Her Quiet Revolution: A Novel of Martha Hughes Cannon

by Marianne Monson

Publication Date: 2/18/19 Hardcover

Fiction / Historical

Book Design: © Shadow Mountain

Cover Art: Magdalena Zyzniewska/Trevillion Images;

City and County Building, Salt Lake City, used by permission, Utah Historical Society;

CSA Images/Getty Images

Art Direction: Richard Erickson Design: Heather G. Ward

 

Synopsis

 

A novel based on the life of Martha Hughes Cannon, a pioneer woman who overcame tremendous odds.

When her baby sister and her father die on the pioneer trail to Salt Lake City, Mattie is determined to become a healer. But her chosen road isn’t an easy one as she faces roadblocks common to Victorian women. Fighting gender bias, geographic location, and mountains of self-doubt, Mattie pushed herself to become more than the world would have her be, only to have everything she’s accomplished called into question when she meets the love of her life: Angus Cannon, a prominent Mormon leader and polygamist.

From the American Frontier to European coasts, Martha’s path takes her on a life journey that is almost stranger than fiction as she learns to navigate a world run by men. But heartache isn’t far behind, and she learns that knowing who you are and being willing to stand up for what you believe in is what truly defines a person.

Her Quiet Revolution is the story of one woman’s determination to change her world, and the path she forged for others to follow.

 

 

IndieBound * Amazon * B&N * BAM * Deseret Books

 

About the Author

MARIANNE MONSON received her MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and primarily writes on topics related to women’s history. She has taught English and Creative Writing at the community college and university levels and is the author of eleven books for children and adults. She is the founder of The Writer’s Guild, a literary nonprofit, and writes from a 100-year-old house in Astoria, Oregon.

 

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All’s Well in Jingle Valley (A Happily Ever After Series Book 3) by Martha Reynolds

Category: Adult Fiction (18+)

Genre: Women’s Fiction, Romance

Synopsis

 

It’s been three years since Julie Tate and her business partner Freddy saved the farm at Jingle Valley and set up their boutique wedding business. After much hard work, and some challenging clients, it finally looks like they’re well on their way to success. Newly single, Julie’s trying not to envy the happiness enjoyed by her wedding clients. But it’s difficult to keep her mind on the job when her days are filled with other people’s romances. And when a door she thought was closed appears to open again, her confusion deepens.

Second-chance couple April and Bill clearly adore each other, and they love the idea of getting married at Jingle Valley. But with each bringing complicated histories to their relationship, will their pasts interfere with them tying the knot?

As autumn softens into winter at the beautiful Massachusetts farm, Julie resolves to do everything she can to ensure a happy ending for her clients. But despite her best efforts, will there be fewer weddings than planned at Jingle Valley this year? Or could there be more?

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Martha Reynolds was raised in Rhode Island, spent a year of college in Switzerland, and is always planning a return visit. She completed an accomplished career as a fraud investigator and decided it was time to do something she really liked.

She now writes full-time and has set a personal goal of releasing a book a year until she dies. Her writing has appeared in Magnificat magazine and her very short poem was read by journalist Connie Schultz during NPR’s Tell Me More poetry challenge.

Her novel VILLA DEL SOL won the 2018 Book Award in Literary Fiction by the Independent Publishers of New England.

 

Website  ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

 

Giveaway

 

Win Martha Reynold’s entire Happily Ever After series (digital) (Open Internationally) (Wherever Amazon delivers) (1 winner) (ends Mar 6)

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

A hilarious new novel full of Hollywood glitz, glamour, and scandal.

When he changes the locks, she changes the rules.

Agnes Murphy Nash is the perfect Hollywood wife – she has the right friends, the right clothes, and even a side career of her own as a writer. Her husband Trevor is a bigshot producer, and from the outside it looks like they’re living a picture-perfect celebrity life, complete with tennis tournaments and lavish parties.

