Mrs Mommy Booknerd's Review Round-Up!!!!

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After I'm Gone

The acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of The Most Dangerous Thing, I'd Know You Anywhere, and What the Dead Knowreturns with an addictive story that explores how one man's disappearance echoes through the lives of the five women he left behind—his wife, his daughters, and his mistress

Dead is dead. Missing is gone.

When Felix Brewer meets nineteen-year-old Bernadette "Bambi" Gottschalk at a Valentine's Day dance in 1959, he charms her with wild promises, some of which he actually keeps. Thanks to his lucrative—if not all legal—businesses, she and their three little girls live in luxury. But on the Fourth of July in 1976, Bambi's comfortable world implodes when Felix, facing prison, vanishes.

Though Bambi has no idea where her husband—or his money—might be, she suspects one woman does: his devoted young mistress, Julie. When Julie disappears ten years to the day after Felix went on the lam, everyone assumes she's left to join her old lover—until her remains are discovered in a secluded park.

Now, twenty-six years later, Roberto "Sandy" Sanchez, a retired Baltimore detective working cold cases for some extra cash, is investigating her murder. What he discovers is a tangled web of bitterness, jealousy, resentment, greed, and longing stretching over five decades. And at its center is the man who, though long gone, has never been forgotten by the five women who loved him: the enigmatic Felix Brewer.

Felix Brewer left five women behind. Now there are four. Does at least one of them know the truth?

MRS MOMMY BOOKNERD'S REVIEW:
After I'm Gone was written from several points of view and when done correctly it can really add dimension to the books, After I'm Gone is one of those successful uses of several points of view within one story.  I felt myself relating to each character, whether I agreed with their choices or not, there was something compelling about each of them.  When you bring them together and add mystery, love and twists and turns you have a great read.  This book did not grab me like I hoped it would, maybe it was too much hype surrounding the book, but I did enjoy it.  I rate it 3 stars    

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The Wedding Bees

Sugar Wallace did not believe in love at first sight, but her bees did. . . .

Every spring Sugar Wallace coaxes her sleepy honeybee queen—presently the sixth in a long line of Queen Elizabeths—out of the hive and lets her crawl around a treasured old map. Wherever the queen stops is their next destination, and this year it's New York City.

Sugar sets up her honeybees on the balcony of an East Village walk-up and then––as she's done everywhere since leaving South Carolina––she gets to know her neighbors. She is, after all, a former debutante who believes that manners make the world a better place even if they seem currently lacking in the big city.

Plus, she has a knack for helping people. There's Ruby with her scrapbook of wedding announcements; single mom Lola; reclusive chef Nate; and George, a courtly ex-doorman. They may not know what to make of her bees and her politeness, but they can't deny the magic in her honey.

And then there's Theo, a delightfully kind Scotsman who crosses Sugar's path as soon as she gets into town and is quickly besotted. But love is not on the menu for Sugar. She likes the strong independent woman she's become since leaving the South and there's nothing a charmer like Theo can do to change her mind . . . only her bees can do that.

The Wedding Bees is a novel about finding sweetness where you least expect it and learning to love your way home.

MRS MOMMY BOOKNERD'S REVIEW:
I loved this book.  It has been a long time since I said that a book was completely charming and heartwarming!!!  The Wedding Bees is all that and so much more.  I adored it, just adored it!  The bees are unlike any other characters ever and the sweet spin and contribution to the story is beautiful and original...like I said I loved this book!  With the bees and the other characters this story is a wonderful and sweet story! Great book club read!  4.5 stars!

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You Had Me at Hello

What happens when the one that got away comes back?

Rachel and Ben. Ben and Rachel. It was them against the world. Until it all fell apart.

It’s been a decade since they last spoke, but when Rachel bumps into Ben one rainy day, the years melt away.

From the moment they met they’d been a gang of two; partners in crime and the best of friends. But life has moved on. Ben is married. Rachel is definitely not. In fact, the men in her life make her want to take holy orders…

Yet in that split second, Rachel feels the old friendship return. And along with it, the broken heart she’s never been able to mend.

