Max. Not that I could avoid him in here, either, where his dirty laundry, sandals, and other items lay about. Rather than take a match to it all, I decided to organize some of his things to help with his packing. Hauling myself off the bed, I then went to the armoire to get to the vintage albums my dad had left me in his will.

Some were fairly valuable, like the Beatles collection box set from 1982, valued at roughly a thousand bucks. Or the Led Zeppelin first pressing with the turquoise label, which should net around eight hundred or so dollars. U2’s Joshua Tree collection box set from 1987—maybe worth six or seven hundred. Then there were others worth less than one hundred dollars. But each one had infinite sentimental value.

Every song resurrected a specific memory of time spent with my father playing cards, washing cars, grilling hot dogs … anything. Whatever he’d wanted to do, I’d done with him, and he’d always chosen the perfect background soundtrack for every activity. Those stolen moments had also been a great way to escape my mom’s endless lectures and demands. She’d never yelled at me for skipping out on chores or being messy when I’d been spending that time with him. Probably because he wouldn’t let her.

At present, my restlessness matched the mood of a typical Bob Seger song, so I grabbed Beautiful Loser and slipped the record from its sleeve, resisting the urge to hug it as if it were my dad. I set it on the old turntable he’d also left me. As the few first drumbeats clangored, my heart kicked an extra beat or two—partly happy, partly sad. I glanced toward the bedroom door, picturing Max on the sofa, and then got to work.

It didn’t matter where life led me next. I had faith because my own personal angel was looking out for me now.

Que será, será.

 

 

Review

 

Families are a complicated mess, but when the chips are down those differences disappear and you find out who really has your back.

The Foster family is truly a unique family with diverse personalities.  Amanda and Erin approach life differently.  Amanda seems very uptight and perhaps she feels like she needs to be perfect.  Erin is the wild child and lives life as it comes.  Erin didn’t feel like she fit into her family except with her dad.  Nancy, the mom, is much like Amanda and that causes some friction between the three women.  There were many times I wanted to shake Nancy and tell her to get over herself if she thinks she is that important that she has to worry about what people will say about Amanda’s now scandalous life.  I could say the same about Amanda and her fears about what others will think about her situation.  It takes Erin shaking things up to loosen them up by the end of the book.

I was surprised at how some situations were handled with Lyle, Amanda’s husband, at the end.  I won’t go into too much detail, but I’m not sure if the situation would have ended this way in real life.  But let’s just say that Lyle gets his just rewards.

I did enjoy watching Erin discover what a real relationship should be like when she meets Eli.  He has his own issues, but the two of them are able to help each other move forward in life.  I’m not sure if future books in this series will touch back on these characters, but I hope so because I don’t think their story is finished.

A couple of quotes that really stuck out while I was reading this book:

“Will there ever be a day when people stop demanding that others conform to their own expectations?”

“Most people are good people, yet bad things happen every day. You and I? We aren’t unique victims.”

Overall we give this 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

National bestselling author Jamie Beck’s realistic and heartwarming stories have sold more than two million copies. She’s a Booksellers’ Best Award and National Readers’ Choice Award finalist, and critics at Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist have respectively called her work “smart,” “uplifting,” and “entertaining.” In addition to writing, the author of the Cabot novels, the Sterling Canyon novels, and the St. James series enjoys dancing around the kitchen while cooking and hitting the slopes in Vermont and Utah. Above all, she is a grateful wife and mother to a very patient, supportive family.

Fans can learn more about her on her website, www.jamiebeck.com, which includes a fun “Extras” page with photos, videos, and playlists. She also loves interacting with everyone on Facebook.

 

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Giveaway

 

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Synopsis

 

In Victoria’s War, Hamilton gives voice to the courageous Polish women who were kidnapped into the real-life Nazi slave labor operation during WWII. Inspired by true stories, this lost chapter of history won’t soon be forgotten.

 

POLAND, 1939: Nineteen-year-old Victoria Darski is eager to move away to college: her bags are packed and her train ticket is in hand. But instead of boarding a train to the University of Warsaw, she finds her world turned upside down when World War II breaks out. Victoria’s father is sent to a raging battlefront, and the Darski women must face the cruelty of the invaders alone. When Victoria decides to go to a resistance meeting with her best friend, Sylvia, they are captured by human traffickers targeting Polish teenagers. Sylvia is sent to work in a brothel, and Victoria is transported by cattle car to Berlin, where she is auctioned off as a slave.

 

GERMANY, 1941: Twenty-year-old Etta Tod is at Mercy Hospital about to undergo involuntary sterilization because of the Fuhrer’s mandate to eliminate hereditary deafness. Etta, an artist, silently critiques the propaganda poster on the waiting room wall while her mother tries to convince her she should be glad to get rid of her monthlies. Etta is the daughter of the German shopkeepers who buy Victoria at auction in Berlin.

