Review: Stuck In Manistique by Dennis Cuesta

Near the midpoint of the Upper Peninsula, along a Lake Michigan bend of shore, is the town of Manistique, Michigan. Mark had never heard of Manistique before the death of his estranged aunt, but as sole beneficiary of Vivian’s estate, he travels there to settle her affairs. As Mark tours his aunt’s house for the first time, the doorbell rings.

Days after graduating medical school, Dr. Emily Davis drives north, struggling with her illicit rendezvous on Mackinac Island. She never makes it—on the highway near Manistique, her car collides with a deer, shattering the car’s windshield. Stranded for the night, Emily is directed to a nearby bed and breakfast.

Maybe it’s a heady reaction, the revelation that his aunt, an international aid doctor, ran a bed and breakfast in retirement. Or perhaps he plainly feels pity for the young, helpless doctor. Regardless, Mark decides to play host for one night, telling Emily that he’s merely stepping in temporarily while his aunt is away.

As a one-night stay turns into another and more guests arrive, the ersatz innkeeper steadily loses control of his story. And though Emily opens up to Mark, she has trouble explaining the middle-aged man who unexpectedly arrives at the doorstep looking for her.

Will these two strangers, holding on to unraveling secrets, remain in town long enough to discover the connection between them?

Expected publication: October 29th 2018 by Celestial Eyes Press  
Genre: Fiction

Kristine's Thoughts:

** I received an advanced readers copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

I think I might be in the minority with my opinion of this book based on other early reviews I've glanced at. The synopsis sounded so good and like a story that I would really enjoy. I really did want to enjoy it.

However...

It all fell a little flat to me. The plot, the setting and the characters. I really struggled to connect to any one part of it but I couldn't. It was all very average and sometimes very dull. The time I spend trying to get through this book was way more than I spend on most books. It just never seemed to grab my interest long enough for me to want to keep picking it up. Mark was hard to connect to. He seemed somewhat bitter and angry for no apparent or logical reason. He wasn't likeable at all which made it hard for me to care much about his outcome in the story.

I really feel like this story needed more development with the characters and the setting. I never quite got the feel for Manistique or any of the people that found themselves there. It just wasn't for me.

About the Author


Dennis Cuesta is the author of STUCK IN MANISTIQUE, his debut novel. The book is scheduled to be released on October 29, 2018.

A native of California, Dennis attended the University of Michigan and remained in the Upper Midwest during his early career.

He and his wife did get stuck in Manistique once, long ago. The interrupted trip served as inspiration for the novel. Dennis now lives in San Jose, California with his wife and son.

Connect with Dennis

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Review: The Memory of You by Jamie Beck

Stefanie Lockwood can repair anything, except her heart—that’s still recovering.
After a brutal assault leaves Steffi with puzzling memory lapses, she returns to her coastal Connecticut hometown to rebuild her life the best way she knows how: with her hands. But starting a remodeling business with one longtime friend puts her in the middle of a rift with another. Worse, being hired by her ex-boyfriend’s mother forces her to confront old regrets.
Public defender Ryan Quinn wasn’t shocked when his wife left him, but he was floored when she abandoned their daughter. With his finances up in the air, the newly single dad returns to his childhood home in Sanctuary Sound. The last person he expects, or wants, to see working on his family house is Steffi Lockwood—his first love who shattered his heart.
Although Steffi and Ryan are different people now, dormant feelings rekindle. But when Ryan’s concern for Steffi’s mental health prompts him to dig into her past for answers, will what he learns bring them together or tear them apart for good?

Kindle Edition

Expected publication: October 30th 2018 by Montlake Romance
Series: Sanctuary Sound #1

Genre: Contemporary

Kristine's Thoughts:

** I received an advanced readers copy from Montlake Romance via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

The Memory of You is the first book in the Sanctuary Sound series by Jamie Beck. It appears that the series will follow three lifelong friends. This first book was Steffi's story.

Steffi and Ryan were high school sweethearts but when Steffi went away to college she longed for more and "ghosted" Ryan to break up with him. Ten years later she found herself back in Sanctuary Sound, after a traumatic mugging, with a new business and doing a home renovation in his parents home. Ryan also found himself back in his parent's home with his 9 yr old daughter after his marriage to the woman he got pregnant while rebounding from Steffi ended.

What I liked...

I am always a sucker for a second chance romance so I liked the possibility of a rekindled relationship between Steffi and Ryan. The fact that Ryan had a daughter who was struggling with the break up of her family added a level of complexity to the relationship that made it all the more interesting. I adored the interactions between Steffi and Ryan's daughter. It was my favourite part of the book.

What I didn't like...

