The Unwedding by Ally Condie

 A Reese's Book Club Pick!

Ellery Wainwright is alone at the edge of the world.   She and her husband, Luke, were supposed to spend their twentieth wedding anniversary together at the luxurious Resort at Broken Point in Big Sur, California. Where better to celebrate a marriage, a family, and a life together than at one of the most stunning places on earth? But now she’s traveling solo. To add insult to injury, there’s a wedding at Broken Point scheduled during her stay.

Ellery remembers how it felt to be on the cusp of everything new and wonderful, with a glimmering future just ahead. Now, she isn’t certain of anything except for her love for her kids and her growing realization that this place, though beautiful, is unsettling.  

When Ellery discovers the dead groom, she realizes that she is not the only one whose future is no longer guaranteed. Before the police can reach Broken Point, a mudslide takes out the road to the resort, leaving the guests trapped. When another guest dies, it’s clear something horrible is brewing. Everyone at Broken Point has a secret. And everyone has a shadow. Including Ellery.

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Amazon.com: The Unwedding: Reese's Book Club Pick (A Novel): 9781538757598: Condie, Ally: Books

Ally Condie is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Matched trilogy and its companion novel, The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe. She is also the author of the novel Summerlost, an Edgar Award Finalist for Best Juvenile Mystery, the New York Times bestselling novel Atlantia, and the co-author of the Darkdeep middle grade series. A former English teacher, Ally lives with her family outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. She has an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and is the founder and director of the nonprofit WriteOut Foundation.

My thoughts...

A well written mystery. I love a good whodunit and this one did not disappoint me at all. Well done Reese great pick. I am going to be on the lookout for more by this author.

Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

The English Master Piece by Katherine Reay

 As the recently promoted assistant to the Tate's Modern Collections keeper Diana Gilden, Lily helps plan a world-class Picasso exhibit to honor the passing of the great artist--and she's waited her whole life for this moment. The opening is beyond anyone's expectations--the lighting, the champagne, the glittering crowd, and the international acclaim--until Lily does the unthinkable. She stops in front of a masterpiece and hears her own voice say, "It's a forgery." The gallery falls silent.

Lily's boss, Diana, is polished perfection, schooled in art, and descends from European high society. She's worked hard to become the trusted voice in London's modern art scene and respected across the Continent. The Tate's Picasso Commemorative is to be her crowning achievement, featuring not only the artist's most iconic and intimate works, but a newly discovered painting--one she advised an investor to purchase. But when Lily makes her outrageous declaration, suspicion and scandal threaten everything Diana has achieved, as museums and collectors across Europe, already doubting most post-war acquisitions, fall into chaos and rumors of a world-wide forgery run wild.

All Lily has ever wanted is to follow in Diana's footsteps and take the art world by storm in her own right. Yet one comment puts not only her own career at risk but also her mentor's. Unless . . . Was she right? With the clock ticking and the clues starting to pile up against her, Lily must uncover the truth behind the Picasso before she loses not only the career she's always wanted, but her freedom.

Pick up your copy here...                                                                                                                                     The English Masterpiece: A Novel: Reay, Katherine: 9781400347278: Amazon.com: Books

Katherine Reay is a national bestselling and award-winning author of several novels and one work of nonfiction.

For her fiction, Katherine writes love letters to books, and her novels are saturated with what she calls the “world of books.” They are character driven stories that examine the past as a way to find one’s best way forward. In the words of The Bronte Plot’s Lucy Alling, Katherine writes of “that time when you don’t know where you’ll be, but you can’t stay as you are.”

Katherine holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University, and after several moves across the globe, lives outside Chicago.

Please visit Katherine on social media, on FB at Katherinereaybooks, Instagram @katherinereay, or visit her website at www.katherinereay.com

The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby by Ellery Lloyd

 Some women won't be painted out of history . . .

Everybody knows that in 1938, runaway heiress artist Juliette Willoughby perished in an accidental studio fire in Paris, alongside her masterpiece Self Portrait As Sphinx.

