Tag: Women’s Fiction

Let’s Talk Books: THE SUMMER BOOK CLUB

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Susan Mallery is one of my writing icons. Not only is she prolific, putting out several books a year, but the books are (darn her) all so good and so different.

I understand that it takes a great deal of discipline to build a career like Mallery’s and it’s also apparent I don’t have that particular work ethic/talent/entrepreneurial gene.

That’s okay. It just means I get to appreciate Mallery and other writers like her.

Today, I’m talking about Mallery’s latest book that released Feb. 13, THE SUMMER BOOK CLUB. It’s full of the kind of layering and foreshadowing and depth I love.

From the description:

The Rules of Summer Book Club are simple:

No sad books

No pressure

Yesssssss, wine!

Besties Laurel and Paris are excited to welcome Cassie to the group … Since Laurel’s divorce, she feels like the Worst Mom Ever. Her skepticism of men may have scarred her vulnerable daughters … Cassie has an unfortunate habit of falling for ridiculous man-boys who dump her once she fixes them … Paris knows good men exist. She’s still reeling after chasing off the only one brave enough — and and foolish enough — to marry her.

As Laurel, Paris, and Cassie read their summer books (this year it’s romances from the 1980s), they also work through their man-issues and they learn about themselves and their relationships. At the beginning, Laurel believes that all men will let her down. Paris believes she’s incapable of mature love. Cassie believes a man wouldn’t be interested in her for herself, only for what she can do for him.

All three women learn they were oh, so wrong.

I enjoyed this book, light enough for the beach, but with enough meat on its bones to make a great book club discussion. Especially with a glass of rose’.

I loved how each character grew, then failed, then grew some more, and prevailed. The male characters aren’t caricatures, but feel like real, living humans.

I highly recommend THE SUMMER BOOK CLUB for anytime of year.

(Content: Closed door. Some language.)

I received a free advance copy of this book from the publisher, but it did not induce me to review the book, favorably or otherwise.

Book Talk Tuesday: What I’ve Been Reading

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I read some really good books at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023. Rather than post long reviews of each, I decided to give a few sentences about what really stood out to me.

The last two books of 2022:

REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt: The title refers to the Giant Pacific Octopus, specifically Marcellus, a captive specimen at a Pacific Northwest aquarium, and one of the Point of View characters. I listened to this one on audio and loved it! It’s fun and funny. Besides Marcellus, the POV characters include a widow in her sixties and a young man searching for his biological father.

LOVE LETTERING by Kate Clayborn: A young woman who does custom hand lettering/calligraphy is blocked. She’s also developed a bad habit of weaving secret messages into some of her projects. She’s shocked when one of her clients wants to know how she knew his marriage was doomed. I read this as an ebook and loved it. The writing is beautiful and the characters engaging. (Open door sex. I often skip/skim sex scenes, but this one actually added to the character’s growth and I found myself actually–gasp–reading it!).

January 2023:

ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS by Nicole Deese: This won all kinds of awards and rave reviews and I finally got around to reading it and I’m so glad I did! A faith-filled romance about a social media influencer who volunteers at a home for teens and young adults transitioning out of foster care finds herself changed forever. I read this as an ebook and plan to read the next book in the series.

THE PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION by Emily Henry: I’d read Emily Henry’s books before and and after this one, but hadn’t gotten around to this one yet. Two best friends since college have vacationed together every summer for twelve years until an unfortunate incidence in Croatia. Two years later, she’s determined to get their relationship back and invites him along to Palm Springs. In July. What could go wrong? I read this in paperback. (Open door sex that I skimmed.)

February 2023:

THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY by Gabrielle Zevin. When this was released as a movie last year, I saw lots of people rave that it was one of their favorite books of all time. I listened to it on audio and while I enjoyed it, I wouldn’t call it an all time favorite. I’m not even sure it’ll make my Top Ten of the year. Though it definitely could. It tugs at the heart strings and it’s set in a bookstore. What’s not to love? It covers several years in the life of A.J. Fikry and his adopted daughter who was abandoned in his bookstore as a two-year-old. I also watched the movie after I finished the book and the movie followed the book very closely. Both are worth the time.

THE CARTOGRAPHERS by Peng Shepherd: This is another that was raved about and it sounded intriguing. A young woman cartographer’s career was ruined seven years ago by her father, a renowned and respected cartographer, over a cheap, mass-produced road map from the 1930s. But when her father and another New York Public Library employee are found dead, Nell realizes that map may be a lot more valuable than she thought. This has a fantasy element I wasn’t expecting, but I still enjoyed it. I read it as an ebook and found the ability to enlarge the included maps and sketches very helpful.

