3.5 stars Our Place On The Island was a pleasant enough read, but for me, it was nothing special. If you love a second chance romance, this may be the 3.5 stars Our Place On The Island was a pleasant enough read, but for me, it was nothing special. If you love a second chance romance, this may be the book for you. The story covers three generations of women in one family: Cora, the grandmother, Hedy, the mother, and Michelle/Mickey, the daughter. Hedy wasn’t in the book very much; the other two women were really the focus of the book.
Two timelines were explored in depth: 1948, featuring Cora as a young married, trying to fit in with her husband’s “in crowd” on Martha’s Vineyard; and 1999, with Mickey, an accomplished chef, realizing she has mismanaged (financially) her well-regarded high-end restaurant in Baltimore. Cora is getting remarried and Mickey and Hedy both show up on “the island” for the occasion.
The 1948 timeline was my favorite. Cora had a working class background and felt out of place in the country club atmosphere in which she found herself. I felt her frustration and awkwardness. Her love of cooking is her saving grace. I enjoyed reading about the process of getting her kitchen updated and customized. Her gradual friendship with the craftsman, Max, was sweet, and I wasn’t surprised at the eventual path it took many years later.
While I received the eARC from NetGalley, I wound up listening to the published audiobook by Vibrance Press. The narrator, Sara Hannan, did a nice job with the many voices.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was quite late to it. All opinions are my own....more
I’m not sure how I’ve missed reading this long-running mystery/thriller series, but this is the first one I’ve read and it’s the 14th in the series! MI’m not sure how I’ve missed reading this long-running mystery/thriller series, but this is the first one I’ve read and it’s the 14th in the series! Mike Bowditch is a Game Warden Investigator in Maine - this apparently is a more complicated and dangerous job than it might sound.
Mike and his fiancee are attending an engagement celebration over Labor Day Weekend at Mike’s stepfather’s house on the Great Pond in Maine when they hear what seems to be an out-of-control boat and then they hear a crash. Mike grabs his stepfather’s boat and heads out on the pond/lake to see what has happened. It turns out that two people are dead. And from there, the story really starts. Because this was my first book in this series, all the characters were new to me. I occasionally got a bit confused with who was who, but eventually I figured it out. I felt Mike and his fiancee Stacey were well-drawn characters, not stereotypes. The same goes for most of the other people as well (other than the bikers, who seemed a bit stereotypical). You can feel the author’s love for the state of Maine throughout the book. There was a pretty good twist near the end of the book that surprised me but made sense.
I would characterize this as a thriller/police procedural with great characters and a real sense of place.
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was a bit late to it. I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The narrator, Henry Leyva, did a good job with the various voices and accents. All opinions are my own....more
Nora Roberts does it again! I haven’t read one of her books in a while and Identity was a reminder of why she’s such a popular author of romantic suspNora Roberts does it again! I haven’t read one of her books in a while and Identity was a reminder of why she’s such a popular author of romantic suspense.
This book features a serial killer who presents as very smooth and who has the computer skills to steal his victim's identity (he pinpoints women with androgynous names like Morgan), drain their bank accounts, take over their property deeds, etc. Very scary because this sounds so realistic.
Identity grabbed me right from the start and I kept finding reasons to keep reading/listening. Even though the book is fairly long at 437 pages (or 15 hours of audio), it never felt long.
Some of the themes include family, both “actual” family and found family; starting over when you think you’ve hit rock-bottom; finding your inner strength. AND that women should seriously consider taking self-defense classes!
The characters in this book were well-drawn and definitely not stereotypes. I absolutely loved Morgan’s mother and grandmother, along with all the members of the Jameson family.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was rather late to it. I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook (from Macmillan Audio), courtesy of my public library. The narrator, January LaVoy, did a superb job with the many voices. I truly don’t know how she manages to make the male voices so believable!...more
If you’re in the mood for a light read with a generally happy ending, look no further! The Bookshop By The Bay focuses on a couple of generations of tIf you’re in the mood for a light read with a generally happy ending, look no further! The Bookshop By The Bay focuses on a couple of generations of the women in two families who both hail from Chatham, Massachusetts, a town on Cape Cod. Jess, a lawyer, and her daughter Caitlin live in Charleston, South Carolina now but head for Chatham for the summer when Jess discovers her husband has been cheating on her. Caitlin is “between jobs” so the timing is good. Jess’s best friend from childhood, Alison, still lives there as well as Alison’s daughter Julia, who is a talented jewelry designer. Jess and Alison jump on the opportunity to buy and manage the local bookstore, whose owner wants to retire, as well as the cafe next door. The focus of the book is about how all four women come to terms with their lives and careers, as well as hints of romance along the way.
I love the idea of second chances and finding your way when life doesn’t go the way you planned. I also love that the focus is on the growth of both generations of women. There’s also a wonderful character in Jess’s mother/Caitlin’s grandmother, who also has found a new passion in photography.
