Thursday, September 30, 2021

The Secret of Rainy Days By Leslie Hooton

 

Growing up in Erob, Alabama, Nina "Little Bit" Barnes Enloe lived in the shadow of her imposing and harsh grandmother, Nina "Biggie" Barnes Enloe. If she wasn't being bossed around by Biggie, then the task fell to her best friend Win...who did win. At everything. Bit never seemed to share Win's lifetime supply of “lucky dust.” Perhaps the only thing Bit has ever chosen for herself is her friendship with Avery, the out-of-towner who showed up on the saddest day of her life―unpretentious and decidedly un-Southern―with a funeral casserole in hand.

Bit believes she can escape her grandmother’s controlling grip once and for all by moving somewhere where she is the only Nina Enloe listed: New York. Yet her world is turned upside down when an unexpected loss forces her to leave her new life in the city and return to Erob, where she must face everything―and everyone―she left behind. In the process, Bit discovers her true identity, learns the hard lessons of acceptance and forgiveness, finds herself falling in love in unexpected places, and finds comfort in the secrets of rainy days.

Leslie Hooton, author of Before Anyone Else, brings her signature wit and Southern charm to the page again in this triumphant coming-of-age story. 

Pick up your copy here...


Leslie Hooton is many things: a fabulous friend, a powerful speaker, a flower enthusiast, and a lover of language, but most recently an author. You don’t want to miss her fantastic debut novel, Before Anyone Else.

Leslie attended the Sewanee Writer's Conference, and studied with Alice McDermott, Jill McCorkle, and Richard Bausch. Growing up in a small Alabama town, Leslie went on to earn her B.A. and M.A. from Auburn University and J.D. from Samford University. She became intrigued by people and discovered everyone has their own unique stories.

Leslie resides in Charlotte, North Carolina and is currently finishing her much-anticipated sequel to Before Anyone Else. 

My Thoughts...
I love Southern Fiction and I love coming of age stories. I get both with Hooton's books. I really enjoyed this one.
I love small town reads. Hooton makes the small town seems so real. There is no mistake that this is going to be a huge hit.
4 stars and highly recommend. 
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own. 

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

A Little Christmas Spirit By Sheila Roberts

 


Single mom Lexie Bell hopes to make this first Christmas in their new home special for her six-year-old son, Brock. Festive lights and homemade fudge, check. Friendly neighbors? Uh, no. The reclusive widower next door is more grinchy than nice. But maybe he just needs a reminder of what matters most. At least sharing some holiday cheer with him will distract her from her own lack of romance…

Stanley Mann lost his Christmas spirit when he lost his wife and he sees no point in looking for it. Until she shows up in his dreams and informs him it’s time to ditch his scroogey attitude. Stanley digs in his heels, but she’s determined to haunt him until he wakes up and rediscovers the joys of the season. He can start by being a little more neighborly to the single mom next door. In spite of his protests, he’s soon making snowmen and decorating Christmas trees. How will it all end?

Merrily, of course. A certain Christmas ghost is going to make sure of that! 

Pick up your copy here...


With nearly thirty books to her name, Sheila Roberts is a frequent USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller - and a fan favorite. Her Christmas perennial "On Strike for Christmas" was made into a movie for the Lifetime Channel and her novel "The Nine Lives of Christmas" was made into a movie for Hallmark. Her novel "Angel Lane" was listed as one of Amazon's Best Books of the Year. Before settling into her writing career, Sheila owned a singing telegram company and played in band. When she's not traveling, Sheila splits her time between the Pacific Northwest and Southern California.

My Thoughts..
I love a Christmas book that takes you away . Retellings are really fun when they are done right and Roberts has done this one very well.
If you are a fan of retellings like I am then this is the Christmas book for you. I plan to stick this in some stocking this year.
4 stars and very much recommended.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Buried Beneath By Debbie Baldwin

 

Camilo Canto has unfinished business.

