REVIEW: Lies We Tell Mothers by Suzy K. Quinn

Title: Lies We Tell Mothers
Author: Suzy K. Quinn
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: August 2019
Genre: Memoir
Buy The Book: Amazon | Audible

Description: Bestselling author of the Bad Mother books Suzy K Quinn reveals the truth behind the lies we tell mothers, one sleepless night at a time.

Suzy and Demi were carefree twenty-somethings. They had fun! They didn’t have responsibilities! And then they decided to have a baby. Goodbye lazy weekends, hello sleepless nights, arguments and an addiction to industrial-strength hot chocolate.

In the midst of this major life change, Suzy discovered that most parenting advice should be taken with a pinch of salt—or ten.

For example:

#1 Lie—Just go with your mother’s instinct. But what if your instinct is telling you to hide under the stairs?

#10 Lie—Your new baby will tell you what it needs. Not if it can’t talk it won’t.

#23 Lie—You should never bribe your children. You will ALWAYS bribe your children.

Follow Suzy on the ultimate make-over—from nervous-wreck new mother to happy families. In this hilarious and refreshingly honest account for parents who prefer the realistic to the utopian, Suzy debunks the myths and takes us all along for the (bumpy) ride.

My Thoughts: Funny and insightful journey of bestselling author Suzy Quinn’s experience into motherhood. The ups and downs are revealed with full disclosure balanced with copious amounts of hot chocolate and whether the author feels she is doing a good job.

I love this author’s voice and her humor is fantastic. I laughed at the parts where Suzy and Demi struggle not only to cope with the challenges of their lives irrevocably changing forever and Suzy’s intake of hot chocolate which appears to be turning into an addiction and empathizing with the struggles of breastfeeding, permanent body changes and dealing with home issues like mold and moving to a new location entirely.

Just when Suzy and Demi have their lives situated into a semblance of normal routine, it’s time to have another baby! The lies mothers are told continue, but ultimately Suzy and Demi get a grasp on managing and come out happy families in the end.

My Final Verdict: I’m not usually a fan of non-fiction or memoirs, but this one was fantastic! This is the first time I have read this author and she is one to be on the lookout for. Her humor had me laughing, almost guffawing until tears rolled down my cheeks. Becoming a parent isn’t a decision one should make lightly and Suzy and Demi find out the hard way. I highly recommend this book to parents for the advice and non-parents for the entertainment.

Thank you to the publisher, Lake Union Publishing, who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

REVIEW: Right Here Waiting for You by Rebecca Pugh

Title: Right Here Waiting for You
Author: Rebecca Pugh
Publisher: Harper Collins UK / HQ Digital
Publication Date: May 2017
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN |

Description: We used to be best friends…

Magda used to be the girl everyone wanted to be – most likely to achieve her every wish. That is until suddenly her perfect life seems to be anything but! Sophia has never regretted her life, sure it isn’t perfect, but being a single mum to a daughter she loves is pretty great. Perhaps she never moved away from home, or got to live out her dreams, but what she has right now isn’t so bad.

That is until an invitation to their school reunion arrives, throwing both their lives into a spin – because these two used to be friends and it might finally be time to face up to that one big mistake that happened all those years ago…

My Thoughts: Right Here Waiting for You by new to me author Rebecca Pugh was an amazing story about friendship, betrayal, forgiveness and acceptance. I found both Sophia and Magda easy to relate to and though I tried really hard to not like Magda, I couldn’t. I admired her determination, spirit, and courage to go home knowing she will likely be met with a hostile welcome. I also admired her willingness to show remorse and apologize without peppering it with a lot of excuses. She takes complete responsibility for the relationships she damaged, not with just her best friend, Sophia, but also with her father.

I also liked Sophia. I understood her anger at Magda, as I certainly felt the same way about her myself. I also liked that she wasn’t hateful and bitter and was willing to take a chance on forgiveness not just to Magda, but also to Tom, her daughter’s father, without being a pushover.

The blossoming romance between Sophia and Michael was a treat to witness too. I was happy to see that there wasn’t a lot of wasted time and big misunderstanding drama to slog through before these two confessed their feelings for one another.

My only disappointment with this story was not having enough closure for Magda. I was happy that she had the courage to address her nightmare of a marriage to Greg, but I was left wondering what would happen down the road.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this story took me through all the emotions and I will be looking for more of this author’s work. I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy stories about imperfect people trying to correct their mistakes of the past and not dwell in negativity and bitterness.