While I received the eARC from NetGalley, I wound up listening to the published audiobook by Macmillan Audio. The narrator, Stephanie Nemeth-Parker, did a nice job with the many voices, both male and female.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was quite late to it. All opinions are my own....more
Cheddar Late Than Deade is another really good offering in the Grilled Cheese Mystery series (This one is #3.). They are set in a town in Vermont and Cheddar Late Than Deade is another really good offering in the Grilled Cheese Mystery series (This one is #3.). They are set in a town in Vermont and the main character is a young woman named Carly. She has a habit of getting involved in police investigations, of course! This time, she is corralled into providing food for a bridal shower at the last minute after other plans fall through. At that bridal shower, the prospective groom is found dead. Carly gets involved because a) she was there and b) an old friend/acquaintance of hers is being looked at by the police as a suspect. I didn’t really buy into the incentive for Carly to become so involved this time, since she hadn’t really seen this other woman for years, but okay. The story was quite enjoyable with a bunch of red herrings to throw the reader off the track. The motive for the murder was pretty wacky!
As usual, the food descriptions made me hungry! (There are a couple of recipes included at the end of the book.)
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own....more
This cozy mystery series is set in a town on Cape Cod, Massachusetts called West London and the main character is a young woman, Gemma, who hails fromThis cozy mystery series is set in a town on Cape Cod, Massachusetts called West London and the main character is a young woman, Gemma, who hails from London, England. Her uncle (or maybe great-uncle) has a bookstore that specializes in Sherlock Holmes (books about him, books about the author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, mugs, puzzles, etc.) and other books set in Victorian times, and now Gemma is running the shop. The story in The Game is a Footnote is set in January, a slow time of year for a touristy area like “the Cape.” Gemma has a reputation for being very observant, like her hero Sherlock Holmes, and is asked to get involved in trying to figure out what happened at a local historic house. The story was a bit far-fetched, but it kept me guessing.
I’ve only read one other book in this Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series so I can recommend this as a standalone. There are references to things that have happened in previous books but they weren’t essential to the current story.
Fans of the cozy mystery genre will enjoy the fact that not only is there a cat who lives in the building that houses the bookstore, but that Gemma owns two dogs.
I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. The audiobook is narrated by Kim Hicks. The story is told by Gemma and I thought her narration was excellent for Gemma, but I didn’t like the voices/accents she used for the local characters. None of them sounded in the least like the New Englanders I know and love.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own....more
A very cute, contemporary romance. There’s a rather silly, improbable set-up, but if you can get over that, this is a fun read/listen. We have three sA very cute, contemporary romance. There’s a rather silly, improbable set-up, but if you can get over that, this is a fun read/listen. We have three sisters who all work in some fashion for their family’s coffee shop. There was a problem in the past where their father got swindled in a business deal and now that other family wants to right the wrong somehow. The somehow? One of the girls should marry their son Aiden, even if it’s just a marriage of convenience. The only way to avoid being the one to do this is to find someone else to marry, and quickly.
Nell, the oldest, has had her eye on Grant for a long time. The problem is he’s a super-outdoorsy type and she is definitely NOT. Hilarity ensues.
The audiobook was narrated very nicely by Rachel Leblang. I was happy to find this available via Hoopla, in anticipation of reading the second book in the Majestic, Maine series, Second Bride Down, which is being published this fall....more
Mad Honey is a terrific book, but I’m still trying to figure out how to review it without revealing a major spoiler! The story involves two teens fromMad Honey is a terrific book, but I’m still trying to figure out how to review it without revealing a major spoiler! The story involves two teens from “broken homes” who fall in love with each other in a small town in New Hampshire, Lily and Asher. One of the mothers is a beekeeper and the other mother is a forest ranger. I loved that both women had unusual jobs! There are lots of secrets in this story and an interesting distinction between what is secret and what is private. The crux of the story is the relationship between Lily and Asher and what happens after Lily dies suddenly. The book alternates chapters told from either Lily’s point of view (POV) or from Asher’s mom, Olivia’s POV, and the timeline goes back and forth, with chapters labeled with the dates and statements like “six weeks before” or “three weeks after” Lily’s death. Interestingly we don’t get to hear from Asher directly, except through either Lily telling it or Olivia.
I often have at least two books going at one time: an audiobook and a “regular” book (either ebook or print). In this case, I was riveted to the story and bounced between the audiobook (courtesy of my public library) or the ebook. I just didn’t want to put it down; I needed to know what was going to happen next!
Although Mad Honey was co-written by two authors, I really couldn’t tell - that’s how seamless the writing and editing is. I learned a lot by reading this book, and not just about bees and honey. I am now going to try to track down Jennifer Finney Boylan’s memoir.
Don’t skip the Authors Notes at the end of the book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was a bit late to it. The audiobook is narrated beautifully by two different women, Carrie Coon and Key Taw. All opinions are my own....more
No rating because I gave up at about 36%. I kept picking this up and then putting it down. I just couldn’t get into the story. There were a lot of chaNo rating because I gave up at about 36%. I kept picking this up and then putting it down. I just couldn’t get into the story. There were a lot of characters to try to keep track of. I eventually realized I didn’t care about them, so I returned it to the library. ...more
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