As the newest member of the Bishop Security team, Cam has left the dark world of undercover work with the CIA and is starting a new life in South Carolina. Unfortunately, there is a haunting figure from his past with an agenda. The Conductor is a criminal mastermind who wants Cam eliminated along with the evidence Cam compiled while working undercover. A devious plot is in place to do just that. Cam is abducted and awakes on the island paradise of Mallorca, where crime, danger, and obsession are buried beneath the picture-perfect surface. In order to stop The Conductor, Cam must sift through layers of diversion, including an infatuated supermodel, a corrupt mine owner, and an obsessed treasure hunter. As he fits the puzzle together, Cam crosses paths with a beautiful archaeologist searching for answers to another mystery hidden in the caves beneath the island.

Evangeline Cole is a Ph.D. candidate in Mallorca with an archaeological team. When Evan stumbles upon a strange marker, she is compelled to follow the clues to solve a centuries-old mystery buried in the caves. When Evan's treasure hunt crosses paths with Cam's investigation, passion and danger ignite. Cam is forced to confront both the real and psychological demons from his years undercover to find the true treasure buried beneath. 

Pick up your copy here...


Debbie Baldwin is a successful print media and television writer. She is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Virginia School of Law.

Debbie and her husband live in Saint Louis, Missouri with their puggle, Pebbles. They have three children in college. False Front is her first novel.

My Thoughts...

Have you read this series yet? It is such a great series. I have read this book in one sitting. It was a fast read and one that I still want to read again. I love the characters and how real they feel.
I gave this book 4 stars and I recommend it for a great weekend read.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Monday, September 27, 2021

Other People's Things By Kerry Anne King

 

From the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Whisper Me This comes a witty, magical story about improbable connections, difficult gifts, and the unexpected events that heal us and bring us together.

Jailbird. Klepto. Spectacular failure to launch. Nicole Wood’s sticky fingers have earned her many names, but it’s not that she’s stealing―some objects just need to be moved elsewhere, and the universe has chosen her to do it. Still, being a relocator of objects isn’t easy. With her marriage on the rocks, no real-world skills, and the threat of prison hanging over her head, Nicole is determined to change her ways.

Things seem to be looking up, thanks to a godsent job with her sister’s housecleaning business―until she encounters a seemingly harmless paperback that insists on moving from one client’s home to another’s. Nicole hopes no one will notice, but the action stirs up long-hidden secrets and triggers a series of fateful events that threatens to destroy the life she’s creating and hurt those closest to her. She’ll need to embrace her unwieldy gift and take a chance on love in order to unravel the mystery and fix what’s gone wrong. 

Pick up your copy here...


Kerry Anne King (who also writes as Kerry Schafer) is a Washington Post and Amazon charts bestselling author who writes compelling and transformational stories about family and personal growth. She loves to add in mystery, humor and an undercurrent of romance, and celebrates when she succeeds in making readers both laugh and cry.

Kerry Anne has been chosen as the 2020 Writer of the Year by the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Association. Her most recent novel, Everything You Are, is a finalist in the Nancy Pearl Awards hosted by the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. In addition to writing, she is enthusiastic about encouraging and supporting other writers and is the host of Tell Me Your Secrets, a videocast/podcast featuring lively, informal interviews with authors and other people involved in bringing books into the world.

When not absorbed in creative pursuits, you’ll find Kerry Anne hanging out with her real life Viking on their little piece of heaven in rural northeastern Washington.

My Thoughts...
This is not my first book by King. And I hope its not my last she is a clever author. Who would have ever thought to write a book about a kleptomaniac and make it fantastic. This book is  on the top of my lost to share with all my reader friends. I was so engrossed with it I never put it down.
5 stars and I highly recommend it. I hope you get to read it.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Sunday, September 26, 2021

The Book Of Hope By Jane Goodall

 

In a world that seems so troubled, how do we hold on to hope?

Looking at the headlines―the worsening climate crisis, a global pandemic, loss of biodiversity, political upheaval―it can be hard to feel optimistic. And yet hope has never been more desperately needed.

In this urgent book, Jane Goodall, the world's most famous living naturalist, and Douglas Abrams, the internationally bestselling co-author of The Book of Joy, explore through intimate and thought-provoking dialogue one of the most sought after and least understood elements of human nature: hope. In The Book of Hope, Jane focuses on her "Four Reasons for Hope": The Amazing Human Intellect, The Resilience of Nature, The Power of Young People, and The Indomitable Human Spirit.

