Review: Home or Away by Kathleen West

Home or Away

by Kathleen West

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 368

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Two friends, one Olympic dream, and the choice that stood in the way.

Once Leigh and Susy were close friends and teammates bound for Olympic hockey gold, but when Leigh's sure-fire plan to make the final roster backfired, she left everything behind to start over, including the one person who knew her secret.

Two decades later, Leigh's a successful investment banker, happily married, and the mom of a hockey prodigy, so when a career opportunity lands the family back in Minnesota, Leigh takes the shot for her kid. Back in the ultra-competitive world she left behind, the move puts her in Susy's orbit, a daily reminder of how Leigh watched from the sidelines as her former teammate went on to Olympic glory.

Despite the coldness between them, Susy can't help but hope that Leigh might lace up her skates and join her in the coaches' box--after all Leigh knows better than anyone how hard it is to be a woman in this world. Susy's coaching decisions are undermined by the all-male board and she knows soon her daughter, Georgie, will be seen as a "girl athlete," relegated to the B team, with less support and opportunity to advance.

But Leigh's sure keeping Susy at arms' length is the only way to hide her history with her coach Jeff Carlson. When he hints of new favors in exchange for her son's ice time and allegations arise over his conduct, Leigh is caught in the ultimate bind: come clean about what happened when she was an Olympic hopeful and risk her marriage or play Jeff's game. In a moment of desperation, Leigh turns to Susy and realizes the one person she thought was her biggest competitor might turn out to be her biggest ally.

Kritters Thoughts:  A mom is returning to her Minnesota hometown with her husband and son in tow, so that her son can enter a more competitive hockey "market" with players who have been playing longer than they could walk!  Leigh, the mom, sort of ran away after she tried to get on the Olympic team and didn't make it and there are secrets that are still hidden that she she returns may come to light.  

I love a book where a character or two are returning home and when they do, they will have to confront some things from the past.  And while I am not a hockey connoisseur, I loved how this author put us in this specific sports world and made it interesting to someone who doesn't know much!  

I am trying not to spoil the big secret and its reveal, but gosh darn did it make me think of some news stories that made a lot of athletes and their parents stop, watch and ask questions.

I have read two out of three Kathleen West's books and I want to catch up on the one I haven't read and I will be looking out for what comes next.    

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 25 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The Shop on Royal Street by Karen White

The Shop on Royal Street

by Karen White

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 284

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  After a difficult hiccup on her road to adulthood, Nola Trenholm is looking to begin anew in New Orleans, and what better way to start her future than with her first house? But the historic fixer-upper she buys comes with even more work than she anticipated when the house's previous occupants don't seem to be ready to depart. Although she can't communicate with ghosts like her stepmother, luckily Nola knows someone in New Orleans who can--even if he's the last person on earth she wants anything to do with, ever again. Because Beau Ryan comes with his own dark past, a past that involves the disappearance of his sister and parents during Hurricane Katrina, and the unsolved murder of a woman who once lived in the old Creole Cottage Nola is determined to make her own whether or not the resident restless spirits agree...

Kritters Thoughts:  A spin off series from the books set on Tradd Street and while you don't have to read those books to read this one, it could be more fun to have that backstory before diving into this one!

This series focuses on Nola, the step daughter of Melanie and her husband and while Melanie has the gift to speak to ghosts her step daughter hasn't inherited, but she sure knows when one is around!  And there are many living in New Orleans from years upon years of major tragedies and a city that I believe has quite a welcoming habitat for ghosts and spirits to hang around long after they have died.  

I loved how this book flowed so well from the previous series.  With two characters moving to New Orleans, it felt like such a seamless transition and it was easy for me to get in and get invested in this book and hopefully this new series!  I also appreciated that Nola was following in her step mother's footsteps by wanting to renovate a historic home and wanting to keep it as close to accurate as possible while also making it live-able!  I like that the mystery is self contained, but there is still a drive to anticipate the next book to come.  

I hope that Karen White has quite the plans for Nola and this series.  

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 21 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

A weirdly cold weekend made for some perfect curl up and read time.