Fifty years later, two Cambridge art history students are confounded when they stumble across proof that the fire was no accident but something more sinister. What they uncover threatens the very foundation of Juliette’s aristocratic family and revives rumors of the infamous curse that has haunted the Willoughbys for generations.

But what does their discovery mean? And how is it connected to a brutal murder in present-day Dubai?

A tale of love and madness, obsession and revenge, The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby unravels the riddle posed by a Sphinx who refuses to reveal her secrets . . .

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Amazon.com: The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby: A Novel: 9780063323018: Lloyd, Ellery: Books

Ellery Lloyd is the pseudonym for New York Times bestselling husband-and-wife writing team Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos.

Collette is a journalist and editor, the former content director of Elle (UK) and editorial director at Soho House. She has written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and the Sunday Times.

Paul is the author of two previous novels, Welcome to the Working Week and Every Day is Like Sunday. He is the program director for Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Greenwich.

The Lost Book of First Loves by Raeanne Thayne

 Raised by her literary icon father Carson Wells, Alison Wells always felt loved, even though her mother died when she was a teen. But when she takes a DNA test on a whim and discovers she has a sister she never knew about, it’s clear there are things her father didn't tell her before he died. Determined to meet Juniper—her half sister—and unravel the truth of what happened all those years ago, Ali finds herself taking a job as Juniper’s intern. She’ll eventually figure out a way to tell Juniper the truth of their relationship. But she never could have imagined what would happen next…

Juniper Connolly has always been incredibly healthy…until she wakes up in the hospital after experiencing cardiac arrest, with her new—and recently fired—intern to thank for saving her life. It’s clear June needs to de-stress her life a little, so when Ali offers her the use of her family’s cabin in a small Wyoming town, June has no reason not to go. But when she arrives, her life will never be the same.

Under the wide-open spaces of the Wyoming summer sun, Ali and June will untangle the secrets and lies their lives were built on to discover who they really are and what family really means. But even more than that, they'll build a real relationship with one another and finally become sisters.

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The Lost Book of First Loves: A Small-Town Contemporary Romance Novel about Two Sisters Discovering Family Secrets: Thayne, RaeAnne: 9781335467713: Amazon.com: Books

#1 Publishers Weekly, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne finds inspiration in the beautiful northern Utah mountains where she lives with her family. Her books have won numerous honors, including seven RITA Award nominations from Romance Writers of America and a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews magazine. RaeAnne loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.raeannethayne.com.

This was not the norm for Thayne. But it was good, the ending felt like it was a rushed ending, and I was somewhat disappointed with that. All in all I liked the first half of the book, and the setting was good.
Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

Tell Me Something Good by Court Stevens

 Over twenty years ago, a young hunting guide in rural Kentucky was driving his boat in the early morning mist when his peaceful cruise was cut short by a scene so disturbing, he packed up and moved away. Nine women died early that morning, but it was linked to a similar crime in Texas, so the locals quickly wrote it off as having nothing to do with them.

Now, all these years later, when everyone has nearly forgotten about that grisly part of their past, one man's accidental death will bring everything back up to the surface. The locals who knew better can no longer claim it had nothing to do with them, and one woman, desperate to do whatever it takes to save her mother's life, will learn that nearly everyone in her life has been lying to her.

In Court Stevens's adult debut, she delves deep into the heart of a community, where some will learn that we don't always live to see the ripples we make, but we must make them all the same.

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Amazon.com: Tell Me Something Good: A Novel: 9780840707413: Stevens, Court: Books

Courtney “Court” Stevens grew up in the knockabout town of Bandana, Kentucky. She is a former adjunct professor, youth minister, Olympic torchbearer, and bookseller at Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN. These days she writes coming-of-truth fiction and is the Executive Director of Warren County Public Library in Bowling Green, KY. She has a pet whale named Herman, a bandsaw named Rex, and a tiny fleet of novels with her name on the spine.

Where Secrets Lie by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker

 College professor Savannah Webster is ready to give her ex-husband, Hez, another chance, and she believes he's finally ready for them to face their many past trials as a team. But when Savannah finds evidence that points to Hez's old demons resurfacing, the fragile trust they've built begins to crumble. And it's not just their relationship that hanging in the balance--the survival of the university Savannah's family poured their lives into is also under threat.