But the job description of a Hollywood wife doesn’t cover divorce, which is the way Agnes’ life is headed after she comes home one day to find her credit cards cancelled and the security passwords to get into her enormous LA home changed. Oh, and there’s a guy there whose job it is to tase her if she tries to enter…which she does. Needless to say, Agnes’ husband is dead set on making sure she loses big time, but Agnes isn’t the type to just lie down and take it. In a world of fremenies and hot nannies, personal psychics and “skinny” jello shots, Agnes may be losing her husband, but could that mean getting her own life back?

Been There, Married That is a drop-dead hilarious battle of wills that will make you laugh out loud, cringe, and keep turning the pages to see what crazy disaster will happen to Agnes next…and how she’ll rise from the ashes.

 

 

Amazon * B&N * BAM * IndieBound * Audible

 

 

Q & A with Gigi

 

You wrote the screenplay for Stepmom in addition to seven novels.  How does writing for the screen differ from novels?

 

Writing for the screen is like knitting or sewing or even cooking – you write to a pattern, you write to a recipe. There are rules that (mostly) must be followed for your movie to make sense visually and viscerally and to fit into a certain time constraint.

I always felt writing a book felt more free. You can let your imagination and keyboard run wild – you don’t have to time the scene. You can allow pauses and internal segues. You can write a novella and clock it at 120 pages or a freakin’ tome at 500.

However – and this is a big “however” – both must entertain the reader or viewer. With a movie, it’s usually the first part of the third act where I’ll check my watch – (I’m hungry, I’m thirsty, I have work to do, When’s this thing going to end?) – and with a book, it’s after the first 50 pages. If you’re not grabbed by the first 50, the author hasn’t done his/her job.

And that’s a lot to ask in this day and age, when there’s so much to watch, to play, to distract us. Just ask me to read a book that’s turned dull when “The Great British Baking Show” is streaming. Ain’t gonna happen.

 

You were married to producer Brian Grazer, and you paint a hilarious but wild picture of the life of a Hollywood wife in Been There, Married That.  Is any of that based on your own experience?

 

Yes, I was married for a long time (especially by Hollywood standards). Of course, there are seeds of personal truths sprinkled in here and there. But it’s not based on my experience – my experiences would be more mundane – many, many people have been through divorce, many more have children, etc.

The writer is an observer, before being a recorder. However, everything I write in terms of Hollywood and marriage is heightened and exaggerated. There’s an amalgamation of scenes I’ve imagined with a pinch of the “truth” – things that I’ve seen or heard about. In my dreams, my autobiography would be in a separate book section – under Mysteries and Scandals. Wink.

 

For those who are unfamiliar with Agnes Nash (heroine of Been There, Married That), how would you introduce her?

 

Agnes is as normal as she can be in a world that’s abnormal, who finds herself in the maelstrom of a big, nasty divorce. She’s a writer trying to raise a pre-pubescent daughter not to be an Instagram model (and sometimes losing)- while she herself is going through peri-menopause. She’s a woman who was never supposed to be leading a life of luxury; she’s not even comfortable with it – she doesn’t like shopping, she’s not overly social (which is expected in these circles), she has tried but can’t “care” about fashion. She’s a writer but a mother, first. She’s not ruthless, but she becomes ruthless when her bond with her daughter is challenged.

 

 

About the Author

Gigi Levangie is the author of six prior novels, including The After Wife and the New York Times bestseller The Starter Wife, which was adapted as a miniseries for USA Network.

She is the original writer of the screenplay for Stepmom and has written for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, and other publications. Levangie lives in Los Angeles.

 

Website * Goodreads * Twitter * Instagram

 

WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR

OF

Silver Spoons: One’s Journey Through Addiction

 

 

Print Length: 380 Pages

Genre: Women’s Fiction

 

Synopsis

 

Silver Spoons: One’s Journey Through Addiction takes an intimate and raw look at the current face of addiction and recovery. Talking about the current opioid epidemic, we follow a young couple while one of them goes through the recovery process. Told through letters, we get an understanding of their relationship as it struggles through his addiction and resulting recovery. From detox, rehab, sober living and the 12 steps of A.A, you get a raw and honest look at the effects of addiction and how they affect relationships.

 

AUTHOR NOTE: There is explicit and graphic content.