 

The stories of Victoria and Etta intertwine in the bakery’s attic where Victoria is held—the same place where Etta has hidden her anti-Nazi paintings. The two women form a quick and enduring bond. But when they’re caught stealing bread from the bakery and smuggling it to a nearby work camp, everything changes.

 

 

 

 

 

Praise

 

“Victoria’s War is a compelling story of a young Polish woman caught in the vise of the German invasion of Poland at the opening salvo of World War II. Written in an engaging literary style that captures the textures of Polish life, Catherine Hamilton’s gripping novel is a must read!”  — Dr. Richard C. Lukas, author of Did the Children Cry? and The Forgotten Holocaust

 

“Some stories that need to be told are never told. They languish in a limbo of forgotten stories that should never have been forgotten. Catherine Hamilton’s novel Victoria’s War resurrects one of these stories. In language intimate and natural and yet touched by the poetry of truth, Hamilton tells the story of a young girl who is the victim of war. Too often, we think only of the men who go to war, do heroic things. We forget the other victims and heroes of war, the women like Victoria in this brilliant novel.”  — John Guzlowski, author of the award-winning Echoes of Tattered Tongues

 

 

 

Review

 

What an intriguing read!  In the past, I did not delve into history and what happened during various wars or what influenced people and countries.  This book focuses on the Polish women that were enslaved by Germany and forced to work in camps, factories, or as prostitutes for the Germans.  We know a lot about what happened to the Jewish population, but not much is made known about others that were enslaved and killed just because one man did not like them.

The book focuses primarily on two young women and their relationship with each other.  Victoria was all set to attend college when her plans were dashed by the war and German soldiers.  Etta is a deaf-mute in Germany that is a talented artist but is scorned by her mother because of her disabilities.  These two women come together when Victoria is purchased by an SS officer for his parent’s bakery to assist in cleaning and whatever else they want her to do in order to stay alive.

Leading up to her life in the bakery, we follow Victoria and other women through a train ride to Berlin in cramped quarters, living in a shed at the mercy of the German officers, and other events that shape their hopes and dreams for the future.  All of this because they were Catholic, Polish, Gypsies, or Serbian.  Men took what they wanted and did not care about these women or their lives.

Once at the bakery, Etta seems something in Victoria and reaches out to her in friendship, but in secret.  Had either of Etta’s parents known what she was doing they would have probably beaten Etta and killed Victoria.  Etta’s mother, Frau Tod, is fully brainwashed by the Nazi party and believes that her daughter is less because she cannot hear or speak.  Her father and brother are not the same way, but they have their own issues.  Despite everything, Etta feels a kinship with Victoria especially since Etta does not hold the same beliefs as the Nazi Party.  In fact, I think you could call her a sympathizer.  They work together to assist those being held in camps to hopefully survive.

This story, while fiction, is based on facts and I challenge anyone reading this book to walk away from it without heartache for what these people endured during the war.  Their will to survive and do whatever they had to do to stay alive and perhaps even work against the Germans to regain their freedom.  There are several heart-stopping moments and this book tore at my beliefs and my soul.  There is so much I could tell you about this book but do not want to spoil it for any reader.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

CATHERINE A. HAMILTON is a freelance writer of Polish descent whose articles and poems have appeared in magazines and newspapers including the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, The Oregonian, the Catholic Sentinel, the Dziennik Związkowy (the oldest Polish newspaper in America), and the Polish American Journal. She is the author of the chapter about Katherine Graczyk in Forgotten Survivors: Polish Christians Remember the Nazi Occupation, edited by Richard C. Lukas. Victoria’s War, her first novel, will be published in 2020 by Plain View Press. She actively publishes and blogs on her website.  Hamilton lives in the Northwest with her husband.

 

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Southern Sass and a Crispy Corpse (A Marygene Brown Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Publisher: Kensington (May 26, 2020)
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages

 

Synopsis

 

On Georgia’s picturesque Peach Cove Island, a killer is serving up a two-for-one special . . .

After their mama’s passing, Marygene Brown returned to Peach Cove Island to help her sister Jena Lynn run the family diner, renowned for its homemade peach desserts. But Mama is never too far away—her sassy spirit haunts the island, and more specifically Marygene. Lately Mama has been warning her that the dead will seek her out to solve their murders, an idea Marygene is far from peachy keen on.

But that prophecy appears to be coming true when she goes skinny-dipping off the island and swims right into a woman’s charred corpse floating in the waves. And when Marygene and her brother Sam come upon a second burned body in a wine cellar at an event they’re catering, it appears they have a double homicide on their hands. It soon turns out the victims have more in common than their charred remains, and Marygene will need to double down to find a killer who has no aversion to playing with fire. Good thing Mama has her back . . .