Hez is determined to put his past mistakes behind him with his new role mentoring law students at Tupelo Grove University's legal clinic. His primary focus with the clinic is to help Savannah pull the university out of a pit of debt and bad decisions made by the previous leadership, including her father. But their quest for stability takes a dark turn as they try to root out the dangerous smuggling ring the university is entangled in, and their investigation puts them in the crosshairs of criminals who will stop at nothing to eliminate any obstacle in their path.

The twists continue until the final page as a dangerous world of smuggling and financial instability collides with the complex dynamics of legacy and family.

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Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, the ACFW Carol Award, the Romance Writers of America RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has over 5 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana. Visit her website at http://colleencoble.com.

What We Hide by Colleen Coble GIVEAWAY!

 Savannah Webster is trying to find her way forward. She and her husband, Hez, have been separated since tragedy tore them apart and he began numbing his grief and guilt with alcohol. She returned to Tupelo Grove University, which her family helped found over a century ago, to teach history.

When Hez turns up in her classroom asking for a second chance, she rejects the idea immediately. But twenty-four hours later she's under suspicion for murder, and since Hez is the best attorney she knows, she reluctantly asks him for help. They suspect the murder is tied to someone selling off the university's pre-Columbian artifacts, but the secrets go much deeper than they realize.

The only hope they've got is each other, and they're going to have to put their past behind them if they're going to stay alive long enough to uncover all that's hidden.

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What We Hide (A Tupelo Grove Novel): Coble, Colleen, Acker, Rick: 9780840711984: Amazon.com: Books

Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, the ACFW Carol Award, the Romance Writers of America RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has over 5 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana. Visit her website at http://colleencoble.com.

Confused Girl by Giovanna Silvestre

 A powerful blend of self-help and intimate storytelling, Confused Girl is here to guide women through the turbulence of the modern world and help them fearlessly create the life of their dreams.

To all the women who feel stuck, unworthy, or lost, take heart--your confusion is a virtue! It's the first stepping stone on your path to becoming an empowered warrior. Giovanna Silvestre, a leading lifestyle and wellness influencer and creator of the international activewear brand Confused Girl in the City, understands the turbulence of the modern world firsthand. Now, she's here to guide women toward breaking free and confidently pursuing their dreams.

In Confused Girl: Find Your Peace in the Chaos, Giovanna shares her transformative journey from an ego-driven, early Hollywood career to true self-acceptance and inner peace. Through raw and honest storytelling, she opens up about her struggles with identity and purpose, including a challenging period of depression that ultimately led to her awakening. Drawing from her own trials and triumphs, Giovanna offers inspiring wisdom on living life on your own terms, finding joy in the mess, learning self-love, overcoming negativity and anxiety, and discovering the courage to chase your desires without letting fear dictate your fate.

Part memoir, part guidebook, Confused Girl empowers women of all ages to chart a positive course through a rapidly changing world. This seemingly daunting landscape is filled with unprecedented potential for self-fulfillment. Giovanna's insights serve as a must-read treasure map, guiding you on the journey to discover your true nature and realize your dreams.

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Confused Girl: Find Your Peace in the Chaos: Giovanna Silvestre: 9798212564939: Amazon.com: Books

Giovanna Silvestre is the creator of Confused Girl in the City, an international activewear brand inspired by unique healing crystals, blending beauty and spirituality. Featured on NBC and in Forbes and LA Yoga, she’s a graduate of the University of Southern California. Transitioning from the entertainment industry, Giovanna embarked on a journey of self-discovery, emerging as a leading lifestyle and wellness influencer, entrepreneur, and writer. Follow her on Instagram @ConfusedGirlLA.

Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey

 When Charlotte Sitterly’s husband is arrested for a white-collar crime, she and her daughter Iris are locked out of their house by the FBI and—what’s potentially even worse—thrust into the spotlight of @JuniperShoresSocialite, the town’s snarky anonymous Instagram account. Cut off from her bank accounts and feeling desperate, Charlotte takes up an acquaintance’s offer to stay at a beachfront former bed-and-breakfast that’s home to a community of single mothers and draws plenty of gossip in the small coastal North Carolina town.