 

 

 

Excerpt

 

Even though she had taken longer than an hour to get there a quick scan of the parking lot let her know she had still gotten there ahead of him It was still easy for her not to worry about him this time. Helping someone run an errand could cause of handful of reasons that would make him late.

Besides the sun reflecting off the water was such a warm and inviting sight that she was grateful to have the time to herself. All the time she had spent living in her own world, in her own head, caused her to immediately give herself over to her surroundings. She got out of the car and took a slow deep breathe of the warm fresh air. Not caring how silly she looked to anyone who happened by her did it again. She could smell the lilacs, daffodils, lilies, and fresh cut grass. The subtle smell of the fading lilacs would soon be replaced by the more pungent aroma of the still blooming roses.

Running her fingers through her hair she rotated her shoulders and neck in a quick invigorating stretch as she made her way over to the benches by the water. Picking out a picnic table close to the river’s edge she simply sat back and let the beaming sun that hit her face, shoulders and back warm her. The air coming off the water helped create a breeze. In a months’ time water from the ocean would be filing the river and she would think of the beach simply by smelling the subtle traces of the salt water in the air.

With her elbows resting on the table and her legs stretched out in front of her, she was in an almost meditated state when he showed up. With her back to him and her eyes closed she heard his raised voice inquire. “Is my baby hungry?”

She turned to look at him, and something about the way he was standing was off. Quickly she got up and covered the steps to close the gap between them. In seconds she was right in front of him as he opened the passenger side door of his car, where a bag sat on the seat. She presumed it held their lunch as she saw grease stains at the bottom and napkins protruding from the top.

As she studied his face, she could see his irritation in his expression. She felt a hurt spread through her. It was more than disappointment, it felt like heartbreak as she thought to herself how stupid she was. Who had she really expected to show up? And when would she ever get that a beautiful day and being there with her would never be enough for him like it was for her? It would never be that simple or that easy. It was something so small, but something he probably could never give her.

His face, his stance, everything about him let her know that he was high. From the way his eyes were just out of focus enough to get attention, down to the pigeon toed off set way he held his foot. Silently she looked him over, and as she did, she became imminently aware of the anger in his face. Sensing her own building rage mixing with his, every instinct told her to leave. As quickly as possible. The only thing keeping her rooted to the spot was the fear, that recognized before the rest of her caught up, that something was very, very wrong. He wasn’t on smack. No, it was definitely something else. Problem was she had no idea what it was he could have taken. Right now, she was looking at a stranger, and the malice in his eyes alone should have made her leave. Or at the very least, be more wary.

 

About the Author

Sarah Dickinson is a lifelong resident in beautiful upstate New York. Mother of two amazing daughters and three equally awesome rescue dogs, she is the author of Silver Spoons: One’s Journey Through Addiction. She currently attends college and is in the midst of switching careers. When she isn’t doing it all, she reads comic books, blogs, and takes weekend getaways.

 

Facebook * Blog * Instagram * Goodreads

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April in Galway (A Happily Ever After Series Book 2)

by Martha Reynolds

Women’s Fiction, Romance

Publisher: Martha Reynolds

Release date: October 2018

 

 

Synopsis

Bill Flanagan’s no stranger to regrets, so when he stumbles upon the chance to erase one from his long record, he jumps at it. April Tweed’s reinvigorated acting career may suggest she’s left her past behind, but some memories don’t let go easily, even thirty years later. The most important person from her past has tracked her down in Ireland, where she’s filming a miniseries. Past collides with present when April finds herself stuck between her high school sweetheart, Bill, and her persistently amorous co-star, Connor. Both of them are determined to win her heart as fresh starts war against second chances.

 

 

 

About the Author

Martha Reynolds was raised in Rhode Island, spent a year of college in Switzerland, and is always planning a return visit. She completed an accomplished career as a fraud investigator and decided it was time to do something she really liked.

She now writes full-time and has set a personal goal of releasing a book a year until she dies. Her writing has appeared in Magnificat magazine and her very short poem was read by journalist Connie Schultz during NPR’s Tell Me More poetry challenge.

Her novel VILLA DEL SOL won the 2018 Book Award in Literary Fiction by the Independent Publishers of New England.