Drawing on decades of work that has helped expand our understanding of what it means to be human and what we all need to do to help build a better world, The Book of Hope touches on vital questions, including: How do we stay hopeful when everything seems hopeless? How do we cultivate hope in our children? What is the relationship between hope and action? Filled with moving and inspirational stories and photographs from Jane’s remarkable career, The Book of Hope is a deeply personal conversation with one of the most beloved figures in the world today.

While discussing the experiences that shaped her discoveries and beliefs, Jane tells the story of how she became a messenger of hope, from living through World War II to her years in Gombe to realizing she had to leave the forest to travel the world in her role as an advocate for environmental justice. And for the first time, she shares her profound revelations about her next, and perhaps final, adventure.

The second book in the Global Icons Series―which launched with the instant classic The Book of Joy with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu―The Book of Hope is a rare and intimate look not only at the nature of hope but also into the heart and mind of a woman who revolutionized how we view the world around us and has spent a lifetime fighting for our future.

There is still hope, and this book will help guide us to it. 

Pick up your copy here...



Dr. Jane Goodall DBE is an ethologist and environmentalist. From infancy she was fascinated by animal behavior, and in 1957 at 23 years old, she met the famous paleoanthropologist Dr. Louis Leakey while she was visiting a friend in Kenya. Impressed by her passion for animals, he offered her the chance to be the first person to study chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, in the wild. And so three years later Jane travelled from England to what is now Tanzania and, equipped with only a notebook, binoculars and determination to succeed, ventured into the then unknown world of wild chimpanzees.

Jane Goodall’s research at Gombe national park has given us an in-depth understanding of chimpanzee behavior. The research continues, but in 1986, realizing the threat to chimpanzees throughout Africa, Jane travelled to six study sites. She learned first-hand not only about the problems facing chimpanzees, but also about those facing so many Africans living in poverty. She realized that only by helping local communities find ways of making a living without destroying the environment could chimpanzees be saved. Since then Jane has travelled the world raising awareness and learning about the threats we all face today, especially climate change and loss of biodiversity. Author of many books for adults and children and featured in countless documentaries and articles, Jane has reached millions around the world with her lectures, podcasts and writings. She was appointed as a UN Messenger of Peace, is a Dame of the British Empire and has received countless honors from around the world.

Saturday, September 25, 2021

Amish Friends Baking Cookbook By Wanda Brunstetter GIVEAWAY!


 Delightful Baked Goods from Dozens of Amish Kitchens

 
Fresh-baked buns or cookies waiting for a child&;s after-school snack is a delight many of us remember from our own mothers&; and grandmothers&; kitchens. You can now share the joy of baking for and with your own family through dozens of recipes provided by Amish bakers. Ideas for breads, rolls, cakes, cookies, and more will keep you busy taste testing and sharing all the goodies. Also included are step-by-step instructions, baking tips, and anecdotes from Amish bakers. Encased in a lay-flat binding and presented in full color, home bakers of all ages will be delighted to add this cookbook to their collections.
 
This is a must-have cookbook for anyone with a soft spot for baked goods, from New York Times bestselling author of Amish fiction, Wanda E. Brunstetter.

Pick up your copy here...

Wanda Brunstetter is an award-winning romance novelist who has led millions of readers to lose their heart in the Amish life. She is the author of almost 90 books with more than 10 million copies sold. Many of her books have landed on the top bestseller lists, including the New York Times, USA Today, Publisher's Weekly, CBA, ECPA, and CBD. Wanda is considered one of the founders of the Amish fiction genre, and her work has been covered by national publications, including Time Magazine and USA Today.

Wanda's fascination with the Amish culture developed when she met her husband, Richard, who grew up in a Mennonite church, and whose family has a Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. Meeting her new Mennonite sister-in-laws caused Wanda to yearn for the simpler life. In their travels, she and her husband have become close friends with many Amish people across America. Wanda's desire to explore their culture increased when she discovered that her great-great grandparents were part of the Anabaptist faith.

All of Wanda's novels are based on personal research intended to accurately portray the Amish way of life. Many of her books are well-read and trusted by the Amish, who credit her for giving readers a deeper understanding of the people and their customs.

