The Talking Tree: when her mother's death sends her searching in the past for answers

The Talking Tree is the first book in The Hartwell Women by Judith Keim. Returning to her hometown after the death of her estranged mother, Marissa Cole just wants to dot the i’s and cross the t’s and leave it all behind once again. However, her mother has one final request: take her ashes to New Hope, Maine and scatter them from the local cliffs. Marissa never heard her mother mention New Hope and she didn’t understand why her mom would make such a request. Once in Maine, she discovers a family her mother left behind. However, the family isn’t what she thought where the smiles and the welcomes aren’t as sincere as she hopes. With the family fortune on the line, can Marissa make the right decision for herself, her family and her future? 

This story had an interesting start. A woman discovers her mother was hiding secrets and she must unravel the mystery after her death. However, once Marissa is in New Hope and she learns about her mother’s family, the story gets bogged down. The drama surrounding the family business and who should be running it or not. I definitely didn’t care for Brad, Marissa’s boyfriend and “love of her life.” I didn’t care how he acted like a spoiled brat when Marissa was trying to find her place in her mother’s family. By the end of the book, I was glad it was over. Overall, the story was good; however, I was not interested enough to continue the series. If you enjoy stories of discovering family, coming to terms with the past and finding a new future, I recommend The Talking Tree. 

The Talking Tree is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Life is a Cabernet: a novella set in the romantic wine country of Napa Valley

Life is a Cabernet by Jan Moran is a companion novella to The Winemakers, a part of the Heartwarming Family Saga series. It is 1956 Napa Valley, Juliana Cardona is passionate about winemaking and wants to build her career as a wine publicist. She is also struggling with the death of her fiance killed in an army ambush during the Korean War. Juliana isn’t sure she has the strength or courage to risk love again. Until she holds a press event in San Francisco and meets the elusive Henri Laurent, a local winemaker. Their budding friendship turns romantic, Juliana learns Henri is hiding a secret that could devastate any future they may have together. Can she find the strength to face the troubled past of Henri and risk her heart once again? 

I’m not much of a wine drinker and I do not know the ins and outs of winemaking; however, the discussions about the wine and its process only added to the richness of this romance. Juliana is trying to avoid love and Henri is avoiding people all together. The two together have a chemistry that is as rich as the wine they are so passionate about. Together they find healing they didn’t think was possible. Life is a Cabernet is a fun read for an afternoon. I am looking forward to reading the companion novel, The Winemakers, which features Juliana’s friend Caterina Rosetta. Will Juliana and Henri make an appearance? If you enjoy second chance romance with the romantic backdrop of Napa Valley wine country, I recommend Life is a Cabernet. 

Life is a Cabernet is available in paperback and eBook

The Love List: a woman takes charge of her life by doing what she loves. Is falling love be a part of the plan?

The Love List is the first book in the Hilton Head Island series by Elana Johnson. Beatrice “Bea” Callahan loves lists. She loves when she creates to-do lists and the satisfaction she gets when she can check each item off. So when she gets the finalized divorce papers, she is ready with a list to live the life she wants. Bea doesn’t call it a bucket list, it’s a love list. She loves the outdoors, so she plans to visit ten National Parks. She loves animals, so she will get a puppy. She loves the beach and wants to take a dream vacation. After the insistence of her beloved friends, she heads to Hilton Head Island. There she meets Grant Turner, the man who owns her rented house. He soon becomes her tour guide, a friend and then something more. Can she add falling in love to her list? 

This story opened with Bea eagerly waiting for her divorce papers and when she does, she wastes no time and consults no one as she starts down her list. It is supposed to be Bea and Grant’s romance story; however, I did not like chapters featuring her friends more and discussing their troubles. I understand that the author is trying to establish interest in the future books in the series but it was a turn off for me. I also disliked that all the couples are divorced, troubled marriages or newly separated. While all marriages have issues; but can one marriage be relatively a happy one? Overall, I did not enjoy The Love List and will not be continuing the series. However, if you are a fan of Elana Johnson, you may enjoy The Love List and I encourage you to give it a try. 

The Love List is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Cabinet of Curiosities: a collection of the unique, strange and unbelievable from history

Cabinet of Curiosities: A Historical Tour of the Unbelievable, the Unsettling and the Bizarre by Aaron Mahnke with Harry Marks is a book based on Aaron Mahnke’s popular podcast. Filled with fascinating stories of the wonderful, amazing and bizarre people, places and objects as part of our history. From the true origins of common foods, such as the croissant, to the strange coincidences in events, the rescue of Abraham Lincoln’s son by an unlikely individual and little known historical events and places. Gathering these stories in a topical collection for the millions of fans of the podcast and fans of the strange and unusual. 

