BOOK SYNOPSIS:
From one of the most gifted and beloved storytellers of her time comes a riveting new novel of suspense where one woman’s picture-perfect island sanctuary reveals itself to be filled with dangers…

At twenty-nine, Alison Marshall is ready to find a place to call home. With no family and no ties, she’s drifted from one small Florida town to another since high school, working odd jobs, saving hard, and building a nest egg. Once she finds the right place to settle down, she’ll know. And when she reaches beautiful Palmetto Island, she thinks she may have found it.

The small, close-knit island community seems to have everything Alison needs. On a hunch, she contacts the island’s only realtor, and learns that an old beach house is on the market. Miraculously, it’s in her budget, and Alison takes it as another sign that she’s in the right place.

At first, home is everything she hoped it would be. But as days turn into weeks, she uncovers a dark side to this supposedly peaceful haven. The locals have a secret, and once Alison discovers what it is, she faces a stark choice. She can stay and join them—or escape. But leaving brings its own risks, and Alison is starting to wonder if coming to Palmetto Island is the last mistake she’ll ever make . . .

REVIEW:
It has been a while since I have read Fern Michaels and this book reminded me of why. The storyline was ok but first I never really found myself liking any of the characters and there are so many parts that are just unbelievable.

I realized that the main problem I have always had with Fern Michaels writing is the way her characters talk. The conversations are so unrealistic that they are distracting.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
It’s New Year’s Eve 1999. Y2K is expected to end in chaos: planes falling from the sky, elevators plunging to earth, world markets collapsing. A digital apocalypse. None of that happens. But at a Blockbuster Video in Linden, New Jersey, four teenage girls working the night shift are attacked. Only one survives. Police quickly identify a suspect who flees and is never seen again.

Fifteen years later, in the same town, four teenage employees working late at an ice cream store are attacked, and again only one makes it out alive.

Both surviving victims recall the killer speaking only a few final words… “Goodnight, pretty girl.”

In the aftermath, three lives intersect: the survivor of the Blockbuster massacre who’s forced to relive her tragedy; the brother of the original suspect, who’s convinced the police have it wrong; and the FBI agent, who’s determined to solve both cases. On a collision course toward the truth, all three lives will forever be changed, and not everyone will make it out alive.

Twisty, poignant, and redemptive, The Night Shift is a story about the legacy of trauma and how the broken can come out on the other side, and it solidifies Alex Finlay as one of the new leading voices in the world of thrillers.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts I have some dislikes with this story but mostly I think it is pretty good. I enjoyed the cold case intersecting with the current case even though it has been a decade and a half. I enjoyed that Sarah is not a wallflower waiting for others to do the job. She gets right out there and does what she needs to do.

But that leads me to a dislike. Any woman who has been pregnant and ready to pop at 8 ½ months pregnant is not running around like a teenager, honestly at that far along the mom to be is exhausted. And more so the mom to be does everything in her power to protect her baby (in this case twins – which makes it even more so) but Sarah is out there doing things that just are feasible.

But other than that I enjoyed the story. I honestly kept trying to forget that Sarah was pregnant and enjoy the rest of the book even though it was very hard with some of the action scenes.

All in all a good book. Without the ridiculous writing for a pregnant woman (no surprise it was written by a man) I would have given this book 4 hearts.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A sweeping and heartbreaking Hollywood biography about the passionate, turbulent marriage of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh.

In 1934, a friend brought fledgling actress Vivien Leigh to see Theatre Royal, where she would first lay eyes on Laurence Olivier in his brilliant performance as Anthony Cavendish. That night, she confided to a friend, he was the man she was going to marry. There was just one problem: she was already married—and so was he.

TRULY, MADLY is the biography of a marriage, a love affair that still captivates millions, even decades after both actors’ deaths. Vivien and Larry were two of the first truly global celebrities – their fame fueled by the explosive growth of tabloids and television, which helped and hurt them in equal measure. They seemed to have it all and yet, in their own minds, they were doomed, blighted by her long-undiagnosed mental-illness, which transformed their relationship from the stuff of dreams into a living nightmare.

Through new research, including exclusive access to previously unpublished correspondence and interviews with their friends and family, author Stephen Galloway takes readers on a bewitching journey. He brilliantly studies their tempestuous liaison, one that took place against the backdrop of two world wars, the Golden Age of Hollywood and the upheavals of the 1960s — as they struggled with love, loss and the ultimate agony of their parting.