 

Website  ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

 

Giveaway

Win Martha Reynold’s entire Happily Ever After series (digital) (Open Internationally) (Wherever Amazon delivers) (1 winner) (ends Feb 28)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

Synopsis

Honeymoon Alone is told through the lens of Lucy Gray – a third grade teacher who’s 26 and has never really been away from home. Her family is overbearing and her latest romantic interest ditches her publicly for her own cousin. She’s in a rut and on a whim (and the advice from a wedding psychic) she decides to spend her holidays in London – getting away and discovering who she can be without all the noise of her family and her life. She meets a cast of interesting characters at the exclusive honeymoon resort she winds up staying in. Some little white lies and big misunderstandings create quite the tangled web that threaten everything, as Lucy begins to wonder if she’ll ever get her life right.

 

 

Review

When you live your whole life (so far) in a sheltered fashion, there might come a time when you do something crazy…like take your sister’s discarded honeymoon and break free from the parental chains.  Ok, maybe you do some of this on a whim thanks to the advice of a psychic at your sister’s wedding, but something has to spur you into action!

I applauded Lucy for her decision to escape her home when a hotel in London calls to confirm her sister’s reservation.  A reservation that wasn’t going to be used because her OCD sister booked two honeymoon options.  Two!  But what better time to put that passport to use than a Christmas getaway.  Her friend Mary encourages her to go and even contacts a classmate of theirs to meet her at the airport and be a point of contact.  It works out to both of their advantages since the hotel is for honeymooners only (and there is no Mr. with Lucy) and Cary’s roommates turn out to be his worst nightmare.

I applaud Lucy’s gumption to take herself on a tour of London and see the usual touristy sites plus so much more. She has been held back thanks to an overbearing mother and older brother.  In fact, when she manages to “lose” her phone and disconnects from those ties is when she really blossoms.  We are able to peek into the frantic thoughts of her family through blog entries.  Apparently, the whole family can blog to let others know what is happening.  I suppose that is easier than making a bunch of phone calls.

Lucy manages to keep Oliver, the nosy concierge, at bay regarding her “husband” and why she is doing so much on her own.  But is he more than nosy?  Could he be smitten with Lucy?  Or is there something more “sinister” at play?  The only way to find out is to read the book.

This book had me laughing at many turns and I had a hard time putting the book down.    I wanted to know what secret Oliver was hiding, who the Honeymooners were, and would Lucy’s family learn to take a step back and let her live her life.  There are a few heart-stopping moments near the end but nothing too scary.  The story is also about finding your own path and looking out for yourself because your family may not know what is best for you despite their best intentions.

As a child of the 80s, I had to share this line with you…I didn’t mark more for some reason, I think I was enjoying the book too much.

“I’m an 80s themed mess.  My hair is crimped.  Crimped.  I look like a bottle of grape soda in my purple, polka-dotted dress complete with shoulder pads.”

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

About the Author

Nicole Macaulay received her MFA from Emerson College in Writing and Publishing. She worked at The WB Television Network, E! Entertainment and The Hallmark Channel. She does brand marketing for one of the largest US travel operators, Collette. She lives in Rhode Island with her husband and four children.

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Comfort Songs

a companion novel to Comfort Plans

by

Kimberly Fish

 

Genre: Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction

Publisher: Fish Tales, LLC

Date of Publication: September 19, 2019

Number of Pages: 348

Scroll down for giveaway!

 

 

Award-winning author of Comfort Plans, Kimberly Fish, delivers a novel about family, forgiveness, and the seeds of second chances.

Eight years ago, Autumn Joy Worthington, still reeling from the bitter divorce of her Grammy-Award-winning parents, endured the betrayal of a man who’d promised her a wedding. Running from pain seemed the logical response. Reinventing herself in Comfort, Texas, as a lavender grower, she creates a wildly successful gardening haven that draws in tourists and establishes an identity far removed from her parents’ fame. Her mother’s retirement from stardom inspires AJ to offer her refuge and nurse the dream that they could move past old hurts and the tarnish of the music industry … to find friendship. A grandmother in the early stages of dementia and the return of AJ’s father complicate the recovery, but nothing sets the fragile reality spinning like the arrival of Nashville music executive, Luke English.