If you love David Nicholls and Lisa Jewell then this is the book for you. Hilarious, heartbreaking and everything in between, you’ll be hooked from their first ‘hello’.

MRS MOMMY BOOKNERD'S REVIEW:
I want this book to be a movie...it is funny, romantic and had great characters.  There was something about it that drew me in instantly!  What fun it was being inside this book and living out the adventures and missteps along the way!  A fun summer read, 4 stars!

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No Alligator in Sight

In this coming of age novel, Lettie and Bert squeak by in a tiny town on Cape Cod, one parent an alcoholic and the other absent. After a string of bad decisions on Lettie’s part, their father ships them to their barely remembered mother for the summer, where they will learn hard lessons about themselves, their family, and their future by way of the Florida swamp. Throughout Lettie keeps her biting humor flowing, her razor-sharp pen at the ready, and her eye on her quest for a “normal” life.

MRS MOMMY BOOKNERD'S REVIEW:
This is a wonderful coming of age story with some darkness and depth that comes with the genre.  It was well written and fleshed out.  There are the lesson we learn along the way that are displayed and discussed in a new and fresh manner!  3.5 stars!

Showcase with Amy's Review: Confessions of a Paris Party Girl by Vicki Lesage

Wine, romance, and French bureaucracy - the ups and downs of an American's life in Paris. This laugh-out-loud memoir is almost too funny to be true!

Drinking too much bubbly. Meeting sappy Frenchmen who have girlfriends or are creeps or both. Encountering problème after problème with French bureaucracy. When newly-single party girl Vicki moved to Paris, she was hoping to taste wine, stuff her face with croissants, and maybe fall in love.

In her first book, this long-time blogger and semi-professional drinker recounts the ups and downs of her life in Paris. Full of sass, shamefully honest admissions, and situations that seem too absurd to be true, Vicki makes you feel as if you're stumbling along the cobblestones with her. 

Will she find love? Will she learn to consume reasonable amounts of alcohol? Will the French administration ever cut her a break?

I loved this book and could not put it down.  This is a very quick, easy read.  Paris is on my bucket list and the Lesage did a fantastic job taking me along on her journey.  Lesage's attention to detail of the people, of the buildings and of the architecture blew my mind. I loved that the author conveys a feeling a friendship (like you are her friend) while you are reading this book. I give this book 5 stars as I loved her writing style, her attention to detail, how the book flowed.  But what I loved the most was her sense of humor.  I hope there is a sequel to this book.

Q. What inspires your writing?

A. As an American living in Paris, I’ve experienced some crazy things. From eating bizarre foods to being yelled at by taxi drivers for not having correct change, I find something new to write about every day! I would go crazy living in this city if I didn’t have an outlet to share my frustrations, and I try to temper my “rants” with the good points of the city life as well.

Q. What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

A. I love being taken away to a different place. Once I get into writing one of my stories, time flies and I feel like I’m really there (partly because I was really there since I write about my life). For example, the other day I wrote about the birth of my son and it was like reliving the entire 18 hours, minus the pain!

Q. What is the toughest part of being an writer?

A. Getting started. I have small goals for each day, whether it’s a blog post or working on my next book or editing. Once I get started I really enjoy it but it’s hard to get off Facebook and get my creative juices flowing! As a math nerd it’s way easier for me to dive into the more analytical tasks, such as tracking sales and making decisions on ad spending.

Q. If you could not be writer, what would you do/be?

A. Currently my day job is IT Director, which is pretty much the opposite of writing but I love it. In fact, for me, there are similarities in both - I take big tasks (launching a website, writing a book), break it into manageable pieces, then start chipping away at them. I enjoy organization (I use spreadsheets for work and my writing!) and I enjoy the satisfaction of crossing things off my list.

Q. What would the story of your life be entitled?

A. This one’s easy since my book is a memoir - Confessions of a Paris Party Girl! While I could have written about any number of things that happened in my life, living in Paris is the most interesting and unique, so that’s why I chose it. Also, many stories about American girls who move to Paris focus on the good - I chose to focus on the crazy and sometimes bad stuff, just to show what it’s really like!