Thank you to the publisher, Harper Collins UK / HQ Digital, who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

REVIEW: Love Connection by Camilla Isley

Title: First Comes Love (First Comes Love #0.5)
Author: Camilla Isley
Narrator: Audra Cook
Publisher: Pink Bloom Press
Publication Date: March 2023
Genre: Chick-Lit / Contemporary Romance / Romantic Comedy
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Have you ever wondered what might have been?

Gemma Dawson is at the airport, staring at two plane tickets to two different cities. Two different weddings. Two possible futures. She’s at a crossroads.

Be maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding or crash her ex’s?

Gemma’s decision, unknown to her, hinges on a delayed flight and a chance meeting. Now her life is about to go down two parallel tracks—will Gemma fly toward a life with her first love or a future with a man she’s not even met yet?

Love Connection is a feel-good Romantic Comedy about one woman, life’s infinite possibilities, and the destiny that lies beyond two different choices.

My Thoughts: This was such a fun feel-good story about a woman whose life splits and begins running on parallel tracks based on which choice she makes. Go to her best friend’s wedding in Chicago where she is the maid of honor or go to California and crash her ex’s wedding. This story gives the reader a front row seat to see how each decision plays out. I absolutely loved it and both scenarios were interesting to see.

This author drafts interesting stories with characters that are so easy to relate to. I liked Gemma immediately and empathized with her situation. She and Jake were each other’s first love but unfortunately things ended badly and now he’s getting married. I understood her need to stop his wedding, but she made a commitment to her best friend to be maid of honor at her wedding which is happening on the same day.

Both choice scenarios played our realistically and I loved that there was no absolute right choice as both came with challenges, repercussions and rewards. I honestly couldn’t decide how I would have chosen in Gemma’s place.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this was a charming and entertaining read. I highly recommend this story to readers of chick-lit and romantic comedies as well as people who often wonder what would’ve happened had they chosen this over that.

REVIEW: Homecoming by Isabel Ashdown

Title: Homecoming
Author: Isabel Ashdown
Publisher: Orion
Publication Date: November 2022
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Welcome to The Starlings... sun, sea and neighbors to die for.

Security, a sparkling sea view and the best kind of neighbors - The Starlings gated community has it all. Here, doors are left open, children run free, and at the heart of it all is the entrepreneurial Gold Family, who first dreamed up this aspirational vision of 'Dorset's Safest Community'. To the outside world the popular family appears glitteringly blessed... until an idyllic party takes a dark turn and one of their number is found slumped at the foot of the clocktower. Who knows what really happened? And what answers are harbored within the old building, the former Highcap Mother and Baby Home?

My Thoughts: Homecoming by new to me author Isabel Ashdown offered an intriguing story filled with lies, betrayal and deception but unfortunately fell flat for me. I became increasingly frustrated that absolutely nothing of noteworthy importance happened until well past the 50% mark. Instead there were a lot of innuendo and red herrings and I admit, it worked to keep me holding onto hope that something big was about to happen.

When events started to occur, it brought my anticipation level back up, but the ending fell flat for me. The list of suspects were numerous and this story could have gone in a lot of different directions, but the ending felt rushed and didn’t make sense.

I thought the author did a very good job with character building, giving the reader a lot of characters that were easy to empathize with and relate to as well as characters the reader immediately dislikes upon meeting. I also enjoyed the detail the author put into creating this master planned community. I had an excellent visual in my mind’s eye while reading and would have enjoyed being part of a beautiful community like this one. She also gives enough detail of what transpired so many years ago on this property to give the reader a lot of apprehension about the place.

My Final Verdict: Overall, I was disappointed with the direction and outcome of this story, but I enjoyed the author’s skill at character and locale building and am open to reading more of her work. Readers who don’t mind how long a story takes to get going or less than jaw dropping conclusions will likely enjoy this one.

REVIEW: Southern Spirits by Angie Fox

Title: Southern Spirits (Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries #1)
Author: Angie Fox
Publisher: Moose Island Books
Publication Date: January 2020
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: One simple mistake…
For a girl who is about to lose her family home,
Releases the ghost of a long-dead gangster,
And opens Verity Long’s eyes to a whole new world.

When out of work graphic designer Verity Long accidentally traps a ghost on her property, she’s saddled with more than a supernatural sidekick—she gains the ability see spirits. It leads to an offer she can’t refuse from the town’s bad boy, the brother of her ex and the last man she should ever partner with.