Charlotte and Iris find solace and are surprised by how much fun they’re having with the other families despite their circumstances. But when the women discover a secret link between them, it changes everything they thought they knew about the unconventional family they’ve created and leaves them wondering whether their coming together was a coincidence at all. Will the skeletons in the mommune closets help Charlotte and Iris reclaim their place in the Juniper Shores community—or shatter the sisterhood forever? 

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Beach House Rules: Woodson Harvey, Kristy: 9781668074800: Amazon.com: Books

Kristy Woodson Harvey is the New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author of eleven novels including The Summer of Songbirds and The Peachtree Bluff Series. Many of her books have been optioned or are in development for television and film and have received numerous accolades, including Good Morning America’s Buzz Pick, Southern Living’s Most Anticipated Reads, Katie Couric’s Featured Books, and Joanna Garcia Swisher’s The Happy Place Read. Kristy is the winner of the Lucy Bramlette Patterson Award for Excellence in Creative Writing and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize.

A Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s school of journalism, her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Southern Living, Parade, Traditional Home, USA TODAY, and many more. She also holds a master’s in English, with a concentration in multicultural and transnational literature.

Kristy is the cocreator and cohost of the weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction with fellow New York Times Bestselling authors Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, and Patti Callahan Henry. She is also the co-founder of the interiors site Design Chic, with her mom, Beth Woodson.

She lives on the North Carolina coast with her husband, son, and dog, Salt, where she is (always!) working on her next novel.

My Thoughts...

Am I the only person in the world that has never heard of a mommune? I learned something while reading Beach House Rules. I had to look it up and there is one right down the road from me. Who knew? This made this book so interesting to me.

A love a small town read and it's even better when it is set in North Caralina. That's where I live in case you did already know that.
I love the friendships in this one to. All the way around this is going to be my favorite beach read of the year. Harvey has out done herself and just wait for that ending. I won't give anything away, I will just simply say this is a 5 star must read.

Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

The Guest Cottage by Lori Foster

 Am I the only person in the world that has never heard of a mommune? I learned something while reading Beach House Rules. I had to look it up and there is one right down the road from me. Who knew? This made this book so interesting to me.

A love a small town read and its even better when its set in North Caralina. That's where I live in case you did already know that.
I love the friendships in this one to. All the way around this is going to be my favorite beach read of the year. Harvey has out done herself and just wait for that ending. I won't give anything away, I will just simply say this is a 5 star must read.

Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

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The Guest Cottage: Foster, Lori: 9781496752352: Amazon.com: Books

Lori Foster is a New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author.

She has received the Romantic Times “Career Achievement Award” for Series Romantic Fantasy and for Contemporary Romance;

Amazon’s top-selling romance title for Too Much Temptation;

Amazon’s Top Ten editors’ picks in romance for Causing Havoc;

Waldenbooks’ second “Bestselling Original Contemporary” romance for Say No To Joe;

BGI group’s “Bestselling Original Contemporary” romance for the The Secret Life of Bryan, “Bestselling Romantic Comedy” for Jude’s Law, and “Bestselling Romantic Suspense” for Back in Black;

Plus Amazon’s #1 Editors’ Pick in Romance for Servant: The Acceptance.

Lori has been featured as a clue in the New York Times crossword puzzle, and the USA Today “Quick Cross” puzzle.

To give back to the community, Lori does an annual “benefit” book where all advance and royalties go to a charity: http://lorifoster.com/benefit-books/

She also hosts the annual “Reader & Author Get Together,” facilitating major interaction between readers, authors, and industry professionals while also donating all proceeds from raffles to local charities. http://readerauthorgettogether.com/

You can find out more about Lori's books at her website LoriFoster.com

My Thoughts...

