Meg and Jo by Virginia Kantra

Meg & Jo by Virginia Kantra

Published:  Dec. 3, 2019 – Berkley

Digital galley courtesy of Berkley and NetGalley

Description: The timeless classic Little Women inspired this heartwarming modern tale of four sisters from New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra.

The March sisters—reliable Meg, independent Jo, stylish Amy, and shy Beth—have grown up to pursue their separate dreams. When Jo followed her ambitions to New York City, she never thought her career in journalism would come crashing down, leaving her struggling to stay afloat in a gig economy as a prep cook and secret food blogger.

Meg appears to have the life she always planned—the handsome husband, the adorable toddlers, the house in a charming subdivision. But sometimes getting everything you’ve ever wanted isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

When their mother’s illness forces the sisters home to North Carolina for the holidays, they’ll rediscover what really matters.

One thing’s for sure—they’ll need the strength of family and the power of sisterhood to remake their lives and reimagine their dreams.  (publisher)

My take: Meg and Jo is inspired by Little Women and not a retelling. That increased my enjoyment of the novel. Honestly, I read and loved Little Women when I was a ‘tween back in the 1960s but I haven’t revisited in the decades since. Virginia Kantra’s story centers around older siblings Meg and Jo. Meg is married with twin toddlers. Jo lives in NYC, writes a food blog and works in a restaurant. Both sisters are trying to stay in control of the moving parts of their lives. Sometimes they are successful and sometimes not so much. Life will change for both when their mother has a health crisis and needs them to take over the running of the farm until she is well again. This is a family story full of the usual dynamics and challenges. When all the siblings come home they fall back into the rolls they had as young girls. There’s a lot of truth in that – at least I could relate. There are twists and turns and things fall into place perhaps a bit too easily but I liked Meg and Jo and look forward to reading Amy and Beth’s story.

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Carolina Dreaming by Virginia Kantra

• Title:  Carolina Dreaming
• Author:  Virginia Kantra
• Series:  Dare Island #5
• Genre:  Contemporary Romance
• Pages:  304
• Published:  February 2, 2016 – Berkley
• Source:  Publisher via NetGalley

Description:  When it comes to love, anything can happen on Dare Island—especially in this latest novel from New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra.   

After escaping a disastrous marriage, bakery owner Jane Clark has convinced herself that she has everything she needs—her precious son, a thriving business, and a roof over her head. But the arrival of a handsome stranger on the island shows her exactly what she’s been missing…   

The only home Gabe Murphy ever had was the Marine Corps. He’s working hard to rebuild his life. It will take a special place, and a special woman, to make him want to stay.   

Now Gabe is determined to prove that he’s worthy of Jane’s trust—and her love. But when her past reappears, that trust will be tested, and Jane and Gabe will have to fight hard to hold onto their love and make their dreams a reality…  (publisher)

My take:  Carolina Dreaming is the fifth book in the Dare Island series. The first three novels involved the three adult children of the Fletcher family. Books four and five are about people in the small island community who have ties to the Fletchers. I liked that the Fletcher family played more than minor roles in Carolina Dreaming.

We got to know Jane a bit in the fourth book, Carolina Blues. She survived an abusive first marriage and several years later is still learning how to get control of her life. She has a seven-year old son and they live with her father. She’s determined to be a strong woman and be the mother to her son that she lacked after her own mother walked away from the family.

Gabe survived a horrible upbringing and then survived Afghanistan. After his discharge he got in trouble with the law somewhere else and needs to start over where almost no one knows him. He was in the Marines with Luke Fletcher who once brought him home to Dare Island after basic training and before going to Afghanistan. He hopes the people who so generously welcomed him at that time will be happy to see him again.

I liked Gabe and Jane’s story. They share so much in common and yet find it so difficult to trust themselves or anyone. Both have been burned in life by people who should have loved them unconditionally. Virginia Kantra’s story is believable and relatable. I especially loved the story of Jane’s son finding commonality with Gabe. It tugged the heartstrings.

Recommended to fans of the author, the Dare Island series and stories about people learning to trust their hearts.