Q. What is your favorite book of all time?

A. “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” by Audrey Niffenegger. It’s a well-written, fascinating story that is emotional to its core. It’s one of the most romantic stories I’ve ever read, but is heart-wrenching at the same time. During a road trip I was describing the book to my husband (as English is his second language I knew he would never get around to reading it) and I actually got choked up just talking about it. I don’t think I have it in me to read it again but it’s a book I continue to recommend to people because it just had such an effect on me.

Q. Which character from ANY book are you most like?

A. This question is harder than it sounds! I guess in a lot of ways I’m like Becky Bloomwood from the Shopaholic series. Deep down I’m a caring person who means well, but some people don’t see it through all the partying. I also really try to do my best but sometimes, due to things I can’t control (like the infuriating French administration!) things turn out a total disaster.

Q. What character from all of your books are you most like?

A. Another easy one - I’m most like me in my book!

Q. Which book would you love to take a weekend vacation inside of?

A. Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. I’m fascinated by the time period and would love to be thrown right in the middle of it, but I think I’d be done by the end of the weekend - their level of hygiene would totally gross me out!

Q. What is your favorite season?

A. Autumn. I love the smell, the crisp air, the leaves changing color, and the promise of exciting things to come - first my birthday, then Christmas!

Q. What inspired your book cover?

A. Before starting my cover, I looked at numerous other covers in my genre and in books about Paris. I wanted a cover that immediately conveyed the following: Paris, girly, fun. I feel like my cover accomplished that!

Q. Tell me something funny that happened while on a book tour or while promoting your book.

A. I’m just starting out and so far so good, but given how crazy my life is on a daily basis, I’m pretty sure the next mishap is just around the corner!

Q. Are you working on something new?

A. I have already started a sequel, which will pick up where Confessions of a Paris Party Girl left off. It will be mostly focused around pregnancy and raising kids in Paris - which is no easy feat!

Q. Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?

A. If you’re looking for a humorous read about what it’s really like to live in Paris, check out my book. Part of what gets me through the hectic aspects of the city is sharing my experiences with others!

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Wine, romance, and French bureaucracy - the ups and downs of an American's life in Paris. This laugh-out-loud memoir is almost too funny to be true!

Drinking too much bubbly. Meeting sappy Frenchmen who have girlfriends or are creeps or both. Encountering problème after problème with French bureaucracy. When newly-single party girl Vicki moved to Paris, she was hoping to taste wine, stuff her face with croissants, and maybe fall in love.

In her first book, this long-time blogger and semi-professional drinker recounts the ups and downs of her life in Paris. Full of sass, shamefully honest admissions, and situations that seem too absurd to be true, Vicki makes you feel as if you're stumbling along the cobblestones with her.

Will she find love? Will she learn to consume reasonable amounts of alcohol? Will the French administration ever cut her a break?

“Her writing brings the characters she meets to life, her friends, boyfriends, fellow Metro travellers and French officials, and the stories she tells are full of humour, even the truly frustrating ones.”

- Jaqui, FrenchVillage Diaries

“Her struggles with French men, love, work and bureaucracy made me laugh out loud, I could not put it down!”

- Sissi de Beauregard, Chick-litet autres Love Stories

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Vicki Lesage is an IT Director by day, writer by night. And a full-time nerd. She loves fondue, wine, math, and zombies. She lives in Paris with her French husband and rambunctious son.

Get more of life, love, and sarcasm in Paris at:

 

Website & blog: http://www.vickilesage.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/vickilesagewriter

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/vickilesage

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/vickilesage

Email Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/IYdMn

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20521413-confessions-of-a-paris-party-girl

Highlight: The Taste of Apple Seeds by Katharina Hagena

The Taste of Apple Seeds

by Katharina Hagena

An international bestseller, The Taste of Apple Seeds is a story of love and loss that will captivate your heart

When Iris unexpectedly inherits her grandmother's house in the country, she also inherits the painful memories that live there.