Foster has done it again, romance, life changing family and friends. And one very forgiving lady. It was a one sitting read I could not put down. Just might be my favorite book by Foster to date. Cort was the perfect swoon worthy gentlemen. I loved him and Pixie. This is a must read.
Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

The Three O'clock Calls by Tom Smith

 Bright, persistent ringing ripped Tom from sleep. He rolled over, fumbled for the reading light beside his bed, and reached for his phone. As he answered the call, he saw the time: 3:00 a.m. Nothing good comes from a three o’clock call.

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The Three O’Clock Calls: Smith, Tom: 9798385035779: Amazon.com: Books

Tom Smith was born in Jacksonville Florida and resides in Middleburg Florida. He is married to his wife, Nora, of 38 years and have two daughters, Kayla and Danielle. Tom enjoyed reading children’s books to their daughters when they were growing up. He is inspired by young minds with vivid imaginations and wise words. He is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). He is also the proud owner of the real life “Boss Bandit”. Visit his website at https://www.BossBanditBooks.com.

Tandem Cottage by Carrie Fancett Pagels

 

Newly minted computer science graduate, Alyssa, has plans to obtain work and finally live independently with her son. Summer programming for Alyssa’s son, who has Aspergers, is tossed when his biological father and new wife, an attorney, insist on summer visitation. With her plans completely upended, Alyssa pursues a job on Mackinac Island with the hopes of acquiring an internship. Young widower, Carter, who has suffered the tragic loss of his wife, is working remotely on Mackinac Island as a computer programmer and hires Alyssa as nanny for his baby girl.

Susan, a social worker with unknown links to Alyssa, is also Carter’s former group therapist. Susan consults at a Mackinac Island summer-long retreat as she mulls retirement options. With Alyssa’s estranged grandmother a famous television evangelist, Susan’s mother the senior-most congressional representative, and a mysterious artist all adding their dramatic flair to the Mackinac Island mix—what could go wrong?

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Tandem Cottage: A Mackinac Island Women's Fiction Novel with Romance (Mackinac Cottages Series): Pagels, Carrie Fancett, Bricco, Lorna: 9798992826715: Amazon.com: Books

Carrie Fancett Pagels, Ph.D., writes stories about overcoming with God's help (including a Romantic Times Top Pick inspirational novel). She has 25 published fiction books. Carrie is an ECPA-bestselling award-winning author. She won the Maggie Award for Excellence medallion. Twenty-five years as a psychologist didn't "cure" her overactive imagination. She's the mother of two and married to the love of her life.

You are Here by David Nicholls

 Sometimes you need to get lost to find your way . . .

Michael is coming undone. Adrift after his wife's departure, he has begun taking himself on long, solitary walks across the English countryside. Becoming ever more reclusive, he’ll do anything to avoid his empty house.

Marnie, on the other hand, is stuck. Hiding alone in her London flat, she avoids old friends and any reminders of her rotten, selfish ex-husband. Curled up with a good book, she’s battling the long afternoons of a life that feels like it’s passing her by.

When a persistent mutual friend and some very unpredictable weather conspire to toss Michael and Marnie together on the most epic of ten-day hikes, neither of them can think of anything worse. Until, of course, they discover exactly what they’ve been looking for.

Michael and Marnie are on the precipice of a bright future . . . if they can survive the journey.

A hilarious, hopeful, and heartwarming love story—the novel belovedNew York Times bestselling author David Nicholls calls “my funniest book yet”—You Are Here is a bittersweet and hopeful story of first encounters, second chances, and finding the way home.

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Amazon.com: You Are Here: A Novel: 9780063394063: Nicholls, David: Books

David Nicholls is the bestselling author of Starter for Ten; The Understudy; One Day; Us, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction; Sweet Sorrow; and You Are Here. He is also a screenwriter who has also written adaptations of Far from the Madding Crowd, When Did You Last See Your Father? and Great Expectations, as well as his own novels, Starter for Ten, One Day, and Us. His adaptation of Edward St Aubyn's Patrick Melrose, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, was nominated for an Emmy and won him a BAFTA for best writer. Nicholls is also the Executive Producer and a contributing screenwriter on a new Netflix adaptation of One Day.