Wanda's primary attraction to the Amish is their desire to live a devout Christian life that strives to honor God, work hard, and maintain close family ties. Whenever she visits her Amish friends, Wanda finds herself drawn to their peaceful lifestyle, sincerity, and close family ties, which is in stark contrast to the chaos and busyness that plagues so many modern "Englishers." Time and time again, Wanda loses her heart in the Amish life, and she hopes her readers will, too. For more information, visit: www.WandaBrunstetter.com

My Thoughts...
I always look forward to getting the cookbooks that have Wanda's name on them. The People that compile the recipes always pick the best ones. This one has all the great bake goods, the pies and the pastries are all so easy to make.
This is a great gift for the holidays. I would make the perfect hostess gift or stocking stuffer.
4 stars and one to stock up on for the holidays.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Friday, September 24, 2021

The Lines Between Us By Amy Green


 A WWII novel of courage and conviction, based on the true experience of the men who fought fires as conscientious objectors and the women who fought prejudice to serve in the Women's Army Corps.


Since the attack on Pearl Harbor, Gordon Hooper and his buddy Jack Armitage have stuck to their values as conscientious objectors. Much to their families' and country's chagrin, they volunteer as smokejumpers rather than enlisting, parachuting into and extinguishing raging wildfires in Oregon. But the number of winter blazes they're called to seems suspiciously high, and when an accident leaves Jack badly injured, Gordon realizes the facts don't add up.

A member of the Women's Army Corps, Dorie Armitage has long been ashamed of her brother's pacifism, but she's shocked by news of his accident. Determined to find out why he was harmed, she arrives at the national forest under the guise of conducting an army report . . . and finds herself forced to work with Gordon. He believes it's wrong to lie; she's willing to do whatever it takes for justice to be done. As they search for clues, Gordon and Dorie must wrestle with their convictions about war and peace and decide what to do with the troubling secrets they discover.

Pick up your copy here...


Amy Lynn Green is a lifelong lover of books, history, and library cards. She worked in publishing for six years before writing her first historical fiction novel. She and her husband live in Minnesota, where she teaches virtual classes on marketing at writer’s conferences, engages with book clubs, and regularly encourages established and aspiring authors in their publication journeys. Connect with her on Facebook or Instagram (@amygreenbooks), or sign up for her newsletter at amygreenbooks.com to get quarterly emails filled with bookish fun.

My Thoughts...
This was such a unique story. The two main characters  were unforgettable.
I can't recommend this one enough. 4 star unforgettable read.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Luster By Raven Leilani

 

No one wants what no one wants.
And how do we even know what we want? How do we know we’re ready to take it?

Edie is stumbling her way through her twentiessharing a subpar apartment in Bushwick, clocking in and out of her admin job, making a series of inappropriate sexual choices. She is also haltingly, fitfully giving heat and air to the art that simmers inside her. And then she meets Eric, a digital archivist with a family in New Jersey, including an autopsist wife who has agreed to an open marriagewith rules.

As if navigating the constantly shifting landscapes of contemporary sexual manners and racial politics weren’t hard enough, Edie finds herself unemployed and invited into Eric’s home―though not by Eric. She becomes a hesitant ally to his wife and a de facto role model to his adopted daughter. Edie may be the only Black woman young Akila knows.

Irresistibly unruly and strikingly beautiful, razor-sharp and slyly comic, sexually charged and utterly absorbing, Raven Leilani’s Luster is a portrait of a young woman trying to make sense of her life―her hunger, her anger―in a tumultuous era. It is also a haunting, aching description of how hard it is to believe in your own talent, and the unexpected influences that bring us into ourselves along the way.

Pick up your copy here...

Raven Leilani’s work has been published in Granta, The Yale Review, McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, Conjunctions, The Cut, and New England Review, among other publications. Leilani received her MFA from NYU and was an Axinn Foundation Writer-in-Residence. Luster is her first novel.

My Thoughts...
A little bit hard to read at times, the writing was not what I thought. All the hype surrounding this book I was expecting way more then what I read.
This was a 3 star read and I may be giving it more then it deserves.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Christmas Comes To Morning Star By Charlotte Hubbard GIVEAWAY!