As Alzheimer’s slowly knocks away the filters of their family, AJ comes to appreciate the true meanings of love and forgiveness — and that the power of redemption can generate from the most unlikely sources. When AJ uncovers the grit to make hard choices, she also discovers that the flowers that bloom the brightest can have the most tangled roots.

 

 

 

 

 

Put together some washed up musicians, a cantankerous grandmother, a young woman trying to hold everything together, and a man that sees potential in everything and you have discovered Comfort Songs, a story that will touch your soul and make you laugh and cry all at the same time.

Each chapter starts with a snippet from a book that AJ is writing called Lessons from Lavender Hill.  Knowing the author and her love of the outdoors and plants, this was a natural fit for her and her characters.  The description of the farm brought forth colorful images in my mind as I imagined waves of lavender waving in the wind with the various shades of the lavender plants – so picturesque!

This story has so many facets that engage the reader and invest us in each character and the town of Comfort.  I am not sure who is my favorite character because several really struck home. Inez is AJ’s grandmother and her mind is starting to go and as the story progresses we see how dementia is affecting her and it is heart breaking.  But at the same time, she reveals more about her earlier days with her husband and dealing with her mother-in-law.  July is AJ’s mother and a very talented musician who has had rocky years and has decided to retire.  But is that the right thing for her?  Most likely not since most musicians are musicians until the day they die.  There is always music in their hearts.  Roger is AJ’s dad and he has had his share of issues in the past and Inez has bailed him out a time or two.  He is like Peter Pan, he really hasn’t grown up and it is frustrating to see him leave the responsibility of his mother to AJ.  Luke thought he was coming to Comfort to see July but didn’t expect to meet AJ or fall in love with her.  I enjoyed watching their story unfold, learning about Luke’s past, his hopes and dreams, and how AJ might fit into his life.

Then there is AJ and she is a bit of a hot mess considering who her parents are and the impact they have had on her life.  She is actually quite normal despite that fact but she still has issues.  I enjoyed watching her grow and become more confident in her own skin.

This family has a lot to deal with and like most families, there is one person that is the glue that holds it all together.  That is AJ’s role.  Not one she really wants but accepts wanting to help her family and do what is right.  But while she appears to be the glue, her life isn’t perfect and having everyone home at the same time brings that to light.  Thankfully, Comfort is a small town and AJ has some close friends that help support her and encourage her to lighten up and not shun what is right in front of her face.  Luke plays a large part in that support and he and AJ complete each other.  They may not see it for some time, but it is there.

This book has so much going for it from dramatic scenes to those that will make you laugh.  And then the ending…you’ll have to read the book to see how it turns out!

These are some of my favorite lines (I had more but tried to choose my ultimate favorites):

“This meal made him see he’d underestimated the people involved in July’s story.  They were all mourning things they’d lost.”

“Luke stared at AJ, wondering how she could sound exactly like the woman who walked into this house dirtier than a hound dog, but now, a mere half hour later, appeared a goddess.”

“Did these people even see the layers of effort she put into an ordinary day?  He doubted they had any notion of what she created on the other side of the hill.  They only saw what she could do for them.”

“Was it possible that below the grizzled exterior was a man who felt protective of his cub?”

“They were too much alike.  Too artistic.  Too self-centered.  Too destructive.  Too removed from the one great thing they created together.  the miracle of their gifts – their daughter.”

“Since driving off the interstate, he’s entered a world where a man’s character was judged by how well he could navigate heavy equipment and a fishing rod. And he’d not totally flunked.”

“In all honesty, I’ve always followed a carefully planned course.” His voice dropped for her ears alone. “But you make me want to be a better version of myself, and apparently that means letting go of agendas.”

“Mom has a way of turning the simplest melodies into strings of notes and lyrics that once they’re in your head, you can’t forget.”

“So, a widower and an almost-bride, you know, we’re a lyric waiting to happen.”

 

This book just sings to us and we give it 5 paws up.