A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

At Any Cost by Andrea Kane

The Complete Language of Flowers by S. Theresa Dietz

The Pilot's Girl by Catherine Hokin

The No Show by Beth O'Leary

Currently Reading:

Summer at the Cape by RaeAnne Thayne

Next on the TBR pile:

The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani

Review: The Girl in the Shadows by Marion Kummerow

The Girl in the Shadows

by Marion Kummerow

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages: 290

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  1943, Germany: Two years ago, fate gave a beautiful young Jewish woman named Margarete Rosenbaum the chance to survive the Nazis, by pretending to be one of them, hiding in plain sight. Now she must make a terrifying decision…

Margarete lives as Annegret Huber would have, in a beautiful rural mansion by a forest in northern Germany. She is the heiress to the entire Huber fortune—one which she has devastatingly discovered includes a factory and Nazi prison camp. Margarete has done everything she can to help improve conditions there, and to reduce suffering for the prisoners who remind her so much of her own lost family and friends.

However, as the war rages on and the Nazis become more brutal in their treatment of Jews, she realizes she must do more. She has to help the prisoners escape to real safety, because they will never survive in Hitler’s Germany.

She’s heard of a route to freedom through Sweden. Although that means secretly reaching out to the resistance. With the risk of betrayal at every turn, her enquiries lead her to a man named Stefan, who she instantly feels a powerful connection to. But she fears he will never trust her… unless she reveals the secret that keeps her safe.

At the same time, a Nazi officer begins to show romantic interest in her, making it harder to keep her identity a secret. His loyalty to the party is beyond question, so if he finds her out, not only will her plan be at risk, but also her life and those of everyone she cares for.

But can she let that fear stop her from saving others? Because she knows she herself could so easily be one of the faces on the other side of the fence. And that, in the darkest times, sometimes the only person who can rise up is the girl in the shadows…

Kritters Thoughts:  The third book in a series that I highly recommend starting at the beginning as these book build on each other.  And in that note - spoilers for book one and two could be below.

In this book Margarete is still living in the country and hiding as a German heiress.  She feels responsible for the lives of those who work at her family's factory and while the Nazis are getting more obsessed about getting rid of the Jews, she employs quite a few and is hoping to save each and every one of them.  Margarete can't hide in this book and instead has to put on a brave face and host events and act like the German heiress she is trying to be.  

Marion Kummerow has created such a great series that shares some interesting perspectives on World War II and for those who are faint of heart, I appreciate that this book doesn't show some of the more harsh realities of this war.  Instead she concentrates on the small towns and how they tried to make an impact on the war effort in any way they can.  

While this is book three and most series end here, I hope that Marion has more about this character as I love to follow her efforts in this time and place.   

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 22 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Bookouture.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: After the Wedding by Laura Elliot

 

After the Wedding

by Laura Elliot

Publisher: Bookouture

Pages: 346

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Everyone said she was the prettiest flower girl. But now her dress lies on the floor. It’s wet and torn, her shoes are lost. ‘Where did you go?’ her daddy asks. She shakes her head. All she can remember are the red rose petals scattering like drops of blood spilling to the ground.

When Christine Lewis was a little girl, she witnessed something terrible at a wedding and buried it so deep in her memory, she managed to forget it ever happened.

Jessica Newman was a baby when she and her father came to live in an isolated cottage on the Irish island of Cullain with Margaret – the woman who loved Jessica as if she was her own. Until the day Jessica and her father left, and she never saw Margaret again.

Years later, Christine and Jessica cross paths working at the advertising agency Christine runs with her husband. These two women are about to uncover the dark secrets of their own traumatic pasts. But they have no idea that they are connected.
The shocking truth of what happened at the wedding all those years ago, and what became of Margaret, is going to blow their lives apart in more ways than each of them could ever have imagined…

Kritters Thoughts:  A young flower girl is rescued and while this incident seems isolated, it will ripple and come back up and after a trip with a therapist, the memories will come back and Christine's life will be upended.  

This was such a fun read - it felt like two mysteries for the price as one as the clues from Christine's childhood are being revealed while the mystery of her and husband's advertising agency's demise.  Of course, since this has all sorts of clues and things in this book, I don't want to share too much and give anything away, but I have to say the way that this book unfolded was just genius.  

The characters in this book were built so well.  I both trusted them and questioned them at the same time!  I loved following Christine's pursuit for the truth and her wanting to find out the details as to what happened to her when she was young and to find out what all was going on around her that at a young age she would have never known.  