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts What a great book for any fan of Hollywood’s “it” couple. I have been a fan of Vivien Leigh’s since first seeing her in Gone With The Wind and probably that is where most fans will say they know her from. Laurence Olivier is best known for his stage performances and movies like Wuthering Heights and Spartacus.

Having started as an affair while both married they eventually married each other, suffered through miscarriages, time apart for filming and what would later be diagnosed as bi-polar disorder that was too new to be named but Leigh suffered from. Their relationship was one of romance, passion and tumultuous times.

The book is very thorough and very well researched. You can tell the author wrote from a love of the actors. I enjoyed so much of this book. Sometimes it was a bit wordy and a bit like a lecture but the information is worth the read.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Hearts

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

With her divorce settlement about to run out and a mortgage she can’t afford, Robyn Caldwell needs a plan for her future. She nurtured her family and neglected herself. But how’s she supposed to think when her daughter has become the most demanding bride ever, her son won’t even consider college, her best friend is on the brink of marital disaster and her ex is making a monumentally bad decision that could bring everything crashing down on Robyn’s head? So when her great-aunt Lillian invites her to Santa Barbara for the summer, Robyn hops on the first plane.

But it’s hard to run away when you’re the heart of the family. One by one, everyone she left behind follows her across the country. Somehow, their baggage doesn’t feel as heavy in the sun-drenched, mishmash mansion. The more time Robyn spends with free-spirited Lillian, the more she sees the appeal in taking chances—on dreams, on love, on family. Life is meant to be lived on purpose. All she has to do is muster the courage to take a chance on herself.

REVIEW:
4.25 Hearts First off you can not go wrong with Susan Mallery. This is the perfect “beach” read. Not sure what that is? It’s a book that puts you in a relaxing, enjoyable mood while you are (or dream about) sitting on a beach instead of spending your day “Adulting!!!”

In this latest book by Mallery we meet Robyn and her family. She is going through a rough patch. Her daughter is wanting the wedding of her dreams and becoming a bridezilla to get it, her son who just graduated can’t figure out what he wants from life, soon she will have to sell her house per her divorce decree and her best friend is just plain stressing a girlfriend out. And now her great aunt invites her to run away to Santa Barbara.

First off, the aunt’s house had me imagining Winchester Mystery House and was just fun if you ask me. Soon the family comes to Santa Barbara one by one and life catches up to Robyn.

Another wonderful story by Mallery. Susan Mallery is easily one of my favorite authors. Her name is the first I suggest to anyone who is looking for a new-to-them author.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Hearts

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
In this captivating novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel, five successful women play for high stakes in their careers at a boutique literary and talent agency.

Jane Addison is an ambitious young woman with big dreams of owning her own company someday. At twenty-eight, she arrives in New York to start a job at Fletcher and Benson, a prestigious talent agency. Eager to impress her new colleagues, Jane jumps right in as an assistant to Hailey West, one of the agents in the literary department.

Hailey is dedicated to the authors she represents, but her home life is chaotic and challenging. After her husband’s tragic and untimely death, she was left widowed with three children to raise on her own.

Then there’s Francine Rivers, the stern and accomplished head of the literary department. Also a single mom after her husband’s affair with the nanny, she has overcome the resulting financial hardships, but only with unbearable sacrifice.

Compared to Hailey and Francine, drama agent Allie Moore’s life seems much more carefree and uncomplicated. She relishes her success and loves working with the talented actors they represent—until a passionate relationship with one of her rising star clients threatens to derail her career.

Merriwether Jones is the CFO for the agency. She appears to have it all–beauty, success, and a perfect marriage until her husband’s jealousy over her career threatens to blow everything up.

Even though she’s a newcomer, Jane quickly realizes that there are damaging secrets hidden behind the doors of Fletcher and Benson. As one of the youngest employees, she has the least power, but is also the least willing to accept things as they have been for years. When she puts everything on the line to right these wrongs, the consequences will leave no one unscathed.

In this riveting novel, Danielle Steel tells the story of a group of remarkable women navigating the challenges of balancing their families, their personal lives and the high stakes of ambition at the top of their game.

REVIEW:
Another great book from Danielle Steel but this one might be best to have a warning label. This book is very much wrapped up in the Me Too movement and deals with sexual assault in depth. For some this may be too much but I think Steel wrote the story really well.

The characters are so well defined that even though there are a lot we learn quickly who is who and why they are integral to their storylines.

There is a lot to each woman’s story and this is not a feel good beach read. It is intense but a story that needs to be told.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Hearts