 

 

 

Kimberly Fish is a professional writer with almost thirty years of media experience. She’s been telling stories far longer. She published her first novel, a WWII historical fiction novel, because of a true story in her adopted hometown that was too good to ignore.  She quickly followed that success with a sequel. Since then, she’s continued writing fiction and added a contemporary second-chance romance series set in Comfort, Texas, to her list of fun, fast-paced novels. Kimberly lives with her family in East Texas.

 

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+  HUMMINGBIRD FARMS HAND CREAM & HAND SOAP

OCTOBER 22-NOVEMBER 1, 2019

(U.S. Only)

 

 

 

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Check out the other blogs on this tour

10/22/19	Review	Momma on the Rocks
10/22/19	BONUS Promo	All the Ups and Downs
10/23/19	Review	Reading by Moonlight
10/23/19	Review	KayBee’s Book Shelf
10/24/19	Review	Sybrina’s Book Blog
10/25/19	Review	Sydney Young, Stories
10/25/19	Review	Bibliotica
10/26/19	Review	That’s What She’s Reading
10/27/19	Review	Book Fidelity
10/28/19	Review	The Book Review
10/28/19	Review	Missus Gonzo
10/29/19	Review	Forgotten Winds
10/30/19	Review	The Clueless Gent
10/30/19	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
10/31/19	Review	Hall Ways Blog
10/31/19	Review	Carpe Diem Chronicles

 

 

 

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Title: The Empty Nesters
Author: Carolyn Brown
Release Date: August 20, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance

Synopsis

Dear friends and army wives Diana, Carmen, and Joanie have been through war, rumors of war, marital problems, motherhood, fears, joy, and heartache. But none of the women are prepared when their daughters decide to enlist in the army together. Facing an empty nest won’t be easy. Especially for Carmen. With emotions already high, she suffers an even greater blow: divorce papers. Diana understands the fury and tears. She’s been there.

With nothing to lose and no one at home, the girlfriends impulsively accept an unexpected offer from their elderly neighbor. The recently widowed Tootsie has an RV, a handsome nephew at the wheel, and an aim for tiny Scrap, Texas, to embrace memories of her late husband. Still grieving, she can use the company as a balm for her broken heart. So can the empty nesters.

Embarking on a journey of hope, romance, and healing, Diana, Carmen, and Joanie are at a turning point in their lives. And with the open road ahead of them, it’s just the beginning.

 

Jump Into Author Carolyn Brown’s Empty Nest

Good morning, and thank you for inviting me to stop by to talk about my new book, The Empty Nesters. I’ll be giving all y’all a few of my favorite scenes and a little commentary during the time we get to spend together.

As Ma used to say on Golden Girls, imagine this—Carmen, Joanie and Diana have just dropped their daughters off at the recruiter’s office. They’ve managed to keep the tears at bay and put up a brave front, but now it’s time to let the tears loose.

“For the first time ever, Natalie and I won’t decorate the house for Halloween together. Nine months of carrying them, then we basically raised them on our own while our husbands were deployed or got sent someplace to train other officers. And now they’re gone, and we won’t see them for Halloween or Thanksgiving. And who even knows about Christmas? It’s not fair.”

It’s always amazing what comes to mind during a sad time, isn’t it? Things pop into our heads that seem trivial in the face of the event, and yet, at the time, the good memories are what keep us sane.

Tootsie, their elderly neighbor, has just lost her husband, after they’d bought the huge RV and planned a trip to northeast Texas. She’s trying to convince the women that they need to get away from their empty nest for a while.

“You need to get away for a little while and get some perspective,” Tootsie said.

“Let’s pool our money and blow it all on a trip to Paris. We can shop and have lattes in little bistros,” Diana suggested.

Joanie sighed. “That’s a pipe dream. We probably don’t have enough money to even get to Paris, Texas, between the three of us.”

The three of them have known the support of each other through the past thirteen years, and just because they’re now alone in their homes, they have no doubt that the love is still there between them—and that it’s even stronger than blood sisters.

“We’re only half a block and a phone call away. If any of us feel the world dropping out from under our feet, we can get back together in less than five minutes.”

I was amazed at how supportive all of them, including Tootsie, were of each other. They might disagree, but Lord help the person that tried to come between them, or who had the nerve to say an ugly word about one of them.