Iris gives herself a one-week stay at the old house, after which she'll make a decision: keep it, or sell it. The choice is not so simple, though, for her grandmother's cottage is an enchanting place where currant jam tastes of tears, sparks fly from fingertips, love's embrace makes apple trees blossom, and the darkest family secrets never stay buried.

As Iris moves in and out of the flicker between remembrance and forgetting, she chances upon a forgotten childhood friend who could become more.

The Taste of Apple Seeds is a bittersweet story of heartbreak and hope passed down through the generations.

Review: Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman

A Southern novel of family and antiques from the bestselling author of the beloved Saving CeeCee Honeycutt 

Beth Hoffman’s bestselling debut, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, won admirers and acclaim with its heartwarming story and cast of unforgettable characters. Now her unique flair for evocative settings and richly drawn Southern personalities shines in her compelling new novel,Looking for Me.

Teddi Overman found her life’s passion for furniture in a broken-down chair left on the side of the road in rural Kentucky. She learns to turn other people’s castoffs into beautifully restored antiques, and eventually finds a way to open her own shop in Charleston. There, Teddi builds a life for herself as unexpected and quirky as the customers who visit her shop.  Though Teddi is surrounded by remarkable friends and finds love in the most surprising way, nothing can alleviate the haunting uncertainty she’s felt in the years since her brother Josh’s mysterious disappearance. When signs emerge that Josh might still be alive, Teddi is drawn home to Kentucky.  It’s a journey that could help her come to terms with her shattered family—and to find herself at last.  But first she must decide what to let go of and what to keep.

Looking for Me brilliantly melds together themes of family, hope, loss, and a mature once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. The result is a tremendously moving story that is destined to make bestselling author Beth Hoffman a novelist to whom readers will return again and again as they have with Adriana Trigiani, Fannie Flagg, and Joshilyn Jackson.

Released today in paperback Looking for Me is a a multifaceted story that will appeal to a broad range of readers.  There is such depth and richness to this story.  There is insight into the soul and the path that we take within this world...

"We will be known forever by the tracks we leave." (Looking for Me, Pg. 206)

With heart, characters that draw you in and an amazing setting this book is one that will leave you content after you finish.  This is also a great book to share with a book club because there are compelling statements throughout the book that can create some great dialougue, such as :

"Guides.  Everybody has them, but most people don't listen.  They say it's time to begin the journey.  What does that mean?" (Looking for Me, pg 187)  This simple statement can be discussed within the context of the book and in a broader way.  This is only one example in this wonderful read.  4 stars!

Kindle Giveaway to Celebrate the release of SPUN by Catherine McKenzie!!!!!

In this funny and touching novella, bestselling author Catherine McKenzie returns to the story of Amber Sheppard, It Girl and celebrity train wreck from McKenzie’s reader-favourite novel, Spin.

Life has been rough for starlet Amber since leaving rehab. She’s been two years sober, but no one seems to believe her -- not the gossip media, not casting agents, and most certainly not her spotlight-loving parents. With her friendships ruined by betrayal and her career at a standstill, Amber’s just trying to get her life back on track. It doesn’t help that her former love, movie star Connor Parks, keeps trying to draw Amber back in, not just to their relationship but to his hard-partying ways. One fateful night, Amber breaks down and agrees to join him on board his private jet as it readies for take-off -- a decision that will change her life forever and expose her to a whole new level of scrutiny and heartbreak.

Kate's To-Do List: 

1. Go to rehab 
2. Befriend/spy on "It Girl" 
3. Write killer expose 
4. Land dream job 

Piece of cake! 

When Kate Sandford lands an interview at her favorite music magazine, The Line, it's the chance of a lifetime. So Kate goes out to celebrate—and shows up still drunk to the interview the next morning. It's no surprise that she doesn't get the job, but her performance has convinced the editors that she'd be perfect for an undercover assignment for their gossip rag. All Kate has to do is follow "It Girl" Amber Sheppard into rehab. If she can get the inside scoop—and complete the thirty-day program—they'll reconsider her for the position at The Line. Kate takes the assignment, but when real friendships start to develop, she has to decide if what she has to gain is worth the price she'll have to pay.