I enjoy hearing unusual historical events and unexplainable events. I hadn't heard of Aaron Mahnke’s podcast before finding this book. The stories he features are quick and bite sized. Some of the stories I had heard before and others I had not. My only issue is the author heavily sources Wikipedia which every professor I’ve ever had always told me to never use Wikipedia. It is a good starting point but citing it as a source is problematic. Overall, the stories are interesting and fascinating. I see fans of the podcast enjoying this book. I also see fans of Ripley’s Believe or Not and the Travel Channel’s Mysteries at the Museum would enjoy this book. If you are fascinated by the strange and unusual of history, I recommend Cabinet of Curiosities. 

Cabinet of Curiosities is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

The Sunflower House: a historical novel about family secrets and the Lebensborn Program

The Sunflower House by Adrianna Allegri is a story of little talked about history and family secrets at its center. In a sleepy German village in 1938, Allina Strauss had an idyllic life. She works at her uncle’s bookshop, she makes strudel with her aunt and she spends her free time with her friends and fiancé. But with Adolf Hitler as Chancellor, her family is hiding a dangerous secret. Allina learns that her mother was Jewish, making Allina a Mischling. Everything and everyone she knows and loves will be gone in quick succession and she will find herself at the Hochland House, a state run baby factory as part of the Lebensborn Program with the purpose of creating the Aryan population. Allina knows she must keep her Jewish heritage; however, when she discovers a group of neglected, less than desirable children, she is determined to save them from the horrors of the eugenics program. 

The Sunflower House is one woman’s story of determination to survive and resist against the powers of evil. I love World War II stories which bring to light the stories that are often forgotten or passed over. I had never heard of the Lebensborn program which the book’s blurb described as a “real life Handmaid’s Tale.” Where the Lebensborn program differs from the Handmaid’s Tale is that many of the women in the program willingly and proudly produced these babies for their country. This story had me hooked and I could not put it down as Allina risks her life for the innocent children in her care. There is a love story as Allina joins forces with Karl, a high ranking SS officer who is using his rank to subvert the evil plans. I highly recommend The Sunflower House. It is a story of love, loss, friends and the secrets we think are dead and buried. 

The Sunflower House will be available on November 12, 2024 

in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

When We Were Widows: a story of mothers and daughters and the journey of grief

When We Were Widows by Annette Chavez Macias is a story of grief, secrets and the power in moving forward. When her husband passed away six months ago, Yesica Diaz-Taylor thought she was handling her grief well; however an incident at work forces her to think twice. Her boss forces her to take a leave of absence and attend a support group, Yesica decides to just go through the motions, anything to get back to work. What she wasn’t expecting was that her widowed mother, Ana, and her grandmother, Mama Melda, needed to stay with her as their house was being repaired. The arrangement will test their already strained relationship. With unresolved tensions following them, Yesica, Ana and Imelda learn to share a home, their heartbreak and finally reveal the family secrets in order to overcome their grief, anger and find a new strength. 

When We Were Widows is a heartfelt story about grief; however, it is also about mothers and daughters and the secrets they keep from each other. At the beginning of the story, Yesica was not my favorite character. I found her to be too harsh and cruel. However, I grew to love her as she began to reveal her secrets and talk about the hurts she has been hiding. Yesica also learns that she and her mother have a lot more in common than she thought. I also enjoyed Ana’s transformation to finding her life in pursuing a dream long put aside. I loved Mama Melda as the wise grandmother who bridges mother and daughter together with tough love and a few laughs. The three women are surrounded by wonderful characters who help them on their new paths. I highly recommend When We Were Widows. 

When We Were Widows is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Stroke of Winter: a modern gothic story with supernatural elements

The Stroke of Winter by Wendy Webb is a spooky story set in the tourist town of Wharton where the supernatural is more common place than not. Amethyst “Tess” Bell is renovating her family’s ancestral home into a bed and breakfast. As she begins to open rooms that were locked and forbidden to be reopened, she discovers a deep family secret and mystery. Inside the once shuttered art studio of her grandfather, Sebastian Bell, she discovers paintings that don’t resemble her grandfather’s previous works. They seem to be the work of a twisted mind which raises questions for Tess, sparking disturbing dreams and a determination to discover the truth. What evil was locked behind those doors? Will she discover the truth in the darkness of the icy dead of winter? 

Wendy Webb has become my go-to for gothic stories. She has the ability to use atmosphere with great effectiveness and tells a story that will hook readers until the very end. With most stories with supernatural elements and legends, there are aspects of the story that aren’t fully explained. The ending was abrupt and left me stretching my head in confusion. However, the ending was the type that kept you thinking and the more I thought about it, the more the unexplained elements added to the unworldliness of the house, the town and the overall story. While The Stroke of Winter is not my favorite by Wendy Webb, overall, I did enjoy it and look forward to reading more books by her. If you enjoy modern gothic stories, I recommend The Stroke of Winter. 

The Stroke of Winter is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook