Lakehouse Promises: a woman starts over and discovers true friendship and love

Lakehouse Promises is the first book in the Laurel Cove series by Jodi Allen Brice. At forty years old, Carolina Johnson had a life that everyone wanted. A solid marriage of twenty years, a gorgeous house in a beautiful neighborhood, country club friends and yet she feels something is off. It wasn’t until a party with friends when she got the surprise of her life. She discovers that her husband has been having an affair with a girl half his age and she is pregnant. Now divorced with literally her clothes, a paltry alimony and a house on a lake. When she arrives at the house, she realizes that the house is in desperate need of repairs, adding a neighbor who doesn’t like her, no friends and her ex-mother-in-law who suddenly appears on her doorstep. Carolina learns what true friendship and love looks like while finding the strength to stand up for herself and confront her past. 

Lakehouse Promises is a clean women’s fiction story with mild romance. From the very beginning, I was rooting for Carolina. I knew something was up with the husband from the minute he appeared on the page; however, my jaw dropped when his affair was revealed. Carolina takes her life after her life and is determined to find a way to rebuild her life. She meets each challenge and setbacks with a few tears but determination to find a solution. I loved the residents she met including the nasty neighbor and the grumpy repairman. The story was so fast paced that I could not put it down. I also loved how Carolina turns to the Bible for inspiration as well as guidance. Bible verses were used in a way that it wasn’t browbeating the readers. It felt natural and not overwhelming. Overall, I enjoyed this story and I am looking forward to the rest of the series. I highly, highly recommend Lakehouse Promises. 

Lakehouse Promises is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Calm & Bright: can the miracle of Christmas bring this family back together?

Calm & Bright is the first book in the Huckleberry Lake series by Autumn Macarthur. Brad Hughes hopes for some Christmas magic as he hopes he can convince his ex-wife that he has changed and is ready to be the husband and father he needs to be. Maddie came home to Huckleberry Lake, Idaho to care for her ailing grandmother. She sent Brad the divorce papers as he was a workaholic city boy and she wanted to stay in her hometown community. As he comes for the holidays for their son, Jacob, he only needs to convince Maddie that he has changed. Will Maddie take that chance again? Will Brad’s career once again come between them? Will God help them heal their broken marriage and hearts for a deeper relationship and faith? 

The Huckleberry Lake series is advertised as stories of the trials and joys of love, deepening faith and living happily ever after. I expected a heartwarming, inspirational story of faith, hope and love. Right off the bat, I did not care for Maddie. I found her to be childish, self-centered and expected Brad to be a mind reader. She was unhappy with their marriage and living situation, understandable. Does she even attempt to tell him she was unhappy? Divorce was her first and only option? The lack of communication bothered me. Overall, I did not care for these characters or this story. I usually enjoy a good second chance romance, however, I did not enjoy Calm & Bright. I will not continue with this series. I do not recommend Calm & Bright. 

Calm & Bright is available in paperback and eBook

Gather Me: a memoir about life and the power of books to inspire and comfort

Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books that Saved Me by Glory Edim is an inspiring memoir reflecting on family, community and the power of books and the impact they can have in our lives. Edim grew up in Virginia to Nigerian immigrant parents and for the longest time her only friends, her only solace as in the books. From the books she read in school to the classics she discovered at her local libraries and while in college, she learned about the world around her, about history and about herself. Edim details how the profound writers from Toni Morrison to Maya Angelou, and many more, had impacted the times in her life when times were bleak and gave her hope for the future. Through her love of reading, she was able to form the Well Read Black Girl Book Club and reach millions of other readers. 

Books have been a huge part of my life since I was a teen. Like Ms Edim, I found solace and encouragement in the perseverance and resilience of the characters who faced challenges with courage and determination. Glory Edim presents a memoir that books can help us see ourselves as well as others. Her life story is just as much of an inspiration as the books she read as a child. She endured her parents divorce, her father leaving the family behind in America and her mother’s illness to find a platform through books and bring awareness on a wider scale. The hardships she had to endure were heartbreaking and yet her determination to rise above them is heartwarming. Gather Me was an easy read as Ms Edim writes with as much beauty as the authors she admires. Overall, I enjoyed her story and I highly recommend Gather Me. 

Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books that Saved Me 

Will be available October 29, 2024 in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

She's Up to No Good: a sudden trip leads to life changing events

She’s Up to No Good by Sara Goodman Confino is a story of a sudden trip that leads to life changing events for two women. After four years of marriage, Jenna is blindsided when her husband asks for a divorce. With time on her hands and her life at a crossroads, she agrees to accompany Evelyn, her eccentric maternal grandmother, on a road trip to the family’s seaside Massachusetts hometown. As they hit the road, Evelyn begins a story of her star-crossed teenage romance with a young man named Tony. A story that she has hidden deep in her heart for seventy years as the events had changed the course of her life. When they arrive, Jenna meets Joe, Tony’s great-nephew. As their new friendship grows, Jenna begins to gain the confidence to find a new perspective and put her broken life back together. She learns that healing can come at the unexpected moments in a woman's life. 

I purchased She’s Up to No Good as a part of Amazon’s First Reads program. I love stories that intertwine past and present relationships. It was described as a “funny, poignant, and life-affirming novel about family, secrets, and broken hearts” However, a few chapters in and I was bored. I didn’t care for Jenna and Evelyn. Jenna is so annoyingly whiny for a woman who is supposed to be 34 years old. Evelyn is described as feisty but it comes across as downright mean. She doesn’t care who she hurts or manipulates. I did not find any of the situations funny that were supposed to be “funny.” If anything I was cringed more than I laughed. The story is also way too long. Sixty-two chapters of drawn out drama and family secrets. Overall, I was bored and did not care for either woman and her personal journey. I do not recommend She’s Up to No Good. 

She’s Up to No Good is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Bookshop of Second Chances: when a new life starts in the most unexpected places

The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser is the story of a woman’s desperate determination to find a new direction in her life. Nothing is going well for Thea Mottram. she was let go from her job with no notice and then, her husband of nearly twenty years has decided to leave her for one of her closest friends. It is an understatement to say that Thea has been left bewildered and completely lost. A surprise letter which informs her that her great uncle has passed away and left her his home and his worldly possessions, including an extensive antique book collection. She heads to the Scottish coast and immediately falls in love with the quaint cottage and the nearby village of Baldochrie, where the locals are warm, quirky, and inviting. The only person who she doesn’t quite win over is the local bookshop owner, Edward Maltravers. His gruff attitude tests Thea’s patience and they are soon engaged in a battle of wills. Thea soon finds the bickering with Edward thrilling and exciting, she begins to find a courage and direction she has been missing. Will she ever leave the Scottish village? 

From the opening chapter to the final pages, I fell in love with Thea and Edward. Their bickering made me laugh and smile. I eagerly read as I waited to see if they would finally acknowledge their sexual tension and act on it. Do they? You’ll have to read it to find out. It is a great book about second chances at life and love even when you think you are beyond the need or desire. It was funny and while the language may be a bit crude for some, it reminded me of British television. One of my favorite parts is when Thea explains how she found out that her husband was cheating on her. It was definitely an “oh my!” moment. I especially loved the descriptions about the bookshop and the various books on the shelves. There were moments when Edward and Thea talked about books, some I was familiar with and others I wasn’t. I was intrigued enough to make a list to look up when I finished. Overall, The Bookshop of Second Chances is a great book with relatable characters filled with humor and drama. I highly recommend The Bookshop of Second Chances. 

The Bookshop of Second Chances will be available on May 4, 2021 in paperback, eBook and audiobook. 

The Things We Knew: one family's healing begins

The Things We Knew by Catherine West is a story about one family’s healing after their mother’s tragic death and the secret which sent them running from their home. Except one stay behind. Lynette Carlisle is 24 years old and lives in her childhood home with her father, Drake, on Nantucket. Her childhood crush, Nick Cooper, had returned home after leaving suddenly 5 years before. Lynette soon realizes that her father’s failing health and the home’s deterioration is too much to bear and she reaches out to her siblings for help.  Soon her older brothers and older sister, reluctantly come home and they realize that they are all hiding secrets, past and present. Together, with a plan to turn their home around, the siblings begin to heal from the past until Lynette begins to remember the night her mother died. Soon the siblings are confronted with the past in ways they never thought they would have to face.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Things We Knew as it dealt with domestic violence, drugs, and marital issues in an honest and open matter. Things were not glossed over and sugar coasted. The story was filled with twists and turns which left you hooked until the final chapter. I even loved the ending as the family isn’t completely healed but definitely on its way. I recommend The Things We Knew.

The Things We Knew

is available at

major booksellers

The Dance of the Caterpillars - in a time before texting: a book review

The Dance of the Caterpillars – in a time before texting by Caroline S. Fairless is about a young boy named Fisher who is about to experience a life-altering event that will change everything he knows.

The story opens with the last day of summer and Fisher’s parents are arguing in the kitchen. Fisher sneaks down to eavesdrop and overhears that they are sending Fisher somewhere. In school, Fisher is the weird kid who always gets in trouble. He is always daydreaming and not paying attention in class. Throughout the week, Fisher is getting little clues about where he is going and what is going on. He realizes that his father has moved out and most of Fisher’s clothes have gone with him but Fisher is still at home. Finally, on Friday morning Fisher doesn’t go to school. The breeze speaks to him tell him to hurry up, the caterpillars are coming. Deep in a forest, he dances with the caterpillars into the night and the caterpillars encase Fisher in a silk cocoon. The next morning, the butterflies emerge and Fisher breaks free of his cocoon and returns home. He learns the truth of what has been hidden from him all week, His mother has asked his father to move out and take Fisher with him because she can’t handle her life, Fisher’s life and his sister, Corey’s life. The story ends with Fisher leaving with his dad, jokingly asking for his clothes back.

When I requested to review his book, I was interesting to see what the dance of the caterpillars was. What I read was a strange story of divorce and a mother who can’t handle raising two children on her own, so she sends her son to live with his dad. I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I did like the interaction between Fisher and Old Pear Man. It was almost like the old mentor passing on wisdom to his young student. The illustrations are beautiful. The book is in an 8x8 format which I would associate with a picture book with little text. This book has lots of text, almost a chapter book which I think it is better suited for this book. I had to read this book a few times to see what I was missing and I still don’t know. The Dance of the Caterpillars – in a time before texting is another story about the difficult of divorce and separation told through the magical dance of the caterpillars. I read other reviews, which were growing praise and I just don’t know what I am missing.