Includes Seven Recipes from Marygene’s Kitchen!

 

 

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Review

 

This is the first book I have ready by this author and wow!  What a story she weaves with interesting characters and backstories and the mystery itself?  One I did not expect.

This is the 2nd in the series and if you have followed my reviews for any length of time, you know I prefer to read a series in order.  For some reason, I decided to go ahead and read this book and while there was a little bit about Marygene’s past I did not know about, the author did a good job of giving some detail so I didn’t feel totally in the dark.  I still think that it would be best to start with the first book in this series to have a better understanding of the characters, but the mystery is unique to this book.

Marygene has some baggage, and that might be an understatement.  She has a complicated past and she is leery of trusting anyone outside of her immediate family.  On top of that, she sees her mother’s ghost who prods her into investigating the crimes.  Her mother is limited as to what she can tell Marygene about the incidents but she does help save a few people indirectly.  There is a fleeting relationship with Alex, a deputy that works for her dad, but a potentially innocent incident has Marygene thinking that perhaps they don’t need to be together.  Enter newer deputy, Javier Reyes.  I believe he is in the first book, but he and Marygene seem to come to an understanding in this book.  Could he be a potential love interest?  Only time will tell.

The mystery of the “crispy corpses” was interesting because I don’t believe any other cozy I have read had this as the crime.  It left an interesting picture in my mind.  On top of that, Marygene discovers the first body while skinny dipping.  She is a brave soul to bare it all and then to end up finding the first body.  Yup, there is more than one to find.  And the ties to the past regarding these bodies added a nice twist.  When the full truth was revealed you could have knocked me over with a feather.  While I suspected one person involved with the crime, the full story was not one that even crossed my mind.  Many people were shocked by the revelations.

Overall we enjoyed this cozy and I plan to go back and read the first book to gain a better understanding of Marygene and her family.  We give this book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Kate Young writes Southern mystery novels. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Guppy Chapter. Kate lives in a small town in Georgia with her husband, three kids, and Shih Tzu. When she is not writing her own books, she’s reading or cooking.

 

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Hostage to Fortune: A Tea and Tarot Cozy Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Publisher: Misterio Press (May 21, 2020)
Number of Pages: 250

Synopsis

 

Abigail and Hyperion uncork a murder… 

Tea and Tarot room owner Abigail Beanblossom is used to running interference for her socially-awkward former boss, tech billionaire Razzzor. So when he invites her on a stakeout to investigate the sale of counterfeit wine from his latest venture – an upscale winery – she barrels on in. But the two stumble across the corpse of a wine merchant, and new wine in old bottles is now the least of their problems.

Good thing amateur detectives Abigail and her partner, tarot reader Hyperion Night, have a nose for murder. Their investigation takes them from elegant wine cellars to chic tea parties on the California coast. But just as the investigation starts to get its legs, Abigail discovers there’s more than wine at the bottom of this crime…

Hostage to Fortune is book 2 in the Tea and Tarot cozy mystery series. Start reading this hilariously cozy caper today!

Tearoom recipes in the back of the book.

 

 

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Review

 

Abigail and Hyperion are back in a new mystery in their sleepy little town in CA.  This time we get to know Razzzor and prove to Hyperion that he isn’t Abigail’s imaginary friend.  Of course, there is Brik, Grandpa, and Tomas throwing in their 2 cents to help solve the case and protect Abigail.

I love tea and find tarot interesting, so this is the type of shop I would like to visit.  Abigail is making tarot themed teas and the recipes sound delicious.  I’m not sure I would make them since that isn’t my expertise, but if I could buy them somewhere I certainly would.  I won’t even go into the scones….I think I gained 5 lbs just imaging them in my mouth!

As I mentioned above, we get to know a bit more about Razzzor other than he plays a Nazi Zombie game with Abigail online.  He is a bit eccentric and maybe that is due to his wealth and protecting himself at all costs.  In this book, he ropes Abigail into helping him figure out who is counterfeiting his wine.  Abigail is a true friend and doesn’t know how to say no to anyone.  So she lands in the middle of another case trying to protect Razzzor from being charged with murder and almost ends up dead herself.  There are a few suspects and when the true killer was revealed I was very surprised because I did not suspect this character.  I had it pinned on someone else.  My suspect wasn’t totally innocent but was not the killer.

Abigail’s relationship, such as it is, with Brik is expanded upon and there are a few scenarios that might bring these two together in the near future.  Hyperion seems to have his eyes set on Detective Tony Chase and the feeling might be reciprocated.  Only future books will delve more into this potential relationship.

I have really enjoyed this series so far and look forward to more tea and tarot books.  We give this 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Kirsten Weiss has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching Ghost Whisperer re-runs and drinking red wine. The latter gives her heartburn, but she drinks it anyway.

Now based in Colorado Springs, CO, she writes genre-blending cozy mystery, supernatural and steampunk suspense, mixing her experiences and imagination to create vivid worlds of fun and enchantment.

If you like funny cozy mysteries, check out her Pie Town, Tea and Tarot, Paranormal Museum and Wits’ End books. If you’re looking for some magic with your mystery, give the Witches of Doyle, Riga Hayworth, and Rocky Bridges books a try. And if you like steampunk, the Sensibility Grey series might be for you.

Kirsten sends out original short stories of mystery and magic to her mailing list. If you’d like to get them delivered straight to your inbox, make sure to sign up for her newsletter

 

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Kelegeen

Historical Fiction

Publisher: BWL Publishing Inc. (March 1, 2018)

Paperback: 433 pages

 

Synopsis

 

Ireland 1846

 

Meg O’Connor, daughter of poor Irish cottiers, eagerly anticipates her wedding to Rory Quinn.  Her dreams of marriage and family vanish along with Ireland’s potato crop when Kelegeen’s inhabitants awaken one morning to find their sole source of food destroyed by blight.

At first Meg and Rory are able to use their skills, hers of sewing and his of wood carving, to provide for themselves and their families.  But tragedy and a costly mistake end those means of survival forcing them into more dangerous ventures.

As An Gorta Mór, the Great Hunger, continues to churn through Ireland ravaging the country’s peasantry with no let up in sight, Meg is compelled to make the most difficult decision of her life.  What she chooses could be the salvation of the O’Connor and Quinn families or it could separate her forever from all she knows and loves.

 

 

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Guest Post

 

Siobhan O’Toole

 

My name is Siobhan O’Toole and I’ve been asked to regale you with tales of my part in the story of Kelegeen. You’ll not believe it, but I’ve never stepped foot in the town of Kelegeen. As it happens, I’m not even alive when the story takes place, but that doesn’t stop me from having a role in it. You see, I was in love, long before that story began, with a man named Brian O’Malley. In Kelegeen you’ll know him as Father O’Malley, but his priestly vocation came after I died. Oh, he’s a good priest, he is. Faithful, devout, completely committed to God and his parishioners. He’d have been just as good a husband and father had I lived long enough for us to marry and give him wee ones. We were everything to each other. That’s why I couldn’t leave him even after I’d died.

You’ll be more comfortable calling him “Father” after you’ve read the book, no doubt, but to me he’ll always be Brian, so don’t think I’m showing disrespect by calling him by his Christian name.

Brian and I met one night when I was playing the fiddle for my brothers who were dancing up a storm. He thought himself bewitched at first sight of me. I can’t say I blame him, what with my long, tangled red hair flashing in the moonlight, me hopping about on a rock while I played a rollicking tune. He came and asked me to dance, so I gave the fiddle to my brother, Quentin, and we danced. From that moment on we were inseparable.

I think Brian was intrigued by the stories, legends really, that he’d heard about my family. The best one being that I had an ancestor who was one of the good people – what you folk would call a fairy. Quentin, being the mischievous sort, told him I was one, as well. He asked me if it was true. He made out like he was only teasing, but I could tell a small part of him actually wondered. I had a grand time with that, I can tell you! I never did give him a proper answer. He may have gone his whole life wondering after it for all I know.

We planned to wed, but it wasn’t to be. I’ll let the story of Kelegeen explain what happened to me and how it led him into the priesthood. Aye, but the ways of God are mysterious indeed.

When you love someone with all your heart and they love you as much, even death does not fully part you. That’s how it was for Brian and me. He talked to me often throughout his life. At times, he believed he felt me with him. Sure enough, he was right. I was always at his side. Always, that is, until he sent me away. But that he did for a noble reason – a reason of selfless giving. He would sacrifice anything for any one of his people including my cherished presence. How could I not love him all the more for that? How could I not do what he asked of me?

 

 

About the Author

 

Eileen O’Finlan calls her writing “history with a twist” because she is intrigued by the unusual and little known aspects of history – the stories on history’s margins, the things rarely taught in the classroom. For her, that’s where history really gets fun.

Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, her family moved to Worcester when she was two.  Four years later they moved to Holden where Eileen grew up and where she now resides with her 93 year old mother and two cats.

Eileen holds a Bachelor’s degree in history and a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Ministry.  She works full time for the Diocese of Worcester and teaches online courses in Catholic studies for the University of Dayton, Ohio.  She is proud to say that Pope Francis owns a copy of her debut novel, Kelegeen.  Erin’s Children, the sequel to Kelegeen, will be released by BWL Publishing, Inc. in December of 2020.