Ellis Wydell is in possession of a stunning historic property haunted by some of Sugarland Tennessee’s finest former citizens. Only some of them are growing restless—and destructive. He hires Verity to put an end to the disturbances. But soon, Verity learns there’s more to the mysterious estate than floating specters, secret passageways, and hidden rooms.

There’s a modern-day mystery afoot, one that hinges on a decades-old murder. Verity isn't above questioning the living, or the dead. But can she discover the truth before the killer finds her?

My Thoughts: Originally published back in 2015, the first three installments of The Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries was offered to me. Though I haven’t read this author before, she has been on my radar for a while as this series and her Demon Slayer series are tropes I am typically drawn to.

This was a fun book that had a lot of interesting elements. Woman betrayed by her fiancé is trying to save her grandmother’s home in Tennessee from being foreclosed. She and her pet skunk, Lucy, are trying to make a life for themselves when our heroine, Verity, inadvertently releases a ghost. Not just any ghost, but the ghost of a gangster with a bullet hole in his forehead. As a result, she can now see and speak to other ghosts.

She is soon hired by none other than her ex-fiancé’s brother, Ellis, to rid his home of ghosts who are becoming destructive and ruining his remodeling. Seeing this as a golden opportunity to acquire the funds to save her grandmother’s home, Verity agrees though she and Ellis are nowhere near to being on friendly terms.

Verity soon discovers that some ghosts are still around because they have unfinished business, usually having to do with their own unsolved murder. It isn’t long before Verity and Ellis become targets and they have to act fast if they are going to solve the murder and save not just Ellis’s home, but her grandmother’s.

This was an entertaining start to a series that is currently at fourteen installments. I liked Verity and Ellis and loved, loved, loved that she has a pet skunk. I really hope that Lucy features prominently throughout the rest of the series. Verity and Ellis have quite a bit of chemistry, but that’s as far as it goes in this story, so there is more to develop and explore there. I’m also looking forward to getting to know Frankie, the 1920’s gangster ghost, better and finding out more about his background as well as the other ghosts.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this is a charming start to a series that I will enjoy reading more of. I recommend this story to fans of cozy mysteries as well as stories that feature paranormal elements. Fans of skunks should give this series a go too because she is just too adorable.

Thank you to the publisher, Moose Island Books, who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

REVIEW: These Deadly Games by Diana Urban

Title: These Deadly Games
Author: Diana Urban
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: February 2022
Genre: Mystery / Thriller / Teen
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Let’s play a game.

You have 24 hours to win. If you break my rules, she dies. If you call the police, she dies. If you tell your parents or anyone else, she dies.

Are you ready?

When Crystal Donavan gets a message on a mysterious app with a video of her little sister gagged and bound, she agrees to play the kidnapper’s game. At first, they make her complete bizarre tasks: steal a test and stuff it in a locker, bake brownies, make a prank call.

But then Crystal realizes each task is meant to hurt—and kill—her friends, one by one. But if she refuses to play, the kidnapper will kill her sister. Is someone trying to take her team out of the running for a gaming tournament? Or have they uncovered a secret from their past, and wants them to pay for what they did…

As Crystal makes the impossible choices between her friends and her sister, she must uncover the truth and find a way to outplay the kidnapper… before it’s too late.

Author of All Your Twisted Secrets, Diana Urban’s explosive sophomore novel, These Deadly Games, will keep you riveted until the final twist is revealed.

My Thoughts: Wow! I needed several minutes to pick my jaw up off the floor after finishing this book. New to me author, Diana Urban, delivers a very twisty, heart pounding, pulse racing story about a teenage girl who is racing the clock to play a sick and twisted game or her little sister dies. Who is behind this nightmare? Why are they are doing this? How far is Crystal willing to go when the choices between hurting her friends and allowing her sister to die become more painful.

First of all, I really enjoyed the back story of Crystal and her friends all being avid online gamers. I appreciated the detail the author put into this story to illustrate how important the gaming community is to gamers and how focused they are on the game, sometimes to the detriment of other aspects of their lives. No judgment here at all, but the author did a brilliant job of showing how the gaming life can evolve from a fun hobby to an obsession.

Secondly, this story is full of twists and turns that I actually started to wonder if this was really happening or was it all in Crystal’s head. The kidnapper does an excellent job of making Crystal believe a reality other than her own at times and it also got me questioning it.