 

In the third Maidels of Morning Star novel by fan-favorite author Charlotte Hubbard, the five unmarried Amish friends who teamed up to transform an abandoned barn into the Morning Star Marketplace are preparing for a joyous Christmas season. But will the holiday also bring unexpected tidings of love?

Founded by five unmarried and enterprising Amish maidels, the new Morning Star Marketplace in small-town Missouri is preparing for a joyous Christmas season. But will the holiday also bring
unexpected tidings of love?

Twin sisters Molly and Marietta Helfing are eagerly anticipating Christmas, with Marietta fully re-covered from cancer and their noodle making business thriving. But Molly clearly misses having former tenant Pete Shetler and his rambunctious dog, Riley, around. Marietta can't ignore Molly's feelings for Pete--or the anxiety it stirs within her. Convinced her illness has made her unmarriage-able, Marietta wonders what kind of life she'll have if her sister marries--despite Molly's promise to never leave her behind...

Then a fire destroys the home of Amish neighbors and Molly and Marietta graciously make room for widower Glenn Detweiler, his dat, and his two young boys. When Pete returns to help the fami-ly rebuild, Molly relishes her reunion with the handsome carpenter, while Marietta delights in moth-ering Glenn's boys--and is surprised by her poignant bond with their quiet, brooding father. Soon everyone is wondering if this season will bring the blessing of a merry double wedding to Morning Star...

Pick up your copy here...



Charlotte Hubbard sold her first historical romance in 1990, and she’s been a slave to her overactive imagination ever since. As she writes, her stories invariably take on a life of their own, different from the way she proposed them: unforeseen characters and plot twists come along, and they keep her guessing right along with her readers!

Charlotte has lived in the Midwest most of her life. When she’s not writing, she loves touring historic homes, trying new recipes, crocheting, and playing with her Border Collie, Ramona. She’s a Presbyterian deacon, sings in her church choir, and plays in the percussion ensemble. She’s married to a fine man who—bless him—has never once suggested she get a real job!

My Thoughts...
I love when the Christmas books start coming in. So when Hubbard's book showed up I was so excited.
I loved going back to Morning star. This has been the best series.
I hope that you get the chance this holiday season to devour this great gift from Hubbard.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

The Heron's Cry By Ann Cleeves

 

North Devon is enjoying a rare hot summer with tourists flocking to its coastline. Detective Matthew Venn is called out to a rural crime scene at the home of a group of artists. What he finds is an elaborately staged murder--Dr Nigel Yeo has been fatally stabbed with a shard of one of his glassblower daughter's broken vases.

Dr. Yeo seems an unlikely murder victim. He's a good man, a public servant, beloved by his daughter. Matthew is unnerved, though, to find that she is a close friend of Jonathan, his husband.

Then another body is found--killed in a similar way. Matthew soon finds himself treading carefully through the lies that fester at the heart of his community and a case that is dangerously close to home.

DI Matthew Venn returns in The Heron's Cry, in Ann Cleeves powerful next novel, proving once again that she is a master of her craft. 

Pick up your copy here...


Ann is the author of the books behind ITV's VERA, now in it's third series, and the BBC's SHETLAND, which will be aired in December 2012. Ann's DI Vera Stanhope series of books is set in Northumberland and features the well loved detective along with her partner Joe Ashworth. Ann's Shetland series bring us DI Jimmy Perez, investigating in the mysterious, dark, and beautiful Shetland Islands...

Ann grew up in the country, first in Herefordshire, then in North Devon. Her father was a village school teacher. After dropping out of university she took a number of temporary jobs - child care officer, women's refuge leader, bird observatory cook, auxiliary coastguard - before going back to college and training to be a probation officer.

While she was cooking in the Bird Observatory on Fair Isle, she met her husband Tim, a visiting ornithologist. She was attracted less by the ornithology than the bottle of malt whisky she saw in his rucksack when she showed him his room. Soon after they married, Tim was appointed as warden of Hilbre, a tiny tidal island nature reserve in the Dee Estuary. They were the only residents, there was no mains electricity or water and access to the mainland was at low tide across the shore. If a person's not heavily into birds - and Ann isn't - there's not much to do on Hilbre and that was when she started writing. Her first series of crime novels features the elderly naturalist, George Palmer-Jones. A couple of these books are seriously dreadful.

