Month: August 2021

Spotlight: The Last Chance Library

Mary Berkley, Fiction, Freya Sampson, Spotlight

Happy Release Day to Freya Sampson!

The Last Chance Library

Freya Sampson taps into the collective love we have for libraries in her quirky, warm, and fun-filled debut novel, THE LAST CHANCE LIBRARY (Berkley Hardcover; On sale August 31, 2021). In this special novel, a young, quiet librarian finds her voice when her beloved library is threatened with closure.

Description: Content from the publisher

June Jones is a 30-year-old library worker who has never left Chalcot, the sleepy English village where she was raised by her beloved, now-deceased mother. Shy and reclusive, June would rather spend her time at the library, or curled up at home with her cat, buried in books, than do…well, pretty much anything else. 

June’s entire world is thrown in to chaos when she learns that the Chalcot Library is in danger of closing permanently. The library is underfunded and underperforming, according to a board of executives in charge of such things. But the people of Chalcot who use the library each day strongly disagree, and decide to push back against the decision.

To keep from saying goodbye to her beloved library, June is forced to emerge from behind the shelves to save the place that holds her happiest memories and the heart of her community.

A book for book lovers, THE LAST CHANCE LIBRARY is perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. Sampson’s debut novel offers a feel-good read that will make you want to give all your love to your local library!

About the author:

Freya Sampson works in TV and was the creator and executive producer of Channel 4’s Four in a Bed and Gogglesprogs. She studied History at Cambridge University and is a graduate of the Faber Academy. She lives in London with her husband, two young children and an antisocial cat. The Last Chance Library is her debut novel.

Riverbend Gap

Mary Christian fiction, Contemporary Romance, Denise Hunter, NetGalley, Thomas Nelson

Riverbend Gap by Denise Hunter

Expected pub. date:  October 19, 2021

Thomas Nelson

Description:

She came in search of the family she’d always wanted—and found the kind of love she’d never dared to imagine.

When Katelyn Loveland’s car veered off a winding Appalachian Mountain road, she thought she was done for. That is until Cooper Robinson, local sheriff’s deputy, came to her rescue. And though Katie narrowly escaped her brush with death, she still fell. Hard.

She wasn’t the only one. But soon Cooper learns that the woman he’s more attracted to than any he’s ever met is his brother’s new girlfriend—and therefore unquestionably off limits. Yet, despite his best efforts, Cooper and Katie can’t seem to avoid running into each other. Or ignore the undeniable chemistry between them.

As they grow closer, Katie shares the secrets of her past and the real reason she moved to their small North Carolina town. She also wins over Cooper’s welcoming and bighearted family. But they don’t know that her feelings for Cooper keep growing—all while she’s dating his brother. Soon the stakes of their emotional connection become higher than either of them could have imagined. Katie stands to lose the first family she’s ever had, and a scandal could doom Cooper’s campaign for sheriff’s office. Suddenly they find themselves on the edge of another precipice—and they’re forced to make a decision that could change their lives forever. (publisher)

My take:

I thoroughly enjoyed Denise Hunter’s newest book, Riverbend Gap. From the opening scene I was captivated by Cooper and Kate. Instead of a “meet-cute” they experienced a “meet-exciting”. These two engaging characters come from very different upbringings. Cooper comes from a strong family but not without drama. Kate was pretty much abandoned as a child and grew up in foster care. Having experienced a recent devastating loss she’s looking for a fresh start in Riverbend Gap. I love stories about family and the need to belong to one – be it the one you’re born into or one you’ve become part of over time. This is the first in a new series and I look forward to Cooper’s siblings’ books. There was a bit of foreshadowing but that’s all I’ll say.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Release Day Spotlight: How to Kill Your Best Friend

Mary Berkley, Lexie Elliott, Mystery, Spotlight, Thriller
How to Kill Your Best Friend by Lexie Elliott

Description: (content provided by the publisher)

Sweet Bronwyn, fun-loving Georgie, and bold-and-beautiful Lissa were inseparable at university. The trio added Adam and Duncan to their crowd after joining the swim team, and even years later, their pastime unites them across time and long distance. But now, nearing 40 years old, the old pals find themselves gathering in tropical paradise for a more tragic circumstance: Lissa’s memorial service.

