Cardinal Cabin by Joanne De Maio

• Title:  Cardinal Cabin
• Author:  Joanne DeMaio
• Genre:  Contemporary Romance
• Pages:  215
• Published:  September 2017 – Joanne DeMaio
• Source:  Purchased

My take: In her new novel Joanne DeMaio takes readers back to Addison, Connecticut – the setting for a few of her previous novels. It’s a quaint and charming town that always makes me wish I lived there. With this visit to Addison we meet Penny, a reluctant travel agent. Reluctant in that she really doesn’t want to travel but she loves to help arrange trips for other people. Her boss has assigned a publicity campaign for the weeks leading up to Christmas. She’ll stay at an unidentified location and post a daily photo and clue for residents to guess where in New England Penny is staying. The promotion will end when someone guesses correctly or on Christmas Eve when Penny discloses her whereabouts.

Although Penny wasn’t sure leaving the creature comforts of her apartment in town was a good idea her mind is changed when she meets Frank. Frank, part-time handyman at the lake cabins where Penny is staying, is kind of awkward but Penny can immediately see he’s a really nice guy with mannerisms that make him seem like he’s from another era. I loved how their romance unfolded as they had such a unique experience of getting to know each other in secret (Penny couldn’t be seen in public during the contest). Frank also is co-owner of The Boathouse, an event location in Addison. He’s a busy guy but soon wants to spend what little free time he has with Penny. Sounds idyllic, right? Well it is until there’s a misunderstanding that could have a lasting effect. Will they figure things out and set things right? You’ll have to read to find out. If you like a contemporary romance with an old-fashioned vibe I think you’ll like Cardinal Cabin. I enjoyed it.

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Blog Tour: True Blend by Joanne DeMaio

• Title:  True Blend
• Author:  Joanne DeMaio
• Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
• Published:  March 2014 – CreateSpace
• Source:  Author

Synopsis:  New York Times bestselling author Joanne DeMaio returns to small-town New England in this compelling love story where truth is veiled by secrets.

Vintage bridal shop owner Amy Trewist thinks she’ll never recover her quiet life at her beloved farmhouse on an old country road. Not after her two-year-old daughter Grace is kidnapped in an elaborate crime. On one clear morning, in mere minutes, Grace is gone and Amy’s world spins into a heartbreaking new place.

George Carbone often spends easy time with his brother. Whether at a ballgame or taking a day trip, it’s how they connect. Until one sunny day when the trip is to a bank parking lot and George is drawn into a crime he never sees coming. And into a stricken mother’s life he cannot ignore.

In a summer that simmers with the unsolved crime, George is haunted by a bankroll hidden behind kitchen tiles, by a brother who dragged him into this, and by a father who instilled in him a conscience. A conscience challenged when a young child and beautiful woman crossed paths with him and unexpectedly took hold of his heart.

Set among the red barns, lush cornfields and sparkling wishing fountain of Addison, Connecticut, True Blend is a captivating novel that steals your heart and does not let go. Because like the lace wedding gowns hanging on Amy’s clothesline, waltzing in the summer breeze, love and secrets twist and spin together in their own mesmerizing dance. (publisher)

My take:  True Blend is a bit of a departure from what I’ve come to expect from Joanne DeMaio. Yes, the setting is the small New England town I’d like to visit one day and the characters are likable and believable as usual. What’s different in this novel is the drama that occurs in the opening pages that just wouldn’t let go of me!

Amy, a widow of less than a year, and her two-year-old daughter are running errands when their life suddenly takes a turn in a different direction. Life will never be the same.  George, the man who runs the butcher shop in town, thinks he’s heading to the casino for the day with his brother. That brother has different plans and won’t take no for an answer.

George spends the following weeks doing everything he can to make Amy and Grace feel safe again. Amy’s flashbacks and Grace’s inability to speak seem insurmountable but George does his best to help them. What he didn’t expect was that his feelings for Amy would grow to love. Will she feel the same? And what will happen if she ever finds out the truth about George. What will become of George’s relationship with his only brother?