In 1987 Tim, Ann and their two daughters moved to Northumberland and the north east provides the inspiration for many of her subsequent titles. The girls have both taken up with Geordie lads. In the autumn of 2006, Ann and Tim finally achieved their ambition of moving back to the North East.

For the National Year of Reading, Ann was made reader-in-residence for three library authorities. It came as a revelation that it was possible to get paid for talking to readers about books! She went on to set up reading groups in prisons as part of the Inside Books project, became Cheltenham Literature Festival's first reader-in-residence and still enjoys working with libraries.
Ann Cleeves on stage at the Duncan Lawrie Dagger awards ceremony

Ann's short film for Border TV, Catching Birds, won a Royal Television Society Award. She has twice been short listed for a CWA Dagger Award - once for her short story The Plater, and the following year for the Dagger in the Library award.

In 2006 Ann Cleeves was the first winner of the prestigious Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award of the Crime Writers' Association for Raven Black, the first volume of her Shetland Quartet. The Duncan Lawrie Dagger replaces the CWA's Gold Dagger award, and the winner receives £20,000, making it the world's largest award for crime fiction.

Ann's success was announced at the 2006 Dagger Awards ceremony at the Waldorf Hilton, in London's Aldwych, on Thursday 29 June 2006. She said: "I have never won anything before in my life, so it was a complete shock - but lovely of course.. The evening was relatively relaxing because I'd lost my voice and knew that even if the unexpected happened there was physically no way I could utter a word. So I wouldn't have to give a speech. My editor was deputed to do it!"

My Thoughts...
Looking for a new suspense to get lost in? You have found it.
This has mystery and characters that are going to suck you in. I have been a fan of Cleeves for years and I hope this makes it to the big screen soon.
I recommend this 4 star read.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Monday, September 20, 2021

The Box By Wendy Robbins

 

Are you ready to find your way out of your box?

There is a moment when you realize your life is no longer your own. You made it picture perfect. You thought it would make you happy and whole. You thought you could seal the walls tight and feel safe. But the panic doesn’t pass, and the anxiety seeps in through every crack. Your pain uses perfection to hide the unraveling. But deep inside, you still hear the whisper of a voice that’s always been there, calling to you, promising that you were meant for more.

In The Box, Wendy Tamis Robbins offers a window into the mental illness of an all-star athlete, Ivy League-graduate, and successful attorney. At just 6 years old, Wendy’s first panic attack sparked a 40-year struggle with a variety of anxiety disorders: generalized, social and health, eating disorders, phobias, intrusive and suicidal thoughts, and dissociation. Avoiding anything that could trigger her symptoms, she retreats into a box to contain and hide her condition. After years of living in the prison she originally constructed as her safe place, Wendy is no longer willing to limit her life to accommodate her disorders.

Raw and powerful, vulnerable and intimate, The Box is both a triumphant memoir and an irresistible invitation. It portrays a courageous journey to find the source of a debilitating disorder in order to find the power to overcome it. Wendy’s experience reminds us of the redemptive power of forgiveness and the healing power of love, not just for others, but for ourselves. It is a story of courage that reframes mental illness sufferers as survivors—a powerful portrait of a woman who refused to remain caged in a box of her making. Now, the invitation is yours… if you are willing to accept it.


Pick up your copy here...

The Box: An Invitation to Freedom from Anxiety: Tamis Robbins, Wendy: 9781641466226: Amazon.com: Books




Wendy Tamis Robbins is an attorney, author, speaker, anxiety coach, and self-proclaimed professional "panic-attacker." After living with various anxiety and panic disorders for almost 40 years, she is now anxiety-free. Not because she is entirely free of anxiety, but because it no longer controls her. She has traded living in resistance for building resilience. Her fears now fuel a life not only beyond her diagnosis but beyond her dreams.

On her path to recovery, she discovered a restorative, inner peace and reclaimed her authentic power. She is passionate about helping others who are hiding their fears behind destructive perfectionism and accommodating their anxiety to find the same freedom.

When Wendy hit rock bottom, it was hearing other people's stories that saved her life. Now she shares her own to be an example of what's possible.