SPUN is being released today and Catherine is giving away another kindle!!!!!!

You can share the photo she just posted to fb to enter to win a kindle and/or share this link to her website  http://catherinemckenzie.com/about-the-books/spun/

Blog Tour with Review: Dash of Peril by Lori Foster

A no-nonsense female cop reluctantly teams up with the one man who makes her lose control in a deliciously sensual new novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster... 

To bring down a sleazy abduction ring, Lieutenant Margaret "Margo" Peterson has set herself up as bait. But recruiting Dashiel Riske as her unofficial partner is a whole other kind of danger. Dash is 6'4" of laid-back masculine charm, a man who loves life—and women—to the limit. Until Margo is threatened, and he reveals a dark side that may just match her own.

Beneath Margo's tough facade is a slow-burning sexiness that drives Dash crazy. The only way to finish this case is to work together side by side…skin to skin. And as their mission takes a lethal turn, he'll have to prove he's all the man she needs—in all the ways that matter.

Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a Waldenbooks,Borders, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. Lori has published through a variety of houses, including Kensington, St. Martin’s, Berkley, Silhouette and Samhain. She is currently with Harlequin.

Lori believes it’s important to give back to the community as much as possible, and for that reason she ran special contests in conjunction with a publisher, facilitating many first sales for new authors. She routinely organizes events among authors and readers to gather donations for various organizations.

Lori hosts a very special annual “Reader & Author” event in West Chester, Ohio. Proceeds from the event have benefited many worthy causes, including the Hamilton County YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, the Animal Adoption Foundation, The Conductive Learning Center for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy, and The One Way Farm, Children’s Home.

In 2007, Lori put together The Write Ingredients a cookbook of recipes donated by popular authors. Proceeds from the cookbook go toward Lori’s ongoing “Troop project” of collecting and mailing fun, and sometimes necessary, items to our troops.

In 2008, Lori coordinated with other authors of her choosing, and through Berkley, arranged for the publication of The Power of Love, a special romance anthology of novellas about empowering women. All author and agent proceeds from the anthology go to the Hamilton Co YWCA Battered women’s shelter.

In 2009, Tails of Love, another romance anthology with Lori and other contributing authors, was published through Berkley with all agent and author proceeds to benefit The Animal Adoption Foundation.

In 2010, The Gift of Love romance anthology, with Lori and other contributing authors, was published with proceeds to benefitThe Conductive Learning Center, a school for children with cerebral palsy and spina bifida.

In 2011, The Promise of Love, a romance anthology with Lori and other contributing authors, will be published with proceeds to benefit the One Way Farm, a home for abused and abandoned children.

In 2012, Love Bites, a romance anthology with Lori and other contributing authors, was published with all agent and author proceeds to benefit The Animal Adoption Foundation.

In 2013, Animal Attraction, a romance anthology that goes with the “Buckhorn Brothers” series, with Lori and other contributing authors, was published with all agent and author proceeds to benefit The Animal Adoption Foundation.

Dash of Peril by Lori Foster

I just love, love, love, Lori Foster.  Dash of Peril is the story of Dash and Lieutenant Margo (his brother's boss).  Margo is still intent on shutting down some nasty players who are targeting women.  She wants to bring them down but needs some help on her undercover work.  Margo enlists the help of Dash, a very alpha male.  They is so much more brewing between these two people that explodes into passion.  Lori is an excellent author the never fails to deliver when it comes to her books.  The storyline is captivating, easy to follow along, and has you rooting for the good guys.  This is a must read book, seriously you have to read this.  I give it 5 stars. 