Everything happens for a reason and in the time that it should happen. I believe that with my whole heart. Diana had gotten her divorce years before the book opens, but she remembers the pain and anger of it all. Then she focused all her energy and time on raising her daughter. But now it’s her time to find a new love, and a new life—maybe with a younger man.

“That many trips into town on those roads would shake the hell out of their Caddy. And believe me, Aunt Tootsie treats that car like family.” Luke chuckled. “Age, on a truck or on a person, makes no difference. It’s how well they’re maintained that matters.”

Why, oh, why, couldn’t he have smooth pickup lines like other men? Luke asked himself. What he’d just said could be taken as an insult. She might think that he thought she looked like an old pickup truck at her age, when in reality she was downright gorgeous. He wouldn’t be a bit surprised if she still got carded at bars when she ordered a drink.

Thank you again, for inviting me into your world, and letting me talk about the amazing ladies (and Luke of course), from The Empty Nesters. Happy reading to each and every one of you!

***

 

Review

Carolyn Brown takes us back to small town Texas with a story about women, friendships, love, loss, and hope for the future.

The book starts in a suburb of San Antonio close to a military base where three women have found a home and friendship with each other.  It doesn’t hurt that they have been adopted of sorts by another couple on the block, Tootsie and Smokey, that were never able to have children but welcome the women and their families into their lives.  Fast forward approximately 12 years and the daughters are all entering basic training and the crux of the story is what happens in about a 3 month period.

I found this story to be a bit heavier than most of her books due to the grief of several characters.  These three women become empty nesters and don’t know what do with themselves.  I see this today with a lot of people that their children become their whole lives and I wonder when they plan to have their own interests outside of their children.  Diana, Carmen, and Joanie have each other and it helps as the girls grown up and their husbands are doing their military job (they are all on a team together).  It is a huge eye opener for these three to figure out how to handle life when they don’t have their daughters to worry about, or at least not as much as they are now young women and on their own.

Tootsie and Carmen have to deal with the stages of grief – Tootsie for the death of her husband and Carmen for the death of her marriage.  I am glad that the author fully pursued the different stages for these women.

Diana has been divorced for five years and enter Luke, Tootsie’s nephew.  He is as attracted to Diana as she is to him.  Her issue, the fact that she is 7 years older than him.  Their story is woven throughout the book and there is a bit of a surprise at the end but one I thought might happen.

Joanie has a different kind of surprise with her husband but you will have to read the book to find out what.

I enjoyed the book but noticed one discrepancy – there is a 72 hour waiting period to get married in Texas, so two characters might have been in for a surprise arriving at the courthouse and expecting to get married the same day!

Overall I enjoyed this book and give it 4 paws up.

 

About the Author

Carolyn Brown is a New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a RITA finalist with more than ninety published books, which include women’s fiction and historical, contemporary, and cowboys-and-country-music romance. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma—where everyone knows everyone else and knows what they’re doing and when—and they read the local newspaper on Wednesday to see who got caught. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young.

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Synopsis

Three women. Two families torn apart by secrets.

Crushed by guilt over the car accident that killed her father and sister, and torn apart by her mother’s resentment, Darcy Goodridge fled her family estate eight years ago and hasn’t looked back.

Now an unexpected phone call threatens to upend what little serenity she’s found. Her nephew, Emerson, who was just a baby when his mother died, has gone missing. Darcy must return home and face her past in order to save him.

Once back in Ohio, Darcy realizes there’s more to Emerson’s disappearance—and to the sudden retirement of her mother, Rosalind—than meets the eye. As she works to make inroads with Rosalind, Darcy begins to unravel a decades-old secret that devastated her family and forced a wedge between her and Michael Varano, the man she left heartbroken when she vanished after the funeral. After carrying the scars of that fateful night for almost a decade, Darcy is determined to find closure, healing, and maybe even love where she lost them all in the first place—right back home where she belongs.