Her unique coaching draws from her personal experience while finding common and relatable ground. Her balanced approach utilizes practical thought and holistic body/mind work while keeping a sharp focus on the goal. By allowing you to imagine your most beautiful life beyond anxiety, Wendy shows you how to believe it can be true, decide you are worthy of it, and ultimately manifest it.

Despite her anxiety, Wendy earned a scholarship and worked her way through Dartmouth College, where she competed on the varsity track and field team. After graduating from law school, she began her career as a corporate tax and finance attorney, working to create and preserve affordable housing and provide social impact financing and public welfare investments to underserved communities. She and her husband, David, live on the Massachusetts North Shore with his two teenage children. Wendy enjoys tennis, skiing, yoga, cycling, traveling, and race car driving.


My Thoughts...
I'm so glad that Robbins had the courage to share her story with the world. There are so many people who are suffering from anxiety silently and this book will such a gift to all.
I found reading it was like talking to a friend. It was so refreshing. The loneliness just disappeared for a while. I will pick this back up again and again I am sure.
I recommend this 4 star read. It will make the perfect gift this year so many are going to want to read it.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Sunday, September 19, 2021

When a Rogue Meets His Match By Elizabeth Hoyt

Return to New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Hoyt's signature drama and intrigue, where two enemies will discover if their marriage of convenience can survive -- 'til death do they part.


Ambitious, sly, and lethally intelligent, Gideon Hawthorne has spent his life clawing his way up from the gutter. For the last ten years, he's acted as the Duke of Windemere's fixer, performing the duke's dirty work without question. Now Gideon's ready to quit the duke's service and work solely for himself. But Windermere tempts Gideon with an irresistible offer: one last task for Messalina Greycourt's hand in marriage.

Witty, vivacious Messalina Greycourt has her pick of suitors, so when her uncle demands Messalina marry Mr. Hawthorne, she is appalled. But Gideon offers her a devil's bargain of his own: protection and freedom in exchange for a true marriage. Messalina feigns agreement and plots to escape their deal. Only the more time she spends with Gideon, the more her fierce, loyal husband arouses her affections. But will Gideon's final deed for Windemere destroy the love growing between them? 

Pick up your copy here..

Elizabeth Hoyt is a New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of historical romance, including reader favorite, The Raven Prince. She also writes deliciously fun contemporary romance under the name Julia Harper. Born in New Orleans, but raised in the frigid winters of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Elizabeth was fortunate to travel extensively when she was growing up and lived in St. Andrews, Scotland; Oxford England; and Kawasaki, Japan. She went to the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she not only earned a degree in anthropology but also met Mr. Hoyt. Some years later, after a short pause to birth and raise two children, Elizabeth realized that she really wasn't qualified to do anything but Make up Stories and started writing.

Elizabeth now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with three untrained canines, a garden in constant need of weeding, and, of course, Mr. Hoyt.

Saturday, September 18, 2021

A Rogue to Remember By Emily Sullivan


 After enduring five interminable seasons, Lottie Carlisle has had enough of shallow London society, her boring little life, and her uncle Alfred's meddling. When he demands she accept a proposal by the end of next season or else he will choose a husband for her, she devises a plan: create a scandal shocking enough to make her unmarriageable and spend her spinsterhood far enough away in the countryside where no one will ever recognize her.


Alec Gresham hasn't seen Lottie since he left his childhood friend without a word five years ago. So he's not surprised to find her furious when he appears on her doorstep. Especially bearing the news he brings: her uncle is dying, her blasted reputation is still intact, and Lottie must return home. As they make the journey back to her family estate, it becomes increasingly clear that the last five years hasn't erased their history, nor their explosive chemistry. Can Lottie look past her old heartache and trust Alec, or will his secrets doom their relationship once again?

Pick up your copy here...


Emily has been an avid reader and writer since childhood and in 2019 won RWA’s Golden Heart award for Best Historical Romance.

She has both a BA and MA in English and her writing has been featured in a variety of print and online publications, including The Southampton Review and The Toast.

Her debut novel, A Rogue to Remember, is the first in a new series coming in March 2021 from Grand Central Forever.

A life-long New Englander, Emily shares her home with her husband, shelves of books, and a piano she should really use more.

Find Emily online:

Twitter: @Paperbacklady
Instagram: Paperbacklady
Website: www.emilysullivanbooks.com