Although I appreciated the attempt to dive into a serious topic with what happened to Steffi, I felt that there were far too many other things going on in the story that took away from its impact. There were hints throughout the story as to what really happened to her (leaving the reader fully aware) but the heart of the issue really didn't take the forefront until the last bit of the book. It was such a serious event but I felt like there were way too many other issues and stories within the book that it didn't get the number of pages that it deserved. With a second chance romance, a divorce, a struggling 9 year old, a serious crime and an introduction to what I can only assume will be the characters from future instalments, it was far too busy and had way too much going on. Any one of the plots would have been enough for one book but all of them together was a bit much.

Final thoughts...

Although I found the plot busy I still enjoyed getting to know the characters from Sanctuary Sound and I feel like I need to know what happens to the rest of them. I have to admit that I wasn't really a fan of Claire in The Memory of You so I do feel like Beck has her work cut out for her in redeeming her which I have no doubt that she will. It is something I look forward to when I read Claire's story.

About the Author

National bestselling author Jamie Beck’s realistic and heartwarming stories have sold more than one million copies. She is a Booksellers’ Best Award and National Readers' Choice Award finalist, and critics at Kirkus, Publishers Weekly (including a starred review), and Booklist have respectively called her work “smart,” “uplifting,” and “entertaining.” In addition to writing novels, she enjoys dancing around the kitchen while cooking and hitting the slopes in Vermont and Utah. Above all, she is a grateful wife and mother to a very patient, supportive family.

Connect with Jamie

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Review: The Wife's Secret by Kerry Wilkinson

A gripping psychological thriller with a heart-stopping twist

Charley Willis was thirteen years old when her parents were killed in their family home and she was found hiding in a cupboard upstairs.

Fifteen years later, Charley is marrying Seth Chambers. It should be the happiest day of their lives, a chance for Charley to put her past behind her, but just hours after the ceremony, she is missing.

No one saw her leave. No one knows where she is.

One thing is for certain…Seth is about to discover he doesn’t really know the woman he just married. And his nightmare is only just beginning. 

Kindle Edition, 338 pages

Expected publication: October 10th 2018 by Bookouture

Genre: Psychological Thriller/Mystery

Kristine's Thoughts:

** I received an advanced readers copy from Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

After reading a slew of sub par psychological thrillers recently The Wife's Secret was a pleasant, welcomed and refreshing change. Finally one that I enjoyed. In fact, one that I really enjoyed.

Seth's new wife Charley disappeared after their wedding. Not a few days later but right after the vows at the reception. There were no clues as to what happened to her. Did she get cold feet and leave or did something terrible happen to her? Was it the "Willis Curse" that the public believed her family was plagued with?

The Wife's Secret was told in the present from Seth's point of view and the past from Charley's. As the mystery unfolded and Charley's history was revealed, the pieces started to fall into place. I was hooked and was desperate to know what happened and how it would all play out. Not only was I interested in what happened to Charley but I also wanted to know what happened to her parents all those years ago when she was only thirteen. I figured that they had to be connected somehow but I couldn't quite figure it out. Yes, some of it was pretty easy to guess but I was caught off guard with other parts. I was quite pleased about that.  It is always a good story when it isn't completely predictable.

This book was quite easy to read and even easier to get lost in. I found myself doing the "just one more chapter" thing in my head on numerous occasions. Needless to say because of that I finished it very quickly. This was the second book by Kerry Wilkinson for me and the second one that I've thoroughly enjoyed. There is a simplicity to his writing that makes the story flow and he has a way of weaving a story that leaves you completely captivated. I can't wait to read some of his other titles.

  

About the Author

Kerry Wilkinson has had No.1 bestsellers in the UK, Canada, South Africa and Singapore, as well as top-five books in Australia. He has also written two top-20 thrillers in the United States. His book, Ten Birthdays, won the RNA award for Young Adult Novel of the Year in 2018.

As well as his million-selling Jessica Daniel series, Kerry has written the Silver Blackthorn trilogy - a fantasy-adventure serial for young adults - a second crime series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter, plus numerous standalone novels. He has been published around the world in more than a dozen languages.

Originally from the county of Somerset, Kerry has spent far too long living in the north of England, picking up words like 'barm' and 'ginnel'.

When he's short of ideas, he rides his bike or bakes cakes. When he's not, he writes it all down.

Connect with Kerry

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Review: The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him, as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination. It's a place where your life is explained to you by five people, some of whom you knew, others who may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?"

Kindle Edition, 240 pages

Published (first published September 23rd 2003
Genre: Fiction


Kristine's Thoughts:

This book is not new and has been reviewed hundreds of times so I'll keep my thoughts short and sweet on it.