Thirdly, the games Crystal has to play start out fairly innocent and innocuous. Steal a test and put it in a locker. Make some brownies and go take a drive to a lake. Make a prank phone call. The detail the kidnapper puts into their plan was brilliantly executed and I could feel Crystal’s fear and frustration as every angle she thinks of to get to the bottom of this has already been thought of and blocked by the villain. They can see her. They can hear her. While reading this story, I was giving my cell phone dirty looks.

The plot was so mind-boggling, but so easy to follow. The story switches between the present and five years in the past. The characters were well developed and behaved appropriately and as expected, given the events around them. Everyone was a suspect in my mind at various points, including Crystal. When the reveal occurred, I was shocked, but it didn’t end there. When the entire truth came out, I was floored and this story ends with me wondering if there will be a sequel or some kind of follow-up involving Crystal. You know, like in Jaws, when you think it’s safe to go back into the water? If I were Crystal, I think I would give up all electronics, social media, gaming and live off the grid.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this story was fantastic! Interesting and intriguing storyline paired with characters who are easy to relate to are a booklover’s dream. I highly recommend this story to readers who enjoy mysteries and thrillers. The majority of the characters are teen and young adult and readers in this age group will enjoy it, but also older adults, like me, will be pulled in and have a difficult time looking away.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

REVIEW: Until Love Do Us Part by Anna Premoli

Title: Until Love Do Us Part
Author: Anna Premoli
Publisher: Aria
Publication Date: June 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Buy The Book: Amazon | Audible

Description: What happens when two people who hate each other are forced to cooperate by law?

Amalia and Ryan met at Yale Law School, from which their mutual dislike for one another was born.

Amalia Berger is a successful, high society New York lawyer. Chicago based lawyer Ryan O'Moore is the eldest of four sons whose chaotic family run a pub in the heart of the Big Apple.

New York beckons after Ryan is offered a promotion. But when the defense lawyer of his first case is the one and only Amalia Berger, things become complicated.

The courtroom clash escalates between them to the point that the judge sentences them both to a punishment of community service, forcing them to spend time together...

My Thoughts: Ryan and Amalia have known one another since their Yale Law School days. Both Amalia and Ryan are extremely head-strong over achievers and that’s pretty much where their mutual commonalities end. Amalia sucked up the courage back in college to ask Ryan out for a drink, for which she was rejected by Ryan in a most condescending manner. Afterward, Ryan gets the coveted spot as the editor for the Yale magazine. It’s safe to say that when Amalia and Ryan meet a decade later in court on opposing sides of the aisle, neither one is happy. Their acrimonious bickering doesn’t sit well with the judge either so he finds them both in contempt and sentences them to 50 hours of community service each, to be served together. This forced time spent together will either result in them killing each other or falling in love.

This was a fun, cute and charming story. Amalia comes from a family of wealth and has a trust fund but she doesn’t want to succeed on her family name or their money. Her relationship with her parents are that of practical strangers. Ryan comes from a large close-knit Irish family that works hard for everything they own and don’t have the luxury of wealth. I was really surprised by how much Ryan resented Amalia for her wealthy upbringing and thought it highly unfair how much he judges her for it.

I was anxious to know how they would resolve their issues to not only work professionally with one another, but also see if the chemistry they are feeling can amount to something special outside the courtroom. The community service they are forced to work was quite entertaining, from cleaning up a park with inmates, making and serving meals at a soup kitchen, volunteering at a kindergarten, retirement home and the Humane Society shelter. I liked that Amalia wanted to show Ryan that she wasn’t above getting her hands dirty or afraid of hard work. I didn’t like that Amalia felt like she had to prove anything to Ryan because of his bias against wealthy people.

In spite of Ryan’s bad attitude, I liked him and understood his feelings about wealthy people were more a self-projection of himself and his feelings of inadequacy and wanting to be successful without a trust fund. I liked Amalia and how she comes to terms with what being in a serious relationship means and whether she is brave enough to take the leap.

These characters were very believable and easy to relate to. I really liked getting to meet Ryan’s family and Amalia’s grandmother. The plot moves at a good pace and kept me engaged and curious to see what would happen. This is my first book by Anna Premoli and I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style and voice. I look forward to reading more of her work.

My Final Verdict: Overall, the opposites attract trope can work if done correctly and this story illustrates that very well. I highly recommend this book to readers of contemporary romance as well as stories involving characters who are outspoken in their opinions and staunch defenders of their positions.

Thank you to the publisher, Aria, who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.