The pace of the novel is good and kept me turning the pages. I didn’t know how things would end until DeMaio skillfully pulled it all together in the final chapters. I really liked True Blend and recommend it to fans of the author and contemporary fiction.

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Author Bio:

Joanne DeMaio is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She enjoys writing about friendship, family, love and choices, while setting her stories in New England towns or by the sea. Her fourth novel True Blend was recently published. Currently at work on her next book, Joanne resides with her family in Connecticut. To learn more about the author, visit Joannedemaio.com. She also enjoys hearing from readers on her Facebook Page.

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You can purchase True Blend at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Snowflakes and Coffee Cakes: A Novel by Joanne DeMaio

• Title:  Snowflakes and Coffee Cakes: A Novel
• Author:  Joanne DeMaio
• Genre:  Women’s Fiction; Christmas
• Published:  October 2013 – Amazon Digital Services
• Source:  Author

Synopsis:  Reluctant to leave her cherished New England hometown after her sister’s winter wedding, former journalist Vera Sterling makes a sudden decision. She takes what’s left of her severance pay and invests it in real estate … in one particular drafty colonial home and old timber barn set upon the pretty banks of Addison Cove. In that rough-hewn barn, she discovers a secret treasure left behind by the previous owner, the proprietor of the long-forgotten Christmas Barn gift shop.
While restoring her rundown, wood-sided home–its creaking floors, broken bannister, and neglected widow’s walk–that secret slowly unfolds like a bit of snowflake wonder, crystallizing hopes and dreams for many in this small Connecticut town. But mostly for Derek Cooper whose own tragic story has headlined Addison’s news. And whom Vera has come to love.
When the first snowstorm hits during Derek’s annual Deck the Boats Festival at the cove, residents become stranded. It is then up to Vera to not only bring the town together, but to mend one man’s heart she fears she may have lost.  (book synopsis)

My take:  Joanne DeMaio takes us back to Addison, a quaint Connecticut seaside town that you’ll want to visit (maybe even move to) after you read this charming tale. People in Addison are just like you and me. They experience life’s joys and sorrows and support each other along the way.

When Vera buys the fixer-upper Dutch Colonial she gets to know Derek who works at his family’s hardware store. He also fixes things – like stuck doors, broken steps, etc. Derek and Vera strike up a friendship that soon becomes more. There’s an easiness about them that lets them talk about anything – including the reason for Derek’s heartache. He appreciates how direct she is without being uncomfortable when talking about it. But one day when Derek misunderstands something he hears about Vera it drives a wedge between them. Vera doesn’t understand what’s wrong – until she does. She’ll have to prove to Derek she’s not going anywhere.

I like a novel that gets me invested in the characters’ lives and relationships and has an emotional impact. That was my experience with this book. Plus, it really put me in the Christmas spirit! I enjoyed Snowflakes and Coffee Cakes and look forward to my next visit to Addison. My thanks to Joanne DeMaio for this lovely Christmas story.

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Author Bio:

Joanne DeMaio is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She enjoys writing about friendship, family, love and choices, while setting her stories in New England towns or by the sea. Her novels include the New York Times bestseller Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans, Whole Latte Life, which was named a Kirkus Reviews Critics’ Pick, and most recently Snowflakes and Coffee Cakes. Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut and is currently at work on her next book. To learn more, visit Joannedemaio.com.

Guest post: Joanne DeMaio

I’m so happy to welcome author Joanne DeMaio to the blog today. Joanne’s new novel Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans was published last week. I loved her first book Whole Latte Life and look forward to reading her second:

In my new novel, Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans, the main character Maris Carrington is a denim designer. Her denim specialty connects her to the summers she spent at a close-knit beach community while growing up, to memories of her and her mother walking the sandy shoreline, to the breeziness of the whole beach essence that has long been a part of her life.

 So today, let’s take a fashion quiz to see how blue jeans connect to your life. I think that our denim preferences say a lot about our personalities, and I hope you’ll give it a try. Which jean style represents the true-blue you? Feel free to stitch another style into the mix, too.

 

Bootcut ~ You’re relaxed, easy-going, a bit bohemian.

 

Flares ~ You’re a Free-spirit, love live music and the arts.