When Eddie died in a tragic accident he met five different people that intersected his life in one way or another. They were meant to give him clarity and answer the question "Why was I here?" Some of the people were expected but others were not.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven was a short and easy book to read. I flew through the pages and was anxious to know who Eddie would meet and what they would bring to the table. Many things about his life were explained and he was given clarity on a number of things as well.

I enjoyed every minute of this book. It doesn't get preachy or speak of religion but tells one story of what could possibly happen after the end. I appreciate that about it and therefore think that it would appeal to a large number of people.

About the Author

Mitchell David Albom is an author, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, radio and television broadcaster and musician. His books have collectively sold over 35 million copies worldwide; have been published in forty-one territories and in forty-two languages around the world; and have been made into Emmy Award-winning and critically-acclaimed television movies.

Connect with Mitch

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Review: Bend the Rules by Susan Amanda Kelly

Everyone deserves a second chance and Mary Holmes, accountant extraordinaire, is determined to make the most of hers. Sure, she’d love to get her old life back - she used to be thin, well-dressed, engaged-to-be-married, on the corporate ladder and regularly bought three kinds of lettuce. Back then, she could afford the hair products needed to keep her hair sleek. But one unused wedding cake, a regrettable public safety incident and a teensy prison record later, her life goals have shrunk to being able to afford to eat regularly. To do that, she needs to make a success of her second chance… an accounting job with Vetruvious Security.

Everything is proceeding according to Mary’s detailed, color-coded, new-life plan until Vetruvious Security hires a specialist, Crash Coolidge, to work undercover to smash a truck cargo heist ring. Crash is sexy, insolent, sexy, disheveled, sexy and scarily relaxed about the prospect of killing people. Even in a tough-guy company like Vetruvious Security, Crash is the equivalent of a Rottweiler surrounded by Chihuahuas. After Mary is assigned to his team, her life-plan rapidly derails. She is targeted by the sinister and mysterious head of the heist gang and only Crash stands between her and an undignified death.

Mary finds herself doing things that most definitely were not in her employment contract like stripping the shoes from a corpse; adopting a deaf, rank-smelling guard dog; clue-hunting with Crash’s crazy, supermodel sister and lurking in a biker bar to locate a specific tattoo artist. All because Mary ends up wanting a second chance for Crash Coolidge as much as she wants one for herself. And she must find the sinister and mysterious head of the heist gang before Crash does. Because she doesn’t want Crash to do something reckless that lands him in prison. Not when he has become a vital part of her detailed, color-coded, new new-life plan.

Kindle Edition, 352 pages

Published June 26th 2018 by Gomboc Words 

Genre: RomCom

Kristine's Thoughts:

** I received a copy of this book directly from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

Bend the Rules is a book that you want to read when you don't want to take life too seriously. It is the second book in a series but it can be read as a stand alone. This was the first book for me and \I was able to follow along.

It was at times over the top and there were some definite laugh out loud moments in Bend the Rules. The absolute highlight of this story was Mary. Her character was what made reading this book worthwhile. The plot itself was average at best but Mary was a joy to read. With her second hand suit and her colour coded systems, she was a fish out of water in almost every situation which made her humorous and enjoyable to follow. She really did make it for me. Without her, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the plot at all. I was indifferent to Crash and all of the other secondary characters, but I thoroughly enjoyed Mary. Perhaps there was a bit of her that we can all relate to that made her so endearing.

This book came to me right when I needed something not so serious to get lost in. I'm now curious if this author always writes about quirky and unusual characters. I guess there is only one way to find out!

About the Author

Susan Amanda Kelly loves making up stuff in her head. She is easily distracted, inclined to stop mid-conversation and stare off into space. She once spent five hours at sea, on a boat, muttering: "Where would he hide the body?" She hopes the video footage of that trip has been wiped. She finally decided to put the characters that inhabit her head, onto paper. It was like opening the door on a lunatic asylum... glorious bedlam. She hopes her readers come to love her characters as much as she does. She writes high-octane novels packed with romance, crime and humor. They're PG13 because of some strong language and steam (the heroes are hard to resist).

Connect

Website/Goodreads 

 

Review: The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton

A rich, spellbinding new novel from the author of The Lake House—the story of a love affair and a mysterious murder that cast their shadow across generations, set in England from the 1860's until the present day.

My real name, no one remembers.
The truth about that summer, no one else knows.

In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe’s life is in ruins.

Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist’s sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river.

Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph? Will she ever give up her secrets?

Told by multiple voices across time, The Clockmaker’s Daughter is a story of murder, mystery, and thievery, of art, love and loss. And flowing through its pages like a river, is the voice of a woman who stands outside time, whose name has been forgotten by history, but who has watched it all unfold: Birdie Bell, the clockmaker’s daughter.