Mini Takes

Synopsis: “Create one perfect bite.”
Good little widow Sophia Brown always follows the rules. When the producer of a cooking competition requests an amuse-bouche, the chefs stick with proteins. Sauces. A savory concoction. She has only one shot to impress the judges on A Taste of Heaven. But in a moment of defiance, she creates an extraordinary dessert, one that combines both the bitter and the sweet, just like her own life.
That one bite changes everything.
After a year grieving for her dead husband, forty-seven-year-old Sophia is finally ready to break out of her shell. Unfortunately, there is a large, angry obstacle standing in her way. Scottish chef Elliott Adamson has a chip on his shoulder the size of Loch Ness, and he’s blocking her path to victory.
Spurred by her daughters, she embarks on a poignant adventure that takes her from the wildflower fields of Vermont to the wind-swept vista of North Berwick, Scotland. Fear, courage, and inspiration from unlikely places will mark this journey, and Sophia is determined to persevere until the very end.
A TASTE OF HEAVEN is a 57,000 word short novel that includes a foodie romance, second chances, and a wee bit of haggis.

My take: If you enjoy cooking competition shows and contemporary sexy romances you’ll probably like A Taste of Heaven. I found the novel to be entertaining and light and I wasn’t ready for it to end. I’d read a sequel!

Purchased.

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Synopsis: Marine Luke Fletcher is determined to do his duty—first to his country and now to his ten-year-old daughter, the unexpected legacy of a high school girlfriend. But his homecoming to Dare Island in North Carolina’s Outer Banks challenges his plans for the future and forces him to face everything that’s missing in his life. He wasn’t prepared to lose his heart to this child he never knew. Or to fall hard for coolly reserved small town lawyer Kate Dolan.
Former military brat Kate knows Marines can make lousy fathers…and she’s got the scars to prove it. Giving her heart to a man who’s bent on leaving seems one sure way to have it broken.
Now, no matter what it takes, Luke must prove to Kate and to his daughter that Semper Fi is more than a motto—and to himself that there’s more than one way to be a hero.

My take: The third book in the Dare Island series, Carolina Man is my favorite so far. It’s an emotional addition to the contemporary romance series addressing issues such as the death of a young girl’s parent, abuse, and the importance of unconditional love from family. I liked Sophie Eastlake’s narration and look forward to listening to the next in the series.

Purchased.

Welcome – Terry Kate from Romance In The Backseat

I’m delighted to have Terry Kate write a guest post today. She writes about an interesting subject that I hope generates some good comments. Please join in!

Hello fellow readers,

Mary has been kind enough to invite me here to discuss questions I have been going over about what books and what genres I read, and what inspires me to break out of that box. The more I thought about my own personal answers the more I wondered how other readers felt.

So here the questions are…

Do we as readers often cross over from genre to genre? If I read Contemporary Women’s Fiction does that mean that is all I read? What would encourage me to move into another genre?

As the creator of a multi-genre website I talk to authors from all of the Romance related genres. (They need to have a romantic element to be on Romance in the Backseat, I mean, it has Romance in the title.) When it comes to areas like Suspense, which I do not read, many of the authors mentioned are new to me. This is not to say that I have never read Suspense or Romantic Suspense, I just tend to walk right by them on the bookstore shelf.

A vast majority of the Suspense I have read was written by authors I followed into the genre Linda Howard, for example. I read her Suspense novels up until her last few books, which are now so far removed from her romances that I am no longer interested. Then there are other authors that moved into the genre that I did not follow like Julie Garwood. The minute she stopped writing Historicals she lost me as a reader.

Sometimes just hearing about an interesting book will make me step out of the norm. Sometimes something about the author will catch my attention, or just a book excerpt posted online. Meeting authors through my interviews has turned me on to a number of books I never would have looked at otherwise. Like paranormal author Virginia Kantra. If I had never met her and listened to her talk about her books they would not have been a blip on my radar.

What makes you pick up a book? Is it genre, author, story, reviews, excerpts? The internet and fabulous bloggers like Mary often open our eyes to books we might not have looked at otherwise. I personally only read two or three genres and how often do I pick up a book outside my preferences? Hmmm… I am not too sure, but from now on I will be paying attention and keeping a more open mind.

Thanks Mary,

Terry Kate

http://www.romanceinthebackseat.com