 

Straight-leg ~ You’re classic and dependable, a good friend.

 

Skinny ~ Fun and upbeat, you’re the life of the beach party.

 

Boyfriend Jeans ~ Artistic, comfortable, confident … You enjoy lazy reading days.

 

Trouser Jeans ~ You’re professional and polished, a go-getter.

 

Cropped Jeans ~ Cheerful, sunny, calming … Walking along a beach is your perfect day.

 

Carpe Denim!

 

~Joanne

Thanks so much for visiting today, Joanne. I wear bootcut the most but choose trouser jeans when I want to dress up a bit and can still get away with wearing denim. I also have a pair of white denim cropped jeans that I love to wear in the summer months.

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Joanne DeMaio is the award-winning author of Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans and the bestselling novel Whole Latte Life, which won First Place in the 2012 Discovery Awards and was named a Kirkus Reviews Critics’ Pick. It has also been featured in USA Today, The Huffington Post and other outlets. Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans is her second novel. Both books explore the intricate relationships between mothers and daughters, sisters and friends. In addition, her music essays have appeared in literary journals, celebrating her passion for song. Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut, where the coffee and stories are always brewing. She is currently at work on her next book.

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After years of pursuing a denim design career, Maris Carrington never imagined trading her Chicago studio for a New England shingled cottage. But a forgotten home movie tucked inside a dusty attic box leads to an unexpected summer . . . One of uncovering family secrets while settling her father’s estate, one of inheriting a forlorn German Shepherd, one of reconnecting with old friends on a weathered boardwalk, beneath starlit skies on a beach nestled in a crook of the Connecticut coast. Her design career had become a shell, curving around her like the intricate whorls of a conch, shielding her until now. Until fried clam dinners and carousel rides beckon a lost love. But can Maris ever really go back? Can these beach friends ever be who they were to each other all those summers ago? Now one of her circle is dead; another unemployed and struggling in a tenuous marriage; another regretting a fateful decision; while one is missing a mother, ever seeking a connection she longs for. To the backdrop of seaside cottages and a boarded up beach hangout, to the soundtrack of whispering lagoon grasses and a vintage jukebox, Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans asks if we can really design our own lives, or if our fate lies somewhere in the stars.

You can buy Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans here.

Whole Latte Life by Joanne DeMaio

Title:  Whole Latte Life

Author:  Joanne DeMaio

Genre:  Contemporary Fiction

Published:  March 2012 – CreateSpace

Formats:  Paperback – 336 pages; eBook

ISBN:   9781466427501

Synopsis:  Would you leave everything behind to know who you are?

Sara Beth Riley never dreamt she’d walk straight out of her life. Actually she’d never dreamt a lot of things that had happened this year … From being kidnapped by her own best friend, to throwing her wedding rings into the Hudson River, to calling an old love in France, to getting inked with said best friend, painting the passionate constellation of these choices into permanence. But mostly, she could never have dreamt what started it all. How could it be that her mother’s unexpected death, and the grief which lingered painfully long, turned her into the woman she was finally meant to become?

Sara Beth’s escape begins a summer of change – of herself, of marriage, of the lives of those around her. In a story that moves from Manhattan to the sea to a quaint New England town, Whole Latte Life looks at friends we never forget, at decisions we linger with, at our attempts to live the lives we love.

My take:  When Sara Beth’s mother died she lost her biggest cheerleader. They were so close and with her unexpected passing Sara Beth is devastated. Her children and husband seem to take her for granted and she feels life just keeps going in spite of the immense grief she’s experiencing. She needs time to regroup and figure things out – things her friend Rachel thought they could do on their girls’ birthday weekend in New York. However, Sara Beth decides to go it alone instead of meeting her friend for a prearranged lunch. The note she has a waiter  deliver to Rachel says not to worry, she’ll meet her at the hotel in two days.

Rachel is frantic that something terrible will happen to Sara Beth. She stops a mounted police officer, Michael, who ends up helping Rachel try to track her friend down. Michael. What a great character! Loved him, flaws and all.