 

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Synopsis

 

Tea, tarot, and trouble.

Abigail Beanblossom’s dream of owning a tea room in her California beach town is about to come true. She’s got the lease, the start-up funds, and the recipes. But Abigail’s out of a tearoom and into hot water when the realtor turns out to be a conman… and then turns up dead.

But not even death puts an end to the conman’s mischief. He rented the same space to a tarot reader, Hyperion Night. Convinced his tarot room is in the cards, Night’s not letting go of the building without a fight. Steamed, Abigail realizes the only way to salvage her tea room is to join forces with the tarot reader, even if he isn’t her cup of tea.

But they must work together, steeping themselves in the murky waters of the sham realtor’s double dealings, in order to unearth the truth – before murder boils over again.

Steeped in Murder is the first book in the Tea and Tarot cozy mystery series. Buy the book to start this hilarious caper today.

 

 

 

Review

 

This new series is steeped in tea, mystery, and murder.

Things are going well for Abigail when she discovers that the building she has rented for her tea room is not valid.  I can’t even imagine her frustration and disappointment, especially when it was doubly rented to a tarot card reader with quite an unusual name, Hyperion Night.  While their relationship gets off to a rocky start, I was happy to see a friendship develop even though Hyperion is a bit eccentric.  Perhaps it goes with reading tarot cards?

Abigail does have her grandfather that is behind her tearoom, along with Tomas, a retired lawyer that uses his skills to assist Abigail in a few situations.  There is a hunky new neighbor, Brik, that could be a potential love interest for Abigail.  The police detective on the case is a Texan that happens to be a germaphobe.  A few situations with him gave me a chuckle.

There is a wide variety of characters in this book and trying to decipher who might have had cause to murder the fake real estate agent took some doing.  While I suspected several of the characters, the reality wasn’t too far from my grasp.  While I had my suspicions about this character, the why surprised me.

I enjoyed reading this first in the series and expect it will be a fun series to follow.  There is much more to learn about the various characters and the addition of Peking the pet duck was genius because it made for some cute scenes especially when Hyperion’s cat because the duck’s best bud.

We give this 4 paws up and have the 2nd book to read and see where things develop from there.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Kirsten Weiss has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching Ghost Whisperer re-runs and drinking red wine. The latter gives her heartburn, but she drinks it anyway.

Now based in Colorado Springs, CO, she writes genre-blending cozy mystery, supernatural and steampunk suspense, mixing her experiences and imagination to create vivid worlds of fun and enchantment.

If you like funny cozy mysteries, check out her Pie Town, Tea and Tarot, Paranormal Museum and Wits’ End books. If you’re looking for some magic with your mystery, give the Witches of Doyle, Riga Hayworth, and Rocky Bridges books a try. And if you like steampunk, the Sensibility Grey series might be for you.

Kirsten sends out original short stories of mystery and magic to her mailing list. If you’d like to get them delivered straight to your inbox, make sure to sign up for her newsletter

 

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Synopsis

 

When having it all isn’t enough…

Aman and Rhea seem to have the perfect marriage. They are madly in love – with each other, with their own careers and the home and life they are building in a quiet Mumbai suburb.

Rhea is a successful interior designer with a thriving business while Aman is a commercial pilot who is at peace with his life, on the ground and in the skies! What could possibly be lacking in their picture-perfect marriage?

 

A baby.

 

Like most women, thirty plus Rhea Chakraborty, wants to hold her own flesh and blood in her arms. And Aman too wants the same.

 

Or does he?

 

After another unexplained miscarriage that takes a severe emotional, physical, and psychological toll on them, Aman isn’t sure if having a baby will complete them or destroy them.

Suddenly, Rhea and Aman find the fabric of their stable marriage fraying beneath the strain of their failed conceptions. Where once they were a team with a common goal, they now find themselves on opposite sides with shifting goalposts.

 

A Barren Heart is set in so-called modern India and is the story of the struggle of an affluent, educated couple who are still fighting the shackles of societal indoctrination and expectations and losing each other in the process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Shilpa Suraj wears many hats – corporate drone, homemaker, mother to a fabulous toddler and author.

An avid reader with an overactive imagination, Shilpa has weaved stories in her head since she was a child. Her previous stints at Google, in an ad agency and as an entrepreneur provide colour to her present day stories, both fiction and non-fiction.

 

 

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Storms of Malhado

 

by

 

Maria Elena Sandovici

 

 

Genre: Historical Fiction / Ghosts

Publisher: Independently Published

Date of Publication: March 26, 2020

Number of Pages: 252

 

 

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Galveston Island, Texas, September 2008 Katie doesn’t believe in ghosts. And she certainly doesn’t believe the rumors that her family’s home is haunted, despite its tragic history: two young women who lived there in different eras died in hurricanes—one during Hurricane Carla in 1961, one during the Great Storm of 1900, the greatest natural disaster to befall the United States. But that was the past, a fact Katie reminds herself of when she returns to Galveston to await Hurricane Ike with her parents and boyfriend in her family’s Broadway mansion, hoping to rekindle her flailing relationship.