Highlight: Eleanor (The Unseen) Paperback by Johnny Worthen

It was a gamble for Eleanor to rejoin humanity, but she was driven to it. She’d been too successful forgetting. The last vestiges of her family hung by a thread in her transformed brain and drove her to be reckless. Ten years later, Eleanor hides in plain sight. She is an average girl getting average grades in a small Wyoming town: poor but happy, lonely but loved. Her mother, Tabitha, is there for her and that’s all she’s ever needed. But now her mother is sick and David has returned. The only friend she’d ever had, the only other person who knows her secret, is back. And Eleanor again becomes reckless. 

Eleanor is a modest girl, unremarkable but extraordinary, young but old, malleable but fixed. She is scared and confused. She is a liar and a thief. Eleanor is not what she appears to be.

JOHNNY WORTHEN graduated with a BA in English and master’s in American studies from the University of Utah. After a series of businesses and adventures, including running his own bakery, Johnny found himself drawn to the only thing he ever wanted to do— write. And write he does. When he’s not pounding on his keyboard or attending writers conferences, Johnny spends his time with his wife and two boys in Sandy, Utah.

Highlight: An Unsuitable Princess by Jane Rosenberg LaForge

“Tender and heartbreakingly candid reinvention of memory.”–Kate Southwood, author of Falling to Earth

A memoir about growing up in Hollywood — and fragile, young love. 
An unusual memoir about growing up in Hollywood. An Unsuitable Princess: A True Fantasy/A Fantastical Memoir tells two stories simultaneously. In the first, which takes place in Renaissance England, a mute stable girl of mysterious talents and potentially dangerous parentage finds herself punished for saving the life of the boy she loves. The second story is situated in the late 20th Century and explains the inspirations for the first story. An overly talkative, solidly spoiled, middle class girl muses on the social and economic phenomena the author observed while growing up in Hollywood during the birth of the hippie movement, the sexual revolution, women’s liberation, and the growth of Renaissance England re-enactments. She does not save the boy she thinks she loves. Indeed, she may have hastened his death. Even years later, the only way she can acknowledge this failure is by spinning an elaborate fantasy that becomes the tale of a wretched orphan who turns out to be a princess.


“Jane Rosenberg LaForge’s An Unsuitable Princess is a daring combination of old-school storytelling and the true wit of the best of contemporary memoirists. The first of these is a fairy tale about a young woman who cannot speak, while the second tells of the author’s awkward coming of age within the shadows of a disintegrating Hollywood neighborhood. But it is when these two narratives prove themselves inescapably linked that the novel takes its most affecting turn. ‘Tell me the story of your life,’’ the author’s daughter asks, and so the author does, with both hilarious and heartbreaking repercussions. ‘Finally,’ the author writes, ‘I am famous.’” –Michelle Hoover, author of The Quickening


“It’s two, two, two tales in one. On your left, a deftly told Early Modern horsey fantasy; on your right, an aching memoir of the authorial teenage Ren Faire trauma that begat the tale. Rosenberg LaForge has crafted a quirky and compelling new class of literary mashup.” –Jess Winfield, co-founder, Reduced Shakespeare Co. and author of My Name is Will: A Novel of Sex, Drugs, and Shakespeare


“Rosenberg LaForge lays out her dreams and desires in this tender and heartbreakingly candid reinvention of memory. An Unsuitable Princess is an entirely original look at life, personal history, and one’s original hopes.” –Kate Southwood, author of Falling to Earth

Mandy's Romance Corner Reviews!

Lost in Thought by Cara Bertran

ABOUT THE BOOK: Perfect for readers who love books and series such as Vampire Academy, Spellbound, and Sweet Peril, Lost in Thought is a sure winner for young adult readers interested in the paranormal, romance, and action-packed twists

 Lainey Young has a secret: she’s going crazy. Everyone else thinks she has severe migraines from stress and exhaustion. What she really has are visions of how people died—or are going to die. Not that she tells anyone that. At age 16, she prefers keeping her crazy to herself. When doctors insist she needs a new and stable environment to recover, Lainey’s game to spend two years at a private New England boarding school. She doesn’t really think it will cure her problem, and she’s half right. There is no cure, but as she discovers, she’s not actually crazy. Almost everyone at Northbrook Academy has a secret too. Half the students and nearly all the staff are members of the Sententia, a hidden society of the psychically gifted. A vision of another student’s impending death confirms Lainey is one of them. She’d like to return the crappy gift of divining deaths with only a touch, but enjoys spending time with Carter Penrose—recent Academy graduate and resident school crush—while learning to control it. Lainey’s finally getting comfortable with her ability, and with Carter, when they uncover her true Sententia heritage. Now she has a real secret. Once it’s spilled, she’ll be forced to forget protecting secrets and start protecting herself.