Events transpire, time passes, friends come together, family members make an effort to understand. It all came together for a very satisfying novel – especially for this female reader of a certain age. I loved the grown up women who seemed like people in my life. These are women who are willing to take a chance instead of sit quietly on the sidelines of life. Sometimes chances are taken after great encouragement and support from friends and family – that rang true for me.

With so many discussion possibilities, Whole Latte Life would be a great book club choice for my friends – women past the age of 40. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to Joanne DeMaio’s next novel. Recommended.

Disclosure:  I purchased my copy and was subsequently invited to participate in a blog tour. I was not compensated for my review.

About the author:

Joanne DeMaio is an award-winning author of contemporary fiction.  Her bestselling novel Whole Latte Life won First Place in the 2012 Discovery Awards and was selected by Kirkus Reviews as a Critics’ Pick.  It has been featured in USA Today, The Huffington Post, Barnes & Noble’s blog and other outlets.  In addition, her music essays have appeared in literary journals, celebrating her passion for song.  Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut, where the coffee and stories are always brewing.

For more information about Joanne DeMaio and her books visit her website.

Guest Post: Joanne DeMaio – Whole Latte Life

Today it’s my pleasure to welcome author Joanne DeMaio to the blog. Joanne’s novel WHOLE LATTE LIFE published last week. Thanks for visiting today, Joanne. I’m a big fan of books and coffee! I look forward to reading Whole Latte Life. 

The Perfect Blend ~ Coffee, Books and Life

Coffee has such comforting affiliations, I think because it’s an integral part of our days.  We need our morning coffee, grab a coffee-to-go, linger with a dessert coffee, meet over coffee.  And that one’s the clincher.  Meeting over coffee.  In fact, some of the best talks happen over a fresh cup of java.  Think of all the latte’s you’ve enjoyed, with family or a friend.  How much life you’ve mulled over with someone near and dear in a local coffee shop, or in a neighbor’s country kitchen with a fresh-brewed pot, or in a restaurant’s cozy nook.

The same way we mull over life with a coffee, don’t we also consider life in the books we read?  In the genres we favor?  I know I do.  My novel WHOLE LATTE LIFE is a blend of the choices we make as mothers and daughters and friends, and how those choices sometimes haunt us.  It’s filled with topics we’d talk over with a friend, over a steaming cup of java.

Coffee and books.  I’m a fan of both.  They fit together like, well, like a cup and saucer.  Even the flavors of java correlate with our reading preferences.  Give it a try … If you had to choose, what coffee flavor would you give your reading preference?

I’ve brewed up a few literary-coffee choices … You can choose one, or add your own unique blend to the menu … Let’s get percolating!

Do you read Regular, With Cream ~ Literary with a Commercial bent?

Or is your preference Cream with Sugar ~ Very Commercial?

Is your favorite genre Black Coffee ~ Strictly Literary?

How about Café au Lait ~ Historical, set in France?

There’s always a Coffee Milkshake ~ Blending the Genres?

Or maybe Monk’s Cappuccino ~ Inspirational/Christian?

Does Layered Caffé Latte describe it ~ A life layered in Memoir?

Science Fiction, YA, Romance, whatever the genre ~ What flavor do you enjoy reading?

Coffee Cheers to all!

~Joanne

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About Whole Latte Life

Sara Beth Riley never dreamt she’d walk straight out of her life. Actually she’d never dreamt a lot of things that had happened this year … From being kidnapped by her own best friend, to throwing her wedding rings into the Hudson River, to calling an old love in France, to getting inked with said best friend, painting the passionate constellation of these choices into permanence. But mostly, she could never have dreamt what started it all. How could it be that her mother’s unexpected death, and the grief which lingered painfully long, turned her into the woman she was finally meant to become?

Sara Beth’s escape begins a summer of change – of herself, of marriage, of the lives of those around her. In a story that moves from Manhattan to the sea to a quaint New England town, Whole Latte Life looks at friends we never forget, at decisions we linger with, at our attempts to live the lives we love.

♦  ♦  ♦

You can read more about Joanne DeMaio at her website.

More info about Whole Latte Life can be found at WholeLatteLife.com.