While Katie is not afraid of the ghost stories she’s heard, she is afraid of the monster storm approaching. As even die-hard Islanders evacuate, her fears grow—fear of the looming hurricane, fear that she’s talentless as a painter, fear that her relationship with her boyfriend is already over. As Katie struggles against her fears, the past whispers to her of the women who died there and the haunting similarities they share with Katie’s own life.

Through three different timelines, Storms of Malhado weaves a story of Galveston’s past, underscoring its danger and isolation, as well as its remarkable resilience, and its capacity for both nostalgia and reinvention. Full of contradictions, at once insular and open to the world, Galveston Island is as much a character of the novel as Katie, Suzanne, Betty, their lovers, and their confidantes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Praise

 

“Taking place entirely on a beautifully moody Galveston Island, Ms. Sandovici weaves three simultaneous stories with ease. With a timeless tale, ethereal language, and complicated characters, readers will be entranced by this modern ghost story. How many times can the past repeat itself? How do we recognize people through generations? The author tackles this topic amid a backdrop of violent nature and intangible dreamscapes.”  —Courtney Brandt, author of The Queen of England: Coronation, Grand Tour, Ascension

 

“Three women, three great storms, and one house, haunted by forbidden love and frustrated ambition. Get ready to be swept away by Sandovici’s foray into Galveston Island’s tempestuous history in this tale of lives intertwined across time.” —Donna Dechen Birdwell, author of Not Knowing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Story of My 1900 Bathing Dress

 

(View the Pinterest board the author created for Storms of Malhado)

 

 

Writing historical fiction came with many challenges. The part of Storms of Malhado taking place in 1900 required tons of research and two rounds of critique from Margaret Doran, who established her expertise on Galveston Island’s history through her long collaboration with the Galveston Historical Foundation and the Rosenberg Library. Luckily, she is a meticulous critic who read my manuscript twice and picked out small—and larger—blunders. “Suzanne would not be reading a paperback,” she pointed out as part of her feedback on an early draft. Easy fix, no problem. “Why is Suzanne in Galveston for the summer?” she inquired in response to the same draft. “Wealthy women would travel to milder climates.” Addressing this was harder than the paperback issue and required inventing an illness and some serious phobias for Suzanne’s mother. This ended up adding depth to that character, so it was a win. But what was I to do about a young lady of means not being able to go to the Strand unchaperoned and definitely not being able to sneak into her lover’s room? This was tricky, but finally I came up with the Ward house—a wealthy family’s mansion, boarded up for summer, which ends up being a secret refuge for the lovers. This added an extra layer of romance to the affair, so I was happy.

 

 

It was a small, easily fixed mistake that took me on the most exciting adventure. “Suzanne’s bathing dress would not have been white,” Margaret Doran wrote. I could have simply changed “white” to “dark” and moved on, but editing is hard and yours truly loves to procrastinate. I got on Pinterest and pinned tons of pictures of young women in 1900 bathing dresses to my Storms of Malhado board. Then I happened upon an advertisement from a place called Historical Emporium, offering to sell me an accurate replica of Suzanne’s bathing dress—complete with white pantaloons! How could a small business owner struggling to make ends meet resist such a useful purchase? To make the investment complete, I immediately called my photographer, the talented Bogdan Mihai at Buburuza Productions, and booked a photoshoot for as soon as the bathing dress arrived. What’s funny is that I had just completed a photoshoot with him—dressed in my favorite outfits, studio lights aimed expertly at my face, fans blowing my hair, and all that jazz—and wasn’t crazy about the results because I just couldn’t relax. In fact, I couldn’t sleep a wink before the shoot. Afterwards, seeing the circles under my eyes shine through my Chanel makeup, I experienced an instant midlife crisis. Was this it? Was my life over, all my beautiness gone? (I assure you I’m an empowered woman well aware of my worth, but such thoughts do occasionally plague me). My wonderful photographer reassured me that posing takes practice. And playfulness. But I had my doubts.

 

 

 

My much-needed dose of playfulness arrived promptly in a package from Historical Emporium. I was back under the studio lights, fans blowing my hair, music playing, and this time I was having too much fun to be nervous. I laughed and smiled through the entire photoshoot and feigned panic at a most unexpected overflow arriving despite the Weather Bureau’s assurances that Galveston was safe. I love the resulting pictures! Turns out I can pose after all! All I need is a 1900 bathing dress! And because my self-confidence was at its peak, I entered the historical Bathing Beauties contest, a vintage bathing suit extravaganza, which has taken place every summer in Galveston for 100 years now, on Splash Day. Reader, I got in! I’m a Bathing Beauty! Splash Day had to be postponed because of the pandemic, and you bet I cried, but it’s still taking place the weekend of August 1, and my 1900 bathing dress and I will be in it!