Kindle Edition, 512 pages

Expected publication: October 9th 2018 by Atria Books
Genre: Historical Fiction

Kristine's Thoughts:

** I received an advanced readers copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

Kate Morton is one of my all time favourite authors. I have devoured all of her books and I was extremely excited to get an advanced copy of The Clockmaker's Daughter. It is because of this that it pains me to write what I am about to write.

I struggled quite a bit with this book. It took me days to get through it which has never happened with any of Morton's prior novels. Normally I would be so engrossed that I would not notice the passage of time. Instead I felt the clock ticking as I turned each page. I wouldn't say that the book was horrible but it was average at best and by far my least favourite of all of her books.

The Clockmaker's Daughter jumped back and forth between different time frames and different characters. It was told from the perspective of these many characters. This is a theme and style that I can normally get behind. In fact, I normally love it. In the case of this book however, I found it confusing at times and hard to keep track. There were many moving parts and a large cast of characters to keep straight. Almost too many.

The plot had some shining moments but I found it to be a little chaotic yet slow moving at the same time. I loved the idea of different people at different times in the same house. There were enough pieces that held my interest to keep me from putting the book down but it ran at a rather dull pace. By the time it started gearing up for the climax and the inevitable ending I had already figured out what was going to happen. There was no overwhelming shocker or surprise twist like I have enjoyed so much in her previous work.

The fact that I am a huge fan made it really hard for me to rate this book and I'm sure it has influenced it in some regard. I'm not sure which way though. Either my expectations were too high so I rated down or I love her books so much that I rated higher than it deserved. Regardless, I am still a big fan and I will still wait patiently for her next novel. I liked it well enough but I didn't love it.

About the Author

KATE MORTON was born in South Australia, grew up in the mountains of south-east Queensland and now lives with her family in London and Australia. She has degrees in dramatic art and English literature, and harboured dreams of joining the Royal Shakespeare Company until she realised that it was words she loved more than performing. Kate still feels a pang of longing each time she goes to the theatre and the house lights dim.

"I fell deeply in love with books as a child and believe that reading is freedom; that to read is to live a thousand lives in one; that fiction is a magical conversation between two people - you and me - in which our minds meet across time and space. I love books that conjure a world around me, bringing their characters and settings to life, so that the real world disappears and all that matters, from beginning to end, is turning one more page."

Kate Morton's five novels - The House at Riverton, The Forgotten Garden, The Distant Hours, The Secret Keeper and The Lake House - have all been New York Times bestsellers, Sunday Times bestsellers and international number 1 bestsellers; they are published in 34 languages, across 42 countries.

Kate's sixth novel, The Clockmaker's Daughter, will be published in September/October 2018.  

Connect with Kate

Website/Goodreads 

Review: No One Like You (Chateau Jolie #1) by Heather McGovern

In the quaint mountain town of Windamere, North Carolina, the three Sargent sisters are determined to make their hotel and winery, Chateau Jolie, a success. And one by one, they’re finding that nothing pairs better with new beginnings than unexpected love…The downside of living in a charming small town is that it’s impossible for Brooke Sargent to avoid anyone. Especially someone as big, handsome, and friendly as Trevor Bradley. At his brother’s wedding, they flirted and danced…before Brooke recalled that she’s not ready to trust any man after her divorce, let alone one who’s the competition. Her family’s struggling chateau is planning to host the local senior prom—without the Bradley family’s renowned Honeywilde Inn muscling in and stealing the glory.

Trevor has thought of no one else since the night he and Brooke connected. Even though she shot him down—hard—he’s seen the warmth beneath her guarded facade. Working together, they could give the high school students a spectacular prom. Navigating the rough terrain of Brooke’s business, while proving himself to his own siblings, won’t be easy. But Trevor loves a challenge—especially one that could win him the woman he can’t stop wanting . . .

Kindle Edition, 1st edition, 266 pages

Expected publication: October 30th 2018 by Lyrical Shine

Terri's Thoughts

** I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you**

This appears to be a spin off of another series by McGovern.  Although it left me slightly curious about the Bradley family, it didn't impact the ability to enjoy this story.

As always, I fell in love with the male lead.  Trevor was the perfect specimen, kind, understanding and of course hot.  The way he continuously came to Brookes aid made me swoon as there are not a lot of people in life who are so selfless, male or female.

The story was light, romantic and easy to read.  I had thought I was familiar with McGovern's work however when I search make in my archives it appears she is new to me (at least recently).  I enjoyed her writing style and will certainly read more of her work in the future.  I look forward to the stories featuring Brooke's sisters.

About the Author

Website