I was surprised to find out after finishing this book that I have a lot of Laura Elliot's books on my TBR, but this was the first one I have read.  With her pacing being on point and her characters having such depth, I am even more excited to read Laura Elliot's other books.  

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 20 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Bookouture.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Curfew by Jayne Cowie

Curfew

by Jayne Cowie

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 320

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Imagine a near-future Britain in which women dominate workplaces, public spaces, and government. Where the gender pay gap no longer exists and motherhood opens doors instead of closing them. Where women are no longer afraid to walk home alone, to cross a dark parking lot, or to catch the last train.

Where all men are electronically tagged and not allowed out after 7 p.m.

But the curfew hasn’t made life easy for everyone. Sarah is a single mother who happily rebuilt her life after her husband, Greg, was sent to prison for breaking curfew. Now he’s about to be released, and Sarah isn’t expecting a happy reunion, given that she’s the reason he was sent there.

Her teenage daughter, Cass, hates living in a world that restricts boys like her best friend, Billy. Billy would never hurt anyone, and she’s determined to prove it. Somehow.

Helen is a teacher at the local school. Secretly desperate for a baby, she’s applied for a cohab certificate with her boyfriend, Tom, and is terrified that they won’t get it. The last thing she wants is to have a baby on her own.

These women don’t know it yet, but one of them is about to be violently murdered. Evidence will suggest that she died late at night and that she knew her attacker. It couldn’t have been a man because a CURFEW tag is a solid alibi.

Kritters Thoughts:  What if you lived in a world where men had a curfew and could be punished for being outdoors between certain hours?  Would this be a place you would want to live?  When I first read the synopsis and before I started reading, I thought this could be interesting if you thought about it, but then as the book started and the logistics of how this could affect life really made me wonder if I would want to live in a place like this.  

Told through multiple perspectives, but all from female points of view - these women are all affected positively and negatively from the curfew that they lived with.  I appreciated that the author really gave diverse points of view from a teenager who is questioning why these rules are in existence from a woman who needs them for her own safety.  I found myself really appreciating seeing the different people and their thoughts on the rules of their world.  

This book is the kind of "post apocalyptic" kind of book that I like to read.  I like to think about what if our world was different and would I like the different rules or would I wish for the old world!  

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 19 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

Another busy week, but a quieter weekend of garden prep and reading!


A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

What Animals Want by Julie McLaughlin

Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak

A Family Affair by Robyn Carr

Scarlet Carnation by Laila Ibrahim

Oh What Fun by Chandler Baker

Currently Reading:

The Pilot's Girl by Catherine Hokin

Next on the TBR pile:

At Any Cost by Andrea Kane

Review: The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery

The Summer Getaway

by Susan Mallery

Publisher: HQN

Pages: 416

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  With her divorce settlement about to run out and a mortgage she can’t afford, Robyn Caldwell needs a plan for her future. She nurtured her family and neglected herself. But how’s she supposed to think when her daughter has become the most demanding bride ever, her son won’t even consider college, her best friend is on the brink of marital disaster and her ex is making a monumentally bad decision that could bring everything crashing down on Robyn’s head? So when her great-aunt Lillian invites her to Santa Barbara for the summer, Robyn hops on the first plane.

But it’s hard to run away when you’re the heart of the family. One by one, everyone she left behind follows her across the country. Somehow, their baggage doesn’t feel as heavy in the sun-drenched, mishmash mansion. The more time Robyn spends with free-spirited Lillian, the more she sees the appeal in taking chances—on dreams, on love, on family. Life is meant to be lived on purpose. All she has to do is muster the courage to take a chance on herself.

Kritters Thoughts: Robyn Caldwell is in that next phase of life where her children don't need her every day and instead need her during the big decision moments and her ex husband is fully an ex and she hasn't quite moved forward since they divorced.  This may sound a little weird, but this book felt as though it was a coming of age for a woman entering the second half of her life - she is coming into her new age!

There was one character that for me, I didn't enjoy her storyline and thought the book could have done without her - the friend, Mindy.  From page one, I didn't love her, but I was glad to keep reading and find that she wasn't involved in the heart of the story, but she sure was distracting and I could have loved the book more without her.  