 

 

 

 

Maria Elena Sandovici is a full-time writer, artist, and gallery owner living in Houston, Texas. After obtaining a Ph.D. in political science from the State University of New York at Binghamton in 2005, her curiosity led her to Texas, where she taught at Lamar University for fourteen years. She felt attracted to Galveston Island from her first visit and lived there part-time for three years before her artistic career took her to Houston.

 

Sandovici is a 2008 graduate of John Ross Palmer’s Escapist Mentorship Program, a program that teaches artists business skills. She resigned from her tenured academic position in December 2018 and opened her own private gallery space. Her previous works of fiction are Dogs with Bagels, Stray Dogs and Lonely Beaches, Lost Path to Solitude, The Adventures of Miss Vulpe, and Lone Wolf. She is also the author of Stop and Smell the Garbage, a volume of poetry in the voice of her dog, Holly Golightly. You can follow her daily adventures on her blog HaveWatercolorsWillTravel.blog.

 

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5/21/20	Notable Quotable	The Page Unbound
5/21/20	Review	Forgotten Winds
5/22/20	Author Video	Hall Ways Blog
5/22/20	Review	The Clueless Gent
5/23/20	Playlist	That’s What She’s Reading
5/24/20	Excerpt	Chapter Break Book Blog
5/25/20	Character Interview	Texas Book Lover
5/25/20	Review	Rainy Days with Amanda
5/26/20	Review	Reading by Moonlight
5/27/20	Excerpt	Sybrina’s Book Blog
5/28/20	Guest Post	StoreyBook Reviews
5/28/20	Review	All the Ups and Downs
5/29/20	Scrapbook	Tangled in Text
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The Outlaw’s Daughter

 

Haywire Brides, Book 3

 

by

 

Margaret Brownley

 

Western / Historical Fiction / Clean & Wholesome Romance

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Date of Publication: May 26, 2020

Number of Pages: 384

 

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He may be a Texas Ranger, but he only has eyes for the outlaw’s beautiful daughter . . . 

Texas Ranger Matt Taggert is on the trail of a wanted man. He has good reason to believe that Ellie-May’s late husband was involved in a stagecoach robbery, and he’s here to see justice done. But when he arrives in town, he discovers the thief has become a local hero . . . and his beautiful young widow isn’t too happy to see some lawman out to tarnish her family’s newly spotless reputation.

 

Ellie-May’s shaken by her encounter with the ranger. Having grown up an outlaw’s daughter, she’ll do anything to keep her children safe—and if that means hardening her heart against the handsome lawman’s smiles, then so be it. Because she knows Matt isn’t about to give up his search. He’s out to redeem himself and find proof that Ellie-May’s husband wasn’t the saint everyone claims . . . even if it means losing the love neither expected to discover along the way.

 

 

 

 

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Look no further for a sweet western romance that will bring joy to your heart but has a small element of danger and mystery.

This may be the third in the series but the stories do not overlap and you can read these in any order.  This story focuses on Ellie-May who has lost her husband. Neal, to heroic events.  However, Texas Ranger Matt Taggert has different ideas about Neal and thinks that he might have robbed a stagecoach and is trying to get to the truth about the events that happened that day and where the stolen money has gone.  To top things off, Ellie-May’s father was a criminal and she has been branded by the local citizens that she must be just as bad as her father.  This is sad but not uncommon thinking for people, even today.

While reading this story, I could not help but admire Ellie-May for all that she has endured during her life.  She is not afraid to stand up for what is right or to protect her family.  She is like most single parents, doing what she can to keep the family safe, clothed, and fed.  Don’t mess with her family if you value your life!  Matt may be a tough Texas Ranger, but he is running from demons of his own, and could the answer lie with Ellie-May?  Only time will tell.

There is a variety of supporting characters and two that grabbed my heart were Anvil and Jesse.  Anvil was a down and out homeless person that Neal befriended and brought home to join their family.  That kindness has made Anvil a part of their family for life and he would do anything to protect them.  I admired his character and there are even some humorous parts regarding the neighbor, Mrs. Butterwood.  Jesse is a teenager that wants to be a Texas Ranger like Matt.  Matt takes him under his wing since Jesse’s father has his own issues.  If you have sons or know teenage boys, you know that they can inhale food like there is no tomorrow.  This is a sense of amazement for Matt and perhaps he just doesn’t remember his childhood.  But the bond that grows between these two is special and will warm your heart.

