Susan Mallery is one of my writing icons. Not only is she prolific, putting out several books a year, but the books are (darn her) all so good and so different. I understand that it takes a great deal of discipline to build a career like Mallery’s and it’s also apparent I don’t have that particular work ethic/talent/entrepreneurial gene. That’s okay. It just means I get to appreciate Mallery and other writers like her. Today, I’m talking about Mallery’s latest book that released Feb. 13, THE SUMMER BOOK CLUB. It’s full of the kind of layering and foreshadowing and depth I love. From the descr ..read more

We’ve been on a British TV show watching kick. Escape to the Country for late night/exhausted no-brain-needed viewing. Great British Baking Show, Holiday episodes, ditto. But just me. We do enjoy the regular seasons together, but the Holiday editions aren’t shared. We were caught up with Midsomer Murders and Father Brown (though both may have new seasons by now), so we went looking for something similar and found Lewis. Lewis is a detective in Oxford who was trained by Morse, who first appeared in books by Colin Dexter. We started with Lewis, then I figured we’d back up to Morse. One day a co ..read more

I’ve been twice and I’d go back anytime. It’s a fun and unique restaurant. I’m talking about Black-Out Dining. I first heard of this distinctive restaurant concept from two friends who’d been and highly recommended it. There seem to be a few of these around the country (and world), but I’m talking about the place in Las Vegas. (A London version is in the movie, About Time, which I watched before my first visit and is very fun!) I happened to be in Las Vegas back in May and suggested it to the friends I was meeting/retreating with. 5 of us made the bold decision to visit a restaurant where we w ..read more

Whew! The Tuesday riches keep coming. As I said in a previous post, I received a free copy of WELCOME TO BEACH TOWN by Susan Wiggs through Goodreads. I promised a fuller review when it released, which is today! I really enjoyed this. Talented surfer Nikki left her small Central California Coast town, Alara Cove, right after graduation when she decided to tell the truth and call out the corruption and double standard in her town that resulted in a tragedy. She joins the surfing contest circuit. Nikki returns to Alara Cove a decade later due to another personal tragedy. Wiggs explores themes su ..read more

Tuesdays are often release day for new books hitting the shelves. I can open my Kindle on many Tuesdays to find much anticipated books have appeared overnight. It’s the best kind of magic. Susan Mallery is one of my auto-buys and any Tuesday that begins with a new book by her is a good day. THE HAPPINESS PLAN is the story of Heather, Tori, and Daphne. We met Heather previously in 2020’s SISTERS BY CHOICE. She’s been damaged by her horribly manipulative mother and believes she’s too broken to find love. Daphne is married to Brody, who has two brothers. Heather used to date Campbell, but couldn ..read more

I was blessed to receive an advanced reader copy of Rachel Hauck’s upcoming release, THE BEST SUMMER OF OUR LIVES. The summer of 1977 was supposed to be the best summer of Summer, Autumn, Spring, and Snow’s lives. Friends since elementary school, the “Four Seasons” had big plans for the summer between high school and college, but they end up on probation as camp counselors in Tumbleweed, Oklahoma. But by the end of the summer, the Seasons are shattered apart by a secret and headed in four different directions. Twenty years later, Summer Wilde is back in Tumbleweed, longing for the peace that ..read more

The last of the books I read on vacation, what I’m reading now, and what’s next on Mount To Be Read (TBR). THE WEDDING VEIL by Kristy Woodson Harvey (ebook) This is my second novel by Ms. Harvey and (I believe) her first time-slip (two storylines in different time periods). The story follows the real life Edith Vanderbilt and her daughter, Cornelia, and the wedding veil they both wore that had been in their family and worn by all the brides for generations. That’s the historical time line. The contemporary story is about Julia whose family also has a legacy veil with a legend that each bride ..read more

Once more, I’ve read a ton of good and great stuff, so I’m going to post some quick reviews. Check back next week, I’ll have some more. I was on vacation and got to read some really good books! Also, I only review books I enjoy and recommend. THE SISTER EFFECT by Susan Mallery (hard cover) I’m a sucker for: Susan Mallery books Family drama books Smart and capable heroine books The Sister Effect has all that and more! I laughed and cried and had all the feels. Finley is raising her niece, Aubrey, while Aubrey’s mom works on her sobriety. She’s determined to keep Aubrey safe and happy, while al ..read more

I read some really good books at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023. Rather than post long reviews of each, I decided to give a few sentences about what really stood out to me. The last two books of 2022: REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt: The title refers to the Giant Pacific Octopus, specifically Marcellus, a captive specimen at a Pacific Northwest aquarium, and one of the Point of View characters. I listened to this one on audio and loved it! It’s fun and funny. Besides Marcellus, the POV characters include a widow in her sixties and a young man searching for his biological ..read more

Sundown is the final installment in Susan May Warren’s Sky King Ranch trilogy. I’ve been eagerly waiting for Colt and Tae’s story since Colt was introduced to us with the Kingston triplets in the first book, Sunrise. We got a bit more of Colt and Tae in book 2, Sunburst, but their story comes to a full and satisfactory conclusion in Sundown. Colt Kingston is determined to get to the bottom of Taylor–Tae–Price’s story. His brother Dodge and Dodge’s fiancee, Echo, found Tae in a blizzard in book 1, Sunrise. She suffered amnesia and wasn’t speaking for a long time. Once Tae remembered some thing ..read more