I tend to love Susan Mallery's stand alones and I did like this one, but this wasn't one of my favorites that I would widely recommend.  If you have read her others, you will love how she builds strong women and sends them down interesting paths.  

Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 18 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from HarperCollins.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The Nazis Knew My Name

The Nazis Knew My Name

by Magda Hellinger, Maya Lee and David Brewster

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 320

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  In March 1942, twenty-five-year-old kindergarten teacher Magda Hellinger and nearly a thousand other young women were deported as some of the first Jews to be sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

The SS soon discovered that by putting prisoners in day-to-day charge of the accommodation blocks, they could deflect attention away from themselves. Magda was one such prisoner selected for leadership and put in charge of hundreds of women in the notorious Experimental Block 10. She found herself constantly walking a dangerously fine line: saving lives while avoiding suspicion by the SS and risking execution. Through her inner strength and shrewd survival instincts, she was able to rise above the horror and cruelty of the camps and build pivotal relationships with the women under her watch, and even some of Auschwitz’s most notorious Nazi senior officers.

Kritters Thoughts:  A non-fiction story that read like fiction, which for me is always a plus in that the book doesn't read like a textbook!  Maya Lee, the daughter of Magda Hellinger has always been fascinated by the few details that her mother and father would give her of their time in concentration camps.  Both shared little and even with Magda writing a book, Maya came to find out that there were many details left out, so she went on a mission and this book is the outcome of her wanting to flesh out her mother's story.  

While I am not naive of the concentration camps during World War II, it is hard to read about them and I tend to try to find books set during this time, but not in this place.  For some reason this book while horrific in so many ways, knowing it was true made it feel more special and valuable of a read.  I also had no idea that some of the Jewish people were put in charge of "blocks" and even had to inflict discipline on their own family, friends, neighbors and so on.  

If you think you have read all you can/want of World War II, I would challenge you to add this one.  Maya does such a fantastic job of honoring her mother's legacy and giving the reader another story of survival and hope during a time where both were limited.  

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Atria Books.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

A half day on Friday, a weekend with snow and cold weather means a few books were consumed this week!


A meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. 

Finished this past week:

The Shop on Royal Street by Karen White

Raised Bed Gardening by CaliKim

The Girl in the Shadows by Marion Kummerow

Home or Away by Kathleen West

Currently Reading:

What Animals Want by Jacqueline Pearce

Next on the TBR pile:

Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak

Review: This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel

This Might Hurt

by Stephanie Wrobel

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 336

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Welcome to Wisewood. We'll keep your secrets if you keep ours.

Natalie Collins hasn't heard from her sister in more than half a year.

The last time they spoke, Kit was slogging from mundane workdays to obligatory happy hours to crying in the shower about their dead mother. She told Natalie she was sure there was something more out there.

And then she found Wisewood.

On a private island off the coast of Maine, Wisewood's guests commit to six-month stays. During this time, they're prohibited from contact with the rest of the world--no Internet, no phones, no exceptions. But the rules are for a good reason: to keep guests focused on achieving true fearlessness so they can become their Maximized Selves. Natalie thinks it's a bad idea, but Kit has had enough of her sister's cynicism and voluntarily disappears off the grid.

Six months later Natalie receives a menacing e-mail from a Wisewood account threatening to reveal the secret she's been keeping from Kit. Panicked, Natalie hurries north to come clean to her sister and bring her home. But she's about to learn that Wisewood won't let either of them go without a fight.

Kritters Thoughts:  A pair of sisters, each responded differently to the childhood they endured, one tried to overcome it and one was drowning until she found a safe place to recenter and work on creating a new path.  

Coming from a pair of sisters, I love to read books about sisters as I may be partial but I think a sister relationship is quite unique to the other two kinds of sibling relationships.  Having two females that can sometimes be compared to each other and are in the same family competing for time and attention can be very difficult.  I love when the sisters have the same childhood, but come out very different and then must figure out how and why they are who they are.  

Another storyline wove in and out of the Kit and Natalies.  A young girl who is unknown until the connection is made, tells the origin story of a woman who also had a hard childhood and once the reader finds out who is who, all the pieces come together.  I didn't love the chapters of this young girl as much as Kit and Natalie story, but once I found out who this person is, it definitely made the puzzle feel complete.  