Sadly this is the last in this series according to the author’s notes.  I enjoyed the time in Haywire and I hope you do too.  Make sure to read the author’s notes at the end for a few other interesting tidbits.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York Times bestselling author Margaret Brownley has penned more than forty-six novels and novellas.

 

A two-time Romance Writers of American RITA® finalist, Margaret has also written for a TV soap and is a recipient of the Romantic Times Pioneer Award. Not bad for someone who flunked eighth-grade English. Just don’t ask her to diagram a sentence.

 

 

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Cowboy Charm School and The Cowboy Meets His Match

 

  May 26-June 5, 2020

 

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5/27/20	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
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5/28/20	BONUS Post	Hall Ways Blog
5/28/20	Review	That’s What She’s Reading
5/29/20	Review	Books and Broomsticks
5/29/20	Review	The Adventures of a Travelers Wife
5/30/20	Review	Book Fidelity
5/31/20	Review	Bibliotica
6/1/20	Review	The Page Unbound
6/1/20	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
6/2/20	Review	Carpe Diem Chronicles
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Book Title: Between These Walls by Michael Newman

Category: Adult Fiction 18 yrs +, 375 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Friesen Press

Release date: March 26, 2020

 

 

 

Synopsis

 

A novel of historical fiction that turns on two key events: the discovery of a beautiful blonde woman’s body in the back seat of a burnt out SS staff car during the last days of World War II, by US Army Medical Corps Colonel Samuel Singer, and the unsealing more than four decades later of a security-taped package from Germany, bearing a secret that changes the life of New York art curator Daniel Singer, the adopted son of Colonel Singer.

As Daniel learns more about the package’s contents, he unlocks the history of three families — one American and two German – through tumultuous times, from the end of the First World War to the rise of Adolf Hitler, the Second World War, the Holocaust, and through to three Middle East wars. Along the way, he gets entangled in the web of the Mossad, Israel’s top secret spy agency and Naomi one of its beautiful operatives, and is ultimately faced with a life-altering choice – and the opportunity to right the most heinous of wrongs.

 

 

 

 

Interview with Michael Newman

 

How did you come up with the premise of the novel?

 

On a visit to Berlin, Germany, my wife and I were walking along a street named Meineke Strasse, which features prominently in the book, when I noticed some brass plaques embedded in the sidewalk. They had the names of Jews who had lived in the apartment building above the plaques in the 1930’s and 40’s who had been taken by the Nazis, shipped off to concentration camps, and had their apartments taken over by Aryan Germans. I wondered what had happened to the people who had been shipped to the camps, to the apartments they left behind, who was occupying them now, and how they came into possession of them. So I built the story around that.

 

What made you write a book about the Holocaust?

 

Primarily because my Father spent eight months in captivity in Mauthausen, a notorious Nazi concentration camp in Austria, in 1944/45. Also many people, especially the younger generation, don’t know anything about the Holocaust and there are many Holocaust deniers out there who trivialize what happened to people simply because of their religion in those terrible years. Six million people died between 1939 and 1945 at the hands of the Nazis.

 

Your book is set in Germany, Austria, Hungary and Israel. Have you visited those places?

 

I was born in Hungary, and yes I’ve been to all the places mentioned in the book. I’ve been to Berlin, Munich, Mauthausen, Budapest, Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv. I’ve visited the key locations where events in the book take place and absorbed the atmosphere generated by these places, which helped me with the writing of the book.

 

What is your next project?

 

My next project is to write a sequel to “Between These Walls.” It would follow the career and adventures of Daniel Singer’s daughter (whom he never met), as she prepares and embarks on a mission to find and avenge her father’s killers in Lybia, after joining the CIA.

 

What genre do you write in and why?

 

I write historical fiction. History is something that truly interests me. What has happened, and why it happened in the past is very fascinating. The rise and fall of historical figures teaches us a great many lessons. It is very interesting to see how empires and countries evolve through conflict and peaceful times and how political systems succeed and fail.

 

What is the last great book you’ve read?

 

“Children of a Faraway War” by Wendy Gruner. It is the true life story of two Australian sisters whose father died as an RAF radio operator in a Lancaster bomber crash in the Second World War, while they were very young. The book describes the sisters’ journey back to England to visit all the places their father had served in England, following his diary. It is truly a historical memoir with detailed description of Bomber Command, with a very humanistic approach, as the girls discover things about their late father that they never knew.

 

 

About the Author

 

A Hungarian refugee (1956) and the son of Holocaust survivors. A retired lifetime entrepreneur living on Toronto’s waterfront with my wife and cocker spaniel. Enjoys reading, mainly books about WW2, boating and worldwide travel. Father of three kids and grandfather of eleven.

 

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