Nobody knows exactly what happened on the fateful night that Lissa went out for a swim at Kanu Cove and never returned. Lissa knew the spot well―after all, she and her husband, Jem, had been living on the lush tropical resort they newly owned together. And everyone on the island knows that something dangerous is rumored to lurk beneath the crystal-clear waters of the Cove.

So why would Lissa go for a swim at Kanu Cove, alone, at night? Is it likely that a champion swimmer really drowned―or was something more sinister at play?

The peaceful weekend in memory of a lost friend turns chilling as trouble starts brewing in paradise, and violent events begin happening at the hotel. Bronwyn and Georgie are quick to suspect that a member of the friend group may be up to something deadly. Lissa’s death was only the beginning….

About the author:

Lexie Elliott graduated from Oxford University, where she obtained a doctorate in theoretical physics. A keen sportswoman, she swam and played waterpolo at university, and later swam the English Channel solo. She works in fund management in London, where she lives with her husband and two sons.

Spotlight: Wait For It

Mary Berkley Trade, Jenn McKinlay, NetGalley, Spotlight
Wait For It by Jenn McKinlay

Description:

A woman looking for a new lease on life moves to Arizona where she rents a guest house on a gorgeous property with a mysterious owner—a man who teaches her about resilience, courage, and ultimately true love, in this funny, bighearted novel about hope and healing from New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay.
 
Stuck in a dreary Boston winter, Annabelle Martin would like nothing more than to run away from her current life. She’s not even thirty years old, twice-divorced, and has just dodged a marriage proposal… from her ex-husband. When she’s offered her dream job as creative director at a cutting-edge graphic design studio in Phoenix, she jumps at the opportunity to start over.
 
When she arrives in the Valley of the Sun, Annabelle is instantly intrigued by her anonymous landlord. Based on the cranky, handwritten notes Nick Daire leaves her, she assumes he is an old, rich curmudgeon. Annabelle is shocked when she finally meets Nick and discovers that he’s her age and uses a wheelchair. Nick suffered from a stroke a year ago, and while there’s no physical reason for him not to recover, he is struggling to overcome the paralyzing fear that has kept him a prisoner in his own home.
 
Despite her promise to herself not to get involved, Annabelle finds herself irresistibly drawn to Nick. And soon she wonders if she and Nick might help each other find the courage to embrace life, happiness, and true love.

My take:

I loved the charming heroine and brooding hero of this contemporary romance. She’s always been a fixer in past relationships and he’s coming off of a major health event that has left him with anxiety and depression. Knowing that, their back and forth and give and take were understandable as well as entertaining.

Written with a lot of heart and humor Wait For It was just the book I needed and left me smiling as I turned the last page.

About the author:

Jenn McKinlay is the award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of several mystery and romance series. Her work has been translated into multiple languages in countries all over the world. She lives in sunny Arizona in a house that is overrun with kids, pets, and her husband’s guitars.

Photo credit:  Jacqueline Hanna Photography

 

Spotlight/US Giveaway: Shallow Waters by Anita Kopacz

Mary Anita Kopacz, Atria/Black Privilege Publishing, Giveaway, Spotlight

Description:

In this stirring and lyrical debut novel—perfect for fans of The Water Dancer and the Legacy of Orïsha series—the Yoruba deity of the sea, Yemaya, is brought to vivid life as she discovers the power of Black resilience, love, and feminine strength in antebellum America.

Shallow Waters imagines Yemaya, an Orïsha—a deity in the religion of Africa’s Yoruba people—cast into mid-1800s America. We meet Yemaya as a young woman, still in the care of her mother and not yet fully aware of the spectacular power she possesses to protect herself and those she holds dear.

The journey laid out in Shallow Waters sees Yemaya confront the greatest evils of this era; transcend time and place in search of Obatala, a man who sacrifices his own freedom for the chance at hers; and grow into the powerful woman she was destined to become. We travel alongside Yemaya from her native Africa and on to the “New World,” with vivid pictures of life for those left on the outskirts of power in the nascent Americas.

Yemaya realizes the fighter within, travels the Underground Railroad in search of the mysterious stranger Obatala, and crosses paths with icons of our history on the road to freedom. Shallow Waters is a nourishing work of ritual storytelling from promising debut author Anita Kopacz. (publisher)

Praise for Shallow Waters

“Spellbinding…A captivating debut.” —Harper’s Bazaar

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“Part history, part fantasy, this novel crosses genre as easily as it does time.” —BuzzFeed

US Giveaway

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