This book also had a creepy mystery element to it that kept the pacing moving forward.  I would recommend this to readers, but with the warning that if you are sensitive to stories with cult like vibes, then this may not be up your alley.  I studied religion in college and love reading books about a group of people getting behind a person or idea and becoming a following and what all that looks like!  This was an interesting one!!    

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 17 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Moment in Time by Suzanne Redfearn

Moment in Time

by Suzanne Redfearn

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 288

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  It’s been eight years since a tragic accident changed Mo Kaminski’s and Chloe Miller’s lives forever. Now in their midtwenties, they’re sharing an apartment in San Francisco and navigating the normal challenges of early adulthood. Along with their roommate, Hazel, they are making their marks on the world—Mo revolutionizing the news with her media start-up, Hazel using her big brain to anticipate the future, and Chloe rescuing abandoned strays in the city.

But when Hazel disappears after being sexually assaulted, Mo’s and Chloe’s lives are again suddenly ripped apart. And when the perpetrator turns up drugged and beaten, the mystery of where Hazel is deepens. Intensely worried and desperate to discover the truth, they set out to find Hazel and bring her home.

Mo and Chloe are no strangers to tragedy, but this journey will test them in ways they never imagined. The stakes are high; the future uncertain; the need for justice essential.

Will their commitment to their friend bring them closer together—or ultimately drive them apart?

Kritters Thoughts:  Three friends and roommates have been living and loving San Francisco when one night two of the three go out to celebrate a work accomplishment, the one night will change their lives forever.  Mo and Hazel meet up with some of Mo's friends and Hazel is sexually assaulted and Mo and Chloe vow to avenge what happened to her.  

A hard book to read as a serial rapist has gotten away with this so many times due to a "lack of evidence" and to watch these two friends try to find the best solution to help Hazel, but also to find justice.  This book took so many twists and turns and I think I even gasped at one moment!  A story of women friendship, a little mystery and revenge all wrapped up in one cover and ended up being an extremely wild ride.  

I have only read two Suzanne Redfearn's book, but after this one I will automatically read her books, no questions asked!  She created three women characters that were dynamic and interesting and she showed how woman can and do show up for each other for the little and the big things.  While the subject matter was hard to read at times, I kept reading to see how these women would come together to bring evil down.

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 16 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from the author.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

The Golden Couple

by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Pages: 336

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  If Avery Chambers can’t fix you in 10 sessions, she won’t take you on as a client. Her successes are phenomenal--she helps people overcome everything from domineering parents to assault--and almost absorb the emptiness she sometimes feels since her husband’s death.

Marissa and Mathew Bishop seem like the golden couple--until Marissa cheats. She wants to repair things, both because she loves her husband and for the sake of their 8-year-old son. After a friend forwards an article about Avery, Marissa takes a chance on this maverick therapist, who lost her license due to controversial methods.

When the Bishops glide through Avery’s door and Marissa reveals her infidelity, all three are set on a collision course. Because the biggest secrets in the room are still hidden, and it’s no longer simply a marriage that’s in danger.

Kritters Thoughts:  Two main women in this twisting and turning story.  Avery is as of recently an unlicensed therapist and she claims that she can fix all the things in just 10 themed sessions.  Marissa is married with a young son and has recently cheated on her husband and needs Avery to help her fix the marriage that she wishes to stay in.  This is just the beginning.  

Told in alternating perspectives, each Avery and Marissa tell the story from their point of view and I am so glad we the reader got both!  While this story does revolve around cheating and I don't tend to read that, I am a Sarah Pekkanen fan and will give anything she writes a chance and yes cheating is what brought Avery and Marissa into each other's lives, there was more mystery and intrigue that kept the story going and I was so glad.  The story ended up being a who dun it of sorts and I loved reading that part of the book.  

I may be sensitive to this, but I appreciated that Avery's storyline really centered around her work.  I find that a lot of fiction doesn't always show women working and as a working woman myself, it is nice when the whole storyline revolves around a woman and her profession.  

While maybe not my favorite of Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks' work, I would recommend this to readers who are not sensitive to cheating storylines as I am.    

Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Ebook 2022 Challenge: 15 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from St Martin's Press.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.