I love to read, recommend books and open the world of reading to others. I tutor to ensure that the next generation of readers will know the joys of a good book because their reading skills have improved. I am an avid reader, especially of mysteries and fiction. I believe that two of the world's greatest inventions were the public library and eyeglasses!
Here is another title in the series that began with Before the coffee gets cold. Those familiar with the books know what to expect.
For those who are new to the author, it is important to know that a unique cafe is featured. This spot helps select patrons to return to the past so long as they are ready to return within the proscribed time frame. It is critical that the rules are followed.
Four customers want to go back in time. For example, one is a daughter who pushed her father away.
Will these returns bring peace or resolution? Read this short collection to find out.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.
I was first drawn to this title by its cover. Key elements of the story are here including the city of Paris, a young woman and some diamonds. I was curious as to how everything would unfold.
This book establishes its espionage theme from the beginning. There is a literal bang early on when Mia shoots someone. How did she get to this moment? The novel goes back and shows readers in this Cold War set story.
Mia was working in a bakery in New York and coping with the loss of her father. Her life was pretty quiet. One day, a man named Theo, engaged her in conversation. Theo invited Mia to come to Paris where she would train to be a model at the House of Rousseau. Mia who idolized Jackie Kennedy, and knew of her time in Paris, was intrigued. She did not hesitate for long before finding herself flying to France.
Mia interacts with many people in the pages that follow. She has two roommates, a woman in her building who is “of a certain age,” the woman who tutored and mentored her when she arrived and, a CIA agent, among others.
How did Mia’s life get so out of control? Why has she been recruited? Will she survive? Will Mia find happiness? Read this one to find out.
Recommended to those who like historical fiction from the not so distant past, those who are intrigued by the Cold War, and those who love Paris and fashion. I enjoyed this one.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks-Landmark for this title. All opinions are my own.
Sarah Morgan has become one of my favorite authors when I want a story with good characters, plot and settings. That is definitely true in her newest novel which has all of these qualities.
Characters include two women who were best friends and are now coming back together. They are Milly and Nicole. There are other characters as well from Milly and Nicole’s lives.
Milly lives and works at her family’s lakeside resort. While no specific location is given, I would visit there if I could! Milly is recently divorced and mom to a young teen.
Nicole made it big as an actress. She has not been able to secure her mother’s admiration and, as a child, adored Milly’s more open and affectionate family.
A scandal causes Nicole to reach out to Milly. From here, the story takes off. It is one about reconciliations, friendship, living a good life even when that is not a perfect life, and more.
Highly recommended to readers of women’s fiction.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 06 May 2025
General fiction-women’s fiction
308 pages
From the Publisher
Other books by this author:
Note: While some of these are listed as e book bargains, that was true at the time of the original post and may no longer be true.
This is the perfect book to sit down with on a fall night. It is nicely written and plotted; the characters are people with whom readers will wish to know. (Too bad, they can’t come for a real visit).
The Maple Sugar Inn just seems like the perfect place to go to relax. The setting is gorgeous, the rooms are beautiful and the inn keeper cares about her guests…even as she has her own struggles.
Inn owner, Hattie is carrying on the dream of her husband which was to run this inn. Readers learn early in the book that he died in a freak accident, leaving Hattie a widow and a very young one at that. Will she want to keep the inn going?
Three friends are going to visit. Their lives are quite different from one another’s but the relationships go back years and are deep. One is a single, su
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.
Also:
If interested, I did a blog tour for this one. It is on my site.
Any women who have felt that they were a part of the “Sandwich” generation will welcome sitting down on a summer’s day to read this story. Those who are not sandwiched will also enjoy the setting, characters and look at a life that are offered in this title.
As I read this one, I thought of the many kinds of sandwiches that there are for Rocky. It is not just between her children and older relatives. She is in the middle of the sandwich between her regular life and this one week away. Rocky is also sandwiched between her past and future.
Readers will enjoy getting to know Rocky and those around her. They will also enjoy some (virtual) beach time as they turn the pages of a story that can be funny, nostalgic and reflective..
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper for this title. All opinions are my own.
Each month, we share top book picks from Indie Next and LibraryReads. We also feature a number of other prominent selections, including the Barnes & Noble Book Club, the “Good Morning America” Book Club, Oprah’s Book Club, the PBS Books Readers Club, the “Read with Jenna” Book Club, Reese’s Book Club, and the Target Book Club.
— Read on www.bookreporter.com/features/special-feature/favorite-monthly-lists-and-picks
The Garnett Girls are women who are trying to find their way over the course of this well written first novel. Mother, Margo, was once wildly in love with Richard but all did not go well. She has gone on to a somewhat chaotic life and has been a less than perfect mother.
Margo’s three daughters have their own relationships and issues. Imogen is about to be engaged but is William really the right person for her? Is she doing what is safe or what is best for her? Sasha has a rather prickly relationship with controlling husband Phil, while Rachel seems to have the perfect husband d(he does lots of cooking and childcare). Is he?
Readers follow each of the daughters careers-writer, doctor and lawyer respectively. Has professional success made then happy? What will happen to them and Margo?
This book has wonderful settings. The characters are sufficiently complex and there is lots of plot. All of these make for an involving read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and, Avon and Harper Voyage for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 16 May 2023
From the Publisher
These blurbs are from authors whose books I have enjoyed.
I enjoyed Sarah Stewart Taylor’s Agony Hill, which was the first in this series set around the time of the Vietnamese War. The novels take place in a small town in Vermont.
Characters from Agony Hill are in this second book as well. These include, of course, detective Frank Warren and his young who is nicknamed Pinky. I also enjoyed again meeting up with Warren’s neighbor Alice (she has a good back story), Sylvie (an important person to Warren and a key character in the first novel), and others in the town.
This time, a former diplomat has been killed at a hunt club. Did his death relate to his profession or his messy personal life? There are many characters and suspects for readers to consider as perpetrators. Things intensify when there is a snowstorm and a second murder, leaving many of the characters stranded at the hunt club.
Readers will want to know what was behind the deaths. They may also be interested in a glimpse of a fraught time in the country’s history.
While it is not necessary to have read Agony Hill to enjoy Hunter’s Heart Ridge, I think that readers will enjoy both of these titles. Why not read both?
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 05 August 2025
320 pages
Mystery & Thrillers
The first in the series:
At the time of this writing the e book is just $2.99
