Month: November 2017

The Duke and I

Author: Julia Quinn
Published: January 5, 2000
Audiobook

Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars

Book Description from Amazon:

Can there be any greater challenge to London’s Ambitious Mamas than an unmarried duke?—Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, April 1813. By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend’s sister—the lovely and almost-on-the-shelf—Daphne Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth—it’s all an elaborate ruse to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable. But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it’s hard to remember that their courtship is a sham. Maybe it’s his devilish smile, certainly it’s the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her . . . but somehow Daphne is falling for the dashing duke . . . for real! And now she must do the impossible and convince the handsome rogue that their clever little scheme deserves a slight alteration, and that nothing makes quite as much sense as falling in love.

Kim’s Review:

This was just a fun read! Yes, it is a romance novel, but it’s not trashy at all. The sex scenes are few and far between and honestly not very graphic. What I love about this story are the characters. Daphne Bridgerton is awesome! She cracked me up the whole time! The banter that she shares with Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, made me laugh out loud several times! The reason I gave this book 4 stars was because of Simon’s rather annoying plans of revenge on his dead father. After a while, I just felt, “oh get over it dude!!!!” And Daphne’s brothers, with their over dramatic protectiveness of their sister, were a little tiring. I get that the culture of the time was much different than now, so I gave them a pass. Overall, this was a fun, light read that didn’t take much brain power, but was enjoyable!

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

 

The Memory Watcher

Author: Minka Kent
Published: January 9, 2017
Audiobook

Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: November 10-16, 2017
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars

Book Description from Amazon:

Press, tap, refresh…

When Autumn Carpenter stumbles upon the social media account of the family who adopted her infant daughter years ago, she finds herself instantly drawn into their picture-perfect existence.

From behind a computer screen, Autumn watches Grace’s every memory, from birthdays to holidays to bedtime snuggles. But what starts as an innocent fascination soon spirals into an addictive obsession that comes to a screeching halt the day the McMullen family closes their Instaface account without so much as a warning.

Frantic and desperate to reconnect with her daughter, Autumn applies for a nanny position with the McMullens, manipulating herself into Grace’s life under false pretenses. And it’s only then that Autumn discovers pictures lie, the perfect family doesn’t exist, and beautiful people? They have the ugliest secrets.

Jessica’s Review:

The premise of The Memory Watcher caught my attention and I really wanted to read this one.  You can see this kind of thing happening in reality since we are becoming a society heavily relying on social media.  Is social media a good thing or bad thing? That’s up to you to decide.

This is the Minka Kent’s debut and it’s a good one! I look forward to her future novels.   There are constant twists in The Memory Watcher and then there is that ending…

You don’t really need to know much about this book other than the premise.   There are two points of view: Autumn and Daphne (Mrs. McMullen).  I listened to the audiobook and we have two different narrators, one for Autumn and one for Daphne. Both narrators did a great job performing.  Both POV’s are well written and I was interested in both sides.  Nothing is as it seems! What seems to be a perfect life as shown on social media is anything but that.  I will admit that the book picked up for me about 70% in. Before then it was good, but that last 30% is what made me award it five stars. I did not want to finish listening to it!   If you are a Suspense/Thriller fan then go read this book!

The twist ending tends to be one that I don’t usually prefer, but Kent blew me away with the ending. Great job!

The Memory Watcher is recommended.

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

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Author Spotlight: Katie O’Rourke

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Katie O’Rourke is a hybrid author, which means she has both traditionally published and self-published books. Her debut novel, Monsoon Season, is being published through LittleBrown and Finding Charlie was chosen for publication by Kindle Scout. A Long Thaw was traditionally published and then re-released on her own. She launched her fourth novel, Blood & Water, this month.

Katie writes family sagas with overlapping characters, so they’re all connected. The stories in these books exist on their own and can be read in any order, independently from each other. They’re not sequels, but because all of the characters live in the same world, there’s an opportunity to revisit the past. Readers of Monsoon Season will find a familiar face in Finding Charlie; if you’re still wondering about Juliet when you finish A Long Thaw, look for her in Blood & Water.

Katie grew up in New Hampshire, went to college in Massachusetts, and has settled down in Arizona. These are the environments you’ll find in her stories because she thinks having an authentic sense of place is so important when you’re reading. Her work has been called women’s fiction, contemporary fiction, and literary fiction. She tries not to get hung up on genre labels and just writes the kind of stories she likes to read.


**Published November 21, 2017:

Blood & Water
292 Pages

Tucson, Arizona is a place for runaways. Everyone comes from somewhere else and has a story about what they left behind.

Delilah arrives on her brother’s doorstep with a secret. She hasn’t seen David in five years. He ran away from their family long ago for reasons no one talks about and she still doesn’t understand. The stress of raising his teenage daughter alone sometimes makes David envious of his deliberately childless friends, Tim and Sara, but they’re runaways too, harboring secrets of their own. Blood & Water tells their stories and traces the deep connections between this unlikely group of friends.

This novel is about family, in its various manifestations: the one you’re born into, the one you choose and the one you create.

Buy Blood & Water now! The Universal link is here.


Katie’s other books are available now:

FINDING CHARLIE COMPLETE

When Charlie vanishes without warning, the people who love her are worried sick. Even if the law considers her an adult at nineteen, Charlie’s still the baby of her already broken family. Older sister Olivia is determined to figure out what’s happened. She finds a lost cell phone, an abandoned car and a shady boyfriend she’s never met before. And he’s not the only secret Charlie’s been keeping.

This disappearance feels uncomfortably familiar, reminding Olivia and her father of another loss years before. But this will be different, Olivia swears. Charlie’s coming back.
Amazon US
Amazon UK

 

A_LONG_THAW_COMPLETE

Cousins Abby and Juliet were born into one big, close family. But when Juliet’s parents divorce, it tears the family apart and sends the girls in very different directions.

Juliet grows up too quickly, forced to be responsible for her younger sisters as well as an alcoholic, single mother. Abby grows up a pampered, sheltered only child. As women, they try to mend the rift and come to terms with the way their shared history connects them, in spite of the years apart.Told in alternating narrative, A Long Thaw explores how the two women are shaped by the traumas and triumphs of childhood. It’s a story about the power of secrets and the unbreakable bonds of family.
Amazon US
Amazon UK

Riley refuses to call herself a battered woman – she doesn’t fit the profile. When her boyfriend Ben hits her, she doesn’t know what to call it. She does know to pack her things and run to the one place that feels safe – home. After a horrific accident turns Riley’s world even more upside down, she’s forced to accept help from those around her. Before she can begin to heal, she must learn the difference between being independent and being alone.

Amazon US
Amazon UK

This collection of short stories is about young women negotiating their roles in family, love, and the world at large. Also included an excerpt of  Finding Charlie.

**US Readers will find this e-book is offered for free on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo.
Amazon US
Amazon UK

 

 

Contact Katie:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter @katieorourke78

 

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