MANDY'S REVIEW: This was a really good read.  It's a young adult but adults will enjoy this book too.  It's a great storyline that encompasses - a love story, a little paranormal, and some mystery. Lainey Young is a great character that you can connect with and follow along through the whole book. Great read.  I give it 3 stars.  

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The Sound of Broken Glass by Deborah Crombie

In the past . . .
On a blisteringly hot August afternoon in Crystal Palace, once home to the tragically destroyed Great Exhibition, a solitary thirteen-year-old boy meets his next door neighbor, a recently widowed young teacher hoping to make a new start in the tight-knit South London community. Drawn together by loneliness, the unlikely pair form a deep connection that ends in a shattering act of betrayal.

In the present . . .
On a cold January morning in London, Detective Inspector Gemma James is back on the job now that her husband, Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid, is at home to care for their three-year-old foster daughter. Assigned to lead a Murder Investigation Team in South London, she's assisted by her trusted colleague, newly promoted Detective Sergeant Melody Talbot. Their first case, a crime scene at a seedy hotel in Crystal Palace. The victim, a well-respected barrister, found naked, trussed, and apparently strangled. Is it an unsavory accident or murder? In either case, he was not alone, and Gemma's team must find his companion - a search that leads them into unexpected corners and forces them to contemplate unsettling truths about the weaknesses and passions that lead to murder. Ultimately, they will begin to question everything they think they know about their world and those they trust most.

MANDY'S REVIEW: This is my first novel by Deborah Crombie and I have to say I enjoyed this book immensely.  It was a great mysteries.   The storyline is very complex, well written,  and you will be guessing the who done it until the very end of the book.  I love how the author describes the characters within the book.  The scenes are great.  It was a book that you could believe this actually happened.  Great read.  I would recommend this author.  I give it 4 stars.  

Highlight: Dependent by Brenda Corey Dunne

When 45-year-old Ellen Michaels loses her husband to a tragic military accident, she is left in a world of gray. For 25 years her life has been dictated by the ubiquitous They—the military establishment that has included her like chattel with John’s worldly goods—his Dependents, Furniture, and Effects. They—who have stolen her hopes, her dreams and her innocence, and now in mere months will take away the roof over her head. Ellen is left with nothing to hold on to but memories and guilt and an awful secret that has held her in its grip since she was 19. John’s untimely death takes away her anchor, and now, without the military, there is no one to tell her where to go, what to do— no one to dictate who she is. Dependent deals with issues ever-present in today’s service families—early marriage, frequent long absences, the culture of rank, and posttraumatic stress, as well as harassment and abuse of power by higher-ranking officials. It presents a raw and realistic view of life for the lives of the invisible support behind the uniform.

Brenda Corey Dunne grew up in rural New Brunswick, Canada. She originally trained as a physiotherapist and worked several years as a Physiotherapy Officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force before meeting the love of her life and taking her release.

She completed her first full length manuscript in 2008 as a bucket-list item and since then she has self-published a work of YA historical fiction (TREASURE IN THE FLAME), and has several other manuscripts in various stages of completion. DEPENDENT, an adult contemporary fiction, will be published by Jolly Fish Press in summer 2014. Brenda is represented by Jennifer Mishler and Frances Black of Literary Counsel.

When not working as a physiotherapist or writing, Brenda can be found juggling taxi-mom duties, working in the garden or strolling through the horse paddock with a coffee in hand. She currently resides on a small hobby farm in Eastern Ontario (Canada) with her husband and their three children, two horses, a dog, a cat, several chickens and the occasional sheep.