A DAY LIKE THIS by Kelley McNeil: I read this for a book club. The member who recommend it said she enjoyed it because the author kept her guessing until the end. I got some inklings of the solution a bit before that, but I still found it a satisfying read. A mom of a young girl is in a traffic accident and when she wakes up, the doctor and hospital and EMS responders insist there was no daughter in her car. When her husband arrives at the hospital, he tells her they lost their baby in a miscarriage over five years ago. This sends Annie on a quest to find the daughter she knows exists. I enjoyed this one and read the ebook in a day and a half.

Have you read any of these? What have you been reading? Any recommendations? I’d love to hear from you!

Book Talk Tuesday: THE STEPSISTERS

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Susan Mallery is one of my writing examples. She puts out excellent books regularly. She keeps in contact with her readers. She writes stories that touch the heart. And her newest, THE STEPSISTERS, is another wonderful example of her women’s fiction.

Daisy and Sage were stepsisters, once upon a time, when Daisy’s father was married to Sage’s mother. Daisy and Sage share a half-sister, Cassidy. Now they’re all grown up and haven’t seen each other in years and are perfectly fine with that.

But when Cassidy needs help, Daisy and Sage agree to put the past behind them and focus on their sister. They’re all three surprised to learn that things they thought they knew about the past, and each other, may not be the whole truth. When a thoughtless and selfish act threatens their newfound friendship, they must decide if their family is worth fighting for.

While I don’t have stepsisters (or brothers), I do have half-siblings, though we were always treated as full members of the same family. Family dynamics can be tricky to navigate and Mallery shows that so well in THE STEPSISTERS.

I enjoyed this one a lot and highly recommend it!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, but was not induced to review it, favorably or not.

Book Talk Tuesday: THE VINEYARD AT PAINTED MOON

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I love Susan Mallery’s romance fiction, but I really, really love her women’s fiction. THE VINEYARD AT PAINTED MOON is her latest release and it’s wonderful. It’s full of all the things I love about Mallery’s books: warmth, family, friendship, love, and humor. And as the title implies, this one includes wine!

I read it an about a day and a half, I enjoyed it so much.

Mackenzie is a gifted winemaker, so it’s a good thing she married into a family with a winery and vineyards. The only thing she’s ever wanted is to belong to this family she loves so much. So it nearly breaks her heart when she and her husband realize their marriage is over. Mackenzie has to decide if that means she needs to also leave her job and home. Her sister-in-law is her best friend. Her mother-in-law employs her. Just how much is she willing to lose, along with her marriage?

This is set in Eastern Washington, a land growing in popularity for wine grape growing. A character from Mallery’s SISTERS BY CHOICE makes an appearance early in the story, and returns later on.

I enjoyed this one a lot. The characters feel like women I’d be friends with. Except for one who is truly evil, but I won’t spoil the story.

I highly recommend THE VINEYARD AT PAINTED MOON, and I suggest reading it with a glass of Syrah.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, but it did not induce me to review it, favorably or not. That was my choice.

Book Talk Tuesday: The Summer of Sunshine and Margot

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It’s the beginning of summer so it must be time for a Susan Mallery novel!

Which is one my happy times of the year, along with Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the day the roadside strawberry stands open.

slide-feb2019-coverThe Summer of Sunshine and Margot, is about twin sisters Sunshine and Margot Baxter. Margot is an etiquette expert, hired to help Bianca, a famously outrageous movie star, tame her impulses and become the wife of a diplomat. Sunshine is a nanny, determined to put her impulsive and wild days behind her, to go to college, and make something of her life.

Alec, Bianca’s son, likes his quiet life in his quiet house with his quiet ancient manuscripts. Because he loves his mother, he’s prepared to accommodate her desire that her new etiquette teacher move into the house with them.

Declan is the widowed father of Sunshine’s newest charge. The one thing he doesn’t need or want is this growing attraction to his son’s nanny. They’re just beginning to heal after the loss of his wife. His feelings for Sunshine threaten to undo the lives of all three of them.

One of the things I particularly loved about this book is the way Mallery was able to present each character in so few words in the first pages, but I quickly felt that I knew them intimately. As a writer, that’s a part of the craft  I’m working on and I greatly admire Mallery’s skill.

I loved this book and highly recommend it! I couldn’t put it down!

I received a free copy of this book from the author.