Editorial Reviews

“At the very heart of The Road She Left Behind are the powerful lessons of humanity: forgiveness, healing, and letting go, all woven together with the threads that bind family and friends. You will laugh, you will cry, you will root these characters on, and miss them profusely when they’re gone. I know I do.” —USA Today bestselling author Rochelle Weinstein

“The Road She Left Behind masterfully knits together the past and present, showing us a fractured family, grave misunderstandings, and heart-wrenching betrayals. I connected with the flawed but lovable characters and found myself enthralled from the first page to the last. Bravo!” —Karen McQuestion, bestselling author of Hello Love

“In The Road She Left Behind, Christine Nolfi takes her gift of storytelling to new heights. You’ll find it all here: deft prose, troubled relationships that overcome and triumph, and a plot that will keep you guessing until the very end.” —Grace Greene, bestselling author of Wildflower Heart

 

Review

This book has it all – family, forgiveness, love, and understanding.

All families have some sort of dysfunction and Darcy’s is no different.  A tragic accident tears apart her family and sets her on a path that is lonely since she has no communication with her family other than Latrice, the nanny/housekeeper that she has known all her life.  And that contact is only once per year until a call out of the blue changes Darcy’s life forever.

It is hard to know who to feel sorry for in this book – there are so many characters with their own issues and I found myself rooting for various characters at different times.  While the main character is Darcy, there are those that play a part in her life in different ways.  Sampson is like an adopted son and Darcy is able to identify with him since he has been in the foster care system and bounced around from home to home until he turned 18 and is then out on his own.  Michael was Darcy’s best friend and first love, but will he be her last?  A misunderstanding caused their rift, will they be able to overcome?  Rosalind is Darcy’s mother but she doesn’t seem to have a nurturing bone in her body.  This could be due to her career as a judge or it could be due to her issues in her marriage.  Emerson is Darcy’s nephew and quite a pistol!  He is smarter than he should be and wants a family more than anyone knows.

All of these characters add depth to the book and the story is woven through time, heartache, and joy.  You will even find some light moments that will make you laugh especially Michael’s grandmother, Tippi.  She is quite a hoot.

We give this story 5 paws up and suggest you pick it up next time you are looking for a story that encompasses everything!

About the Author

The heartwarming fiction by Christine Nolfi has reached multiple bestseller lists and won numerous awards. The Sweet Lake Series has won gold medals in The Reader’s Choice Awards. The Midwest Book Review lists the Liberty Series as “highly recommended.”

Prior to writing fiction, Christine owned a public relations firm in Ohio. She closed the firm after adopting her four children from the Philippines. Today she resides in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband and her crazy Wheaten Terrier, Lucy.

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Synopsis

Rebecca Jordan’s life is simple, disciplined, and uncomplicated, at least on the surface. Then she meets a handsome stranger/secret admirer named Michael Vale one fateful late night at a bookstore café. As a focused but struggling photographer with a passion for art, her outwardly happy world is turned upside down during this life-changing encounter when she quickly realizes she has met her soul mate. The undeniable attraction between them and their intense, immediate connection seem picture perfect as they discuss the shop’s local artwork, until Rebecca abruptly ends the chance meeting with no explanation.

Betraying Brett, her loyal, loving boyfriend, is something Rebecca can never bring herself to do. Driven by a strong moral code and molded by divorced parents and a tumultuous childhood, she struggles to stay away from Michael, but fate and circumstance intervene, bringing them back together time and time again. As much as she resists, there is no denying her true feelings for him and the simple fact that Michael understands her in a way Brett never has. Michael proves to be everything she’s ever wanted, but remains just out of her reach.

Behind the Glass tells the story of Michael and Rebecca’s extraordinary love and the many unconventional stages their relationship must go through. Their morals and their faith in true love and in each other will be put to the test as they learn that meeting one’s soul mate does not come without obstacles.

 

About the Author

Kristen Morgen, an up and coming new adult contemporary romance author, can’t remember a time in her life when she didn’t crave designing, creating, discovering, and using her imagination in some way. She enjoys exploring relationships and discovering the little reasons people fall in love with each other while uncovering deeper truths. Honing her craft in her free time and choosing exactly the type of story she wanted to tell, Kristen presents Behind the Glass as her debut novel.

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